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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Asynchronous Multiplayer Mobile Gaming

Asynchronous Multiplayer Mobile Gaming: "Aurora Feint II accomplishes this through the use of 'ghosts'. A human player builds up a character in the game world that has the ability to act autonomously while the player is offline. The player's ghost can be challenged in the game world at any time, and when the player returns to the game world, the ghost can be controlled directly. It's a novel approach and solves a number of problems with people wanting to play with their friends on their own schedules.

"


O'Reilly Radar - http://radar.oreilly.com/

Why I Love Twitter

Why I Love Twitter: "

If you care what I think, you know that Twitter is just about the best way to learn what I'm paying attention to. I pass along tidbits of O'Reilly news, interesting reading from mailing lists and blogs I follow, and of course, tidbits from the twitterers I'm following. These are all the things I could never find time to put on my blog, but that I spray via email like a firehose at editors, conference planners, and researchers within O'Reilly. A lot of my job is, as we say, 'redistributing the future' - following interesting people, and passing on what I learn to others. And twitter is an awesome tool for doing just that.



Like a lot of people, I tried out Twitter early on, but didn't stick to it. Most of the early twitter conversation was personal, and I didn't have time for it. I came back when I noticed that about 5000 people were following my non-existent updates, waiting for me to say something. With that many listeners, I thought I'd better oblige. (There are now close to 16,000.) I soon realized that Twitter has grown up to become a critical business tool, ideal for following the latest news, tracking the ideas and whereabouts of people who will shape the future of technology, and sharing my own thoughts and attention stream.



I thought I should outline here some of the specific things I find so compelling about Twitter, with suggestions about architectural features to be emulated by other internet services.



  1. Twitter is simple. Twitter does one small thing, and does it well. Folks like Robert Scoble sing the praises of Friendfeed, which you could think of as twitter++. After all, it's got comments and aggregation of data from multiple services. But despite its powerful premise, Friendfeed hasn't dented Twitter's growth. Personally, I don't have time to wade through the comments; for me, Twitter is about quick hits, not about extended discussion. And while I love the promise of service aggregation, I tend to think that trying to marry it to commenting obscures its potential. Less is more. New services like peoplebrowsr are reframing service aggregation in a richer way, as a way of learning more about the people you follow, browsing the social graph. (Peoplebrowsr is still in alpha, but I think it has real potential as a social graph explorer, rather than as yet another people feed-reader.)



  2. Twitter works like people do. If I'm interested in someone, I don't have to ask their permission to follow them. I don't have to ask if they will be my friend: that is something that evolves naturally over time. If you're a public figure like I am, the metaphor of mutual 'friending' is truly broken. I get tens of thousands of friend requests from people I don't know. Accepting would make it impossible for me to use a social tool to keep in touch with my real friends. Friend groups don't really help.



    Twitter's brilliant social architecture means that anyone can follow me, and I can follow anyone else (unless they want to keep their updates private.) Gradually, through repeated contact, we become friends. @ replies that can only be seen by people followed by both parties to a conversation create a natural kind of social grouping, as well as social group extensibility, as I gradually get more and more visibility into new people that my friends already know. Meanwhile, truly private direct messages are also supported.



    I don't know who first used the term 'ambient intimacy' but it's a great description of what begins to happen on Twitter. I know not just what people are thinking about or reading, but enough about what they are doing that our relationship deepens, just like real-world friendships. People who follow me on Twitter learn that I'm making jam or pies, or gardening or riding my bike or feeding the horses, things that I'd never (or rarely, since I'm doing it here) share on my blog. I know a lot more about many of my professional contacts that makes them more into friends. And in the case of my family, who keep their updates private and visible only to a limited group of real friends, we can keep in touch in small ways that mean a lot. I get special moments of my wife or daughters' day that we might not have shared otherwise. It's truly lovely.

