Tech News you can’t use

Uncategorized 2 Minutes

OK, I’m over at TechMeme where there is a TON of tech news today. I can’t keep up.

Let’s run through the headlines and see how much of it you can use.

1. Next-gen MacBook, MacBookPro spotted in matching outfits. Can’t use. (They aren’t out yet).
2. Apple’s iPhone Developer NDA Kills Book for iPhone Developers. Can’t use. (I haven’t signed the NDA).
3. Initial Thoughts on MySpace Music. CAN use!
4. SDK shoot-out: Android vs. iPhone. Can’t use. (Android now out yet).
5. Eee PC to Feature 3.75G for Internet Access Anywhere. Can’t use. Not out yet.
6. Hands on with the Slingbox PRO-HD. Can use. Units just started shipping. I want one.
7. Adobe Talks Open Source, Innovation and the Future of Flash. Can’t use.
8. Yahoo Overhauls System for Selling Display Ads. Can use, but not for consumers, so earns an asterisk.
9. Is Chrome a security risk? Can use.
10. China Mobile Seeking Cut-Down Version of Apple’s iPhone. Can’t use.
11. Announcing the Virtual Earth Web Service and Virtual Earth Map Control 6.2. CAN use!
12. BoomTown Decodes Jerry Yang’s Here-Comes-the-Weasel-Consultants Memo. Can’t use.
13. Y Combinator’s SocialBrowse Launches to the Public. CAN use!
14. Microsoft’s Mundie outlines the future of computing. CAN use!
15. Introducing Google Moderator on App Engine. CAN use, but only for developers.
16. Apple proposes improvements to Safari browsing experience. Can’t use.
17. RWW Interviews David Tosh of Elgg The Open Source Social Networking Platform. Can’t use.
18. Layoffs at ad network Glam Media. Can’t use.
19. Apple Seeds iPhone Firmware 2.2 Beta1. Can’t use.
20. Activity Centered Design. Can’t use.
21. Yahoo Buys Site for Nebraska Data Center. Can’t use.
22. Schwarzennegger outlaws text-messaging while driving. Can’t use.
23. China space mission article hits Web before launch. Can’t use.

So, what can we learn from this?

Well, most of the news we can’t use.

But even more. We as bloggers aren’t looking at how to really put any of this new stuff to use in our daily lives. That’s a change for the blogosphere. I remember when Dave Winer and Mike Arrington were always telling us how to use this stuff to make our lives better. I miss that kind of blogging, and probably explains why I like Lifehacker so much.

Tomorrow on WorkFast.tv we’ll get back to news you can use. We’ll have Sumit Agarwal, product manager for Google Mobile, on the show and we’ll talk about some ways you can use your mobile phone to actually do more business (that’ll be shared live at 10 a.m. Pacific Time and after the show we’ll be on my Kyte channel so you can ask him questions ). Later in the afternoon we’ll also have the CEO of TripIt on a separate show where he talks about services to help you travel better.

These kinds of things might not get hundreds of thousands of visits. They won’t get on Digg. Won’t get on Google News. Won’t get on TechMeme. But I think they are more useful and in these days shouldn’t you get something useful out of your news? I should start a new site called “tech news you can use.” I’m shocked no one has already.

One other example? Check out the video of MoneyAisle. If you are looking to invest money in CDs (lots of people are lately because you need to make sure you don’t have any more than $100,000 in any one account since so many banks are close to failing) then this service will get you a much better rate (they do auctions with 80 different banks). Now THAT is cool news to me (a longer video shot with our HD camcorders will be up soon where we dig into the very cool technology behind this service).

Anyway, hope that’s useful. Now we’re off to catch a flight home to San Francisco from Boston.

Published by Robert Scoble

I help entrepreneurs build their technology business' story, help with getting ready for investors, with other launch plans, and many other strategic things that can help your new startup. Call to talk: +1-425-205-1921 (text first).

Published

23 thoughts on “Tech News you can’t use”

  1. Robert,

    I agree that TechMeme is quite noisy and only has a few articles I actually care about and read. There are many of us out here though that know we can’t compete with Engadget or Gizmodo for breaking news, but try to provide a more personal touch with thoughtful posts. My goal with my 2 ZDNet blogs is to only write about news, tech, and gear that I have personally used so that I can provide my readers with first hand experiences and thoughts. I also actively participate in my comments (I know the ZDNet system is currently lame) to answer questions and try to help people out.

    Thoughtful, in-depth articles and reviews don’t usually bring in major traffic, but they are more personally satisfying and my goal as a mobile enthusiast is to share my excitement of the mobile world with everyone and help them use mobility to make their lives better.

    Like

  2. Robert,

    I agree that TechMeme is quite noisy and only has a few articles I actually care about and read. There are many of us out here though that know we can’t compete with Engadget or Gizmodo for breaking news, but try to provide a more personal touch with thoughtful posts. My goal with my 2 ZDNet blogs is to only write about news, tech, and gear that I have personally used so that I can provide my readers with first hand experiences and thoughts. I also actively participate in my comments (I know the ZDNet system is currently lame) to answer questions and try to help people out.

