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See Guns, Lights and Action

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Lights, Action Guns and Video

Posted in Blogging, Film, Lifestyle Evolution, Recreation, Satire, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on June 10th, 2008

Jim Kukral does his Daily Flip, Sam Harrelson does great how-to’s- see this one on the Amazon Kindle, Scott Jangro (from the days of the Jangro Cam) manages to Vlog too…practically everyone I know does video.

Everyone, except me.

To be frank I simply suck at video- I would much rather podcast. I just cannot get into the vibe…so I made a video about how I feel about making videos. You know how stressful making videos can get. (Yeah- I made alot of of gun videos…)

Target Acquired Video

Thank You For Your Business

P.S. Word to you Brian Clark…Bring on your RPGs Obiwan. I can’t wait for the next ARG.

Popularity: 2% [?]

MeBeam Multi Party Video for Skype - Jabber Clients

Posted in Skype, Video, VoIP Fanatics by wayne.porter on June 3rd, 2008

VoIP fanatics will dig a new service called MeBeam, not Jim Beam, which offers Multi-User Video for Skype- as of June 1. Big deal? Yes. Skype doesn’t handle multi-video conference calling- with MeBeam it can.

MeBeam Party Video Chat

The service is in beta, and may not be 100% stable, but, you can now get up to 16 person video calls available from skype.

No need to download anything, you can start a video conference with your skype friends, directly from the Skype user interface, with minimal effort. Up to sixteen users!

Assuming you have already added the contact MeBeam to your skype list, and your ready to start a multi person video call - click on user MeBeam in your contact list, and then click on the ’send contacts’ menu item, as shown in this screen shot.

Will this kill podcasts? I don’t know. Your mileage may vary, but this has real potential.

MeBeam How To at the: MeBeam Blog.

Just add MeBeam to your users list.

R MeBeam Add To Contacts

Privacy Features

A new feature has been added to MeBeam, which might come in handy during a multi-person video conference- you want to discuss something in private.

When you move your mouse over someones video you will see a new option appear in the bottom right hand corner which says ‘Private’, clicking on this will cause the word ‘Private’ to appear on your video on their screen notifying them of you wanting to break away from the conference and discuss something

You can accept a private invitation by also clicking on the ‘Private’ button.

MeBeam Demo by Chris Pirillo on CNN. Click here for MeBeam Video from Chris. Video Click Here. (New Window)

Not Just Skype- Jabber Clients Too!

MeBeam does Pidgin Video, WengoPhone Video, iChat Video, and Trillian Video. Sweet!

A few months ago Andreas Monitzer wrote a plugin for the Adium instant Messenger,
this gaave Adium users the ability to make multi-person video calls to not only to other Adium users, but anyone else using a Jabber based instant messenger. Other Jabber based instant messengers have also developed plugins, such as Coccinella, Miranda, Google Talk etc.

It also sports an Operator service, which will allow anyone using a Jabber instant messenger to make a multi person video call to anyone.

So if your using Pidgin, WengoPhone, iChat, Trillian or any other Jabber instant messenger, simply add operator@mebeam.com to your contact list, type the word call followed by the jabber id of the person you wish to call and the operator service will take care of the rest.

For example to establish a video call from your Pidgin instant messenger to your friend john_smith who is on Google Talk, simply type in the following into the operator chat window.

call john_smith@gmail.com

See Reference: Various Jabber Clients

beta iChat jim beam me beam mebeam Pidgin Skype skype multi video skype services skype video Trillian user interface video call video conference WengoPhone

Popularity: 2% [?]

Organized Chaos, Neural Net Simulations

Posted in Future Science, Science, Video, Video Games, Virtual Reality by wayne.porter on April 4th, 2008

A post for my family. Each of you can decide which video goes to which person.

Neural Nets Simulation

This is a pretty awesome neural nets simulation. This is roughly what the creator imagined our brain cells work like”…organized chaos

Artificial Evolution with Cross-Breeding by Jonathan McCabe’s

The patterns are made by repeated foldings, rotations and shifts, and then each point is coloured depending on its positions during the operation. A process of artificial evolution was employed to develop the final images, involving repeated variation, selection and “cross breeding” of the recipes used to generate the images.

AI Tetris

However I think the future is shaping up like this- we won’t need to play games, we will have artificial intelligence to do it for us. More time spent fishing I guess, although I like Tetris.

Popularity: 3% [?]

A Key Fork by Autodesk

Posted in Attention, Film, Gaming, Recreation, Second Life, Technology, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on February 15th, 2008

Developer Autodesk states with the next revolution of 3ds Max, it will be splitting the release into two products, 3ds Max 2009 Entertainment, for game and movie producers, and 3ds Max Design 2009, for architects, designers and visualization specialists.

