W R Carlson: Entertainment

Strategy Guides vs Bosses - New gamer lingo bleeds into the workplace

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 20:35:46 GMT

Thanks Shifted for the Gaming Post - Wow Strategy Guides vs Bosses - I like the concepts

I’m late to the whole gaming and how it affects libraries thing, but I’m a total convert now and it’s something I’m going to actively track from now on. At first I thought it was just interesting, and while I did like the idea of bringing tweens and teens into the library using gaming as a social carrot, I’m gaining a totally different perspective for the way we can use the characteristics, expectations, and interplay of gaming and gamers in a “tipping point” kind of way.

The latest catalyst for this round of “gaming on my brain” is Moira Gunn’s interview with John Beck for IT Conversations. I’ve listened to the podcast of it twice in the last three days, and a couple of his points really resonate with me. In case you’re not familiar with him, Beck wrote Got Game: How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever, and this podcast is the first chance I’ve really had to hear him talk about all of this since Audible doesn’t carry the audiobook and I’ve never seen Beck speak in person. While listening to it, all I could think of was Brent and how much Beck totally nails him and his friends. I even made Sheree listen to the interview and she agrees with me, although we both disagree with Beck about gender differences because most of the girls we know don’t play video games much at all.

At one point in the interview, Gunn asks Beck how gamers will change the workplace, and Beck provides an example observation that in video games, there are “level bosses” that you have to beat in order to advance further in the game. So one of the things you don’t want to be in real life if you’re a gamer or the supervisor of a gamer is a “boss.” I hadn’t thought about that before, although I always hear Brent talking about bosses in a negative way. In fact, when he started playing video games years ago and he first told me he was having trouble beating the “boss,” I thought that was the name of the character he was fighting. It took me awhile to realize it was his generic term for “the big bad guy at the end of the level.” Then came the realization that it wasn’t just him using the term, it was all of his friends. Imagine his surprise when he first heard me talking about my boss in a positive way!

Beck goes on to say that in the workplace, you don’t want to be a “boss,” but rather a “strategy guide,” because that’s what gamers rely on, especially to beat the boss. And as I was listening to this, it struck me that this is an excellent description of librarians! I’ve always liked that comic drawing of a librarian sitting behind a reference desk with a sign on it that says “search engine,” but now I’ve decided that I’d rather be a “strategy guide” instead. In fact, if I could, I’d change my job title to “strategy guide.” That’s exactly how we need to market ourselves to gamers, boomers, bosses, everyone. The big question, of course, is how to do that and more and more, I think gaming offers clues for how to do that.

If you don’t really understand why this gaming stuff is important, why it will be important in the future (the not-so-distant-future), why it will affect everyone (including you) or why gamers truly are different than you or me, then this interview is a great place to start. I highly recommend you listen to it. And don’t let anybody tell you that these kids aren’t any different than we were at their age, because they’re not like us at all. I was struck by how Beck’s descriptions of gamers mirror so closely the way I talk about NetGens (aka Millennials) in my own presentations. I’m going to have to rework my stuff a bit to highlight the gamer aspect of this generation.

Oh, and if you listen to the Beck interview and get as excited and intrigued about all of this as I did, be sure to register for our upcoming Tech Summit on Gaming @ Your Library! Thanks to our Executive Director, Alice Calabrese, I get to attend the ADL Games, Learning, & Society Conference in June, after which I’m debating trying to put together a day-long symposium/discussion/whatever specifically about gaming and libraries.

[The Shifted Librarian]

Another one tries Last.fm - thanks for the introduction.

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 21:57:22 GMT

music networks (last.FM and Audioscrobbler).

One of my favorite parts of the academic interim period is that i can catch up on all of the things that i have put on the queue as unacceptable procrastination devices. I sent my computer in to be fixed (damn optical drive), bought a new iPod and have been organizing my music.

Amidst this, i finally dove into Last.FM and Audioscrobbler (even later than Liz). Aside from the fact that it's fascinating to see what all i listen to, it's absolutely intriguing to see what others are listening to and to be able to listen to their music as "radio." I've already found two new DJs that i *love*.

