Friday, May 23, 2003

Now that's small. No that's not dust they're prototype RDIF tags from Hitachi [Micah's Weblog] Wow - that is small. About 10 years ago I met with the head of strategic planning at Loblaws, Rob Almeida, who then went on to set up President's Choice Banking. We were talking about the future of supermarkets. At the time, he forecast two things: that supermarkets would scale up to 80,000 square feet. Which they have done. And then, that a maximum size would be reached and the strategy of bigger is better would have to be rethought.  His other big idea was that, at some point, inventory management technology may advance to the point where it would be possible to go the other way. To have a small mart that would have everything you needed because it would be able  to track everything so well that it would only carry what we wanted. I wonder are we in sight of Rob's second prediction? 3:47:53 PM    comment []

As a boy growing up in London in the 1950's This image, advertising StartRite Shoes, on the walls of the tube always had an impression on me. I thought about it at lunch today and found it again. Why the interest? It is a helpful metaphor for me about how I see life right now. I don't know what is down the road anymore. But it is sure nice to hold the hand of the one I love and go down that road together. I love also the innocence and naivity implied by the image and trust that all will be well. On a my Rob Theory aspect - it also reinforces the idea that if you get the intial conditions right, you will probably be OK as well. 3:36:55 PM    comment []

Blogtalk: keynote David Weinberger. David is the first keynoter and immediately begs the question "Why do blogs matter?" (My first answer: because I enjoy it........) "Internet is just at the beginning" It's not about information highway, informationspace, nor commerce. It's about people getting voices, and having conversations. It's 600 million individuals engaging in conversations, in this new public space called Internet. 30 sec. History of Blogging: 1st phase: geeks, diary 2nd phase: after emergence of tools, teenager writing about their Angst 3rd phase: it's about links, blogs conversing through links, moving away from being columns or broadcasting outlets. There is no definition of a blog, but generally an often updated site with short texts in reverse chronological order and containing links. Again links being the life blood of the conversation. One blog = one voice. So it's not about technology. Exciting aspects of blogs: No time to rewrite your stuff, you're publishing rough drafts. This adds to the authenticity of your voice. Blogs make for persistant webpresences, and thus construct a public self. Is this authenticity real? Can you fake it? The web is only public, so there might be a disconnection between the 'inner self' and its outer representation. So which selves? Blogs favor good writers Pushes for self exposure Favors the unemployed.......they got time on their hands :) If we translate the discussion about self, to one about truth, with an inner truth and outer truth. Journalists claim objectivity, but in fact they are humans too. Subjectivity acknowledges the role of the observer (Heisenberger), but it could emphasize the observer too much, leaving you with raw data etc. Now with blogs we get to multisubjectivity......we can build our own "objectivity" by filtering through the subjectivities of many voices, and looking at what the picture that emerges tells me. Might this change the things we will come to expect of journalistst? David thinks that we will get to see more of the journalist behind the news, acknowledging that it is yet another picture. Why blogs matter: They're persistent records of an individual voice in a new public space. [Ton's Interdependent Thoughts] I think that this is the path - our way back to a human voice and human relationships 7:45:28 AM    comment []

UPEI - Societal Immune Systems and Memes Is resistance to ideas natural? Are the Agents in the Matrix really the white blood cells that a society uses to protect itself from new ideas that may upset the current system? 7:39:20 AM    comment []