Very cool stuff

Look at this slideshow.

Google has put together a list of 106 ‘interesting things’ on the Internet. The Creative Internet includes photography, videos and lots of other impressive things online.

Enjoy!

Fans or foes?

Source: http://www.lordoftherings.net

The Internet has provided cult fans of movies, TV shows, games, books and many other forms of entertainment a wonderful playground. They can meet others like them, share ideas, discuss their favourite obsessions and sometimes even actively participate in them. But is it all the blissful utopia of cooperation and love that some believe?

Shows like Lost are structured in such a way it encourages fans to discuss, speculate and come up with theories about the mysteries and clues to share on fansites. More traditional kinds of cultural material, such as The Lord of the Rings, seems to gather fans merely by existing. Fans may use websites and forums to find each other and exchange opinions, but they have no influence over the content.

http://www.lost-tv.com

It’s great that fans can feel empowered by the Internet, as long as no one gets hurt by that power.

Doctor Who Head Writer and Executive Producer for the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant era, Russell T Davies, has addressed the eroding line between fans and creators in his book, The Writer’s Tale:

“…now there’s a new element entering the room: writers wondering ‘What will they say about me?’ Meaning, online. More and more, with every writer. It’s those internet message boards. The forums. They destroy writers…It’s like when Helen Raynor went on Outpost Gallifrey [now Gallifrey One] last month and read the reviews of her two Dalek episodes. She said that she was, literally, shaking afterwards. Like she’d been physically assaulted.”

Source: http://www.thereel.net

His opinion is that:

“Creating something is not a democracy. The people have no say. The artist does. It doesn’t matter what the people witter on about; they and their response come after. They’re not there for the creation.”

For all the wonderful opportunities for fans to participate and contribute, it is most likely the things they are fans of were created by someone who, while maybe writing/creating it with an audience in mind, has the power and copyright over their creation.

Fans may believe they “own” a show because of they are encouraged to participate through online communities, but at what point should producers draw the line? Would a show created by fans be of any interest to a mainstream audience? Would it be any good at all?

Even with such active fan communities, the creators need to keep complete control of their work. Fandom is a side-effect. A brilliant one, one that keeps the content being delivered through ratings and active consumption, but a response nonetheless.

Procrastination, here we come!

 

A cute elephant to make. And it moves!

 

If you’re looking for a way to put off starting those final assignments, Canon’s Paper Craft site is for you!

Create animals, puzzles, models, decorations and buildings by printing out pieces, cutting them out and gluing them together.

 

Whee! A Merry-Go-Round!

 

Make an elephant, a carousel or why not build a scale model of St Basil’s Cathedral in Russia?

There are also cards, calendars and other papery things to make in Canon’s Creative Park suite.

So many ways to use up your time, paper and ink.

 

A spectacular waste of time

 

Fair shake of the source bottle

 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

 

In the world of computer software it’s possible to believe that the big, bad dichotomy of Microsoft and Apple keep every user in their evil clutches, making them pay exorbitant amounts for Office packages or only correcting problems with their software when they feel like it.

But in reality, it’s very easy and so much better to leave these giant corporations behind and embrace open source software.

Open source software is brilliant. It really is. It is created by an individual or company, and then it is made available to anyone who wants it, for free. The software can be edited by any user, who will tell other users about the changes, improving the software and fixing any glitches quickly. Open source truly embraces users and results in high quality software and applications available to everyone.

Take Internet Browsers as an example.

According to StatCounter‘s statistics, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has recently slipped under 50% of the worldwide market.

The second most popular Internet browser in the world is the open source browser Mozilla Firefox. The fastest growing browser is Google Chrome, which is accompanied by the open source project Chromium. Huge numbers of Internet users are rejecting Microsoft’s tyrannical Explorer and are trying open source alternatives.

Interestingly, StatCounter has Firefox users falling in Australia and Chrome and ‘Other’ rising. You would suppose ‘Other’ includes other open source browsers.

And it isn’t confined to software applications. There are websites that make their source code available, such as Wikipedia, news site Slashdot, OpenStreetMap (an open source equivalent to Google Maps) and WordPress!

Developments in open source software have implications for the Internet as a whole and for copyright and online property, so it’s worth finding out more about it. See the Open Source Initiative website for their definition and criteria for open source software.

Fun things!

Here’s a nice, happy Sunday night post. First, this map of online communities from TechCrunch which shows the volume of activity on social media sites.

Compared to 2007. Look how teensy Facebook is!

And just because, here’s, Sesame Street‘s answer to the Old Spice ad:



 

Will write for links

If bloggers being paid for content raises ethical issues, I would be interested what everyone thinks of this.

