Topic: The Internet and the World Wide Web
Dr. Moira Gunn talks with author and Internet policy specialist, Rebecca MacKinnon about her mantra on cyber rights, outlined in her new book, Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom.
In a recent WIRED article introducing Chrome Frame, it's mentioned that IE7, issued in 2006, is the only approved browser at Morgan Stanley. Ben Fried, CIO at Google, says it's time for the rearguard of IT to step up the pace. Cloud computing and personal technologies are pulling at enterprise IT from both ends. Security remains the most critical issue for IT. But the opportunities are better than ever if IT can adapt.
We have all heard that technology is changing, and that the world is changing alongside it. RJ Auburn, CTO at Voxeo, presents several ways his company keeps this idea in mind by changing their customer service and products in reaction to and anticipation of present and future technological trends. He also explains how technology is changing the ways in which people hear, communicate, and use communication tools altogether.
Dr. Moira Gunn learns more about changes in knowledge transfer following the internet explosion from Berkman Center for Internet & Society researcher, David Weinberger.
"Right now we are in a shooting war between users and the analytics people, except the users aren't armed." Cory Doctorow argues that users and Internet companies are performing a transaction. A transaction where users give personal information in return for use of products or services. The transaction right now is lop-sided and unfair. To balance the transaction, Cory offers some suggestions.
In the face of Hurricane Irene, New York City's website was overwhelmed by residents checking evacuation plans and searching for updates. Fortunately, the data on flood zones were available from other sources on the web. Rachel Sterne heads the City of New York's digital efforts. From providing WiFi in parks and libraries, supporting digital training for the underprivileged, running app competitions, making interagency connections, to setting up FAQs on Facebook and running Twitter hashtags, New York City government is connected.
What's the key facial feature of your design? That one element that grabs people on an irrational level, reflects the big concept, and becomes the icon for your product or service. Gretchen Anderson points to BMW cars' split grill, Tivo's big, bright "pause" button, and the Flip camera's flip-out USB plug as examples of successful facial features. Yes, strive for usability, but the most usable designs can be boring. Your design needs personality, too!
Many young professionals apply for positions based on what they studied without much experience actually working in the real world. Instead of considering themselves to be experts in many areas, Theo Schlossnagle of OnmiIT argues that professionals "must treat what you do as a craft". He discusses how his experience with both software development as well as running a company gives him a unique view on how tech professionals can be successful in a career.
The issue of copyright continues to be a major problem over the life of the personal computer. Companies have consistently tried to limit the ability of users to make the most of their machines, using a variety of protection schemes. In his talk at the 28th annual Chaos Communication Congress (28c3), Cory Doctorow reviews the history of the copyright fight and discusses how developers and political organizations will continue to limit the use of the general purpose computer.
With a good deal of sarcasm, Josh Berkus presents a sardonic critique about scaling tools that are trendy rather than reliable. Josh Berkus, CEO of PostgreSQL, gives a facetious list of do's and don'ts for database creation and application design that, while often popular today, are not stable techniques. In the same cynical tone of this short presentation, Berkus sarcastically places sexiness at the top of the list of qualities to maintain when scaling website elements.
