Preview of 'Public Parts'

Prolific blogger and digital media sage Jeff Jarvis will be releasing a new book later this month and he's posted a preview online. 

"Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live" is Jarvis' second book, following his popular "What Would Google Do?"  

The emphatic tone in Jarvis' introduction to "Public Parts" (read it below) should come as no surprise to those who read his Buzz Machine blog or listen to him weekly on "This Week in Google." Jarvis argues privacy is the new currency and one worth trading freely as we rapidly transform as a global culture. 

Love him or hate him, Jarvis will make you think, and for that I'm grateful. 

Public Parts by Jeff Jarvis - Read the Introduction

"Pop Culture Happy Hour"

I've been enjoying the silly but thoroughly enjoyable "Pop Culture Happy Hour," a weekly podcast from NPR. 

The cast of characters includes Stephen Thompson, a regular on "All Songs Considered." 

Topics are wide ranging, but full of surprises. My favorite after about a month of shows: "Pop culture blindspot," in which the participants share their deepest secrets about popular icons they need to bone up on (confessions include opera and "a schooling in hip-hop" and "half-hour female-led quasi sitcoms, quasi dramas on premium cable"). 

Kinda snobby yes, but all good fun. 

'Bla Bla' much more than "blah blah"

There are no instructions, but users can send this character into the black hole to see what happens. I have no idea how to describe "Bla Bla" other than it's a fun, interactive web film in which you control the characters. 

What's fun is there's minimal instruction, so it's up to you to figure out what to do. Sounds annoying, but it's not. 

"Bla Bla" is six chapters long, but they go by quick. At the start of each chapter, you'll find yourself pondering what you see before diving in, then adjusting your movements as challenges arrive.

I couldn't tell you what the overall theme is, was or might be, but it doesn't matter.

Just give it a spin for fun.