MIM

I have never really connected with the idea of Instant Messaging. Not sure if it was the crazy abbreviations, being in a mobile job, or not being fond of interruptions. So, needless-to-say, I was not really surprised when I read the Steven Levy story about Jack Dorsey's new startup Twitter which is a service that allows you to update all your friends and family what you are doing, even when you are mobile (MIM=Mobile Instant Messaging). Not sure I want people to know where I am or what I am doing 24x7, and I would have concerns for my daughters or anyone who may turn from friend to stalker. Like any new technology, there will be flashes in the pan, evolutions and innovations that will find their way into our behavior as second nature.

Source: Levy, Steven (2007, April 9). Twitter: Is Brevity The Next Big Thing? Newsweek, 26

Network (really) TV

Funny how words have a way of evolving. We have all understood "network" television to mean the major networks delivered over satellite or cable to our homes. With the many innovations happening on the internet, Steven Levy with Emily Flynn Vencat have introduced us to a new idea in Network TV: Joost which turns your computer into the delivery device which threatens the future of the traditional TV set. Joost does for copyrighted content what YouTube has done for individual/amateur content: provided a mechanism for people to tailor content to their needs. Considered "peer-to-peer" and "on-demand" this technology adds rich content to our social networks and provides another way for people to connect around shared interests.

Source: Levy, Steven (2007, May 14). Trashing the Tube. Newsweek, 48