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Google Launches News Badges
theodp writes "Does it make you sad that you're too grown up to earn Scouting Merit Badges? Well, thanks to the PhDs at Google, you can now start earning Google News badges as you read articles about your favorite topics. The more you read, the higher rank you'll attain; Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and finally, Ultimate. They say, 'Your badges are private by default, but if you want, you can share your badges with your friends. Tell them about your news interests, display your expertise, start a conversation or just plain brag about how well-read you are.'"
Contrary to popular belief, reading news that is mass produced by large corporations with vested interests and that manipulate and actively suppress fact does not make you "well read".
Not even sophomoric. Books are real reading. I want badges for the number of science fiction books. I read four in the last two weeks!
These badges just prove that you're addicted to some thing that is new and always being updated. It's like refreshing on Slashdot for a new article to appear. At least I'll get a badge for wasting my time reading the news now! Facebook culture everywhere.
Slashdot needs Geekcode | Can anyone recommend any good SCIFI? My tastes: Foundation, Startide Rising, CITY, Ringworld,
To get started with badges, visit Google News from a signed-in account with web history
Ha-ha. Fuck no.
I refuse to give up one of the few pieces of data about me that Google allows me to control... for a few pixels.
How does reading the news make you an expert on anything other than reading news?
I'll let you know as soon as I read a story that tells me the answer to your question.
Oh well look at that, yet another feature that Google Apps users will not be able to use.
It seems the best way to opt-out of new Google stuff is to become their customer - then you can't get on these things even if you wanted it.
We don't need no stinkin' badges.
Exactly--a preoccupation with "news" stories is the opposite of being well read. Being well read involves understanding the depths of artistic works / events. News stories provide the opposite, especially from the establishment media. They provide surface-level summaries of what some people have said that generally serve corporate and political interests.
I don't think anyone's immune to being interested in the latest happenings, waiting for some great or tragic event to bolster or destroy a cause or bring salvation or damnation. But this superficiality works against a true understanding of what's going on, and such a reward system incentivizes chasing "what's new" over what's true or what's good.
...badges badges badges badges badges badges badges mushroom mushroom MUSHROOM!
I know that there'll be a steady stream of snarky remarks about who ridiculous the whole idea is, but it's still a brilliant move. Due to my work, I'm in constant touch with the "new generation" - students in the range of 13-25. And they like this kind of stuff. Don't ask me why, but they are fascinated by the possibilities of exhibitionism on the Internet - "telling the world what you're doing" kinda of stuff. Had a girlfriend a few months back, and she loved Facebook of course, and location services. She loved to "check in" every place she went to, and let everybody know that she is there. Once we traveled to the south of the city, which is a huge area of mangrove forest. There's absolutely nothing there, just a very small and rather poor fishing village, lots of water, swamp, and thick mangrove forests. And when we arrived, she was trying to check in with her phone. Amazing! This is just one of the many reasons why our relationship was brief. But the point is, that young people love collecting things like that, even if it sounds ridiculous to some of us. I'm not that old actually (34), but I know many here are older than that ;)
The future is one step closer: courtesy of SMBC.
Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
Belgian, you insensitive clod!
Set your phasers on "funky"!
lets take "magnetar capital" for example.
there has been one book that discusses this little hedge fund, its called EConned (which grew out of a blog called nakedcapitalism.com).
on the other hand there have been a half-dozen news stories about it, some of the first being in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
there have been pretty much zero science fiction books that deal with financial engineering, credit derivatives, tranched securities, and everything else related to the financial crisis.
there are a lot of good reporters working for the 'corporate media', including louise story and gillian tett.
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i could also talk about the Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files, which were originally found by an 'independent researcher', but later more thoroughly examined by someone who had worked for the LA Times.
i dont think there are any science fiction books about the Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files.
Why would:
(a) My friends be interested in my news interests? I'm not interested in theirs. . .except under unusual circumstances, when I'll just ask them myself. . . .
(b) I want to display my expertise, start a conversation or just plain brag about how well-read I am? Wouldn't that just drive any (remaining) friends away?
(c) I want to give Google a signed-in account with web history, and permission to track me in even greater detail?
I confess that this type of stuff just baffles me completely. What's the attraction?
most news IS ignorance, most media do not touch the important stuff. They'll blab for 5 minutes about a 10-deaths accident, or a 5-victims killer. Do YOU know how many people die each year in the US, and of what causes ? They'll rag on about 5% extra taxes.. do you know how much of those taxes are either wasted, or counterproductive ? etc, etc...
News is entertainment at best, political indoctrination at worst.
News is not culture, is not knowledge, is not wisdom. Especially the way it's done now.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
So where can I pick up my "I survived 5 minutes of Fox News without my head exploding, although I did get a slight nose bleed" badge?
ReaderAdvantage Program: As a 2010 April Fools' Day joke, Google announced a reward program for Google Reader known as ReaderAdvantage, in which points accumulated by users for reading items could earn them Novice, Gold, Platinum, or Totally Sweet Badges, which Google revealed was a goof.
What you say about radio stations is true. One of the newer tactics is enticing cash strapped colleges and universities to sell their radio stations/frequencies (usually to the great dismay of the communications department and the community). So instead of having a community service or an educational tool or both, you end up with something probably legally classified as a "religious nonprofit" set up as a repeater of some remotely-produced dogmafeed. [Did I just make that term up? No search engine results from the majors. I think it's appropriate for this type of station.]
"If you don't read a newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read a newspaper, you are misinformed." Mark Twain
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