The NFC Forum announced last week a technology protocol that allows NFC to be able to work in two directions synchronously. The press release touted the flexibility of two-way communication and the standards established at the outset to ensure universal access: The extension of the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) to peer-to-peer use in SNEP […]
#SocialNetworks: Is Facebook Too D@%n Complicated? Depends On What You Want To Share.
We got the notion for this story from Chris Taylor at Mashable.com, who argues that the geeks at Facebook are so excited about adding and tweaking their platform that they are leaving befuddled an ever growing section of their membership. The latest changes have driven him to distraction: Take the Ticker, for example, that real-time stream […]
#SocialNetworks: How Can Social Media Help You When Disaster Strikes?
Natural disasters have been a part of human history since Noah. What has changed is how we get information about – and request help in the midst of – natural disasters. Thanks to digital media, we can get instantaneous reports about earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. from all over the world. But what about disaster that either […]
#Tech: Near-Field Communication (NFC) Could Turn Smartphones Into Donation Engines
Near-Field Technology (NFC) allows short-range communications between an NFC antenna or engineered SIM card and a receiver. The communication is good only up to a couple of feet, which might help make it a secure connection because eavesdroppers need to be next to the users. It is a technology that first appeared in Taiwan in 2007, […]
#Communications: How Twitter Helped And Hurt The Spread Of Information In Two Recent Disasters
As social media become ever more deeply immured into our technology and information landscape, perhaps we should not be surprised that users of such media are starting to be held to standards once expected of reporters at TV stations and newspapers. On the other hand, some seemingly fine reporting about being a lesbian in Syria turns out […]
#Tech: Memorial Day History & Technology To Get You Home
Memorial Day in the US sits on the opposite end of the calendar of most of the western (post-)industrial nations who celebrate it on November 11. While theirs marks the end of hostilities from The Great War (aka World War I), ours marks our Civil War, and was begun to create an opportunity for reunifying […]
Communications: A Beginners Guide to the Social Networking Services
Leading Age (formerly the American Association for Homes & Services for the Aging) has published a useful guide on their website: it’s a quick look at what social networking is, why you should use it to connect to others and share resources, what the various services do for organizations/individuals, and why one would prefer one […]
Social Media: Museums Extend Their Walls To Patrons’ Computers
Museums represent all that is classical, time-honored, and stable in a world of worthy f flux and fad. These institutions are made up of the spaces, curators, and scholars who house, protect, and advocate for what is worthy of inclusion in the collection. Yet some museums are keeping that ethos while also engaging in the […]