Blurts

LifeHacker is one of my favorite sites for general information. This recent post on how to walk on ice was informative. If you lived in North Dakota, you would understand.

A new survey from PEW asks participants how they read books. There is a steady shift toward reading ebooks and a small decline in the total number of books read. Still, I was impressed by the number of books people claim to have read – average of 15, median of 6. The difference (average vs. middle) is a function of some readers who read a very large number of books.

Advocates for 1:1 and BYOD make, in my opinion, one consistent error. The focus is on the device and not the access. The potential of such programs in improving opportunities for all depends on access. I am guessing most would realize this if they thought carefully about the money they spend on their smartphones – the cost of the phone is not the challenge, what is the cost of the two-year data plan.

Google’s interest in wireless may influence this discussion if they begin to offer an alternative to cell access.

Forbes has a nice story on WordPress (software that runs this blog). Part of the story concerns the issue of monetization as applied to WordPress – how do you make money when you give such a popular product away for free.

GigaOM offers a nice summary of ways to follow the 2013 inauguration online.