I have a full Firefox tab set, so it’s time to unload:
- The Tyranny of Structurelessness: Danah sent this link to the geowanking list. While written about the 60s feminism movement, it resonates strongly with my experiences in open source and non-profits.
- The Prejudice Map: search Google for “Germans are known for”, repeat for many other nationalities, and chart the results. Fascinating glimpse into publicly-expressed stereotypes.
- X-GOOGLE-TOKEN: how to use Google as a Single Sign On authenticator. “You can authenticate yourself with your one single Google Account without ever having to give a third party your password”. Clever piece of hackery, and the parallels between this and Microsoft Passport will be interesting to track. Microsoft got beaten to pieces because, well, they’re Microsoft–everyone “knows” they’re evil, so everything they do (no matter how well-intentioned) is viewed through that lens of “how evil are they being?” But Google’s still mostly untarnished there. People still look at Google initiatives as “what free candy are we being given today?!” The tipping point will have been reached the first time a Google initiative is stalled because people don’t trust the brand any more. We’re not there yet, but it’s bound to arrive one day.
- Love Perl: not a dating service (thankfully!) but a documentation site that adopts the metaphor of dating. “Find the module that’s right for you!”. The site will launch on Valentine’s Day.
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Point and Search: new system in Japan where you can get info by pointing your phone at a real world object. The phone has a compass built in. I had a great call with
DebbyDebi from MobileJones today about Where 2.0 and mobile location technology. She also turned me on to Rabble (“MySpace for mobile”). -
Limbo: another from
DebbyDebi. This is a brilliant auction site: the auctions are conducted by SMS message and the lowest unique price wins. The company takes a slice of the SMS revenue.