perfectbook

reBang blog writes about PerfectBook:

What I wonder is whether the public will fully grasp the potential impact that such technology might have on their day-to-day lives. Will they both be aware and understand the significance of stories such as those surrounding, for example, the final Harry Potter book (e.g. scanned copies uploaded to the internet or unauthorized translations)? Will they make the connection between the current Flickr controversy and this kind of technology? What happens when those same amateur photographers discover people using their photos to create calenders for sale on Lulu? When it’s their work being passed around - when someone else is making money from their effort - will attitudes change?

sl again

People are generally afraid to say that Second Life is lame.  They think others think SL is really cool.  They think that if they think SL is lame, others may think of them as lame.  People should get over this fear.  There’re plenty cool things abt SL, but nothing in there is really all that cool.  SL is kind of lame.  We should treat the thing as a classroom (classrooms are too often lame spaces anyway) and quit blowing smoke about how cool we think it is.  It’s not cool.  It’s lame.  Being lame doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its uses and value.  Some people think I’m lame.  I have uses.  I have value.  No, no, I’m not saying that we should chuck it altogether.  But be honest.  Recognize.  It’s pretty lame.

Now let’s think about how we can make it cooler.

1. One… chuck the Lindens.  Just quit showing up in SL.

2. Open-source and non-profitize MMORPG environments, creating standards for worlds that let you come and go with one avatar in multiple worlds… like you can open a document in a notepad, in Word, or in .odt format…

3.  I dunno.  What else needs doing?

won’t let the angels take you away

I used to go see Mike West in Hattiesburg any time he came to town.   I love this guy.  Here’s part of his recent story with his new wife, his kids, Truckstop Honeymoon, and setting up anew in Kansas after Katrina destroyed the 9th Ward of New Orleans.

wrangle spime wand phone, yeah?

Heavy D sends:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6938244.stm

Using image-matching algorithms the researchers have found a way to adorn the real world with digital content.

The technology has already been used to create a guide of Edinburgh that allows people to find virtual artworks placed around the city using their mobile.

Another related project uses the technology to automatically update a person’s blog with their location.

“It’s about using a camera phone as a magic wand,” said Dr Mark Wright of the Division of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh who came up with the idea.

At the heart of Spellbinder, as the project is known, is a database of all the places that participants have added data to. People query it by taking a snap of a location with their phone then using multimedia text messages to send it to Spellbinder.

 

Well hell, this isn’t taking long at all, is it?

 

 

cool librarians

Vanity googling, I found myself on a list of “cool librarians” over at the Lemur Love Wiki. I’m honored to be in that number! (though I always thought I was a geeky librarian… same thing?)

:”-)

ron paul @ google

Yes.  It is time to take Ron Paul seriously, because he is a serious-minded man.  Popular?  Yeah, with a growing number, because he sounds like he’s telling the truth when he espouses his rather unpopular positions.  He’s not bullshitting.  That counts for a lot.

James Kotecki gives them hell

I won’t attempt to restate or interpret what he’s doing here.  But watch this video.  This guy just won’t stop, and thank goodness for that.  At the moment, I’d rank James Kotecki as more relevant and important than 4/5ths of all the candidates running, and maybe even tied with Bill Clinton (don’t let it go to yr head, JK!).

Keep giving them hell and holding their feet to the fire, man.

giuliani healthcare

Wow…  But the least of evil gets my vote.

MSNBC:

Critical to Giuliani’s plan is a $15,000 tax deduction for families to buy private health insurance, instead of getting insurance through employers. Any leftover funds could be rolled over year-to-year for medical expenses.

Campaigning in this first primary state, Giuliani said his goal is to give individuals more control over their health care. The former New York mayor said as more people buy plans, insurers will drop their prices, making insurance affordable to those who lack it now.

obama mistake

After last week’s n00b foreign policy gaffe, this looks ultra stupidbad:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20070536/

That’s way too delicate a situation to be punting it around as a primary race political issue.  Way.  Too.  Delicate.  Gracious, man, you’re looking less presidential against her, and more and more like some kinda intern.  Do better!

Show restraint.

Say less.

Bede Griffiths on death and love