Finding the future (some recent mail)
Posted: Monday, February 12, 2007 1:26 PM by Will Femia
Filed Under:
What You Clicked
Dear Will,
I'm just disappointed you're not listed in this article. But it begs the question, appearing in the Wall Street Journal, positive epoch, or jumping the shark?
Ramon
Will replies: Thanks Ramon, I'm not sure I would make any list of influencers, but the folks in this article are involved in a different activity than I. That said, it's a really fascinating article and I don't think it's at all an indication of shark jumping. On the contrary it may be a sign of the future; the future of celebrity and the future of media. To catch other readers up, the article is about the people who are highly ranked as participants in social sites like Digg and Reddit. We've recently seen marketers trying to buy-off these people to get them to promote their links. That puts them in a certain celebrity class already. With photos and real names in a mainstream newspaper, I have to wonder how soon a Digg membership will be parlayed into something more.
Speaking of finding the future online, a mailing list I'm on sent a link to this Mac video. It's sort of a satire rap song about cybersexing on a Mac IM system. (Relatively safe for work, but sexual enough that you'd want to watch it quietly.) It strikes me that there are a huge number of people who exercise their sexuality through Web cams and yet you see almost no acknowledgment of that culture in mainstream media unless it has to do with something illicit and twisted. It called to mind the Kate Beckinsale headline from a while ago in which she revealed that she and her husband make recreational use of a web cam. Will future generations need to add another "base" to the traditional sexual achievement metaphor? Would seeing someone naked on a web cam be the new first base? Shortstop? ADDING: In case you can't view the video, the lyric is about checking out, flirting with, and generally seducing a woman through video chat before they meet in person. I can see how this might be preferable to a blind date.
Like pipes, this is pretty cool for what you can do. It is not so much like PowerPoint as it is like making a magazine or album. Easy to combine things in novel ways - output is Flash, so works on all browsers.
-Paul
Will replies: Thanks Paul, I'll give it a try later when I have time to do the registration. I'll pass the link along for those who are interested.
Hi Will,
I haven’t mailed you in a while, but I found a site you might like. It’s called finetune.com. It’s like Pandora, but better in that you can pick the songs you want it to play (up to 3 by the same artist). You have to create a playlist of 45 songs to meet their licensing requirement, but it’s FREE. You can give one of my lists a listen.
Thanks,
Jason
Will replies: Wow Jason, that's a great idea. It's basically like being your own radio programmer. I also love that you can share the playlists easily. I'm playing with it now and I'm having a little trouble with buffering. The Nora Jones channel plays OK but the Wolfmother channel can't get past a few notes. I'll try again from home. Maybe it'll be kinder if I set up an account.
Yakuza war over
-Bob
Will replies: Well, that was quick. Speaking of short mails...
Please see.
Charlie
Will explains: It's a two minute time lapse of passing through the Panama Canal. I've seen similar clips from the shore, but this is the first I've seen from the boat. Very neat.
Hi Will,
Our kids couldn't stop singing this over the weekend so we thought we'd make a tee shirt for politically and otherwise active kids....
Jim
There are many of kids with the same story as the Clinton kid, typical of basket economies that don’t care about their citizens, ahh, link.
Regards,
Kayiira
Will remarks: I'm not sure why the Clinton one was sent to me. It could be spam. I just like the idea of reading the news in Uganda.
The issue of e-mail copyright when "sampled" by artists has finally hit a gallery wall and the lawyers are soon to follow. Read below about a guy who made art from his ex-GF's emails and now the whole thing is all about who owns what...
-Lenny
Will replies: Thanks Lenny, that is interesting. Speaking without a shred of legal qualification, I agree with the blogger (and the artist), once you hit send on an e-mail, you don't own it. That might not be the case if someone mails a song or a poem or something, but a letter is like a gift, once you send it you give it away.
The latest note from the "I and the Bird" carnival:
Fun fact of the day: Neurophilosophy is an interdisciplinary study that lies at the juncture of neuroscience and philosophy. It's true. Furthermore, neurophilosophical inquiry may be pursued down two different paths. Some neurophilosophers aspire to solve problems regarding the nature of the mind, mental functions, and consciousness by employing neuroscientific data. Their colleagues bring to bear the conceptual rigor and methods of philosophy of science to clarify questions in neuroscience.
Bet you didn't know that!
The reason I'm sharing this with you is that the newest I and the Bird is presented to us by a real, live, possibly self-appointed Neurophilosopher. MC writes about most aspects of neuroscience, from the molecular to the cognitive, but also covers other topics he finds interesting. This includes, on occasion, ornithology, which is why we are now able to enjoy, in an apt homage to Darwin's legendary Voyage of the Beagle, our own I and the Bird #42, the forty-second voyage of IatBEagle.
Are your inquiries into the lives of wild birds arcane and esoteric, or are you into down to earth, meat and potatoes birding? Either way, your best source for peer review is I and the Bird. Our next edition is headed somewhere sunny and warm, so you may very well want to go with it! Send your links and summaries to me or our next talented host, Tai Haku (p DOT taihaku AT googlemail DOT com ) of Earth, Wind & Water.
Press release:
Hey Will!
I wanted to quickly let you know about a fabulous recipe and lifestyle Web destination, Recipe4Living, for consideration in Clicked.
Recipe4Living is an interactive community enabling its more than 6 million registered users to share unique ways to cook and live a healthy life. From homemade gift ideas to recipe photo contests to wine guides to how to live healthier and feel great, Recipe4Living has something for everyone!
The site includes over 17,000 user-rated recipes, with more than 80 techniques and original commentary from world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck. It also features enhanced search capabilities and a unique coupon add-on, where users can download more than 100 coupons for brand-name consumer goods by clicking on hyperlinks within a current recipe.
There is so much more that Recipe4Living offers users, but I know you don’t like long pitches, so please check out www.Recipe4Living.com when you have a sec and let me know if you want more info or have any questions.
Thanks!
Lizzie
Will notes: I appreciate Lizzie being quick with this presser. The photo contest is what caught my eye. Taking a good looking picture of food can be a real challenge. It looks like some of the winners got it right. The key is lighting and the problem is that good dining lighting is not good photo lighting.
Regarding your link to the Books Mapped from January 30th... (I was on vacation last week!)
I have a book that's similar called The Dictionary of Imaginary Places. Basically lists the place names in alphabetical order and tells you what book/author it came from. Very cute. I loved the fact that it included the places from The Phantom Tollbooth, which was my favorite book as a kid.
Best,
Wendy
Will,
I subscribe to a YouTube member called duckapuss. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of disappearing she has continued to vlog. This is her response to possibly losing her hair due to chemotherapy.
Thanks,
cinderellaferret
Will adds: I'm a little behind in post this one. I used her YouTube profile to find the most recent video here in which she describes not just the reality of cancer treatment but the reality of sharing the experience with strangers online. Quite a contrast with the head shaving video. From the strangers online in the Clicked community, best wishes to Duckapuss.
