This changed my life

Google is smarter than Twitter

(No, this isn't just equating $$$$$ to IQ ... but that probably works, too.)

Twitter gives us the bird?

I saw this the other day and meant to post something about it. Spatially Relevant takes a few paragraphs to talk about the "interesting ... business dynamics" observed regarding social (micro?)networking phenomenon, Twitter. And provides a few suggestions for improvement. We'll see if anything happens with this ol' bird.

TED: 6th Sense and Unique Piano and Magical Improv

6th Sense
The.Cool.ness

Unique Piano

Magical Improv

Custom apps for iPhone owners

Stumbled across this article while looking at some tech stuff today.
Kosher iPhone Apps
Although the iPhone isn't available in Israel, that hasn't stopped the newly-opened Apple store there from peddling Jewish-themed wares.

Twitter Fun, and Governmental Twitterers

Darth Vader:

Obi-Wan once thought as you do. And he was a senile old coot.

Was scheduled to destroy a small rebel enclave this morning but I overslept. Internal chronometer didn't reset. R&D will pay dearly.

even Idaho twitters...

To see a list of US Federal, state, and local entities (as well as other public interest organizations) that Twitter, visit this great GovTwit Directory. If you know of one they're missing, please be sure to let them know!

I'm a Mac ... and I'm 2

Borrowed from a friend's blog, this is his response to the

"I'm a PC and I'm 4 1/2" commercial.


"I'm a Mac and I'm 2"

Thanks, lljn - more Twitter stuff

lljn writes

Maybe you have a personal blog and you want to be that cool kid on the block with tons of traffic and an insanely high web hosting bill. Or perhaps you work for a company that wants to take advantage of that crazy new website for all those crazy hip young people. Either way, these are the best tools for promoting your site, your message, and yourself in the Twittersphere. (And they’re all free!)

Not only are his summaries helpful, but the links go to some other great references. Check it out (and follow the links)!

Geolocating trending search, or just shrinking your brain?

I've been meaning to write about this article since I read it online. The author talks about using the cellphone to "navigate our lives." I know that having a web-enabled phone has really altered how I "navigate my life." When we're out running errands and want to grab something to eat, we look for restaurants; I use Google Maps to get an idea of where I'm going (and have started to try the Latitude option on my Bb - but most of my friends don't use it so it hasn't provided much benefit); I mobile blog; I look up definitions or check the weather (or check any number of other accounts/services I subscribe to); and I remember finding out towards the end of last year that some airlines are letting customers have true e-tickets with a barcode on their Blackberry that gets scanned. And all this is on top of the fact of being connected in pretty much every way imaginable (mobile phone, Google talk, AIM, Twitter, Facebook, SMS, Bb Messenger, and email).

With search going in different directions (image, video, micro-blogging, deep web, semantic, etc.), it makes sense that geographic/spatial search should be a part of it. That's why I think that things like Latitude, despite the interesting privacy issues related to disclosing and knowing where people are, will be interesting as the technology develops and expands. As the article noted, some old friends got together because they happened to notice they were nearby each other. As we grow to rely upon unknown "consumers-like-us" in our decision-making (for example, I think trends indicate people trust a review for a product or service that they find in an online community/forum more than they trust the company to tell them about the product/service. Think about it, you probably Googled something recently and relied upon what you found from "JohnX231" and others to help you make a decision.) we will find people using some "search nearby" feature to query individuals around them, as well as the Web, to help them get information.

The downside to these mobile maps? Perhaps a shrinking hippocampus.

“I have wondered about the fact that we might as a culture lose the skill of mapping our environment, relying on the Web to tell us how to navigate,” said Hugo Spiers, a neurobiologist at University College London. “Thus, it might reduce the growth of cells in the hippocampus, which we think stores our internal maps.”

I'm not sure if it's related, but pretty much since I started using my phone to keep appointments, I seem to have the darndest time remembering things without my phone. Like tonight, my wife thought someone was going to stop by for a quick visit - I couldn't recall the conversation with the individual, but the visit wasn't in my phone, so I assumed it wasn't happening tonight. I was wrong - just forgot to put it in there - and he indeed stopped by.

What cool things do you use your mobile phone or mobile maps for?
Are you afraid your brain is shrinking in your head but growing inside your digital "appendages" (computer, cell phone, etc)?