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| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
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At Large in the Blogosphere |
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| Topic: Computers |
1:52 pm EDT, May 4, 2002 |
Here's what blogs are not: (1) the super-personalized news filters that social critics fretted would splinter the nation into a million tiny interest groups, or (2) the Drudge Report. Blogs don't limit your news intake, break stories or promulgate rumor, at least not intentionally. They have an only seemingly more innocent agenda. Blogs express opinion. They're one-person pundit shows, replete with the stridency and looniness usually edited off TV. Needless to say, blogs are addictive. They are not, however, the most economical use of your time. ... ... blogging's advantages over traditional journalism: greater looseness of spirit; openness to more points of view; a more conversational tone; and a compulsive honesty that has bloggers linking to articles in which they found their ideas. The steady rise in the number of readers of the brainiest blogs suggests that their formula does appeal to a potentially influential sector of the reading public. At Large in the Blogosphere |
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Open Digital Identity Project | PingID.org |
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| Topic: Software Development |
11:20 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
Ping Identity is an open, principles based project focused on building digital identity infrastructure capable of ensuring that the rights and privileges we enjoy with our real world identities are not lost, changed or abused with respect to our digital ones. PingID stands for personal choice, privacy, security and control while ensuring maximum interoperability, openness, accessibility and an adherence to open standards. The Ping Digital Identity Infrastructure project provides a complete open framework for developers, enterprises and service providers to deploy and embed digital identity services and functionality within their applications, devices or services. PingID provides everything required for end-users to establish, grow and exchange Digital Identity information in a secure environment, and for enterprises and service providers to provide trusted services to employees and end-users. Open Digital Identity Project | PingID.org |
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Pondering Digital Reputations | kuro5hin.org |
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| Topic: Society |
11:19 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
Our reputation may affect our lives more than any other identity construct we have. Anonymity, Pseudonymity, and other such constructs are ultimately all methods to deal with the effects of reputation. Digital Identity will create Digital Reputations, and how technology handles this has very significant privacy and security implications... Pondering Digital Reputations | kuro5hin.org |
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| Topic: Economics |
10:17 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
In a Technology Special Report, BusinessWeek Online offers up an array of new articles on the dismal state of the telecom industry. Here are the titles of a few: It's "Merge, Buy, or Die" in Telecom
How Connected Are the Baby Bells?
Time to Size Up Telecom Stocks
Redialing Internet Telephony
Woe Is WorldCom
Has Nokia Run Out of Rocket Fuel? Telecom's New Shape |
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Drizzt's Grove - Character Test |
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| Topic: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Literature |
10:00 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
What kind of D&D character are you? A fun bit of nostalgia, indeed. I'm a "Lawful Good Elf Ranger Bard." What are you? Drizzt's Grove - Character Test |
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Grocer puts new way to pay at shoppers' fingertips |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
6:37 am EDT, May 2, 2002 |
Shoppers at West Seattle Thriftway yesterday were eager to be among the first in the nation to "pay-by-touch" for their groceries, using their fingerprints instead of plastic cards or cash. Customer: "It is a hassle to have to pull out your cards. This will be much more convenient." Cashier: "It has been entertaining." Another customer: "It is just a way to make my life a little easier. I support new technology." Yet another: "I figure they must have perfected it or they wouldn't be doing it." Biometrics vendor: "It is much safer than a card, which can be lost or stolen." "HAL" the cash register asks: Is that a wallet in your pocket, or are you just afraid to touch me? Technology Supporter asks: "Did you know that humans and dinosaurs once roamed the prairie together?" Grocer puts new way to pay at shoppers' fingertips |
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Getting past the telecom mess |
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| Topic: Economics |
6:31 am EDT, May 2, 2002 |
The war is over. Goliath beat David, and now the citizens are faced with continued tyranny. CLECs were supposed to reinvigorate the telecommunications market. Ah, cruel reality. The promise of CLEC-driven telco nirvana now lies in the economic scrap heap. Except for a few healthy CLECs, the white knights have disappeared. Companies [may choose to] take matters into their own hands. Sounds like another step in the direction of "asset-based telecom", as described in the Cook Report. Canada is ahead of the US in this department, so look there for early signs. Getting past the telecom mess |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
6:25 am EDT, May 2, 2002 |
Coming soon in a bookstore, video store or newsstand near you: a close-up recording of your examination of a girlie magazine or lusty movie, a left-wing weekly or a right-wing book. Your reactions go in the marketers' dossier on you, available for a fee to advertisers, telemarketers or political opposition researchers. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson: "You never did have federal privacy rights." How would Bush like to have "observational research" in the Oval Office? William Safire on postmodern privacy. The Intrusion Explosion |
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Fiber-Optic Overdose Racks Up Casualties |
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| Topic: Economics |
6:21 am EDT, May 2, 2002 |
This ought to be a glorious moment for the telecommunications industry. Instead, the industry is in the midst of a financial meltdown. The ripples from the telecom implosion extend well beyond the industry. In the boom years, there seemed no limit to telecom's prospects. In desperation, companies began to try to "buy" market share. For a time, companies were able to camouflage their problems. Telecom wouldn't be the first to go through such a boom-and-bust cycle. In the 1880's, the entire railroad industry went bankrupt. Fiber-Optic Overdose Racks Up Casualties |
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