Facebook’s new privacy changes
Dec 5th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
If you are wondering what the changes mean you could do a lot worse than reading this analysis by the always excellent ReadWriteWeb
Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
People don’t care about privacy.
Oct 30th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
Discussions about privacy are muddled.
That’s because people are often talking at cross purposes. It turns out that privacy is virtually impossible to define. And to further confuse matters, we think we care about it. But when it really comes down to it. We don’t.
To begin to make progress in understanding privacy we first have to recognise that we relate to privacy at two distinct levels. At a societal level and at a personal level.
Yet another threat to society
At the societel level the concern is about government spooks and megacorporations. Pouring over your data and watching your every move. This is a very real concern. But…
It’s impersonal. And filed away in our heads under “Yet another threat to society.” In short people don’t feel it acutely enough to actually alter their day-to-day behaviour. Even though they kinda know they should. So, in a practical sense its just as if people don’t care about privacy.
This time its personal
The erosion of privacy at a personal is very different. I hold that privacy cannot be usefully defined at this level, except to be defined by the breach. By instances of social embarassment. By those moments when social spheres collide with messy consequences.
Facebook has gone further than most in bringing this reality to light. At its best Facebook is a serendipity engine. At its worst its a privacy trainwreck.
To restate that. When we are pleasantly surprised we call it serendipity. When we are unpleasantly surprised we call it a breach of privacy.
‘Privacy’ is a red herring
Its all very subjective and context sensitive and this is why I say that at this level privacy as a notion is not amenable to definition. And it distract and confuses us, making it difficult to see what is really going on.
Its better to reframe the situation. And recognise that people don’t care about privacy. What they really care about is social embarassment.
They want the happy accidents that are the upside of social collisions without the messy consequences that are the downsides.
Of course, this is not possible with Facebook. Its a double-edged sword. You can’t have one without the other.
The Future
I suppose someone will eventually find a way give the consumers what they want. The upside without the downside. What will it look like? Who knows, but it will likely be a new platform that doesn’t have these problems baked in.
*****Timely example********
Facebook ‘reconnect’: The latest Facebook innovation illustrates this baked in double-edged sword… serendipity engine / privacy trainwreck scenario perfectly.
Facebook ‘reconnect’ prompts users to reconnect with ex-lovers and dead friends.
The Holy Grail of Facebook Privacy…is not practical for most users
Sep 3rd 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
The number one facebook blog www.allfacebook.com has a guide for sale that show you how to manage your privacy settings on facebook.
The Holy Grail of Facebook Privacy is a simple guide to protecting yourself on Facebook and making sure you never end up with an embarrassing situation that could have lasting repercussions, potentially even costing your job.
It runs to 24 detailed pages.
This is not for normal people.
Normal people will not buy this book.
Normal people will not read a detailed 24 page guide to navigating the privacy setting on facebook.
Normal people will not keep updating and curating setting at the level of detail required as their social networks morph and grow.
Facebook privacy is not attainable by normal people. The settings are just too complicated and detailed. They are too offputting and require too much attention and curation.
The result:
Here’s a light-hearted take on how your sense of privacy is easily compromised by people like your Mom.
Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids
Here’s how it easily compromised by you:
Conclusion:
Facebook’s privacy setting are truly only a fig-leaf of protection. They only serve to protect us from the embarassament we feel. About what we know to be the truth of human nature.
Ireland’s most active online community? (Hint: Is not what you think it is.)
Aug 7th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
Share a place you love. Without spoiling the joy of discovery.
Have a look at this Google Map of caches in the West of Ireland. And zoom out for caches across the rest of the world.
With thanks to Chris Reilly.
FineTuna: achingly easy collaborative fine tuning of designs online
Jun 9th 2009NiaLLLarkinSocial software & Uncategorized
FineTuna,
makes the back-and forth
of fine tuning designs online
an achingly simple
and pleasant task.
Another great tool from the guys that brought us Toddle “beautifully simple email newsletters.”
3 minute screen cast shows how simple this is to use.
Play in FULLSCREEN mode.
FULLSCREEN VIEW———————MOUSEOVER BOTTOM RIGHT—^
Wolfram Alpha: Daring to believe
May 14th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
See the demo
I always used to believe that there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.
Now, I’m not so sure.
Now, I’m beginning to think that there is nothing as powerful as a simple demo.
If you have not seen this yet.
Go and look now.
Out of the blocks
Back in 2002, Wolfram published his grand theory in ‘A New Kind of Science’.
It left the scientific establishment standing awestruck.
And not a little bewildered.
They have remained that way since.
Rooted to the spot.
As he powered ahead.
What’s the big idea?
In ‘A New Kind of Science’ he mapped out a new theoretical framework.
With Wolfram Alpha, he demonstrates the power of that theory in practice.
So what’s does his theory have to say?
It shows how simple hypotheses.
Can be used. To capture the operation
of. Large complex natural systems.
It is a veritable ‘How To’. As in. How to probe
what is going on in large complex natural systems.
Is there anything practical here?
This was massive. It shook the (academic) world.
But, that is not the end of the story.
