The Brooks Review

Category: Links

  • Facebook vs. Twitter

    Nick Bilton concluding a great post about privacy and trust differences with Twitter and Facebook:
    >In the long run, people will trust Twitter more than they do Facebook. And when it comes to building a long-term, trusting relationship with its users, Twitter will take it slowly and steadily, and in doing so, could win the race.

    It’s a really interesting point to think about if you ask me. At what point, or what thing, would Facebook have to do to get you to say: “That’s it, I am done.” For me that happened a while ago, for reasons that truly don’t matter to *you*.

    To me, Facebook is currently the Microsoft Windows from 1997. Everyone used Windows and *everyone* complained about Windows. Fast forward to today and everyone is on Facebook and (it seems) any user that has been on the site for over a year *is* complaining about Facebook.

    That’s not to say Facebook can’t change, but it’s something to think about every time you use a new service that requires personal information, ask yourself:

    – Do I trust them?

    Do you trust Microsoft more than Facebook? I do. Do you trust Google? Hell no. Should you?

  • ‘Cooking up Complicated Schemes’

    J.D. Tuccille on the TSA:
    >But necessary evil or not, it’s increasingly apparent that the TSA is spectacularly inefficient and inept at everything it tries to do.

    Great article rounding up most of what is hilariously wrong with the TSA.

  • ‘Regarding the Talk Show’

    Dan Benjamin shares his thoughts on *The Talk Show* leaving 5by5. Sometimes a scandal, just isn’t the scandal that the Internet [wants it](http://www.candlerblog.com/2012/05/18/where-did-the-talk-show-go/) [to be](http://www.quora.com/The-Talk-Show/Why-did-John-Grubers-The-Talk-Show-switch-podcast-networks).

    I used to have a 45 minute commute and Dan & John were a large part of keeping me sane during that commute — thanks to both of them for a great run and a great show.

    As for the *new* *The Talk Show* — I look forward to [checking it out](http://muleradio.net/thetalkshow/).

    **Update:** [Richard Heath says I got it wrong](http://space36.com/a-few-words-about-the-talk-show), not the Internet. John Gruber has commented on the matter twice, basically saying he moved over business disagreements. What I don’t think you can do is to read into Gruber’s comments as much as many people are reading into them. Business agreements can be about more than just money (not often) and by assuming that was the reason — well — you are also making assumptions about a persons character. Maybe I am wrong, maybe not.

    What I think still stands: this is not the scandal that the internet was hoping it would be.

  • AppTag

    I forgot to link to this after last week’s B&B podcast, but this iPhone laser tag gun looks downright awesome.

  • WP Tweets Pro

    I have been using the `WP to Twitter` plugin for WordPress for a long time now — I much prefer it over Twitter Tools because it works faster and lighter. Not only that, but I can easily customized the tweet and automatically post “updated” tweets when I edit a post.

    There has been one problem with my site and `WP to Twitter` — it posts the tweet before the database cache is done updating and because of that Twitter users often read the post before the server had a chance to flip around the linked list URL. So essentially Twitter users often think there is no link to the linked list post, instead just an endless loop. Whenever this happens I have to dump the cache, not hard, but annoying.

    The biggest feature (for me) that WP Tweets Pro brings: a delay setting for the Tweets. Now all TBR tweets will be delayed by one minute, thus (hopefully) solving all my problems. This plugin also has some other cool features, and for $25 — why not.

  • ‘Soft’ Ware

    Chuck Skoda on the Facebook IPO:

    >Someone could be building something right now, in secret, that could obsolete Facebook. Software is ‘soft’ for a reason, it can change fast.

    Some really smart points. Facebook’s massive user base does not mean it can outlast a good competitor,that could be launched tomorrow, by default. It’s going to be interesting to watch them.

  • Twitter Is Tracking You on the Web

    Dustin Curtis:
    >Basically, every time you visit a site that has a follow button, a “tweet this” button, or a hovercard, Twitter is recording your behavior. It is transparently watching your movements and storing them somewhere for later use. Right now, that data will make better suggestions for accounts you might want to follow. But what other things can it be used for? The privacy implications of such behavior by a company so large are sweeping and absolute.

