Personalisation in E-commerce websites

As the internet has grown companies are realising at how effective a medium it is to market their products and services to customers over a worldwide basis. With this came web personalisation in which we see websites display adverts that are relevant to what the users have passed viewed, whether it be through simple page viewing, or through items purchased from an online store.

In this final blog, I am going to discuss the various pros and cons of this technology and give my opinion on what I think of it in general use.

Advantages

• Helps save time for new internet users in that it can eliminate repetitive tasks by remembering financial details.
• Allows users to see content that they may not have noticed otherwise that relates to an interest.

Disadvantages

• Lack of anonymity can discourage users and worry them on how they’re personal information will be used.
• User may not want or require suggestions made for them. Some see it as a invasion of privacy where others may just see it as an inconvenience.
• While it is good to form an opinion based on other people beliefs on this matter in terms of data security and anonymity ultimately, only in a real life example could I form a realistic and appropriate opinion on this behaviour. To test, I will go to my Amazon account and see what it believes are relevant to recent views and purchases I have made.
• My Amazon Recommendations

As can be seen from above, my recommendations are all in the genre of technology, most notably, external hard drives and Nintendo DS games. To give this system its due, I was looking for external hard drives with at least 1TB capacity and have bought ‘Yoshi’s Island DS’ for my Nintendo DS so it seems to have done a good, accurate job on extracting relevant information from my recent visits and purchases.

Now, am I for it? I’m still not convinced its best for consumers. My main worries would be about data protection and whether or not Amazon or any other company is going to sell on my details to a third party, most probably for the use of targeted advertising which I am not keen on.

Google is another big name if not the biggest in the search and advertising industry. One feature Google offers to users of its email service is the ability to personalise search results with targeted advertisements based on the users search criteria. Unlike the Amazon example on personalisation, I find this option by Google to be a little to ‘over the shoulder’ for my liking.

The biggest advantage that this personalisation has for the consumer is that it can help let them find something that they were otherwise going to miss out on. Any other benefits are usually just for the retailer in that it has the potential to get consumers to buy more products than they had originally intended when logging in.

Personally, I think that web personalisation is a good idea and it seems to benefit more users than those it does not but something has to be said on the importance that our data is kept secure and that it is never distributed to third parties, nor should there be any ‘opt out’ programs such as BT and Phorm (A company that filters all internet traffic and uses this information to display personalised adverts.) BT got into a lot of trouble with users on this as it was never announced that their every page view was being recorded in what can only be described as a ‘spy-ware’ style fashion. If companies are transparent about what information they are harvesting from users then I see this to only benefit the majority of potential customers and to help businesses attract more.

Personalisation in E-commerce websites

As the internet has grown companies are realising at how effective a medium it is to market their products and services to customers over a worldwide basis. With this came web personalisation in which we see websites display adverts that are relevant to what the users have passed viewed, whether it be through simple page viewing, or through items purchased from an online store.

In this final blog, I am going to discuss the various pros and cons of this technology and give my opinion on what I think of it in general use.

Advantages

• Helps save time for new internet users in that it can eliminate repetitive tasks by remembering financial details.
• Allows users to see content that they may not have noticed otherwise that relates to an interest.

Disadvantages

• Lack of anonymity can discourage users and worry them on how they’re personal information will be used.
• User may not want or require suggestions made for them. Some see it as a invasion of privacy where others may just see it as an inconvenience.

Audible and Customer Relationship Management

In this weeks blog, I am going to look at Customer Relationship Management. In order to measure this accurately, I am going to use several online tools to help me find 12 appropriate key words relating to the Audible online audio book download service.

Google Search-Based Keyword Tool

This is a little known tool provided by Google that allows a user to put in a URL of a website and have Google check what the most popular keywords are for it. Below is a screenshot of returned words when entering ‘Audible.co.uk’

From this screenshot we can see that Google is displaying names of audio books available on Audible based on more searched with Wayne Dyer being at the top. Although using authors names as a key word to a website is possible I’m not sure on how useful in the long run it would be for me to use it in my top 12 list seeing how people usually search based on what they want at a certain moment and not on sustainability.

Google Insights for Search

Google Insights for Search provides users with the ability to type in select keywords, displaying related top searches and rising searches (searches attaining popularity).

