Here’s a very interesting commentary from Slate about the generational difference in electronic communication. It does a great job of describing a possible communication workflow a teenager might use instead of e-mail. It also talks about the transient quality of the IM, text, and Twitter and likens e-mail writing to old fashioned letter writing. Surprisingly, some of this is true in my life too. My husband and I send most of our throw-away conversations (“Lunch?”, “come get me”, “I’m leaving work” and the like) via cell phone text messaging. I send a lot of messages at work via e-mail, but most of messages I send have details that are too much for text message. I haven’t gotten into Jabber (IM) and I don’t intend to. When I want to broadcast to wide audience, I do it through blogging within work and outside of work. There are many modes to perform different layers of communication. A lot of it has to do with the content and intended audience for me. Anyhow, read that article and then think about how you now communicate with the world.
technology
The Death of E-Mail
Teenagers are abandoning their Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts. Do the rest of us have to?
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, at 12:32 PM ET
Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2177969/ <!–rs = PStax; DM_addToLoc(“thisNode”, rs); DM_tag();
PCs losing their relevance in Japan
Could this be the future in the US too? Quite frankly this sounds a little scary, but at the same time it makes since that PC’s would become less relevant as mobile devices become capable of delivering richer media and communication experiences. I’m thinking now about how the Xbox 360 has become my gaming platform of choice over my PC (well, that’s mainly because my PC won’t run any game made after 2005 — sadness). I still, though, loath trying to access the internet via my cellphone. The network is too slow and the screen is too small to be legible with my pitiful eyesight.
I think this article illustrates the importance, though, of creating a wonderful home computing experience. To be honest, my computer is no longer an office tool. It is now our home entertainment hub and I’m craving an internet PVR and some file management tools that would make my home entertainment experience less cumbersom. I wonder in Japan, though, will the prevelance of gaming consoles that are multi-purposed as entertainment hubs supplant PCs. I wonder could PC’s in the US head this off by offering a richer entertainment experience than any gaming console could. How does microsoft view this since they offer a gaming console and the OS used by most PCs? Are they playing both sides? What about Apple? Hmm …
TOKYO – Masaya Igarashi wants $200 headphones for his new iPod Touch, and he’s torn between Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3 game consoles. When he has saved up again, he plans to splurge on a digital camera or flat-screen TV.
There’s one conspicuous omission from the college student’s shopping list: a new computer.
Follow the link above to read the read of the article.
PC Gamers = Elite Gamers
Finding the Right Video Game
Here is an excellent article from the Chicago Tribune about some the most popular video games desired this holiday season. So before you buy, take a look at this article. My “Mass Effect” desire has been fulfilled and my husband has already blown through “Bioshock”. I also have “FFX Revenant Wings” (not mentioned) to play on the PSP to serve as my pacifier in movie lines and during awkward family gatherings. (Oh and the new FFX tactics game for the DS.)
chicagotribune.com
THE DIGITAL PAGE
Weekly guide to entertainment technology
FIND THE RIGHT GAME
Eric Gwinn: Gadget Adviser
November 27, 2007
More Blog Postings are Written in Japanese than English
This sounds surprising at first until you read the article. As a nation of commuters that are always online, it makes perfect sense that Japan would lead in the number of blog postings. What’s was most interesting in the article is the difference in blog intents between Japanese bloggers and American bloggers. I’m not I sure I buy the “chest thumping” characterization of American bloggers, though. It makes me wonder though, would “humble” blog intent translate into Japanese wanting to print their blogs.
Here’s a link to the article
Japan’s Bloggers: Humble Giants of the Web
By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, December 6, 2007; A01
TOKYO — Compared to the English-speaking world, the Japanese have gone blog wild. They write Web logs at per capita rates that are off the global charts.
Click the link above to read the full article.
More Rambling 