The gaming/entertainment version will feature aa new Reveal rendering toolset to streamline iterative workflows, a ProMaterials material library for simulating real-world surfaces, and new UV editing tools. It will also include Recognize, a new scene-loading technology which it says will significantly improve the inter-application workflow with Revit Architecture 2009.

The “design branded version” will include all features of the entertainment branded version, with the exception of an included SDK (software development toolkit), used primarily in game and video markets to to integrate software into a production pipeline and develop in-house tools to be used in conjunction with the 3ds Max. The design version will also include “Exposure technology,” to simulate and analyze sun, sky, and artificial lighting.

Bottom line- Autodesk recognizes that entertainment and game makers have very different, and obviously strategic needs as to those who are say- making a building. When you start putting out dual flavors that usually means a market is set to bloom and become lucrative. One has to wonder what impact Second Life is or will have on the high end industry?

Where is Maya? I’ll have to dig around.

attention Film Gaming MMO Recreation Second Life technology Video web2.0

Popularity: 4% [?]

3D social networking attention Language & Sound Memetic Engineering privacy Security Social Networks Video web2.0

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Web 2.0 Machine Re-Revisited

Posted in 3D Social Networks, Attention, Language - Sound, Memetic Engineering, Security, Social Networks, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on February 6th, 2008

I was introduced to this video piece via Steve Rosenbaum. If you have not seen it, or even if you have- read before watching.

Since viewing the piece and mapping the various social chain reactions just from ‘viewing the piece’ and ’sharing’ I can get a better grip on the potency of the message- Each time we forge a link we teach it an idea.. Intrigued I went hunting to see what else turned up in the ‘machine’ and I was not disappointed. I give you a version of the video sort of like Metallica’s Garage Days Re-Revisited cut. This would put it into a Master of Puppets era if you are into heavy metal trivia, if not- no matter…(Frankly I am a KMFDM fan myself…)

I discover there exists a poetic transcript of the video text at mediatedcultures.net…perhaps someone will put it into a formal song (Lars? Wait this is creative commons- scratch that)… Until then we can settle for some cadence and deconstruction courtesy of Tanya Witherspoon from Wichita State University or if you prefer another version courtesy of Jesper Rønn-Jensen, front-end web developer, usability specialist at Capgemini Denmark. Actually I’ll quote his version and add my refrain.

Pay attention to how the transcription of the text in a video can change the tenor of the message…and why do it anyway? I am sure scholars of media theory have this down…I was sort of surprised…(Bonus move- Mess around with the capitals and meter and you can have your very own E.E. Cummings, avant-garde, Web 2.0 is using you version.)

Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us

[time codes in square brackets] [0:00] Text is linear Text is unilinear Text is often said to be unilinear
Text is unilinear when written on paper Digital text is is different Digital text is is more flexible Digital text is is moveable Digital text is is above all … hyper. Digital hypertext is above all …. hypertext is above all …. hypertext can link here here or here … virtually anywhere anywhere virtually anywhere virtual http://yahoo.com Take me Back Oct 17, 1996 View source Most early websites were written in HTML HTML was designed to define the structure of a web document is a structural element referring to “paragraph” [1:00] < LI > is also a structural element referring to “List Item” As HTML expanded, more elements were added. Including sylistic elements like < b > for bold and < i > for italics Such elements definded how content would be formatted. In other words, form and content became inseparable in HTML Digital Text can do better. Form and content can be separated. RSS View source XML was designed to do just that. < title > does not define the form. It defines the content. Same with < link > and < description > and virtually all other elements in this document. They describe the content, not the form. So the data can be exported, free of formatting constraints. [2:00] With form seperated from content, users did not need to know complicated code to upload content to the web (I’m feeling Lucky) Create a blog Blog title: Beyond etext URL: beyondetext.blogspot.com Hello World! Posted by Professor Wesch at 8:14 There’s a blog born every half second and it’s not just text … YouTube Flickr Anthropology Club Created by you XML facilitates automated data exchange two sites can “mash” data together flickr maps Who will organize all of this data? We will. You will. [3:00] XML + U & Me create a database-backed web a database-backed web is different the web is different the web we are the web (I’m Feeling Lucky) We are the web When we post and then tag pictures we are teaching the Machine Each time we forge a link we teach it an idea. Think of the 100 billion times per day humans click on a web page teaching the Machine the Machine The machine is us Digital text is no longer just linking information … Hypertext is no longer just linking information … The Web is no longer just linking information … The Web is linking people … Web 2.0 is linking people … … people sharing, trading, and collaborating… Web 2.0 Edit this page… You can edit this page [4:00] We’ll need to rethink a few things … We’ll need to rethink copyright We’ll need to rethink authorship We’ll need to rethink identity We’ll need to rethink ethics We’ll need to rethink aesthetics We’ll need to rethink rhetorics We’ll need to rethink governance We’ll need to rethink privacy We’ll need to rethink commerce We’ll need to rethink love We’ll need to rethink family We’ll need to rethink ourselves. by Michael Wesch Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology Kansas State University
Music by D E U S There’s Nothing impossible [4:31]

I could chime in with a refrain!