I entered in ‘audiobooks’ to see what Google suggested in terms of popular searches and possible key words for me to use.

From this screenshot we can see the top 10 search terms that relate to audiobooks. As we can imagine, free is the most popular suffix to the audiobook term.

Google AdWords

Another tool from the search engine giant is Google AdWords, this tool allows users to put in key words for a specific site, and Google will scan it and display many more of it’s on based on previous users searches and other aspects of Google’s index. For this one I put in ‘http:www.audible.co.uk’ and set the Match Type, to ‘Phrase’ and got the following results;

When searching for Talking Books;

When searching for Podcasts;

Certain terms such as ‘download audiobooks’ and ‘best podcasts’ appear across the board. This tells me that these are prominent terms and what people in real life are entering in search engines. Obviously, using some of these terms would see a real world benefit to Audible.

My List of 12 Keywords

Below is the list of the 12 keywords I have finalised on;

1. free audiobooks
2. download audiobooks
3. audiobooks for iPod
4. best audiobooks
5. children’s audiobooks
6. cd audio books
7. unabridged audiobooks
8. purchase audiobooks
9. download podcasts
10. best podcasts
11. talking books
12. talking books shop

I have chosen the above keywords as I believe they would help Audible in marketing. Many users are more concerned about how they can listen to the audiobook so I included devices such as ‘CD’ and ‘iPod’ to help novice users to the service. While they are not technically the same, I included podcasts as a keyword as there is a certain interoperability between them and audio books and users searching online may not know, or be confused by the numerous names they go by. I also included ‘talking books’ for those who would be unfamiliar or starting out with the whole audiobook market and not sure on correct terminology.

Tja, da heißt es die Vorfreude ist die größte Freude. In meiner Lieblingsbuchhandlung gab es leider das ersehnte und kurzfristig eingebildete, neue Hörbuch nicht. Somit kam ich mit leeren Händen und “tauben” Ohren zuhause an. Nick Cave wird demzufolge noch länger auf meine Ohren warten müssen, da ich es zeitlich diese  Woche nicht schaffen werde  meinem “Buchdealer” einen weiteren Besuch abzustatten. Onlinebestellungen nehme ich nur in äußerst dringenden Ausnahmesituationen vor, aus Loyalität zu meiner kleinen netten Buchhandlung um die Ecke.  Das audible Guthaben ist auch bereits aufgebraucht d.h. in knapp zwei Wochen darf sich dann Nick Cave auf meiner Festplatte einfinden, bis dahin werde ich mich wohl, meinen noch zu hörenden Büchern widmen. Wahrscheinlich ist jetzt die beste Zeit für Stieg Larsons Triologie gekommen……obwohl die schieb ich ja auch schon vor mich her……..

Ich flüchte jetzt erstmal ins Kino…..

Recently I’ve discovered the non-fiction author Karen Armstrong, via her short book A Brief History of Myth. I found the book fascinating and brilliantly well written. Armstrong is currently in the news for her book The Case for God, which has been vying for position in the bestseller lists with Richard Dawkins The God Delusion (read a great article putting both authors head-to-head here) I’m yet to read the Case for God, but this week I am going to read The Bible: A Biography in audiobook version from Audible. This book looks at the complex history of the bible as a book, a subject that as a writer I find fascinating. I’m going to post some notes on the book when I’m finished. If anyone out there would like to read or listen along and join in with some discussion of the book then please do.

An diesem Freitag betreibe ich das Büro zuhause. Nicht des Aberglaubens wegen (verlaßt erst gar nicht das Haus dann könnt ihr auch keiner Katze von links rechts oder sonst woher begegnen – Schmarrn!) nein, ich hab die Wahl und die habe ich heute getroffen, ich bleib daheim!

Neben der beruflichen Recherche im Internet, lasse ich mir an diesem nationalen Vorlesetag “vorlesen”.

Es läuft das Hörbuch Gargoyle,  immerhin schon der 3. Teil vom Download bei audible. Bald ist es geschafft noch knapp 4 1/2 Stunden dann kenne ich auch hier endlich das Ende. Sehr spannend!

