Okay, I have to admit, I never really got into Friendster. It just wasn’t that interesting to me. The idea was almost right, but something was missing. Plus the implmementation was kind of poor.
Consumating.com is actually a dating service, but damn it’s cool. Very simple. Very effective. Also developed by a fellow austininte Ben Brown. Oddly, it has a ranking system that allows you to see how popular you are within the Consumating community. Not sure exactly what the algoritm is to figure that one out :)
It’s based on a fairly new concept: “Folksonomy”. Basically, it’s the first real implementation of the Symantic Web. The idea is that instead of a bunch of UI designers and developers trying to figure out the best way to categorize people, they let the people do all the categorizing. This allows for the community to define itself. The community then determines what (and in this case, who) is popular. You can see what people in the community are into. You can see what people that are “like” you are also into. Very intersting and very powerful.
Another example of this is a site called Del.icio.us. This is essentially just an online bookmarking tool. To see an example, check out some of my links on the right. Note that you can see all of the “tags” that I’ve given to the various bookmarks that I’m posting. The site then knows how to suggest sites to me that it thinks I might like. I can even “subscribe” to a tag so that whenever someone posts something, it will automatically show up in my bookmarks in Firefox. I always have new and interesting stuff to look at.
These are both revolutionary changes in the way that people view the internet, online communities and media in general. Why go to a traditional news source, when I can link directly to THE news source. How do I know it’s the source? Cause it’s the page that the most people around the world are looking at (and linking to) at a given moment.
Very, very cool shit.
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When I was home over the holidays, I managed to spend a day with the boys. I have the utmost respect for these guys. They’ve been a part of my life since the beginning. While I only get to see them once or twice a year, I always make a point when I’m home to spend a day just toolin’ around with them.
Salling Software has created a great little utility called simply “Clicker”. It allows you to control your Mac via your Bluetooth enabled phone. Of course, you can’t do anything you want, but you can do things like control iTunes and the DVD player. You could also use it during a powerpoint presentation. It’s essentially a contextual remote control.
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Alternate Titles:
- I have been defeated
- No soup for you
- I hate NextGenTel
It seems that I won’t be getting internet access in my home. At least, not from NextGenTel… who I hate by the way. They’re now telling me that they won’t be able to install until I have a Norwegian ID number. And I can’t get one of those until my work permit comes through.
I do wish someone had mentioned this 3 months ago when I started this process.
We’ll be getting our money back and looking into other alternatives. Unfortunately, there aren’t many alternatives. Which means that I may not be able to get connected at all.
Okay, as if my internet predicament weren’t bad enough, I got another email on Saturday asking if August 19, 1977 is my real birthday! Seems that they can’t find any record of me in Norway. Crap. This again, I was pretty sure we worked this out last month when the company paid the entire first year of service!! So, I’m all paid up, but they still want to make sure that I’m an actual citizen of Norway… or at least that I have my personal ID number.
Basically, they want my Norwegian Social Security Number. I don’t have one, so they’re treating me like I don’t really exist. Very very painful.
Fortunately, I’ve learned how to use my cell phone to dial into the modem at work. It’s not too fast… about 1/2 the speed of my first modem back in 1993. So, I can check my email and post stuff here, but that’s about it. I’m certainly not at any risk of prosecution by the RIAA.
This is especially frustrating given that Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) just introduced high speed wireless Internet access on all cross Atlantic flights!! That’s right, I can get blazingly fast downloads at 30,000 feet, but I can’t get mid-nineties speeds here on the ground.
I called them to complain, and was told by someone there that he would, “get this in the hands of someone that can actually help me.”
Um… Thanks… I guess…
He also said they would call on Monday, but I really don’t have much confidence in that happening. More updates to come…
Just got a note NextGenTel. Apparently they’re waiting on my first month’s payment to turn on my internet. This payment was made last month. I’m now wondering if this means 5 more weeks of waiting. This process started over 2 months ago now. That’s right, more than 8 full weeks to get internet installed! And I know for a fact that the people who lived in my apartment before me had an internet connection!
Grrrrr.
Here I am, back in Oslo. And after 10 days in Austin, it’s really odd being back here. Seeing everyone there was great, but hard. If you’ve never taken a vacation back into your own life, I highly recommend it. Definitely a great way to gain perspective. Actually, imagine a fire hose that shoots “life perspective” and have someone aim it right at you… now you get it.
Being here in Oslo the last couple of months has been a really enlightening experience. Anyone that knows me knows that I have a hard time with winter and darkness. Moving to Oslo was kind of a test for me. Facing my fears and all that. While I think I’m getting a passing grade, I wasn’t totally prepared for everything that awaited me here. I have been depressed on a number of occasions, but I really don’t want that to be what I remember about my time in Oslo.
I want to remember how my shadow seems to always be longer than I am tall. I want to remember playing Norwegian Bar Trivia and having every question quickly translated so that I could participate. I want to remember that one stop on the #1 subway train where people pile into the train carrying luge sleds.
I want to remember the great time that I had here.
I’d rather not remember the two months of solitary confinement in my apartment. Or the sun setting at 4:30 pm. Or the fact that I don’t know which stores to go to when I want to buy something. Or the total lack of internet in my apartment (NextGenTel promised to have it installed by April 5… today is April 13… still no internet). Or the fact that the stores never seem to be open when I want to buy something. Or any one of a hundred other stupid things that have gotten me down.
Okay, now I’m rambling. Guess what I’m saying is that as much as I look forward to coming back to Austin, I’m also looking forward to the rest of my time here in Oslo.
I’m in one of my favorite spots on the face of the planet. I’m lounging in the hammock that hangs in the porch at my place in Austin. The sun is shining through a thin layer of clouds. As I rock, the wind whistles lightly through the leaves of the surrounding trees. Earlier, I took care of patching up a hole in the screen door. Tim (the cat) had discovered that if he could get onto the back porch, then he was home free for the neighbor’s bushes. In my search to find something to patch the hole, I found an old plywood set piece from a show I did back in high school. Not sure why I kept it so long, but it was almost the perfect size for patching the hole.
Interesting Facts:
- The show was “My Fair Lady”.
- I played the role of Freddy.
- I’ve carried this hunk of plywood around for 10 years now.
- It says “Ale & Wine” on one side and “Snooker” on the other.
- Nice.
Well I’m back in Austin for a bit and it’s wonderful. Good friends, tasty food, great weather. Who could ask for anything more?
I totally want one of these.
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