Young programmer, I urge you to consider both sides of the startup coin. There are so many ways to make a dent in the world.
- Glass
Dustin Curtis provides a levelheaded review of Google Glass and makes the long road ahead for Google fairly obvious. - Is there a Social-Media Fueled Protest Style? An Analysis From #jan25 to #geziparki
Zeynep Tufekci has been studying social media, politics and social movements and is one of the best sources on Twitter for what’s happening in Istanbul and all over Turkey these days. Here she gives a lot of background to the current protests and her perspective about the connection between social media and protests. - The Banality of ‘Don’t Be Evil’
Another brutal take-down of Eric Schmidt’s book “The New Digital Age,” this time by Julian Assange. We’re always a bit wary about his conspiracy theories. But his jabs at Schmidt’s agenda are a welcome antidote to the techno-determinism of the Silicon Valley. - You Can Stop Worrying About Moocs Now
The MOOC hype seems to be running out of its disruption fuel. Unsurprisingly, the VCs are more interested in returns than “free education for everyone.” Time for companies like Coursera and FlatWorld Knowledge to refine their business models, which is not a bad thing, just not so revolutionary anymore. - Aaron Swartz: hacker, genius… martyr?
A couple of months after his death, Elizabeth Day sits down with his girl-friend Stinebrickner-Kauffman to reflect on Swartz and the circumstances of his death. A good opportunity for us to keep remembering him.