It’s a slightly embarassing question, all things considered. Now that I’ve got a
Facebook profile, I am understanding the interesting implications of the service. It’s easy, it’s adictive, it’s geared for 20-30 somethings who are social creatures.
It’s all point and click and click some more. I can change my status to “At a Party”. In fact, I might leave my status set to “At a Party”. ;-)
I’d l love to see the mobile version of this. I’d like to be able to map parties, and the people in my network, to see if we are all close to a party, or if there are a bunch of us in one spot.
I like that the privacy options are all customizable, and that people can’t become your friends without some sort of knowledge about you. And even then, you can opt out. I was surprised that facebook was able to check my gmail contacts and add the people who were in my contacts to my friends list, pending their approvals, of course. It’s goof proof and fast and intuitive.
Still, the question begs an answer - am I too old for facebook?
Facebook | Julie KivellTechnorati Tags:
Facebook
Funny, the difference in 24 hours.
PS I need bigger trees in my backyard.
That looks like an awful lot of houses.
Oh the winter horrors. :-)
It's increasingly difficult to get anywhere from up here. Perhaps that is part of the sub-conscious attractiveness of "up here".
Still, the snow is significant, if not bothersome.
PS - see the hockey net in the yard next door? Now that is neat.
it’s not everyday a 50-something mum gets a birthday card on a blog. :-) Who would have thought?
Love you!
I was up to my eyebrows in usenet, willingly going to the library at the U of G early to get caught up on emails, and skipping classes to create my own world in a MUD (multi-user dimension). It was awesome. It was pre-windows. It was the raw internet that no one knew about. It was in a time when a PC was out of the financial realm of most folks…
Alec Saunders points out that the new “Say Everything” generation is really just a cyclical arc, that the tools and activities that youth today are involved in are really just updated tools from the ‘90’s. He has *so* hit the nail on the head. It’s not new.
In 1992, I had a Lynx created web page. And wow, it had most of the details that my site does now about me, perhaps even more. And chat!?!? Spending hours in a MUD does tend to make you pale, but I’ve created friendships that still exist to this day. And no, I’m only a pseudo-geek.
I too read The New York Times article on the Say Everything Generation….. It’s not a phenomenon, it’s not particulary avante garde or cuttingedge. It’s finally the rest of the world getting caught up with whatwe were initially doing 15 years ago. How embarassing would that befor one of the 15 year old Facebook groupies, thinking they are new andwild and unique? ;-) Heh.
The “Say Everything Generation”? Old hat… — Alec Saunders .LOG
The ”Say Everything” generation is a 20 year arc, finally reaching its peak. It didn’t start yesterday.
Technorati Tags:
Alec Saunders,
Say Everything,
Lynx,
Usenet,
MUD
Too cold to do much more than dream of summer.
Thinking of sand, water, sunsets and long shadows.
Here's to warmer seasons.
To my surprise and chagrin, I've been meme-ed!
Thanks to Adrian over at A Rain of Frogs, I've been tagged with the "Why do I Blog Meme.
It's a good question, and a hard one to answer.
I think it all started in 2000, when I realized an ex was reading the analog diaries stuffed in my bedside table. For shame.
That episode begat the
LiveJournal Era.From there, it seemed to escalate. Before I knew it, there were half a dozen different Live Journals, all created with various audiences and topics in mind. This was back in the day when
LiveJournal was the only game in town. That lasted a few years, until I realized that I could
grow up a little.
Why Blog?The Wiz often asks me that exact question. For me, it's about building relationships and having conversations. Learning, sharing the learning and hopefully having it lead where I least expect it. I've been writing since I could write. I'm one of those oddies who've have a written history forever. This is significant, as my long term memory is for shite. My blog keeps track of the topics I'm thinking about, what I'm working on and what I'm interested in. Without it, I wouldn't have an anchor for my thoughts. Take that as you will.