Music is a social tool. Most people get their music through their friends and social networks say more about music than anything else. Of course, many of my older friends are still listening to what they loved when they were in college because they no longer have access the diverse networks that introduce them to new music. And we're not even going to begin discussing the weaknesses of radio. When Napster collapsed, my music explorations collapsed. The only thing that fixed that was a server my friends have that allows you to stream music. Folks in our crew upload music and we can all stream it. That is a fantastic way of connecting to interesting music that my friends have found. This is effectively what Last.FM is doing on a larger scale

Of course, i found songs that i liked, tried to buy them at the iTunes store, realized that they didn't exist (because they aren't so mainstream) and then re-downloaded LimeWire to find them. It's frustrating because many of the CDs i listen to go out of stock relatively quickly or only have a few runs. It's sooo important for me to find other people that have them and i'm still cranky with the RIAA for making it hard for me to find rare songs that they don't even cover anyhow.

I'm very curious what will happen once more folks get on it (particularly youth and alternative cultures). I'm already pleased to find out that there are more than 100 psychonauts out there. This certainly looks like the type of sharing-driven social networking tools that i love.

[apophenia]

Playlist - not enough details with one Genre field - Thanks Apophenia

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 18:09:50 GMT

In this post by Apophenia - there is the sense that Genrefication is the solution - but I think the "would you make me a dub-mix" line is the key - it is the play list you want to listen too - not just the Genre's - genre's cannot be specific enough if there's only one field of information - even within one artist - there's too much variety to pack into a single genre, let alone mood, and setting.

Someone in a position of authority (read Steve Jobs? or an appropriate iPod minion) needs to think about this for a while and come up with a list of fields - 2.0. I know there are a few solutions out there, but none seem to do it quite right. So maybe there's an opportunity for Apple or Creative, or Red Chair, to come up with the solution that will take this whole thang to a new level.

====================================

music genres and moods.

One of the reasons that i loved Napster was that you could see how people labeled their music, particularly the genre. In music, i use genre like i use tagging in Gmail, del.icio.us and Flickr, only i'm a bit more obsessive about keeping them organized. My playlists are all automatically created based on my idiosyncratic genre labels. The labels are not for you, but for me and i don't care if PsyChill doesn't really exist - it's the label that ties together things like bluetech and Shpongle.

Due to 1) my new iPod, 2) the barfing of my Mac, 3) the scanning of CDs and 4) my obsession with last.FM, i am diving deeply into my music collection to re-genrify things. It is this attribute of last.FM that is given me the greatest curiosity. Last.FM is full of people with - shall we say - "interesting" tastes. I'm sorry but there is no playlist in the world that should have Gwar and Nina Simone together. Wrong wrong wrong. And why is Elliott Smith on the top artists page of the genre Breaks? No no no.

Of course, i'm part of fucking this up. I love Elliott Smith and i love breaks. Since i am in the breaks group, my listening to Elliott Smith is affecting that genre page. This is a problem. I know better when i manually genrify my music. Elliott Smith is is the MaleNeuvoFolk genre (which is effectively equivalent to Sadcore except can also be listened to when not depressed). I would never recommend Elliott Smith to a breaks aficionado.

I'm worried that this diverse listening pattern is messing up all the data. After three days of listening to non-stop chillout, goa and breaks, i should not be getting recommendations for Rancid and Ludacris. The problem is that there's a big gap between Beth Orton and Son Kite and i fear that trying to resolve those two listening patterns will result in abysmal results. The system should know that i'm listening with two different faceted patterns - the chill danah and the dancey danah.

When i ask a friend for music advice, i don't simply say "give me anything you listen to." I know better. But i would ask "could you make me a dub mix?" or "what would complement Dr Toast?" Or think about the Back to Mine series (collections based on what musicians chill out to). I want my last.FM to understand that there are moods. All of my playlists get this. All of my genrification gets this. Now it's time for last.FM. I should be able to play everything that userx thinks makes for "coding music" or for "chill out" or for "getting ready to go out." I want to be able to cluster my music. I want to be able to inform Audioscrobbler to only tell the genre group "PsyTrance" about things that i've marked Full-On, Melodic, Scando or PsyChill. Or tell them about a playlist or two. Tag the genres so that i don't blush when i see my love of Johnny Cash appear as appropriate for other Trip-Hop fiends.

[apophenia]

Halley-Brilliants - 9 AM Monday Dance Break!

Sun, 08 Aug 2004 23:38:07 GMT

Must Do in Schedule, Pattern interrupt! You are a font of Museful Ideas!

Monday Thing.

Monday Thing

I have this theory that people try to get 85% of what they need to do for the entire week done on Monday. This makes them half nuts and very unpleasant to be around. (Once I started working on my own, I realized this was a good reason to crank up rock and roll very loud around about 9:00am on Monday and spend the first hour of the week dancing. This, correlated with the fact that the highest rate of heart attacks take place allegedly at 9:00am on Monday, seemed a much more healthy response.)

