aqualung's small pieces

And feeds here as well …

2012-09-27T17:41:08+09:30

For anybody subscribed to the RSS feed of my posts (currently served by Feedburner), you may like to subscribe via one of the “native” feeds, given Google's utter neglect of Feedburner and its probable imminent demise :)

Try http://aqualung.typepad.com/small_pieces/atom.xml, or most feed readers will pick up the feed if you give them the home page link.

How many Apple IDs should your family have? — Apple News, Tips and Reviews

2012-05-29T17:29:25+09:30

How many Apple IDs should your family have? — Apple News, Tips and Reviews: "With your family’s iTunes purchases under control, and the core features of iCloud storage taken care of, there is one particular feature of iOS 5 that can be set separately from a device’s primary iCloud account. When it comes to locating each of your family’s devices, do not rely solely on the Find My Friends app to locate their position. Create a common family iCloud account and configure each device to use this account in the Mail, Contacts, Calendars settings. In fact, you can even create this iCloud account without creating a new Apple email address. This family iCloud account’s sole purpose will be to keep track of all of your Apple devices."

Wow - that can get a little confusing; but it is possible to set up a pretty flexible combination of ApplieIDs on your devices.

How do you invent vaccines? An interview « Scott Berkun

2011-07-29T13:46:59+09:30

We all are able to generate the most creative ideas. The question is, Do we dare? We don’t need more innovation, we need less resistance. Our own, internal resistance, that sometime blocks you, and prevents you from asking that crazy question at a meeting. Missed opportunity for you, for the company, for the world that might be desperately awaiting your idea. And external resistance, when your colleagues, your boss, the whole organization does not seem to understand the greatness of your idea.

via www.scottberkun.com

"Less resistance" … too often we are stymied by the fear of change, in ourselves and others. Fear of change, fear of failure, fear of ridicule - all contribute to suppression of ideas. The ideas still happen, but they're never executed, so innovation doesn't happen.

Phillip Toledano - Days with My Father

2011-03-16T22:39:04+10:30

via www.dayswithmyfather.com

It would be easy to feel resentful about an opportunity lost for this sort of time with my own father, but this is too beautiful for such a mean thought to survive

Is the internet ad model unravelling?

2011-02-01T13:24:23+10:30

Newsflash: I don’t need you to tell me what I want to buy. I already know, and anything I need is a web search away.

… Go find a better business plan. One that doesn’t coopt me as your marketing R&D department.

… If you want me to buy your merchandise, then spend your money making something really good. If it’s good and I decide I need it, I’ll find you.

You won’t need to sneak up on me.

via www.newsome.org

Kent's rant about targeted ads struck a chord - I ignore them whenever possible. However - much of what we receive for free on the internet is financed by advertising. If a significant proportion of us in some way "tune out" the advertising, and click rates start to drop off, what happens next? Do the ads become MORE intrusive, better "targeted" via even more privacy violation ... or do we start paying for services more often? My preference is to vote with my wallet for services I find useful, and avoid ads that way - but I suspect I'm in the minority here (I'll have Kent for company though!).

Longer term, the answer possibly lies with VRM and related personal data management ideas, but these will be a hard sell to people who only look for easy ways to interact on the Web, unless it can be made almost as unnoticeable as the ads we're trying to get rid of. Now there's a challenge ...