Dags för lite låtar. Faller för min smak. Kolla vad du tycker

Bingo Players feat. Danthony – I Will Follow (Ranucci & Pelusi, Provenzano Remix)

Taio Cruz – No Other One (Ian Carey Remix)

Tiësto –  Louder Than Boom (Extended Mix)

Calvin Harris – Flashback (David Guettas One Love Remix)

Mikael Weermets & Audible – Vega

Mick Kastenholt – I Got The Bomb! (Vocal Mix)

Dada Life – Let’s Get Bleeped Tonight (Tiësto Remix)

Armin Van Buuren feat. Van Velzen – Broken Tonight (Original Mix)

Thrilling Sequel to The Chopin Manuscript,
Audiobook of the Year Winner

Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton must once again crack a secretive global conspiracy in this new international thriller penned by a dream team of top-selling authors, including Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Scottoline, Lee Child, and Joseph Finder.The complete, unabridged audiobook will be available starting October 29, 2009.

After the first book “The Chopin Manuscript” I fell in love with the style of bringing together several prominent writers and let them build upon each other’s writing. Now the second installment “The Copper Bracelet” is out or rather will be out tomorrow, but the first chapter is already available (for free) from Audible. The book has got some of my favorite authors and the story is based upon some characters from India! which makes me even more curious as to how the authors would have taken the story and the mystery. You can see the complete author list above, I’ve already gone through the first chapter and its definitely kindled my interest.

I’m considering cutting my ears off.

I’ve recently returned from a trip across America (my latest blog tour), and I’m less happy than I was when I left.  That sounds opposite, I know, but you have to understand the emotional roller coaster to which I was subject on a daily basis.

Each day, without exception, my spirits peaked only to be beaten back down again by sunset.  In the mornings, we would gear up for another 350-450 mile drive to our next destination, making casual, small-town stops for food, fuel and flushers along the way, and with every new glimpse of America that I absorbed, no matter how remote or involved, my heart became filled with love, my soul with amazement and my mind with stimulation.  Who has been here?  Who built this?  Look at all this greatness!  What has gone on at this spot across the centuries? How has this city evolved?  My God, look at all this freedom! No number of eyes could have satisfied my gluttony for the visions.

Yet, by nightfall, I was always in a very different state of mind – more disturbed and ambivalent.  In the evenings, when I would listen to the news, I could only hang my head despairingly over what I heard.  Visions of mountaintops, freight trains and rickety general stores yielded to and vanished behind sounds of police abuse, despotism and control.  Sure, I should be desensitized to these stories by now, but they seemed to take on a whole new weight after leaving my Southeast Pennsylvania shell and experiencing America as a whole.  Each day, I tried my best to believe in the steadfastness of Americanism – that our core could never be contaminated.  Each day, the country that I saw confirmed that we are not like any other country, that our greatness is unparalleled and that we’re kind, hardworking and freethinking people and no thing or no one can EVER take that away from us.    But each night, the country that I heard about was very different.  In the ensuing week of travel, I experienced two facets of America: the visual and the audible.  Here is the tale of two countries.

MONDAY

They say if you could iron out West Virginia, it would be the size of Texas.  This finally made sense to me when I stopped there for a concert, and the sight of thousands of people enjoying uninhibited freedom against the mountainous backdrop greeted my eyes.

Later, my mood was ironed out when I heard the latest ObamaCare report: Congress plans to enforce the individual mandate that all Americans MUST own health insurance as a condition of citizenship by wrapping it in the cloak of taxation.  Failure to pay this tax (a.k.a. buy health insurance) can result in up to a year in prison.  That’s not the America I saw.

TUESDAY

As I crossed from Illinois into Missouri, the vision of the St. Louis skyline engulfed my eyes, and I thought, what other country can claim so many major cities, each displaying such magnificent wealth and achievement? The answer, of course, is none.  Countries with more than twice our population and/or landmass aren’t even in our ballpark.  What do you think is the reason?  If you have an idea, feel free to post them below.

