In the early days of eBay, online auctions made the company one of the dot-com revolution’s biggest success stories. Today auctions are in decline relative to other forms of e-commerce. But the things that made auctions popular in the first place—flexible pricing, consumer empowerment, and the thrill of the game—can be found in many other types of online shopping experiences. This Wired article puts auctions in perspective.
Month: August 2011
During his tenure as CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs had a profound impact on computers, the music industry, home entertainment, phones, and (most importantly) our day-to-day lives. He transformed Apple from a garage startup into the most valuable company in the world. When he announced his resignation as CEO, the press responded with many thoughtful articles about this iconic visionary, including these:
The Internet is a marvelous medium for free-flowing discussion and information sharing. But it can also be an amplifier of hatred and rage—especially on sites where opinions can be posted anonymously.
What happens to your online identity after you die? This short TED talk explores this question and suggests some answers.
The war against hackers has become a global war of economics and politics. This in-depth Vanity Fair article takes a penetrating look at the grossly underreported impact of Chinese hackers on the US economy.
The drones used in Middle Eastern wars may rapidly evolve into tiny flying cameras that can watch our every move and report back to governments, corporations, or crime networks.
Patents were originally designed to encourage creativity, but in the digital world they may be having the opposite effect. This engaging episode of public radio’s This American Life takes us inside the trenches of the intellectual property wars.