Blogging reminds me that everything is public, and personal privacy is just a few mouse clicks from being lost. When you can be approached at a conference with a question of "Are you jules@jules.ca" - you realize that your backyard is incredibly huge, and that there are many people in it :-)
Jules.ca is technical (mostly), and is my public persona, in all its odd and oddly interesting glory.
North of the 49th is curious - and fills a void in the Canadian Blogosphere. Plus, it also allows me to keep track of the goodies I find on the 'net. If someone else gets value, that's just gravy. It's still just in its infancy. I watch it grow daily.
So - why do YOU blog?
Technorati Tags:
Why do I Blog Meme,
Adrian
Two blissful, non-working days. Heaven. Plagued by working dreams each night. Hellish. Is it possible that there are more than just the standard side effects of working 12 hour days? The dreams are so real that I can sit up in bed and wonder if I should be checking my email, that I’m missing out on some deadline, some response that needs attention. Something.
They aren’t bad dreams, but then again, any dream about work - on the weekend, can’t possibly be good, can it?
Happy Valentine’s Day to all, wiki style. After you brush up on the kissing, don’t forget to also check out How Not to be an Obsessive Girlfriend. You never know.
How to French Kiss - WikiHow
You have seen it done often in the movies and probably on the street in darkened corners. The French kiss is a timeless and passionate gesture of romantic affection. Whether you live in Paris, France or Paris, Texas, you can learn how to kiss like the French do without an embarrassing faux pas!
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Valentine’s Day,
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:-)
Bless The Zero Boss’s heart, and his wicked tongue. I had no idea of the can of worms I would be opening with my commentary on profanity in the blogosphere. The soap is on me…
My intent was to highlight the use of profanity in *popping* attention, not so much of a moral discusssion on the declining state of the internet. But this is good too…
That being said - The Zero Boss has some very interesting comments as well ;-) Although I think they may have missed the point as well.
Folks: nothing is forgotten, nothing is lost, everything can come back and bite you in the ass when you least expect it. Nasty blogs and the postings within them will follow you around long past their best before date. No one is anonymous any more. ‘Nuff said.
Technorati Tags: profanity, swearing, The Zero Boss
I’m noticing a proliferation of potty mouths on the internet lately. Swearing, that is. Sure, it’s eyecatching in your RSS reader, but once the novelty has worn off, what have you got left?
The jury is out for me still - I think I can count on one hand how many times i’ve dropped a doozy, I’d like to save those biggies for really big deals. For the shock effect, you know? I’ve got a feeling that if my blog voice adopted the language of a drunken sailor, no amount of profanity would make people interested… ;-) Not to mention the fact that your blog history will follow you around like a wee puppy for the rest of your life. I suppose that is fine - if you indeed are a drunken sailor….
What say you? Is swearing acceptable in blog-land?
Technorati Tags: blogs, swearing
One of my 2007 goals was to create a new media vehicle, be it a blog or some such related bit of digitali, that would be ouside of my standard interests. While reviewing some of the blog award winners in both Canada and the US yesterday, it occured to me that there really isn’t a great Canadian Blog bringing Canadian yummy goodness to the population.
And on that premise, North of the 49th was created… Bringing Canadian treats and tickles to Canadians and the rest of the world.
I agree, it could be a challenge, what with the limited Canadian retail presence. No one said that creating greatness was going to be easy. That being said, it’s a little bit retail, a little bit culture, and a whole lotta Canadiana.
Technorati Tags: North of the 49th, Canadian Retail
Curious - the difference between the Canadian and US Blog award nominees/winners.
The Canadian flavour - brought to you by myblahg.com features a majority of blogs i’ve never heard of before. Is this an indication of my limitiations? Or an indication that Canadian blogs are just below the radar? I was hoping to come across some of the excellent Canadian blogs I read:
But no - the only recognizable blog nominee was
Rick Mercer, and despite his plugs each week on the Rick Mercer Report, the majority of the content that he’s got is simple regurgitation of his weekly rant.
On the
US blog side, I recognize and read a good 40% of the blogs that are mentioned. It’s important to note that these blogs are not just US blogs, but from all over the world.
