Monday, May 31, 2004

A Fad's Father Seeks a Sequel. The highlight of Gary Dahl's creative genius was a novelty product that flew off the shelves in the holiday shopping season of 1975. But by the next Valentine's Day, he recalled, "the Pet Rock was over.". By Robert Johnson. [New York Times: Business] 4:31:16 PM    comment []

Suburban Pursuits A new website created by researchers at Cornell will tell you when you need to water your lawn. You input your zip code, plus the date of the last watering.  If you don't know the date, or never perform this task (unlikely, since people generally oversaturate their lawns) you can leave it blank. By default, the site uses weather station data, but you can input your own rainfall records if you've been keeping them. [Global Suburb] 4:21:35 PM    comment []

Has wireless technology improved your life?. In the June 7 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, May 31): "The Next Frontiers: Way Cool Phones." Newsweek looks at the next generation of cell phones that will be so advanced they could become your next PC. The package also lists the 10 best wireless cities and how wireless may invade our privacy. Newsweek's "Next Frontiers" is an ongoing series looking at how technology is changing the way we live and work. According to Russell Beattie this is an example of American media not getting mobile tech just yet and trying to pre-announce American greatness in this area. also see PRNewswire May 30 [Smart Mobs] 4:17:06 PM    comment []

TANGENTIUM is an online journal devoted to alternative perspectives on IT, democracy, and society. Each month it investigates a different theme, with a feature essay, background information, definitions of key terms and concepts, and reviewed hyperlinks. The current (May 2004) issue is on Anarchism, Activism and IT. 4:13:36 PM    comment []