David Lidsky's Blog, page 4562

When Netflix Knocks Out Blockbuster, Blame Canada

Ah, Canada. The true north, strong and free, as its anthem sings. Here, Blockbuster's Canadian subsidiary is indeed strong--at least, much stronger than it is in the U.S.--and free--or at least, debt-free. Unlike its American counterpart, which is mired in nearly $1 billion of debt, Blockbuster Canada Co. has remained strong, with more than 450 stores and annual sales around $400 million. But don't expect this success story to last too much longer--Netflix is expanding north, in a move...

McDonald's Goes "Green" With Localwashing Scheme

Is McDonald's a responsible purveyor of local foods? That's what a series of billboards in Seattle would have potential customers believe. The billboards (courtesy of Grist) feature pictures of McDonald's french fries side by side with potatoes that were supposedly grown in the neighboring area. But while this may be an egregious display of localwashing, it might also be true.

Localwashing--the practice, in this case, of hawking local ingredients that only tell part of a much larger...

Learn Steve Jobs' Presentation Techniques From iPhone 4 Conference

At Apple's iPhone 4 presser Friday, the company finally responded to the near-universal criticism of its latest gadget's antenna problems. In his response, Steve Jobs didn't offer a solution to the iPhone's reception issues (outside of a free bumper), and he never once offered an apology (even refusing during the Q&A to apologize to investors). Instead, Jobs delivered a crystal-clear presentation that reminded the world--even the pissed-off fanboys who created this backlash--why Apple is...

U.K. Times Web Site Paywall Kills Two-Thirds of Visitor Traffic

The U.K.'s Times is among the vanguard of companies erecting paywalls around the Web sites of old-world news publications. It's a bold move. Now some early stats are out to reveal how poorly it's working.

The figures popped up on Beehive City, sourced at a former Times media correspondent, which adds a little credence to the data. And though the data is sparse, it's telling. Here are the headline numbers.

Registrations from readers during the free trial window: 150,000Paying subscribers...

Can Google Tablet Learn From Nexus One's Failings?

On Friday, as Steve Jobs was explaining just why the iPhone 4's antenna woes were not exclusive to his smartphone, Google quietly released a very short item of news on its blog. Two months after shutting up its online shop, its first foray into hardware, the Nexus One, was no more in the United States.

"This week we received our last shipment of Nexus One phones. Once we sell these devices, the Nexus One will no longer be available online from Google. Customer support will still be available...

Survey Reveals U.S. Tweets and Blogs More Than Any Other Nation

A research company has been looking at who around the world writes blogs, and who uses Twitter for social networking. The results may surprise you: Almost a third of bloggers are in the U.S., yet over 50% of Twitterers are American.

Sysomos surveyed over 100 million blog posts to produce their data, looking for age, gender and location information. While its fascinating to learn that slightly over 50% of bloggers are female, and the 21- to 35-year old age band is the most populated (over 53...

Death Ray-theon: Anti-Aircraft Laser Unveiled

American defense firm Raytheon unveiled its anti-aircraft laser, of all places, at an airshow in England. Called the Laser Close-In Weapon System, Raytheon said the 50 kilowatt beam it produces can be used against aircraft, mortars, rockets, and small surface ships, and has already been tested against unmanned aerial vehicles.

And the technology is now being ported to another military invention. "We've tied this into Phalanx, the U.S. Navy's anti-missile defense system that links a...

The Tin House Rules: Purchase Required

 

A crafty new submissions policy from Tin House Books is reminding writers to be readers—and consumers.The book press and quarterly literary magazine's recent call for manuscripts welcomes unsolicited submissions but comes with a caveat: Each submission must include a receipt for a book purchased at a bookstore. As for those who can't afford to buy books or get to a bookstore, Tin House asks for a haiku or under-100-word sentence explaining why. Writers who prefer their words in e-ink can...

Livescribe Echo Smart Pen Even Cleverer than Predecessor

Livescribe, makers of exceedingly smart pens, has just made public its latest. The Echo, which is available from today, is a computer in a pen that's aimed at anyone who spends their time taking notes--from students to professionals--and even people in our trade--journalism.

As well as using the pen and pad for drawing on your computer, via the USB port, the password-protected Echo can transcribe notes directly to your computer, and record audio on it. But what is most clever about the Echo...

U.K. Times Web Site Paywall Kills Two Thirds of Visitor Traffic

The U.K.'s Times is among the vanguard of companies erecting paywalls around the Web sites of old-world news publications. It's a bold move. Now some early stats are out to reveal how poorly it's working.

The figures popped up on Beehive City, sourced at a former Times media correspondent, which adds a little credence to the data. And though the data is sparce, it's telling. Here are the headline numbers.

Registrations from readers during the free trial window: 150,000Paying subscribers...