Links for 07-08-2008

• Anyone bothering to teach 35mm photography classes anymore? | Education IT | ZDNet.com - The real question is whether it makes sense to teach photographic wet chemical processes. (IMO, probably not.) The downside isn't so much digital (the instant feedback is great) but that today's inexpensive cameras are so heavily automated.
• SAP’s TV budget: more waste | Irregular Enterprise | ZDNet.com - A general problem with a lot of online advertising: is the content appropriate for your brand?
  
• California's Continuing Fires - The Big Picture - Boston.com - Great photos of California wildfires.
• Cool Tool: It's All Too Much - I've been trying.
• Drip by drip, Starbucks lost what made it shine -- chicagotribune.com - I've wondered myself whether the fact that "Starbucks is now found in hospitals, nearly every airport and countless corporate cafeterias." (where it's often god-awful) isn't selling out their brand.
• Anarchogeek: The ascendancy of Hacker News & the gentrification of geek news communities - This is another example of how Metcalfe's Law doesn't apply to social networks. There's a value maxima (at least from the perspective of some) after which it begins to decrease.
• tecosystems » Hey You, Standarize My Cloud - More thoughts from Stephen on cloud standards.
• ๑۩۞۩๑ PHOTO-VINC ๑۩۞۩๑ - Article on flatbed scanner photography - Taking photos using a flatbed scanner.
• Lensmateonline - Specialty Digital Photo Products - Lots of interesting accessories for Canon G9 etc. although I hesitate to put a lot of money into a relatively disposable pocket camera.
• Some critics are hatching ways to fight Google's influence - The Boston Globe - A lot of the complaints in this article would seem to apply to the Web and search in general, rather than specific to Google. "Google's hidden algorithms have the power to make or break reputations and fortunes, to shape public debates, and to change our view of the world." Well, maybe, but so do Microsoft's and any other minimally competent search engine--of which there are a number.