Ink-blots

A tardy Christmas present... ink-blot wallpaper for your computer

Wikipedia vs. Google

Looks like Jimmy Wales thinks he can create a "Google killer". We will see. I am betting on Google.

A Wikipedia search would be based on the "wisdom of crowds". Crowds are not perfect (and mobs are worse). Keep in mind...

1. The crowd can choose between Alice Cooper and Ashlee Simpson
2. Ashee sells more records to the crowd
3. The crowd CLEARLY is in error in this case
   
   

More free stuff

Yet another service offering a free wiki with some pretty darn good functionality... Zoho

More on online gaming taxes

If you buy the $3 an hour rate stemming from the potential value generated in the game, Everquest has a per-capita gross domestic product nearly as big as Russia's. World of Warcraft exceeds it.

This article does a very good job in explaining the concepts behind taxing the virtual gaming world. To oversimplify, the more you play and collect gold, Linden dollars, experience points, whatever... the potential value if you "cash out" (sell your accumulations on eBay for example) can be significant.

So, is it fair to tax potential value? If I was at home writing "Harry Potter Balboa", should I be taxed on what might happen regarding revenue, or would it be better to wait until it actually hit the market before I had to pay up?

I think, therefore IM

Interesting article on IM. 50% of teens IM and one in five have asked someone out on a date via this medium. Basically the differences between IM and e-mail are minor, but it seems like popping the "date question" plays out better in IM.

Wonder why. Both result in text on a screen... I guess the cultural expectation of a response (any response) is higher with IM.

My parents went to Iconistan and all I got was the stupid T-shirt

I really like declaring the terrority engulfing the bottom of so many webpages for social networking purposes as "Iconistan"

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/internet/0,72282-0.html?tw=rss.index

Clearly a nation in unrest and with shifting borders. At some point, market (or Darwinian) forces will have to come to bear to thin the growing numbers of icons out at the bottom of content.

Options are good, but too many options would seem to limit the benefits we can gain from these tools.

Regardless, I totally want to apply for dual citizenship in Iconistan! Would that make me an Iconistanian?

Down the YouTube

I find it hard to believe the Bank of America's YouTube embarassment will be the last we see of some frustrated performers who got stuck in a crappy executive job instead.

Yet another reason YouTube will keep stealing time from me.

Wii

Will the Wii provide some push to the next model on human/machine interaction?

Dunno, but maybe I need to get one to find out. Research only of course.

Another gem from wikihow

I gap in my life has been addressed... I now know how to appreciate Death Metal

Swarmapaloosa

I still don't totally get it, but swarmbots are pretty interesting to read about. This article on swarmanoids further interests and confuses me.

The concept of 60 autonomous robots working in a virtual space to accomplish tasks -- coupled with all the Second Life activity lately -- makes we wonder if the deepest we end up going with AI and the like might occur in a 3-D world via your browser.

Disappointing, but not surprising

It appears Second Life recently caught a case of ring worm.

The beauty of the Internet is everyone can get into the game, the downside is "everyone" includes some troublemakers.

Alice update

Random House is going to pay Alice Cooper $500,000 for his memoirs.

At least the book market sees the wonder that is Alice :)

Mind-machine interface

While the gear pictured in this article is far from stylish, and very likely to improve (one would hope), I wonder if indeed we are within five years of a profound new way to interact with the digital world.

A future with less blackberry-thumbing, mouse sweeping, tablet inking... sounds nice.

Wanna write a book?

Join some of your closest friends at Wharton and MIT and co-author the next big book on business use of social networking.

http://www.wearesmarter.org/

I bet they'll pass on my e-mail quota chapter.

Stay calm. The camel will eventually stop

I came across a great pair of sites that show the pros and cons of lower barriers of entry to publish content broadly... eHow and its sister site wikiHow. eHow contains vetted information, while anyone can publish at any time to wikiHow.

For awhile, my favorite wikiHow moment related to "How to have a fireworks show"... the tip - "wait until it is dark".

Then I read this jewel:

How to regain control of a spooked camel

which includes the pearl of wisdom: "Stay calm. The camel will eventually stop".

Score one for the vetters :)

Meet Ms. Dewey

I have no idea if the search results are useful, but I have fun trying them out

Ms. Dewey

Second Second Life

Just a bit more on the commerce in Second Life. Maybe I need to set up a foulballguy t-shirt stand there :)

Second Life

I have barely dipped my toe in the water on Second Life, but there sure seems to be something going on.

As mentioned in this article, Linden Lab, Second Life's publisher, estimates that the total amount of content being created by its users is equivalent to the output of 5,100 full-time programmers. You Tube is a movie factory, blogs a writing factory, podcasts a broadcast factory, and now this in Second Life:

• IBM is holding virtual meetings here
• Reuters has opened up a news outlet within the world
• and LOTS of commerce is going on

I still think Halo is a better platform for interacting (and resolving business disputes in a more... ummm... direct manner) -- as evidenced by the interviews conducted in This Spartan Life

Slow but sure

I have been working to get all my old posts moved over from my previous blog to this new location. Fairly tedious work. Hope to wrap this up in a week or two.

Go Bears :)

Memories

A long time ago, on a PC far far away... Start Me Up