Well, that certainly helps with open government. The White House uses the same technology that many huge Web sites use (along with our bros at Bluffton Today, where we worked in our formative years). Drupal’s open source. Now, so is Whitehouse.gov. This is cool, kids.
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In our always-connected world, e-mail seems like a quaint, longstanding relic of yesteryear, especially considering that 1.) It’s been around 40 years and 2.) Minus all the extra stuff added over the years, it’s largely unchanged from its roots. With Google’s upcoming Wave (which we were invited to but are bored using because we don’t have any friends) and other always-on connections, it seems like e-mail could lose its cultural impact. That’s what the Wall Street Journal argues. What do you think? Vote above.
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When your hard drive dies, you can go to the nearest computer store, buy a new one, and swap it out. That’s because it’s a standard part in a machine. The entire electronics industry is based on a plug-and-play mentality. … Why shouldn’t we use biological parts in the same way?
UC Berkeley biochemical engineering professor Jay Keasling • Discussing his philosophy on health and disease. It’s a very nontraditional approach. Cells are hardware. Genetic information is software. And by their powers combined, you have a new limb. Warning: Massive New Yorker profile piece at the link. Take a long lunch. (Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan.) • source
What would a content site look like if you started from how to make money—as print media once did—instead of taking a particular form of journalism as a given and treating how to make money from it as an afterthought?
Y Combinator • Making a request for startups related to journalism. The site makes the argument that the reason that newspapers and magazines are unsuccessful in this economy is that their business model “is too far from their current model for them to reach it in time.” The opportunity sounds like just the kind of thing for just-out-of-college types. If they pick you, you get a limited amount of money, with the idea being the the best ideas come from freedom, and less money means more freedom. If you’re fresh out of college and have a couple of smart buddies, why even try for newspapers right now? Go for this. • source
The point is that the days of the profitable generalist news-gatherer are dying, but the days of solid reporting and a strong, trusted editorial voice must never be allowed to perish.
TechCrunch’s Paul Carr • Regarding the future of journalism. Carr suggests this sort of bold, crazy idea: Shut down the New York Times, lay everyone off, hire 30 editors and have them come up with a site aggregated by people who know quality content, who can take the essence of the Internet and come up with something really good. Or you can read ShortFormBlog, which is kind of doing most of this already with one guy and an intern. (Or if you want to go a little bigger, the Christian Science Monitor basically does this already, and well.) Your choice. • source
