Topic: Media
In this episode Scott Rosenberg discusses two of his books. Say Everything (2009) is a history of blogging, and Dreaming in Code (2006) is an inside account of the Chandler project. He also talks about his latest project, MediaBugs, a Knight Foundation-funded effort to crowd-source the correction of errors in newspapers.
Digital broadcasting networks are being developed worldwide to deliver high-bandwidth, real-time content to and from mobile platforms. Francois Lefebvre describes the tension between telco- and broadcast-driven services; telcos tend to promote subscription based services while broadcasters try to extend their free-to-air model. The good news is that breakthrough, open applications are emerging that can deliver reliable and innovative mobile broadcast networks.
Digg.com, one of the most successful social media websites, has over 40 million users, amounting to about 20,000 submissions a day, but young CEO Jay Adelson wants more. In this candid conversation with Brady Forrest "serial entrepreneurs" Adelson and his Partner Kevin Rose share with us where Digg fits into the "huge volume of stuff", as Adelson puts it, on the World Wide Web, and their plans for its future.
Join best-selling author Steven Berlin Johnson as he discusses the changing face of online journalism, one in which citizen journalists and bloggers are news gatherers and information curators. Both journalists and techies alike are providing new ways to share and consume content, and creating rich relations between consumers and providers of information. Members of this new media are also required to wear many hats, from local news reporter to database administrator.
As the release of smart phones and tablet PCs fill technology reports Brian Roberts reminds us that cable TV is still a part of most people's lifestyle. Talking about the development of On Demand television and an impending application store for your TV, the idea of technological convergence between computer and TV seems ever closer. John Battelle challenges Roberts to answer questions on the future of cable in an online video world.
Michael Calabrese argues that the FCC's apportioning of the airwave spectrum gives a false impression of scarcity. The government's spectrum apportioning doesn't take into account the capabilities and accuracy of today's digital radio equipment, carving unnecessarily wide detours around both federal and commercial properties, and ignoring low-power opportunities. The recent DTV shift freed 18 channels, netting $2B at auction. More can be done to optimize spectrum use.
In the information age, we can collect more data than ever about our lives and activities. But we rarely use that data to effectively drive decisions by government, corporations, or even individuals. Joy Mountford shares examples from her work that show the beauty of data and its visualization.
Tech journalist Mitch Ratcliffe discusses the future of books, reading, and publishing. He talks about how Booksahead.com is a platform to discuss authors and publishing, as well as news about the industry. Calling from the 2010 CES he also reviews new mobile devices, including E-Book readers and tablet computers, as well as the Sophie Project, open source software for writing and reading.
What are the key pieces policy makers must understand about the intersection of technology trends and digital economics to create broadband policies that make sense? What are the best roles of regulators, users, and industry in creating a rich environment for the powerful convergence of media and communications? Richard Whitt, Senior Policy Director at Google, provides a new framework for building better broadband policy in this Emerging Communications Conference 2009 presentation.
Moira interviews Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist and author of the popular Bones detective series.
