http://mikecs.net/prodigeek Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:21:24 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Hulu has been highly praised for its sleek design and vast amounts of commercial content, stifling nay-sayers by bringing competing networks together to share content and audiences. But these networks can’t seem to understand how important convenience is to attracting customers away from piracy and file-sharing. I already wrote about Hulu ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/07/06/hulu-shoots-itself-in-the-foot-over-and-over-again/ I have found a wonderful job as the I.T. Manager for Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. In addition to managing all the computers and email, I will be managing the website and social media strategy for the company.  The blogging that I hoped would get more regular after finishing graduate ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/07/06/now-that-im-working-i-need-to-find-that-life-balance/ Software and website usability is not simply a matter of ease of use.  In my essay Three Factors of Usability: Understanding Ease of Use, I show how designers and developers can think more broadly about user interfaces and user experiences. Read the essay here http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/06/19/three-factors-of-usability/ The entertainment industry declared a huge win after a Swedish court convicted the founders of Pirate Bay of copyright infringement. But a win isn’t always a win. The ruling helped galvanize Sweden’s Pirate Party, increasing their numbers by more than three times and helping them win two seats in the ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/06/09/pirate-party-wins-2-seats-in-european-parliament/ Controversy swirled last week on allegations that Last.fm’s parent company CBS gave the RIAA user data for possible use in civil and criminal cases. All those involved in the story have denied these allegations, though Techcrunch stands by the story. It’s impossible to filter the he-said she-said right now, so instead ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/06/01/why-lastfm-should-give-the-riaa-its-data/ My graduate school year comes to a close in a few weeks.  I handed in my thesis today (and will be posting all 35 pages this week in some online fashion).  I'll be getting into a more regular posting schedule over the next week or so, that is, at least ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/05/26/thesis-finishing-final-paper-writing/ One (of the many) points of contention with copyright law is how much it limits fan-created works.  Last week I wrote about a fan-made sequel to the classic video game Chrono Trigger that publisher Square-Enix forced to stop (only a few weeks before release). This fan-made sequel would never have ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/05/20/where%e2%80%99s-the-value-in-fan-creations/ I keep looking for other things to write about, but the newspaper industry just keeps giving me great posts to write.  Let’s first look at this Washington Post article that pretty much argues for ending all the useful innovations of the internet to save newspapers.  It’s written by two former ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/05/18/newspapers-doomed-but-it%e2%80%99s-everyone-else%e2%80%99s-fault/ Just because you have a legal right to something doesn’t mean it’s always the right decision.  Copyright allows the creator of a work to control derivative works – creative works based on the original work.  This is a legal right of content creators, but enforcing it hurts the content creators ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/05/12/different-corporate-approaches-to-fan-creations/ After my IP class last week, a classmate and I continued our debate.  He said something that stuck with me: “Companies won’t leave money on the table.”  But in many cases, companies do leave money on the table. Sometimes the risk isn’t worth the reward, but sometimes it’s sheer stubbornness. I ... http://mikecs.net/prodigeek/2009/05/06/how-much-money-do-companies-leave-on-the-table/