Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
by Rick Edmonds Published Dec. 1, 2015 7:45 am Updated Dec. 1, 2015 10:09 am Analytics firm Chartbeat has published a new study which finds that most of the conventions for writing catchy digital headlines don’t work very well. Author Chris Breaux, a Chartbeat data scientist, summarized results of testing a dozen styles for…
There has been much research that shows that page performance — how fast a page loads — can have a significant effect on the bottom line of a company. However, most of the research is focused on eCommerce sites. I have long been interested in seeing how page performance affects users on a news site, and Vox.com…
Where are the creators in 2015? Berners-Lee is still as tightly involved with web as he ever was, directing the World Wide Web Consortium he helped create. In fact, he’s pushing hard to protect the open web against both government censorship and telecoms’ attempts to crush net neutrality. CERN’s role, however, has changed somewhat. While…
“Aaaaaaaaand Hillary just terrified everyone with an internet connection,” whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted Saturday night, during the third Democratic presidential debate. Aaaaaaaaand Hillary just terrified everyone with an internet connection. #DemDebate — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 20, 2015 Snowden, who worked for a private contractor with the National Security Agency (NSA), leaked documents in 2013…
The Democratic debate Saturday night featured familiar themes: Bernie Sanders hit Hillary Clinton as beholden to Wall Street, Clinton hit Sanders as soft on gun control, Martin O’Malley had a tough time getting a word in edgewise — as this sad exchange with moderator Martha Raddatz demonstrates: O’MALLEY: Martha, may I — Martha, may I… RADDATZ: No,…
Last night, after nearly 5 hours of discussion and witness testimony, Austin’s City Council pulled the trigger on an amendment to the city’s code that has far-reaching implications for the future of mobility in American cities. Under pressure from those in favor of the ordinance, the Council chose to enact policy without the due diligence that thousands…
The snow stung my face after the neighborhood bully shoved me into the snowbank at the foot of my driveway. I couldn’t let my tears ice up: I had to get up and chase after the sheets of music he had knocked out of my band folder. Measure after measure now swirled through the air….
Facebook has gone out of its way this year to clarify its hate speech policy, explaining in March that it aims to be consistent with the type of content it removes. So why has the social network appeared to have made an exception for Donald Trump, who recently posted a video saying Muslims should…
Creating succinct, engaging interactive graphics is a complex task on its own. Creating interactive graphics that work on mobile devices, with their ballooning variety of screen sizes and touch gestures, is a task that can make even the most dedicated developer break down and cry. (I maintained seven results apps for six markets during the…
It is an acknowledged fact of modern life that the internet brings out the worst in people. Otherwise law-abiding citizens pilfer films and music. Eminent authors create ‘sock puppets’ to anonymously praise their own work and denigrate that of rivals. Teenagers use the internet for bullying; even more disturbingly, grown-ups bully strangers with obsessive zeal,…