Weekly Links & Thoughts #56

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and annotated every Thursday (CET), just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

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• How Facebook Squashed Twitter
  
  This has been the week in which many people in tech seriously started to worry about whether Twitter can be saved. If you want to understand how the company ended up here, read this spot-on analysis. Let me add an additional thought: For many years, Twitter has been characterized as the prime example for a product that people did not know they needed before it was created. Today however we might conclude that for the majority of Internet users, Twitter remains a service which they do not need. Twitter has been a service serving a niche target group, but with the structure, goals and external pressure of a service looking for mass-appeal. This cannot work forever.
• The threat Uber poses to competition and productive capitalism
  
  An intelligent text which points to what I think is possibly the biggest issue with the current development of the U.S. tech industry: the rise of monopolies. Capitalism turns into monopolistic capitalism.
• The case for ‘innovation altruism’ – Europe leads in global impact on innovation
  
  What a great idea: Measuring how a country’s economic and trade policies contribute to or detract from global innovation. Nice to see the European countries performing well in that regard. Although the U.S. ranks ahead of Germany, which does not make it into the top 10.
• The end of app stores as we know it
  
  This is essentially a sequel to a widely shared blog post titled “The end of apps as we know them“. And it’s worth a read as well. This point struck me the most: “App stores are a payment gateway, and nothing more.”
• A Conversation With Marc Andreessen: AI, Robotics, Jobs and Accelerating The Future
  
  Marc Andreessen does not think that there will be less jobs in the future. But he has no doubt about that new jobs will be very different than what most people are doing today, which brings a huge need for more ubiquitous education and skills training. I would agree. To add one additional remark: My biggest concern are unskilled, uneducated males. Their jobs will vanish, leaving them with nothing to do. The negative consequences for these individuals and for societies as a whole are apparent.
• AT&T’s CEO says Tim Cook shouldn’t have any say in encryption debate
  
  The AT&T CEO’s comments emphasize a pretty interesting question: What kind of say should device and software makers have about encryption levels?!
• What World Are We Building?
  
  Smart reflections about how when building our digital technologies, we unnoticeably transferred our existing social relations and dynamics from the analog world, reproducing the kind of social issues and discrimination in the digital world that we should have gotten rid of.
• An End to Parking
  
  This long article sheds a light on one aspect related to the changes in the automobile industry which usually is ignored: the chance to drastically reduce parking space.
• How this blogger became one of the most influential voices in tech policy
  
  Insightful profile of Mike Masnick and his widely known blog Techdirt. I wasn’t aware that Masnick coined the well-established term “Streisand Effect”.
• Anywhere but Medium
  
  I wholeheartedly agree with Dave Winer. People who have an interest in keeping the open web alive should not use Medium as their premier destination for published content. It’s so obvious, actually.
• Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future
  
  I think the chance that this will be the case is about 80 %. Meaning, it’s very likely.
• Google Will Soon Shame All Websites That Are Unencrypted
  
  Time to figure out how to switch meshedsociety.com to https, I guess.
• This is what happens with most Product Hunt launches
  
  Linking to this gives me the opportunity to state that I have never fully understood the hype about Product Hunt. I am not convinced that a site which shows “a curated list of new products every day” really serves a bigger purpose, other than allowing a few lucky/well-connected startups to gain a bit more attention within the circles of other people who build or fund startups.
• Politicians are so predictable, a robot can literally write their speeches
  
  Nobody is surprised.
• World’s Oldest Torrent Is Still Being Shared After 4,419 Days
  
  All issues about piracy aside, the invention of the torrent protocol was one of the most fantastic things to happen to the Internet, ever.
• Has the Internet Made Air Travel Irrelevant?
  
  As you might expect after seeing the question mark at the end of the headline, this long read does not answer the question asked. Neither do I think there is any other answer than “no”. Still, thinking about this topic makes for a stimulating exercise for the mind. And who knows, maybe once Virtual Reality has been adopted by the masses, air travel might in fact become much more irrelevant.
• Mark Zuckerberg on how building his AI
  
  Fresh back at work after his 2 month parental leave, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg presents details about his personal project of 2016, which is to build a simple Artificial Intelligence to help him with work and to run his home.

Recent articles on meshedsociety.com

• What happened after I joined a programming course on Codecademy
  
  Have you been thinking about starting an online programming course? This might motivate you to get started
• Spotting the Butterfly effect in Fintech
  
  When people want to send money through their smartphone, many in the U.S. use Venmo, and almost everyone (under a certain age) in Sweden uses Swish. Both apps seem to have a lot in common. Yet, they mean completely different things for their markets. It’s like watching the Butterfly effect unfold.
• Twitter makes humans look like bots
  
  Do you often publish on Twitter? You might look like a bot. And this is nothing good.

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Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and annotated every Thursday (CET), just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

======

If you want to make sure not to miss this link selection, sign up for the weekly email. It is sent out each Thursday right after this post goes live, including all the links.

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• Are cities the new countries?
  
