Comments on: Data Glutton, Data Pauper http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:43:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Scott Ellington http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-911 Scott Ellington Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:55:23 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-911 The GoogleAlert email-notification of the comment I entered here on St. Stupid's Day arrived late this morning. Curiously, it came with a link to this late-breaking development: <a href="http://laughabilly.com/2009/04/05/jay-leno-julia-louis-dreyfus-supporting-wga-writers-strike/" rel="nofollow">http://laughabilly.com/2009/04/05/jay-leno-julia-louis-dreyfus-supporting-wga-writers-strike/</a> Newstalgia? Two strikes against punctuality, three balls toward a customized gazette. The GoogleAlert email-notification of the comment I entered here on St. Stupid’s Day arrived late this morning.
Curiously, it came with a link to this late-breaking development:

http://laughabilly.com/2009/04/05/jay-leno-julia-louis-dreyfus-supporting-wga-writers-strike/

Newstalgia? Two strikes against punctuality, three balls toward a customized gazette.

]]> By: Steve Gentile http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-910 Steve Gentile Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:02:52 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-910 Like Grant and others here, I LOVE a good collection of data as much as anyone with an unending desire to binge on information. I agree with Alan on the bookshelf syndrome and looking up at mine now, see everything from Walker Evans and Avedon, to Stafford and Mary Oliver poetry collections, to Jack London and Pearl Buck, countless consumer research volumes. And just to my left, recently re-discovered photo prints from the first roll of film I ever shot 100% by myself - the family farm in Berwick PA! I don't know that I could trade this potpouri of resource for all the RSS and aggregate feeds that pour into my mind via electronic sources at all. And those electronic feeds are just as vital, just as informative, just as memorable. All valuable. And let's not get into the music collection that spans from my grandfather's opera rehearsal recordings and great uncle's compositions for silent films to Gershwin and Diana Krall! Like Grant and others here, I LOVE a good collection of data as much as anyone with an unending desire to binge on information. I agree with Alan on the bookshelf syndrome and looking up at mine now, see everything from Walker Evans and Avedon, to Stafford and Mary Oliver poetry collections, to Jack London and Pearl Buck, countless consumer research volumes. And just to my left, recently re-discovered photo prints from the first roll of film I ever shot 100% by myself – the family farm in Berwick PA!
I don’t know that I could trade this potpouri of resource for all the RSS and aggregate feeds that pour into my mind via electronic sources at all. And those electronic feeds are just as vital, just as informative, just as memorable. All valuable.
And let’s not get into the music collection that spans from my grandfather’s opera rehearsal recordings and great uncle’s compositions for silent films to Gershwin and Diana Krall!

]]> By: Robbie http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-909 Robbie Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:38:51 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-909 Thanks for this post Grant. Last year, we (Context-Based Research Group) did a project on the future of news with The Associated Press. The report is available for free at <a href="http://www.ap.org/newmodel.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.ap.org/newmodel.pdf</a> The report is based on an ethnographic study. We show the existing model for news consumption and then suggest a new model for news. The report then includes ways that the AP has begun to approach using this new model for news. Robbie Thanks for this post Grant. Last year, we (Context-Based Research Group) did a project on the future of news with The Associated Press. The report is available for free at http://www.ap.org/newmodel.pdf

The report is based on an ethnographic study. We show the existing model for news consumption and then suggest a new model for news. The report then includes ways that the AP has begun to approach using this new model for news.

Robbie

]]> By: srp http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-908 srp Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:31:28 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-908 The view from a magazine editor on this topic, about fifteen years ago: <a href="http://www.reason.com/news/show/35551.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.reason.com/news/show/35551.html</a> The particulars have changed, but the principles hold true. The view from a magazine editor on this topic, about fifteen years ago:

http://www.reason.com/news/show/35551.html

The particulars have changed, but the principles hold true.

]]> By: Scott Ellington http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-907 Scott Ellington Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:40:10 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-907 Three cheers for Alan's retort, firstly, adding only that a daily Google Alert for "WGA", "Michael Winship" and "network neutrality" keeps me abreast of current documents in which those terms appear. I may find I'm not entirely riveted by Western Growers Association, and Women's Golf Association, and Windows' Genuine Advantage news, but shortcomings in Google's discriminator are less important to me that its aggregator-function. Nothing will replace the specialized, evolved integrity of an heroic city editor, but until someone/something better is invented, there are transitional work-arounds. Three cheers for Alan’s retort, firstly,
adding only that a daily Google Alert for “WGA”, “Michael Winship” and “network neutrality” keeps me abreast of current documents in which those terms appear. I may find I’m not entirely riveted by Western Growers Association, and Women’s Golf Association, and Windows’ Genuine Advantage news, but shortcomings in Google’s discriminator are less important to me that its aggregator-function.
Nothing will replace the specialized, evolved integrity of an heroic city editor, but until someone/something better is invented, there are transitional work-arounds.