We’ll need to rethink a few things …
We’ll need to rethink copyright
We’ll need to rethink authorship
We’ll need to rethink identity
We’ll need to rethink ethics
We’ll need to rethink aesthetics
We’ll need to rethink rhetorics
We’ll need to rethink governance
We’ll need to rethink privacy
We’ll need to rethink commerce
We’ll need to rethink love
We’ll need to rethink family
We’ll need to rethink ourselves.

Probably more than a few things…and rethinking is just the starting point…we may not get a do-over.

Popularity: 4% [?]

3D social networking attention Blogging Social Networks Video web2.0

45n5 on Attention Equals Revenue

Posted in 3D Social Networks, Attention, Blogging, Social Networks, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on November 6th, 2007

Mark from 45n5 was paying attention to what I have been saying about Attention = Revenue. He did an interesting video on the Attention = Revenue and Scalability.

You can view Mark’s video on his blog or the widget below, I would check out his blog for some of the follow up comments.

So Mark, by commenting on my blog, you got my attention. Enough that I am going to highlight it and it might get other’s attention. You might have gotten it quicker had you track backed or “signaled” in some form that I would see it quicker. Many scoff at trackbacks…or think they are merely “link bait”. To me they act as a very simple “mirror signal” that says “I received your message and I am commenting on it here”.

I will leave you with a few more questions…

What is the best way to measure attention? (Links in, or page views, etc are archaic forms of measurement)

Have you decided whose attention you want to get? (This is part strategy- who do you want to hear that tree falling in the forest?)

What is the best way to measure revenue? (Revenue may not always be dollars.)

How can you prepare your operations to receive revenue? (Think beyond CPC or performance marketing)

And a note of caution. Once you get fleeting attention be wary that you don’t lose it by trying to flip to the Revenue side of the equation too quickly.

How can small operations scale?

Let me answer that briefly and simply…

Either you are really good at what you do and one of the rare personalities that can attract a fan base.

Technology, automation and scripting are good forms to accomplish some tasks thus having that ability or partnering with those who do is essential.

One way to scale is to focus on community incubation. Communities can scale, but building them and growing them, and sustaining them are difficult.

This leads to a final thought…fandom. Attention and creating a fan base or a base of brand advocates are closely tied together…

No matter the size of one’s business or operation you should think of yourself as a “brand”. This will extend your thinking longer term.

Cheers to those paying attention…

Popularity: 5% [?]

3D social networking ARG args attention Brian clark Chris Boyd computer security E Commerce eldritch errors fiction Film future Horror genre Immersive fiction Reading & Literature real time gaming Second Life Sentries The Viral Dance web2.0

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Eldritch Errors, Schmeldritch Blending the Mediums

Posted in 3D Social Networks, Attention, E-Commerce, Fiction, Film, Future Shock, Reading - Literature, Second Life, The Viral Dance, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on November 3rd, 2007

IT UNFOLDS PART DEUX

In case you missed it Eldritch Errors Part II has commenced and was shot in the mountains of West Virginia. (See Production Crew) My only regret was not being able to make the journey due to health so I have to be content with story line development and watching it unfold. I do regret missing my acting debut, then again, maybe the world is better for it. Oh the lament as this ARG (not sure if that fits or just immersive fiction) was in my home state.

For marketers or story tellers, or SIM builders or anyone wanting to see the style of creation dissected I refer you to http://www.schmeldritch.com.

THERE IS AN ERROR IN MY SOUP
Eldtrich Errors

the story

You are a Sentry, part of a group that discovered something unspeakable in April 2007, something that has pursued you ever since. Together we are Providence, part of a dream prophecy about a city in chaos that fills the nightmares of B.A. Saint-Feline, who does not dream alone. This is your story, this is our story.
Book 2 (09.07): Scream in the Mountains

“Two minutes later, another cat came into the room. It was black as midnight, and as large as the biggest dog. It lay down among the red-hot coals, lazily batting them with enormous paws. Then it walked over to the other cat and said: ‘What shall we do with him?’