  This lengthy piece resonates a lot with me. Increasingly, cities and their populations seem to have less in common with their respective nation states but more with other cities and the people there.
• Today, I stared into the eyes of God – and saw only emptiness
  
  This post really captivated me. Unlike what the headline might suggest, it describes the chat interaction with a Google support “employee” who, with 95 % percent likelihood, turns out to be a bot. I guess bot-spotting will become a popular (or annoying) activity for many. Why? Read the next piece…
• 2016 will be the year of conversational commerce
  
  Conversational interaction with online services is one of the most buzzy topics right now in tech, and it is poised to change the way commerce works. Lots of interesting remarks and points to consider in here.
• Cars and the Future
  
  Lately, there has been no shortage of articles discussing the disruptive forces that are changing the automobile industry. Even if you already have read many of them, don’t miss out on this excellent one by Ben Thompson.
• Peak content: The collapse of the attention economy
  
  It is not easy to define at what point there is “too much content” available online. But the author of this article thinks it does, and he expects a collapse of the attention economy (the market that the digital content industry caters to).
• Viral publishers, seeing fewer Facebook clicks, shift focus to video
  
  The trend described in this post would actually confirm the theory of a collapse of the attention economy. Or at least that this market is going through a consolidation.
• Adblock is destroying ads. Good
  
  Even the increase in the use of adblocking software is contributing to the changes affecting the content industry. I enjoyed this post and found myself nodding to this line: “But the only way to get ‘true fans’ is by creating content that will first and foremost speak to them (i.e. is reader centric), not one that has the interests of the advertiser fairies in mind (advertiser centric).”
• Globalization for the little guy
  
  Globalization has been a reoccurring theme on meshedsociety.com. This is interesting research by the McKinsey Global Institute, looking at the effects of social media and digital platforms on globalization. One tidbit from the post: “More than 12 percent of Facebook friendships are between people living in different countries, and half of active Facebook users have at least one cross-border friend—a threefold increase from 2014.”
• A free shipping mystery
  
  This indeed sounds mysterious: Apparently it is possible to buy things on AliExpress, the consumer version of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and have them shipped for free to Europe – no matter how cheap the items are. This blogger did some tests and managed to have an item that costs 3 cents shipped for free from China to France. On Hacker News, a lively discussion about the phenomenon takes place.
• Kids Are Scared Of A Future Where Robots Take All Their Jobs
  
  The nowadays widespread talk of the robot revolution and its possible impact on jobs is, rather unsurprisingly, causing concern among those who will be affected the most. Probably, that’s the best that can happen. It would be much worse if nobody would care, until the day their job is being taken over by robot.
• Dating App Happn Reaches 10 Million Users, Adds Voice
  
  This is quite a fascinating development. Until recently it looked like Tinder has completely taken over the mobile dating sector. But now this French startup seems to have reached a critical mass, which is the essential thing you need to succeed on the dating app market.
• In countries where gay sex is taboo, Grindr and other apps open a window
  
  Reading that makes me think that operating a casual dating app for homosexuals comes with a lot of responsibility, because in countries without an open attitude towards gays, using these apps can be outright dangerous. So users need to be sure that the company gives them any tool necessary for staying safe.
• A year later, Netflix still doesn’t understand China
  
  Looks like Netflix, despite its overall success, has underestimated what it takes to be able to launch in China.
• Google Play saw 100% more downloads than the iOS App Store, but Apple generated 75% more revenue
  
  Still the same old story. And still astonishing.
• Death and the internet: How Facebook and Twitter are changing the way we think about death
  
  This is not one of these generic articles describing the challenge for social media platforms to deal with the deceased. Instead, the author details how digital technology changes the way people encounter death.
• Deathly euphemisms: “rest in peace” and “thoughts and prayers”
  
  Related to the previous link. I am glad that I’m not the only one who can get irritated about how people online respond to the death of some public person.
• Why some Koreans make $10,000 a month to eat on camera
  
  This article made me instantly head to AfreecaTV to watch young Korean indulge in massive binge-eating sessions. Somehow I wish that this will become a trend in Europe, too.
• Annual Global State of In-Flight Wi-Fi 2016
  
  Some informative insights from Routehappy about the state of in-flight Wi-Fi. Overall, the U.S airlines are leading. At least one thing they are good at, since otherwise, they have been totally out-competed.

Recent articles on meshedsociety.com

• Netflix is the next phase of globalization
  
  In 10 years, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wants to offer the same, vast video catalog everywhere on this planet. It’s fascinating to think about what this would mean for the world.
• The urge to predict the future – and how to do it right
  
  A review of a book and comment about an activity many people within the tech industry love to indulge in: predicting the future.
• Facebook’s strength is Mark Zuckerberg’s foresight
  
  Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus VR have raised more than a few eyebrows when they were announced. Today, they all look quite smart. Here is a closer look on Mark Zuckerberg’s bold acquisition moves.
• The globalization of news
  
  News has become truly globalized, and that’s not easy to handle for news consumers.

Chart of the week

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If you are the admin of a Slack team, use Slack’s RSS app to push the meshedsociety.com feed into a Slack channel of your choice.

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and annotated every Thursday (CET), just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

======

If you want to make sure not to miss this link selection, sign up for the weekly email. It is sent out each Thursday right after this post goes live, including all the links.