When I worked in real offices, Monday mornings were often spent in sales or marketing meetings where the boss was yelling at the staff like an angry dad and the staff was stuffing themselves with pastry and coffee to feel better like unhappy children eating sticky treats.

Then on Tuesday, people do the last 15% of their week's work and fix mistakes they made from rushing around like crazy people on Monday. Then Wednesday, they see what really matters that week and what they would have been better off focusing on right from the beginning to be really effective. Thursday they rest because they start thinking about the weekend. Friday they don't do anything because it is Friday after all, Thank God! [Halley's Comment]

I am a books and language snob...;-)

Sun, 18 Jul 2004 13:31:27 GMT

Took the quiz - got the same result...

I too am a books and language snob - although drinking, music, art and travel are up there too...

L33tspeak.

Saw this quiz on somebody else's LJ and thought it looked cute.

You speak eloquently and have seemingly read every book ever published. You
are a fountain of endless (sometimes useless) knowledge, and never fail to
impress at a party. What people love: You can answer almost any question
people ask, and have thus been nicknamed Jeeves. What people hate: You
constantly correct their grammar and insult their paperbacks.

What Kind of Elitist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Not entirely true, but close enough. [By the way, do people like these quizzes? I've seen several others I've been taking, but I'm not sure whether to post the results, or if it will just bore the heck out of you all.]

My writing plan for this morning didn't work. I polished up the conclusion, but that one scene still escapes me. I can visualize it, but I just can't seem to write it. I wish I could do like Terry Moore and just have the story switch from prose to comic-style illustration for a scene and then back again. Meanwhile, the rest of the story has reached the point where it's starting to feel like overworked bread dough. I shouldn't tinker with it any more. But nyarrgh! <gnashes teeth? And I can't focus on that any more for the day, since I need to continue jobhunting.

Finally, through that Jay Leno quote I posted yesterday, I discovered that Associated Press runs a daily column, Comedians on the political campaign with excerpts from Leno, Letterman and Craig Kilborn (no Jon Stewart, alas, but he usually puts at least one video segment from the Daily Show on the website). At any rate, this link will take you to Google News where you can conistently get the latest day's column. Enjoy!

[Riba Rambles:]

Praying's a lot like sex...

Sun, 18 Jul 2004 01:24:22 GMT

Halley.you've done it again! Praying is alot thee sex. As You Said , it was meant to do everywhere and always improves the day!

places I've done it :

Piano-on top/underneath

Camero

Cadillac-Lots of Cars

Kitchen -Bent over an oven

Ina bathroom -Shower/toilet/Floor...

Couches Chairs File Cabinets Desks

Boats -Sail/Power /Paddle

And the list goes on and on...

My Friend Rob.

My Friend Rob

I have a friend who reads my stuff and sends me thoughtful email and I got a great note from him this morning about my son being ill and how sometimes praying can take the edge off -- I totally agree.

I completely misread something he wrote, however.

He wrote this -- about how his kid's illnesses could "send me into the closest church to pray."

And I read it quickly as, "send me into the closet church to pray."

And I thought, wow -- THE CLOSET CHURCH -- he prays in the closet sometimes too? Okay, so now I have to explain that I pray EVERYWHERE any old time and I have a big closet and sometimes, it's a great place to pray. Praying's a lot like sex that way for me -- I figure it was meant to do everywhere and anywhere and always improves the day.

And I wanted to answer that other question Rob asked -- why do I always wear black in all my pictures -- and the answer is -- I don't know, just because that's what I always wear when I get dressed up I guess.
[Halley's Comment]

Quaint management quote from way back in the 90's - courtesy Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline.

Fri, 23 Apr 2004 18:13:29 GMT

The Book Exercise. Via danah boyd:

Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 23.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

"The problem is our minds are so locked in one frequency, it's as though we can only see at 78 RPM; we can't see anything at 33 1/2."

From Peter M. Senge's "The Fifth Discipline". Oddly, I haven't actually opened this book for a long time, but it is the nearest at hand! How telling about the lack of organization in my office. Also, noticed a sticky indicating the place where I stopped reading... And in the age of CDs and DVDs, let alone MP3 players - this quote seems a bit quaint.

On another note, I actually like the sentence above. My mind is so easily locked into one frequency, that am now two hours, seven minutes past when I wanted to eat lunch! So guess what I'm going to do after finishing this entry?...