In fact, its just the beginning.
With Alpha, Wolfram shows how to put this theory into practice.
What the link between the theory and practice again?
With Wolfram Alpha, at its most basic:
1. You enter a ’simple hypothesis’ into the search/query box
2. It takes that simple hypothesis and tests it against a massively complex set of data about the natural world.
3. It returns a result. Or set of results.
4. You refine your hypothesis and test again.
Okay so that’s the basic. What’s the next step?
Its not much of a leap to automate this recursive process and noodle through data to uncover data relationships and crystallise them into concepts that can be tested again. This is practically a description of thinking.
This is the scientific method. Writ large. Running at light speed. Automated. And practiced against massive and massively complex data sets. As opposed to through physical experiments set up in labs with bunsen burners and test tubes.
Wolfram delivers the demo very matter of fact. Is this really a game changer?
Before the demo I was thinking “too good to be true.”
But this demo has blown my socks off.
I now think this will change more than the game.
This will change everything.
Your personal life.
Your work.
Your industry.
Your country.
Your world.
I want to shout out
“Welcome to the inflection point of the information revolution”.
“The singularity is just around the corner.”
So yes I’m excited.
I am daring to believe.
Bonus link:
Joe Drumgoole has a (kinda) Top 10 on why this is a game changer in Silicon Valley answering the ‘meh..sure won’t Google just buy it or bury it anyway’. Fave line from the top “Alpha.. generates new information from data as opposed to slavishly returning the mob results that Google collects.”
Quick. Spread the word. Flashmob 8pm. Today. Stag’s Head.
Apr 18th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
Flashmob = For Ad hoc fun. In public places. Just gather a mob together in a flash.
3 easy steps.
1. Tell everyone you know.
2. Draw a circle on your hand.
3. Turn up.
Here’s a taste of what they did in New York.
In London. A massive free-for-all spontaneous pillow fight.
In Dublin…
Tonight at 8pm. Outside the Stag’s Head.
This will be an especially special flashmob as it is organised by internet rockstars Jonah Peretti and Ze Frank. You’ll never get a better chance to make internet history in Dublin. Don’t miss out!
Twission is the final piece in the Twitter puzzle
Apr 9th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
Twitter almost solves the biggest baddest puzzle of our time.
But its not there yet.
And I think Twission is the final piece in that puzzle.
So what is the biggest baddest puzzle of our time.
In short, too much of a good thing.
Information overload.
We live in an age where we are easily
overwhelmed by the constant flood of
high value information.
Information makes you smarter.
Until it becomes overwhelming.
Then it makes you dumb.
Drinking from the firehose is not the best way to quench a thirst.
So how can we cope?
Well, Twitter helps a lot.
It delivers the first part of the solution.
It enforces brevity.
And that’s good.
It also deliver the second part of the solution:
Finding what is relevant to you.
By using friends as filters.
The third part of the solution?
Real-time search of real-time discussion.
This is why Twitter purchased ‘Summize.’
The final part of the solution.
Is real-time search within the bounds of ‘friends as filters’
This delivers real-time results most relevant to you.
This is exactly what is provided by Twission.
Check it out. Twission.
Note: its quite slow at the moment, but you’ll quickly get the idea
10 rules: If I ruled the world.
Apr 8th 2009NiaLLLarkinUncategorized
The 10 principles are stolen directly from Nassim Nicholas Taleb article in Today’s FT.
Taleb, a veteran trader and dinstinguished professor. And views economies as complex adaptive systems. So it’ll come as no surprise that I’m a fan. He has also published two very famous books in The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable and “Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets”
The original article is here. Its already very short and sweet. I highly recommend it. If you haven’t clicked through yet. Here’s an even shorter version.
1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small . Nothing should ever become too big to fail.
2. No socialisation of losses and privatisation of gains. Whatever may need to be bailed out should be nationalised; whatever does not need a bail-out should be free, small and risk-bearing.
3. People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus. It is irresponsible and foolish to put our trust in the ability of such experts to get us out of this mess. Instead, find the smart people whose hands are clean.
4. Do not let someone making an “incentive” bonus manage a nuclear plant - or your financial risks . No incentives without disincentives: capitalism is about rewards and punishments, not just rewards.
5. Counter-balance complexity with simplicity. Complexity from globalisation…needs to be countered by simplicity in financial products.
6. Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning. Complex derivatives need to be banned because nobody understands them and few are rational enough to know it.
7. Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to “restore confidence”. Governments cannot stop the rumours.
8. Do not give an addict more drugs if he has withdrawal pains. Using leverage to cure the problems of too much leverage is not homeopathy, it is denial. We need rehab.
9. Citizens should not depend on financial assets or fallible “expert” advice for their retirement. Citizens should experience anxiety about their own businesses (which they control), not their investments (which they do not control).
10. Make an omelette with the broken eggs. This crisis cannot be fixed with makeshift repairs.
[Apply these principles and] we will see an economic life closer to our biological environment: smaller companies, richer ecology, no leverage. A world in which entrepreneurs, not bankers, take the risks and companies are born and die every day without making the news.