South by Southwest Interactive gets underway today in Austin, Texas, and a broad swath of the technology community will be headed there to check out the bands, barbecue, and, oh yeah, the startups. Ever since Twitter had its breakout moment at the 2007 festival, SXSW has been considered a king-maker of sorts. Yet no startup has [...]
Judging bytrending topics on Twitter, I was not alone in reserving an iPad today as pre-orders began for the April 3 launch. The experience was un-Apple-like in the bugs I encountered. Ordering did not work at all on the Apple site in Google’s Chrome browser, but was possible with the odd error page in Internet Explorer. In Chrome, it [...]
As the FTC lays the groundwork for a possible challenge to Google’s purchase of AdMob, it is instructive to look at something else Google has already done to gain a strong foothold in the mobile ad business. Any advertiser that bids through the AdWords system gives Google complete authority over which devices its messages are seen [...]
In another validation of the suddenly hot collective buying trend, LivingSocial has landed $25m in Series B funding from a group of investors including US Venture Partners and Steve Case’s Revolution, LLC. But even with new money backing several similar companies, it is still unclear if the latest thing in e-commerce will last for long. LivingSocial [...]
Sony has every right to feel sore that Nintendo and Microsoft have stolen the limelight from it in adding motion-sensing to games. Sony had the EyeToy camera for sensing motion and putting players inside games on the PlayStation 2, long before Microsoft’s forthcoming Project Natal . Its six-axis controller has always had more motion capabilities than the [...]
to take into account the latest iteration of the Linking Open Data diagram which in its current form looks like this:
I’ve updated my version of it from March 2008 and this now looks like so:
Personally, I’d like to see the Linking Open Data contributors utilize Debategraph’s tools to generate a diagram with flow- connections that look like these:
Strategically, it will be a lot better for the Linked Data crowd if they do adopt debategraph’s approach to representing the LOD universe in more visually appealing and easy-to-navigate clusters rather than its present shapeless and confusing spore model.
In any case, I’ve written about it at length on my knol because it does concern me a wee bit that those at the bleeding edge of the formation of the Semantic Web (which will lead to, hopefully, the Global Brain) are showing signs of ad hoc, unstructured and not necessarily clear thinking — which is manifesting in their own LOD diagram, btw.
Maybe I should simply pretend not to notice these things and let the LOD spore grow and grow, more and more shapeless and more and more confusing…………….sort of akin to knowing there are neural deficiencies in a third party and letting them descend into Alzheimers, Parkinsons, manic depression, schizophrenia etc. and not intervening because it’s not “politically correct” to intervene and “Who asked you, anyway?!”.
Then again……If we do mean to build a HEALTHY and high-functioning Global Brain then maybe the honorable and altruistic thing to do is point out the Linked Data crew should structure their LOD diagram by cross-pollinating with debategraph?
Right? Ah well, I’ve now incorporated it into my knol in any case!
Finally today sourcebinder has invited me into their alpha testing group.
I registered on their site many months ago because as readers are aware I’m interested in systems which facilitate linkage and sense-making of what may be seemingly discrete, silo information sources. When I saw this video from them on YouTube, it looked like they’re trying to synaptically connect information sources in a visually and technically innovative way (with Wii, haptics, Papervision3D and AS3 in synch):
Initially, it’s obvious that this alpha group is extremely small. At this initial stage I count 6 participants, including myself, who’ve activated their invites and are exploring the features available.
Over the next few days I’ll explore more and update everyone on functionality and ease of use as I discover it myself. At first glance, the layout is quite neat — although clearly oriented towards people who may be more technically capable than the mass consumer; this UI does not look like a MySpace / Facebook / Twitter. It’s an amalgam between viewzi, onellama (a radio music site a friend of a friend founded) and a music download iPhone app store that I once happened upon. In any case, I’m looking forward to playing around with it and testing what it has to offer.
ALPHAs, BETAs, CONTENT OWNERSHIP + TWAIN
Following what was an unexpectedly awful experience with a SemWeb beta last year (appallingly unprofessional management team, systematic breach of user goodwill and trust on their part, lack of consideration towards user feedback and the decimation of collaborative user content), I’ve made the decision NOT to contribute my content or insights to any site / mgmt team where users are not valued, where users can’t monetize their content within a reasonable timeframe, where users’ time(s) and positive energies are being wasted or where, as a user, I simply feel uncomfortable with my reputation being associated with that particular platform.
I am a quality content contributor — as shown by the fact Google Knol has awarded me “Top Pick Knol” for three different postings — and I will only engage on quality platforms with quality management teams.
Platforms and management teams I do recommend entrusting content with include:
A lot of marketing research is currently being conducted on online behaviors and motivations. Here’s an insight into me as an online contributor. I’m not the type of person who creates a socnet account to garner followers or to throw electric sheep around — although I admit I have a facebook and myspace account simply to prevent anyone squatting on my name and then posting items pretending to be me.
For someone who enjoys sharing knowhow, I’ve simply made the choice to exclusively participate on platforms where the return on utility (ROU), the reciprocity of user respect (RUR) and the collaborative dispersion of sense (CDS) is high. Users’ content, their collaborative capabilities and their time are precious and valuable.
There is absolutely no point giving a platform like that SemWeb play these treasures and gold nuggets for them to exploit when there are a million and one other competing platforms out there which do treat users, their content and their contributions with respect, and where they can monetize their content or organize / promote / own it in a way which suits their needs.
CONTENT IS KING, CONTEXT IS QUEEN AND CONSIDERATION ARE THEIR PROGENY, (C) Twain, 2009
This weekend I’ll expand on this phrase I coined in response to someone’s comment to my Google knol on ‘The Global Brain’ and explain how it relates to a viable monetization model for Web 3.0.
LONDON 2012 — ROYAL MINT DESIGN A 50 PENCE COMPETITION
I’ll also release some images and a video of my submission to this competition. Essentially, the Royal Mint is inviting the public to design the tails side of the 50 pence coin in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics. There are 27 sports themes for designers to choose from and the prize includes seeing their designs appearing on 50 pence coins in circulation as of March 2010.
It’s been a little while since I sketched anything so I found the flow arcs of my wrists not as flexible as they were when I sketched more, but I’m pleased with the design concept I submitted!
That’s all for now except perhaps to say that my Knol entry “How to LOL” is apparently in the lead to win the Google Knol-Dummies contest and that some parties from the Knol Authors Foundation would like me to join them.
Again, because of the bad experience with the SemWeb play I’m reluctant to allocate my time to helping systems and teams improve — unless it’s actually my job or I’m being financially remunerated for my efforts, upfront.
Goodwill which isn’t reciprocated or respected is simply exploitation and that’s……….MORALLY WRONG.