Another great quote from page 40 - where I happened to flip randomly, within the section titled "Lessons of the Beer Game" - point 2, the "structure in human systems is subtle". What would all the social networking software folks think of this? He goes on to define structure as the basic interrelationships that control behavior. So, what is the

Mary Sue - sounds like an interesting literary concept - too many ideas, not enough time...

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 22:04:26 GMT

Stranger in a Strange Mary Sue. I just found a great old post by Teresa Nielsen Hayden on "Mary Sue".

MARY SUE (n.): 1. A variety of story, first identified in the fan fiction community, but quickly recognized as occurring elsewhere, in which normal story values are grossly subordinated to inadequately transformed personal wish-fulfillment ...
[for example] Galadriel's secret love-child (Aragornï¿½s unacknowledged daughter) who runs off to join the Company of the Ring, sorts out Boromir's problems, out-magics Gandalf, out-fights Aragorn during the melodramatic scene in which she reveals her true identity, demonstrates herself to be so spiritually elevated that the Ring has no effect on her, and wins Legolas' heart forever.

I loved this, and was all set to blog that Robert Heinlein falls deep into this trap in some later novels--until I discoved Teresa's commenters had already said exactly this.

What would Mary Sue do in my situation? Drink exotic poison and die a lingering death in the arms of Johnny Depp, as mascara ran down his cheeks on a riptide of tears....

[Betsy Devine: Funny Ha-Ha or Funny Peculiar?]

Thanks again Valdis' BowTie Effect: Bush at War - a book that serves as a political Bridge?

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 20:41:11 GMT

Bush at War by Bob Woodward - given Bob's history, Bashing Nixon, Bashing Clinton - maybe this is a bridge kind of book?

Another Type of Digital Divide ?.

Gleaned from Esther Dyson's blog, Valdis Krebs uses his software to map the books setting out political points of view in these oh-so-interesting times.

I'll bet a map of left/right blogs would look similar.

Kinda looks like the two main gangs in West Side Story or the Bloods and Crips from South-Central LA, doncha think?

Thanks, Valdis.

[wirearchy News]

Don Norman - the Andy Rooney of human interface?! Sounds good to me!

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 18:10:24 GMT

Thanks to Due Diligence for this post - Don Norman as Andy Rooney caught my eye...

In fact it makes Don's point - that things that capture attention create an emotional response... Smiling as I write this.

========================================================

The Last Day and the Last Brain Cell

The last day at ETech featured Don Norman's keynote. I have occasionally mocked Don (in a friendly way!) as the Andy Rooney of human interface - "Did you ever notice...." - as he's critiqued his way through computing and industrial design. But he's turned over a new leaf, and came to talk about 'enjoyable things', more accurately, products that create an emotional response. And the talk was a joy. Don really is a master raconteur, and his graphics were a great accompaniment - a contrast to certain other (ahem!) graphically challenged keynotes. Don convinced me to amazon his book on the spot, so he gets my pitch of day award.

I had to leave Bill Janeway's talk before the end, but caught most of it. I won't recite his dismal stats on the effects of the NASDAQ and bubble bust on the VC biz, since I get to live that all the time. I think the approach to venture formation which he proposes is a valid and valuable one, and will continue to be a part of the capitalist ecology alongside the conventional round-driven model. I'll just put in one caution - that there's a bit of survivorship bias in the examples he used - eBay, et al. He makes it sound and look easy; it's not.

By this point, accumulated sensory overload and sleep deprivation were starting to take their toll. and brain cells were shutting down at an alarming rate. I visited the programmable matter and XML talks, and Dan Gillmor's blogging/journo affair, but saw no eye openers. I sat in on Bunny Huang's hardware hacking talk on a lark (the last circuit I built featured 14 pin DIPs), and did learn a lot about the low cost of reverse engineering even the most complex silicon products, as well as the continued ingenuity of hardware hackers.

In spite of my occasional snarking, this Etech was a worthy successor to the first. My compliments to the chefs. There was great hallway and lounge action, and I particularly enjoyed my first f2f meets with a lot of folks, of whom I'll specifically mention my blogdaddy Jeff Jarvis, Scoble, Jason Calacanis, and Allan Engelhardt. I'll post some photos over the weekend.

And very lastly, my best-of-show award goes>David Sifry of Technorati. He taught me some new things about a field I've followed for a very long time, and that's a rare gift. [Due Diligence]

Halley - you are endlessly fascinating!

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 15:13:45 GMT

OK OK - you are endlessly fascinating - juxtaposing posts - On The Perceived Hermanetics of Didactic Fundamentalism and then this one...