“The first cat replied: ‘We should not do anything until Emmet comes’.”

- “Wait Until Emmet Comes,” traditional folktale as retold by S.E. Schlosser

When JJason dared the Conclave to contact him via a maildrop, he didn’t imagine that the shadowy group would take him up on the offer. The letter from Exu hinted at answers, included the strange annontations and symbols he wrote on a map of swan migrations. The more we looked into the map, the more we found stories of telescopes, quiet zones and things hidden in the mountains of the Virginias. Exu implied whatever we had stumbled into was related to these tantalizing bits. That investigation lead us to fragments in a filesharing system from Dr. Elizabeth Riley — a presentation, a poem, a song and yet another map. Together, they suggested our world is full of unexplained noises, including something called the “Scream” in the Virginias responsible for the collapse of a radio telescope. What is Exu trying to tell us, and what have we gotten ourselves into?

OBSERVATION POINTS

From Eldritch http://www.eldritcherrors.com/about.php

protagonist

As an immersive experience, the story is as much about you and your experiences as it is any fictional creation. You will find yourself interacting with others, real and seemingly real, throughout your stay. The discoveries that you make, alone or together, can change your entire experience. The world may have been conceived by us, but the story is yours.

Brian Clark of GMD has always been light years ahead of the pack and I am fortunate to call him a mentor and collaborator on many strange projects. This is where I and others feel “advertising” might head. An experience of immersion where the backdrop is created, but people interact and move the story along. Sound familiar? Think Audi: Art of the Heist, or Sega’s Beta-7.

This one tackles the dangers of computer security in a way that is downright scary and meant to be. Challenging the one immersed to really think about “Pressing OK”. Because you SHOULD think long and hard…

computer security

Oh, the dangers that lie hidden in the bits and bytes swirling around us on a daily basis. The Sentry Outpost is filled with experts on all matters of computer security and, although danger will always be lurking in the shadows, the integrity of both your machine and your mind is of great concern. Don’t fear your lack of technical prowess; there is always somebody close at hand with a deeper understanding of these matters, and you’re always in a position to learn more. The question of “how” may often be asked, but it is no more important than the question of “why” - a question that even the most innocent computer user can answer.

Why computer security with Lovecraft? After years of fighting in the trenches I still do not feel we are getting the message across, and it truly is disheartening. What better way to teach than to immerse? It is no secret Clark plucked me up (used) as a primary character (I can say no more), but you can get his take here on Sentries.

Chris Boyd (a/k/a PaperGhost) and Wayne Porter are Sentries in a very real sense of the word. Capturing a taste of what their experience is like when they track down malware and the people behind it was part of the inspiration for the Sentry Outpost and what horrors might be waiting out there for you to discover. In the right circles, their exploits are legendary — not only for revealing whole new types of threats, but also for the sense of snarky humor with which they document those discoveries.

Snarky humor is more a function of Boyd’s legendary style and he had no idea… Aye- sorry Chris.

I still think the computer security industry could take clues from this model and there must be a push toward education. Paperghost’s VitalSecurity.org is a good start and some of the work at Spywareguide.com Blog hits the ribs. It is in the story telling and not dry reports and numbers that reach people. If we can reach people and entertain while we do it we might reform some of the more wanton and dangerous behaviors. That was my hope at least. The current path is not working and not enough is spent on prevention.

For that matter marketers, teachers, advertisers, even virtual world creators in Second Life or anyone creative or wanting to rise above the din might look at this and wonder if story telling is a more effective way to rise above the clutter of messages that people are barraged with everyday. I think so. However it is not easy and takes a talented crew to pull off a full-blast campaign. The number of cogs and wheels that must turn would astound a Swiss watch maker.

STILL PLAYING

NOW PLAYING: The Scream in the Mountains - CATCH UP & JUMP IN. Dive in or play it safe and watch from the sidelines…

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Photoworks Deals, Photobooks for Avatars and Second Life Marriage

Posted in Avatar Photos, Film, Second Life, Shopping, Social Networks, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on October 19th, 2007

Once again, as the holidays approach, another photo printing service for those who are fans of avatar photography. I last covered dotphoto promotions, and Kodak coupons as well as Snapfish special offers. Some will scoff at the idea of real world gifts for a posthuman existence, but photo taking and machinima making are two very common activities and thus gifts that avatars give.

This is especially true with Second Life Marriages. As bizarre as it may sound this is actually quite common and I have attended several ceremonies across many different faiths. It is often referred to as having a Second Life Partner. You pay a fee and sure enough that special, virtual someone is featured in your profile as your Second Life Marriage partner.