    That’s pretty shitty of Twitter if I am honest. I have been using the embedded Tweets and the follow buttons on this site without knowing that Twitter did this. So I am sorry about that. I took some time this morning and removed those embeds everywhere I could find, if you see one shoot me the URL of the post and I will remove it.

  • The B&B Podcast #61: The One Where Ben Gets Fired

    iPhone Laser Tag.

    Also, due to a screw up on my end, the show didn’t get recorded as normal and so a big thanks are owed to Sean Sperte and Chris Wahlmark because without them we would not have a show to post this week.

  • DropKey

    Free until May 20th, which means you need to go download it now.
    >Introducing DropKey. The hassle-free way to encrypt your files.

    >We all send a lot of files. Whether it’s in Mail, with iChat, or even sharing them in Dropbox, files are still a huge part of our daily lives. Sadly, we haven’t had an easy way to make sure they can only be opened by the people they were intended for.

    Now are you convinced?

    [via The Beard]

  • ‘Wherefore Wi-Fi’

    Lex Friedman listing off some items he would like to see in iOS 6, mentions a great feature that I had never heard of:
    >Some iPhone competitors offer a clever feature for conserving battery life: They use geolocation to figure out where you are, automatically enabling and disabling the Wi-Fi antenna when you’re away from a known hotspot.

    Mark me down as someone who thinks this should be an iOS feature — sounds great.

  • Twitter Implements Do Not Track Privacy Option

    Nick Bilton reporting on Twitter:
    >It announced Thursday that it is joining Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox Web browser, and giving its users the ability to opt-out of being tracked in any way through Twitter.

    Nicely done. Here’s hoping more web browsers and service adopt the ‘Do Not Track’ system.

  • Comcast to Replace Usage Cap With Improved Data Usage Management Approaches

    So the data cap is now at 300GB from 250GB. That’s good, but it also sounds like this is not a firm cap and that if you should go over it you pay $10 for every additional 50GBs.

    Ok, I have no problem with that, but a real question. In the past Comcast banned users that consistently went over the 200-250GB cap, so does this mean that you can use as much data as you want — so long as you can pay for it?

    If so, I think that is great (or I should say, better).

  • Pinterest Valued at $1.5 Billion

    Tim Bradshaw (whom FT wants you to know is in London, for some reason):
    >The deal, which includes new funds from existing backers Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners and FirstMark Capital, values Pinterest at about $1.5bn, putting the image-led “curation” site among the world’s hottest young internet companies.

    That seems crazy right?

    Not when you take a look at [this infographic from Shopify](http://www.shopify.com/infographics/pinterest) (hat tip to [Panzer](https://twitter.com/mpanzarino/status/203156438443507713)).

    There are three key things in that infographic:

    1. Pinterest already drives the same amount of referral traffic as Twitter.
    2. Buyers from Pinterest spend (on average) 10% more than buyers from other social networks.
    3. The average Pinterest order is twice that of the average Facebook order.

    That means Pinterest has a huge and growing user base that is actually *willing* to spend their money. That is way more valuable, in my mind, than anything Facebook has. If Pinterest keeps this up, they will be the better investment.

  • Sponsor the The Brooks Review RSS Feed

    Speaking of…, oh wait I don’t have a good segue. I am now directly selling the RSS sponsorship spots once again, so get in touch if you are interested in reaching the most discerning readers on the web.

  • The New Aol

    Christopher Mims:

    >I don’t think Facebook actually has a plan. I think it’s the new AOL. But if it did have a plan, this is what it would look like.

    Mims makes the case for Facebook to become a financial company, by buying Square or competing with it. He points out the power Apple has with all the credit cards stored in iTunes too. Here’s the problem with this idea:

    1. As long as Zuckerberg is control I doubt this happens, the financial sector is just too boring for me to see him making that move. It would also be admitting that Facebook doesn’t work as a business, something he has gone to pains to make work as a business.
    2. The analogy to iTunes is bad, because iTunes actually sells things that people want in ways that they can’t really get from other places (certainly not as easily). What does Facebook have to sell? Highlighted posts?

    At the end of the post Mims quips that perhaps Facebook moves laterally to become a mobile phone provider. That’s closer to what I bet they try, but even Microsoft is having trouble in this market, so how does Facebook beat not only Apple, but Google and Microsoft?

    As I posted the other day, it’s about buying intent. That’s where Facebook needs to get its user to.