Go ahead - take a look at each blog awards site. You be the judge.
I’m not sure what a comparison suggests, perhaps it’s simply a process and procedural problem for how blogs are validated and chosen? Perhaps the Canadian version is still working out the kinks in the selection/voting process?
I was hoping to discover real Canadian talent…. only to find…. yeesh.
I’ve been following the developments of Alexander Internet Technologies, and their recent press release of launching the construction of a new data centre in Alberta. Why? Because data centre space is a hot topic right now, not to mention a hot commodity in Canada. There used to be a time when you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting an empty data centre; alas, those days are long gone, and the fight for data centre space could turn ugly at any moment.
And it’s with this market fluxuation that I’ve been keeping an eye on Alexander Internet Technologies. A girl never knows when she’s going to need a few extra thousand square feet of raised floor.
Apparently, Alexander Internet Tech is creating a new data centre space in hopes of luring off shore gambling websites to Alberta. Hmmm, interesting business model, considering that the only organizations who can legally run ANY form of gambling are ones registered or licenced by the government, or OWNED by the government.
But their casino-licensing scheme has a successful and legally questionable model in Quebec.
That province’s Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake is one of the world’slargest hosts for online gambling sites. It has operated the KahnawakeGaming Commission since 1996.Loto-Quebec and Quebec’s attorney general have in the past said thatonline gambling based in Kahnawake is illegal. But charges have neverbeen laid.
I am certainly not going to suggest that native Canadians aren’t governed by the same laws that the rest of Canada is governed by. I wouldn’t even imply that they think they are legally free to move outside the laws, and the canadian government is spineless enough to let it continue?
Nah, that would be just nutty.
Regardless, if you need a few thousand feet of data centre space in Alberta, you know where you can get it ;-)
Alta. gaming authority probing native band’s online gambling scheme
“Internet gaming, unless it’s conducted by the province or licensed by the (AGLC), is illegal.”Preparing to accommodate western Canada’s first online gambling operations, Alexander is building a 2,300-square-metre data centre on its territory, which will host the gambling websites’ computer servers.
Technorati Tags: Alexander Internet Technologies, Data Center, Canadian Governent
What a lovely surprise in my mailbox. A thank you letter from Bell, expressing their gratitde for my patronage in one paragraph, and in the second paragraph, explaining how they are increasing my expressvu TV service by $4 a month. No ifs, ands or buts. Not even a really good reason why. Just the increase.
Funny, I've signed up for a 2 year contract. Shouldn't that mean something? They won't let me out of the contract for 2 years, yet they can increase pricing whenever they want? What's the sense of the contract then? Does it mean anything for the consumer? Apparently not. It's beginning to seem that contracts only provide the carrier, and not the consumer with a sense of security. Where's the logic? If they wat to increase fees... no problem. But there should be a month to month plan then consumers can deal with the increases as an opportunity cost for not locking in.
'm counting dow until my plan expires. August 2008. Look out. In fact, I may consider the opportunity cost to switch earlier. You know full well that there will be termination penalties associated with such a brazen move. Who knows - it may be worth it?
Technorati Tags:
BELL Expressvu,
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Who would have thought - popular
digg - used to sniff out the breaking news and popular blog postings of the hour, could also have a sideline application.
I've stayed away from digg, it's too arbitrary, not to metion corrupt for my tastes. But I've just discovered a side application for it. It's a comments conversation for blogs that don't allow comments. Easy. Dead easy.
The followers of
Violent Acres, hungry for conversation, since Violent Acres doesn't allow comments in her blog [and for good reason, likely], have started "digging" VA's postings; and then contining on with the conversation in Digg. An interesting new twist to an existing application. I'm constantly amazed at the innovation and creativity that seems to bloom from nowhere. Necessity - the mother of invention.
