Holy shit, Somebody get Leo Laporte on the phone, this needs to happen.
Tell him. ^_~
I'll save it for tomorrow (It's just gone 3 AM and I'm utterly shattered), but alright, why not? I'll get back to you with the result.
EDIT - If I manage through some fluke or freakish show of luck to get this ball rolling, will you guys actually do it? I'm not asking for a concrete "as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow" kind of answer, but will you at least be willing to give it a crack?
If I manage through some fluke or freakish show of luck to get this ball rolling, will you guys actually do it? I'm not asking for a concrete "as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow" kind of answer, but will you at least be willing to give it a crack?
When you have a technology that improves upon an existing technology, the utility is obvious and people are quick to adopt it.
Take for example the horse. People already have a need for transportation that was satisfied by walking. The horse improved upon that in an obvious way. Thus, the horse was quickly and widely adopted as a means of transportation. The same as was with the car, the electric light, or the washing machine which were obvious improvements upon the horse, candle, and washboard. People had needs or wants that were already satisfied by other technologies. New technologies that did an obviously better job of satisfying those wants and needs were easily accepted and adopted.
But what happens when you have a technology that satisfies a need or want that is completely new? Try selling a washboard to people who don't realize that their clothes even need washing. They don't realize there's a problem with dirty clothes. They think they have no need for a washboard or washing machine because they don't even recognize they have a need for washing. Imagine trying to sell light bulbs to people who have lived in the dark forever. Imagine trying to sell cars to people who never travel any significant distance.
A person who never travels doesn't know they need a car. They've lived their whole live without traveling, and without a problem. Why would they need a traveling machine? It is very difficult to sell them on such a technology. It isn't an obvious improvement to a technology they already use. Instead, it is a technology that grants them a new ability, an ability not to do things they already do better, but to do new things they don't already do. If you can get someone over the huge hurdle of actually using the car, they will change from being a non-traveler to a traveler, and then they will need the car. If you get the people who never clean their clothes to clean their clothes, then they will change and need the washing machines.
Twitter is not an improvement on an existing technology. Sure, it's part IRC, part forum, part IM, part SMS, but its implementation actually results in something completely new with a completely new purpose. You can't possibly know whether you need it or not until you actually use it. No, it doesn't satisfy any needs or wants you currently have. But it grants you a new ability, the benefits of which are not obvious until you use it. Bashing Twitter is aok in my book. Laconica is a much better implementation, and even that is heavily flawed. I don't even use either one that much at all. However, if you claim you don't need Twitter, but you've never actually used it, you are no different from a person living in the dark saying you don't need light bulbs.
This reminds me of the olden days when Rym would continue using IE because he didn't need tabs in his browser. Time and time again I would adopt a new technology, and Rym would say how he didn't need it. Then eventually he would adopt it. Cellphone that does more than make calls? LCD monitor? I could go on.
The point is that when a technology provides a new ability, you won't know if you need it until you use it. Trying everything and figuring out what's what is a lot better than resisting and being slow to adopt. There's no harm in trying, and you risk depriving yourself of something great.
First of all, a person that never needs or wants to travel doesn't need a car, so why buy one? This isn't a case of my knocking a technology, just not needing or wanting to use it. Scott, tons of technology exists that is awesome, but that you don't need or use. It is great for those that need it or want. You are assuming that my lifestyle, needs, and desires are the same as yours - they simply aren't. Stop making this into an anti-Luddite rant. I am not a Luddite and I am not making the argument against the technology, just against its usefulness within my life for the foreseeable future.
First of all, a person that never needs or wants to travel doesn't need a car, so why buy one?
I'd say that's a bad example, though. I can't imagine someone who doesn't want or need to travel, and it frightens me that almost a third of Americans have never lived outside of the town in which they were born
First of all, a person that never needs or wants to travel doesn't need a car, so why buy one? This isn't a case of my knocking a technology, just not needing or wanting to use it. Scott, tons of technology exists that is awesome, but that you don't need or use. It is great for those that need it or want. You are assuming that my lifestyle, needs, and desires are the same as yours - they simply aren't. Stop making this into an anti-Luddite rant. I am not a Luddite and I am not making the argument against the technology, just against its usefulness within my life for the foreseeable future.
I'm saying that you are unfit to judge its usefulness because you don't understand it.
I actually found out about geeknights back in 2006 in a discussion about TWIT, I was remarking my annoyance with the high concentration of applefangirlism and silicon valley gossip. This last week was unbearable! I honestly do listen to TWIT for news discussion, not for gossip and NOT for Calacanis doing impressions.
Back in the day, tech people would hang out in IRC pretty much 24/7.
I am on IRC now... and have not actively disconnected since 2003. Also I learned of geeknights on IRC (see above).
I can't imagine someone who doesn't want or need to travel, and it frightens me that almost a third of Americans have never lived outside of the town in which they were born
I'll hear that. It might just be my "I like things with engines" side coming out, but I don't understand people who not only can't drive, but don't want to. Hell, I can also pilot watercraft, and if necessarily, pilot aircraft, but that's not necessarily normal. However, even without my fascination for all things mechanical, I can't fathom not wanting to drive at the least - it's as natural to me as breathing.
As for the traveling part - well, I moved to England, and I was a flight attendant and will be one again in the future, you get three guesses to my position on that issue, and the first two don't count.
Am I the only person who really doesn't mind all the Twitter talk on TWiT?
Nope. I already posted that I thought it was fun. I don't listen to TWiT to get tech news, as I don't overly care about tech news: I listen for the banter. Gdgt Weekly is much better for actual news and discussion.
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EDIT - If I manage through some fluke or freakish show of luck to get this ball rolling, will you guys actually do it? I'm not asking for a concrete "as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow" kind of answer, but will you at least be willing to give it a crack?
As for the traveling part - well, I moved to England, and I was a flight attendant and will be one again in the future, you get three guesses to my position on that issue, and the first two don't count.