contentious.com

"Of course, on the other hand, this is just about what the judges consider to be quality, not about what the value or cost per user is. Sites that have raised millions to do in-depth reporting with a full-time staff of traditional journalists who left papers for these well-funded ventures are, by definition, turning out a very difference product than someone who creates a local community media site for an under-served community."

"The Consumer Reports poll shows that consumers are trying to take steps to limit the information that is being collected and shared about them online. For example, over one-third (35%) use alternate email addresses to avoid providing real information; over one-quarter (26%) have used software that hides their identity; and one-quarter have provided fake information to access a website (25%).

Among the other findings of the poll:

• 61% are confident that what they do online is private and not shared without their permission;
• 57% incorrectly believe that companies must identify themselves and indicate why they are collecting data and whether they intend to share it with other organizations;
• 48% incorrectly believe their consent is required for companies to use the personal information they collect from online activities;
• 43% incorrectly believe a court order is required to monitor activities online.

"The chairman and CEO of General Electric Co. branded U.S. energy policy a failure in remarks to a smart grid conference yesterday, saying that other nations, led by China, are speeding past the United States in developing the next generation of energy technologies.

"It's just stupid what we have here today," said Jeffrey Immelt, who heads the largest U.S. new energy technology company, speaking to the GridWise Global Forum in Washington. "Energy is one of the places I worry about most," he added. "The rest of the world is moving 10 times faster than we are. The United States will remain an underdog in clean energy competition unless Congress can get past its partisan deadlock and produce effective national energy policies, he said."

"What's your strategy for reaching an audience that leans heavily on mobile devices (non-Apple mobile devices) and is thirsty for deep and meaningful interaction via social media? If you think you can do it the same way you're doing it for your larger customer base, you're wrong."

"In summation, I don't see how being a non-profit shields a journalist from conflicts of interest, ethical dilemmas or even outright advocacy on the behalf of key donors."

"So my issue is not so much with the bugs themselves, but with how they're handled. As I've found, and many of my readers have found, Android users have no clear recourse when they're experiencing problems with the OS. And no one–not Google, the phone manufacturer, or the carrier–is taking real responsibility when issues occur after an update's release. So where can customers turn?"

Sustainable desert city, with unfortunate side effect: isolationism

Great little free media player app. It'll play any kind of file.

note today at the top of the lead story on CNN.com: "Editor's note: The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and website based in Brooklyn, New York. VBS.TV is Vice's broadband television network. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers."

an insanely smart, funny podcaster whose productivity tips help me a lot. p

Abso-freakin-lutely hilarious podcast about what can go wrong with sex. Definitely not work/kid safe…

Want to know the difference? CNET covers it in detail.

"I'm certainly not saying that feature phones are dead, at least not yet. If you're willing to shop around and wait a little bit, you can still get feature phones for as low as $30 with a two-year contract–smartphones aren't nearly as cheap. As above, the data plan requirements tend to be cheaper, and there are still carriers that don't require feature phones to have data plans. But I have a sneaky suspicion that as feature phones get more complex, and as smartphones get cheaper and easier to use, there will be a convergence: The advanced feature phone will become synonymous with the basic smartphone, and the only difference will be the operating systems.

" I think that manufacturers will still push the midtier and basic feature phones for that specific market, but the only way these devices will take off is if carriers will quit imposing these data plan requirements, or at least keep them on the low end."

Yeah, that's the spirit! We're all in this together! Riiiiiiigggght…..

"In some states, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan to stop offering policies that cover only children. The health insurance giant says the health care changes have created what it calls “an unlevel competitive environment.”

Why Groupon needs to work carefully with advertisers to craft deals that are not only good deals for all, but feasible. Things like limiting the max number that can be sold is a good idea.

"Your mom said a semi-truck would take off your hand if you stuck it out the car window, and the amusement park is rather vague as to the consequences of feet or hands escaping the car. Since the threat of the Large Hadron Collider destroying the universe through a manmade black hole has died down a bit, why not have a bit of fun? This video sticks the question, “What would happen if you stuck your hand in the LHC?” to some of the world’s best minds."

"The idea of the new site is to bolster both content and audience — on the cheap. (JRC, you’ll recall, declared bankruptcy last February; since Paton took the helm of the company shortly after that — with an advisory board that includes new media thinkers the likes of Jay Rosen and Jeff Jarvis — it’s been engaged in the Herculean task of restoring a network of small, Rust Belt papers to profitability. Remarkably, it’s getting close.) The new effort will tap into Philly’s existing content infrastructure — the hyperlocal blogs that have already sprung up to cover the area — and then give that content, via the hyperlocal news provider Outside.in, a singular publishing platform. The details are still being worked out, but the idea is a mutualization of resources and revenues that will benefit all involved, from the local bloggers to the Journal Register Company to its partners — to, of course, the site’s consumers. Think TBD, Philly edition."

IMHO: It'll be interesting to see how heavily Patch relies on unpaid interns for its editorial operations. I support internships, including unpaid ones. I benefited from several in j-school. But Patch might lean on them too much. We'll see…

"Hopefully Patch will provide a balance for its interns. As reporting becomes digitalized, learning social media skills provided by a hyperlocal site is critical for journalists' careers. Yet after students have built the necessary skill set, Patch and other news organizations should seek to offer fair compensation and possible room for growth. Early this year the UK implemented guidelines to protect journalism interns from being exploited for their writing, such as limited unpaid work to less than two months. Will PatchU be mutually beneficial to students, or will the internship program be perceived as merely an attempt to obtain free content?"

"SAY Media says that it will continue to support Movable Type and TypePad, but forgive us if we’re skeptical that will last. The new entity is clearly focused on building out a new-age advertising network, not on building out a blogging platform to compete with WordPress or Tumblr.

"The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism has been awarded two $3 million grants to help it establish the nation’s most intensive program in entrepreneurial journalism with the creation of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism and the first Master of Arts degree in Entrepreneurial Journalism."

Ethan Zuckerman recommends this as a way to passively track your online media habits.