  3. Twitter cooperates well with others. Rather than loading itself down with features, it lets others extend its reach. There are dozens of powerful third-party interface programs; there are hundreds of add-on sites and tools. Twitter even lets competitors (like FriendFeed or Facebook) slurp its content into their services. But instead of strengthening them, it seems to strengthen Twitter. It's the new version of embrace and extend: inject and take over. (Scoble recently noticed that 60%+ of his friends' updates on Facebook actually came from twitter. And as John Battelle noted in a recent tweet, 'I noticed now that my FBook status is updated with Twitter, I get responses in Fbook, but would like to see them here.' It might seem like a strength for Facebook to allow Twitter to update its status feed, but not the other way around, but I think Facebook will one day realize that Twitter has taken them over....)



  4. Twitter transcends the web. Like all of the key internet services today, Twitter is equally at home on the mobile phone. Even on the PC, I find myself using a separate client (Twhirl is an Adobe Air program) that provides a rich, alternate interface.



  5. Twitter is user-extensible.The @syntax for referring to users, hashtags, and whatever you call the use of $ as a special symbol for reference to financial instruments, were all user-generated innovations that, because of Twitter's simplicity, allowed for third party services to be layered not just on the API, but on the content.



  6. Twitter evolves quickly. Perhaps because its features are so minimal, new user behaviors seem to propagate across Twitter really quickly. It's a bit like the reason that fruit flies are used for genetic research: the short lifespan compresses the time for mutations to take hold. Perhaps a better analogy would be the speed of cultural evolution among humans compared to biological evolution. The most fascinating evolution happening on Twitter isn't an evolution of the software, but an evolution in user behavior and in the types of data that are being shared.



    I saw this myself with retweeting, a behavior I picked up not from Twitter itself but from twhirl, the Twitter client I use. Because Twhirl actually has a button for retweeting, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do it. I became one of the most prolific retweeters, figuring that I have more followers than most of the people I know, and that it would be good form to pass on the best of what they post. But it's fascinating to see the growth of retweeting by others, even those not using twhirl.



In many ways, Twitter is a re-incarnation of the old Unix philosophy of simple, cooperating tools. The essence of Twitter is its constraints, the things it doesn't do, and the way that its core services aren't bound to a particular interface.



It strikes me that many of the programs that become enduring platforms have these same characteristics. Few people use the old TCP/IP-based applications like telnet and ftp any more, but TCP/IP itself is ubiquitous. No one uses the mail program any more, but all of us still use email. No one uses Tim Berners-Lee's original web server and browser any more. Both were superseded by independent programs that used his core innovations: http and html.



What's different, of course, is that Twitter isn't just a protocol. It's also a database. And that's the old secret of Web 2.0, Data is the Intel Inside. That means that they can let go of controlling the interface. The more other people build on Twitter, the better their position becomes.



There's a real lesson to Facebook here about giving other services (like Twitter) access to their social graph. They have the best one going, but because they try to keep users coming back to their interface, and even the applications built on their service have to live in Facebook, they end up as a ghetto rather than a true internet service. It's the data, not the interface! Let other people use your data, build on it, and it will still belong to you. Hold it too tight, and they will compete with it.



Lots more to say, but the beach is calling on this sunny Saturday.





"


O'Reilly Radar - http://radar.oreilly.com/

ZillowMe4AddressBook 2.0 - Address Book plugin for Real Estate web site Zillow. (Free)

ZillowMe4AddressBook 2.0 - Address Book plugin for Real Estate web site Zillow. (Free): "

ZillowMe4AddressBook 2.0
ZillowMe4AddressBook is a Macintosh Address Book plugin that lets you open up an address in the Real-estate web site Zillow.

WHAT'S NEW
Version 2.0 uses the default browser rather than requiring Firefox.

REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.3 or later

DEVELOPER

DOWNLOADS
699


"


MacUpdate - Universal Binary - http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php

DRM-free ‘iTunes Plus’ tracks from Universal, Warner, SonyBMG appear in Apple’s iTunes Store

DRM-free ‘iTunes Plus’ tracks from Universal, Warner, SonyBMG appear in Apple’s iTunes Store: "The long-standing duel between Apple and three major labels, Universal, Warners and Sony BMG..."


MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

Take Control of iCal Invitation Replies

Take Control of iCal Invitation Replies: "
In the comments to last week's post on the caveats of using invitations with iCal, a reader pointed out John Maisey's iCal Reply Checker. As it turns out, that little utility delivers a set of useful options that should have been built into iCal all along.
"


MacDevCenter - http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/mac/

Six common HDTV showroom pitfalls

Six common HDTV showroom pitfalls: "When buying an HDTV, pay attention to the details to get the best set for your money.

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"


Macworld - http://www.macworld.com

Review: Billy Frontier for iPhone

Review: Billy Frontier for iPhone: "Despite some frustrations with gameplay, Billy Frontier stands out for great graphics and sound. It’s a fun game you can enjoy for a few minutes at a time as well as for longer gaming sessions.

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"


Macworld - http://www.macworld.com

9 iPhone business apps

9 iPhone business apps: "Need to get real work done on your iPhone? Bill Wiecking suggests nine iPhones apps to enhance your productivity on the road.

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Macworld - http://www.macworld.com

Watchmen - Trailer 2

Watchmen - Trailer 2: "

' Watchmen - Trailer 2
A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, the film is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the ‘Doomsday Clock’ – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion – a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers – Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who is watching the Watchmen?
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley
"


Latest Movie Trailers - http://www.apple.com/trailers/

Saturday, November 29, 2008

11:21 PM

Fwd:I LUV U NOW & 4 a LIFETIME! B4 midnight sumthng will make u HAPPY. But u gotta tell at least 8 people

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

It's a good thing Facebook's not buying Twitter

It's a good thing Facebook's not buying Twitter: "The match looks good on the surface, but deep down it's a mess."


CNET News.com - http://www.news.com/

IBM to Acquire Transitive

IBM to Acquire Transitive: "Earlier this week, IBM announced its plans to buy Transitive, a small cross-platform virtualization company.



MacRumors readers will remember the company for providing the technology behind Rosetta, Apple's PowerPC emulator for Mac OS..."


MacRumors - http://www.macrumors.com

Monday, November 24, 2008

App Store Pick of the Week: Google Mobile

App Store Pick of the Week: Google Mobile: "Available only on iPhone, Google Mobile features Voice Search. Simply speak your query and let Google do what it does best. The free application also offers My Location searches (finding businesses based on your current location), performs contact and history searches, and includes a new Apps tab for rearranging Google Apps. Give it a try. It works, and it’s fun."


Apple Hot News - http://www.apple.com/hotnews/

Apple's Superlative Sequel: The Latest iPod Touch - BusinessWeek

Apple's Superlative Sequel: The Latest iPod Touch - BusinessWeek: "Perhaps the biggest shocker is Apple's decision to sell $29 headphones with a built-in microphone. The upshot? Users can download third-party applications from iTunes that will turn a Web-connected Touch into a Skype (EBAY) phone. In effect, the combination of features turns your Touch into a poor man's iPhone, letting you make cheap calls anywhere around the world without signing up for AT&T's expensive two-year service contract.

"


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Glass of Wine With Dinner

Glass of Wine With Dinner: "According to the Oregon Revised Statutes, 471.430. Except when such minor is in a private residence accompanied by the parent or guardian of the minor and with such parent's or guardian's consent, a person under the age of 21 years may not have personal possession of alcoholic beverages. Translation: It's OK if you're at home and Mom says it's OK.

Thanks to John McCormack at The Weekly Standard "


Zeta Woof - http://grdurand.com/blogger/

No. 1 Twilight Sucks In $70.6M

No. 1 Twilight Sucks In $70.6M: "
The vampire romance Twilight not only topped the Nov. 21 box office, it also pulled in a better-than-expected $70.6 million, the Associated Press reported."


