Technology Ticks

Arthur’s Meme Blog has a nice 10 point re-blogged posts on the ways that social media will change in 2009.

Within it are big words like: “convergence”; “create meaning and value” etc.

But what’s cool is that we’re all moving from feature-based social networks (really, who throws sheep now?) to more meaningful experiences and money-making opportunities (KA-CHING$$$ Baby!!!).

Anyways, there’s plenty of examples to ground each point, and they’re lofty enough to inspire greater niches.

10 POINTS to SOCIAL MEDIAING

1. It's About People

2. Creating Meaning and Value

3. Enabling Convergence

4. Building a Truly Cross-Platform Experience

5. Creating Relevant Social Networks

6. Innovating in the Advertising Space

7. Helping People Organize Their "Old" Social Media Ecosystem

8. Connecting with the Rest of the US and the World

9. Preparing for New Social Media Jobs

10. Making Money

Source: Arthur’s Meme Blog

This is crazy. This light bulb floats in mid-air and glows ominously like gaudy Chinese New Year lighting.

Apparently, it “contains hidden circuitry that uses electromagnetic feedback to levitate the bulb roughly 2.5″ from the nearest object, and uses coupled resonant wireless power transfer to beam power from the housing into the bulb itself.”

Hey it’s a SF dream come true! Check out the Youtube video below…

Source: today and tomorrow

Googlelites get perks. Lots of free massages, ice cream and other stuff. Unfortunately, it’s not all beeauuuutiful at Google as these emails by former employees show.

Major complaints include: overly moralistic attitude by bosses, bad pay, and slow hiring process. Details in the link here…Technology – redOrbit.

Odd. I’d think that Chinese companies tend to manage people like that. Love to hear from it about you.

Brilliant list from the Lifehacker team on how to stick to your resolutions. While I’ve reproduced the list here, you really should get over there and read them in detail.

10. Schedule your goals inside your high-energy times

9. Make them S.M.A.R.T.

8. Mint.com for all your money resolutions

7. Channel your Inner Seinfeld—Don't break the chain

6. Track them all at once with Joe's Goals

5. Keep your reminders/motivators away from your computer

4. Remember the Milk

3. Be a dweeb and write them down

2. Advanced calendar tweaking

1. Remember Ryan Adams' creed—It's just a simple task today

Source: Lifehacker

Google. Search. Giant. App Buyer. Cloud Maker. Has killed off the following products:

Google Video
Google Catalog Search
Google Notebook
Dodgeball
Jaiku
Google Mashup Editor
Grand Central
Knol
Google Base

They’ll be sorely missed. By all twelve users and developers.

Read why Google’s shutting them down over at CNET, and don’t burst a vein.

The Safe Balloon by Baek Uyeol won the Red Dot award for 2008. It’s an innovative way of telling the cars behind you that you’re stuck and absolutely FUBARed until the mechanic turns up.

Hopefully the balloon doesn’t do a Mary Poppins and float away into the sky.

Source: Crooked Brains

This fiery ad’s been making the rounds in Facebook. You get to sacrifice 10 friends for a Burger King Whopper. Personally, it’s not too big a loss considering that we have hundreds of loyal peons!!!

It’s a damn shame that the Facebook people – whom I thought were cool beer guzzling college types; guess not – killed off the application. What a waste of friendships and advertising opportunity. (To see how it’s done right, go to Dream Job in Australia. No cost. Just well targeted PR and good content.)

And I love the BK guys’ parting shot at Facebook (reproduced below). Fucking A!

Source: WHOPPER® SACRIFICE - Sacrifice 10 friends from Facebook for a free WHOPPER®

Of all the Fantastic Four’s powers, the Invisible Woman’s ability to disappear and project force shapes comes out tops. Although, Mr Fantastic’s rubbery, bendy and stretchy powers rank a close second (best explained by this joke about Martians swinging with Humans).

And the invisible cloth, made from meta materials which supposedly do not exist, is the very embodiment of my disappearing act dream.

(Cue Arty-Farty Disappearing Act Video)

Disappearing Act Video (Shameless Self-Promotion)

The only problem is that the cloak’s really a giant metal can.

It’s kind of hard to move around in it. But maybe we’ll see some kind of commercial use soon, perhaps an invisible panic room?

Source: LiveScience

Apologies for missing on yesterday’s post! I’ve been busy, busy, bee-sy…

Alright, enough bad puns.

I’m going to leave you with writings that bitch-slap our Beta Culture, a great story on life in prison (Charles Platt), and a video interview with Neil Gaiman (Henry Jenkins).

I’ll be back with more stuff in a couple of days.

Until then – peace out, stay cool and don’t let the bed bugs bite.

T.V Raman works as a computer engineer for Google. He is blind. And he modifies technology as deftly as Swiss watchmakers putting together artisan clocks.

According to the NY Times article, he’s working on a touch-screen phone to make it more accessible for blind people. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Read it for yourself about how a blind man mods technology to include all.

Source: NYTimes.com