Red glasses (Taken with instagram)
Thanks, But No Thanks, Google Offers Beta.
Something about this Google offer struck me as quite emblematic this morning. A Google offer for $20 worth of books for $10.
If a cartoonist were trying to capture the intersection of email spam, the dying book industry, and the meteoric rise of daily deals all in one image, he might draw this - and to quote Jon Stewart “cross it out, because it would seem too cliché.”
I find myself feeling slightly guilty while viewing this advertisement. On the one hand, I love reading, and the idea of receiving $10 worth of free books is quite appealing. As proven by the surge in daily deal startups over the past two years, we Americans love a bargain, and I am no exception. I love to read, I want to support the book industry, but I can’t buy this deal. Why not? I love the digital reading experience too much.
If it were a free $10 worth of digital content I would jump in a minute, but this free $10 - I simply don’t want. My kindle provides too great a UX to go back to reading the old fashioned way. I love reading at the gym hands-free, or in bed with my cup of tea. I love having all my reading material with me at all times, or downloading a book on the runway before the plane takes off. There’s nothing quite like reading 15 pages on my iphone while underground on a stalled subway, and opening my kindle at night to exactly the place I left off.
My Kindle passion has gotten to an almost ridiculous point. Almost daily I eye my unread copy of Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” and debate with myself if it would be completely morally corrupt to purchase the digital version so that I could read it the way that I want to. I am dying to read the book, but have no desire to read on paper. I think at one point I will probably cave and buy the digital version for $11.99. Perhaps I can arrange for someone to steal my paper copy first so I don’t feel too guilty.
I don’t know why I ascribe so much emotional energy to the publishing industry. Perhaps all the hoopla over the displacement of small bookstores by massive chains, and the subsequent displacement of the chains by digital content has gotten to me. Regardless, I think that it’s time I just call a spade a spade, get over my fear of the death of the written word, and buy that copy of Hemingway so I’ll actually read it before my trip to Spain.
Sorry Google, but this deal just doesn’t do it for me. I want to support Offers beta, and the publishing companies, and the authors who write the books, but I just don’t think I’ll ever go back.
Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: What I Read On Vacation
I just got back from an extended vacation with my wife. It was a great trip and we got a chance to recharge our batteries.
We both turned off our mobile phones and checked our email twice a day (to make sure the world didn’t end). We played tennis everyday, took yoga classes, ate very well,…
(Source: alexstechthoughts)
Technology Provides an Alternative to Love. (??)
This article by NYTimes OpEd writer, Jonathan Franzen, argues that Technology is providing an alternative to love. I recommend reading it because while I disagree with most of what he is saying, he certainly provides some interesting food for thought. One favorite section:
Our lives look a lot more interesting when they’re filtered through the sexy Facebook interface. We star in our own movies, we photograph ourselves incessantly, we click the mouse and a machine confirms our sense of mastery.
And, since our technology is really just an extension of ourselves, we don’t have to have contempt for its manipulability in the way we might with actual people. It’s all one big endless loop. We like the mirror and the mirror likes us. To friend a person is merely to include the person in our private hall of flattering mirrors.
To include the person in our private hall of flattering mirrors… ooph. That’s rough. So perhaps we do show ourselves in flattering lights online. But really, is that so different than the way things were in the past? I can’t imagine that people 100 years ago weren’t presenting their most flattering selves upon meeting new people. Isn’t this simply what it means to be human?
Most people would agree that vulnerability, or as the author would say, showing the “things that you yourself don’t like at all, things that shatter your self-image as a fair, kind, cool, attractive in-control, funny, likable person” is not appropriate for social media. It’s saved for a person you trust enough to still like you even after the inevitable unveiling of weaknesses and faults.
To say that social media prevents that kind of vulnerability, would be analogous to saying that if you smile when you meet someone for the first time, you aren’t showing your true self, and are thus avoiding real relationships. Perhaps Franzen could benefit from reframing social media as simply an introduction to the person behind the hall mirrors — rather than a sham of a representation of one’s real self.
From digital presence, to digital identity.
It’s been an exciting week for me as after almost a year of learning about tech, talking about tech, dreaming about tech and thinking about tech, I am finally WORKING in the industry that I love - tech! I have - indeed - joined a startup.
It’s been a very long road to get here - and I certainly could not have done it without the help of a tremendous number of people. Thank you to the bloggers who educated me, the journalists who informed me, the entrepreneurs who taught me, the venture capitalists who advised me, the colleagues who assured me, the friends who supported me, the family members who listened to me.
So - what exactly am I doing? I can’t say quite yet. We’re still in stealth mode and more information will come very soon. In the meantime, I’m about to up the ante on Tandology. I hope to start specializing in a few topics - mainly social media, and the way that our connectivity is impacting our personal lives. If you come across any interesting articles that you think I may like, please send them my way.
Until then, on and up.
Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: The Problem With Blindly Reaching Out
The problem with blindly reaching out is that it’s usually ineffective.
Getting a warm intro or meeting someone in person is obviously better.
Unfortunately, though, you don’t always have a direct connection to the person you’d like to connect with.
In my experience, blindly reaching out is…
(Source: alexstechthoughts)
Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: Reading And Hustling (Breaking Into The Startup World)
One of the most asked about things in the startup world is a where to start if you are looking to break in. This post answers that question.
There are two things you need to do to break into the startup world (at least in NYC): Read everything and hustle (by going to events and networking).
Immerse yourself in these links and you will be ready to break in.
(Source: alexstechthoughts)
Not exactly my gmail inbox (Taken with Instagram at Aviary HQ)
Yankees game with Eliana and co (Taken with Instagram at Yankee Stadium)
