Inspired by two short What I Read interviews with Clay Shirky and Chris Anderson, I’ve been focusing my attention on those writers and publications that provide deeper, thought-provoking content, rather than the daily media buzz. Here are a few of the blogs and podcasts I follow to gain insight into the trends shaping our future.
– Anil Dash: http://dashes.com/anil/
I first heard about Anil’s blog from my good friend and colleague Judy Herrmann and was hooked once I read his Redefiners presentation. His posts are crisp, insightful and usually flecked with humor.
– Robert Cringely: http://www.cringely.com/
A bit curmudgeonly, but in a good way. The I Cringely blog usually takes a contrarian viewpoint to the industry consensus and he’s often right. He accurately described what the new version of Final Cut Pro (now Final Cut X) would look like more than a year before the software was released.
– IT Conversations Podcast: http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/
My connection to a world far geekier than I’ll ever be able to inhabit. The IT Conversations aggregates presentations from O’Reilly technology conferences (Web 2.0, Where 2.0 and Gov 2.0) along with interviews from top authors and thought leaders. A great source for keeping on top of technology trends.
– O’Reilly Radar: http://radar.oreilly.com/
Tim O’Reilly, the sage of Silicon Valley, has built a publishing enterprise based on having the best insights and the best information. The O’Reilly radar is another great source for figuring out how technological changes will impact the publishing and media industries.
– Clay Shirky: http://www.shirky.com/weblog/
He doesn’t post as often as most of the others on this list, but when he does, his insights on how social media, user generated content and internet connectivity are affecting media are pure gold.
– TED talks: www.ted.com
If you haven’t already experienced the TED talks, stop reading and dedicate a half-day to unearthing the treasures on this site.
– FxGuide TV Podcast: http://www.fxguide.com/podcasts/
The tools and techniques used by Hollywood Visual FX artists are the leading indicator of what we photographers and multimedia creators will be doing/using several years from now. Watching the software demos in these podcasts is a bit like peering into the future. Insightful and entertaining.