I am hot just imagining you in your bikini - pink hat - darjeeling dream

And Great Link to Daniel Day Lewis as Cecil - talk about contrasts - Room with a View and then Last of the Mohicans - don't underestimate the flexibilty of us tweedy guys...

==============================================

Cock-A-Doodle Do.

Cock-A-Doodle Do

Rise and shine, guys. Let's go. It's getting late. 5:22 am here I suppose that rooster noise is what woke me, figuratively, metaphorically, not literally, as there is no strutting bird anywhere in sight, but in my mind's eye, which is to say a rather sexy dream woke me, what's a girl to do, but stagger out of bed, say ... "hmmm" about that, put a light on, shuffle into the kitchen, grab the counter for balance, flip the switch on the teapot, reach for the Darjeeling to bring her back to Earth, and with spring battling winter and my dreamy landscape a hot summer beach, I don a most inappropriate but perfect costume, last summer's black and white bikini, a black cashmere sweater, a pink faux fur hat. You can't take this life too seriously you see.

I think, "Who Was That Masked Man?"

Maybe ... him?
Maybe ... him?
Maybe ... him?
Maybe ... him?
Maybe ... him?
No, must have been ... oh yes, he's the one. [Halley's Comment]

If I've luck sir, She's my Uxor - thanks Halley for a romp through my maying years!

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 14:56:33 GMT

Thank you Halley - once again for keeping me on my literary toes. My introduction to Uxor comes from an a capella song I sang back in high-school. It is a very sophomoric tribute to latin lessons by John O'Keefe:

Amo, Amas

AMO, amas,; I love a lass
As a cedar tall and slender!: Sweet cowslips' grace; Is her Nominative Case,
And she's of the Feminine Gender.
Rorum, corum, sunt Divorum!
Harum, scarum Divo!
Tag rag, merry derry, periwig and hatband,
Hic hac, horum Genetivo!: Can I decline; A Nymph divine?
Her voice as a flute is dulcis!: Her oculi bright!; Her manus white!
And soft, when I tacto, her pulse is!
Rorum, corum, sunt Divorum!
Harum scarum Divo!
Tag rag , merry derry, periwig and hatband,
Hic hac, horum Genetivo!: O, how bella; Is my Puella!
I'll kiss sæculorum!: If I've luck, Sir!; She's my Uxor!
O, dies benedictorum!
Rorum, corum, sunt Divorum!
Harum scarum Divo!
Tag rag, merry derry, periwig and hatband,
Hic, hac, horum Genetivo!: John O'Keefe

Note the line above - "if I've luck sir, she's my Uxor." In other words the beautiful woman he is singing about will become his wife! Or, at least will perform some "wifely" activities...;-)

Thanks again=======================================================

Uxorial.

Uxorial

I used this word "uxorial" today on the phone with someone who knows a lot of words and he didn't know this one. It's a great word.

I have nothing but avuncular or perhaps, fraternal feelings for this guy, btw.

And he is not particularly uxorious either. He simply needed to ask her a question before we could plan an outing. [Halley's Comment]

SpellBound - Spelling Bee documentary. I missed it, but I tried to watch

Thu, 29 Jan 2004 01:40:09 GMT

Only Rave Reviews

Keeping Social Networking Simpler - It is not shared interests - but Shared Activities - Get together and you've got reality.

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 17:44:21 GMT

What You Smell Like, versus Your Features and Functionality.

"Ever watch dogs social-networking ?

They cut to the chase pretty quickly"

(A comment I left on Teledyn the blog)

"ROTFL !"

(the response by Gary Lawrence Murphy - mrG)

Gary has written an excellent analysis of why this first wave of what is called social-networking software is badly flawed.

I can't help thinking that a default mindset to the mental models of engineering, and the seeming male predilection for things, gizmos, linear thinking, whatever - is one of the key reasons why this first wave won't work.

This was recently brought home to me very clearly. I belong to a small group of seven guys roughly 40 to 50 years old. We formed this group ostensibly to help each other with business opportunities and such like, although to me it's clear that the main value of this group is in providing a place where these fledgling men can talk about things that matter to them. I don't think most of them see it that way - whenever the interaction gets rich and useful, they want to get back to business and money stuff.

However ... recently we have discussed (again) whether to use email, forums, a bulletin board, a blog, and so on to keep in touch - we've tried them all, and the group wants some clarity on this.

But ... what I found interesting about this back-and-forth conversation was the impatience that came through when talking about the *process* - contrasted by the fervour and enthusiasm when a question in one of the emails led to a flurry of emails about what was best - a smartphone, a Treo, a Sony Clie, etc. All of a sudden, several emails were full of the minute details of this feature or that functionality or the per-month price or what kinds of software were available.

