UberNoggin

It seems that researchers all over the world are struggling to understand the truth behind our tech dependence. It’s a valiant pursuit but the more studies I read the more I think that we may all be asking the wrong questions. For example, consider this recent British study which asked participants which of the following items they would be least likely to give up for a month:

What people would least like to give up, if given the choice (percentage):

*From Vnunet via Wikinomics

Notice that only 30% of the so called “Net Generation” (16-24) said that they’d be unwilling to give up their cell phones. From the previous studies I’ve seen I really thought that would be higher, closer to 50%+. As a matter of fact, it looks like as Brits get older they become more dependent on their caffeine fix than on their mobile technology. Across all age ranges, UKers are more likely to give up their daily pint at the pub than they are to give up their morning cuppa.

This 30% of NetGen who aren’t willing to give up their cell phone is interesting, however, when you compare it to the mere 13% of 25-34 year olds who are willing to give up their mobiles. 25-34 year olds are more than twice as likely to give up their cells as their younger coworkers. That’s quite a gap and, in my mind, it reaffirms a bit of what we think about the technology generation gap. Perhaps, the Net Gen is still able to use their tech mostly for personal and entertainment reasons rather than being tethered to their work as they will be when they’re a few years older. When you’re 18 your cell is a social device. When you’re 30 it’s a constant connection to your job.

Which would you be most reluctant to give up?

We all love the interactivity, the fun, the sheer ingenuity of the latest Web 2.0 sites popping up all over the internet but can it go too far? Here are a couple I find interesting/questionable/bizarre.

•  Mizpee

Take, for example, Mizpee  , an interactive directory of public bathrooms that you can search from your phone.

My first reaction was “Oh please! Folks will do anything to claim that they’re web 2.0-cool” but then I thought of all the times I’ve been on the run with my three five year-olds in tow and one of them says the dreaded “Umm mommy? I really have to go.” Mizpee could actually come in handy. But then, I’m seldom on the run with the kids in San Francisco or one of the other major cities supported by Mizpee.

What’s smart about this app isn’t the directory of bathrooms, it’s the info they deliver along with the location of the nearest loo. The “Toilet Paper” is a list of deals, restaurants, sales etc in the area near the toilet you choose.  Way to leverage biological necessity into a way to sell stuff!

•  Snoozester

I’d love to talk to the folks who have signed up for this service (if there are any). I’d like to call them first thing in the morning and say “Why the hell don’t you use an alarm clock?!” Snoozester is a pay service that sends wake up calls to your mobile phone. The first few are free but after you’ll have to pay $5 or so for the service. On the upside, you can be woken up by a pirate, a guy from India (racist? I’m not sure), an “all American girl” or a few other choices.

Some ideas are better left on the office white board.

• Stardoll 

Just the other day I turned to my friend and said “My life would be so much better if I just had a Hilary Duff paper doll to dress up.” My prayers were answered.

Stardoll not only has horrible vector art paper dolls to print of all our favorite obnoxious celebrities but you can even make your own! Go ahead, you know you want to. The bonus is, when you’re done creating your Frankenstein, you can actually print it out, cut it out, and put on your own Real World pit matches with your celebrity puppets. What fun! **cough**

•  Quicktoons

Ever wonder where folks who like  law suits go to create their web 2.0 goodies? Here’s a hint…

Quicktoons is a goofy little site that lets you create your own three panel comic strip using lots (well ok…maybe 5) characters and exciting backgrounds like umm…bathrooms? I’m sure Stan Lee and Jim Davis are lightening their work load with this handy app. **grumbles off to get more coffee**

So enough poking fun at bad web 2.0 ideas. I can hear you “It’s easy to poke fun at other people’s ideas, Sarah.” This is true. It’s also more fun but that’s not the point. What makes a web 2.0 app really successful? It’s got to be useful! More than just your mom has to think it’s handy. To last more than the typical 180 days, a web 2.0 app needs to improve our lives, make our days easier, automate our tasks or connect us to people who make us happy. In the endless rush to be the next big thing with their “site-alicious” and “site-snatcher-grabber.com” like titles, these companies seem to forget that the purpose of such sites (if they’re to last) is to increase productivity whether that be personal or business. It’s fine to create a site that’s just a time waster; wasting time can be fun. The keyword being fun! Not lame!

Am I wrong? Am I expecting too much from participatory web sites?

Today is Tuesday. The most boring day of the week. It’s not the beginning, the middle, or even almost the end of the week. Ah poor Tuesday. Let’s pump Tuesday up a notch and create some knowledge!

Here’s the challenge. Go to go2web20.net and pick a Web 2.0 app that interests you and critique it here in the comments. What’s fun? cool? annoying? handy? You have until midnight PST.

The most useful, funny, insane review will win a fabulous prize!

Well no, not really. But it got your attention.  He did manage to mention Viagra and condoms a couple of times during a keynote today.
I’m at EduComm 2007 in Anaheim CA this week where I gave a talk, “Creating Community-Oriented Learning Spaces: Using Second Life in the Classroom”. This morning David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, delivered his key note speech in which he listed off five technologies that he thinks educators should watch.
1.    VOIP
2.    TV on demand
3.    Hi-Def
4.    RFID
5.    Web 2.0 – participatory web
Now, I like David Pogue. He’s a fellow Dummies author, really the king of the Dummies, and his column and tv show, “It’s Geek to Me,” are some of my favorites. And though he was funny and well informed, I felt like Pogue held back. Maybe your reaction to his list was like mine: “Well, duh!” It would be a good list if it were a year or two old but come on, David, you know more than this. My guess is that Pogue assumed that educators aren’t as techy and that he should cover only larger generalized categories of technology. If you were to make your list of five technologies to watch in the next year what would be on your list?
I agree with Pogue about VOIP. Telephone lines simply aren’t the commodity they used to be. At least not for carrying phone calls. It’s all about data now. It doesn’t matter if it’s data for a picture, data for a phone call, or data for a video. All bits are the same and this means the death of the LAN line.
Web 2.0 is certainly a technology to watch but it’s such a generic term that it doesn’t really direct our attention to any specific movement. Rather, I’d direct us to watch social, immersive, and participatory web technologies which are my #2, #3, and #4.
Last, but not least, I’d say we should watch mobile technologies and wearable computers. The implications of having the power of a desktop in our pockets goes far beyond phone calls and text messages. Technology that allows us to learn and work anywhere will change the ways businesses and universities work and the way we see students and classrooms.