Can you see the Real Me? Digital Identity is a topic that I haven't talked about, probably because I find it difficult to get a handle on. David Weinberger's recent post highlights the issue well, and points to this comprehensive article. As I see it, there is no such thing as "digital ID" yet, but clearly the push is there to formalize a structure that allows people to "act" and "transact" in the digital world just as they do in the physical world. Since I don't really understand the full implications of Digital ID my default position will be to agree with everything that David Weinberger says. He's one of the most thoughtful and reasonable people I know.
11:45:52 PM
UPS to use Wi-Fi - and bluetooth too, according to this post on the Smart Mobs blog.
10:49:31 PM
Innovate or die - Joy London has a provocative post (well, actually she has way more than one) about the impact of technology on law firms. I often think about The Innovators' Dilemma, and how it might apply to the legal profession. If you are interested in law and knowledge management you should regularly read Joy's blog.
10:40:01 PM
Hmmmmm - so people like the term "technology anthropologist"? Okay, cool. Jenny's working on getting her new cards printed up. Someone will have to see if we can get a reputable University to certify a degree.
10:13:28 PM
Better than digital quality sound? - well that's stupid. But what if there was a format that had, say, twice the sound quality that the current CD has? Sort of like HDTV compared to regular TV. Wouldn't the early adopter gearheads want to get it? Well, not if the entertainment industry got paranoid and shot themselves in the foot.
9:54:02 PM
Washington D.C. - "Currently in Washington, there is very good buzz about a talking head who doesn't live anywhere near Washington. And, for that matter, he doesn't actually talk. He types. In fact, a lot of people don't even know his name." We know his name: Instapundit. Here's the article, which requires free registration with Chicago Tribune. Thanks, Jenny.
5:06:41 PM
More on Lawyer Blogs - Internet Tools for Lawyers' Question of the Month: what are "blogs" and why would a lawyer use one? Jerry Lawson concludes with an observation that maybe blogs aren't for every lawyer (i.e. "For most lawyers, blogs would be a fiasco, possibly even dangerous. On the other hand, for a few lawyers, they could be perfect.)"
Well, it's true that "it is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." But I don't see that blogs pose a grave threat to many lawyers. And I disagree with people who say that, in the near future, everyone will have a blog. That's ludicrous. Many people (maybe even most people) don't like to write. So why would they have a blog? But there are a lot of people out there who do like to write, but who have heretofore had difficulty reaching an audience. Increasingly, those people (which include a fair number of lawyers) are going to start blogs. Some will persist, and some will desist. But, at the macro level, blogs are here and they aren't going away.
Why would lawyers use one? I don't know. Depends on the lawyer. Why do lawyers read magazines about the law? Why do lawyers read magazines that aren't about the law? Maybe the question about why lawyers would use a blog is too monumental? People make decisions based on what they like, and not everyone is "measuring out their life in coffee spoons." Not even lawyers.
4:06:38 PM
Interesting things I found in my News Aggregator today
Bolivia's mobiles for hire. "You see them everywhere in Bolivia, from La Paz to Cochabamba to Santa Cruz, wandering the streets, dressed in bright company livery, mobile phones chained to their waists. They are the latest, strangest additions to the telecoms network. They are Bolivia's human phone boxes."
Recommended reading by weblog. "I know All-Consuming has been around awhile, but I just found out about it today. A very cool concept -- the site combs weblogs and searches for Amazon.com links, and then posts them on an hourly basis. You can see, at any given moment, what webloggers are reading or recommending."
Adobe Photoshop Album Review. "We have had a copy of Adobe Photoshop Album 1.0 beta for evaluation, and I have to admit it's very impressive. Photoshop Album is designed to be a total solution for the acquisition, organisation,..."