In the evening, my ears were devastated by the sounds of people trying to dismantle our engines of wealth and achievement.  In an interview, Nancy Pelosi talked about the possibility of a Value Added Tax (VAT) to manufactured goods as a means of addressing our nation’s fiscal problems.  Of course, Ms. Pelosi doesn’t understand that the same principles that drive high-income individuals out of areas where taxes are too high will also drive consumers out of various areas of commerce where taxes are too high, costing us millions of jobs and our standard of living.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7R9wYLmzKI&feature=related

WEDNESDAY

As I passed through the heartland, I stopped in rural Fanning, MO for a glimpse of the world’s largest rocking chair.  Not expecting much at first, I was amazed when I actually saw it.  Just look how it dwarfs the house next to it!  It was another example of American determination and ingenuity.  Sure, it doesn’t serve much of a purpose, but that’s kind of the point: in America, we don’t do things because someone else wants us to or because we have to; we do them because they fulfill us in some personal way.  That’s what makes this ridiculous rocking chair essential Americana.

Ingenuity and determination be damned – gimmie what I want for FREE!  That night, I heard reports of over 50,000 Detroit residents lining up at a government center for $3,000 stimulus checks.  Fights broke out as the people clamored to make it to the front of the line.  How will they ever find a job and become self-sufficient if they’re spending all their time waiting in line and filling out applications for government handouts?  They won’t; they’ve been enslaved by the welfare state.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfGLB8LO1aM

THURSDAY

This is a view from I was able to capture from a New Mexican mountaintop.  There is no good way to convey the feeling I had up there, observing the vastness of the rest of the landscape.  I’ll just say that as I stood on the land that many others had no doubt stood on before me, I felt a powerful aura of freedom and untamed humanity.  Many countries have breathtaking sights, but few can instill the same emotion.

Visions of freedom and untamed humanity faded with the sunlight that night as the airwaves contained the sounds of dependency and subservience to overseas masters.  A new climate treaty to be executed in Copenhagen in a matter of weeks will cede America’s sovereignty and prosperity to a cadre of unelected world officials.  The treaty will enact a fledgling world government charged with enforcing the payment of “climate debts” to third world countries, which have had their climates affected by our carbon emissions.  Up to 2% of our GDP could be subject to these payments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40&feature=player_embedded

FRIDAY

As the sights of Grand Canyon and Sedona, AZ at dusk flooded my vision, thoughts of American exceptionalism carried me away.  Forget the Constitution, forget wealth and warfare –America as a land mass is the finest in the world.  Nowhere else possesses such diverse terrain and prehistoric landscape.  Just being here evokes a sense of greatness.  No other venue on Earth is fit to do what America has done.

By night, sights of diversity took a backseat to noises about diversity.  In the same vain as the Fairness Doctrine, I was hearing that the proposed Net Neutrality regulations were seeking to censor ideas and speech on the Internet behind the veil of fairness and diversity.  To them, diversity is everyone looking different, but thinking the same – robots made of different metals, but running on the same software – the antithesis (and ultimate downfall) of Americanism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uULNBso0BU (Not from the night I heard the story, but a good analysis)

SATURDAY

As I moved through the golden California hills, the sight of a freight train rolling along struck me as a classic testament to American innovation.  When we invented the railroad, we revolutionized industry.  We created a high-speed, low-cost means of transporting goods that attracted enormous levels of overseas investment, created jobs, reduced the cost of goods for everyone and solidified America’s middle class as the strongest in the world.  Behold, the power of free enterprise.

But as darkness once again overtook the light, so did the sounds overtake the sights.  Lawmakers hell-bent on destroying the enterprise system and spirit of innovation you see above (Rep. Charlie Rangel and company) and calling for a second stimulus package filled the airwaves as my mood sank.  The package would add to the already unsustainable deficit of $1.4 trillion.  ONE POINT FOUR TRILLION.  The number was dizzying and it rang inside my head like the last toll of the liberty bell.  Of course I knew the size of the deficit before, but it seemed to take on added weight, and even right now, the thought makes me lightheaded.  I feel trapped inside of a mansion on fire – a long wait and no escape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI3K5Y_0gDc

SUNDAY

As the sun fell on Manhattan Beach, CA and the other far western reaches of the continental United States, and drew the American week to a close, the metaphor seemed fitting.  Once again, the great sights illuminated in the daylight would disappear and give way to the unsettling sounds of the night.  At sunset, during the time when our two country’s overlap, it’s a good time to reflect on which will ultimately prevail, and to choose your side and plan your execution.  America isn’t about the noise people make about what they believe America should be; it’s about what we can see that America actually is!  And we on the side of the American vision will have to prepare for a long and arduous battle with those on the side of the audible.  While they may have the edge of media and money, we stand on the side of God and conviction.  A quick look at history shows which side seems to prevail.  Remember, where the sunsets, it must also rise.