Mumbrella has drawn attention to an offer by a pet food retailer to provide content for websites and blogs in return for links.

The retailer will provide content written by its “professional writing team” in return for a bio at the end of the article and links back to their website.

Does this reflect the retailer’s deep desire for links, links and more links or the desperation of corporate bloggers for content? Perhaps the new currency online is not money, but links, as many companies place emphasis on Search Engine Optimisation over quality content (the two often seem to be mutually exclusive).

You would hope no independent bloggers or reviewers would take up such an offer, but what would it mean for any organisation that takes them up on it? If a company cannot find the time to create their own content, it might be better to not have a website at all, rather than one full of endorsements. Any such ad-in-disguise would detract from the original content on the site and could damage the company’s reputation.

What amuses me about all this is Mumbrella’s attempt to follow up on the story: “When Mumbrella approached Vet Shop Australia, the company said it would discuss its strategy in return for a link to their site. We declined.”

The Paddlesworth Press

This is the most fun, most exciting thing I’ve seen on the web for a while.

The Paddlesworth Press is an online fictional newspaper running for the next ten weeks. Its stories and the editors and writers who create them will form the plot and characters of an elaborate Web 2.0 narrative.

The newspaper has begun by declaring the end of the world. The editors can be followed on social media and the outcome of the story will be influenced by its readers.

It’s funny and clever and looks to be well worth following.

Rise of the Spotty Geek

Photo: web.pacific.edu

The Internet has resulted in a lot of strange, unexpected things but something we really should have seen coming was the rise of the influential spotty teenager. A completely ordinary, unknown Internet enthusiast can become famous the instant they create something new and impressive or test the abilities of huge corporations online.

This week Melbourne teenager Pearce Delphin found a loophole in Twitter’s security which led to a malicious worm spreading through a million Twitter accounts, including the account belonging to the White House Press Secretary. The worm replicated when users hovered over links, posting unauthorised material in their tweets. Delphin did not create the worm, only carefully testing the flaw, but he  did manage expose problems with Twitter and its ability to cope with worms and similar threats. Delphin, a Year 12 student, made the front of page the Age simply for his computer skills.

An unknown geek or student can suddenly become famous for achieving something better than a large corporation can. An example is Feross Aboukhadijeh, a computer science student who decided to create YouTube Instant after the release of Google Instant a few weeks ago. He let YouTube CEO Chad Hurley know via Twitter and Hurley was so impressed he offered Aboukhadijeh a job.

And for the ultimate geek success story, see the Facebook movie, the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of the social network.

The Internet is unique in the way it embraces the spotty teenager in their bedroom churning out HTML and truly allows a user to contribute not only content but the functioning of an online corporation.

Five ways the Internet does it better

There are so many websites and web applications that improve our lives in ways we didn’t know they needed improving (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Cats That Look Like Hitler), but consider the websites that have improved the way we do ordinary things.

1. Check the weather

You can see it on the front page of the newspaper, hear it every half hour on the radio or pay for a phone call to the Bureau of Meteorology, but the forecast could already be out-of-date or it may not contain all the information you want.

The Bureau of Meteorology website (or BoM to its hardcore fans) has it all, including the current temperature, forecasts, warnings and radar images. It’s easy to navigate around and is well maintained – a steadfast and trustworthy friend in an occasionally irreverent Internet.

2. Do your banking

Yes, you could line up for a teller at your “local” branch (which may not be very close to your house) when it is open (which may not be when you have free time) because you don’t trust Internet banking. But WHY? Pay your bills, transfer money and check your account whenever you want to.

3. Buy a book

It’s not only easier to find the book you want online, it’s cheaper! Visit the Book Depository for many, many books for prices lower than the Borders discount, all displayed in Australian dollars. The best thing: free worldwide delivery!

4. Find your way around

What did we do before Google Maps? Although the addresses are usually a bit wrong, the ability to generate directions and Streetview photos of the building or street you are looking for is a great way to plan ahead.

5. And how to get there using public transport

The Journey Planner feature on the Metlink website is a very useful way of finding the best public transport route to get where you want to go. Enter the details of where you are, where you’re going and what time you need to leave or arrive and the website will present you with a list of public transport options. These are occasionally amusingly complex – two buses, a tram and several walks – but you are usually given  the most direct route.

There are details for every step of the journey –  maps of how to get to the train station, the train timetable, written directions on where to go when you’ve left the train and time estimates for each stage.

Sure, you could pick up a Melways, a train timetable, go into a bookshop or a bank to do these things, but what if there’s an Internet connection nearby?

An alternative view of blogging

The Age, 15/09/10