Guidewire » Jason Kottke

The Vortex: Partying like it's 1995

carlacthompson — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:28:55 +0000

The problem with neglecting to post The Vortex on a weekly basis is that it easily spins out of control. I’m staring at a raft of links I’ve saved up, wondering which ones will flag me as Out of Date, the ultimate sin in the technosphere. If you see something past its sell-by date below, just pretend you’re in a time machine.

News from the Social Media Vortex

-The social network we all forgot, MySpace, lost its founding CEO Chris DeWolfe this week. The rumored replacement is – surprise! – a former Facebook exec. Owen Van Natta, who hasn’t been confirmed officially, will hopefully figure out how to unseat his former employer as the top global social network. Also on his list – lose the wallpaper.

-In other news from the 20th century, Yahoo is shutting down GeoCities, in a move that likely had many commenting, “But how will my cat blog now?”

-In a Wall Street Journal piece, Mark Penn discovers that there are now almost as many bloggers in the US as there are lawyers. Bloggers of course quibbled with his math but the point is clear: we must defeat them! Quick, someone start a blog comparing the merits of frivolous lawsuits versus writing opinion pieces in your mom’s basement.

Apps on the Radar

-In place of an app I’m liking, I’m issuing a plea for an app I can’t seem to find. Anyone know of a translation app for the iPhone that *doesn’t* need a data connection to work? The ability to translate umpteen languages into English doesn’t do much good if you’re abroad with no data plan or Wifi.

Ephemera

-In the category of Horrifically Inappropriate Technology, we nominate ‘Baby Shaker,’ the new (approved!) iPhone app. So to confirm: cursing in iPhone apps – hell no; assault and battery of infants – welcome to the App Store!

-And in the category of I’m Thinking He’s an Atheist, we nominate John Soden III of Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco. This little gem is a bit old but you’ve got to love a guy who sends an office-wide email on Good Friday saying, “Unless you’re an orthodox something, please get into the office… Join Wells Fargo and become a teller if you want to take bank holidays.”

Tweet of the Week

-My Tweet of the Week section was thrown a curveball this week with the launch of Tweetingtoohard, a site that honors self-important tweets. Of course the flip side is that Twits will now be jockeying for position on the site, leading us even further down the Me Me MEEE abyss that is Twitter.

-In lieu of highlighting the self-important then, I’ll just settle for the funny. Which is apparently hard to find, as my nomination goes to Jason Kottke on April 1st: “Why is the Internet taking so long to tell me what to think about latest episode of Lost? It’s been over for 32 minutes!”

The Vortex: Zeroes and Ones

carlacthompson — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:39:05 +0000

We’re back after a week away, half of which was spent in the Dublin airport. I love Dublin and we met some fantastic companies, but when I go back to see them, I’m taking a boat.

News from the Social Media Vortex

-The previously mentioned Shorty Awards, for great achievement in Twittering, were awarded in Brooklyn this week and it’s fitting that the attending crowd wouldn’t shut up long enough to hear anyone’s 140-character speech. That’s the essence of Twitter, really: never stop talking or you’ll become invisible.

-At the same time, a Pew report out this week finds that 11% of online Americans are using Twitter. What’s more interesting is that number was 9% just last November. Impressive growth for a service with zero revenue.

-When The Interwebs Go Horribly Wrong: I submit YoBusted.com, a site that allows friends to post embarrassing pictures of you, and won’t take them down until you pay a subscription fee.

Apps on the Radar

-Lose It! I’m not embarrassed to say I’m trying to cut a few calories, but when I searched for an iPhone app to help, the options were surprisingly limited. Lose It! is free and fully featured, with a huge database of foods, weight and nutrient tracking. Come on, get healthy with me. And while you’re at it…

-Yoga Stretch – If you’re new to yoga, go to some classes first. But if you know your poses and are looking for a good at-home practice, I highly recommend it. Also perfect for when you’re traveling.

-Speaking of traveling, did I mention my 30+ hours in the Dublin airport? I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful for my iPhone. VirtualPool, 2 Across crossword puzzles and Platinum Solitaire kept me (somewhat) sane. And I may have sold my colleague Mike an iPhone on the strength of Enigmo alone.

DEMO trends – where the innovation lies with DEMO 09 applicants

-inventive thinking in crisis communications for businesses

-a whole new way to view large amounts of online content

-live music search for the masses

Tweet of the Week

-This was an easy one. The always entertaining Jason Kottke, ladies and gentleman: “Hey blogosphere, shut up about cats, bacon and Shepard Fairey for a second, I’m trying to think.”

