Giggle, Diggle, or Doogle? Google close to buying Digg

Two sites that co-enable my Internet addiction are potentially joining forces this week as Google looks to make a bid for Digg.com (via TechCrunch) .  From a user’s standpoint, this may be a great marriage of two complementary Internet services.  I manage my productivity almost exclusively with Google tools ( igoogle, gmail, gcal, google notebook, google scholar, etc.) and I use Digg as one of my primary portals to “news”, interesting websites, and the general atmosphere of the web.

So what does Digg get out of the deal (besides money for Kevin Rose)?  Google could certainly take Digg’s functionality, algorithm design, and their new (and highly criticized) recommendation system to the next level.  And with Google’s name and power on the Web, Digg’s user base will likely rise.

Herr Doctor Professor Bockstedt

I successfully defended my dissertation this past Monday.  So now I guess I’m officially Dr. Bockstedt.  I’m heading out to look for places to live in the DC area soon and getting excited to start my job at GMU in August.  I have to say, though, the completion of the Ph.D. was a bit anticlimactic.  I’m happy to be done and am proud of the accomplishment, but when you work towards something for several years you tend to ignore the process and focus on the endpoint.  Well, I’ve reached the endpoint and I think I will greatly miss the process of being a graduate student.  Luckily I get to start a job that is, in essence, the same - research and teaching - but in a more intense capacity and with slightly better pay!

Nike: Take it to the next level - Best Commercial Ever?

I saw this for the first time during half-time of the second leg of the Man U - Barca Champions League semi last week and since then it has been gaining a lot of popularity online. Today it reached the front page of digg. The fact that the player whose POV you’re seeing is playing for the Gunners makes this ad even better. I love seeing Fabregas and Gallas getting some state side air-time. And it wouldn’t be a Nike soccer commercial if the buck-toothed wonder Ronaldinho and pretty boy Ronaldo didn’t make appearances. Much props to Nike for this truly innovative and entertaining commercial. Every time I see this, I want to fire up the xBox 360 for a few of my Arsenal manager mode games in FIFA 08!

Dropbox Beta

I finally got my invitation to the Dropbox beta last night. I’ve set up my laptop and work PC and invited my friend and research colleague in Singapore to share a folder. Dropbox let’s me synchronize my files across multiple computers (regardless of OS) and backup files online. It’s also ideal for collaboration because you can create shared folders with other Dropbox users - almost like a CVS for knowledge work. This tool is a great step forward for CSCW. Microsoft has a competing product called Windows Live FolderShare that my dad is trying out, and there are rumors that Google may offer a cloud desktop environment type tool soon. I haven’t gotten any straight-up Dropbox invites to pass out yet, but I can invite people to share a folder with me which also invites them to join Dropbox (but I don’t know how many of these I get).

Getting Things Done by integrating SMS, gCal, RTM, & Twitter

So last night I reached a new level of integration with my online productivity tools. I’ve never had much use for text messaging, most my friends and family call or IM, but with the huge potential for using SMS to manage my daily life I’m starting to become an SMS convert.

First off, I set-up my Google calendar to recognize my mobile and now I can create events via SMS. You can also have gCal send you notifications of upcoming events and query your daily schedule via SMS. Then I imported the Remember the Milk (RTM) calendar into gCal so my task lists show up in my daily calendar. RTM is a great web-based to-do manager that also has an iGoogle widget. Finally, I became friends with RTM on Twitter. This lets me send a direct message to RTM through Twitter to create and manipulate tasks (complete, postpone, query, etc.) via SMS and IM. So now I’m able to have a fully mobile productivity management system driven by SMS. No longer will I need to write notes on the back of my hand - SMS is my new best friend.

Dissertation Defense Scheduled

I have scheduled my dissertation final defense for late June with my committee.  I now just need to file the paper work with the Graduate School and get a formatted dissertation document to the assigned readers on my committee.  If all goes well, I will be able to graduate at the end of June (doctorate graduation happens at the end of the month in which you defend) and be unemployed until I start at GMU in August.

Quote of the Week

“There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you’ve made a discovery. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you’ve made a discovery.” - Enrico Fermi

That’s what I call an optimistic view on scientific research!

Assistant Professor Bockstedt

Just a quick announcement : I accepted a job as an assistant professor in the information systems and operations management (ISOM) area of the School of Management at George Mason University. I’ll be starting this August, so anyone want to help me move to Northern Virginia this summer? I hope to teach in the undergrad and MBA programs as well as the MS in technology management program.

Free econometrics software that’s actually worth the price!

In the last part of my dissertation I’ve been using a time series econometrics method called vector autoregression to empirically model the dynamics of innovation of information technology components, products, and infrastructure (sounds pretty awesome doesn’t it). Because I’m still a poor graduate student for the next few months and CSOM won’t let me keep any software I purchase with my research stipend - I’ve been exploring open source and free econometrics software. I found two packages that are quite good and well worth the effort to download and try out. 

I want my digital information goods

It’s been a while since I wrote a post, so today I’m going to bombard you with three posts (look out!).

A few stories I saw on the interwebs this week have compelled me to write about developments in the use of digital information goods by consumers. First, iTunes has just passed Wal-mart to become the #1 music retailer (via Ars Technica) in the US. Just a few months ago, iTunes passed Best Buy to become #2, and the continued growth of their sales (combined with the decline of CD sales across all retailers) has pushed them to #1 fairly quickly. More and more people are purchasing (not just stealing) their music in purely digital form. This bodes well for the continued slow death of the CD and maybe, just maybe, the increased profits from lower manufacturing, inventory, and transportation costs (see digital info goods are helping the environment!) with the decrease in physical CD production will mollify the RIAA. Also, Amazon’s strategy of selling both CDs and DRM-free mp3s will likely payoff in the long-run since they can hedge their bets until the transition to digital is complete.