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• How the sharing economy turned San Francisco into dystopia for the working class
  
  When talking about the gig economy and its impact on individuals, economy and society, differentiating is crucial. Yet, I cannot help to think that the development overall leaves too many people worse off than before.
• The 10 edgiest innovation ideas of 2016
  
  A sophisticated list with a couple of ideas that indeed deserve to be described as “edgy”. And some which are pretty tough to swallow.
• I Found Out My Secret Internal Tinder Rating And Now I Wish I Hadn’t
  
  If you are on Tinder, the company uses all your and other people’s actions inside the app to create an attractiveness score, in order to better match you up with people who have a similar score. It might sound creepy, but it makes sense. Lets just hope that the scores never leak to the public. This could hurt a lot of egos.
• I drew a bunch of dots to explain why social media is broken
  
  A self-promoting post by the creator of This.cm – but in my eyes very accurate.
• Ankommen! German App for Migrants Teaches Critical Info, Language Skills
  
  I am very pleased that Germany managed to launch an official mobile app targeting newly arrived migrants. It sounds like a no-brainer and in 2016, it is. However, Germany has a track-record of ignoring and of not leveraging the potential of the digital world, so with that context in mind, to me this is a surprising initiative. Let’s see how the app catches on.
• On Apple’s Insurmountable Platform Advantage
  
  A brilliant analysis (from October 2015) detailing how Steve Job’s decision to design iPhone processors inhouse has become a huge competitive advantage, and how the facilities and the know-how will benefit the company during the creation of the upcoming Apple car.
• The Power of Data Network Effects
  
  The Venture Capitalist Matt Turck explains the allure of data network effects. Unlike with traditional network effects in which the value for every member of a network increases with the total number of members, data network effects occur when a product or service becomes smarter for all users the more data it gets from users.
• The Labels Still Don’t Get YouTube And It’s Costing Them
  
  Mark Mulligan describes the music industry’s double dilemma with YouTube: The service is outperforming on-demand audio streaming services as a music destination (but generating less revenue for the music industry), while at the same time native creators are outperforming traditional musicians.
• Your predictions about technology in the future are probably wrong
  
  Friendly reminder.
• Snapchat’s Missing Out on Millions Because It Sucks to Find Stuff on Its App
  
  On Snapchat, finding users, publications or brands to follow is notoriously hard (or to be more specific: Impossible if you do not know their username). This article discusses the question whether that should be considered a bug or a feature. Good question.
• Swedish Tech Companies Undisputed European Champions of VC, New Report Says
  
  Remarkable: In 2015, Swedish tech companies have collected more funding than tech companies in any other European country. Although to be fair, Spotify’s $500 million round skewed the statistic a bit.
• The Controlled Deflation of the Bubble is Almost Complete
  
  This is the first high-profile tech entrepreneur I am aware of to state that the tech industry’s bubble “has been successfully deflated in a very controlled fashion”.
• What’s in a Boarding Pass Barcode? A Lot
  
  Next time you want to throw away your boarding pass after a flight without destroying it, think twice.
• The CIA-backed start-up that’s taking over Palo Alto
  
  Palantir, dubbed by Business Insider “The most secretive unicorn in Silicon Valley“, is taking over building by building in the city of Palo Alto, for a reason: the proximity to Stanford University. For Palo Alto, the city where Facebook was born, this has big consequences.
• The e-book Industry is in a State of Decline – 2015 Year in Review
  
  This is not how it is supposed to be. Theoretically, e-books should still be in the beginning of the category’s product life cycle. But maybe, in practice things are different? Or it is just a temporary dip.
• Evernote’s 5% problem offers a cautionary lesson to tech companies
  
  Insightful analysis of why Evernote did not succeed with continuing on its growth path. Learnings for all startup entrepreneurs inside.
• The Easy Way To Learn Hard Stuff
  
  Smart advice. I have started to learn Python with the help of Codecademy and will try to implement the philosophy presented in this piece in my next steps (provided that I will manage to make “next steps”).
• Nest Thermostat Glitch Leaves Users in the Cold
  
  I am full of doubts about whether the smart home really is a good idea. But I also have doubts if it even matters for future market success whether it, maybe only in hindsight, will turn out to be a bad idea.
• The Zappos Exodus Continues After a Radical Management Experiment
  
  A prime-example for bold risk taking: A while ago, the Amazon-owned U.S. online shoe retailer Zappos has introduced the self-management system Holacracy to its employees. Those who did not want to accept the change could take a generous buyout. With this offer, the company lost 18 percent of its workforce since March.

Recent articles on meshedsociety.com

• Digital communication lacks a human side and Virtual Reality could change that
  
  Palmer Luckey of Oculus VR thinks that Virtual Reality makes digital communication a lot more human than previous technologies. Maybe there is hope that a mass adoption of VR would help to tackle the widespread problem of hate speech online.
• Food hacking and my experiences with Joylent
  
  Are you wondering why people would replace their delicious meals with powder and shakes? I explain why I did it and how it went so far.
• Understanding the world in 2016
  
  The world seems more chaotic, complex and volatile than ever before. I present a few mental models and thinking strategies which I try to employ in order to better understand what is going on.

Quote of the week

• “Email might be the cockroach of the Internet”
  
  Stewart Butterfield, founder and CEO of Slack, on the a16z Podcast.

