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According to http://www.boingboing.net/2004/09/24/universities_offerin.html SL is opening up free memberships up to students for the purposes of education. I believe one of my early posts references how SL can be used for educations students on Architecture, and city planning and management. Glad to see it is taking hold.
Over the weekend my cousins came home from college, and they brought with them Aicha. A sixteen year old made a home video to the English version of this French song. Yes it is awkward and funny, painfully funny, but I am more interested in the slew of remakes of the remake. His peers found his video so funny they made parody videos, and I even found a prody of a parody!
As the internet becomes the ubiquitous information carrier it also declares open season on just about anything. The technology is promoting the evolution of pranksters to a new level, and in my opinion spurning on creativity in the process. This is where you can find some of the parody videos in one place.
*Update - The Parody Link is now busted. No idea what happened to the server on their end but their page is gone. Sad!*
Dan Cho of the MIT Technology Review writes a short article about HyperActive Technologies vehicle profiling system that can anticipate the orders at fast food restaurants. The technology works by associating certain types of vehicles with food purchasing patterns. Minivans like happy-meals and big trucks like big burgers. This helps the kitchen pre-prepare food in anticipation of lunch time rushes.
I anticipate that this will go a further and begin to use human biometrics to anticipate orders. Height, weight, and skin color will all be compiled into a database and enlighten food service about what to cook when. The whole goal is not to pigeon hole customers, but to minimize food waste and waiting time.
Engaget, the purveyor of all things small and electric and cool brings us an article about a movie that is truly interactive. The film is based on a text message conversations between the primary actors. The filmmakers employ one clever new use for text messaging: they never show actually show the text messages on screen, instead you register right before showtime and all the messages are timed to be sent to your cellphone at the exact same time as they’re received by characters in the film.
Meetup.com is arranging a Bowloff between Bush and Kerry supporters. Nothing comes closer to the heart of America than a nationwide Bowling tournament. Part of me thinks this is beyond ridiculous, but the other part agrees that Meetup.com is all about getting people together in person. I just hope they have voter registration information there! For more information you can contact Myles.
Myles Weissleder
415-332-3205
myles@meetup.com
It seems that we are coming up with technology after technology to reject people. Our networks are becoming password protected and we are closing out connections. We are having automated phone calls to our Cingular phones to bail us out of dates, phone numbers that lead to automated rejection messages, and now there is an automated rejection e-mail service. The rejection letter in cute and to the point and frankly I like it.
However I wonder what this says about our society. Are we loosing our backbone and ability to confront? As a society how will this play out in the long run, or is this just childish fun at others expenses?
It seems that we are coming up with technology after technology to reject people. Our networks are becoming password protected and we are closing out connections. We are having automated phone calls to our Cingular phones to bail us out of dates, phone numbers that lead to automated rejection messages, and now there is an automated rejection e-mail service. The rejection letter in cute and to the point and frankly I like it.
However I wonder what this says about our society. Are we loosing our backbone and ability to confront? As a society how will this play out in the long run, or is this just childish fun at others expenses?
The devil may be in the details but people are making some very biblical references on ZDNet to the latest news that RFID implants are the wave of the future. I liken this hysteria to the reaction of consumers who realized that money was outdated and the credit card was the next big thing. I look at RFIDs as actually being installed in mobiles first and then moving into implants.
I was speaking with one of the IT techs about the power of the mobile to contain all that is important. Essentially we could eliminate the wallet and put everything onto the mobile; credit cards, identification, insurance information, membership cards and it would all be RFID managed. Put a biometric thumb scanner lock on it and it becomes secure. Back it up on your home PC and you will never worry about losing your wallet again. If you lose your mobile, just call a service center and they will use the GPS tracking to locate it within a few dozen square feet. The thing that makes the implant a long stretch is that we have yet to figure out how to use it as a cell phone. Once we get that you will see an all encompassing implant device.
