Am I the only one who feels like the daily non-progress on the debt ceiling talks is like watching disaster footage frame-by-frame ("The Hindenburg catches fire...NOW")?
Seeing as nothing says "disaster" quite like 3-D, here's one vote to move the negotiations between the President and the Speaker of the House, amongst House Republicans, between the Gang of Six and all comers, etc etc, onto C-SPAN...in 3-D! We can all rock our cool glasses, and the negotiations will play out something a little like this...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
What is this Google+ of which you speak?
Teaching COMM 311 (Media Literacy) again this summer, and the new wrinkle is Google+. Maybe you've heard of it? Ha. Maybe you're on it? Maybe you've figured it out?
I guess I've been on now for a fortnight--not only did I fail to win Wimbleton AGAIN, but I'm still feeling my way on Google+. I think I'm averaging the creation of a new circle every two days, as I try to refine my organization of contacts. Not that I'm posting a whole heck of a lot over there...but by God, I'm organizing my circles.
As the fizz of the new slowly subsides, I've been thinking about where the buzz came from, and what the draw is for folks. I have a few ideas, and I'd love to hear yours....
1. Manufactured scarcity. The game of needing to get an invite was kind of a funny riff on the are-you-cool-enough-to-get-into-the-club? game. You bet there was a bunch of folks hot to get onto Google+ because, well, X got in and they didn't. Yet.... Though by this late date, it's really a beta in name only, isn't it? Anyone want in anymore that can't get in? We can sort you...
2. A fresh start. Americans love a new frontier, and they love starting over. Here was a chance to not only be an early adapter, but also a place where you could ditch the parents, or the ex, or those folks who you don't even know how you became facebook friends with but don't have a gracious way of saying see ya to. To say nothing of the annoying / embarrasing photos. Or the confusion of the privacy settings. Or... you get the picture.
3. The potential. Google+ plays out like one of those inkblot tests you studied in Psych 101--everybody gets to project their hopes (desires?) on this new system. This is particularly true of folks who are IN on the Google Docs thing. I myself am particularly intrigued by the possibilities of networking a number of folks together in a video conference--virtual post-dissertation group, anyone?
What's your take on Google+? I'd love to hear your experiences... Now let's see if I can hook up an RSS feed on Google+ like I have on Facebook--THEN we'll be cooking...
I guess I've been on now for a fortnight--not only did I fail to win Wimbleton AGAIN, but I'm still feeling my way on Google+. I think I'm averaging the creation of a new circle every two days, as I try to refine my organization of contacts. Not that I'm posting a whole heck of a lot over there...but by God, I'm organizing my circles.
As the fizz of the new slowly subsides, I've been thinking about where the buzz came from, and what the draw is for folks. I have a few ideas, and I'd love to hear yours....
1. Manufactured scarcity. The game of needing to get an invite was kind of a funny riff on the are-you-cool-enough-to-get-into-the-club? game. You bet there was a bunch of folks hot to get onto Google+ because, well, X got in and they didn't. Yet.... Though by this late date, it's really a beta in name only, isn't it? Anyone want in anymore that can't get in? We can sort you...
2. A fresh start. Americans love a new frontier, and they love starting over. Here was a chance to not only be an early adapter, but also a place where you could ditch the parents, or the ex, or those folks who you don't even know how you became facebook friends with but don't have a gracious way of saying see ya to. To say nothing of the annoying / embarrasing photos. Or the confusion of the privacy settings. Or... you get the picture.
3. The potential. Google+ plays out like one of those inkblot tests you studied in Psych 101--everybody gets to project their hopes (desires?) on this new system. This is particularly true of folks who are IN on the Google Docs thing. I myself am particularly intrigued by the possibilities of networking a number of folks together in a video conference--virtual post-dissertation group, anyone?
What's your take on Google+? I'd love to hear your experiences... Now let's see if I can hook up an RSS feed on Google+ like I have on Facebook--THEN we'll be cooking...
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