Happy New Year everyone. Let’s kick 2016 off with this year’s first selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and annotated every Thursday (CET), just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

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• Can the blockchain make Uber, Spotify and Airbnb obsolete?
  
  In an era in which a few centralized digital platforms amass unprecedented amounts of power and capital (see the next article link), this piece suggests that there is still hope for a future that looks different: One day, blockchain technology could make the need for centralized platforms like Uber, Spotify or Airbnb obsolete.
• In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All
  
  Hard to deny, and in my eyes this is becoming a big issue – at least if all the winners come from the same part of the world, which is the case right now.
• The Search for the Killer Bot
  
  2016 looks like it will become the year in which chat bots turn mainstream. A good overview about the history and status quo of bots.
• Why bullshit is no laughing matter
  
  People had to deal with bullshit at all times. However, thanks to the Internet, the incentives for individuals to create and spread bullshit and the possibilities to reach a wide mass of people are much bigger than in the past. In my opinion, the general human proneness to be captivated by bullshit in combination with the new digital environment poses a real threat to collective intelligence, prosperity and well-being.
• Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Shows Users Why 10,000-Character Tweets Aren’t So Crazy
  
  I don’t enjoy using Twitter anymore as much as I did in the past 7 years. I think one reason for that is that the 140 character limit feels increasingly insufficient for today’s global information and communication environment. Increasing the character limit could change Twitter a lot – and I am very excited about that.
• Does Twitter’s New Share Button Mean Less Sharing? The Data Suggests So: Here’s What You Can Do About It
  
  Twitter recently changed its share button and removed the tweet counter. Early data suggests that this actually led to a decrease in shares. Which makes Twitter’s decision look even more strange.
• Paul Graham has accidentally explained everything wrong with Silicon Valley’s world view
  
  Y Combinator founder and Silicon Valley heavyweight Paul Graham decided to kick off the year with a long blog post defending income inequality as a necessity to success for the startup and tech world. Responses have been numerous. This one is the best I have come across. Also, even though one might disagree with Graham on the matter, he deserves a thank you for putting this important topic on top of the agenda for 2016.
• Why privacy is important, and having “nothing to hide” is irrelevant
  
  The assumption that people who have “nothing to hide” do not need to worry about expanded surveillance is unfortunately widespread. Those who still have not realized why this can be a fatal mistake, should read this text.
• Uber’s No-Holds-Barred Expansion Strategy Fizzles in Germany
  
  When the world’s most aggressive tech company and its ultra-capitalistic ideology collide with German bureaucracy, skepticism and (selective) preference for rule- and law-obedience, a clash is inevitable.
• How Medium is breaking Washington’s op-ed habit
  
  Medium’s momentum is ongoing. The big question will be whether it can find good enough revenue models. Publishing is one of the hardest areas of the digital economy to make money in.
• Foursquare’s location data is way more powerful than people realize
  
  I will be quite surprised if Foursquare will not have been acquired by the end of 2016. It definitely can offer business and information value to other companies and generate revenue, but it has struggled for too long to reach the growth necessary to follow the path to an IPO. Investors must be very impatient by now.
• Be The Nerd — Quit Facebook
  
  Mark Zuckerberg wants girls to become nerds in school. Natasha Lomas makes a very good point what the consequence of such a plea would have to be: to stay away from the procrastinating and consumer-culture promoting environment that is Facebook. Not sure how Zuckerberg would react to that.
• Modern Literacy
  
  Short, smart post. The first sentence is something to memorize: “Digital literacy doesn’t start with tools. It starts with an understanding of how technology is changing the world, and a richer context of how those changes will impact the way we learn, communicate, create, co-operate, and collaborate down the road.”
• Reading is no way to learn
  
  I love to read, but I also have to accept the fact that it might not be the most efficient or effective way to learn. But heck, I love it…
• The Product Manager’s Essential Reading List for 2016
  
  Even if you are not a Product Manager, this list of book recommendations looks very useful.

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and annotated every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

This will (most likely) be the last edition for this year. Hope I’ll see you in 2016!

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• The High-Stakes Race to Rid the World of Human Drivers
  
  Excellent and encompassing overview about the revolution that currently unfolds at the heart of the automobile.
• To See the Future of Electric Cars, Look East
  
  It’s not unlikely that the driving force behind electric cars will be China, not the U.S. or Europe. Because of the notorious pollution and bad air decreasing life quality in Chinese cities, the country has major incentives to push electric cars.
• Pirate Bay Founder: ‘I Have Given Up’
  
  Peter Sunde, the founder of The Pirate Bay, has no optimism left for the future development of the Internet. I refuse to accept that he his right, even though sadly, he might be.
• Inside Netflix’s Plan to Boost Streaming Quality and Unclog the Internet
  
  Relying on sophisticated methods described in this article, Netflix is in the process to re-encode its entire catalog so it can deliver higher quality streams with less data.
• Software has diseconomies of scale – not economies of scale
  
  Many areas of life and business are characterized by economies of scale: the cost of creating a new unit of something drops with an increase in the number of units created. Allan Kelly offers some strong points for that, when it comes to software development, one ought to think about “diseconomies of scale”.
• You are your phone
  
  True story.
• The Great Bot Rush of 2015-16
  
  That’s a good way to call what’s going on with bots right now, and it leads to important questions: Who will benefit from the rise of bots?
• Slack Is Releasing Botkit To Make Bots Easier To Build
  
  Slack and developers building apps on top of Slack will clearly be among those who benefit from the bot economy.
• Podcasting is getting huge. Here’s why.
  
