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The DIY encyclopedia
by
Andrew Orlowski
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Who can fail to love the can-do spirit and have-a-go enthusiasm of Wikipedia? When the site found itself in need of copyright-free illustrations, one user simply generated his own. We were alerted to this cockle-warming tale via a Something Awful forum, where member Stick_Fig, sets the scene like this: A group of users has decided…
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John Doe blogger is ‘Person of the Year’
by
Andrew Orlowski
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Few publications in the world take themselves as seriously as Time magazine, and Christmas each year finds it at its most unctuous and self-important, as Time chooses its “Person of the Year”. This year, the award for newsmaker of 2006 is given to “You” – the internet user. But perhaps not you or me. The…
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10% of US net users ‘addicted, needing therapy’ (other 90% too burned out to respond)
by
Andrew Orlowski
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Interesting quotes here. But why the social pressure? The American obsession with therapy may almost be considered as a neurosis in its own right. But quacks see promising material in a growing number of internet addicts. “6 percent to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in this country have a dependency that…
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Whatever happened to… The Wisdom of Crowds?
by
Andrew Orlowski
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Future social historians looking back at the web cult – which met in San Francisco this week for a $3,000-a-head “summit” – may wonder what made them tick. Scholars could do worse than examine their superstitions. We’ll bet that lurking on the bookshelf of almost every “delegate” was a copy of James Surowiecki’s The Wisdom…
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Peter Jenner: Big labels are fucked, and DRM is dead
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Andrew Orlowski
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Few people know the music industry better than Peter Jenner. Pink Floyd’s first manager, who subsequently managed Syd Barrett’s solo career, Jenner has also looked after T.Rex, The Clash, Ian Dury, Disposable Heroes and Billy Bragg – who he manages today. He’s also secretary general of the International Music Managers Forum. And he doesn’t pull…
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With Horizon, the BBC abandons science
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Andrew Orlowski
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BBC TV’s venerable science flagship, Horizon, has had a rough ride as it tries to gain a new audience. It’s been accused of “dumbing down”. That’s nothing new – it’s a criticism often leveled at it during its 42 year life. But instead of re-examing its approach, the series’ producers have taken the bold step…