Month: October 2014

Facebook’s phony claim that “you’re in charge.”

It simply isn't true that an algorithmic filter can be designed to remove the designers from the equation. That assertion melts on contact, and a New York Times reporter who receives such a claim from a Facebook engineer should somehow signal to us that he knows how bogus it is.

Published 27 Oct 2014 12:04 pm

Why do they give us tenure?

That's what I asked Jeff Hancock, the Cornell University professor who collaborated with Facebook on its 'emotional contagion' study, which subtly manipulated the news feeds of users to see if happier inputs made for sadder outputs. I also listened closely as he spoke of being in the center of an internet storm. Conclusion: I am not convinced.

Published 25 Oct 2014 10:20 pm

First Look Media: a personal update

In November of last year, I said that I was joining First Look Media, Pierre Omidyar's start-up, as a (paid) advisor. Today, I am announcing that I am no longer involved in First Look.

Published 10 Oct 2014 12:31 pm