  In my eyes, podcasts are the new radio.
• Facebook’s open-sourcing of AI hardware is the start of the deep-learning revolution
  
  In a remarkable trend, Facebook, Tesla and others are launching initiatives to ensure that the world at large benefits from advances in artificial intelligence research and deep learning. I really like this quote by Elon Musk: “I think the best defense against the misuse of AI is to empower as many people as possible to have AI. If everyone has AI powers, then there’s not any one person or a small set of individuals who can have AI superpower.”
• The Rise of Hate Search
  
  When a major news event involving criminal acts or terrorism happens, many people turn to Google. Some look for information, while others use the search engine to vent hate. What motives people to perform “hate searching”, and could data on these searches help to prevent hate crimes? This piece investigates.
• Brazilian Judge Shuts Down WhatsApp And Brazil’s Congress Wants To Shut Down The Social Web Next
  
  The desperation of governments about the perceived threat to their and the incumbent’s powers is inspiring some countries to increasingly ridiculous measures. One must hope that the Brazilian public won’t accept that officials take away their preferred communication tool.
• Europe’s Move to Block Teenagers From Social Media Is Totally Crazy
  
  Another rather absurd idea of politicians to regulate the Internet, in this case by the European Union: The official minimum age for joining online services that collect data is about to be raised to 16. Member countries will be able to set it to 13, nevertheless, some countries will for sure make use of the 16 year limit. In my opinion, a much better approach would be to ensure that 13 year olds have enough media and digital competence so that they are able to understand the implications of their actions on social media.
• Rwanda’s Not-So-Improbable Ambition To Be A Startup Hub of Africa
  
  Based on what I have read about Rwanda, in this piece and elsewhere, the rise of the country 20 years after the genocide is more than remarkable.
• What can a technologist do about climate change?
  
  A very comprehensive and insightful take on how technology and people representing it can join the fight against climate change.
• Typeform: Building the Lego Of User Interaction
  
  Typeform is an amazing service to build surveys. It is soo much fun to create them, it’s almost absurd. I was surprised (and pleased) to learn that the company is actually based in Europe, more specifically in Barcelona.
• The state of UX in 2015 / 2016
  
  Good read if you are even slightly interested in user experience design.

Most recently on meshedsociety.com

• AI-powered chatbots and the future of language learning

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and annotated every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

======

If you want to make sure not to miss this link selection, sign up for the weekly newsletter. It is sent out each Thursday right after this post goes live.

======

• Tesla is copying Apple’s business model
  
  Comprehensive analysis. No need for me to summarize more, as the headline says it all. Definitely an interesting read, especially for those who struggle to grasp the phenomenon Tesla.
• Imagining the Driverless City
  
  I favor the car-free city over the driverless city, but in both cases, cities will transform and look much better. Good times ahead for people living in cities!
• The $5 Computer
  
  You know you are witnessing a computer revolution when computers can be purchased for §5.
• It’s Okay To NOT Learn How To Code
  
  On the one hand I could have written this piece, sharing most of the described sentiment. On the other hand, while it of course is okay to not learn how to code, it could lead to regrets in 10 or 20 years. However, there are those who say that in the future, software will be smart enough to improve itself, making most human programming obsolete. But I would not count on that, either.
• Learn to Code, It’s Harder Than You Think
  
  No, I actually think it is as hard as I think it is 🙂
• Access Denied
  
  In-depth piece describing the profound change that is happening in an era in which people and organizations of public interest do not need journalists anymore to spread their messages. The process is still unfolding, so it is still unclear where all this leads. But the fallout can already be witnessed.
• Lessons from the PC video game industry
  
  What can the media industry learn from the PC video game industry, when it comes to adjust to the new digital environment and to tap new revenue sources? Turns out, a lot.
• Going Public Isn’t Selling Out, It’s The Best Way To Stay Alive
  
  For fast-growing, maturing tech startups, it has become common to postpone the IPO as long as possible into the future. Instead, companies try to repeatedly take in massive amounts of external funding, increasing their assumed valuation towards extraordinary levels. This post explains why this is risky behavior and why becoming a public company often should have higher priority.
• Offices and smart cities will drive uptake of the Internet of Things, claims report
  
  The Internet of Things has been talk of town for many years, without having experienced a broad breakthrough yet. The point this article makes seems legit to me: Offices and smart cities might become the driving force behind pushing connected things into the mainstream, with consumers (and smart homes) following at a later stage.
• Hardly Anyone Is Using Apple Pay
  
  The headline is typical clickbait, exaggerating the consumers’ lack of interest in mobile payment services and the alleged failure of Apple Pay. However, the text has a clear message: Most consumers still don’t care about being able to pay with their smartphones. Maybe, just maybe, the (for the tech industry uncomfortable) truth is that current payment means are actually being perceived as superior over the “smartphone wallet”?!
• Eric Schmidt on How to Build a Better Web
  
