randomosity

The Blackberry was cool because it brought us push versus pull email…realistically RIM was doing the pulling for you and pushing it to you. As an email notification popped up as I was trolling through my RSS feeds, it suddenly struck me that these are now competing communication tools for me. The shift to RSS is a move back to a pull methodology - not entirely, of course as you are being pushed tantalizing indications that there may be information to pursue further, but you choose and pull in additional information if you choose to want more info. I want a whole series of very quick and prioritized summaries of what people are saying and I will scan and choose to pursue further in follow-up another routine. Its really the way of the world, with so much information being pushed at you. Is it possible that an RSS feeder rather than an email client may become my main conduit to the world? Am I moving back to pull simply because there is too much push?

I have been searching for ways to improve my genealogical research. I set two specific criteria for my search:

• A cross-platform browser/editor that uses GEDCOM files natively;
• A means to share genealogical data in a free and open manner

Two open source products have emerged that work together to meet my needs: PHPGEDViewer (PGV) and Genesis (an open source PGV research tool) part of the Distributed Family Tree Project.
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One of the more intriguing social networking applications that I have been enjoying over the last year has been Plazes.com. I blogged about my initial experiences with this spatial addition to the social sphere. Plazes uses your cyberspace IP to place you in physical space. If you are at a previously defined Plaze, then you are pinpointed. If you have discovered a new place, you supply some info about the place, refine the location and it is stored for future reference. You can discover if there are other plazers in your nearby space or plazes that have been recommended and you can also get a Traze (a spatial and temporal indication of where you have been over time). You can also use your mobile phone to plaze yourself or to find nearby plazes. The system works, is a hoot to use and you can even provide a little map to your blog readers showing where you are in real time –-> see my own sidebar.
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Leo at Freelance Switch offers some great advice for those struggling to write or fighting with the distraction of their too-connected existence. I’ve got my hand raised here. Knowing that it’s a problem I have to solve I thought I’d share Leo’s suggestions in case you can relate.

In the post, he focuses on creating a morning ritual and offers a variety of tips to help make the writing happen. The biggest challenge for me (and clearly how I found the post in the first place) is the temptation of falling into my RSS feeds. Staying away from email and RSS is a maxim that I have to force myself to stick to. I am totally in sync with his belief that the morning is the time to accomplish the writing task. I know that I flag by early afternoon and try as I may I just can’t crank it up. I’m going to give the preparation and minimization of distractions a try and see what happens. Make sure you check the comments on this post as well, there are a few nuggets in there as well.

This one could also be called…another great time waster…but it is well done. FlickrVision uses streaming photo posts from Flickr that have locational references. It displays geo-referenced popups of the images as they are posted to Flickr. Hovering over a popup will display a large image of that photo for appreciation. If you are looking for the kooky, eclectic, or for the occasional flash of brilliance, check out the site. rather like StumbleUpon with a geo-twist.

A year ago I wrote a recipe for the TAPoR project to demonstrate a way for historians to utilize text analysis tools to plumb historical data from Google. In the recipe a user aggregated search results from Google and used the TAPoR DateFinder tool to rapidly construct a chronology. This rather basic operation has now been automated by the folks at Google labs. Now, with the simple addition of two words in your search request you can choose to view the familiar text search results in two exciting additional contexts, temporal and spatial. The new Google Timeline and Map views is a powerful but simple tool for historians and others as well.
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As the weatherman forecasts that the temperature will reach its hottest thus far this year (28C is warm enough for me), I am linking to the remnants of a trip journal to Munich during winter 1998. The HTML is a wee bit broken, but its largely there - badly scanned photos and campy commentary ;-) I am appreciating being cast back into the chilly warmth of a Christmas season past. I used to take a week away in early December and go to Munich for the Christmas Market there. I have fond memories and really love Munich. Apart from a very strange sojourn there in 1990, didn’t ever make it there in the summer until 2001. The Englischergarten, which I am sure I have mentioned in a part post, is a magical place. But in the winter, Bavaria and Munich becomes a wondrous winter kingdom. I am not certain that my pictures capture the essence, but I share them in hope that they might. I will have to clean up the HTML at some point - I was however loathe to alter it. Its simplicity is reflective of where things were then. Rather like going back to your primary school drawings and ‘improving’ them. Just doesn’t seem cricket ;-)

Tangler offers an innovative approach to open testing of online products. A combination of instant messaging and real-time forums, Tangler provides a repository of joinable discussions and archives discussions for reference. The site seems geared towards testing of new products in an interactive environment, but nothing precludes discussion around any topic from the esoteric to the deeply philosophical. The interface allows for convenient mix-media embedding of objects and a pop-up widget to allow for you to be notified of activity in the groups you participate in.
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I just noted that Massimo Marcone (one the nicest and most brilliant guys at the University of Guelph) has published his new book - In Bad Taste? This one is definitely going on my must read list. Massimo Marcone is a food scientist at Guelph who is internationally known and respected for his studies of coffee. Although this book is about food apparently it is not one to consume when you are actually eating or having anything to do with food.
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Kudos to Nokia for adding the smarts to their cell phones to let a user know to unplug the charger from the wall socket. Apparently this simple operation (presuming people actually do unplug the phones - as opposed to leaving them plugged in and charging all night) will allow saving “enough electricity to power 85,000 homes a year”.
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