onfocus

(MeFi's own) hoder became a human time capsule spending six years in an Iranian prison for blogging. He's shocked by the state of the Web: "The web was not envisioned as a form of television when it was invented. But, like it or not, it is rapidly resembling TV: linear, passive, programmed and inward-looking."

Some concerns about The Media embracing Facebook Instant. With the kicker, "So what happens when Facebook goes away?"

Dang, we ended up with a top-down Internet anyway. "Today, Google and a handful of other major Internet corporations like Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon fulfill much the same role that Otlet envisioned for the Mundaneum—channeling the world’s intellectual output." [via RF]

Social media services need to think harder about how they resurface and present our memories.

How video is at odds with Instagram's mission. (My takeaway: not every application needs to have every feature--even if that feature is popular in other applications.)

Social media monetization pains. I figured the Instagram acquisition was about driving traffic and content to Facebook, not serving ads. Seems short-sighted.

A rant about the problems with using social connections in advertising.

Adrian Holovaty's latest project helps guitarists learn songs via collaborative annotations. Very nice design.

Reading this article just reminds me that I'm still upset Google killed its Google Reader sharing features. The Reader bridge has been burned for me, but I agree they could do more inside existing services to improve Plus.

"Sears used to sell houses by mail." Someone please put old catalog pictures side by side with modern pictures of those houses still in use.

"From now on, when I want to visit Facebook, I’ll be using the private browser setting in whatever browser I’m using." This is my new strategy too. What a hassle.

ok, this is worth getting upset over. Update (9/28): Facebook Fixes and Explains.

Interesting look at "password padding" to create memorable AND secure passwords. [via Ask MeFi]

"We’re not going to have a jobless recovery. We’re going to have a jobless future." Painful post to read but it makes sense. Now what?

"When people say there are no easy solutions to our problems, I don’t think they are thinking hard or creatively enough. If our problem is that we don’t have enough technically trained Americans, why are we not focused like lasers on educating people?"

"The kind of naming policy that Facebook and Google Plus have is actually a radical departure from the way identity and speech interact in the real world."

"A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby." A hobby? Oh, that's ok then. ... WHAT?

"The people who most heavily rely on pseudonyms in online spaces are those who are most marginalized by systems of power. 'Real names' policies aren't empowering; they’re an authoritarian assertion of power over vulnerable people."