  Despite challenges, the former Google CEO remains optimistic about the future of the web.
• Robots expected to run half of Japan by 2035
  
  Japan is at the forefront of this, but many other countries will follow suit quickly.
• Swedes predict death of smartphone in five years
  
  But what comes next? I am not convinced that the smartphone will disappear that fast.
• The First Quantified Brain
  
  I am generally not very fond of self-quantification of body functions. The thought of tracking my brain on the other hand is quite appealing to me. Interesting experiment.
• Automation Is a Job Engine, New Research Says
  
  Sounds counter-intuitive, but yes, that’s how it is. However, research based on past data has limitations when it comes to forecasting the future.
• How Finland’s Exciting Basic Income Experiment Will Work—And What We Can Learn From It
  
  I am a big supporter of the idea of a Basic Income. However, like anyone else, I cannot know whether my assumptions about positive effects would turn out to be correct. Thus I am extremely happy that Finland will conduct such a large-scale experiment. The results will be a reality-check for supporters and skeptics alike.
• Lyft, Didi, Ola And GrabTaxi Partner In Global Tech, Service Alliance To Rival Uber
  
  Maybe this is the beginning of alliances akin to the ones in the airline industry.

Most recently on meshedsociety.com

• The Internet is the first global platform for the exchange of ideologies
  
  2015 was an intense, odd and chaotic year, wasn’t it? In this post I offer one possible explanation for what is going on. Of course, its the Internet’s “fault”.
• Sapiens
  
  A very brief review of a book that I’d recommend to everyone.

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and commented every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

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• To defend the free web, you must save Mozilla
  
  Signed. Using Firefox is one way to save Mozilla. Donating is another.
• Can We Trust the Hacker Philanthropists?
  
  What does it mean if tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates attempt to save the world on their terms? Is it good, is it bad? This text offers some solid thoughts.
• The iPhone Thought Experiment
  
  Intriguing question to keep your mind occupied: If all humans suddenly loose everything they and their ancestors have ever created (except all their knowledge), how long time would it take until they become able to create a fully-featured and perfectly functional iPhone 6S?
• The rise and fall of the unicorns
  
  Sooner or later, somebody had to write this piece.
• The Race to Create Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Heats Up
  
  Very very cool to see how what was just an idea in the head of Elon Musk 2 years ago now is being seriously pushed by multiple contenders.
• Uber wants to integrate with all your apps
  
  Uber already is a platform, connecting people who have transportation needs with people who are available to give them a ride. Slowly, the company is establishing a second platform; a technological platform for third party apps and services that want to provide its users with transportation services. Basically a second tier platform which feeds Uber’s core platform.
• Tesla-As-A-Platform
  
  Even though this short piece only highlights one example, the idea of Tesla-As-A-Platform is a nobrainer which certainly will see a lot of applications in the future. It’s pretty exciting, even though I hope for the competition to heat up in the field of electrical smart cars.
• Everything That Can Become a Platform Will Become a Platform
  
  I agree with the claim from the headline. The rise of large-scale platforms (with winner-takes-it-all tendencies) will turn industries, national economies and today’s social welfare systems upside down. Governments have a lot of work to do in order to take necessary precautions and initiate structural changes, now.
• Full speed ahead: When it comes to connected car technology, Europe is among the best in class
  
  Hopefully Europe will remain a leading force when it comes to innovative mobility concepts.
• Facebook now lets you chat with businesses via Messenger on their website
  
  As I loathe having to call service hotlines or stores, I am very curious about what Facebook is doing with messaging for businesses.
• Snapchat finally enables publishers to ‘deep link’ to their Discover content
  
  I wish deep linking into mobile apps would be as seamless for any website/blog owner as linking to other websites.
• WhatsApp’s Jan Koum Sold $274 Million in Facebook Stock Last Week
  
  This guy hit the jackpot: “The $274 million Koum sold last week was just under 4 percent of his total holdings. That means he still owns about $7 billion in Facebook stock.”
• Coins.ph turns people into ATMs
  
  While this is an unproven idea which easily might fail, it sounds quite innovative.
• Apple’s Failed Retail Revolution: Beacons Still Won’t Be Big on Black Friday
  
  Good point. Until this day, I don’t think I have ever received a local push message from a retailer or other type of local venue nor have I wished that it would happen.
• Li-Fi has just been tested in the real world, and it’s 100 times faster than Wi-Fi
  
  Using LEDs for ultra-fast data transmitting. Fascinating.
• German court says ISPs may have to block music-sharing sites
• No Pirate Bay Blockade in Sweden, Court Rules
  
  A bit curious: Within 24 hours, two courts in two different countries made completely opposed rulings. Since the German culture is generally rather supportive of strong copyright rules, whereas in Sweden people have a more relaxed attitude in that regard, both of the rulings somehow reflect the corresponding local culture. Of course, that might just be a coincidence, and a higher Swedish court might come to a different conclusion.

Most recently on meshedsociety.com

• Ask what your country can do for you (and the world)
  
  Imagine this: You wake up this morning, open your messaging inbox and find “applications” from 4 different countries who would like to win you over as new citizen. No matter if you are open to such an adventure or not – wouldn’t it be pretty exciting?
• Online media is utterly broken
  
  About that “Phuc Dat Bich” hoax and the general state of online media.