I’ll spare you the Sunday news story.

Who needs ears anyway?

Today the world was a witness to numerous events. The events which will lead to the apprehension of the balloon mascaraed, more people in Arizona are sweating themselves into the afterlife, and Craig Ferguson admitting to wetting the bed all took a backseat to the show that took place in the southern state called Louisiana.

Earlier today, Drew Brees stepped onto the field with a list of accomplishments that extends further than the equator ever could. His 27,000+ passing yards and 177 touchdowns along with being the #1 overall pick in his draft are reasons enough to put him into a higher class of quarterback than just your usual starter. But Brees wasn’t satisfied with where he was. Drew knew he belonged in the next class of quarterback. A class where the caliber of player was beyond superb. He wanted to get the recognition he knew he deserved.

In front of him was the opportunity he had awaited for a long time. With his team finding a new heart on defense, extended weapons on offense, a 4-0 record, and a 5-0 Eli Manning led Giants coming out of the opposite tunnel he knew this was his chance. This was going to be his statement game. To start making that push to the next level Drew knew what he needed to do.

369 yards and 4 touchdowns later (throw in 6 rushing yards on a first down run just for spice) Brees made his statement. 4 quarters of complete domination by Drew Brees against what was arguably the best defense in the NFL sent a message to the critics. That message was bolded and in 650pt font and read “DREW BREES IS READY!”.

Brees is ready to move into the next class of leaders. Present-day, that class includes Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Both of these men have led their teams to enormous victories including Super Bowl titles. Both of these accomplishments have lacked from Brees’ successful career. He’s never been able to get to a game big enough to make his mark, until today. The Saints 48-27 victory over the previously #1 power ranked undefeated Giants, albeit just a stepping stone, was a gigantic game for Brees to take his first step into the direction of Manning and Brady.

Is it finally time to usher Brees into this new league? Have we seen enough to consider him as good a quarterback as Manning or Brady? Did his complete destruction of the Giants defense prove to you that he deserves to be in the conversation of best current NFL quarterbacks? If you ask me it definitely did (and not just because he has single-handedly won me numerous fantasy weeks spanning the last 2 season).  Now this raises an even tougher question. If you consider #9 to be in the same class as #18 and #12, then which of the three is the best?

Does Peyton Manning’s ability to read coverage and make the perfect audible seemingly everytime give him the edge? Is it Tom Brady’s calm, cool and collected Super Bowl winning led drives that make him the best? Or is it Drew Brees’ ability to stretch the field in any situation what helps him top the charts? Each of the three have given us a reason to believe they are the best in the league, but only two of them have a Super Bowl ring (or 3 if your Tom). With Brees well on his way to a possible appearance in the big game this season, who do you think is the best?

I recently read, listened to The Shack written by William P. Young and published by  Windblown Media, and was planning on writing a review of the book because I really enjoyed it, but today I read Tom Matlack’s review and thought to myself, I really don’t think I could say it any better. So instead, I am posting a link to Tom’s review:

Tom Matlack: Meet Me at The Shack (HuffingtonPost.com)

Tom starts off with one of the conversations in the book between Mack and God:

“Why is there such an emphasis on you being a Father? I mean, its seems to be the way you most reveal yourself.” Asks Mack, a man who has suffered brutal abuse from his own father and lost his young daughter to a serial killer who leaves a bloody red dress in a remote shack only to be invited back that same shack four years later…

Tom goes on to give a very well done review of the book. Must read.

As I noted, I listened to The Shack in audio book format. I purchased it through the iTunes Store (through their connection with Audible.com). The recording also had a piece after the book ended from the author, William P. Young and a radio show after that where they talked about book — all in the audio book file. I very much enjoyed it all.

