Thought Flickr's

NBC buys R|mail

Randy  is reporting that he has sold R|mail to NBC.  I kinda had that feeling too, but was not too sure :)-

Thats great news ..another T-Dot Startup gets bought out. Way t go  and  Con'grats Randy- All the best in your next steps :)-

BTW, long ago  I had picked R|mail as the Best innovative  product for 2006 :)-

"Best Simple Innovation :converting RSS to email. This goes to Randy and R|mail . This component Rocks, its simple and give me what I want. No WEb2.0 hype and all that shit. Simple, plain value props in the making. Learn to tweak it :)-

Wired Mag Cover Story !!

How to make it onto the Wired Mag Cover ? Well with a little help from here  :)-

Virtual Drugs !!

Oh my .. Virtual drugs hit the virtual world!!

"Red Light Center caters to other pleasures, or vices, too. Starting today, you'll be able to use your PC to enter a virtual rave and take virtual ecstasy, smoke a virtual joint, and even munch on some virtual mushrooms." - [Via ]

This is really disturbing as we move forward into social communities. I think Nick get its this time

"Now that it's possible to get stoned in cyberspace, we've kind of come full circle. I mean, think about it: When avatars hallucinate, they must see the real world."

Ok maybe I am freaking out a little too much, but won't this trend extend itself from adult sites and then trickle into other social area's in virtual places ?? Maybe I should peddle drugs in SL..time to ask  James Au, the embedded reporter of SL :)-

Iotum Named "Cool Vendor

oh , Iotum makes it into the Magic Quadrant of Gartner in their 2007 cool vendor report. This is so cool to see a Canadian company getting there !!

Congrats to Alec and Team Iotum and wishing you all the very best for the future's !!

[via]
 

He'a FREAK !!

Every morning, when I sit to check emails Mr.Socks, loves to perch on the top of the backrest of my chair. He's a kinda freaky...take a look !

Can't help but laugh !

Hugh is hilarious...

Another horrible tragedy !!

I have been following the story on Cho Seung-Hui, and while being a techie I kind wanted to know how fast Google index will pick up this name and bring about search results.

However, I find a more tragic scenario unfolding !

There are cyber squatters registering the names of the victims and parking it on sites that have ADsense driven revenue. This is plain wrong  !! Making $$$ of the victims. 

I sent in a note to CCN hopefully, they will mention this in their coverage. I

1st Girlfriend !!

I split my coffee reading this Twit from Jermey of  ensight;

"Guy on radio: I'm about to get my first girlfriend. Dj: where can people find guys like you? Guy: digg.com!!!"

Hey Jermey, did you really listen to this on the FM in T-Dot area  if so which FM eh ?? or is were just twitting a  joke ?

Blogger Ethics

I read the Bloggers Code of Ethics and noted it very early.  Oh, well it seems that today (3 days later) everyone [ Ars Technica, Valleywag, The Blog Herald, IP Telephony, VoIP, Broadband, InformationWeek Weblog, Andrew Lark, Deep Jive Interests, Invisible Inkling, Connecting the Dots, kottke.org, the j. botter weblog, J. LeRoy's Evolving Web, Zoli's Blog, Epicenter, Guardian Unlimited, Fractals of Change, gapingvoid, Roam4free, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, Mark Evans, daily.gigaom, Smalltalk Tidbits …, Enterprise Web 2.0, Burningbird, WebProNews, The TNL.network, Social Media Club, 901am and Digital Common Sense ] wants to talk Blogger Ethics.

I just like this no bull shit attitude of Randy's 

"Bloggers are human and we already have a code of conduct for humans.

Now, I'm not saying you have to be nice, but I think we all know there is a line in the sand. I think we all know where that line is. I think we all know when we cross it."

Yeah it a simple  no fuss, no frills tdeal, hat every human being adheres too. Its simple ..no big deal

1) If you cross the line - apologies.  We all make mistakes.
2) If an anon comment is off topic or inflammatory - you delete it. It's your blog - own it , clean it and keep your house in order !!

...that my 2 cents for this topic. It't not about being a Blogger, its about being a decent Person.

Yeah, I think hardly one know's about the actual true type trolls [I removed URL, becasue its really bad shit in there-email me in case you want the Full disclosure URL ] th at is part of this story and the pathetic levels that people go too. It's a hard life in here and if you want to play, one needs to have a thick skin too.

   Update :nick sez "Why the Bloggers Code of Conduct can Kiss My Arse" !!

 

Ranking #7 on Amazon's Cookbooks !!

Meanwhile, book buyers are waaaaay ahead.

Ranking #7 on Amazon's Cookbooks.

   

Flattening of the Blog Curve

Blogging has matured and it's peaked - just as  others have suspected, but the crucial question is why ?

Steve notes "However, this nugget is key: blog posts per day, the most critical measure as it relates to blogging, slid."

