Randomize

Richard Tallent’s occasional blog

The Silent Talk Express

I probably alienate both readers of this blog with my political posts, but I’m, in general, more interested in honesty from a politician than I am with how much I agree with them. Well, with McCain, apparently his “straight talk” doesn’t actually translate into public positions on how he would spend the next generation’s tax money (ours is already spent, so the deficit is borrowing against our future). Edit: Joshua makes a good point–Obama and Hillary are ducking this survey too, but McCain is on the freaking board. Read more →

Not Cool Enough for this Shirt

Have you ever been browsing a web site full of great funny t-shirts, and then realize: “I don’t go anywhere cool enough to actually wear these.” For better or for worse, my time is usually at work, home, restaurants, church, and the movie theater, rather than pithy-T compatible places like classrooms, coffee shops, bars, LAN parties, malls, etc. The worst feeling is when I see something really funny and geeky–I know very few people IRL who can handle more geekiness than a USB printer cable. Read more →

Don’t Monetize My Friendships

Apparently, MySpace, Facebook, etc. are having problems actually making a profit. Duh. People on a social network site ignore ads. And if you make the ads un-ignorable, they leave. Web 2.0 is already dead, and people just don’t realize it yet. Why? Because the “NASCAR solution” to profitability (slapping ads all over it) doesn’t work for social networking sites. I made a prediction a few years ago that there is one killer app that remains to be built. Read more →

Happy Bissextile Day

So, why isn’t this a holiday again? Looking forward to my trip to San Antonio next week. Good client, decent city to visit, and a break from remodeling the new house (which we’ll move into any month now…). Read more →

We Do Need a New Internet

I read today (somewhere) that an FBI agent claimed that we need a newer, “secure” Internet. I agree that we do need a newer Interenet. But one that is secure for the people, not for the government. First, there was the illegal domestic spying, and Bush still wants us to let the telcos off the hook for being his henchmen, despite zero evidence that the Bush administration had no ability to follow the FISA laws on the books and still get their precious wiretaps/i-taps. Read more →