Like young boys with new toy cars.

Have there been any women involved in designing social-networking software ? I think there should be.

Here's a tasty excerpt from mrG's musings on social-networking:

the failure of the social network sites

And yes, I do think they will fail, it's inevitable. Whether by intentional design or by blind emulations, these new black-book stop-shops all share several dubious characteristics:

they are not social networks, only flat-taxonomy directories of questionaire replies, and badly designed questionaires at that.
because they do not interoperate, because they cannot share data or interchange or allow identity migrations, they are essentially anti social, building protectionist walls around people (called 'clubs' or 'communities' but really meaning the opposite)
they don't work.

So why don't they work? Because they are not social networks.

A social network is a network with a social cause, a social reason for being. Social networks fill a niche need for interaction. Church clubs, business clubs, square-dance clubs, these form natural, anthropologically sound social networks with the intelligent self-organization moving from the local (chapter) out to the regional and then clustering still beyond. They are also self-governing, electing their executives from grassroots, organizing on the need to expand the social network.

[wirearchy News]

Alicia L. Cervini's Thesis on Social Networking Software - Excellent Overview and Elucidation of the Goal

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 17:42:51 GMT

Alicia L. Cervini's Thesis on Social Networking Software Identifies a number of Useful themes:

First, Social Networking software is not just the recent flurry of online networking tools.

Instead, it is the whole sphere of software-based tools that allow people to manage (track contacts ), grow (find new contacts to extend the network), and communicate with your social network. This includes, email, IRC, blogs, as well as Ryze, Friendster, etc.

Second, the two goals of software enabled social networking are

1 - To manage more than 150 contacts that we could probably do effectively on paper or in our heads, and

2 - To move this new extended network beyond merely an online set of "friends" to a real-world set of contacts who affiliate/meet/collaborate (in general participate in shared activities), around shared purposes/interests.

In other words, it is not because you both like red wine, that you connect, but because you like it enough to for a friendship around wine tasting events. The members of your wine tasting "group" actually meet to taste wine, hear about new wines, learn about viniculture, etc. And they form relationships based on all the extra connections that come from being in the wine tasting group space together - in other words they form a small community.

If Social Networking Software does not contribute to a shift from online contact to real-world interactions, then it will not survive. So the key is the ability to form Networks/Tribes, etc and Create Events that people actually attend.

If Churches, and Book Clubs, Fraternities, and Sports Teams are examples of Real-world affiliations that can be successful in forming real friendships. How can social networking software facilitate 1 & 2 above. Can the software enable you to manage a network beyond 150 people, and can the software enable you to get together with some subset of these people around a shared activity (like church, or politics, or sports, etc).

If SNS cannot do this then maybe it has degenerated into a form of entertainment, where you can play with the pictures and interests of others to form endless webs of potential connections that never really come to anything - wasting time doing this can be entertaining, but it is not social networking.

I was just listening to Don Norman dominate the rest with his ideas...

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 16:15:01 GMT

First, I like Don Norman,

But - his annoying primadonna style of presenting information was a bit offputting. Maybe I only heard one or two segments of this show, but it seemed like he has no tact.

Don, let me suggest that you listen to what people are saying, then respond to what they are saying before letting it rip with a different point of view. You may have great ideas, or have arrived at a pretty accurate picture of what's going on in communication styles, but your own mastery of interaction would seem poor. Build on what people say - integrating it into your worldview or the worldview of some others that you disagree with - rather than merely taking someone's heartfelt experience as a data point for launching into your views.

====================

User interface guru Don Norman is on The Connection today talking about why cell phones are so annoying. Wow, Howard Rheingold is on now. [Scripting News]

Technology does not have to become EVIL - but it does make it more fun to talk about...

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 14:18:19 GMT

Why does the singularity need to be distorted into an "evil" singularity - I feel like I'm in the group therapy session of Dr. Evil and his son - when the son is describing what he might like to do (instead of taking over the evil empire) and Dr. Evil keeps interjecting the word "evil"

An "EVIL" petting zoo?

Technology does not have to become EVIL - but I suppose it helps to capture attention and draw people in to even think about ideas like the Singularity.

============================

The Panopticon Singularity - Big Brother Is Already Watching You.

Charlie Stross wrote a powerful, chilling essay for the ill-fated Whole Earth Magazine charting the nascency of The Panopticon Singularity: "a police state characterised by omniscient surveillance and mechanical law enforcement."