Digg - How to Amaze Your Friends and Family With Your Eerily Accurate Psychic ReadTechnorati Tags:
Digg,
Violent Acres
In Canada, there is growing interest and concern in the different directions that carriers and content providers are exploring; relative to Net Neutrality.
There is a pro-net-neutrality site that is petitioning the Canadian Government to seriously consider the implications of allowing internet services to run unchecked by the carriers. They support a neutral network architecture, but interestingly enough, they support Quality of Service (QoS), and the measuring of bits and bites (getting what you pay for and paying for what you get), which is outstanding, they are simply against the ugly underbelly of QoS, which is prioritizing of traffic based on protocol, source and content.
That being said, it’s exactly that discriminatory part of QoS that the carriers have their eye on. Being able to promote specific content, specific protocols and specific sources, and making that traffic easier to access than a competitor’s has an alluring appeal to some network providers.
I want to go where I want on the internet, and regardless of where I go: Amazon or Ebay or iTunes or Joes Underground Goth Recipes, I want to go there unfettered. I don’t want to know that if I’m an iTunes addict I’m going to get charged more than if I’m a Puretracks junkie, if i’m a Bell Canada Customer, or vice versa if I’m a TELUS customer. If the carriers suggest that downloading a certain amount of bits and bytes per month is going to cost $X, that’s fine, but don’t tell me that downloading from iTunes is going to cost more or less than downloading from Puretracks.
Net Neutrality in Canada
While net neutrality supports metered billing based on counting bits and bytes, it does not support metered billing based on the content type. E-Mail, Video, VoIP and gaming services alike MUST be billed in a consistent, equal and non-discriminatory way.
Technorati Tags: Net Neutrality, Bell Canada, TELUS, iTunes, neutrality.ca
As the global telecom players gear up to decide their collective futures, it's interesting to pay attention to what is being said about the evolution of telecom and communications services, from a traditionalist perspective.
Organizations such as
Telco 2.0 are well ahead of the curve in having conversations about evolution and changing the rules of the industry.
After just returning from a fiercely challenging sales conference with
TELUS, my mind is just now considering the possibilities. Changing the rules, changing the game, changing the industry. Those organizations who aren't actively involved in changing the rules will be left with trying to fit their existing infrastructure into a new world order. That dauting task will change the playing field entirely.
The world has become flat again, thanks in part to the
virtual service providers, the Web2.0 invasion, and the rise in anywhere, anytime, any device connectivity. Those companies who have the advantage are no longer the traditional telco incumbents. Be quick, and nimble and creative. Be part of shaping the future, passivity will get you left in the dust.
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The sweet baby jesus is crying.
Good lord, the blogosphere is reacting like a woman scorned with the announcement of Robert Scoble’s speaking engagement with PayPerPost.
It’s not the end of the world folks, it’s a smart guy doing a speaking engagement. A speaking engagement with an organization who is going to likely change the rules of how blogging and advertising work together.
I’m not a huge fan of PayPerPost, but you have to give them credit. They have completely changed the rules, changed the way we think about advertising, and are playing by a different game. Changes make people jumpy. Rule changes can freak out the best of us, case in point: the NHL rule changes. I’m not saying that PayPerPost is recreating the playing field of the blogosphere, but they are certainly involved in the conversation.
That being said, why wouldn’t anyone who’s interested in changing the rules or changing the game also be interested in the conversation? I have a feeling that Robert Scoble is very much interested in the conversation, not to metion the game.
Shouldn’t we all be? The uproar and “holier than thou” attitude of some of the A-Listers is a little fickle, considering that they are supposed to be the grandest supporters of conversations.
Good luck Robert, have a fantastic conversation. And don’t forget to change a few rules!
“PayPerSpeech” disclosure « Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger
Technorati Tags: PayPerPost, Robert Scoble
Update on 2007-02-08 11:26 by jules
Further backlash to the PayperPost debacle?
Now our wee friend Mr Scoble is getting a little of the digital cold shoulder?
Could the blogosphere really be so very childish, or is it just co-incidence?
Too many questions for Thursday morning at 6:26 am
