Thought Flickr's

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 :)-

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

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" !!

 

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"

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."

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 ..

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

 

What are you made of ?

A ruptured disk pressed against Glenn Mangurian's spinal cord several years ago, leaving the lower half of his body permanently paralyzed. One minute, Mangurian was healthy and secure in his career as a management consultant; the next, his life was transformed and filled with uncertainty. The injury has taught him volumes about resilience and leadership.  "Realizing What You're Made Of" by Glenn Mangurian seems to be a good book to buy , specially given the predicament that I in- being  unemployed ,not having steady cashflow and struggling to keep my sanity level in balance !!

Sutha points me to a couple of nice pointers

• You can't know what will happen tomorrow-and it's better that way.
• You can't control what happens, just how you respond.
• Adversity distorts reality, but crystallizes the truth.
• Loss amplifies the value of what remains.
• It's easier to create new dreams than cling to broken ones.
• Your happiness is more important than righting injustices.

DemoCamp Value (?)

David Crow our good old T-Dot trouble maker has once again raised a very valid question. What is the value to the Audience in a DemoCamp.

"I’m sick of product pitches. [..] I am interested in their design process, technology lessons learned, new techniques and tools that improved development, etc."

I kinda agreed with Dave Statement and continued to  following the conversations happening on his post. Here's a couple of comments that worth considering;

Rob Hyndman : Is there value in showcasing to people who aren’t?  Media, VCs, potential strategic partners, and the like?

John Kopanas  : I MCed DemoCampMontreal and felt the local did not really create, for me, the right ambience.

Ryan : Another option would be to reserve a spot for a theoretical presentation by a prof or other luminary that would address larger issues that are (or should be) relevant to this community.

Derek : To keep the quality of the demos high and on interesting topics, you could let the community vote and pick the demos they want to see from a list of proposed presentations.

Mark Kuznicki : The authentic sense of wow comes from a show of acrobatic ingenuity, the dramatic stories of challenges overcome.

Thomas Purves : I still prefer the idea to let the community vote on presentations digg style in advance of the event.

Kieran Huggins : reformat it to more of a BarCamp format where we have several (or all) demos going concurrent and for longer periods of time.

I have been to a couple of these camps. At times participated in sleuth mode, just stand at the back and listen. Other times, hang around and chit chat over beers. I have seen some incredible stuff happening and great interaction with the tech community at these events. However, after  nearly 1 year of  democamp's, there is a tone of discord begining to araise.

I normally   do my own diggin in terms of what demo's are slotted. If there none that really interest me, I just don't go to the event. I really think that demo's should be left to the side and not included.
Rather just "A talk"  on technology by somebody - a good solid 30 minutes spill. If ppt needs to be used so be it. Another thing that I would like to see, is an open floor for questions from the audience to the audience. At times, its easier to get the ears of 100-150 peeps with simple open questions.  Create a discussion, at the event. There is no such thing as a silly question. Just give a 45 min slot and pass the mike around.. people raise their hand to ask the question. Let the audience respond. If the discussion becomes to heated. A Mod cuts in and a gong gets hit !! yeah, we dont need a Jerry Springer show happening correct ?? Or Just have the audience throw in their questions into a hat and then they get pulled out read out to the particpants. This may ensure anon mode of raising issues/ questioning too !! 

Q: Why don't more people contribute?

A: They either (a) want to withhold value that they may cash in later or, (b) they are not sure if they will get credit for their contribution. One of the most important things you can do if you manage community-based ecosystems is to highlight and thank those who particpate and give credit where credit is due.

Right now the audience believe , they are present to see a demo and hear another person's spill /pitch.  Whereas, they are have to come to the event thinking-- here is what I need to share, or here is what I need to ask. The value is the audience. IF they  interact in a manner and mode which creates value,then that becomes their take away !!

 

 

The Lords Prayer 2.0 !!

I really found this kewl. I had to link love and repost in total from Chris's blog. Btw, Chris and me go back some 38 odds years , so I think its ok to cut and copy :)-

Heres' his Wifes;  (programmer) version of the Lords Prayer ;

The Lord is my programmer, I shall not crash. He installed His software on the hard disk of my heart, All of His commands are user friendly, His directory moves me to the right choices for His name’s sake.

Even though I scroll through the problems of life, I will fear no bugs, for You are my backup; Your password protects me; You prepare a menu before me in the presence of my enemies; You help is only a key away.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, And my file will be merged with His and saved forever!