Great, long piece by Gabriel Cohen in yesterday's City section in the NY Times about the new kind of conversations that are happening thanks to the discussion boards at local blogs. Naturally, it's focused on the Brooklyn placeblogging scene, and includes some great quotes and anecdotes from our friends at Brownstoner and Gowanus Lounge and others. There's a section on how outside.in fits into all of this, which includes a few quotes from me. The article also mentions some really exciting news, which is that the outside.in iPhone application, Radar, is available as of yesterday in the iTunes App Store. I'll be posting more about that later today or tomorrow, so look out for that....
« Salon's Review Today | Main | The List, Continued »
Comments
The comments to this entry are closed.
The Basics
- I'm a father of three boys, husband of one wife, and author of eight books, and co-founder of three web sites. We spend most of the year in Marin County, California though I'm on the road a lot giving talks. (You can see the full story here.) Personal correspondence should go to sbeej68 at gmail dot com. If you're interested in having me speak at an event, drop a line to Wesley Neff at the Leigh Bureau (WesN at Leighbureau dot com.)
My Books
Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
An exploration of environments that lead to breakthrough innovation, in science, technology, business, and the arts. I conceived it as the closing book in a trilogy on innovative thinking, after Ghost Map and Invention. But in a way, it completes an investigation that runs through all the books. Sold more copies in hardcover than anything else I've written.The Invention of Air
The story of the British radical chemist Joseph Priestley, who ended up having a Zelig-like role in the American Revolution. My version of a founding fathers book, and a reminder that most of the Enlightenment was driven by open source ideals.The Ghost Map
The latest: the story of a terrifying outbreak of cholera in 1854 London 1854 that ended up changing the world. An idea book wrapped around a page-turner. I like to think of it as a sequel to Emergence if Emergence had been a disease thriller. You can see a trailer for the book here.Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter
The title says it all. This one sparked a slightly insane international conversation about the state of pop culture -- and particularly games. There were more than a few dissenters, but the response was more positive than I had expected. And it got me on The Daily Show, which made it all worthwhile.Mind Wide Open : Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life
My first best-seller, and the only book I've written in which I appear as a recurring character, subjecting myself to a battery of humiliating brain scans. The last chapter on Freud and the neuroscientific model of the mind is one of my personal favorites.Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software
The story of bottom-up intelligence, from slime mold to Slashdot. Probably the most critically well-received all my books, and the one that has influenced the most eclectic mix of fields: political campaigns, web business models, urban planning, the war on terror.Interface Culture : How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create and Communicate
My first. The book I wrote instead of finishing my dissertation. Still in print almost a decade later, and still relevant, I think. But I haven't read it in a while, so who knows what's in there!
Recent Posts
- The GovLab
- What Peer Progressives Really Believe
- Tilting At Windmills, The Internet Edition
- Bill Clinton On "Creative Networks of Collaboration"
- A Quick Roundup Of Future Perfect News
- Future Perfect Tour
- First reviews for Future Perfect
- Introducing Future Perfect
- Why The Bay Area Needs The Bay Lights
- Anatomy Of An Idea
That's really cool. I guess it was just a matter a time before the online "community" wrapped itself back around to the real community. It has an eerie smell however of Neal Stephenson's metaverse, but I like it, it'd be great if it infused verbal conversations with intellectual hot issues that are talked about anonymously on blogs.
I can't help but wonder how much things will change as the baby boomers start to make up less of society. A tangential example: A year or two ago, my mother - a baby boomer herself - got an iPod and she can't figure out for the life of her how to work it, this following lengthy lessons given by me. But it sort of makes sense, because having large music collections - particularly in the format that can be made into mp3's is a very post-baby-boomer trend. Nonetheless, iPod's have sold like hotcakes in spite of the prevalence of baby boomers. Not that they're not technologically literate, just that they're less literate. But the thought still stands - regardless of what sort of technology you're talking about - what will society be like when the majority of retirees will have grown up with a computer, or on the internet? I think the question is relevant b/c technology progress so fast that unlike in the past it's main hindrance is cohort effects, rather than technological innovations like faster smaller chips.
Posted by: kerrjac | January 12, 2009 at 05:57 PM
Discussion forums are also very good from the point of understanding about the discussion matter.
Posted by: comparison shopping | January 12, 2009 at 10:40 PM
Ive been on only one discussion board for years... but have only started a blog this week...
I guess Im a bit of a technophobe... taking photos on film... recording on cassette, etc... but here I am, proving myself wrong.
Posted by: ben | February 23, 2009 at 05:22 AM
Perfect! Thanks so much for this Kris! I'm really looking forward to trying it out. No offence Jesse, but I was finding the imap solution a little clunky.
Posted by: cheap computers | September 13, 2009 at 12:18 AM
its a good thing, to have a relation ship with the neighbors.
Posted by: kundan jewellery | April 16, 2010 at 02:21 AM
You seem to believe that a comparison between projection and actual is a fair measure of the impact of the President's economic policy. Then what do you make of the Obama team's forecast that without their "stimulus"
Our store offers you all kinds of favourite products like Prada Handbags and Prada Handbags 2010 , Mens Prada Sunglasses with high quality, fashion style and competitive price.
Posted by: Mens Prada Sunglasses | August 22, 2010 at 05:52 PM
The jewelry history is also a history of material and technology development.
Posted by: Jordan 1 | August 25, 2010 at 08:36 PM
Hello, nice to your comments bother you valuable for a few minutes. 2010 as Nike running in the style of flourishing market, the Air in the shoes fan's Max 97 is irreplaceable important position, the early 2010 will again have launched a new color. For the wearer has brought unprecedented most fresh experience. Please enter our website, thank you! Wish you happy!
Posted by: Nike Air Max 97 | September 12, 2010 at 06:04 PM
Not stubborn careful work, even the talented person will become useless embroidered pillow similar trinkets.Do you think so?
Posted by: Asics shoes | September 18, 2010 at 12:07 AM
Put your heart and soul into the things what you do that you will feel more easy than before. This is my idea that carry out many years ago.
Posted by: ugg 5819 | October 14, 2010 at 07:58 PM