Iranian Tweets

twitterIn Iran, the revolution is not being televised, but it is being tweeted. While the state has effectively shutdown phones,  internet, and owns the media, it seems that regular folks are able to document the ongoing protests in 140 characters or less.

It’s easy to mock the twitter platform as being a narcissistic toy, but the simplicity and lightweight nature of the thing is allowing it to be a powerful tool in media, and in this case political outrage.

Update: A peice from the NYTimes

As each new home for this material becomes a new target for censorship, he said, a repressive system faces a game of whack-a-mole in blocking Internet address after Internet address carrying the subversive material.

“It is easy for Twitter feeds to be echoed everywhere else in the world,” he said. “The qualities that make Twitter seem and inane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful.”

Also, it’s pretty cool to see that Twitter seems to recognize it’s importance in these events.

Helvetica vs. Arial

A Quiz. Can you tell the Microsoft rip-off from the classic. I scored 7/10.

The Economist

Randomly, while checking the sites google standings, I discovered one of my photos being used on the The Economist. It’s not a real article or anything, but still kind of spiffy.

Monday Video Zen

I need one of these…
Read more

Skyhook

The first live test was conducted with a pig as the target. Due to some stability issues, the pig spun in the 125 mph wind, and arrived on the plane dizzy and discombobulated. It recovered, however, and promptly attacked the crew.

This article details the use of the Skyhook as a means of extraction from arctic Ice Floe ‘research’ stations during the cold war. From the same generation that brought you Spam and Mutual Assured Destruction.

Monday Video Zen

It’s entirely to early in the day/week/morning to post something worth-while, thought-provoking or funny. Video of industrial equipment accidents will have to do for now.

It’s kind of like watching Cops, a high-speed police chase or really, anything on fox.

Ars Gratia Artis

You’d thing with all this connectivity, all this interaction that this crazy new medium of the internet affords us, that there’d be a greater level of acceptance and promotion of the creative classes – We can do our thing with less strain on the society at large. I don’t need a public grant , or university tenure to write a book, or research a topic, I’ve got the Wikipiedia, and google scholar. If I want to exhibit my photography, I’m going to et a helluva lot more publicity out of a well designed and promoted website, than I will out of some kind of public art hoopla.

So why are there still so many haters ? I’m an avid reader of Dooce, not because I have some great interest in mother hood and poop, (although who doesn’t love a good fart joke), but because I think she’s a really brilliant writer. She recently posted a rundown of the hate mail that she gets as a professional blogger.

I mean really, do you have anything better to do with YOUR life than write about your dog licking plates and your husbands shoes? While I understand that cancer is scary (I’m 24 and had to have an ovary and a tumor the size of a grapefruit ON IT removed), you really cannot be surprised that people are a little put off by your tiny bit of “over drama” about a spot of skin cancer.

Spelling errors aside, it’s the overt hostility of this message is a little much for me (I reference another site only becasue I don’t merit hatemail, only spam). Your creative types (and they belong to you, because they provide you with a indescribably vital part of your existence) – They entertain, they provoke thought. They definitely don’t deserve this kind of treatment.

This looks easy. Bang on the keyboard for a while, say something funny, maybe even a joke about excrement. Nope. Nothing I do at work is more creatively challenging than cranking out content for this site. I can’t imagine the pressure of supporting a family off the content of a blog. It’s and amazing new medium, a new model. The haters should go create their own playground.

And, all A-list blogger name dropping aside, a note: We’ve just passed our 200th post – Go me.

Google has mad cash

Google is selling 5.3 Million class A shares, raising an estimated $2 billion. Whoa.

The decision to sell more shares to raise cash that could be used for operations does raise the question why Google needs to do so, since the search firm had $8 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and generated $2.45 billion in net cash from operations in 2005. – Marketwatch

Hrmmm. If I were Google, what would I do with $12 billion ?
After I bought an island made of tortilla chips, surrounded by a sea of queso, I’d be building my own internet. Sounds dumb ? Check this out :

Why should they (content providers)be allowed to use my pipes? The Internet can’t be free in that sense, because we and the cable companies have made an investment and for a Google or Yahoo! or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes [for] free is nuts! -Ed Whitaker SBC (now AT&T) CEO

So Goggle is making noise about free public wifi in San Fran. There, they have an effective businees model to serve their content and not go through the geriatric phone company pipes. This isnt exactly left-field either, a lot has been written about google buying up dark fiber for just such a purpose.

How much would it take to implement this strategy in major cities around the country? Say $12 Billion ? It bears watching.

And ok, this two-tier internet thing is stupidly confusing (I first started getting intrested at Burnie Burns keynote at SXSW). If you want a really good explanation, check out this post on reneysys.com. A most excelent explainer of how to pull revenue from both ends of the pipe.