29 May 2003

Open Wiki rules the roost Open Wiki -- There's an Open Wiki running at Trinity College Dublin that offers anyone interested in educational technology in Ireland a clear map of where we should be heading. Open Wiki Front Page x_ref153

Collaborative Mapping INTERTWINGLY net -- Jo Walsh is attempting to map the world. Here efforts show the appeal that RDF holds to so many. Dave Winer has long proselyticised enabling people who want to jot down notes in the simplest means while wanting to work together. If they do this inside a properly wired blog, they will be able to discern relevant nodes and arcs directly from search engines. Sam Ruby: Collaborative Mapping Jo Walsh: OSCOM proposal x_ref1256

Am I alienating non-bloggers with my weblog? ITO -- I force myself to review Joi Ito's comments to the question "Am I alienating non-bloggers on my weblog?" Non-bloggers don't know the jargon so they're going to click away when encountering "blogrolling" and "trackbacks" and other unique terms unfamiliar to casual visitors. The best solution might be to have a simple home page at the start of your blog, then categories visitors can click to visit. Explain each page on your blog's main sections. Include a FAQ page as well. My favourite blogs are those of people who express themselves well. Glossies use pull quotes, sidebars, and timelines. Joichi Ito: comments from readers Burningbird's Blogicon Tim's Blogging Glossary Figure Blogging x_ref1256

Social software maps networks DISCOVER -- Intelligence analysts once assumed that terrorists organise in isolated cells. But social-network maps revealed that the 9/11 hijackers' cells morphed into a hub-and-spoke pattern with an obvious leader: Mohammed Atta. The active structure resembled that of an IBM Project team. Social mapping is not just for corporate sociologists. Krebs had used his software to analyse the social networks visible in book-buying patterns on Amazon.com, by tracking the "people who bought this book bought these other books" feature. Steven Johnson: Who loves ya, baby? Tim Kirby: Inflow [now licensed to IBM] MetaBallWiki: SocialSoftware Picture: "Illustration by Leo Espinoza" x_ref1256

Mark's new home in the South Pacific /island -- Mark Frauenfelder (plus wife Carla Sinclair and two daughters) will fly off from Studio City to beyond Hawaii. "The first place we'll be staying is the island of Rarotonga. It's due south of Hawaii, as far south of the equator is as Hawaii is north of the equator. "We want to move around to different islands every few months. We'll come back in a year or so. I'm going to try to keep writing and illustrating. Most of the islands have cybercafes, so I'll be blogging. I'll occasionally post to boingboing.net, but most of my blogging will be on The Island Chronicles Blog. The plan is to post a new photo and caption every day. I have a few sample photos already posted, as a way to test the design." I have landed on Honolulu's main runway at least 72 times, and on runways in Pago Pago, Eniwetok, and Kwajalein. I've done mid-altitude atmospheric testing throughout the Trust Territories of the Pacific, so Mark's new adventure tugged at the strings of my memory. Once I establish UnderwayInIreland.com, I think I'll reserve a section for island memories too. It takes an independent soul to enjoy a long-term stay on an island. Every road returns to where you start. Mark Frauenfelder: Mark's new home in the South Pacific BoingBoing/island: Why we moved to the South Pacific x_ref264