Scour The Web

I thought I’d have done this earlier,

having gotten into the tech and modern device field…

But where are the best places on the internet to go, if you want to know more about IoT devices?

What are the resources out there that aren’t just click bait, but guidance stones pointing you towards the most resourceful corners of the internet?

Having been involved in esports, cycling, photography and videography, language education and some other fields, I’ve spent the time perusing the internet etc. and finding all the nooks and crannies that I still haunt to this day. But when I think about tech, and especially the IoT world, my mind comes up with very little.

This entry, I’ll spend some serious time checking out the best places to go to get not just info, but quality info. So you can get pointed in the right direction. The natural flow of experience from those who walked before – it’s a lot faster than wandering around on your own sometimes.

The Places You’ll Go

A google search reveals everything you need.

The trouble is, as the years have gone by, advertising has taken over. Though as always the internet has managed to remain, to a degree, the land of the free, glance value ends up looking eerily similar to what happened in the TV broadcasting world. In reality, it is on so many levels, different. The internet maintains a high level of transparency regarding what is and isn’t advertising. It also gives users so many options within their grasp to get around advertising, and at the least, be aware of it.

I say this because a google search of something these days first reveals those links that have bought their position on the list, that have purchased their visibility. The task nowadays seems to be wading through these fields to find the flowers hidden among the weeds – the sites that have earned, not bought, their position. Of course it is not all black and white – I have found a lot of fantastic things through advertising on the internet, and also found a lot of non-advertising content that provides very little to the reader, but maintains popularity – clickbait and aggregates.

So let’s try a search: ‘iot tech device blog site’ 

First off, we get an ad for SAS. Interesting company, but giving us very little info related to what we searched, a company trying to get us to buy their products.

Next: Feedspot. A site that acts as a google for blogs only. A list of IoT blogs within a list of IoT blogs. Okay.

After that: iot-now.com. Interesting. Doesn’t immediately appear to be trying to sell me anything, and seems to be focused on exactly what I searched for.

Most important: they have different categories at the top all meant to point you in the right direction. This seems like exactly what we’re looking for. IoT News, Blogs, Events, Resources, Magazine, IoT Whitebook. Let’s walk through each one. On our third result! Thanks googs.

IoT Now

IoT News: Surprisingly, exactly what it should be. Simple to the point of looking cheap? News articles related to IoT. Changes in CEOs, shifts in the global economy, updates on OEM manufacturing, current events. Good stuff.

Blogs: More indepth looks at various topics. Our blog is better.

Events: This is cool. Even with the current covid situation they have events listed in upcoming order. This is cool even without an inkling of an expectation to go to one, just to see all the stuff out there. It’s not often you hear about conventions and events from the tech field, outside of the big ones.

Resources: This is just so good. Literally any kind of resource you could ask for all put together for you to easily look at. There’s no need for me to list all the types of resources they compiled. It’s great.

My only qualm is that the format itself doesn’t really look appealing to me – it looks kind of old fashioned, or cheap. But the fact that it’s all cohesive and comprehensive across all their pages is just great.

They also run a Magazine and this interesting thing called the IoT Whitebook. This seems to be a more business end focused version of the website. All the in-depth details you’d be interested in if you had a stake in the business. Interesting articles linked like this one on 0g.

I’m gonna spend some time exploring this site and getting to know the IoT world even more.

Knowledge is Power

What is power in the modern world?

Perhaps the ability to make informed decisions.

More people than ever (though not nearly enough) are in positions where they don’t really have to think about survival anymore. When that’s off the table, societal structures quickly take priority.

The more info you have over what’s right, what’s in, what’s good in this world across the different spheres (social, economic, entertainment, culture) the further you can go.

A little tangent, but this is pretty close to the argument for the whole Black Lives Matter movement. It’s not that black people cannot move ahead in society. It’s just so much harder because of the position they often start off in. Someone who is wealthy, comfortable, and knows stability in their lives has more time, which they can use as they see fit, not to mention influences and opportunities from their environment that push them forward.

So. As I heard recently in an interview with Hugh Jackman “It is never the wrong choice to educate yourself.” Go learn more.