The theory holds that the Internet is an advertising medium where users themselves create the vast amount of content. In other words, as Milner understands it, the same ocean of advertising revenues that have gone to traditional media might now go to the Internet, but without the offsetting costs of having to actually create content. Voilá.
“From margin standpoint,” Milner notes, “this is very magical.”
This isn’t breaking news in 2011, but it is a controversial point that users do all the work while companies (Facebook, Twitter, etc) get all the profit.
This is why in 2011, creating a web app can be done overnight, but traction on yet another freemium service is so hard to get.
When you think of a thermostat, what comes to mind? I picture an old, off-white colored box that’s dusty and sort of works. You know the kind I’m talking about that exists in American homes which nobody gives any thought to.
Did I ever think I would be posting about a thermostat? No, but this one has obvious iPod inspired DNA.
Nest Thermostat (via TC)
The Nest is simply a giant circle that you can turn left or right to decrease or increase the temperature. Oh yeah, it has one button on the screen in front. Does that sound familiar?
iPod
Also, the Nest appears to have a proximity sensor and has smartphone level guts. The latter (smartphone processing power) doesn’t do much to set itself apart on today’s market.
I don’t know what the current market for expensive thermostats looks like. Price-wise, the Nest is surely an expensive luxury product compared to your Vanilla off the shelf thermostat. But then the dollar amount for the Nest is relatively insignificant when it comes to your home’s central heating & A/C system. If you’re renting or selling your house, the Nest would be an easy way to increase the overall value of the property by more than the cost of the Nest.
While the Nest is nice, I don’t see people running out and buying it if their current thermostat is in an OK working condition. But as discussed in the previous paragraph, it could be a relatively inexpensive investment to set your home apart if you’re doing extensive renovations anyways.
I’m not in the target market for the Nest, but it’s nice to see startups target hardware. With Square, Fitbit, and Nest, it’s nice to see startups tackle “market disruption” via a non-CRUD web app.
I need to find a way to play this. The first and 2nd were some of the most beautiful and fun games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Maybe I’ll bring my PS3 to NY.
Uncharted 2 was one of the few games where I actually finished the single player more than once (including the hardest mode). Sadly, I can’t even make this statement for games that deserve replays like Mass Effect 2 & Deus Ex: HR.
Asylum was good times, even if some of the melee challenge rooms were very hard. I’ll wait for this game to hit Steam as GOTY (with all DLC) several months down the road for like 20 bucks.
Side note: so many games are on sale for fractions of the $60 suggested new game retail price within a couple months on Steam or through traditional retailers. Add to the fact that all the DLC is included in a definitive GOTY edition, you can save tons of money if you have any patience at all.
This game will come out on Blizzard time, so maybe sometime before 2012 is over.
As much as I want to play it, I’ll probably have to skip it to avoid ruining my life. Not even kidding when I say that this game will cause me to get absolutely nothing done for years of my life looking back. I mean that as both a compliment to the quality of the addictive gameplay and in a scary, I’m not kidding sort of way.
What’s there to say besides I’ll be on this like white on rice. I made a quick and dirty SC2 playlist of IGN uploaded videos from Blizzcon that show the new units in action. The gameplay will get adjusted prior to HotS launch, but the new units already look like it will stir things up in a good way.
Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘no’.
If you think about it, this makes sense. Articles that could be answered by ‘yes’ choose to state the news in the headline rather than asking a fake question.
Or as Wikipedia explains it, “The maxim trends towards being universally true because of a simple principle of headline writing: if a story has enough sources to have a high chance of accuracy, a headline will be assertive”.
This interests me as it’s a news headline hack that tends to work. Find out the answer without having to go past the jump.
A bold experiment in distributed education, “Introduction to Databases” is being offered free and online to students worldwide, October 10 – December 12, 2011. Students have access to lecture videos, are given assignments and exams, receive regular feedback on progress, and participate in a discussion forum. Those who successfully complete the course will receive a statement of accomplishment. Taught by Professor Jennifer Widom, the curriculum draws from Stanford’s popular Introduction to Databases course.
If you’re interested in software or technology, databases are incredibly relevant to modern day computing. This free course may be technologically tough, but it will reward you with insights that you will be able to apply somewhere.
No matter how rational and high-minded you try to be, you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price. It’s different from ordinary physical fatigue — you’re not consciously aware of being tired — but you’re low on mental energy. The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts, usually in either of two very different ways. One shortcut is to become reckless: to act impulsively instead of expending the energy to first think through the consequences. … The other shortcut is the ultimate energy saver: do nothing.
One interesting finding is that sugar helps combat decision fatigue.
Also, since everyone is worn down by decision making, smart people work around this by acknowledging their inability to make good decisions.
As a first timer, we had to hit the tourist spots: Geno’s & Pat’s. Little did I realize they were right across the street from each other, next to a park.
Geno's
Geno’s, clearly going for the Shock & Awe campaign.
Inside Geno's
Geno's Menu
Nice & simple. Tourists want the cheesesteak. I assume locals (if hypothetically locals ate here) go for the roast pork.
Geno's Cheesesteak
As you can see, there isn’t that much meat for a $9 sandwich. The cheese (whiz) shines with a high cheese to meat ratio.
Pat's Front
Pat's Ordering Window
Pat’s offers a lot more options on the menu. I found it unnecessary, but I guess it allows customers to get it their way.
Pat's Menu
Pizza Steak? Fish Cake? What??
Why?
Pat's Cheesesteak
Pat’s obviously offers substantially more meat than Geno’s. Here, I’d point out that the line for Pat’s was noticeably longer too.
At both places, I got with onions and cheese whiz. I didn’t get fries because it would fill me up too much. Keep reading to see why I had to preserve stomach space.
Pat's Signage
Since Philly is a two hour drive from NYC, I made an executive decision to hit up a third spot.
Cheaper than Geno’s and Pat’s (both $9 each), this $7.25 cheesesteak was amazing. The cheese is mixed into the chopped steak (as opposed to topping the meat).
I’m late to the party, but finally managed to try the Bian Dang truck. They’re known for the common Taiwanese dish, pork chop over rice.
Bian Dang line
Bian Dang logo
Menu
$4 is a lot for a zong-zi. I guess that’s the price you pay for convenience. Then again, I still seek out 5 for a dollar Chinatown dumplings, so maybe I’m not the target customer.
Pork Chop over Rice
Nice photo of the goods. $7 for a good amount of food. It’s two pork chops, but no tea egg.
Bian Dang - Food Court 32
This plate of pork chop over rice was taken earlier this year in February at their Ktown branch in Food Court 32. You get a lot more food for roughly the same price at their brick & mortar location.
