Bogost
This videogame theorist and assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology waxes between scholarly navel-gazing and witty media references. Ian really knows his stuff -- how many people in your social circle have written books on the Atari 2600 and elementary Greek, are able to design Transformer-themed pie vents, and can spot Hall and Oates lookalikes in the ranks of the Kotaku editorial staff?
Highlights
-- Chumby and the Rhetoric of Openness: "In addition to an always-connected wireless network, Chumby also sports a touchscreen and an accelerometer. Thanks to the touch/shake sensitivity as well as its small size it could become an interesting platform for experimental software and games."
Data Mining: Text Mining, Visualization and Social Media
Microsoft researcher Matthew Hurst has a pulse on the future of the news business and social media, from "algorithmic editors" to GIS visualizations. In other words, this is the blog you go to if you want thoughtful analysis of memetrackers and 3D maps.
Highlights
-- The TechMeme Bikini: " ... The assumptions above are a little rough and there is absolutely no accounting for how network effects really get things done in the blogosphere. The point is, there is a 2 orders of magnitude difference in these numbers between what an individual can expect and what the groups (A-listers/others) can expect."
3D On The Web. Cheap!!!
Len Bullard is an old-school authority on 3D standards. He has lots to say about 3D worlds such as Second Life, as well as corporate experiments and investments in 3D technologies. Unexpected diversions abound, ranging from a rant on OOXML to a demonstration of his songwriting abilities.
Highlights
-- VRML Meant Self-Hosted Worlds. Qui bono?: "Talk community as much as you like. Use all the classical arguments of objectivism vs communal obligation. It will come down to the company offering the service, the terms, your willingness and ability to litigate and their willingness and ability to contest your litigation. "
-- Second Life Slows Down: "Yes, they now have competitors. See the history of Las Vegas for analogies."
BeyondVC
Ed Sim has been in the private equity business since the first Web wave, and his breadth of knowledge and experience shows. Updates are infrequent, but his insights into entrepreneurship, the roles of VCs, social networking tools, and other Web trends are invaluable.
Highlights
-- Social networking and ads-who's paying attention?: "I remember one of our portfolio companies in the early days of the web had automated bots for instant messaging where we could insert ads into the stream of conversation. ... People just did not care. They were on the system to IM not to view ads."
Bubblegeneration
Expressing contrarian views of Internet technologies and the Internet economy can be a blood sport, but Umair Haque frames his debates so skillfully that even his detractors are forced to give him props. Be sure to read the Bubblegen comment threads -- pure gold.
Highlights
-- A Wake Up Call For The Venturescape: "Today's crop of VCs are nice guys - but fast being corporatized: comfortable in their myopia, highly risk-averse, cronied into each other, and, unfortunately, totally out of tune with the problems they should be solving."
-- Google, The Macropocalypse, and Rethinking Strategy: "By doing good -- killing domain tasting -- Google takes a very real short run hit: but massively amplifies the long-run health and vibrance of the ecosystem."
Schneier on Security
Discussion of security-related topics tend to scare away all but the geekiest of readers, but Bruce Schneier's blog is different. He approaches tricky technologies and infuriariting policy issues with a calm, clear voice, and frequently prompts comments from people who would never dream of posting on a security blog.
Highlights
-- Conversation with Kip Hawley, TSA Administrator (Part 2): "This feels so much like 'cover your ass' security: you're screening our shoes because everyone knows
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