CNET | joeross.me

May 1, 2013 ∞

Path is still spamming your contacts

If you’re a Path user, consider, er, reconsidering. This is apparently the best they can do in response.

CNET’s Jennifer Van Grove was told that the #1 request from users is to find friends on Path, hence the aggressive “new-user flow.”

Why does “find my friends on Path” translate to the app’s creators as “invite everyone in my phone’s address book to use Path, without explaining that the message is automated and being sent because I opted in” ?

I would be happy to advise Path on acceptable, reasonable on-boarding and invitation flows for a modest fee. I can be reached at JoeHelpsPath ( @ ) joeross ( . ) me.

Feb 3, 2013 ∞

CBS "Streisanding" itself among courts with CNET debacle

CBS “Streisanding” itself among courts with CNET debacle

CBS’s strong-arming of CNET on this front has the exact opposite of the intended effect: now that it is clear how much control CBS has and is willing to exert over CNET content, any reasonable court must consider the possibility that the corporation is as deliberate about what CNET is allowed to do as they are being about what CNET is not allowed to do. Stock manipulation is the one I’m really thinking about here, but perhaps there are others.

It’s poor management, poor lawyering, and broken logic.

Nov 19, 2012 ∞

Xbox 720 leak: Blu-ray, Kinect 2.0, new controller

I don’t typically post rumors or leaks, but this stuff is exciting to me, so here it is, for whatever it’s worth to you.

Aug 18, 2012 ∞

Obama to NASA: I want to know about Martians right away

President Obama, speaking to NASA’s Curiosity team (as quoted by CNET‘s Chris Matyszczyk):

If, in fact, you do make contact with Martians, please let me know right away. I’ve got a lot of other things on my plate, but I suspect that that would go to the top of the list, even if theyre just microbes.

Jul 13, 2012 ∞

In Brief: How Reed Hastings Almost Undid Netflix

Greg Sandoval, writing at CNET:

For most of the former Netflix employees who moved to Qwikster, their old jobs had been filled. They no longer had a place at the company.

I once asked “What is going on at Netflix?” I wasn’t alone, either. Reed Hastings definitely failed all of his customers in the price-hike/Qwikster debacle, but this good article by Greg Sandoval at CNET points out that Hastings screwed a bunch of perfectly good employees, too.