Apple doesn’t care about news, it cares about recurring revenue. That’s why publishers are crazy to jump into bed with Apple News+. They’re rendering their own subscription options unnecessary in exchange for a sliver of what Apple pays out from the mere $10 per month it charges for unlimited reading. The unfathomable platform risk here […]
View More The danger of “I already pay for Apple News+”Category: Opinion
Where did social media go wrong?
For most of my life, the Internet, particularly its social media — BBSes, Usenet, LiveJournal, blogosphere, even MySpace, early Twitter and Facebook — consistently made people happier. But roughly 5 years ago it began to consistently make people more miserable. What changed? I posted that question to Twitter a week ago, and the most notable […]
View More Where did social media go wrong?How to save the third wave of technology from itself
The next wave of technology is arriving, transforming cities, healthcare and finance. But the regulatory landscape has become difficult to navigate. Regtech will ease these burdens.
View More How to save the third wave of technology from itselfWelcome to the hub of all hubs: Cosmos has launched
Last week the Cosmos Network launched, which I believe to be a major event. Yes, it’s a blockchain initiative — but definitely not just another one. If I’m right, its repercussions will one day reach your life too, though it’s sufficiently bleeding-edge that those ripples probably won’t hit you for a decade. Maybe five years, […]
View More Welcome to the hub of all hubs: Cosmos has launchedDemocracy is good for business
Watching our democracy function (or malfunction) over the past few years, I have come to the conclusion that there is a slow-moving crisis developing for our democracy — and our economy.
View More Democracy is good for businessThe future of flying
From 3500 feet up California is a glorious patchwork quilt of green and gold, textured by rippling mountains and shining water. Ahead of us we see the Carquinez Bridge and the Bay; behind us, the fingers of Lake Berryessa curl into the steep hills. Twenty minutes ago I stood barefoot in the soft grass on […]
View More The future of flyingHow to be remote
I’ve been interviewing a lot of developers lately at my day job as the CTO of a tech consultancy, and I’ve noticed an interesting trend. Many of them seek us out because they want to work remotely. That’s not new. What’s new is that an increasing number of them are already working remotely … pathologically.
View More How to be remoteRegarding Facebook’s cryptocurrency
If Bloomberg and the New York Times are to be believed, later this year Facebook will introduce a cryptocurrency which will allow WhatsApp users to send money instantly. Yes, that’s right: Facebook. Cryptocurrency. Earthquake! Revolution! The world is tilting on its axis! The end times are cometh! Except – um – what exactly are people […]
View More Regarding Facebook’s cryptocurrencyHow Netflix is eating the Academy
It’s Oscar night! Do you care? If you’re me, and/or the statistically average watcher, the answer is: a whole lot less than you used to. Last year’s viewership hit an all-time low. Whither Hollywood, which just does not dominate the cultural conversation the way it used to? Oh, at first glance it’s doing just fine […]
View More How Netflix is eating the AcademyStop limiting quantum computing to speed
If you’re thinking about speed alone, you’re missing a world of possibilities for quantum computing.
View More Stop limiting quantum computing to speedWhen surveillance meets incompetence
Last week brought an extraordinary demonstration of the dangers of operating a surveillance state — especially a shabby one, as China’s apparently is. An unsecured database exposed millions of records of Chinese Muslims being tracked via facial recognition — an ugly trifecta of prejudice, bureaucracy, and incompetence.
View More When surveillance meets incompetencePlease stop marking yourself safe on Facebook
Let me begin by saying that Facebook’s Crisis Response pages do a lot of good. They are a locus for donations and offers of help. But that said, for the love of humanity, when something bad happens, please stop marking yourself safe on Facebook. They don’t mean to prey on our anxieties. They mean to […]
View More Please stop marking yourself safe on Facebook