It is cheap to get married, and a bit more expensive to have them dissolved- but still a bargain if you weigh it against Real World ceremony costs of marriage or divorce. I know of more than one couple, seperated by hundreds of miles, who actually go to bed in real life, yet their avatars stay online and “sleep” in their home using “stay alive” scripts. Bizarre or a sign of the times? I have found it is actually quite common. While gifts at these ceremonies tend to be a donation of Linden Dollars (money), or a handcrafted virtual item in one case I actually saw a couple gifted with land and a virtual home. So why not physical gifts? It is coming as more and more items spew from the virtual world and into real world existence. The logical starting point is photo-based gifts. While some see it as a “game” to many participants this is an important part of their life and relationships.

Photoworks is a photo gifting outfit meaning you can put a photo on just about anything cool from a mug to a calender to an apron or even a jewelry box. It is very easy to turn your digital photographs into one-of-a-kind gifts such as (my favoriate) photo-books, holiday cards, calendars and of course stunning prints. These products are great gifts- especially for virtual relationships- try the photobooks and you will see what I mean, and PhotoWorks’ stresses quality-so the gifts aren’t cheesy.

They carry the following sizes: Canvas Prints, Posters, Large Format Prints, Wallets, 3×5, 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 11×14, 12×18, 16×20, 20×30

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Products Produced: Photo Books, Calendar, Calendars, Signature Greeting Cards, Greeting Cards, Slides, Canvas Prints, Posters, Large Format Prints, Mugs, DYI Greetings, Boxes, keychains- you name it- they probably make it.

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GIFT IDEAS FOR VIRTUAL FRIENDS, GROUPS or OCCASIONS:

PLAYING CARDS: card playing is a popular metaverse activity, simply upload your print and you will have a customized deck of cards.

Metropolitan Oversize - Midnight Black Photo Book- Snap photos of your favorite group, club, or hangout moments and you have a regal gift that leaps fromm virtual to real.

11×16 Calendar - Classic Capture a photo a month and you have a cool gift that is unique and blows the store ready calenders out of the water.

Glossy Avatar Puzzle- Virtual relationships are like a puzzle and this nifty personalized gift is a great way to show it off.

Virtual Business Clipboard- With so many “shadow consumers”, creators, content makers and business owners growing the virtual GNP- a clipboard of their virtual business is a great way to get rememebered.

Nifty Avatar Collage Mouse Pad- Simply put together several poignant snaps of your friend’s virtual existence and you have a nice personalized keepsake they can use.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

“Tube It” Unofficial You Tube Song in Second Life Machinima

Posted in Second Life, Video, Video Games by wayne.porter on September 29th, 2007

“Tube It” The unofficial You Tube “anthem” cut via machinima. Heavy on the particle effects, but well done port. The lyrics do speak to the times, I am sure my kids will enjoy it. “Tube it, tube it, everybody doing it. Off like a rocket, and now you can’t stop it”…I have seen this lip-synced, in several languages, etc. Video moves fast. if the Iframe player fails find Tube It Second Life version here.

Second Life Video Video Games

Popularity: 3% [?]

Rube Goldberg, Micro Media and Chain Reactions

Posted in Attention, Gadgets Widgets, Lifestyle Evolution, Recreation, Science, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on September 29th, 2007

In an effort to move on from more morose posts, I will do so. I thank everyone for the deluge of e-mail, comments, IM and even phone calls. Some people shared some very interesting, intense and often very personal stories- thank you.

For the record, I have not gone underground (thanks for paying attention Fleep), but I have been put on extended medical leave due to some unknown neurological problems. Right now my right hand and more my left hand have been greatly affected. Namely- no sensation and impaired fine motor movement in several fingers- continued tingling, pins and needles feeling and it is not as simple as carpal tunnel syndrome. A battery of tests commences, but it is very difficult to type and I have felt extremely fatigued.

I am trying out voice recognition software, so I can post occasional piece out of boredom, but the last post on Death and Shovels made me pay attention to what it is really important and for once I will shut my trap and follow my doctor’s sage advice to the letter- no work, zero out the stress, get proper rest and nutrition, and take my supplements. I still haven’t regained sensation in my hands which is very troubling as nerve damage can be irreversible, but I hope it is not permanent. But in case you have tried to reach me- now you know.

