I’m not really sure I like the Coverflow-style UI CNN.com is using for this, but I like the concept, as it solves one of my longest-standing complaints about online news. As a person who doesn’t really keep up on news day-to-day, I often jump into a story several days in (when something gets really big, instead of at the very beginning). The problem I often have is that the articles I find at that point are all about the latest developments in the story, and often assume I already know how it all started and what has happened to date. This “backstory” feature attacks that problem by providing a chronological UI to all the stories related to a particular current event. It works, but I personally would rather just see a chronological list of bullet points that catches me up without all the glitz. Still, I’m happy to see someone trying to address the problem. Visit site »
Just how will Apple meet expectations? Using the patent application as a guide, Apple appears to be making room on the iPhone for flash memory, which means an end to Apple’s standoff with Adobe (ADBE) that’s kept iPhones from easily viewing a plethora of Internet videos. Apple has said that Adobe’s flash media player, which is on hundreds of other phones, doesn’t perform up to Apple’s standards for the iPhone.
Wow. Just, wow. Visit site »
Check out the “latest news” section — see the tee-shirt icon next to each story? If you click it, you can buy a shirt with that headline on it. Seriously. This is probably the worst idea in the history of the internet. Wow. The best part, though, is that the headline is URL-encoded in the URI, so I was able to make my own. Visit site »
A nice blog post about the CNN.com beta design that includes some possible alternatives. Visit site »
According to Money, my hometown (Olathe, KS) is the 13th best place to live in America. Overland Park (minutes away from Olathe) is the 6th best. Lawrence, KS, where I live now, is the 19th best place for singles and the 20th “most educated” city in America. All three of these Kansas cites are within 30 minutes of one another. Interesting stuff, and a nice example of “database journalism.” Visit site »