A Panopticon Singularity is the logical outcome if the burgeoning technologies of the singularity are funneled into automating law enforcement. Previous police states were limited by manpower, but the panopticon singularity substitutes technology, and ultimately replaces human conscience with a brilliant but merciless prosthesis. With the demise of Whole Earth, Stross published his original draft on the Web. He details ten emerging technologies that will enable such a dystopia and outlines the currently apparent pathway for its creation. The list will be familiar to readers of Smart Mobs. A must-read.

Thanks, Tex!
[Smart Mobs]

Spirit Rover's LiveJournal Diary Blog... Very Cute (for all us geek types)

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 14:06:39 GMT

Thanks for the post Ms. Riba

============================

How adorable.

Shh! Don't tell NASA!

The Spirit Rover has her own LiveJournal. It's so sweet. Let me just quote for you the latest entries:

Tuesday, January 27th, 2004

2:10 pm
god, i just can't win. now that nasa is being all careful around me, i just want to get back to work. except i know that when that happens i'll want them to leave me alone again. why can't i just be happy at whatever i'm doing? it's like i don't know how to enjoy things anymore. what's wrong with me?

Sunday, January 25th, 2004

9:43 pm
opportunitygrrl?!?

okay, which of you told her about livejournal? you're so off my friends list.

Saturday, January 24th, 2004

9:06 pm
well, she's here. thank god there is an entire planet between us. we had to share an assembly room back at jpl. never again.

It's just so cute; reminds me of some of the people on my own Friend List...

[Riba Rambles:]

Highlighting Craiglist's Fake Job Posting for Social Network Manager

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 14:00:28 GMT

Laundry List of the time consuming activities of social networking websites that have become annoying recently.

Imagine maintaining presences on all the following sites:

Friendster, LinkedIn, Tribe, Orkut, Ryze, Spoke, ZeroDegrees, Ecademy, RealContacts, Ringo, MySpace, Yafro, EveryonesConnected, Friendzy, FriendSurfer, Tickle, Evite, Plaxo, Squiby, and WhizSpark.

Cute Article on The hassles of people and system maintenance across multiple social networking software

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 13:57:27 GMT

Social Nets Not Making Friends. As the number of social networking services like Friendster continues to swell, the technorati are pushing back. An antisocial backlash is afoot. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News]

Marovingian's Cake

Tue, 27 Jan 2004 21:41:15 GMT

By the end of the century, we will probably be able to mimic the "love" chemistry. That could sure help a lot of relationships, and prevent a few others from developing inappropriately.

Reminds me of the Marovingian.

This is your brain in love. In a fascinating new book, evolutionary anthropologist Helen Fisher examines the chemistry responsible for the giddiness, fixations and overarching lunacy associated with romantic love. [Salon.com]

Way to go Patriots! ReplayTV is back up and running!

Mon, 19 Jan 2004 10:42:21 GMT

Yes I did watch the game! Great game, unless you work for Eli Lilly.

Finally got my ReplayTV 4320 back from the shop (Replay repair service). The hard drive had crapped out. So, after a looong time on the phone, I was able to return it and pay a mere $200 to fix it. Note that this is the cost of new machines! But what can I say, it is a mission critical piece of equipment in our home.

The one month of TV hell that we had to live through without it was almost unbearable. Ads! Oh my God! They are horrible! They are Attention Deficit Disorder inducing! Further, they are often entirely inappropriate for my young children - even if shown during an entirely appropriate TV show.

Did start watching a lot more of the new reality tv stuff - Mission Organization, American Chopper, Queer Eye, Monster House, Date Patrol... Never really saw much of these before. But I guess that was because there was ALWAYS SOMETHING GOOD TO WATCH on Replay!

As to the game, I had to drive my daughter to a friends house just around 3 pm. So I was missing the kickoff etc. But I got home, and let my wife continue her nap for a half hour, popped a pot of popcorn (yes the old fashioned way with oil in a pot). Then we turned on the Game!

It was amazing on a couple fronts - first the game was great. Snowing and real grass! Great plays, lots of interceptions and fumbles! All around fun to watch. And, on Replay, it was EVEN BETTER!

We could do our own instant replay. We could pause when the phone rang - or when making dinner. It automatically skipped the ads (A feature that we will turn off during the Superbowl, but here it was just fine). And, by the time the game was over, we had caught up to the realtime showing of the event!

Triumph for the Patriots and Triumph for ReplayTV.

