The Problems With Google Buzz Reveal More Than Problems With Google Buzz

Google needs to do a heck of a lot more than fix the problems with Buzz to earn back my trust. The launch of Buzz revealed some serious problems with how Google views my personal information. They clearly think that they can use my personal and private information across their products without my permission. That as a default, to give a new product a jumpstart, they can seed it with private customer information. If they were a bank, and they launched a new credit card, and they sent that card to all of my bill payment addresses, then they'd be out of business today. This is no different. I'm looking for a Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Reader replacement unless Google assures me that there will be no more sharing across products.

Indianapolis Star. The Good News is You're on the Front Page of Google. The Bad News Is You Have a Typo.

How Adobe Should Respond to Apple

Maybe killing Flash on the iPhone is a good thing for Adobe.

How about building a killer HTML 5.0 Developer platform to enable
Flash-like interactions and video on the iPhone and elsewhere. This
would dis-intermediate the Apple App Store for simple apps.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobe_prepares_for_a_world_without_apples_blessing.php#comment-190264

How to get re-invited to TED, by Robert Scoble

How to get re-invited to TED, by Robert Scoble: 1. Get invited to TED. 2. Attend TED. 3. Write glowing review of TED and how, really, it is elitist, and that's what's so great about it. 4. Mention 45 times how you can't afford it and that you are certainly *not* going to get re-invited for free, thus daring the organizers to prove you wrong. http://scobleizer.com/2010/02/14/the-elephants-in-the-room-at-ted/

My Comments for "NYTimes misuses Kindle Review stats to attack the Kindle"

My comments for NYTimes misuses Kindle Review stats to attack the Kindle. Why can't somebody who does not own a Kindle review it? Most consumer electronics are reviewed buy reviewers who don't own one. They could have tried it. Can't one base their review on why they would not choose to buy one? Would you review a car you test drove and say it's too small? Probably. DRM is a serious problem. Why can't I read my Kindle books on a better reader if one comes out? I own a Kindle, by the way, and I'd probably give it a 3-star rating. It's a Kindle 2. The screen is like reading a soggy newspaper (to quote Nicholson Baker), and it's too hard to get my own stuff on it. I enjoy reading my Kindle books on my iPhone more than the Kindle.

"You In" Bugs Me

So Yahoo has a new site where you're supposed to do something kind and
then tell everybody about it on Facebook and Twitter. While I like the
intentions, it would be nice if these random acts of kindness were
anonymous. There's already enough self promotion going on in Facebook
and Twitter.

http://kindness.yahoo.com/

Joe Ranft Featured in BusinessWeek Article on ResearchGATE

File this under shameless self-promotion. BusinessWeek recently featured ResearchGATE , one of my recent clients in a nice profile: ResearchGATE and Its Savvy Use of the Web. Here's a quote on my work with them:

One of the keys to the site's popularity and accessibility is the attention its creators have paid to navigation and ease of use. Joe Ranft, a Boston-based design consultant who helped out with the site, says an important move was publishing basic information about ResearchGATE on each of its pages, so people who found the material via a Web search understand where they have landed and are encouraged to join the community. It's also clear on the pages that membership is free, which encourages people from poor countries to join.

My response to Jason Calacanis: "Is there any way for America to "win" in Afghanistan? Is Obama's surge meaningless? What other options do we have?"

My response to Jason Calacanis on Mahalo here: Is there any way for America to "win" in Afghanistan? Is Obama's surge meaningless? What other options do we have? I tried to post a response but received an error, which I posted here: http://twitpic.com/rurd6

I agree. And if we leave the region entirely, then that will stop terrorism against us. Terrorism is about territory. It's not because anybody hates the way we live. They don't care about us, unless we're occupying land they consider theirs, like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan. Let's shut down all those bases, end those wars, and spend that money on energy independence. That's about $300 Billion per year we could be investing on energy innovation and independence.

Free Design Improvement for Facebook

The Facebook news feed bugs me now. When I get to the bottom, and I
click "Older Posts," they load on the bottom of the page. I'd rather
just have a new page. Facebook should change the link to "Next Page"
and "Previous Page". I know Facebook is intent on copying Twitter
exactly, but loading the older messages on the same page is less
usable, and creates a super long page. A new page is better.

Ugliest Building in Brookline

This building is going up in Brookline Village. It's so ugly my six
year old asked if it was a jail. Why was this approved by the town?