Ephemera

-The hot topic on FriendFeed this week was whether the service is doomed. Too many geeks using, not enough mainstream use, other services cribbing features, etc etc. The answer may lie a few entries down, however, where one of the most popular items of the week was the following: “I just added an XML-RPC interface to the FriendFeed API, so it’s now even easier to use. For example, one line of code can print my feed: for entry in ff.feed.user.paul()["entries"]: print entry["title"].”

And no, that last phrase isn’t html ephemera, it’s what he actually typed. I can feel the mainstream-ers coming now.

Happy Friday the 13th/Valentine’s Day everyone, depending on your point of view. The Onion sums up the holiday best, I think: Nation’s Couples Descend On Nation’s Rotating Restaurants. See you next week.

The View from Guidewire: New Year, New Silliness

carlacthompson — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:26:43 +0000

I let ‘The View’ posts slide during the holiday malaise but the first work week of 2009 brings a bevy of technosphere fun. And apparently it also brings a rise in my snark quotient. I’ll try to be nicer next week.

News from the Social Media Vortex

-Several celebrity Twitter accounts, including Obama and Britney Spears, were hacked, causing much kerfuffle and official statements from Twitter. Users were alerted to “change your password!” because no one wanted to admit they weren’t famous enough to be hacked.

-The big discussion this week on FriendFeed was… FriendFeed. Louis Gray wrote a post on what FriendFeed needs to do to grow (some great ideas in there, by the way) and it gets 140 comments on his site alone. Several others chime in to debate further, including Sarah Lacy, who predicts “a modest acquisition in someone’s future.” Hmmm, I’ve heard that somewhere before… Paul Buchheit, FriendFeed investor and founder, then has his say, requesting that folks remember there is no such thing as overnight success. I probably skipped a few steps in there but you get the gist: FriendFeed needs to grow and attract more mainstream consumers. See also: Pope’s hat and bear in woods.

-Gawker Media continues to sell off its properties, with Consumerist going to Consumer Reports, and my beloved Defamer looking for a home. Seriously folks, someone snap up Defamer – it has some of the wittiest writing online.

2008 in the rearview mirror

-I’ve had Jason Kottke’s Best Links 2008 in an open tab all week. There’s a lot to wade through but it’s all fascinating. And there are a couple of fun games buried in there too. [Note: why can't I get Passage to run on my computer? I've been dying to play it since I read Jason Rohrer's Esquire profile.]

-Speaking of games, Mochi Media released its list of the top 10 flash games for 2008. Click that link at your own peril. Hours of time suckage lie in wait.

-And don’t miss Pitchfork’s 20 Worst Album Covers of 2008. I think my favorite comment is on Brad Paisley’s cover: “The artist who did this also designed GeoCities pages for people in 1996.”

Apps on the Radar

-WebEx introduced its iPhone app, for those times when you want your browser to crash on a smaller screen.

-ReadWriteWeb tells me there’s a Change.gov iPhone app now available but I’m not sure I believe them. Searches in iTunes and on my phone turned up nothing. **Update: Christopher Corfi was kind enough to include links to the Change.gov app. See comment #2 below.

-I finally downloaded Enigmo and am officially hooked. It was voted best iPhone game at last year’s developer conference and completely merits the title.

DEMO trends – where the innovation is with DEMO 09 applicants

-Consumer-controlled marketing – allowing users to control the conversation on business sites

-Social Web – a remote control for your online experience

-Immersive learning – transitioning education to 21st century tools

Ephemera

-Apple is possibly developing iPhone gloves. You heard me correctly – gloves for using your iPhone in the cold. For those times when you just can’t abide the extra five minutes it takes to, you know, go inside.

Tweet of the Week

It’s a three-way tie this week, since we haven’t named anyone in several weeks. Drumroll please…

-Funniest: (And cheating a bit because this was a FriendFeed entry) Alex Scoble, brother of Robert, – “I’ve created a pastime out of coming up with new ways to humorously say that my brother’s head is gargantuan.”

-Pithiest: @marshallk, who got married New Year’s Eve (congrats!) and said, “thx everyone. gotta say though, wedding license applications, next to “domestic partnership” apps, felt like a whites’ only water fountain.”

-And this one came in just as I was wrapping up the post. Most Out of Touch of With Reality goes to @JasonCalacanis: “Must. Not. Order. Corvette. ZR1. STOP. DON’T DO IT. Recession. Not appropriate. DRIVE TESLA. Save. Planet. STOP. DON’T ORDER.”

We should all have such problems.