Twitter At The Vanishing Point
Posted by Michael Hickins, Jun 1, 2009 09:01 AM
For months, we've heard that Twitter, the fastest-growing social network this side of Facebook, was at the tipping point of relevance. Well, maybe it's more like the fastest growing social network this side of MySpace.
The vanishing point is that spot in the horizon where the sea meets the sky, where a ship's tallest mast blends indistinguishably into the fuzz of clouds and froth. Or where a phenomenon dissipates into the milky froth of a cappuccino and everyone realizes that there's no there there.
Maybe it's just growing pains and Twitter will right itself, but the last month has been unkind to Twitter. The most recent setback is a glitch that prevented the service from providing real-time search. If Twitter is going to last longer than a twinkle in co-founder and de-facto spokesman Biz Stone's eye, this is the kind of service it has to get right so it can charge businesses for the right to use it. I can't wait for Stone's next apologetic blog post, likely titled something like, "Holy F**dback."
There's also the fact that, for what seems like the fiftieth time this month, it turns out Eve doesn't know @Eve from Adam. Again, if businesses are going to trust the comments are genuine -- and that Tweets from the boss aren't actually from @rival -- they have to work this out. And that won't be easy considering that Twitter needs to have a frictionless sign-up process. They can't very well ask for a credit card for authenticate purposes.
Add to the list the mind-numbing idea of a reality show where contestants receive Tweets from the audience that help them win the treasure hunt, unmask the false millionaire bachelor or tell them when their spouse is cheating on them. All good for a lark until @Ashton threatens to quit Tweeting if anything like this comes to pass.
Indeed, of all the misfortunes to have befallen the chirping social network, the much-bandied stat that Twitter tweeters throw in the towel quickly might be the worst. As cell phone companies will attest, you can only achieve so much growth when your customer base is churning out from under your feet.
And unlike cell phones, Twitter isn't exactly catching fire with Generation Y (its biggest demographic is the 35-49-year-old set). My 13-year-old daughter just got back from an overnight with her entire grade, a night in the country under the bright stars, howling coyotes and iPhones buzzing with Facebook updates and viral YouTube hits.
"Does anyone in your grade use Twitter?" I asked her.
She rolled her eyes. "No. That's for old people," she said.
I realize I might as well have asked her about MySpace, that other high-masted phenomenon that has tipped over the cusp of the curving globe in time for the next social network to be born.
6.03.2009
Xenophobic capitalism counterproductive
The Peril of 'Buy American'
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 3, 2009 - 8:18am
Last updated: June 3, 2009 - 8:18am
Source: New York Times
Author: Editorial staff
THE PERIL OF 'BUY AMERICAN'
[Commentary] It's not surprising that Democrats in Congress could not resist adding a "Buy American" provision to the fiscal stimulus bill earlier this year. It might seem sensible (or at least politically useful) to ensure that taxpayer dollars would be used exclusively to support American jobs. But as states and municipalities start spending stimulus money, the idea is starting to look as counterproductive as it should have looked from the beginning. It is sparking conflict with American allies and, rather than supporting employment at home, the "Buy American" effort could ultimately cost American jobs.
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 3, 2009 - 8:18am
Last updated: June 3, 2009 - 8:18am
Source: New York Times
Author: Editorial staff
THE PERIL OF 'BUY AMERICAN'
[Commentary] It's not surprising that Democrats in Congress could not resist adding a "Buy American" provision to the fiscal stimulus bill earlier this year. It might seem sensible (or at least politically useful) to ensure that taxpayer dollars would be used exclusively to support American jobs. But as states and municipalities start spending stimulus money, the idea is starting to look as counterproductive as it should have looked from the beginning. It is sparking conflict with American allies and, rather than supporting employment at home, the "Buy American" effort could ultimately cost American jobs.
Fox describes alien phenomenon
Explaining scientific possibilities while weaving doubt:
Strange circles have once again appeared in the frozen surface of Lake Baikal in Siberia, as spotted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station this April. News reports described the ice rings as a puzzling phenomenon.
But experts say they can explain the mystery, and it's not aliens — methane gas rising from the lake floor represents the likely culprit.
Methane emissions can create a rising mass of warm water that begins swirling in a circular pattern because of the Coriolis force, or the phenomenon caused by the Earth's rotation that also helps create cyclones.
"Once the water mass reaches the underside of the ice on the surface of the lake, the warm water melts the ice in a ring shape," said Marianne Moore, a marine ecologist at Wellesley College in Massachusetts who has spent much time studying Lake Baikal with Russian researchers. The lake is the largest (by volume) and deepest fresh water lake on Earth.
The latest ring patterns included a circle of thin ice with a diameter of 2.7 miles (4.4 km), although the circular patch was becoming a hole of open water. Astronauts spotted similar ice circles in both 1985 and 1994, and satellites have also made sightings over the past years.
This phenomenon is nothing new to the Russian government, which has documented circle sightings on an official Ministry of Natural Resources Web site.
"Interestingly, the government is also warning people that abnormally high emissions of methane may occur in these areas in the summer and fall, posing risks for ships," Moore told LiveScience.
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources points out that random emissions of natural gas have probably always occurred in Lake Baikal. And such emissions would have created ice rings every few years.
"But, because of the huge size, it is practically impossible to see a ring standing on the ice or even from a mountain," the Ministry Web site notes. The Russian government has ordered daily space monitoring of the Lake Baikal area in recent years, which prompted many of the satellite sightings.
