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I've been following this despite myself for a while. It does a pretty good job at illustrating a problem with this instant update news you get so much these day

I've been following this despite myself for a while. It does a pretty good job at illustrating a problem with this instant update news you get so much these days. Too much thought and words spent on intermediate situations. It's almost certain that not all details are known and of the ones that are known, some will probably turn out to be incorrect. And now every time a little tidbit of information turns up, everyone starts interpreting the new situation (with the added tidbit of information). New conjecture, new advice, new commentary. Then when the next bit of information comes in, it invalidates half the predictions that have been made, and the whole process starts again. Over and over. Round and round. A couple of weeks from now when all the details are out and established, all this intermediate commentary will just be noise. A tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear. That's not to say that you shouldn't do it... hell, if you feel like it... But you might ask yourself if there isn't something else you'd rather be doing. Something useful. Something fun. I don't know. Anyway, I'll write myself a reminder to check up on how the whole thing turned out in a month or so and ignore these threads from now on.

tokenadult 15y ago
It does a pretty good job at illustrating a problem with this instant update news you get so much these days. But when the technology to provide instant news updates was developed, it was hailed as an opportunity not to be behind the curve on a breaking story. And blogging was hailed (especially by Dave Winer, since way back in the year 2000 or earlier) as something that would give a voice to the forgotten common people and shake up journalism. Good ideas have unintended consequences.
- pushingbits 15y ago
  Oh, when I said it's a problem I meant it's a problem I have with it. Unless it's an event that I can influence while it is happening (and I think now that the major outcry happened, none of the talk here will make much of a difference), I'd rather read a summary of what happened one week later than reading piecemeal updates every day. I get the same information in the end (all the intermediate stuff, I'd forget anyway), and it doesn't take as long, so I have more time for doing other things.
  - SkyMarshal 15y ago
    Well said. Unless you can do something about it, the daily updates are more likely noise than signal for you. It's better to resist indulging your compulsion to rubberneck the latest startup drama and get back to either being productive or at least going outside and climbing a tree or something.

tokenadult 15y ago

It does a pretty good job at illustrating a problem with this instant update news you get so much these days. But when the technology to provide instant news updates was developed, it was hailed as an opportunity not to be behind the curve on a breaking story. And blogging was hailed (especially by Dave Winer, since way back in the year 2000 or earlier) as something that would give a voice to the forgotten common people and shake up journalism. Good ideas have unintended consequences.

pushingbits 15y ago
Oh, when I said it's a problem I meant it's a problem I have with it. Unless it's an event that I can influence while it is happening (and I think now that the major outcry happened, none of the talk here will make much of a difference), I'd rather read a summary of what happened one week later than reading piecemeal updates every day. I get the same information in the end (all the intermediate stuff, I'd forget anyway), and it doesn't take as long, so I have more time for doing other things.
- SkyMarshal 15y ago
  Well said. Unless you can do something about it, the daily updates are more likely noise than signal for you. It's better to resist indulging your compulsion to rubberneck the latest startup drama and get back to either being productive or at least going outside and climbing a tree or something.