Ben Millen » iPhone Deconstruction — In researching the iPhone as a part of Critical Wayfinding, the analysis of the device, the corporation, the vast network of shareholders, technology and the distribution infrastructure that surrounds it yielded an overwhelming amount of information. In an attempt to organize this information into a format that is engaging and reflective of the wayfinding foundations of the project, two large conceptual diagrams in the style of Harry Beck’s London Underground diagram were produced.
These are not maps in any conventional sense, but rather diagramatic representations of the interconnected space of technology, capital, instrumental value, exchange value, social and environmental impact that surround the device. The first diagram focuses primarily on the physical device, and the existence of the device as an object in our world. The second examines the placement of the device with respect to the individual and society.

Google’s Tablet versus Apple’s iPad: Open versus Closed? — Apple’s decision to veto Flash represents a philosophical difference between the two companies – Google would never intentionally “break” the web. But Apple has a vision for their devices, and if they don’t like how something is built, it won’t run on their hardware. Flash may only be the first casualty in this war. This means any future company developing new web standards or software will either have to work with Apple – as Microsoft did with their Silverlight runtime – or deal with the potential consequences of losing access to millions of mobile users.

El Francotirador » Welcome to Chile? — Sí, puede que Chile no se convierta en una potencia de la externalización, pero esta gema sudamericana bien podría convertirse en la nueva tierra de las oportunidades para la generalidad de los inmigrantes y para los emprendedores tecnológicos interesados en las exportaciones.

The New Socialism: Global Collectivist Society Is Coming Online — Bill Gates once derided open source advocates with the worst epithet a capitalist can muster. These folks, he said, were a “new modern-day sort of communists,” a malevolent force bent on destroying the monopolistic incentive that helps support the American dream. Gates was wrong: Open source zealots are more likely to be libertarians than commie pinkos. Yet there is some truth to his allegation. The frantic global rush to connect everyone to everyone, all the time, is quietly giving rise to a revised version of socialism.