]]> By: Alan http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-906 Alan Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:35:42 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-906 Sorry, Grant, I don't see your problem. Maybe you're just worn out after finishing your latest manuscript? When you walked into Heifer's Bookstore in Cambridge or The Coop in the other Cambridge, or into the Strand or into any bookstore, did you not come out with more books than you really needed? Some are still unread. What thinking person would give over the sheer pleasure of discovering new books to read, new sites to visit, news to digest, commentary to gnaw on (RIP L.E. Sissman, The Innocent Bystander of the old Atlantic Magazine and occasional not-bad poet). Relax. Take down a favorite book. Thumb through the pages. Read your own marginalia. Think a moment about Samuel Johnson, Thomas Jefferson, A.J. Leibling, Freya Stark, Carl Sagan ... you have you own favorite, mindful, generous companions. No one reads all the books in their bookshelves. But they are a comfort to have at hand. You don't need a relationship with an RSS curator. You just need to re-tune relationship with your aggregators. The question is not about information; the question is whether our data is changing our knowledge. And, of course, it is! That is the point. SO take a couple of days off then ease yourself back into the stream. Sorry, Grant, I don’t see your problem. Maybe you’re just worn out after finishing your latest manuscript? When you walked into Heifer’s Bookstore in Cambridge or The Coop in the other Cambridge, or into the Strand or into any bookstore, did you not come out with more books than you really needed? Some are still unread. What thinking person would give over the sheer pleasure of discovering new books to read, new sites to visit, news to digest, commentary to gnaw on (RIP L.E. Sissman, The Innocent Bystander of the old Atlantic Magazine and occasional not-bad poet). Relax. Take down a favorite book. Thumb through the pages. Read your own marginalia. Think a moment about Samuel Johnson, Thomas Jefferson, A.J. Leibling, Freya Stark, Carl Sagan … you have you own favorite, mindful, generous companions. No one reads all the books in their bookshelves. But they are a comfort to have at hand. You don’t need a relationship with an RSS curator. You just need to re-tune relationship with your aggregators. The question is not about information; the question is whether our data is changing our knowledge. And, of course, it is! That is the point. SO take a couple of days off then ease yourself back into the stream.

]]> By: Marc http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-905 Marc Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:52:40 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-905 What a great post Grant. And a topic oh-so-dear to my heart. Information, God I love it, God I can't get enough of it, hang on, where did my life go? One of my favourite sites, trendwatching.com (my favourite thing about them is how they're not shy to just make up words if none fit) has long been saying that Digital Curators will be a hot new job. Great to have one, I'm not sure I'd want to be one. =) best wishes Marc What a great post Grant. And a topic oh-so-dear to my heart. Information, God I love it, God I can’t get enough of it, hang on, where did my life go?

One of my favourite sites, trendwatching.com (my favourite thing about them is how they’re not shy to just make up words if none fit) has long been saying that Digital Curators will be a hot new job.

Great to have one, I’m not sure I’d want to be one.

=) best wishes
Marc

]]> By: Terry Rock http://cultureby.com/2009/03/data-glutton-data-pauper.html/comment-page-1#comment-904 Terry Rock Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:47:32 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=113#comment-904 SciFi (or is it SyFy?) author David Brin has some really intriguing thoughts along these lines in some of his books. "Earth" and "Kiln People" are two that come to mind. Here is a "predictions registry" related to Earth (published in 1990): <a href="http://earthbydavidbrin.pbwiki.com/" rel="nofollow">http://earthbydavidbrin.pbwiki.com/</a> Based on all I've read by Brin, I'd say that your post is pointing out an unstable situation that is going to painfully resolve itself based on the dynamics you've identified. Maybe the word you're looking for, though, is "curator" as opposed to editor? SciFi (or is it SyFy?) author David Brin has some really intriguing thoughts along these lines in some of his books. “Earth” and “Kiln People” are two that come to mind. Here is a “predictions registry” related to Earth (published in 1990): http://earthbydavidbrin.pbwiki.com/

Based on all I’ve read by Brin, I’d say that your post is pointing out an unstable situation that is going to painfully resolve itself based on the dynamics you’ve identified.

Maybe the word you’re looking for, though, is “curator” as opposed to editor?

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