Monthly Archives: July 2009

On Apollo 11

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

History will remember the inhabitants of this century as the people who went from Kitty Hawk to the moon in 66 years, only to languish for the next 30 in low Earth orbit.  At the core of the risk-free society is a self-indulgent failure of nerve.
- Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut

Aldrin is calling for a mission to Mars.

Watch the Apollo 11 re-enactment “live” (40 year delayed) at http://wechoosethemoon.org/.  Watch TV broadcasts (via YouTube) synchronized with that same 40-year delay: http://kottke.org/apollo-11/

Also, Howard Rheingold provides an insight into Institute of Noetic Sciences and its founder, astronaut Edgar Mitchell. (Note: four tweets: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4)

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Might Economic Espionage Act Apply To TechCrunch?

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

In Britain, Rupert Murdoch’s empire has paid $1.5 million to silence three public figures whose telephones were illegally tapped. In addition, private investigators hired by Murdoch’s newspapers “[unlawfully accessed] confidential personal data, including tax records, social security files, bank statements and itemised phone bills.”

In California, Michael Arrington published confidential documents stolen from Twitter. The worst-case scenario under state law appears to be be one year in jail with a $10,000 fine. For the thief, not TechCrunch.

If ever there was an example of law not keeping up with the times, this may be it.

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Inspired iPhone Storytelling

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

Using four iPhone apps, CameraBag ($1.99) Melodica ($0.99) Brushes ($4.99) and Banner ($0.99), Richard Koci Hernandez produced a 3:25 “movie” that uses 54 photos to document 54 days of riding Bus 54 in Oakland, CA. Content produced entirely on the iPhone. I’m unclear on how he turned the content into the video. (I’ve asked.)

Watch on Facebook or Vimeo.

This post originally appeared at FlipTheMedia.

Teens, Banking, Twitter and Media Madness

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

You know Twitter is a Hot Topic when the opinion of one 15-year-old British teen is presented by a U.S. bank as “fact” — and the MSM jumps all over it. Without caveats. Shame on you, Bloomberg, because as a wire service, you helped this story go viral.

Matthew Robson, I believe that the execs at Morgan Stanley used you as PR fodder. (Which succeeded, probably beyond the wildest dreams of their marketing/PR folks.) Enjoy your 15-minutes of fame!

In the “I can’t believe that they really said this” category (it may explain the sorry state of banking in the U.S.), Morgan Stanley execs reveal their total disconnect with reality: Continue reading →