As for me, I have been doing less blogging then normal, even my link blogging seems to have diminished. Is this because I have become a twitter freak ? I wonder how many other bloggers out there feel the same way ?? 

Micro Blogging for me seems to be ideal for me. I capture my thoughts and ideas on the fly. I don't need to "glide off the zone"  to be able to capture the thought as a blog post, the process has now  become seamless.

This brings me back to  "Why do I blog ?" meme. TO me its relatively simple, I normally point to something and say my 2cents or I point to something and ask others what they think. In a nutshell, this is what ALL blogging about. Secondly, I consume a lot of information and my strategy itself has not changed. However, fragmentation has increased in terms of information consumption. I no longer only have 1 reader as my main source. Rather, I have readers, GDS sidebars, twitters, Clips and chat. The Landscape has changed and this is impacting the way bloggers blog !!

Update : Dave has an "Imbalance theory"

Is ethanol really good ??

I found this really scary.. after some thoughts I just had to post it here..

we should watch trends in ethanol production that might affect the price of corn:

The ethanol advocates like to say “we don’t eat much corn,” which is true. But in Mexico and some Central American countries, it is the food staple. It’s even more important as a source of feed. Our refrigerators are stuffed with corn: milk, eggs, cheese, chicken, pork, beef, yogurt, ice cream—these are all corn products.
...
What’s actually happening in the world now is that the price of grain is moving up towards its oil equivalent value. That means that the price of grain is now being set by the price of oil. If at any time the food value of a commodity is less than the fuel value, the market will move it into the fuel economy—that’s what the market does. So if the price of oil jumps from $60 to $80, the price of food will also jump. I don’t think most people realize yet that the price of oil is going to dictate the price of food.

Via IFTF

Intertwingling indeed

The RedMonk sez "All I can see is, business information travels fast, and in interesting ways. Communities are where information flows. [..]  Intertwingling indeed"

This is indeed a blend of old (Blog /RSS) and new (Twitters) methods  that  communities  consume and share  information.  The interesting  part is that people are getting real world information, in virtual worlds first, e.g. Second Life.

These emergent technologies are surely going to change the way we consume and digest information. Like do trackbacks really matter now ??

Vista another Zeroday Bug!!

Microsoft has confirmed new 0-day type vulnerability related to Animated Cursor handling.  When the workstation is being infected malicious executable wincf.exe will be copied to the machine. This is simliar to the bulletin MS05-002.

As Vista moves forward, there will be more bugs then features I belive.
Hat Tip:SecuBlog

mortal networkers and personal branders !!

I really suck at networking and have not given it the due dilgence it required of me. This is a good article for those who feel the same as me !!

Always offer to help someone even it you don’t know how to do it. Levitan never turns someone in need down, and if she can’t help, will find someone who can.
• Give selflessly. “When you help someone,” says Levitan, “don’t expect you’ll get something back. While some people will return the favor and others won’t, the important thing is that you’ll feel good making a difference in someone’s life. And I guarantee over time you will see it returned in spades.”
• Don’t forget people. Levitan is always finding ways to help people in her vast network and finding reasons to stay in touch.
• Be clear when you ask for help. “Don’t be frivolous when you reach out to meet people,” advises Levitan. "Give people a valid reason why you want to connect with them."

Death Threats!!

I have always tracked abnormal behaviour within the Net. Early indictors can lead to some distrubing consequences. Just like " Kimveer Gill who includes a photo of a tombstone with his name printed on it - below it the phrase: "Lived fast died young. Left a mangled corpse." This was the story at Dawson College.

Today, its become a bigger issue after I read and followup on the Kathy story. Threats, trolling and worse seem to be an inate part of the blogosphere, but it should be take seriously. These are early warning of dysfunctional people.

Can someone tell me what this is ?? 

Many Special Messages from RageBoy^®
that due to certain legal considerations,
never appear on the website at all!!!

Isn't that terrific?

What is terrific ??  he started one blog, which was removed, then he started another, which was removed. I kinda feel that something  fishy happening here and Mr.RageBoy is not coming clean !!

"Ethan Kaplan of blackrimglasses has some thoughts about anonymity and cyberspace and its effect on behaviour. Danah Boyd of apophenia reflects on her own experience with cyber-bullying, and Hugh McLeod of Gaping Void has some thoughts as well, as does Karoli at Odd Time Signatures, and Cynthia Brumfield at IPDemocracy." [Via : Matt].

Its good to see the good old blogsphere kick back try to bring this into the fore front. I wonder if those who posted threats and pics' can be held for liable under criminal justice procesess ?

Update : "Should people fear becoming too public both online and offline, because they might open themselves to attacks?" -  A good question in the making

 

War Games in Progress ?

I was one of the first peeps that picked up the Chatter on the 15 POW of Iran.  I immediatly twittered it !!