  • ‘Netflix vs iTunes for Movies You’d Actually Watch’

    Glen:
    >Or, to put in another way, people are watching **only 1.5% of the films on Netflix Instant.**

    With his math that number is 6% for iTunes. I feel the same way, I check Netflix first because I won’t have to pay *more* money for the movie, but they rarely have movies I want to watch — even if they have it I will sometimes opt for the iTunes movie to watch it in 1080p.

    This strikes me as a real problem for Netflix, because right now Netflix is where my wife and I go to watch TV shows and that’s about it.

  • ‘How to Use a Paper Towel’

    I watched this yesterday and was impressed, but I hadn’t tried it. Now I have tried it several times and I am dumbfounded by how well this tip works. Not only do I only need one paper towel to dry my hands, but they are actually more dry in the end. Amazing.

    [via DF]

  • Today, in TSA News (part II)

    Since we last checked in the TSA had a huge check mark they put in the win column, [when they found gun parts in a stuffed animal and a knife in walker of an elderly person](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0514-travel-briefcase-20120514,0,5437194.story). The story is rather surprising to me, not because the TSA did their job, or bragged about doing their job, but because some person thought that these tactics would work. The kicker:

    >A man traveling with his 4-year-old son contended that he didn’t know the gun parts were in his son’s toys.

    That’s a crafty 4-year-old.

    Speaking of crafty, [the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general surveyed how well the TSA is doing at fixes problems after security breaches are found and as CNN reports](http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/15/us/tsa-breaches/index.html):

    >The Transportation Security Administration is failing to adequately report, track and fix airport security breaches, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general.

    >As a result, the TSA “does not have a complete understanding” of breaches at the nation’s airports, says a report from the inspector general.

    Well, if you can’t fix the problem, hide the problem.

    Speaking of problems, apparently the TSA doesn’t care if you are former advisor of presidents and Nobel Peace Prize winner — nope that won’t stop the TSA from groping you. Just ask former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 89, [who got the “full monty” from the TSA](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/henry-kissinger-gets-tsa-pat-down/2012/05/14/gIQAHDgBPU_blog.html). Patting down an old man in a wheel chair is bad enough, but it’s pretty bad when he probably has a higher security clearance than your boss.

    What’s worse than that? Well how about buying $184 million dollars worth of security equipment and instead of installing it you just store it in a warehouse in Texas? [According to the Washington Post, that’s exactly what is going on](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/tsa-equipment-gathering-dust-house-investigators-say/2012/05/08/gIQAaG9WBU_story.html). Actually what’s worse is when you are a government agency that knows you are about to be found out, so this is what you do:

    >The delay was a deliberate effort to get rid of 1,300 pieces of unused screening equipment before investigators arrived in February, the report said.

    In the end, it didn’t work, but `A` for effort?

    Speaking of the letter A ((Ok that was a stretch.)) , [the TSA wants to remove the “human factor” from viewing the porno-scanner images, instead replacing the human body with an avatar](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/05/body-scanner-vulnerabilities/) — no word yet if you can use your Twitter Avatar or not.

    Lastly, since we are talking about identity, [a Newark Liberty Airport security supervisor is charged with identity theft](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AIRPORT_SUPERVISOR_FAKE_IDENTITY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-14-20-00-29) (hat tip to [John Gruber](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/05/15/air-travel-tsa)) — going back 10 years. Now I don’t think this guy was TSA, but I bet as a security supervisor, TSA didn’t think twice about letting him into secured areas. I have got to get me a security badge…

  • ‘Facebook’s Business Model’

    Chris Dixon:
    >Google makes the vast majority of their revenues when people search for something to buy or hire. They don’t have to stoke demand – they simply harvest it. When people use Facebook, they are generally socializing with friends. You can put billboards all over a park, and maybe sometimes you’ll happen to convert people from non-purchasing to purchasing intents. But you end up with a cluttered park, and not very effective advertising.

    Really great (short) post that highlights a key problem for Facebook going forward.

  • General Motors Pulls Ads From Facebook

    Cyrus Farivar:
    >General Motors has announced that it would be pulling its paid advertising from Facebook, saying that it had too little impact.

    You mean people don’t click on ads *even* when those ads are on Facebook? Huh, who would have thought.