World's Strongest man competition

Sun, 04 Jan 2004 23:32:32 GMT

Halley, I was watching the Strongest Man competition (surfing again...) And while my favorites, Svend Karlsen (Norway), and Magnus Sameulsson (Sweden) did not win... These men are all really Alpha males! I mean pulling a traincar filles with steel, and lifting large rounds spheres onto 5 foot phalluses! That's alpha baby. And to your previous post these guys were also lifing cartloads of beer kegs (800lbs at a time). You're a blond - wouldn't you be attracted (just physically for a day or so) to a guy whose back muscles were larger than your quads! Needless to say, I was impressed!

I like this address referencing the competition - http://www.theweakgeteaten.com/Resources/wsm.htm

=======================================

Alpha Male Olympic Gold Medal Winner.

Alpha Male Olympic Gold Medal Winner

Wow, I wanna meet the guy that married Britney. How the heck did he pull that one off??? [Halley's Comment]

Thank you again Halley - You are shameless (unlike your brother...), and it is an inspiration to us all!

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 22:54:30 GMT

Clearly I was just exploring the sexual side with the Fascinating Rhythm post - even there, I was struggling with euphemisms and then had post-blogging regret that I had even included anything like this at all - what if my wife sees, what if my mom sees - will they think that I'm one of those who would have sneaked [as Tom Ewell says it when referring to Marylyn Monroe's comings and goings in Seven Year Itch] OUTSIDE the home to get sexual experiences or materials!

Jeez - I am soooo repressed! How do you do it Halley - I mean, how do you just lay it all out there - you are amazing!

===================

Sexual Globalization.

Sexual Globalization

When I was away for Thanksgiving, doing family things and taking care of my son, I wasn't thinking about Fleshbot* very much. I was thinking how unsexy I felt and how little I was thinking about sex and how inappropriate it felt when I was preoccupied with the big family holiday of Thanksgiving to even consider sex.

When I got home, the holiday was over, my kid was asleep in his bed, our suitcase unpacked and dirty clothes in the laundry, I did go check in to see what they'd been up to while I was away. I went to look for all the reasons everyone else goes to look -- I felt a little sexy and it's a sexy blog.

And I was thinking about how we integrate our work selves, our parent selves, our public selves, our sexual selves, now that all this sexual content is available on the web which surely blurs the line between public and private.

Even when I was a kid and my older brother had Playboy magazines hidden under the bed, they could easily be revealed by my mom vacuuming and he could be "found out" and perhaps feel ashamed or somehow dirty. There was a lot of sneaking around in the old days to real world locations OUTSIDE your home to get sexual materials or experiences -- with sexy magazines, sexy clubs, sexy videos, or just plain sex from paid escorts, masseuses, prostitutes. And I think it's fair to say, mostly men pursued these sexual outlets and it was deemed inappropriate for women to be involved in such pursuits. Now this sexual content is available to anyone with a computer, men and equally women.

But the enormous availability of sexual content (notice I'm trying not to say porn, because I'm still not sure what that word even means) online which allows one to privately pursue sexuality in great range and depth is changing the world we know. Changing it fundamentally. We are not only experiencing sexual content from many countries, but we are experiencing sexual culture from many other countries. What they do in Amsterdam, Osaka, Abu Dhabi and Alabama and HOW they do it, are not the same. This is another reason I'm writing about "alpha males" as I believe all the assumptions about how men and women relate in one culture are being challenged by how men and women relate in many cultures. I'm trying to understand who we are, or perhaps who we were and who we are becoming.

I think fundamentalists of many religions (in many countries) are being buffeted by gale force winds of sexual globalization. Women are right in the sweet spot, or not-so-sweet spot of these seismic sexual rumblings. I really don't know where it will lead us, but I think it's changing our lives very quickly and we may not even notice how much and how fast it is happening.

[*Fleshbot is a new sex blog, or I might call it an online review and digest of sexy digital content. ] [Halley's Comment]

Fascinating Rhythm - writes very well indeed ;-)

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 22:26:44 GMT

Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl. She's quite a good writer, isn't she? [evhead]

Tuesday, January 27th, 2004
2:10 pm	god, i just can't win. now that nasa is being all careful around me, i just want to get back to work. except i know that when that happens i'll want them to leave me alone again. why can't i just be happy at whatever i'm doing? it's like i don't know how to enjoy things anymore. what's wrong with me?
Sunday, January 25th, 2004
9:43 pm	opportunitygrrl?!? okay, which of you told her about livejournal? you're so off my friends list.
Saturday, January 24th, 2004
9:06 pm	well, she's here. thank god there is an entire planet between us. we had to share an assembly room back at jpl. never again.