Author Archives: GilPress

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About GilPress

I launched the Big Data conversation; writing, research, marketing services; http://whatsthebigdata.com/ & https://infostory.com/

Google Hotpot: All Information is Local

Posted on November 16, 2010 by GilPress

Google just launched Hotpot, a location-based recommendation application. Mashable notes that “location is one of the fastest-growing segments of the tech industry.” Twenty years ago, just before the Web was unleashed on us, I used to tell people that “all … Continue reading →

Posted in Location-based information services | Leave a comment

Metcalfe’s “Law,” Information Monopolies, and Facebook

Posted on November 15, 2010 by GilPress

Tim Wu in the Wall Street Journal today writes about Metcalfe’s “Law” (or what he calls “our convenience”) as what guarantees that the more things change in the information economy, the more the stay the same (new big monopolies for … Continue reading →

Posted in Information Economy, Social Networks, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The InfoStory Quant: How Much Video?

Posted on November 15, 2010 by GilPress

Americans watch on average 30 minutes of Web video daily (40% more than in 2009) compared to five hours of TV. Tipping point in 2015?

Posted in Television, The InfoStory Quant | Leave a comment

This Day in Information: The Literary Cabinet and the College Bully

Posted on November 15, 2010 by GilPress

Today in 1806, The Literary Cabinet, an eight-page biweekly, was first published at Yale, with the goal of raising money to assist self-supporting students. It lasted only until October 1807 but it may have been the first college magazine in … Continue reading →

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This Day in Information: The First American Librarian

Posted on November 14, 2010 by GilPress

Today in 1732, Louis Timothee was hired as the first salaried librarian in the American colonies.

Posted in Libraries | 1 Comment

Gems from the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair

Posted on November 14, 2010 by GilPress

Whiting, Sydney. Memoirs of a stomach. Written by himself, that all who eat may read. Edited by a Minister of the Interior. London: Chapman and Hall, 1854.

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Save-the-Words Campaign

Posted on November 14, 2010 by GilPress

Pick an endangered word and sign a pledge promising to work it into your everyday communication as much as possible. Mine is Historiaster, or contemptible historian. I’m thinking of creating a Historiasters Hall of Fame. Or maybe I should go … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | 1 Comment

The Newsweek DailyBeast Co.: Print to the Rescue?

Posted on November 12, 2010 by GilPress

“…print magazines still generally take in far more money than their Web-only counterparts.” —Wall Street Journal (AP story) “It also gives Mr. Diller, a member of the board of The Washington Post Company, the longtime former owner of Newsweek, a … Continue reading →

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Visualizing Words and Emotions

Posted on November 11, 2010 by GilPress

Great story by Assma Malik in the Montreal Gazette on the data visualization work of Jonathan Harris. “In 2004, computer scientist and artist Jonathan Harris created a data visualization called WordCount. The interactive presentation shows the 86,800 most popular English … Continue reading →

Posted in data visualization | 1 Comment

Draw Your Own Johnny Cash

Posted on November 10, 2010 by GilPress

At the Johnny Cash Project, you can draw a portrait of Johnny Cash which is then integrated with other people’s portraits. Which reminds me that today in 1969, Sesame Street debuted on National Educational Television. Oscar the Grouch: Say! Aren’t … Continue reading →

Posted in data visualization, This day in information | Leave a comment