Decentralized Interoperability
Edd Dumbill: If you don't care about decentralized interoperability, it's hard to see how you can ever agree with web technology. [Sam Ruby] 
6:03:55 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Namespace training wheels
In general, we don't have much experience creating and using simple XML vocabularies, never mind mixed ones. InfoPath, the first application making a serious bid to enable mainstream folks to routinely gather and use XML data, hasn't even shipped. I think the creators of InfoPath and similar tools -- who hope that use of modular XML vocabularies will turn out to be like riding a bicycle -- ought to provide some training wheels. [Full story at InfoWorld.com] ... [Jon's Radio] 
6:02:02 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Arachnophobia
The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. I was looking online to try and identify the freaking huge spiders I saw today (possibly wolf spiders), and I came across this hand spider identification chart. Slightly unnerving when the spiders randomly wiggle. Perhaps more so if you have a problem with spiders. [MetaFilter] 
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Science revisits Kevin Bacon
"An experiment in which Internet users were asked to find any one of 18 strangers by using their online connections, showed that it took, on average, only five to seven steps by using friends and acquaintances. The results, published this week in the journal Science, illustrate how social networks operate and how they have become truly global, the team at Columbia University said. See Reuters. [onlineblog.com] 
1:44:52 PM      comment []   trackback []  



RSS Resource - Readme
For a while now, you've probably been hearing all sorts of things about RSS; we are just beginning to see its power and potential. Information on this "new" syndication format has (to this point) been scattered and somewhat tricky to understand. We're aiming to change that trend with this particular Lockergnome resource.

This was designed to be driven by several contributors, but only fellow evangelists and technologists need apply. Experts and novices should be able to turn here for the latest updates, and we'll keep expanding and fine-tuning the "About" page until our fingers bleed.

Ultimately, the desktop news aggregator (read: software) will decide which syndication standard comes out on top. RSS or ATOM, the focus for this effort will always be to illustrate the use of syndication technology to make personal and professional lives easier. [Lockergnome's RSS Resource] 
1:30:09 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Flash Aggregator
Oliver Steele has created an RSS reader in Flash

"The aggregator was based on a suggestion by Marc Cantor. It's a widget intended for the gutter of a blog. Like a blogroll, it displays a list of blog titles. Like a full-page aggregator, it displays the last few items within each blog. And since it's a Laszlo application, it can be driven by an XML feed, and animates smoothly between visual states." [Lockergnome's RSS Resource] 
1:28:00 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Comic RSS Feeds
If Tapestry isn't doing it for ya, Brian Desmond is working on something else: "Once I get the system debugged and beautified, I'll put it up on my server, and provide a system whereby one can subscribe to a comic strip in their RSS aggregator." [Lockergnome's RSS Resource] 
1:26:39 PM      comment []   trackback []  



The Quest for the Next Big Thing
This is why blogging, wikis and other forms of 'social software' are important. They change and enhance our soical practices.
"Says Rheingold, who thinks this wave will be as big as the PC and the Net: "The killer apps of tomorrow will not be hardware or software, but social practices." It sounds a little scary. But maybe that's a mark of something big."
(via The Quest for the Next Big Thing)[Roland Tanglao's Weblog] 
1:20:35 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Dutch isp uses rss for trouble tickets
(via Adam Curry's Weblog)-Cool! E-xact has developed a similar system. [Roland Tanglao's Weblog] 
1:13:26 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Security Risks: A Look into the Future
Last month, a crazed call from a customer I was about to reel in with a hosting deal gave me another glance into the woeful state of internet security. A debian machine, acting as a proxy for some of his most important customer websites, had gone haywire. It refused to deliver mail and there was trouble getting in through ftp. A quick look over SSH confirmed a nasty suspicion: The machine had been compromised and run over by a rootkit. Although the break-in and installation of the rootkit had been done clumsily, the potential of deception that the software had, were it installed by an able person instead of a script kiddy, was chilling. [kuro5hin.org] 
1:07:36 PM      comment []   trackback []  



RSS resource
If you want to learn how RSS can help you or keep track of new RSS tools and services head over to Lockergnome's RSS Resource.
[Kalsey Consulting Group :: Measure Twice] 
12:57:07 PM      comment []   trackback []  



