The Pinged Hobbit

Anyone reading this probably uses the web to shop for items and do research just like me. One of the most annoying things of using the web in this way is that when it comes to clicking the print button, what you think is one page of A4 from looking at the screen actually turns out to be 4 or 5 when printed out and usually it is covered with ads which obscure or detract from what you are really interested in. In this age of environmental awareness where everyone is being encouraged to look for ways to save the planet, the amount of wasted paper this generates needs to be reduced. This is not only an environmental saving it is also a monetary saving as well (definitely a good thing with the rising cost of living!)

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In part 1 I talked about how the editable web was making it easier for loosely organised groups of people to work together on projects and tasks even when separated by large distances. This ability to work together is creating a fundamental change in the way consumers are interacting with the products they buy, no longer are they satisfied with merely buying and using a product, they want to be able to be actively involved in the development and continuation of the product.

They want to create their own flavour, there own brand almost. This is happening in all areas, not just software and hardware but the media and toy industry too. This change in the consumer is affecting the way these industries are interact with their customers, some are embracing it and profitting from it. Some like the media industry are fighting it and trying to keep the status quo, almost certain to be a losing battle. Continue reading »

For as long as there has been a society, humans have worked together to achieve goals, the internet is changing the way we collaborate, affecting the way we work together. Making it easier for a larger group of people to co-ordinate their efforts on a project and achieve their goals.

It’s no secret that people like to customise their property some times to improve the product or sometimes to personalise it, look at cars as an example. People customise their cars, they modify the engines in an attempt to increase power. They apply custom paint jobs to make it stand out from the crowd. This same ingenuity is also applied to electronics, there are a lot of people that take electronics as a hobby. They spend their spare time working with different components to build circuits of their own design, not for profit but just for personal interest or the hopes of finding something unique. Continue reading »