Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times, published a book on media called Merchants of Truth. Many passages appear to be plagiarized. I’ll explain why authors do this and how you can make sure you never do. I can already feel your outrage. Plagiarize? I would never do that! No respectable author…
Did you notice how robots took over the Super Bowl commercials? By robots, of course, I mean all manner of intelligent assistants, both traditionally robotic and in the cloud. There was the robotic child who lacked the empathy to be a TurboTax live advisor, the smart speaker that couldn’t enjoy all the flavors of Pringles,…
Nielsen, the ratings giant that measures how we watch TV, browse the Web, and buy things, is for sale to private equity. Just watch: you’re about to see a perfect example what happens money men get their claws into the economics of monopoly. As I wrote yesterday, monopolies prioritize strategy over customers. As I learned…
The strangest thing happened to me the other day. And I’m wondering why Facebook doesn’t have the (artificial) intelligence to catch it. This attractive woman who I didn’t know sent me a friend request on Facebook. Has that ever happened to you? It has? So it’s not just me? In fact, since I’ve been on…
If you had profited from a highly addictive drug that had done great damage to society, what would you do? A trial about this — about Insys and fentanyl — is happening right now in Boston. But I’m not talking about opioids. I’m talking about Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal looks…
The wizards from Black Mirror have delivered a new kind of entertainment on Netflix: a “choose-your-own-adventure” interactive drama called “Bandersnatch.” It involves the viewer (player?) in a way that’s goes beyond both games and film. I think “Bandersnatch” is a harbinger of amazing new kinds of entertainment to come. “Bandersnatch” is the story of Stefan…
The local paper of Jamestown, New York, The Post-Journal, has now revealed that 51-year-old actress Julia Roberts’ aging holes are doing well. Up close and personal is fine for a profile, but this closeup seems a bit extreme. Even so, it made me think about how many more mistakes we see these days, and why. Here’s what…
The brutal stock downturn and indicators like the bond yield curve are signaling that a recession might be on its way. It must be that time again: Time for economists to make equivocal predictions, and journalists to equivocate madly writing about them. Neil Irwin of The New York Times feature “The Upshot” is here to…
Starting on December 17, the social media site Tumblr will implement new rules to block adult content. But defining obscenity hasn’t gotten any easier . . . and this was one of the most nudity- and pornography-tolerant social networks out there. This odd choice will spectacularly destroy Tumblr, and reveal once again how platforms always…