The Apple iTunes Store had a great deal on The Shack last month for $5.95 — not sure about the exact cents, but it was less than $6 for an audio book — not too bad at all. Sheesh, you couldn’t even buy the paperback at Walmart or Target for that. So, I figured it was the best time to buy it. It really was an awesome book. Well worth reading as you will see from Tom’s review.It’s also available from Amazon in book format, Audio CD format, as well as ebook format for the Kindle.

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity (Audio CD from Amazon)

The Shack (Paperback book from Amazon)

This week I decided to sign up to the Audible service and see how easy it was for a first time user to get into. I was able to sign up with just one page worth of questions and I was not asked to fill in card details during the registration process.

Purchasing an audio book is a very simple process and seems very standard in execution. When the user goes to make their first purchase they have to enter in their card details. After this they have to download and install the Audible software to enable to listen to audio books on their computer. This is a condition I am not keen on as I try not to install any superfluous software on my computer. Once the file has been downloaded it can be transferred to a portable device very easily. The main concern as with any digital download is DRM or Digital Rights Management. The system that online media providers use to ensure a product is being illegally copied to more devices than they want. While this is done for the sake of preventing file sharing it still remains a sticking point for me personally, when it comes to using their services. Audible is rather lax compared to others, allowing each download to be copied to 4 computers and 3 portable media devices.

As a digital download service, Audible doesn’t offer much in terms of a returns policy. However, they do use a subscription based policy, so if you no longer have any desire to use their service, you can cancel on a monthly or yearly basis.

Data encryption is of the upmost importance to the individual in the digital age. When one looks at the amount of online services they use and the number of company’s who have access to your personal data everyone would prefer their data to be encrypted. This scrambles the data travelling from your PC and the company’s servers and helps prevent malicious users gaining access to your personal data. When creating an account on Audible, I can only assume my data was protected for it certainly didn’t seem it when signing up through both Internet Explorer and Firefox. At no point did I see the ubiquitous IE Padlock icon, nor the green tinted address bar in Firefox.

The data capture form for signing up to Audible.

Cookies are small files stored on a user’s hard drive that enable a website to ‘recognise’ you when you visit. These files can contain personal information such as logins and passwords and information on previously browsed pages on the site. This enables the site to target advertising at the user based on what they have seen in the past.

It is clear that Audible uses cookies from the homepage when a user logs on. This enables them to recognise the user on the PC.

An example of cookies in use.

Leveraging the long tail is the expression where a service/content takes advantage of a niche market that would otherwise be swallowed by the head of the markets in traditional distribution models. The internet provides a limitless opportunity for companies and individuals to exploit thePower Law Distribution, to not become reliant on physical space to sell products and the cost advantages of selling through e-commerce. A pioneer of this online is Amazon, where they have made a business out of selling a range of products no brick and mortar could successfully achieve. In particular I want to highlight their efforts in online distribution of audio books through Audible.

Since its introduction 1997, Amazon has continually evolved Audible and now share many of the key principles of Power Law Distribution. One best practice that they have implemented is the use of a algorithmic data management, to generate items that other users bought while they purchased this item, or items that are very similar to this title. This is excellent in providing a narrow scope of titles within a category that other may find very useful. Other elements like customer feedback and reviews on title also help give the customer a in depth look matching the title they are going to buy , with similar titles or customers with the same interest.

Audible

Audible has leveraged the low cost advantages of being online, by promoting their services through many podcasts. As many shows are located through the itunes store, the same with many audible books. It has been a very successful advertising plow in my opinion. As many of the people who are listening to podcasts are use to this form of concept, so it is going straight to the niche market. They have also utilised services like twitter to promote any specials and new releases to those who are following them. So in many cases this is the digital form of word of mouth. Even with the niche market of audio books audible.com has gone after expanding their catalogue to cover many areas. Since April 2008 audible.com has been producing their own sci-fi based audio books as many of these classics were not available in the spoken form. Expanding into a niche area that hasn’t been explored yet.

So what does this mean to other businesses and enterprises. This practice applies to both products to be sold and internal services that could benefit from opportunities that may of initially didn’t exist within the current structure. This can be done either through improving the process of search, filtering and aggregation of data internally and apply to areas that can meet user demand. The internet is now the driving force of smart business and having a excellent understanding on a enterprises niche market is extremely valuable.