Tectonic activity deep in the Earth may be the trigger for such methane gas release, according to the Russian government.
That could have major consequences for Lake Baikal's rich array of plants and animals, Moore cautioned — especially in combination with a warming climate. Both could lead to spring ice disappearing more rapidly from Lake Baikal, which can typically hold onto an ice cover through June.
"Unlike other lakes in the world, spring ice is essential for the reproduction of the lake's top predator (the Baikal seal) and the dominant plants (under-ice phytoplankton) at the bottom of the food web," Moore said. "Without spring ice, the food web of this lake will be disrupted substantially."
Strange circles have once again appeared in the frozen surface of Lake Baikal in Siberia, as spotted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station this April. News reports described the ice rings as a puzzling phenomenon.
But experts say they can explain the mystery, and it's not aliens — methane gas rising from the lake floor represents the likely culprit.
Methane emissions can create a rising mass of warm water that begins swirling in a circular pattern because of the Coriolis force, or the phenomenon caused by the Earth's rotation that also helps create cyclones.
"Once the water mass reaches the underside of the ice on the surface of the lake, the warm water melts the ice in a ring shape," said Marianne Moore, a marine ecologist at Wellesley College in Massachusetts who has spent much time studying Lake Baikal with Russian researchers. The lake is the largest (by volume) and deepest fresh water lake on Earth.
The latest ring patterns included a circle of thin ice with a diameter of 2.7 miles (4.4 km), although the circular patch was becoming a hole of open water. Astronauts spotted similar ice circles in both 1985 and 1994, and satellites have also made sightings over the past years.
This phenomenon is nothing new to the Russian government, which has documented circle sightings on an official Ministry of Natural Resources Web site.
"Interestingly, the government is also warning people that abnormally high emissions of methane may occur in these areas in the summer and fall, posing risks for ships," Moore told LiveScience.
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources points out that random emissions of natural gas have probably always occurred in Lake Baikal. And such emissions would have created ice rings every few years.
"But, because of the huge size, it is practically impossible to see a ring standing on the ice or even from a mountain," the Ministry Web site notes. The Russian government has ordered daily space monitoring of the Lake Baikal area in recent years, which prompted many of the satellite sightings.
Tectonic activity deep in the Earth may be the trigger for such methane gas release, according to the Russian government.
That could have major consequences for Lake Baikal's rich array of plants and animals, Moore cautioned — especially in combination with a warming climate. Both could lead to spring ice disappearing more rapidly from Lake Baikal, which can typically hold onto an ice cover through June.
"Unlike other lakes in the world, spring ice is essential for the reproduction of the lake's top predator (the Baikal seal) and the dominant plants (under-ice phytoplankton) at the bottom of the food web," Moore said. "Without spring ice, the food web of this lake will be disrupted substantially."
6.02.2009
Economic identity defines national boundaries
Iraqi Kurds begin oil exports
Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region has begun exporting oil to international markets for the first time, despite disagreements with Iraq's central government.
Workers turned on the pumps at northern Iraq's Taq Taq oil field on Monday, sending oil flowing via pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
"It is a historic date, a giant step," Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdish region, said at an opening ceremony.
"We are proud of this success, and this achievement will serve the interests of all Iraqis, especially the Kurds."
The project had been beset by delays, with Kurdish officials locked in dispute with the central government in Baghdad over how to distribute the country's oil revenues.
'Illegal' export
Baghdad has for months called the Kurdish move to export oil illegal because the deal was struck independently of the central government.
But Al Jazeera's correspondent Hoda Abdel Hamid said the government has now"quietly given the Kurds the green light for these oil exports", essentially because it needs the money the commodity will bring.
"Total projected oil revenues for the year could be as high as $36.5bn, but not enough to cover the government's day-to-day expenses," she said.
"Kurdish exports could soon reach 250,000 barrels per day worth $15m - a boon for the Iraqi government."
The Kurds are set to get 17 per cent of the oil revenue, equal to their estimated share of the overall population, while Baghdad will get the remainder.
Initial exports are estimated to be around 40,000 barrels a day from Taq Taq, but a Kurdish government spokesman said officials expect the level to reach 250,000 barrels a day by the middle of next year.
Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region has begun exporting oil to international markets for the first time, despite disagreements with Iraq's central government.
Workers turned on the pumps at northern Iraq's Taq Taq oil field on Monday, sending oil flowing via pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
"It is a historic date, a giant step," Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdish region, said at an opening ceremony.
"We are proud of this success, and this achievement will serve the interests of all Iraqis, especially the Kurds."
The project had been beset by delays, with Kurdish officials locked in dispute with the central government in Baghdad over how to distribute the country's oil revenues.
'Illegal' export
Baghdad has for months called the Kurdish move to export oil illegal because the deal was struck independently of the central government.
But Al Jazeera's correspondent Hoda Abdel Hamid said the government has now"quietly given the Kurds the green light for these oil exports", essentially because it needs the money the commodity will bring.
"Total projected oil revenues for the year could be as high as $36.5bn, but not enough to cover the government's day-to-day expenses," she said.
"Kurdish exports could soon reach 250,000 barrels per day worth $15m - a boon for the Iraqi government."
The Kurds are set to get 17 per cent of the oil revenue, equal to their estimated share of the overall population, while Baghdad will get the remainder.
Initial exports are estimated to be around 40,000 barrels a day from Taq Taq, but a Kurdish government spokesman said officials expect the level to reach 250,000 barrels a day by the middle of next year.
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