“Why Things Suck!”
Wired magazine. Who knew?
I am not a techy, by any stretch. Just posting the following image taxed the meager tech skills I have:
So when I picked up the current issue of Wired magazine, I imagined myself thumbing past most everything except the cover piece that caught my eye: “Why Things Suck”, a survey of “33 Things that Make Us Crazy[And/Or Don’t Work Like They Are Supposed To]”, such as spam filters, subscription cards inside magazines, and DVD sound quality.
Color me surprised. I also found “The Secret History of the iPhone”–the backstory of the product’s development and how it has upended the wireless industry–interesting, even though I barely use all the features of my Treo 650.
I read in one sitting a fairly lengthy piece about two very different pioneers of artificial intelligence, both in their 30s who, eerily, ended up dying identical deaths–at their own hands.
Also fascinating was a piece about self-professed assholes called “griefers” who live to sabotage Second Life, an online 3-D virtual world I have been curious about from afar. I’d love to hear from anyone who has “played” there.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I enjoyed Wired cover-to-cover. At Border’s, you can’t find it with the computer mags; you have to look in “Culture and Society” section (or “Culture and Something-Else” section; I forget). I like Wired’s take on tech stuff as it works to shape our culture, and conversely, how our cultural demands and quirks inform technological developments. I also like that Wired gets that the U.S. is not the center of the cultural, social, and political universe (Exhibits A and B: a piece on ecotopias worldwide; a look at the technology being used to piece together documents detailing the dirty dealings of East Germany’s Secret Police).
Something that does not suck is Wired Blog Network’s Threat Level feature online. Threat Level presents news related to “Privacy, Security, Politics, and Crime Online”, news like:
Barack Obama Enjoys Huge Win in South Carolina
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[1] Mini-Me (age 9) has declared ’suck’ a bad word. I’m sure when she sees the cover of the magazine her head will spin.
Multi-tasking stats: While writing this entry, I also: Managed my money merge account; ordered a bday gift for a friend; emailed a potential interview subject for my adoption article-in-progress; took a call from The Ex; listened to my stomach growl; took a call from The Boyfriend asking what I wanted for lunch; checked email.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Yup - I read Wired from time to time. It’s usually in the business section at my local B&N. Didn’t catch the issue you mention above. But I mos def will. Never lived in “Second Life,” although I’ve heard lots about it. Don’t know anyone that plays it either. I hear it’s an improved version of the popular SIMS…