On that note I give you an interesting contraption and “does nothing” is good advice. Despite the name “The Does-Nothing-o-Matic”, this video of a Rube Goldberg-like-contraption (see below for extracts from Rube Goldberg’s biography) is perhaps a good “visual aid” to illustrate micro media and the sometimes obscure social chain reactions that can be evoked and traced. As Rosenberg says- video is frozen knowledge. At the very least this video is pretty entertaining and a good way to get someone’s attention (the comments about Congress are amusing too).

For those unfamiliar with Goldberg ( who did not make the crazy, complex contraption in the video above)…

*Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author.

Reuben Lucius Goldberg (Rube Goldberg) was born in San Francisco. His father, a practical man, insisted he go to college to become an engineer. After graduating from University of California Berkeley, Rube went to work as an engineer with the City of San Francisco Water and Sewers Department.

He continued drawing, and after six months convinced his father that he had to work as an artist. He soon got a job as an office boy in the sports department of a San Francisco newspaper. He kept submitting drawings and cartoons to his editor, until he was finally published. An outstanding success, he moved from San Francisco to New York drawing daily cartoons for the Evening Mail. A founding member of the National Cartoonist Society, a political cartoonist and a Pulitzer Prize winner, Rube was a beloved national figure as well as an often-quoted radio and television personality during his sixty-year professional career.

Through his “INVENTIONS”, Rube Goldberg discovered difficult ways to achieve easy results. His cartoons were, as he said, symbols of man’s capacity for exerting maximum effort to accomplish minimal results. Rube believed that there were two ways to do things: the simple way and the hard way, and that a surprisingly number of people preferred doing things the hard way.

Rube’s drawings depict absurdly-connected machines functioning in extremely complex and roundabout ways to produce a simple end result; because of this RUBE GOLDBERG has become associated with any convoluted system of achieving a basic task.

Hardly a day goes by without The New York Times, National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal or some other major media invoking the name Rube Goldberg to describe a wildly complex program, system or set of rules such as our “Rube Goldberg-like tax system”. The annual National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest at Purdue University, which is covered widely by the national media, brings Rube’s comic inventions to life for millions of fans.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Blogging connections E Commerce Free Software Gadgets Widgets Google API iPhone microblogging microchunking mobile Nelson Minar obvious people Second Life second life convention sltweets social Social Networks streaming tagging twitter twitter mtv twitter google twitter people search Video wayne porter web web2.0 widgets

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News From Twitter - MTV, People Search, and Nelson the API guy

Posted in Blogging, E-Commerce, Free Software, Gadgets Widgets, Mobile, Second Life, Social Networks, Twitter, Video, Web 2.0, Widgets, iPhone by wayne.porter on August 21st, 2007

I love e-mails from Ev at Twitter…the microchunking revolution marches on- thanks Sam for driving me nuts with those SMS calls at the Gonzo inspired summit.

I can’t wait to see what Don comes out with the next iteration of SLTWeets.com, as I understand it- something universities and educators like Fleep will love.

FLEEP AND STEVE

Ironically, as an aside, following the initial exposure via a video widget first injected by Steve, multiple Twitter back and forths over months, see timeline, Fleep and I had a brief waltz in the Church of Waltz in Second Life and weeks later she got to (lucky her) hang out late at night and listen to collegues in my social group ramble about pseudo-intellectual things. Even cooler we are meeting up in the educational track at the SL convention this weekend in Chicago (my wife’s anniversary gift)…..I really get excited about twitter/video chain reactions. Anything that makes me cut a video and buy an iPhone is significant- at least for me.

From the team at Twitter…

TWITTER PEOPLE SEARCH

It’s new feature season and we’re starting with People Search. This new Twitter feature is great for finding more people to follow because it searches profile information such as name, location, bio, and url. Come on by and find out if your friends are already Twittering and you just didn’t know it! The search field is on the right side of Twitter when you sign in:
http://twitter.com

TWITTER & MTV

We’re partnering with MTV for the Video Music Awards next month. They have some fun ideas which involve artists and celebrities including the MTV Moonman twittering from Las Vegas during the whole weekend leading up to the VMA broadcast on Sunday, September 9th. Also, Twitter’s gonna be on TV! We’re looking forward to it. The artists who will be joining Twitter are popular and you can get their updates by following the Video Music Awards
on Twitter.

Follow VMA: http://twitter.com/vma

NELSON, EX-GOOGLER, is NOW A TWITTER DUDE

Speaking of celebrities, the genius behind Google’s Search API is Nelson Minar. Nelson left Google a while back but joined Twitter months ago as a permanent advisor. Nelson continues to provide us with engineering advice, helps us work through scaling and infrastructure details, and in general brings more engineering “gravitas” to our operation. Nelson is a such valued part of the Twitter team we gave him an iPhone preloaded with all our phone
numbers.