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and commented every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

Special note: Over the past days, I have spent most of my reading time with pieces commenting on and analyzing the terrorist attacks in Paris, the reactions that followed and the bigger picture surrounding contemporary terrorism. So this week’s selection of links about tech will be shorter than usual. However, I’ll throw in a couple of the best texts that I read related to Paris and the aftermath.

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• Responding to Daesh in the way the world responds to Global Warming
  
  My own take on the topic: What Daesh (IS) and global warming have in common, and what this means for how to respond.
• Paris: You Don’t Want to Read This
  
  14 years of “war on terror” very clearly have failed.
• Terror can only succeed with our cooperation
  
  The first sentence of this text puts it well: “Think what your enemy wants you to do, and do the opposite. No maxim of war is so ignored.”
• Belgium is a failed state
  
  I am sure this article will lead to quite some controversy in Belgium. And maybe that’s a good thing, considering the country’s “quality” to produce radical islamists in high numbers.
• How Globalization Fuels Terrorism and Fundamentalism
  
  The big developments and trends of our time are all connected to each other in some way or another. This is often overlooked, unfortunately.
• After the Paris Attacks: Live News Should Challenge Narratives, Not Desperately Try to Create Them
  
  I completely agree.
• This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t
  
  This article is from 2003!
• Do Not Ask Western Leadership to Fix Anything
  
  I am afraid at least when it comes to “fixing” terrorism, Western leaders indeed have no clue or alternatively no interest in really doing what’s necessary.

And now back to the usual theme of this weekly list:

• 5 things the media does to manufacture outrage.
  
  Unfortunately, media is increasingly becoming toxic and destructive. Producing and magnifying outrage is just one of the annoyances of media in 2015.
• Edward Snowden Explains How To Reclaim Your Privacy
  
  In my opinion, knowledge about how to protect your privacy should be considered an essential in our connected, digital world. No matter if you actually make use of it. Who could explain this better than Edward Snowden.
• Half of Swedens most successful startups have foreign founders
  
  I have seen various studies pointing out that immigrants are more entrepreneurial than locals. Here is empirical evidence.
• Coinbase Is Out to Build Payments Right Into Browsers
  
  Better late than never. Even though the question is if it still matters, considering the rise of mobile and native apps .
• Apple now inhaling 94 percent of global smartphone profits, selling just 14.5 percent of total volumes
  
  One word: insane.
• Publishers are underwhelmed with Apple News app
  
  The new iOS news app “Apple News” does not seem to excite anyone yet.
• Google Search Now Surfaces App-Only Content, Streams Apps From The Cloud When Not Installed On Your Phone
  
  If you search for apps on Google’s mobile search on Android, apps that are not installed on the device can now be streamed directly from the cloud. Despite this being only a trial with a limited number of apps, it sounds pretty inventive.
• YouTube Music is here, and it’s a game changer
  
  Releasing a seperate app just for its wide selection of music content seems like a no-brainer, and it is actually surprising that it took YouTube so long.

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and commented every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

======

If you want to make sure not to miss this link selection, sign up for the weekly newsletter. It is sent out each Thursday right after this post goes live.

======

• Superintelligence Now
  
  No matter if you are interested in the debate about artificial intelligence and its opportunities/risks or not, this is a brilliant text which I warmly recommend to read. It helps to sharpen and finetune one’s perspective on where we are heading.
• My 2.5 Star Trip to Amazon’s Bizarre New Bookstore
  
  This week, Amazon opened its first physical bookstore, in the company’s hometown Seattle. Dustin Kurtz of New Republic went there to check it out. It is apparent that author dislikes what Amazon is doing to the book industry and thust that he did not go there with an open mind. But it is an interesting read no matter whether you share his position or not.
• The promise of the blockchain: The trust machine
  
  My favorite quote from this piece: “The spread of blockchains is bad for anyone in the “trust business”—the centralised institutions and bureaucracies, such as banks, clearing houses and government authorities that are deemed sufficiently trustworthy to handle transactions.”
• The future of banking and the state of now
  
  Pretty extensive and informative interview about how digital technology is and will change banking and the world of finance. Even in here I have a found a quote I especially like: “If things are operating in batch they’re not fit for the 21st century, 24/7 mobile internet.”
• Google vs. the German car engineer
  
  One example for the big culture clash that Germany is facing during increasingly digital times.
• What Europe needs isn’t just a Digital Single Market, but a Multilingual one
  
  In my opinion, Europe’s language fragmentation probably is the most significant obstacle on the path to a stronger, digitally more successful, more unified and geopolitical more self-confident Europe.
• The Autopilot is learning fast: Model S owners are already reporting that Tesla’s Autopilot is self-improving
  
  The future, presented in one headline.
• You Can Now Hail A Car Ride Home With Slack
  
  Slack is in an early phase of building a potentially very powerful platform for all tasks related to work.
• Context Collapse
  
  An old article about a very relevant issue even today: How selective parts of online content can be separated from its original context to be spread and distributed to everywhere in the world, without providing the new audience with the context necessary to understand how this content was intended and experienced by its creator.
• Adele’s ‘Hello’ is the first song ever to sell a million downloads in a week
  
