July 2012

There were 84 posts published in July 2012 (this is page 1 of 9).

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did – Forbes

Here’s an eye-opening look at how closely (and eerily) Target tracks its customers’ purchases.

This isn’t the half of what stores can do, though. Before I got my current gig, I did a telephone interview with a company which made recognition software for in-store video systems. Supposedly this software could track customers as they made their way around the store, including how long a customer lingered on a particular aisle. It was Big Brother to the extreme and while I needed the work, I’m glad I didn’t have to get into that spooky stuff.

Twitter, Guy Adams And The Cost Of Being A User – Forbes

Twitter suspended the account of journalist Guy Adams over his tweeting an NBC executive’s publically-available work email address. This heavy-handedness is another example that social media platforms where you are the product aren’t necessarily going to have your best interests at heart.

Maybe you thought Twitter exists to be a community. Or a tool. It doesn’t. It’s a media company that outsources the vast majority of its content. But outsourced doesn’t have to mean agnostic. In fact, it will mean that less and less as more partnerships emerge.

But maybe you thought you were Twitter’s customer. Or a partner. You’re not. You don’t pay, you don’t vote, you use. Like almost all social media sites, you are a user. And that distinction matters. NBC, for instance, is both a customer and a partner. The difference has been fairly clear the last day or so.

via Twitter, Guy Adams And The Cost Of Being A User – Forbes.

Update 9:29 PM: NBC withdrew its complaint and Adams’s account was reinstated around 2:30 today. Twitter explains on its blog (though the statement still claims the email Adams shared was private when it was not).

Letters to Grandma: 4 August 1991

[Note: Read this post first for an introduction.]

This was written at the start of my last deployment. It turns out I never made it anywhere near Egypt nor the Red Sea. Word on the street was that my second skipper didn’t have the friends in high places that my politically-connected first skipper did, leading to the choice ports being given to other ships.

In this letter I finally sound comfortable with the Navy. I had finally figured out how the system worked and could have probably made great strides at this point in a Navy career had I chosen that path.

During this cruise I was spending my off-time taking college courses. While I really got into it and did well, my success there didn’t translate to success at N.C. State. My classmates were much more attractive at State, I have to say.

I do still sail, of course, whenever I can. Though I sail on a lake now, I’ll never forget the feeling of freedom and adventure I get from being on the water.

August 4, 1991 4 AM HDT, 10 AM EDT [age:22]

Dear Grandma,
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Raleigh council seeks solution to goose overpopulation

Speaking of the N&O, I was quoted earlier this week in the Midtown Raleigh News.

The ever-growing Canada goose population in parks throughout Raleigh has caught the attention of the City Council.

The council passed a Waterfowl Management Resolution last week, calling for city parks to put up signs telling people about the trouble caused by feeding ducks, swans and especially, geese. The plan was one of many presented to the City Council by the Raleigh parks and recreation board.

“I think it’s a good first step,” said board chairman Mark Turner.

via Raleigh council seeks solution to goose overpopulation – Raleigh – MidtownRaleighNews.com.

N&O online site to switch to paywall

McClatchy announced that will soon be locking up its content behind a paywall, including the News and Observer’s website:

The company also announced that it would install metered pay walls at its newspaper websites, including NewsObserver.com. It did not disclose specifics of the plan, which will begin later this year, but in general readers will get certain number of page views free each month before being required to pay a subscription.

I’ve never thought paywalls were a good idea. Opinions differ about their effectiveness. Poyntner says 52% of media professionals leave a website when encountering a paywall. Other newspapers’ efforts to establish a paywall resulted in the opposite of their intended effect:
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Twitter Updates for 2012-07-26

  • Happy to see so many people out walking and running near my East Raleigh home. Healthy neighbors, healthy neighborhoods! #
  • Eight days past, is not too early, to take down signs, for @tonygurley #burmashave #ncpol #
  • On how I love thee, Haveli Indian Cuisine. Great buffet, super-attentive staff, and unbeatable prices. If only you were in Raleigj mot RTP #
  • On how I love thee, Haveli Indian Cuisine. Great buffet, super-attentive staff, and unbeatable prices. If only you were in Raleigh not RTP. #

Twitter Updates for 2012-07-26

  • Happy to see so many people out walking and running near my East Raleigh home. Healthy neighbors, healthy neighborhoods! #
  • Eight days past, is not too early, to take down signs, for @tonygurley #burmashave #ncpol #
  • On how I love thee, Haveli Indian Cuisine. Great buffet, super-attentive staff, and unbeatable prices. If only you were in Raleigj mot RTP #
  • On how I love thee, Haveli Indian Cuisine. Great buffet, super-attentive staff, and unbeatable prices. If only you were in Raleigh not RTP. #