Sunday, May 11, 2003

Updates to Python Programmer's weblogs.  comments? [] 6:29:33 PM     Not a prima donna Salutations to Zadie Smith, author of White Teeth for a wonderful, and wonderfully generous account of her experience watching the BBC turn her novel into a film (to premiere on Masterpiece Theatre tonight).  comments? [] 6:07:38 PM     Ross Mayfield strikes again  The launch of the highly differentiated LinkedIn networking community prompts an update the Social Networking Models table:   Social Networking Models Network Type Connection Example Explicit Declarative Ryze Virtual Avatar EverQuest Physical In-person Meetup Conversational Communication LiveJournal; Weblogs Private Referral LinkedIn     © 2003 Ross Mayfield   The framework differentiates social networking models by their connection method.  What's new is the addition of Virtual Networks where connections are initially made through avatar interaction, thanks to Andrew Phelps.  LinkedIn provides a perfect example of why Private Networks are based on a greater level of trust between participants: You can only browse and search members of your network, a few degrees away The only way to connect to another member of the network is through a real person providing a referral The referral structure prevents spam Besides connections made by referral, the only way a connection can be made is by inviting someone by knowing their email address The only connections are confirmed ties (both participants agree) Therefore: Connections have real meaning Information flow is governed by participants who risk their reputation comments? [] 5:36:41 PM     So, instead of thinking of software development as building systems according to plans, we should see it as growing or evolving them to become whatever the plans say. I think this is an important distinction, as you assume that growth (and therefore change) will take place. The plans then turn into visions rather than specifications. http://tesugen.com/irrational/archives/networkScienceAndSoftware.html comments? [] 5:33:37 PM     Moore's law times 12 We have Moore's law for microprocessors. But who's coined a law for hard disks? In mass storage we have seen a 60,000-fold fall in price -- more than a dozen times the force of Moore's law, with less than one-hundredth the press excitement.   http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.05/view.html?pg=5 comments? [] 5:32:01 PM     SecurityFocus posted an article today about a new book that covers hacking the Xbox. The book's author, Andrew "Bunnie" Huang, reports that it's selling well, even though the release date has not yet arrived. Presumably, this is because the book covers soldering techniques and adding features like blue LEDs and modchips to Xboxes, most of which violate the DMCA. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/05/08/2058224 comments? [] 5:31:06 PM     Why the Difference In Network Architecture Mattered in Court (Napster, Grokster, Morpheus). http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20030508_sprigman.html comments? [] 5:29:57 PM     If ants are so dumb, how are they so smart? How does an insect with a brain the size of a poppy seed decide to carry out a particular task?   "An ant can assess the tasks of another ant using hydrocarbons that are specific to that task. It's not an intellectual achievement; it's a perceptual achievement. The ant doesn't have to think to get the difference between one hydrocarbon and another. It just has to have the right receptors to smell the difference," explained Gordon --context weblog:   Reminds me of Remo's favorite book on web design:  Don't make me think.   Also reminds me of a half-idea I've had several times.  TCP/IP Packets should come in different "flavors" to facilitate low level processing and other functionality.  For instance, millipayment packets could hand pay for distributed web services on route .... comments? [] 5:29:06 PM     Technoetic Arts :  an international journal of speculative research   This peer-reviewed journal presents the cutting edge of ideas, projects and practices arising from the confluence of art, science, technology and consciousness research. It has a special interest in matters of mind and the extension of the senses through technologies of cognition and perception. It documents accounts of transdisciplinary research, collaboration and innovation in the design, theory and production of new systems and structures for life in the 21st century, while inviting a re-evaluation of older worldviews, esoteric knowledge and arcane cultural practices. Artificial life, the promise of nanotechnology, the ecology of mixed reality environments, the reach of telematic media, and the effect generally of a post-biological culture on human values and identity, are issues central to the journal's focus. http://www.intellectbooks.com/journals/technoetic/ comments? [] 5:22:25 PM     View Panoramas 360[infinity] Panoramas from across the globe. Rotate and zoom using the interactive globe to view.     comments? [] 5:20:10 PM

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