  Who are these people that still buy digital song downloads?
• Startup Acquisition Announcement
  
  One example for a common theme in tech: Whatever a startup promises to its users during the moment when it is acquired will automatically lose validity over time.
• Pepper.com is quietly building a hot – and global – social commerce empire out of Berlin
  
  I have a thing for startups that are born out of very simple, minimalist ideas and that keep growing organically, without unhealthy hyper-expansion, over a long period of time to eventually become large players.
• To: Marc Andreessen
  
  Silicon Valley kingpin Marc Andreessen is a very active Twitter user. He also seems to be active when it comes to blocking users who present him with different perspectives other than the ones he agrees with. To be fair, with 429.000 followers and a high engagement level, I can see why one would employ rather radical and aggressive strategies to reduce excessive noise. Still, to those who are being blocked and who do not fall into the category of “trolls”, this must come across as rather questionable behavior.
• Google slammed the brakes on its acquisition machine, with the lowest deal-making since 2009
  
  Considering the size and maturity of Google, constantly buying startups and integrating them into the Googleverse must be challenging. This could be one reason why the giant has decreased its acquisition activity.
• Poll Finds Apple Watch Isn’t Even Popular Among Techies
  
  It is a completely absurd emotion, but I almost pitty Apple for how little talk and excitement is left about the Apple Watch.

Recently on meshedsociety.com

• Net neutrality: Maybe Europe’s politicians simply dislike the open Internet

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published and commented every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

======

If you want to make sure not to miss this link selection, sign up for the weekly newsletter. It is sent out each Thursday right after this post goes live.

======

• Why It’s OK to Block Ads
  
  An incredibly thought-provoking think piece, suggesting that users might have a moral obligation to block ads. I am not using ad blockers myself, however, I would lie if I’d say I don’t like the idea of better informational environments that respect our scarce attention, as described in this text.
• How the internet is uniting the world
  
  Last week’s reading list was loaded with pessimistic pieces, so it is time for some optimism. I am tempted to rephrase the title and state that the Internet unites and divides the world and its people at the same time, but that would not be optimistic so I won’t do that. Kinda.
• A 23-year-old Google employee lives in a truck in the company’s parking lot and saves 90% of his income
  
  This account is remarkable in two ways: First that even well-paid Google employees in the San Francisco Bay Area find rents in the area unacceptably high, and second that a truck is everything a Google employee needs as an “apartment”, since all other amenities are being provided by the company at the workplace. So this is a story touching both the philosophy of a minimalist lifestyle as well as the issue of exploding real estate prices at the world’s tech hub.
• The Porn Business Isn’t Anything Like You Think It Is
  
  You might have heard about the stereotype that each new digital technology has first been adopted and turned into a mainstream thing by the porn industry. While that might have been true in the past, this article explains why the porn business is increasingly running behind, constantly trying to catch up with the latest innovation in tech. Very insightful.
• The Programs That Become the Programmers
  
  About the ultimate algorithm in programming: The one that learns and can write programs itself.
• I Built a Botnet that Could Destroy Spotify with Fake Listens
  
  Considering that music streaming services pay royalties based on the number of streamed songs, bots that pretend to be streaming users are a pretty obvious way to scam and exploit these services.
• An Engineering Theory of the Volkswagen Scandal
  
  No matter whether this really happend or not, this theory offers a convincing explanation for why engineering teams end up performing unethical tasks or creating solutions that intend to cheat and deceive: normalization of deviance.
• Your phone’s homescreen is dead
  
  I hardly ever open apps by clicking on their icon, instead I type their names into the search of iOS. Correspondingly, I tend to agree with the overall point of this piece.
• Google’s growing problem: 50% of people do zero searches per day on mobile
  
  Informative article explaining why the switch to the mobile web is such a big challenge for Google.
• Unicorns, Startups and Hosted Email
  
  Even in the age of Slack, email is still at least a necessary evil for companies. At least among startups, one cloud email player is totally dominating. You guess right: Gmail.
• The New York Times is shipping Google Cardboard to its print subscribers
  
  I have never used it myself, but it for sure seems as if Google’s low-budget VR “gadget” cardboard is turning into more than a PR stunt created to show at Google I/O conferences.
• The end of bootstrapping
  
  Bootstrapping means building a startup company without the help of external capital. According to this point of view presented in this blog post, making bootstrapping work is increasingly difficult because winning a market has never been more expensive.
• The Future of News is Not an Article
  
  This article (!) contains valuable ideas about how to advance written journalistic work in the digital age. My only gripe is the terminology: To me, an article is a written text that I consume through reading. Unless someone claims that reading itself will go away (which this piece does not), we’ll still read written texts that I’d call “articles”. No matter what sophisticated technologies are being used to generate that article. But I still see why the author chose this headline: She wants the reader to forget the associations and historic thought concepts that come with the term “article”. The article of the future might (or possibly must be) modular, dynamic, personalized.
• Janet Jackson Cracks Down On Fans Who Instagram Concert Photos
  
  Some celebrities are mentally stuck in the past. I find it stupid to punish your fans like that. It is not that anyone would refrain from going to a concert of Janet Jackson because he/she is satisfied with seeing a few photos on Instagram.