Ethics for ubiquitous computing

Gen Kanai has a posting on "Ethics for ubiquitous computing" based on a longer October 28, 2004 article by Adam Greenfield entitled "All watched over by machines of loving grace: Some ethical guidelines for user experience in ubiquitous-computing settings [1]"

As Greenfield writes:

"Ubiquitous computing is coming".

Instapundit.com makes it to UbiquitousPundit

Instapundit.com makes it to UbiquitousPundit

Glenn Reynolds finally made it into the UbiquitousPundit ranks with this statement:

Instapundit.com: ".... I'm all for open wifi in libraries, etc., but I agree that trying for ubiquitous wifi as a city project is probably silly, especially when you can already get free wifi at car washes and fast food places. Not to mention breweries and pizza joints."

Do we need any more proof than these words of the Blogfather that man's activities are principally involved with cars, food and booze?

After all, you put WiFi where the action is. Ah you lucky Staters, where WiFi is still but a fata morgana in much of Europe.

Crossposted to Law Pundit.

Ubiquity in the Internet Age (Jeremy Zawodny's blog)

Ubiquity in the Internet Age (Jeremy Zawodny's blog)

Jeremy Zawodny has quite a long posting on

Ubiquity in the Internet Age.

Zawodny claims that "ubiquity" is the key to winning the internet battle:

"The Internet is the new medium and it has the effect of leveling the playing field. While this isn't a new insight, let me say it in two specific ways:

1. The web enables infinite distribution of content without any special effort or infrastructure.
2. The web extends the reach of our apps and services as far as we're willing to let them go.

Both notions come back to ubiquity. If your stuff (and your brand) is everywhere, you win. The money will follow. It always does....

What to do? ...

1. do something useful really really well
2. put the user in control by allowing access to your data and services in an easy and unrestricted way
3. share the wealth "

For example, Zawodny uses Google's Blogger as an example of a company which does all three.

But of course, there are also technical requirements as well.

Interesting to note in this regard is the October 25, 2004 article, "The Road To Ubiquity" by David Haskin, Mobile Pipeline, InternetWeek, which outlines three requirements for wireless technologies becoming "winners":

"First, hardware must become readily available that handles them all. Second, mobile-access bundles that give users two or more of these wireless options are necessary, or enterprises and consumers won't be able to make heads nor tails out of all the connectivity choices. Third, Wi-Fi hotspot and wireless-broadband vendors must offer widespread roaming agreements."

But, caveat emptor. There is a dark side to ubiquity. Via TechnoTaste (Anthropology, Technology, Food and Wine) and the posting "Internet Withdrawal and Internet Ubiquity" we are led to Lester Haines at the Register and his 23 September 2004 article "Internet junkies in chilling cold turkey experiment", which shows that internet ubiquity can also lead to internet addiction.

Crossposted to LawPundit.

Yakult the Ubiquitous

There's that word again, ubiquitous, in the most unexpected of contexts.
From Southern Appeal we find out about Yakult that "It's ubiquitous in its home country," which is Japan. If you do not know who the Yakult Lady is now, you may tomorrow, even if you do not make it to Japan. Check out this great read. Put a different way, "do health and Esperanto mix?"

Ubiquitous Links and the Curmudgeonly Clerk

The Curmudgeonly Clerk has made it onto our ubiquitous blog with this statement:

"Yes, those raising concerns about the Act are terribly low-profile. The critics are practically nobodies. It's Ashcroft versus the sound of chirping crickets. Links like the foregoing ones are so ubiquitous that it is hardly wothwhile to provide them."[emphasis added]

We plugged "ubiquitous links" into Google and found to our great surprise that the phrase has in fact become a "term of art".

Microsoft Word and Outlook as Ubiquitous

Now Microsoft Word and Outlook are considered "ubiquitous" according to an article by Todd Bishop in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter entitled "Sun touts its own seamless computing: CEO takes jabs at Microsoft in lauding compatibility of his alternative system"


As noted here :

"Microsoft's Windows operating system for desktop PCs brought in nearly $10.4 billion in revenue in the company's most recent fiscal year, with more than 90 percent of the market. Its Office productivity suite includes such ubiquitous programs as Microsoft Word and Outlook."[emphasis added]

AFA Issues: Pornography - Yahoo sells porn videos

AFA Issues: Pornography - Yahoo sells porn videos writes about Yahoo as follows: "Yahoo is the ubiquitous 900-pound gorilla in Internet space."

Ubiquitous Public Internet Access

Blog.org quotes Jeremy Wyatt as saying that "...maybe public internet access has a big future once it's ubiquitous."