Category Archives: autonomy

browser extensions = user freedom

Posted on June 5, 2010 by ben

The web browser has become the universal trusted client. That can be good: users can mostly rely on their browsers to isolate their banking site from the other web sites they visit. It can also be bad for users’ freedom: … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, privacy, web | 1 Comment

the genius of Steve Jobs: he makes you want the lock-in

Posted on April 29, 2010 by ben

Steve Jobs is a genius for many reasons, but one reason that may be under-appreciated is his unparalleled ability to convince users that he’s locking them into his platforms for their own good. Consider Jobs’s latest letter explaining why he … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy | 7 Comments

What Nick Carr doesn’t get: hobbyists are the canary in the coal mine

Posted on April 7, 2010 by ben

I told myself I wouldn’t write about the iPad anymore, but I have to. Nick Carr has joined the John Gruber club, by calling us Luddites: What these folks are ranting against, or at least gnashing their teeth over, is … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy | 4 Comments

Myth: the app store will protect you and prevent user confusion

Posted on April 5, 2010 by ben

An interesting thing happened with the Apple AppStore this weekend: This weekend, as hundreds of thousands of people explored their iPads [...] they found [...] an application called Facebook Ultimate, featuring a sleek version of the familiar ‘f’ logo. The … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, security | Leave a comment

“It’s a tradeoff” and other uni-dimensional thinking

Posted on April 3, 2010 by ben

Many folks, like John Gruber, are responding to criticisms of the iPad’s closed ecosystem with the “it’s a tradeoff” idea: to have such a great computer, you need to lock it down. Some use the argument that Linux has never … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, policy | 4 Comments

The Accidental Tinkerer, Unexpected Lock-in, and Fatherhood

Posted on April 2, 2010 by ben

Ben Fry recently explained his concerns about the iPad: I want to build software for this thing. I’m really excited about the idea of a touch-screen computing platform that’s available for general use from a known brand who has successfully … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, personal, policy | 7 Comments

The Great Content Lockdown of 2010

Posted on March 31, 2010 by ben

I had an invigorating and thought-provoking chat with my good friend Oliver Roup today. We agreed that the Apple iPad is going to be an unbelievable success. I’ve thought from day one that it would be huge, but I think … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, policy, web | 4 Comments

a prediction regarding the Apple “Tablet”

Posted on December 26, 2009 by ben

Why a prediction? Eh, cause it’s fun and cause I think the Apple Tablet will have a large impact on consumer computing. I think Apple will launch a tablet computer in January that will be aimed at saving TV and … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, policy | Leave a comment

The erosion of our expectation of autonomy, and the Kindle Pledge

Posted on July 21, 2009 by ben

As much as DRM bothers me, I’ve tolerated some implementations of it, specifically Apple iTunes, Apple’s iPhone App Store, and the Amazon Kindle, because I’ve gotten more value than pain out of them. And, usually, the DRM didn’t get in … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy | 4 Comments

Quis custodiet Hawk-Eye?

Posted on July 7, 2009 by ben

This past Sunday, I watched the awesome Wimbledon Finals, and I couldn’t help but notice the number of times that Hawk-Eye, the computerized “line-calling” system, overruled the human judges, even the Umpire regarding one particularly important point. The sports commentators … Continue reading →

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