I was trying to describe this project from MIT researcher Kimiko Ryokai to friends last night. I found the video on YouTube, of course, so thought I would share it again.
This is the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. Even those with concrete hearts will like it. And it is not even cat-related.
I am liking the Twitter comedy emerging (Twitterdy?)*. Kind of like stand up for the digital mobs.
*Just found this one too – The Hoff – heheh
I am all for news feeds on Twitter and find them useful. But I don’t especially find an alert with no actual content in it useful really.
So this is a photo of Kosso’s feet with rum punch, the sunset and the Caribbean ocean.
If you clicked on the photo about 10 minutes ago, you would have noticed a Flickr “user”, who has uploaded one photo, has added a note directly linking to a holiday site. At least I think it is, because I don’t want to go there and give them my hit.* It could well be something totally innocent. But I hope Yahoo gets any smart ideas about doing this with ads. I feel jacked. It might be a great little service for someone, but not me.
*By blogging about this, I wondered if they would probably get loads of bloomin’ hits so I have now removed the link.
Filed under: ads
Loving this description on SEO Black Hat of accounts on Digg and the like (which has just announced “1 million users”). Describes multiple accounts created by one individual as “sock puppets”.
Heh. It works. Says SEO:
… it would be a hell of a lot more impressive if you told me you had 250,000 verified accounts – accounts that we knew tracked back to unique individuals. And no, verification emails to a freemail account don’t really count.
True – but careful. This *does* give fuel to ridiculous proposals like this from Germany.
I love this cartoon which is actually an ad for Godaddy, the domain name seller fave of podcasters and the like (because Adam Curry, the trans-cultural, sexually obsessed floppy haired Pied Piper of podcasting has a deal with them and also did some DIY ad campaigns with them through the podcast)… Saw this via our friend (who we also met via podcasting) Christian Burns.
Maybe I should rethink getting a cat. I have enough feeding to do in my own life. Now I just sound selfish.
**Completely irrelevant note to self: as an aside, never hang washing outside at this time of the year. You think it is mild and sunny, then it pisses down. And actually gets quite chilly.**
See, this is why your so-called “user generated content” rules. I love YTwatchdog’s policing job of “cheaters” on YouTube. Every online community has them – trolls, haters, cheaters, griefers…
YTwatchdog, who counts “Your dad” as one of his influences, shows how some are spamming the system with fake accounts – surprise surprise – to appear popular, pushing them up the “most viewed” page. Same old practice for a digital world, but I love the entertainment value like this which spins out of it. Call me simple, but this makes me giggle. You’ll get used to the voice. Reminds me of the early Bluggcast days.
While we are on the subject of virtual worlds, was thinking about the annoucement that Sony is create a virtual “mall” world for its Playstation community, complete with IM, voice and video. Apparently it “could help Sony jusify the high price of the PlayStation 3″, says Information Week.
I doubt that. See video here (looks like really nice graphics)
The online world also would include places for public gatherings, and a hall of fame for players who reach milestones in PlayStation games. In addition, Sony planned to lease space in Home to game developers and other third parties interested in setting up shop. “Think of it like a mall,” Sony spokesman Dave Karraker said. ‘They can lease space, and put anything they want in it.’
I wonder if the avatars you can create will be from game characters? When will I be able to be a tourist in my Second Life form to parties at the PlayStation world? (via my PS, obviously.) Will there be any PSP version, ever?? I can imagine it being full of a lot of “cool kids” showing off their high scores.
I like the way these things are heading, although they are all such walled gardens and don’t allow for much cross-metaverse pollination. Interesting stuff anyway.
Good. Those annoying premium “quiz shows” which have, in recent months, plagued my late night TV viewing, have been suspended from UK TV networks after a series of scandals and official probes* – for now.
There is nothing more irritating and more likely to drive people like me to YouTube than these stupid money-spinning shows which squat in prime B-movie, post club slots to pose questions like “What word am I thinking of? Hmmm? Come on, tell me, who’s going to call in??”. And the mugs always do.**
Of course, this does also include voting lines for more mainstream entertainment shows such as Falling Over on Ice and so on, but I am sure they can still make money with normal rate calls and texts – or maybe not. They just have to be a bit more innovative. Those late night “quiz” phone ins are not innovative. Nuh uh. Nope.
* Probes by the premium rate watchdog, Icstis. I think I read in the paper at the weekend that the chairman, Sir Alistair Graham, allegedly said he wanted to change its name because it currently sounded too much like a “urinary disease”.
**I do know someone who did win some money. About the amount he paid to get through.
Very sad to hear* about the death of Jean Baudrillard, the French philospher and sociologist. He was 77 and had been sick for some time.
He heavily influenced my thinking in my undergrad and postgrad years, especially when I started getting interested in the internet – or cyberspace as we all called it then. I remember being surprised he was still alive at the time I was reading him. I wish I had seen him at a conference. I wonder if he actually ever *did* any mmos or virtual worlds?
* I actually heard it on the radio while washing my face in the bathroom. The news reader didn’t half pronounce his name in a very odd way. Maybe it was a postmodern homage?
Just rediscovered this sketch of Bush and Blair doing the Weakest Link. I first saw it on telly, on the BBC’s Don’t Watch That Watch This. The ultimate mainstream remix programme for the masses. This problem is it has a really bad title imho. It just does not chime with me when I flick through it on the EPG. Now I have been reminded.
