The Connections Our Buttons Make

Once we create all that attention data, think of the whacky things we can do with it. I’ve been banging on about attention data for a while now, and I apologise. (For an explanation and a bit of background, go here.) But I can’t help seeing stuff through that prism nowadays. Like this camera called … Read more

Citizen Monitors

I like the idea of this: Using ordinary folk to monitor elections, via SMS from their cellphone. And it seems to have worked. Nigeria used a system called FrontlineSMS, developed by UK-based kiwanja.net to keep track of all of the texts. Some 54 trained associates recruited volunteers to invite as many people as possible via … Read more

The End of Blogging Utopia

Blogs are great, but is it just a vast honeycomb of echo-chambers, where we talk to and listen to only those nearby? Author and funny guy David Weinberger comments on Ethan Zuckerman’s remarks (both interesting fellas, and well worth reading; David in particular an antidote to the relentless and humorless self-promotion of many A-list bloggers) … Read more

Directory of Lifestreaming

I probably should lump all these into the Directory of Attention, but I’m not going to. Don’t look for a definition of lifestreams on Wikipedia, because it will take you to a Final Fantasy VII page. The term actually goes back to at least 1997, when Eric Freeman and David Gelernter saw it “as a … Read more

LinkedIn to Attention Streams

TechCrunch spots a new feature on LinkedIn, the business network service, that allows people to see who has been looking at their profile. Commenters liken it to MyBlogLog and call it a social networking feature, which is true, but only part of the story. I’d say it is also an example of an early foray … Read more