So yeah, Nelson rocks. http://twitter.com/nelson

End of Mail……Emphasis added by me- excited by Twitter- where you can catch me…on your own schedule- that is the point.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Twitter & Social Proprioception

Posted in Lifestyle Evolution, Mobile, Pownce, Twitter, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on August 12th, 2007

Pay attention- this is an important concept- “Social Proprioception”

Still the next Video I am going to add guns and roller skate into a wall while tweaking the volume until then….bear it…can’t see it? Try Here on YoutTube Channel.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Iphone Review- Video Adventure

Posted in E-Commerce, Mobile, Video, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on August 12th, 2007

YouTube Beta (Podcast) Video Cast Take 1

E Commerce iPhone iphone review iphone video mobile Video wayne porter web2.0

Popularity: 5% [?]

Media and Social Collision- Crude Timeline

Posted in 3D Social Networks, Facebook, Film, Future Shock, Gadgets Widgets, Mobile, Pownce, Second Life, Social Networks, The Viral Dance, Twitter, Web 2.0, Widgets by wayne.porter on August 2nd, 2007

Deconstructing only on what I know. Stream that acts recursively to site or dated.

- Ponder Path of Widgets on February 2, 2007 via Steve.

- Go Gonzo and exposed to Twitter via Sam. Post at RN January 21, 2007

- Note Twit to Sam March, 16, 2007

- Twitter Tracking with Fleep date unknown.

- Fleep makes a tweet (short post) about a teacher’s conference on March 14, 2007

- I follow her stream, blog on March 18, 2007.

- Meanwhile, Fleep reads my old post on March 14, 2007

- Her Read based on my blog on Steve’s embeded widget dated March 26, 2007,

- Retrograde Note: Know Steve via Brian Clark’s (circa 1999) and series of posts- summed up August, 28, 2006.

- Fleep tweets about the video. March 18, 2007

- The entire loop prompts me to document the action in a blog entry March 18, 2007

- Injected back into Twitter March 18, 2007

- This inspired by Sam on Twitter adoption story via WSJ March 16, 2007

- Sam’s blog based on Wall Street Journal story March 16, 2007

- Circle completes and I “meet” Fleep July 27th, 2007

- Recap with addendum. August 2, 2007

- August 2, 2007 injected into facebook…perhaps via twitter.

There has to be more. I cannot see it all- maybe Steve can shed light on widget views of the video? It still sits at University of Cincinnati and on blogs. What effect continues to pulse from this “frozen knowledge”

Commonly called “social media”- it is really only media that we socialize around.

Note the players in the pattern- blog, video, widgets, twitter, conversation, inspiration, virtual meeting…and elements unknown.

Popularity: 9% [?]

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WSE- My Interview or Lack of Answers.

Posted in 3D Social Networks, Blogging, Gaming, Second Life, Video, Video Games, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on July 29th, 2007

As promised I went in to have a chat, and keeping an open mind, with the head of the WSE…Naturally I keep these logs private, and it was conducted in IM not open chat. I revealed my ID in RL and offered to hear his side.

My takeaway: Not a simple or straight answer could this researcher obtain. My itch is turning into poision ivy and it needs more scratching…where IS that baton?

Some things are not adding up…

3D social networking Blogging Gaming Second Life Video Video Games web2.0

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3D social networking Net Lifestyle Second Life Security Video wayne porter web2.0 widgets

Magnify Opens Up- TRUSTe Gives Paperghost Fits, Daniels reports Guns at WSE

Posted in 3D Social Networks, Lifestyle Evolution, Second Life, Security, Video, Web 2.0, Widgets by wayne.porter on July 27th, 2007

Yes folks sorry to squash it all together, but it rolls together in this weeks theme of trust, accountability and communication.

I don’t know if Steve got his call from the monkey, but I am glad the spirit of open communications continues to blaze its way from one area to the next. Good things happen when butterfly wings flap…plus after using my iPhone to monitor it I realize I have developed a vision problem. I can’t see words that well unless under my nose- excuse typos.

This hit my mail box later after the post on “Shania Stewart’s Stand”, as I call it.

To the Magnify.net community:

This morning we woke to read this post from our friend, and Channel Creator Wayne Porter:

http://www.wayneporter.com/2007/07/27/accountability-freedom-and-making-room-for-micro-media-and-our-new-worlds/
While it says a lot - the part that has had us concerned, and frankly thinking hard, is this:

Magnify, you should…”hand over inventory control to platform users on the 50/50 model…let the users decide for themselves what and how to monetize the channel (watch out for those “Adware” deals- stop that cold) or not too monetize it. The know it. It is their passion.”

