The value of old-fashioned ways in a Web 2.0 world

[Commentary on article from CNet’s Matter/AntiMatter blog of the same title by Richard Adamson]

Everyone knows that despite my techno-evangelism, I am pretty much old-school and new technologies that actually truly excite me are few and far in-between.  More often than not it’s the underlying principles behind certain consumables that I appreciate – the keyword/link paradigm from Google, the flexbility and coming-of-age of Web Services, and so forth.

This article by Richard Adamson from CNET is a pretty good idea to consider – it’s not so much broadening what you do, but refining how you do it and taking the time to communicate the ideas.  Web 2.0 is just a buzzword in reality – it describes a convergence of interface technologies with the use of Web Services but beyond that and its accompanying visual design changes, it really hasn’t amounted to much (save for the conceptual use of AJAX).  I’m not even sure the purported Web 3.0 is really all that except refocusing the Web 2.0 backdrop into the foreground.

Sorry to say but I am a fervent believer in old fashioned ways, including how I approach programming logic and user experience.  And despite all the glitz of all the new tech toys (and they seem to be coming out at a geometrically increasing rate), the old stuff still works – if it didn’t it wouldn’t still be around (ok, except for certain politicians).

On a side note, my S/O and I are going increasingly green.  Not that I haven’t been a less-than-vocal supporter of various crusades, but she recently got onto it on a relatively dramatic level and it’s done well for us.  Just the basic stuff – swapping out light bulbs, changing electrical-usage habits, fervent recycling, changing clothes rather than the thermostat, dumping one vehicle and riding the bus, and so forth – has already made a major impact in our monthly bills (and I mean more than 50%).  We are considering going full-bore and getting solar panels to go off-the-grid but this is still under deliberation.  We coupled that by moving our basic organic diet to GFCF and it’s really changed the way we approach things.  Anyway, I’m not making the big rant about going green but yes, it’s a problem and every contribution you can make on a regular and habitual level will help extend what’s left of this sputtering planet.