Today, I am seeing a massive War Games in play. The US is givine out a sow of power play.  This is going to be serious as the US have always been after IRan. British POW is just am opportunity for them to target Iran.

The World is become a disaster and the middle east is beginning to explode.. so much for war games. I think its time that people ready to be prep'ed for a WWIII !!

Chindia ?

First time I am running across a term "Chindia" - A combo of China and India in the  landscape of economies termonlogy. I pulled this term because there is  some heavy food shortage in the coming months due to weather conditions  This will impact inflation.

next gen Leadership

The great leaders of the future will absolutely know technology. Not from a geeky perspective, but from a practical business approach.
...
I'm talking about developing the strategy, recruiting and developing the people to implement strategy, developing the culture and communicating all of the above. Those are the four things a CEO does.
...
The point I'm making is that what gets an executive into technology is not a love for the technology. That's the exception. It's understanding what technology can do to achieve personal or business goals. Any CEO who is goodwill grasp what technology can do to enable their business strategy, achieve their productivity goals, their cost savings, enable their movement into new markets. They'll absolutely use it.

Via : An interview of Cisco's John Chambers by USA Today:

The new Cold War in progress !!

Speaking in the State Duma today, Sergey Ivanov, the defense minister, mentioned some details of the 2007-2015 armament program.

Ivanov was reported as saying that by 2015 the Rocket Forces will receive "tens of silo-based missiles and more than 50 road-mobile ones". This is generally consistent with the earlier reports of 69 new Topol-M missiles by 2015, although it would be great if the information about the plans were more specific. Given that by the end of 2006 the Rocket Forces had 42 silo-based Topol-Ms and three mobile ones, earlier projection of about 100 Topol-Ms by 2015 seems about right, even though it appears to look more like 110 or even 120 missiles now - 60+ in silos and 50+ in garages. [source]

Russia is not quietly back down on thier missle technology deployement. Are we seeing a new cold war in the making ?

HatTip : ArmControlWonk.

questions and responses from real court hearings.

Scribd is What People say in Court, real questions and responses from real court hearings. Here's a couple of teasers;

Q:  What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?

    A:  Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

-----------------------
Q:  So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?

    A:  Yes.

    Q:  And what were you doing at that time?

------------------

Q:  Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

    A:  No.

    Q:  Did you check for blood pressure?

    A:  No.

    Q:  Did you check for breathing?

    A:  No.

    Q:  So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began
          the autopsy?

    A:  No.

    Q:  How can you be so sure, Doctor?

    A:  Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

    Q:  But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?

    A:  It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

Nie site ..

Con'grats to Brenda !!

Just got an email , "On March 22, 2007, only days after being honoured in Ottawa for her work with Aboriginal women, Brenda MacIntyre will be recognized as Aboriginal Businesswoman of the Year at the Toronto Aboriginal Business Association Entrepreneurs of the Year Awards."

Con'grat Brenda !! - ALL THE BEST IN THE FUTURE !!

I met Brenda with her group a long time ago at AANJIIWENDAMIN - A Cross-Cultural Dialogue on Aboriginal Issues in 2005. visit www.BrendaMacIntyre.com or www.MySpace.com/brendamacintyre or more info on her works.

Wierd Update Notification !!

What's this notice doing at the top left hand corner of my of my screen eh ?? Kinda one of one errors that happen in the Windows world !! :)-

Purina.Ca Customer service

Purina needs to have a little bit more consideration for those with pets and the issue of "killer pet food" I just called into their 1-800# and find that the Customer service staff have closed for the day. I think that's sad, as customers  need to  talk to directly to a person / rep of the company during such a recall. Secondly, this is a crisis / incident  and I am pretty sure that they can staff customer service peeps on a 24/hr basis. At least, till  this all blows over and recall completes. I spent, like 45  minutes researching ad making sure Mr.Socks was not getting bad chow. and gourmet stuff tonight.  Poor bugger did not know why I was not feeding him, when I got home !!

Update : I just spoke to their PR Specilist Jenine LaFayette, PR Communications Specialist, Nestlé Purina PetCare and they are doing all that they can to  support customer calls. Kudos to Jenine for to taking the time to explain and statisfy my concerns and questions. She will pass along my suggestion of a 24x7 service, (during crisis mode)- hopefully this will help other peeps too !!

Update#2 : Click on the links below for details from the manufacturers of brands, flavors and production batches affected by the recall.

Menu Foods -- cat products ;  Menu Foods -- dog products, Del Monte -- cat and dog products,
Hill's Prescription Diet -- cat products, Purina -- dog products, Sunshine Mills -- dog products

 

FNSA PowWow

First Nations Students Association (F.S.N.A) of the  University of Western Ontario are having thier first Campus PowWow on Marth 24th. If you are in that area then kinda visit them to make their event a good one !!
I have always found that participant /attending these type of events as a pretty unique experince.

Yeah, its been quite some time since I got back into the groove of smokesignals