Series So Far
Pattern Six: Perpetual Beta “Dropbox”
Pattern Five: Software Above the level of a Single Device
Pattern Four: Rich User Experience “Google Docs”
Pattern Three: Innovation in Assembly “Google Maps”
Pattern Two: Data is the Next ‘Intel Inside’ “Flickr”
Pattern One: Harnessing Collective Intelligence “Digg”

Happy 75th to the poet, the novelist, the singer, the songwriter, the Buddhist monk.

Google’s really been rockin’ the doodles of late.  And today they honor the birthday of H.G. Wells with this one (above) of UFO-like tripods ravaging a village.

Wells was not only one of our first science fiction writers, he was one of the best.  He wrote most of his classics more than one hundred years ago, and they still make thrilling reading today.

If you haven’t read him, and own a Kindle, we highly recommend the H.G. Wells Collection.  For only 99 cents you get the following list of titles:

Ann Veronica,
In the Days of the Comet,
Love and Mr. Lewisham,
The First Men in the Moon,
The Invisible Man,
The Island of Dr. Moreau,
The Time Machine,
The War in the Air,
The War of the Worlds,
Twelve Stories and a Dream,
and When the Sleeper Wakes.

If you still knockin’ it old school, there’s some very nice paper editions of his books as well.  For less than a ten-spot you can get this nifty boxset:

This includes all of H. G. Wells Science Fiction novels, including The First Men in the Moon, The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The War of the Worlds.

Or maybe you’re only in the mood for one Wells book.  Well, if you have to narrow it down to one we suggest our favorite The Island of Doctor Moreau.  Wells’ cautionary tale of  the biologic manipulation of animals seems more timely by the day.  It’s also scary as hell.  This premium edition would look nice on any bookshelf.

Or if audio books are more your thing.  There’s a great production of The Island of Doctor Moreau on audio.  It’s inexpensive and unabridged!

It’s available from the iTunes store or via Audible.

So if you’ve never read Wells, or haven’t in many years, why not celebrate his birthday by digging into one of his fantastic books?  Yup, put down The Lost Symbol for a day or two, and dive into some fiction that will really twist your mind.

As I have been documenting over the last few months, I have got my WM6 phone pretty much doing all the same things as an iPhone but with the added advantage of wireless stereo Bluetooth earphone support.

Of course there are some downsides.  The device, an HTC TyTN II, is not as svelte and elegant as an iPhone and the user interface, being based on Windows Mobile, is not as slick and well integrated as the Apple equivalent. Also, the looser software/hardware integration of Windows Mobile devices, and in particular the greater reliance on third-party utilities, is more likely to cause grief.

A case in point is the clash between Windows Media Player Mobile (WMPM) and Audible.com’s player. For reasons best known to themselves, Audible will not allow their audiobooks to be played on WMPM, instead requiring users to install Audible’s proprietary audiobook player. Maybe it’s because WMPM does not support bookmarking. It  would not have been that much of a problem to have to use two separate applications for music/podcasts vs. audiobooks were it not for the fact that they conflict with each other causing the phone to crash.

The culprit appears to be the Audible player.  Once it has been run, it seems to result in some persistent locking of resources which interferes with the operation of Windows Media Player, even after the Audible player application has been closed.  You can still open and use Windows Media, but when you try to close the latter down, as you would if say updating your podcasts or synchronising your music, the phone locks up and requires a time-consuming soft reset.

I have tried installing various bits of kit to try to troubleshoot or debug the problem, but whatever it is has its hooks too deep down within the operating system and I cannot fathom it.  It is very annoying but I guess I’m stuck with it for the foreseeable future unless anyone has any bright ideas.

While I’ve been researching information to build a website that is accessible for people with visual impairment, I found an article on a new device that was made for students of higher learning.

Only released last week in India, it was invented as there are not many books or resources  available to the blind for higher education. Here is an article about the Audio Book Reader.

I knew there were audio books available, and I was very interested to find that there are thousands available, but of course they would be best sellers, not educational.  You can become a member at Audible.com and download audio books.

