Coffee Geek Speaks

Dave Winer of RSS fame, had this info on his travelling blog. It's from a guy in Gnashville, who works for a local coffee roaster, and he talks about why Starbucks coffee is not as strong as a lot of indie coffee shops. Has to do with the need for consistency, so that if you go into a Starbucks in Philadelphia, and then in London, the coffee tastes the same. It's the 'MacDonalds syndrome', as their fries taste the same no matter where you are.

Kerouac's Belief and Technique for Modern Prose

One of my early inspirations, who was such a free spirit, and a bit of a lost soul. If you ever read 'On The Road', then you would know what I'm talking about. The book was written on a continuous roll of paper over a two or three week period, while on speed I believe, and it's all about 'Dean Moriarity', who was Jack Cassady. He was something else, as was Jack Kerouac. The Beat goes on....


Kerouac's Belief and Technique for Modern Prose

A New Cult for the Info Age

I've just ordered the book. Looks like a system that might just work for me. I'm like most everyone else, overrun by paper and stuff. I just pile them in a box, and maybe someday I'll get to dealing with them.

This system has a simple method for dealing with all this stuff of our lives. I'll keep you posted on how I get on.




Wired News: GTD: A New Cult for the Info Age

The little blank book is a cult hit

I just bought a couple of these, and am really liking the look and feel of them. I like the idea of being able to write in longhand, as opposed to typing at the computer. The act of writing in longhand is much more personal and tactile, and also has something of the old school about it.



The little blank book is a cult hit

The Long Tail: New markets and a New Way of thinking

The editor of Wired magazine wrote a piece on the new way that music, books and dvds were being sold by the new etailers such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple's iTunes. He talks of the traditional bricks and mortar retailer carrying about 7,500 cds or books, and how an etailer has access to hundreds of thousands of titles.

Basically the traditional publisher of material needs to sell a certain minimum number of books in a geographical region in order to justify taking up shelve space with the product. In the world of etailing, small numbers are just as profitable as a large selling product, as shelf space is inifinite, thus the long tail.

It's a fascinating take on what is changing in retailing, and how our lives will be affected by it, all thanks to our access to technology. Pity the Third World countries, who will be left behind, as usual, where just to get food on the table is a struggle. The Western countries have a lot to answer for.

The Long Tail: FAQ

Guruphiliac - Great for the skeptic in me

An interesting blog here. Seems that they take a humorous look at the guru business. Many are 'chosen', but few should be followed. I'm not into the 'guru hugging' thing, and this blog takes a similar dispassionate look at various spiritual leaders.

I once went and stayed down on The Farm in Tennessee in the late 70's, and although I found Steven Gaskin mesmerizing, I didn't feel the need to worship or hang on his every word. As mentioned before True Believers have certain characteristics that set them apart from their fellow humans.

Anyway, check it out if you want an interesting look at what gurus are up to. And as Dylan said "don't trust leaders, follow parking meters."

The Cluetrain Manifesto

I've come really late to the party, and just found this link. The manifesto sums up a lot of what's right and wrong with the internet. Things are changing so fast, that traditional corporates just don't get it soon enough.

Even in the last election, Howard Dean got it, and John Kerry did not. George Bush's neocons got it and he won the conversation, and thus the election.

Required reading: The Cluetrain Manifesto: entire book can be read on-line