Proce55ing: “context for exploring emerging conceptual space…” Looks like a modern graphic programming language to me. Neat, but not a quantum leap. “The Unbearable Lightness of being a Pixel” is an interesting exhibit, though (for its name, not for content).
NASA is thinking of a space elevator, a la Clarke. On one hand, I think… can’t we save poor children in Somalia? On the other hand, 500 years from now, would you remember this generation for saving children or building a space elevator? Do you remember the Egyptian pyramids or slavery? Then again, to quote Groucho Marx, “Why should I worry about posterity? What has posterity ever done for me?” ...
I’m at the New York airport. It’s 9/11. The city is having a bout of nostalgia. While I’m watching all this, I wonder: when were the [Gujarat earthquakes](http://www.google.com/search?q=Gujarat earthquakes)? Why do I (and the world) remember 9/11 better? Probably because terrorist attacks are more glamorous than natural disasters. Because New York is more top-of-mind than Gujarat. But mostly, because 9/11 became a way of referring to the event and 1/26 did not. Interesting… that what you choose to remember an event by can impact when it’s remembered.
In the meantime, I have been up to no good.
Recent Google goodies: News alerts, Calculator, and the ~ operator. via GoogleBlog
Small world – this project from Columbia University finds that while there are probably less than 6 degrees, the network entertains requests for favours only about a third of the time, and that it’s not as hub-and-spoke as scale-free networks would have us imagine. via NYTimes
Snapster. Best original idea I’ve heard in quite a while. (Buy music, go public, share assets among shareholders)
Maybe corporate elephants can dance. Can dead horses?
I’ve taken my longest break from this blog. Three reasons: work has been good, Age of Empires has been exciting, and the Web has become boring. But having heard from so many of you (thanks!), I’m going to continue the blog a bit. But I’m thinking of a new format, in the meantime. So please bear with infrequent posts till I get there.
The end of error-message advertising. Bonzi has been ordered by the courts to stop advertising popups that look like Windows error messages. I’ve been conned a few times by these too.
Microsoft iLoo. Yes, it’s what you think it is. No, it’s not a hoax, though at one point, Microsoft itself thought it was.
The Code Book by Simon Singh is the last book I read. It’s also the only non-fiction I managed to finish in two years.
Now you can pay for railway tickets online.
Scope is an interesting new Microsoft technology. It lets you see your e-mail, tasks, calendar and alerts on a circular panel. The items are positioned by priority around the circle (centre is more important than periphery), and the shape of the item (circle, star, etc) determines whom it’s from (work, family, only to me or to other people also, etc.) See their demo to get a better idea on how it works.
The 591 spellings of Britney Spears on Google searches. What’s also interesting is to read the sites that have linked to the mis-spellings.
Google is fiddling around with algorithms to make PageRank 5 times faster. Wonder why they want to do it. The article mentions something about personalised search engines, but I don’t quite get it.
Yet another example of the regulation doing the opposite of what was intended. The CAS - Conditional Access System Bill was introduced to ensure that customers pay only for what they want to see (and hence, presumably, less than before). However, the customer is likely to pay 2-3 times as much. Of course, the other objective of making local cable operators pay their full dues is likely to succeed.
The most interesting review of The Matrix Reloaded I’ve read, rating the film on spiritual grounds. Of course, the film does badly. Have a look at the “WISDOM” graph to the top-right of the page. The film barely makes a ‘D’ and half an ‘M’ on this scale.
About Webmap. It maps the Web topographically, offering a different way of navigating. Pity, the download is not available any more.
Full text of Jeffey Archer’s short story: The Perfect Gentleman. A nice introduction to Archer’s style, if you haven’t read him. And here’s some more from Harper Collins. PS: Here’s an introduction to backgammon.