The Jeff Beckham Weblog

McCain and Kennedy working extra jobs to make ends meet?
2 supervisors at raided meatpacking plant arrested

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The latest issue of The Economist takes a look at how Speedo’s new LZR swimsuit has revolutionized the sport in the four months. Forty-two world swimming records have been broken since the suit was introduced in February, and 38 of those record-breaking swims were by competitors wearing LZRs.

The technology that went into the $600 suit [...]

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As IBM researcher John Tang says here, there is “a certain amount of irony” in the fact that top technology firms are banding together to study ways to solve information overload. Even more ironic is the proposal that the solution to this particular technology problem is “simply more and better technology”.
It’s not a technology problem, [...]

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Casting a vote for simplicity in today’s gadgets, it turns out that only 5 percent of electronics that are returned are actually defective. Customers say (or think) that they’re broken, when actually, they’re either too hard to use or don’t meet their expectations.
A report by Accenture says that 68 percent of returned electronics fall into [...]

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Sure, awards are subjective — they subjectively good when you’re included in the finalists and winners, and subjectively bad when you’re not. But there is an interesting commonality running through many of the media websites nominated for 2008 EPpy Awards, the top interactive contest put on by Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek.
For news web sites, [...]

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Texas Monthly’s May issue features a celebration of Willie Nelson’s 75th birthday. If the amazing cover photo is any indication, the story inside should be terrific.

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Scott Porter, who plays tragic hero Jason Street on NBC’s Friday Night Lights, is co-hosting what’s being billed as the Friday Night Lights Super Bowl Party at Scottsdale’s Taste Ultra Lounge on Feb. 1.
Joining Porter as hosts are Playboy Playmate Kendra Wilkinson, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, and the recently retired Warren Sapp.
You [...]

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I hardly mail anything at the post office anymore, maybe once a month, but these Eames stamps that are part of the 2008 USPS collection might have me finding more excuses to use snail mail.

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I’m beginning 2008 by catching up on a few things from 2007, and I’m glad for it. Today, I began implementing some of Steve Rubel’s suggestions to Turn Gmail Into Your Personal Nerve Center. The IMified program added to Google’s chat feature turns out to be impressively powerful. It’s funny to think that Steve wrote [...]

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UPDATE (Dec. 20): The photo I took was included in the latest edition of the Schmap New York Guide.
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I got a note this week that one of the photos I took during our recent trip to New York was “short-listed” to be included in the Schmap New York Guide.
Schmap publishes digital travel guides for destinations [...]

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