Amy Wohl is tracking Microsoft’s efforts to get people nad companies to buy their software subscription model:

I suspect that both individual users and corporations value control over their checkbooks — and ownership of their software — quite a bit and the subscription model will have to be built around substantial incremental value in new software, new access to additional function and support, or other customer seductions to get this idea off the ground.

Crash Bonsai. I want one. (Found via Boing Boing.)

Joel Spolsky and Ray Ozzie have begun a very interesting debate on platforms vs. applications and which Groove falls into.

Joel Spolsky: Platforms

Ray Ozzie: To Joel, on Platforms

I have dropped the referral script from most of my templates due to some javascript errors it was creating under certain conditions (thanks for pointing it out Brian!). I think I know what to fix but it will have to wait until the weekend most likely.

I’ve been reading a collection of Ernie Pyle columns from WWII 1943 -1944 this summer. This book is a must read if you have an interest in the regular people who were participating in that war.

The following excerpt from pages 317-318 really struck me with how much communication and communication technology have changed from then to now. Pyle is describing the environment of London just prior to D-day:

After going the rounds I decided that if the Army failed to get ashore on D-day there would be enough American correspondents to force through a beachhead on their own.

…

There were at least three hundred correspondents, and the report was that transmission facilities were set up to carry a maximum of half a million words a day back to America.

On a high traffic day, this little web site matches the transmission capacity (but certainly not the content generation ability) of a D-day journalist brigade. I had one of those ‘Whoa’ moments when I read that page.

If he were around today I think Pyle would be a natural blogger. His stories were really about his personal reaction to and interaction with the men and women he met in the war. Very blog-like.

Congress Threatens to Leave DC Unless New Capitol is Built

Ya gotta love the Onion.

The Post recently redesigned their home page. Here is a blurb from the editor about the changes.

I think it is a nice refinement. It’s much easier to see what the top stories are in each of the major sections while the major stories are still highlighted at the top. Even better, the annoying banner ad in the middle of the page is gone gone gone!

A recent article in ASAE’s Technoscope newsletter discusses how copyright laws could be applied to hyperlinking.  The following excerpt describes the risk you may attach to yourself (or organization) by linking to another site:

“Taking the concept of copyright infringement one step further, if Association A provides a hyperlink to Association B?s Web site, which contains infringing material, Association A could be held liable under the theory of contributory infringement. Such claim would be in addition to the copyright owner?s claim against Association B for copyright infringement.

Contributory infringement occurs when an individual or organization knowingly induces, causes, or materially contributes to the infringing conduct of another, the essential elements being knowledge of and participation in the infringement.”

So how does pointing to another page on the Web materially contribute to the infringing conduct of another? Seems like a stretch to me given that links are essentially bibliographic references (imho).  

Jakob Nielsen weighs in on usability for seniors:

“Websites tend to be produced by young designers, who often assume that all users have perfect vision and motor control, and know everything about the Web. These assumptions rarely hold, even when the users are not seniors. However, as indicated by our usability metrics, seniors are hurt more by usability problems than younger users. Among the obvious physical attributes often affected by the human aging process are eyesight, precision of movement, and memory.”

Joel Spolsky has reviewed a set of books that he thinks every programmer should read. In addition to outright programming, he discusses books on UI, managing people, making a difference in the world. It is a great list.