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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
by
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
by
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…
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The mobile web: 2.0 into one doesn’t go
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Andrew Orlowski
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Hoping some Californian magic pixie dust might fall upon the sleepy world of telephony, the Symbian Smartphone Show organisers devoted an afternoon of presentations to the topic of “Social Media”. Would Web 2.0 make it to the phone? It had a bit of your Dad at the Disco about it, and even Symbian’s no-nonsense research…
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Management consultants on the march, powered by Junk Science
by
Andrew Orlowski
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Now you know: Blogging is ‘un-Christian’
by
Andrew Orlowski
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Blathering on blogs is un-Christian, an Evangelical church has warned. “Blogging has become a socially accepted practice – just as are dating seriously too young, underage drinking and general misbehaving,” notes the monthly of the Reformed Church of God, Ambassador Youth. Blogging “often makes the blogger feel good or makes him feel as if his…