Reading in four dimensions: "books are only going to get better and better, but there will be fewer of them"

Paul Carr is the process of elimination, writer. He writes a weekly column for TechCrunch, focusing on media and technology. For the first part of what he might run away his career, he edited various publications and founded multiple businesses with varying degrees of abysmal failure. After getting fired from every job he ever had – including at least ... ? Read More

Andrew Losowsky has a busy week. Firstly, it has just been appointed the new editor of books for the Huffington Post (disclosure: Aol blah blah blah) and his latest essays-reading in four dimensions – has just been released as a Single Kindle.

In the essay, Andrew discusses the future of publishing and specifically as an added dimension to the Internet forward reading experience. This fascinating essay (and deals at 99 c) and provides a real Smörgåsbord for thought for any of us who are interested in the future, from the publication and exchange of information. In the video below, Andrew shares some of the key points of the essay-like printing brings the permanence of digital publishing, as the concept of "publication" translated online and paper books in our digital world.

Kindle users can read reading in four dimensions here in four dimensions. United Kingdom readers can be found here.

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Banjo, now allows you to stem jobs and people out there

Six-week old banjo mobile applications has been updated with a new feature that allows users to virtually stalk places and people there in real time. Banjo, for those who don't know, is a new social discovery service, which reveals the current social network at any given location at a certain time. To be clear, this is not another social network, it is a layer based on social networks. With banjo you don't have to create a profile, add friends or collect followers or any other behavior typical of social networks.

Instead, to use banjo, you simply run the application to see what people around you are saying and doing right now. OK pulls their data from social networking services like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, and Instagram, access to publicly available refunds and geotags that accompany status updates and posts.

When banjo first started out, he proposed a "map" function that allows you to select a point on Google Maps are practically visit interface in this place, and see who was there. However, this function was cumbersome to use because you are not able to enter in the search box, specify the actual location – you had to drag-and-drop on the map to change its position.

Virtual Tour, virtual location Stalker

But now, you can type in any address supported by the Google Maps in order to discover the hidden social network is the place, whether you seek a city location, mailing address, or even the name of the local business.

There are certainly some use cases for this feature that will appeal to mainstream users, perhaps you're wondering what people think today in concert, for example, or what people at the Conference are posting photos or tweeting about.

However, as an online journalist, immediate treatment of the search function comes from the opportunities it offers to strengthen the reporting process. Imagine being able to visit virtually on the streets of London during the riots last weekend and seeing the flow of information resulting from the popular social networking services in real time.

The benefit is not only the ease with which you can view this kind of public data, it is that you can confirm that these people really are. With services like Twitter, anyone from anywhere can send update using a hashtag (keyword is preceded by a character, such as # londonriots) to join the public conversation about this topic. However, in some cases, it is very important to know that the man is actually when you host an update feature that will allow journalists to go then on those directly on the occurrence of an event, in the midst of it. Banjo makes this possible, as it only looks at what GEO coordinates gives an update.

Public information is easy to detect

The fact that it's now so easy to identify such data should be a reminder to you that what you post publicly online is truly open.

And banjo-isn't the only application that makes it easier to disclose such information. His nearest competitor, sonar, TechCrunch Disrupt startup has a similar take on location-based social networks, except that it takes people to the site, how many friends you have in common. In other words, rather than to reveal the hidden social network location, it shows you your own social network in this place.

Coming soon: more apps, more features, more social networks

Banjo plans to add a dozen more social networks in the next couple of weeks and added or are in the process of adding dozens of new features including the ability to store photos, share them via social networking, email, or SMS, as well as improve performance and speed.

Banjo is now available on iPhone and Android, but extends to other platforms in the future.

Banjo is a social discovery service that helps people explore social updates across multiple social networks. Connecting real people in real time, banjo equipment of publicly available information and delivers ...

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StyleSeat is even more proof that there is a market for "X Otkryt′Tablicu"

Alexia Tsotsis currently works at TechCrunch as a writer. She is also a blogger who attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. She majored in writing and art, moved to New York shortly after the end of the work in the entertainment industry and media. After four years of his life in New York and to attend courses in New York. ? Read More

Earlier today when we wrote about UrbanSpoon is trying to get a piece of the pie Otkryt'Tablicu 's, this quote from Urbanspoon VP Kara Nortman really struck me, "two years ago, the online reservation system requires massive upfront investment," she said, Now claiming that a similar platform as simple as creating the iPad/iPhone application.

Perhaps this ease of installation (and lower customer acquisition cost) why we see the exit of investor interest in "Otkryt'Tablicu X" services in recent times, the most notable is DST in 50 million investment in ZocDoc. Just yesterday I was sitting on the pencil you in demo platform, which pitched itself as a Otkryt'Tablicu for appointment, not the first time I heard it.

May Otkryt'Tablicu model is capable of even more when made more niche? In the end there are 30 K restaurants in the United States who take a reservation against the two million professionals Salon.

Pencil you in competitor StyleSeat, who started at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York in may, now has more than 75 K appointments made, is $ 3.5 million in spending. StyleSeat, hairdressers and Salon for the installation of simple online profiles to showcase their products, now boasts 14 K add salon professionals who have established accounts with customers 50 K and 1700 shares (transactions).

General Director StyleSeat melody Mccloskey tells me she discusses several key industry players on partnership with turn Disrupt, "Disrupt gave us access to the companies that we do not normally have access to so early in the process, we have several decision makers in some of the largest companies out there. If we took the traditional channels, it will take us much longer to reach these people. "

McCloskey, plans for profit StyleSeat through the freemium model, offering product StyleSeat for free and then charging $ 25 for more advanced CRM and marketing tools. It considers the big company is well-positioned to shake up (sorry, fed up with the use of the word break) beauty industry, which has an annual income of $ 71 billion.

McCloskey said that social sharing features of the site have had the greatest influence on its growth and expects that the Facebook recommendations available through platform, worth $ 6.70. One of the six recommendation on Facebook results in online booking, at a cost of $ 40 average service. It tells me that 98% of clients using the StyleSeat say they will recommend friends stylist.

StyleSeat currently has a $ 700 K in funding from a roster of white-hot investors, including Chris Sacca, Jeff Clavier, Travis Kalanick, Dave Morin, Garrett Camp, Alfred Lin, Christoph Janz, Craig Paige, Joe Stump, 500 startups and others.

Social network for health and beauty professionals to attract customers and grow.

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OpenTable provides restaurant management system for restaurateurs, titled ERB (eBook). In addition the company operates OpenTable.com, a Web site to book a restaurant online. Web site ...

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