Wayne goes on to say:

The choice of coin is in their hands. As Sam and I like to say- it could be influence, or making a difference, or just having different and unique ideas to expose. At the least you and they can always use the mass of the collective and if they can’t beat that- they can join it. Some will fail, some will fail badly- but we will learn.

Well, we respect Wayne. In addition to being one of the most respected virus hunters on the internet, he’s deeply into Second Life, and has created a Magnify.net channel to present those videos. (http://virtualworldsvideo.com)

So needless to say, we’ve been giving this some thought - and we’d like your input.

As a channel creator - would you make use of the advertising inventory on your page if 50% of total inventory was turned over to you?
We NEED YOUR INPUT.

We want to hear what you think.

So please, post on the boards; We’ve created a Discussion area: “SHOULD REV SHARE MODEL CHANGE?” or if you prefer to communicate with us privately, email: RevShareDebate@Magnify.net

Thank you for your great work, and we look forward to working with you and other members of the community to evolve the Magnify.net platform.

The Magnify.net Team

As an aside, as a fan of Second Life, and the metaverse concept- this is how to solve sticky issues. They aren’t even problems yet- but concerns, yet Magnify.net is opening up the communication channels and giving user’s choice on how to talk to them- that is proactive. I will think on more ideas Steve. I pledge that- let’s start with this concept!

Meanwhile in the batcave Paperghost checks in about TRUSTe…and comScore.

I’m not sure how something that amounted to “We’re going to slam them in a ditch” turned into “go sit in the bad boy corner” but that’s exactly what seems to have happened here (in case you didn’t know, comScore’s Relevant Knowledge was installed via a security exploit, and someone from TRUSTe had said the ban-stick would be liberally applied if that was found to be the case).

For Gods sake, when are we going to stop gimping around and actually break out some actual punishments for people? Either kick someone from your program and be done with it, or admit that attempting to “rate” stuff on the Internet is essentially doomed to failure and just give up already.

The TRUSTe Blog talks about how awesome the anti-spyware community was key in shutting this down before the damage was much greater, and goes on to say:

Vigilance, cooperation, and mutual assistance by the entire online community - anti-spyware companies, third-party certification entities, government enforcement, consumer-complaint mechanisms, and self-policing by “good players” all have roles to play in making the internet a safer place for everyone.”

….but what’s the point if we have to do it all over again six months later?

Yes the community was key. I recall those days (more on it here). They were not pretty and the game is NOT over. You can reinforce reform, but some models are broken and have been for years. I know- I have the gray hair and worn out from it. One mistake, even two- fine- human. A pattern of abuse is reason for stern retribution when so much hangs in the balance.

If you recall my interview with TRUSTe and with Harvard’s Ben Edelman…it takes on perspective. You cannot control the wild field. I have talked with TRUSTe reps on my take to a one-sided approach- odds against it and the battlefield too large to patrol- especially where there are patterns of long-term abuse. They are into the pro-active approach, reward good behavior, and support reform. However, years of fighting hardcore malware has taught me that you never strike until the facts are clear, and while you can reward good behavior, I don’t see much. When you call a line in the sand you must follow through hard. Sometimes you have to use a “metaphorical baton”.

Then this report of “guns by the WSE staff” from Jimmy Daniels at Revenews summing up some of my thoughts and this disturbing stuff. I call it social engineering and with my tests it is even easier to do in a “3D Metaverse” because the physics are not the same.

Source: Your2ndPlace.

“I stayed for a little over 2 hours, trying to get to the truth of the matter. Weapons were pulled out by WSE staff, saying that they were ‘on alert’. This sort of security always amuses me; more imaginative and effective are the weapons which are invisible. I asked if they were meant to intimidate, to which the answer was ‘no sir’. Securing an area in Second Life doesn’t require weaponry. It requires agile thinking. Some people near me got ejected a few times, I have no idea why.

Still I stood there, waiting, until LukeConnell Vandeverre graced a few of us with his presence. He didn’t say much, really, but suddenly the same people who couldn’t give me an answer before had one: 15 hours. That put it at 10:30 AM PST today, the 26th of July 2007.”

The more imaginative and effective are the weapons that are real. Never pull a baton you don’t intend to use, and batons come in many shapes and forms if you think metaphorically. So when I have time I’ll trot into the metaverse myself…and have a little peek around, talk in a civil manner. I always extend the benefit of the doubt, but intuition is a researcher’s tool and it is ringing- I hope I am wrong.

My hand is itchy, and when a social explorer and experimenter gets an itch, he naturally wants to scratch it. With a baton.

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