Monthly Archive for June, 2005

Weblogs, Inc. Losing a Spot in my RSS Reader?

That’s right, they’re getting damn close… I’m on the verge of deleting every damn Weblogs, Inc. - run blog from my reader. If I wanted to read the same news over and over again, I’d still have Scoble on my must-read list. But do you see 300 unread items for Scoble’s feed in my news reader? I sure do… Maybe that’s a hint!

If Jason Calacanis wants a tip on how to improve reader satisfaction for his blogs, here’s one for him: DON’T POST THE SAME SHIT TO EVERY ONE OF YOUR BLOGS! Also actively encourage your bloggers NOT to re-hash posts from other Weblogs, Inc. - run blogs. I subscribe to YOUR blog for a reason, Jason. Not just because I like you and the things you talk about, but also because I want to hear the latest news about your company. I don’t need to see that news on every one of your blogs… That’s why YOU are on my list!

Allow me to illustrate a few examples:

Example One: The Newest Weblogs, Inc. blog:

The Office Weblog Jason Calacanis’ Blog

Example Two: Engadget in Stereo (erm, different languages):

The Office Weblog Jason Calacanis’ Blog

Example Three: The Best of Weblogs, Inc. (and by far the most annoying of them too!):

The Office Weblog Jason Calacanis’ Blog

Politicians Blogging

I was finally reading through my blogs today. We’ve been so busy at work lately that I haven’t had the time to skim through them there, and by the time I’ve gotten home, I’ve been too tired and stressed out to be in the mood for reading.

Fortunately, I got a major part of my big project worked out today, and not only did that free up some time to relax a little and get a perspective on things, but it was also a huge morale booster for me. Top that accomplishment off with a relatively slow work day and I’m in a good mood.

It’s slower-paced times like these that make me take a step back and realize that I really do have a good job and makes me wonder if it’s just the stressful anger that’s been causing me to bash it later. There are still a lot of things that need changing, but I guess I am just better able to handle them when I’m not already stretched to the breaking point.

Anyway, I was reading my backlog of blogs today and found an interesting post about why politicians should start blogs. There were several good points made. One of my favorites was relating to a younger audience and getting them more interested in politics.

I know that personally, I would love to read a politician’s blog. It’d be nice to get that kind of personal connection with one in these days of random political attack ad campaigning. However, it would have to be personally written. If I want carefully drafted and 100% politically correct PR bullshit, I’ll stop by our marketing department at work (which is why I’ve never mentioned the idea of a corporate blog to them — I sure wouldn’t read the crap they’d spit out on it).

Another good point made was that a politician’s blog would help provide a more personal connection with their voters. They would be able to personally explain and (if necessary) defend their captain stances.

If you think about it, a blog would also prove very beneficial to the politician as well. Not only would they be able to provide information and explanations to the public, but they would also be able to easily and instantly get feedback from readers on hot issues through comments and trackbacks.

Overall, I’m not seeing a downside to the idea. It benefits the voters, it benefits the politician, and everyone wins. The only problem anyone could have would be with the honesty, sincerity, and personal touch of the content. And really, if the candidate has to be THAT worried about covering his own ass, don’t we think there’s something else wrong?

Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

Under the American legal system, a suspect is supposedly innocent until proven guilty, correct?

Why then, does that not seem to be the case in traffic violations? If I’m standing before a judge, pleading not-guilty, why is the only thing required for a conviction the word of a police officer that I was indeed doing 62 in a 35?

If it were my word against my net-door neighbor’s word in some argument about stolen property, the court would throw the case out because there was no decisive proof in the matter. However, if the prosecution happens to be the government, represented by a law enforcement official, you are instantly proven guilty with no evidence other than their word.

If there are any lawyers out there that actually know the legality and logic behind these types of cases, I would more than love to hear your explanation.

Until then, viva la resistance, I suppose!

Weblogs Survey

Take the MIT Weblog Survey

I’d like to encourage everyone who has a blog to take the MIT survey linked to above. It only takes a few minutes to run through, and actually proved somewhat interesting.

Source: Blogger Buzz

Top 100 Most Unwired Cities

Intel has released it’s 3rd annual “Most Unwired Cities” list which, despite its misleading name, is actually a list of the top 100 cities with the broadest availability and most diversification of wireless internet access.

Very surprisingly, South Carolina (where I live if you didn’t know) has 5 locations on this top 100 list. We start off with Rock Hill, SC at #17 (which is listed in the same entry with Charlotte-Gastonia, NC — they overlap a lot these days). That’s not terribly surprising, since it’s Charlotte. Next up we’ve got Charleston and North-Charleston at #32, followed by Columbia, SC (our state capitol) at #58. We wrap up the list with a very shocking Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson area at #81 and finish off our entries with Augusta, GA / Aiken, SC at #89 (again, they overlap these days).

The fact that Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson made the list amazes me. Either I’m hiding in a hole in this city, this survey is horridly inaccurate, or it’s a sad statement about the state of wireless internet access in our nation as a whole.

In any case, it’s a very interesting read. Check it out at Intel’s site and see where your city / area ranks.

South Carolina Rankings
17 Charlotte-Gastonia, NC / Rock Hill, SC
32 Charleston / North Charleston, SC
58 Columbia, SC
81 Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson, SC
89 Augusta, GA / Aiken, SC