Sci Fi Wire - http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/

Chuck Expands Mythology

Chuck Expands Mythology: "
On NBC's Chuck, our favorite nerd finally got a real girlfriend named Jill, who is played by the beautiful Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), no less. Then--shock of shocks--in Nov. 17's episode 'Chuck Versus the Fat Lady,' we discover she's actually a secret FULCRUM agent!"


Sci Fi Wire - http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/

What's Coming Up In Heroes!

What's Coming Up In Heroes!: "
Forget turkey and stuffing and holiday shopping. 'It's Coming'--and I'm not talking about the Nov. 11 episode of NBC's Heroes! Nope ... there's just four episodes left 'til the end of 'Volume Three: Villains.' The end is indeed near."


Sci Fi Wire - http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/

Woz talks of founding Apple, how Steve Jobs changed the world, iPhone, and more

Woz talks of founding Apple, how Steve Jobs changed the world, iPhone, and more: "The BBC's Spencer Kelly chats with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak about the company's early days, how Steve Jobs..."


MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

RUMOR: Apple prepping Multi-Touch™ touchscreen iMac

RUMOR: Apple prepping Multi-Touch™ touchscreen iMac: "Here in Korea, LG's just given me a quick look inside one of their factories..."


MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

Will Apple license Mac OS X?

Will Apple license Mac OS X?: "Arguments of whether Apple should license its operating system are almost as old as the company itself..."


MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

Should Apple buy beleaguered Dell?

Should Apple buy beleaguered Dell?: "Almost everyone knows that Apple is sitting on a huge pile of cash, around $24.5 billion..."


MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

iPhone 2.2 Software Enhances Maps, Tweaks Interface

iPhone 2.2 Software Enhances Maps, Tweaks Interface: "Apple has released the iPhone 2.2 Software Update for all models of the iPhone and iPod touch, beefing up a number of key features and refining the interface even further. The software (at least for my iPod touch) is about 248 MB and is available only via iTunes.

"


TidBITS - http://www.tidbits.com/

GRASS GIS 6.4-081123 - Geospatial data management, visualization and analysis. (Free)

GRASS GIS 6.4-081123 - Geospatial data management, visualization and analysis. (Free): "

GRASS GIS 6.4-081123
GRASS GIS, commonly referred to as GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System), is a Geographic Information System (GIS) used for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics/maps production, spatial modeling, and visualization. GRASS is currently used in academic and commercial settings around the world, as well as by many governmental agencies and environmental consulting companies.

WHAT'S NEW
release notes not available at developer site nor in download at the time of this posting

REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.5 or later, Apple's X11.

DEVELOPER

DOWNLOADS
18840


"


MacUpdate - Universal Binary - http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php

Sophie 1.0.4 - Combine images/text/video/audio into networked documents. (Free)

Sophie 1.0.4 - Combine images/text/video/audio into networked documents. (Free): "

Sophie 1.0.4

Sophie's raison d'etre is to enable people to create robust, elegant rich-media, networked documents without recourse to programming. We have word processors, video, audio and photo editors but no viable options for assembling the parts into a complex whole except tools like Flash which are expensive, hard to use, and often create documents with closed proprietary file formats. Sophie promises to open up the world of multimedia authoring to a wide range of creative people.


Originally conceived as a standalone multimedia authoring tool, Sophie is now integrated into the Web 2.0 network in some very powerful ways:


  • Sophie documents can be uploaded to a server and then streamed over the net

  • It's possible to embed remote audio, video and graphic text files in the pages of Sophie documents meaning that the actual document that needs to be distributed might be only a few hundred kilobytes even if the book itself is comprised of hundreds of megabytes or even a few gigabytes.

  • Sophie now has the ability to browse OKI (open knowledge initiative) repositories from within Sophie itself and then to embed objects from those repositories.

  • We now have live dynamic text fields (similar to the Institute's CommentPress experiments on the web) such that a comment written in the margin is displayed immediately in every other copy of that book - anywhere in the world.



WHAT'S NEW
release notes not available at developer site nor in download at the time of this posting

REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

DEVELOPER

DOWNLOADS
6473


"


MacUpdate - Universal Binary - http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php