Jonathan Peterson amplifies my blog entry about flyguy:

if you like flyguy, you’ll love the games at orsinal

Jonathan aptly calls these “haiku games.”

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David Isenberg points out that Senate Major Leader Bill “Secnod” Frist is running an online poll about Iraq. This mroning when I went to regsiter my vote, the site reprots that the server is too busy. Concrened citizens or danmed ‘bots?

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From the NY Times (and thanks to Chip for the link):

Bill Clinton and his opponent in the 1996 presidential election, Bob Dole, are teaming up to revive the commentary segment “Point-Counterpoint” on “60 Minutes.”

Mr. Clinton and Mr. Dole have contracted to provide 10 debate segments, beginning Sunday night. The commitment does not extend beyond the end of the television season in May, but if the format is successful CBS will try to continue it next season, CBS executives said.

Reminds me of the time about 10 years ago when my sister-in-law Sue was teaching freshman Rhetoric & Comp or some such course, I think at NYU. The class was reluctant to speak. Sue kept trying to engage them in conversation. Finally, a few sessions in, someone finally spoke up, disagreeing with something Sue said. Sue, completely delighted, replied, “Mary, you ignorant slut.”

Shocked silence descended.

Fortunately, Sue was able to explain why she was impuging the sexual virtue of the first student who disagreed with her. These students were maybe 2 years old when Jane Curtin and Dan Ackroyd made that phrase famous.

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In a wide-ranging interview, Vint Cerf, the serendipitously-named Father of the Internet, explains the popularity of blogging:

I think this is merely an indicator that we would collectively and individually like our lives to “count” somehow and if someone finds our blogs of interest, it is confirmation that our lives and opinions are making a difference to someone.

I am not that pathetic!

Ok, yes I am.

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Mark Hurst’s newsletter, Good Experience, has links to fun stuff in this issue, in addition to its normal load of useful ideas and pointers about desinging web sites real good:

A really fun and elegant game from my friends at gameLab here in New York. You can play the first three levels for free. I wish there were more games as well-designed as this.

A difficult version of the old Lunar Lander arcade game.

A well-done movie quiz, using visuals from the film, except without the characters’ bodies. If you’re a film buff, well worth a look.

And finally – the coolest thing I’ve seen online in months. It’s creative, fun, friendly, thoughtful, and very funny in certain parts. Best of all, the design is understated and seems to use very little technology to accomplish its magic. Turn the sound on.

By the way. Good Experience is having its first real world conference on May 2. Quite the eclectic line-up.

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David Isenberg’s new SMARTletter is terrific again. This one leads with the story of oil and applies it to the telephone system:

If John D. Rockefeller were alive today, he would be building fiber to the home…

And that David goes on to explain everything you need to know about how the future of telecommunications will unfold. Must reading.

David has unearthed a graphic that’s astounding because of its source.

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Michael O’Connor Clarke points us to the new coding of airline passengers based on their perceived threat level and suggests his own 5-alarm system.

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Firesign Theatre has a home page and a moribund ‘zine. How about a weblog, boys?

Signed,

A Fan

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Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is a damn fine piece of inventive fiction. It’s set in a society where there’s abundance rather than scarcity, which pretty well describes the economy of ideas in the book. It not only manages at least a meme a chapter, but it’s also got a twisty narrative with characters to care about. And it’s fun.

You can download it for free (75,000 people did in the first month) or would it be very old-fashioned of me to suggest that you buy a copy so Cory can make some money off the damn thing? You can even get one inscribed by the author his own self.

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Elliot Noss has jumped into the blogfray Eric Norlin has stirred up (blast his eyes!). It’s clearer to me than ever why I disagree.

Elliot in his blog puts forward the idea that a digID system will enable:

– user-controlled identity
– data-driven distribution
– massive competition

Those three together, says Elliot, will “virtually ensure the world ends up the way David wants it…”

I am not so much of a free market capitalist as to think that competition always gives the users what they want. Sometimes we get a Microsoft monopoly. Sometimes we get a corrupt, failing telephone system. Sometimes we get a medical system that turns away people without insurance. In this case, the playing field is slanted in two directions: against customers and against smaller merchants. Enabling users to surrender their ID information will favor the big players, the brand names because we’ll be more willing to put up with their demands. I fear — but of course I don’t know — that competition won’t be enough. And with no real possibility of legislation, I’m stuck suggesting voluntary good-will pledges. How pathetic is that?

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