Microsoft's Blogging Intentions
Just got a note from a Microsoft PR person, answering some questions I had about how the company plans to... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 
12:45:22 PM      comment []   trackback []  



BlogShares Hostile Takeovers are really very fun
Just had another hostile takeover of one of my portfolio blogs. Lawrence Lessig was taken by Ron Shelton using a Legal Brief (artefact). Very appropriate if you ask me. This is a very interesting portion of the game that I have just learned about courtesy of Joe Jenett and Joe's Crazy Game. If you have not participated in Joe's Game head on over as quick as you can, Phase 5 will be open over the weekend for your sharing pleasure.
[Dewayne Mikkelson and his Radio WebDog, Shadow] 
12:37:05 PM      comment []   trackback []  



An RSS/RDF epiphany
Some fascinating conversations have been weaving their way through blogspace and email in the last few days. As a result, I think I've reached a new understanding of the seemingly endless debate about whether and how to use RDF (Resource Description Framework) and RSS together. I mentioned Dan Brickley's comments the other day. He expands on his remarks over on Shelley Powers' blog: [Jon's Radio] 
2:46:41 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Two types of aggregators
Ziv talks about two types of weblogs - "take that" and "phone home". I think the distinction is more subtle than that, and deserves further exploration. ... [Sam Ruby] 
2:44:00 AM      comment []   trackback []  



The other syndication format   [Daypop Top 40] 
2:27:24 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Nuremberg Papers to Be on Web
Harvard Law School is planning to put more than a million documents from the Nuremberg trials on the Internet, allowing ready access to records of hearings into the war crimes of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Newsday [Follow Me Here...] 
2:20:37 AM      comment []   trackback []  



How Technorati works? (2)
David Sifry answers my question about Technorati:

Here's the basics:

1) We spider blogs, and match up their links to your blog - to anywhere on your blog 2) In the inbound blog list, we use the outbound links from the blog homepage, not from the archives 3) We do process RSS feeds an other metadata, but that doesn't affect your inbound blog stats 4) Nightly, we go through the database and re-calculate the number of inbound blogs and links, which helps us double-check our work and also allows us to create the interesting newcomers list, the interesting recent blogs list, etc.

We strice to be accurate all the time. Sometimes things slip through. For example, one of the reasons why your inbound blog count may be down today is because we were doing maintenance of the database last night to remove duplicate blogs - for example, Radio Userland has an obnoxious habit of sending pings to www.weblogs.com for each weblog "category" if you use multiple categories on your blog. Same information, same author, just link spam, basically. So, last night we cleaned out a bunch of that stuff. If you were linked from a bunch of people's blog categories, then you lost those inbound blogs. Then again, so did everyone else. :-)

The last thing to remember is that while we strive for accuracy and completeness, we still do have bugs and have to fix things. If you notice something strange, please don't hesitate to send us feedback (feedback@technorati.com) and let us know.

Thanks for fast reply! And for fixing the category problem (I had it in my stats). I suggest that you add this explanation somewhere, so people know that inbound blog/link statistics are calculated based on links from homepages of other weblogs. (I guess I'm getting spoiled as a researcher: I want to know the method to trust results :) [Mathemagenic] 
2:18:38 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Authentication for RSS and Atom: Basic over HTTPS and digest over HTTP
We only have 2 mechanisms in 2003: 1. Basic Authentication over HTTPS 2. digest authentication over HTTP

We need something better but that's all we have today.
1. The auth mechanism chosen doesn't really matter for the client side. Let's be realistic, if AOL Journals goes with Digest authentication only and you are a vendor of client side tools, *you will find a way support Digest*.

2. The auth mechanism chosen does matter on the server-side, but it depends on how big you are. A. If you are large then security matters, you have control over your servers, and because of that you can implement the security mechanism of your choice. (AOL, Blogger, TypePad, LiveJournal) B. If, on the other hand, you are a smaller site, like a single user install of MT, then either auth:

1. Isn't as high of a concern. 2. It is a concern and you are a power user and would choose a hosting vendor with such things in mind.

In particular I want to note that:

1. I'm offering up this categorization to generate a discussion, I *want* people to poke holes in it. 2. SixApart has the unique position of living in two worlds, as it were, with MT and TypePad.
(via Re: Authentication) [Roland Tanglao's Weblog] 
2:12:30 AM      comment []   trackback []