    Thoughtful, in-depth articles and reviews don’t usually bring in major traffic, but they are more personally satisfying and my goal as a mobile enthusiast is to share my excitement of the mobile world with everyone and help them use mobility to make their lives better.

    Like

  5. I couldn’t actually “use” the Saturn V rocket, the Apollo space capsule, the lunar lander, or the Space Shuttle, but I sure as hell wanted to read about it. Not sure the point you were trying to make with this. I can’t “use” the majority of crap you choose to record, either.

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  6. I couldn’t actually “use” the Saturn V rocket, the Apollo space capsule, the lunar lander, or the Space Shuttle, but I sure as hell wanted to read about it. Not sure the point you were trying to make with this. I can’t “use” the majority of crap you choose to record, either.

    Like

  7. Pingback: chris e. avis - blogstrocity : Lots of tech news today....

  8. Techmeme is i guess one of the best technology news aggregator… couple of stories go on front page may not be useful to all.. so its not praticle to say that its a noisy.. News that you find as useless, may be useful for someone else… so just simply ignore those stories : ) and enjoy rest…

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  9. Techmeme is i guess one of the best technology news aggregator… couple of stories go on front page may not be useful to all.. so its not praticle to say that its a noisy.. News that you find as useless, may be useful for someone else… so just simply ignore those stories : ) and enjoy rest…

    Like

  10. I don’ think this is particularly a problem with Techmeme, just the Internet information overload in general.

    Gizmodo and Engadget, which used to be two of my favorite blogs, have become a scatter gun of reporting. They have so much to report they churn out the facts, add a sarcastic comment to the end and then hit publish.

    Lifehacker isn’t as bad but it’s heading down that road. When I started reading it every post was about the experience the writer had of whatever they were talking about. Whereas a few weeks ago they had a post for a Windows app that the writer hadn’t even tried.

    Like

  11. I don’ think this is particularly a problem with Techmeme, just the Internet information overload in general.

    Gizmodo and Engadget, which used to be two of my favorite blogs, have become a scatter gun of reporting. They have so much to report they churn out the facts, add a sarcastic comment to the end and then hit publish.

    Lifehacker isn’t as bad but it’s heading down that road. When I started reading it every post was about the experience the writer had of whatever they were talking about. Whereas a few weeks ago they had a post for a Windows app that the writer hadn’t even tried.

    Like

  12. Robert,
    I echo Sam’s thoughts… except I ask you “What’s your ‘news you can use’ hit rate?

    You’ve had a lot of web applications on your blog/show and of the ones I’ve tried, eighty percent don’t stick with me on my day to day/month-to-month work flow.

    Admit it, most news in general is “Oh that’s nice, I believe it when I can see it, touch it, buy it and use it.”

    Like

  13. Robert,
    I echo Sam’s thoughts… except I ask you “What’s your ‘news you can use’ hit rate?

    You’ve had a lot of web applications on your blog/show and of the ones I’ve tried, eighty percent don’t stick with me on my day to day/month-to-month work flow.

    Admit it, most news in general is “Oh that’s nice, I believe it when I can see it, touch it, buy it and use it.”

    Like

  14. You could consider putting those newsbites as feeds on the right area of this blog’s homepage.

    But of course, if there is concern about visitors clicking off this blog to visit – the feeds could be non linked summaries

    Like

  15. hmmm…

    You could consider putting those newsbites as feeds on the right area of this blog’s homepage.

    But of course, if there is concern about visitors clicking off this blog to visit – the feeds could be non linked summaries 😉

    Like

  16. You could consider putting those newsbites as feeds on the right area of this blog’s homepage.

    But of course, if there is concern about visitors clicking off this blog to visit – the feeds could be non linked summaries

    Like

  17. hmmm…

    You could consider putting those newsbites as feeds on the right area of this blog’s homepage.

    But of course, if there is concern about visitors clicking off this blog to visit – the feeds could be non linked summaries 😉

    Like

  18. Hey! I just checked out Moneyaisle. I agree with you totally, this auction thing is really cool. Go check it out.

    Like

  20. Funny, if I go to the friendfeed stats and give a look at “People who find you interesting”, you are listed #1. Does it mean I should appear here ? 🙂

    Like

  21. Funny, if I go to the friendfeed stats and give a look at “People who find you interesting”, you are listed #1. Does it mean I should appear here ? 🙂

    Like

  22. Yes! Let’s hear it for being useful! I’m a LifeHacker fan as well. I gravitate toward things I can use. And if I you give me something that I can use *now* — you’re my new best friend! 🙂

    Like

  23. Yes! Let’s hear it for being useful! I’m a LifeHacker fan as well. I gravitate toward things I can use. And if I you give me something that I can use *now* — you’re my new best friend! 🙂

    Like

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