A little bit about anything
Archive for August, 2010
Facebook Picks on Upstart Social Network
Aug 29th
Facebook Sues Teachbook Over Use of ‘Book’ | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.
I came across this article today that I thought was strange and reeked of intimidation or worry by Facebook.
My big question is “when did the use of the word “book” become a trademark by Facebook? Does that mean we are going have to start calling “Books” by a different name? What are we going to call a notebook? Are Blueline, Mead or Cambridge next up for the courts? I mean, Facebook might think that everyone could start writing status updates in them and mailing them to their friends or leaving them in designated bins for people to pick up and write their status in there.
What about Notebook software? Is Smart Technologies next in line for suing? What about the bluebook and your little blackbook? Where is this going to stop?
Next thing you know, YouTube will start kicking RedTube’s ass and taking TeacherTube to task over their use of the word “Tube” in their names.
NOTE: I didn’t link to Redtube for a reason. The word “Red” is there for a reason so if you want to go visit it you can go there yourself.
Now, I can understand Apple not allowing anyone to use that “i” in front of a product name…that is a little obvious in being an infringement. Same with McDonalds not allowing that “Mc” in front of a product that might get confused with their product. Those are pretty straight forward.
But “book”? I would think that Facebook would take the use of “book” in Teachbook as flattery. Isn’t imitation the best form of flattery? Besides, is anyone really going to get confused between Facebook and Teachbook. Isn’t this the same sort of situation as Youtube and Teachertube?
Get off your high horse Facebook and be happy that what you have created demands to be imitated in a different forum. Spend your time, effort and money in fixing your own product. Stop taking liberties with people’s privacy. Concentrate on your own issues and leave others alone.
Just When You Don’t Expect It
Aug 25th
Isn’t it funny how things work out? I had this idea for a post…something that has bugged me and I have been stewing about for the last 6 months. So today I was going to do my post and low and behold the complaint of my post was fixed at least this once.
Let me explain. I live on the corner of a 4 way stop at the start of a school zone. I walk to work and back home twice a day and my entire 3 block walk is in the school zone. At least once a week I am nearly hit when crossing at one of the 4 crosswalks along the route.
The school zones in Yellowknife have a speed limit of 30kph that is in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. 365 days a year the school zones have this supposedly enforced speed limit. I call BS. Most days along this route I can guarantee that 50% of the drivers don’t do the speed limit. In fact, in the evenings I would think I lived near a freeway with the speed that some people drive. Do the city by-law people seem to do anything about it? No! I think in the 4 years I have walked the school zone I have seen a ghost car (that everyone knows) maybe 6 or 8 times parked in the open for everyone to see hoping to pick off a speeder. Occasionally they get one and then call it a day and it might be 6 months until we see them again.
The same thing with the 4 way stop by my house. After 6:00pm I have watched and counted numbers as high of 80% of the cars not stopping at the stop signs. Does by-law do anything about this? About 2 or 3 times a year, that obvious ghost car sits across the street from my house watching the corner and they will sit for maybe 5 or 10 minutes while drinking a coffee or coke.
The Power of Social Media
Aug 22nd
We live in a time when anyone can find out information about anything or anyone. We live in a time where the world has become compressed due to the internet with its’ blogs and many social media sites. News that used to take years, months, days, weeks or hours to spread to other areas of the world now is instantaneous through new forms of media like Twitter and Facebook. We used to rely on newspapers and libraries for information where we now have access to information through various websites be it online versions of newspapers or books or through blogs. We used to have to rely on mainstream journalists for the news. Now everyone can share the news as it happens or even their own opinions through blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc..
With this ability to access information anywhere and any time, people need to know that what they say online can (and probably will) be seen by anyone at any time after it is posted. It may not be read right after it is posted but it is available to read anytime…even years into the future. You have to be aware of that. If it is on the internet it is there for everyone to read.
Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard with your face on it. –
A couple of items piqued my interest this week when it came to the power of social media. First off there was a blog in Edmonton that received a nasty response from an Artistic Director/Actor of a local theatre company. An attempt to resolve the issue privately failed as another blogger was basically told the same thing. I won’t go into the details of the whole thing as you can read them at the links in this paragraph. The second blogger decided to write a post responding to the initial and subsequent nasty responses and posted this on his blog. He then sent a tweet out to announce his blog post as he always does.
Inspiration? I’m Humbled
Aug 22nd
Posted by martin in About Me
1 comment
So in the past couple of months I have had several people who used to read my posts ask me if I was going to start writing again. 2 of my readers even went as far as saying that my writings on my struggles to lose weight and control my diabetes was an inspiration to them to either lose weight or live more healthy. For those thoughts I am humbled.
So, I have my computer set up and I will be back posting and hopefully people will come back and read what I have to say. You may not always agree with what I post but your opinion is as valuable to society as mine so either way, please leave me comments. It is this interaction that makes blogs and social medias successful.