Over the last month and a half I’ve been to Dubai, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Amsterdam, San Juan PR, San Germán PR, Charlotte NC, NY NY, Washington DC and Fairfax County VA logging dozens of hours in planes, cars and buses, not to mention several back issues of Wired Magazine, Julie and Julia, bits of Over Promise and Over Deliver, Match Me If You Can (audio) and the beginning of The Pillars of the Earth (audio). If it weren’t for my trusted iPod and large purse (which fits my laptop plus a book), my travels to and from schools to universities to family would have been very LOOOONG!

Luckily Audible and iTunes have a wonderful selection of audiobooks that can be downloaded from just about any country or airport savvy enough to grace its customers with free wifi (I know, if I had an iPhone I wouldn’t always be on a desperate hunt for hotspots! One gadget at a time!). Regardless, if you dine on audiobooks at the rate I do, you are likely to put on a few pound in the credit department!

Fortunately, Lit2Go might be just be the audiobook lovers version of Weight Watchers–Dine on what you want, but in portions that you won’t regret later. Who could pass up a delightfully free and high quality The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn audio/text? Or, a gratis afternoon of Jane Eyre?!

The site states:

Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. You can:

• Download the files to your Mp3 player and listen on the go,
• Listen to the Mp3 files on your computer,
• View the text on a webpage and read along as you listen,
• Print out the stories and poems to make your own book.

Happy audiobook searching by author, title, keyword or reading level!

Anna

PS Thanks to Jim Moulton for point out this resources and many others in his Edutopia article, “How to Become More Tech Savvy This Summer“. The photo above was taken by Jon Rawlinson.

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Desmond Dekker was the first Jamaican ska artist to break the top 10 in the United States with his song “Israelites.” To those who associate ska with central Jersey pork pie-wearing two tone-sporting short trouser-bedecked horn-laden bands, early ska can be a revelation. A precursor to the later reggae and rocksteady styles, ska married the influences of calypso and r&b to create an imminently danceable  music which was quickly adopted as part of the soundtrack of the burgeoning mod scene in England. Dekker’s contributions began with the Leslie Kong produced song “Honour Your Mother and Father,” reaffirming Kong’s reputation as a spotter of new talent.

I saw a leather bedecked Dekker at Slim’s in San Francisco in 1995. Though appearing physically frail, his strong voice had the hall dancing from the time he hit the stage till the final note of the final song. It was sweaty and it was fun. Today would have been his 68th birthday.

Do you ever ask yourself: “What am I doing with my life?”

Well, it’s probably not very much, if you compare yourself to 28 year old Joel Zimmerman and 25 year old Adam Wiles (Deadmau5 and Calvin Harris respectively).

Besides conquering my heart and soul, they’ve both demonstrated retarded amounts of understanding the human brain; what makes us tick, twitch, two-step, and otherwise crush our inner voices that are determined to stop us from making fools of ourselves on the dance floor.

There are certain musical algorithms that cause our brains to produce endorphins and other happy chemicals, depending on how they’re played. Dumbing down music, it is nothing but a series of repetitive combinations of sound waves (and sometimes produces physical reverberations as well), so how in the hell does it evoke such strong emotions? A dance song makes you dance, a sad one makes you cry, an annoying one makes you cringe, etc… But the strangest part of it all is that it summons a variety of different chemical reactions depending on the individual. This truth is simply one dynamic of individuality. How we enjoy certain things, while other things that others may find tantalizing are quickly categorized into the “annoying shit” pile in our brains, is another mystery. If you think about it, our quantum beings (the invisible—yet undeniable—existence of personalities) are somehow programmed to be a consistent producer of traits that define us as an individual. This invisible cartridge of identity is tangibly brought to life through listening to music more so than any other sensory process. Finding the equation, and subsequently translating it into computer-speak to create sounds is a much greater feat than one might think. Joel and Adam continue to do exactly that for us, and at the ripe young age of mid 20’s, amaze the shit out of me.

Here are a couple of NEW tracks from the aforementioned prodigies, for you and your endorphins to enjoy:

Deadmau5 Vs Funkerman – Community Funkerman (Denzal Park Bootleg) — although it was not 100% deeadmau5, his influence is still undeniable.

Deadmau5 – I Remember (Caspa Remix) — chilled, for those warm summer nights.

Mr Hudson – Supernova feat. Kanye West (Calvin Harris Mix) — if you’ve heard the original, then you’d agree that it takes genius to take that song and make it into this.