Delicious LiveJournal Links for 8-20-2010

[andrewducker]

• Virtual reality used to give people more of a sense of empathy
  (tags: empathy psychology violence reality)
• If Historical Events had Facebook Statuses
  (tags: facebook funny history)
• School that spied on its pupils via webcam escapes prosecution
  I don't really understand this one. I an individual had done this they'd be throwing away the key!
  (tags: law usa privacy technology)
• When Will Computers Match the Human Brain? Kurzweil vs. Myers
  (tags: ai technology brains)
• Intel buys McAfee. I have absolutely no idea why.
  (tags: technology antivirus intel wtf)
• Hands up who wants a Pizza Burger?
  (tags: pizza hamburger food usa)
• 98% of singles sold in the UK are downloads. 15% of albums, likewise.
  (tags: music business)
• Ever-changing English. The language people have been complaining about since 1712
  (tags: language english)
• Why Barnes & Noble are fucked - an ex book-buyer talks about why Amazon wins, no matter what.
  (tags: books business amazon)
• Burlesque performers protest over review
  (tags: feminism burlesque edinburgh)
• The pentagon is perfectly happy to have muslim prayers occurring next to their own 911 strike site.
  (tags: military CommonSense usa islam)

Comments

Re: Facebook history

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

I can't remember who linked me to this, it may have been you (although a quick skim of your links doesn't show it) or it may have been someone else on facebook.

WWII on Fcebook

Re: Facebook history

[andrewducker]

Hah. Like it.

[erindubitably.livejournal.com]

Having worked at Blackwell for only six weeks I can totally agree that it's an uphill battle for bookstores to compete with online sellers. I think Blackwell gets around to a certain extent by:

a) having a decent online store
b) dealing with a lot of government/council/other accounts
c) focusing on academic textbooks and schoolbooks
d) having many years of tradition (Thins) and customer loyalty

but it's still not easy. One of the Waterstones on Princes Street is closing down at the end of the year because of low sales, and it won't be the last. It's a bit sad, and I'll be a lot more likely to buy in-store when I can because I like bookshops and do want them to continue to be around.

Spying schools

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

Quite simply, it seems that the US establishment can do as it pleases, and the law will be interpreted to suit. First steps towards Facism.

[princealbert.livejournal.com]

Intel make a lot of the rack mounted servers that the web runs on, thats probably the market they are targeting McAfee products

[call-waiting.livejournal.com]

Intel buys McAfee. I have absolutely no idea why.

1. Virus scanners make Windows machine slow.
2. Slow Windows machines make people go out and buy faster processors.
3. Profit!

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

> described burlesque as a woman with an expression like a "blown-up sex doll" taking off her bra and dropping it on the floor.

Ha ha ha.

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

To clarify: I'm aware some women find burlesque empowering, and who am I to question that. But I am baffled by it, as to me it seems rather like black men saying they feel empowered by volunteering on a cotton plantation.

[d-c-m.livejournal.com]

The pentagon is perfectly happy to have muslim prayers occurring next to their own 911 strike site.
Amen!

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Here's a suggestion for your linkage, in case you haven't come across it already:

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/16/ground_zero_mosque_origins

How the media uproar over the so-called Ground Zero mosque started.

[andrewducker]

Done - thanks!

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I appreciate that lots of people are sad for various reasons (nostalgia, brand loyalty, community, jobs etc) about physical business (such as bookshops) being usurped by the internet... but as the article points out, the business model is basically not great. It's shit for the store and forces them to work in certain ways, and it's crap for the customer.

Before you could download music, it sucked having to record from the radio or spend a fiver for a single that had the track you wanted, or a tenner for the album with one track you wanted. Yeah nostalgia is great, but that sucked. I have tons of albums with shit filler tracks and singles that are noticeably better written and produced. If, back when I bought those, I could have just downloaded those two or three tracks - I would have done. Now that people can do this, we'll probably see an eventual trend away from releasing rip-off crap like that, thank god.

Yes, bookshops are being brutally crushed by Amazon, but that's because Amazon does it better. It's all well and good for people to say "but but but my small local business and my nostalgia!" but most people are happy with cheaper and easier, and don't want to pay a premium for nostalgia.

[cybik.livejournal.com]

I will pay a premium for being able to browse, though. Buying from Amazon is great for things I already know I want, but I can't browse to find new things with the ease that I can in a shop.

I don't think bookshops are doomed completely, but I think there will be fewer than there are now.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

Aside from Dan Brown, Chris Patterson etc books are a premium niche product anyway, so I'd expect some bookshops to survive, just even more filled with snooty hipsters :-)

[cybik.livejournal.com]

I imagine there will always be second hand bookshops too, since those manage to hang on in the oddest places..

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I am becoming more and more convinced that almost all second hand bookshops are part of the same bookshop with different doorways into it in this world, because that's the only explanation why most of them have the same obscure books.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Burlesque; as empowering as a flat HP7 battery, and about as erotic as Ann Widdecombe.

[andrewducker]

Leave the comment on the poll post, see if you can get some discussion going :->

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Will do!