Links 2-4-11: NoteSlate, Journalists doing a fourth of their job, Games are good
Top of the Interwebs:
Some company (whose website is down) may or may not have invented this really cool looking tablet computer called the NoteSlate. Supposedly this device will be out in June and will retail for $99. They announced it a while back, but the internet just noticed now. 
It uses eInk and is monochromatic. It supposedly has huge battery life and, perhaps, some sort of OCR. I hope this is real because I would buy the hell out of it. The idea is simply an electronic piece of paper, which sounds like a good idea to me.
Self-aggrandizement:
I revived a post describing my social media strategy. It’s a bit old, but it is still my strategy and it has a nifty acrostic: MEGA. I think it’s one of the more useful posts I’ve written, check it out.
Pwety:
Ever worried about how you are going to die? Well, this infographic breaks down life’s numbers for you. Hint: eat healthier.
Worth looking at today:
Jane McGonigal was on Stephen Colbert last night to explain that gaming is good for you. Like I needed some book writer to tell me that.
The editors of the Guardian and New York Times are asked what they would do if WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange is brought up on charges by the US. They would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the beleaguered site’s founder. Good!
On the flip side of journalistic integrity, the UK-based Observer wants you to understand that it was employing private investigators to break the law on behalf of the public good. Can I have a quick aside here on this whole continuing mistake of journalistic proportions? Yes? Ok:
Look, to be perfectly honest, I don’t care much about the whole invasion of privacy thing. Welcome to 2011, we don’t have privacy. Don’t act surprised if you’re on the internet. What irritates me is just how damn LAZY this is. They are journalists, their job is to research, interview, compile and report. The real tragedy this whole thing has uncovered is that modern journalists are so bad at their core competencies that they have to hire someone else to do 3/4ths of their job. WTF? And we wonder why newspapers are dying.
Apparently we love fast things so much, we may just buy things without thinking. The result is something called the stimulation economy, which is totally not as cool as it sounds. However, because we derive pleasure from fast feedback, one-click sales are the next cocaine. Once they figure out how to use this to sell houses the US is totally screwed.
The Most Interesting Man in the World is actually quite interesting.
Paywalls are pure foolishness (obviously) but there may be a better solution, pay tags. The idea would be that you could licence content for reading and redistribution. I’m not sure how I feel about this, but it makes an interesting read.
