Google is continuing to experiment with the presentation of their search results. It doesn’t work particularly well, but the concept and initial release of Google views is very compelling. By adding view: to the search query, the results are grouped together in one of a few pre-determined ways: as a timeline, a map location, or information filters.
Does not compute
The boys were arguing about whether or not Carter could be a giant in Archie’s game. Archie wanted Carter to be a little person. Carter wanted to be big. Wackiness ensued.
The secrets of zombies
CommonCraft made their mark with a series of paper prototype explanations of some basic technology and Internet concepts. They have since branched into some for-hire work and now zombies. Just in time for Halloween.
Morningtime with Archie
Archie wakes up and can’t wait for “morningtime.” Anytime between 5:00 am and 7:00 am he starts in with, “is it almost morningtime yet?” Upon receiving confirmation of morningtime, he launches into all the conversations he’s had to pent up throughout the night.
Designs for Disaster Relief
The CHI 2008 Student Design Competition is, broadly described, about designing for the homeless. A Wired News feature today focused on the need for short-term housing following disasters that create large populations of suddenly homeless—such as the 800,000 people displaced by Hurrica Hurricane Katrina two years ago, or the 130,000 residents similarly affected by an earthquake in Indonesia last year.
Highlights of WikiSym 2007
While I’m not going to be in Montreal, I am planning to follow some of the activity being posted online. In addition to the obvious wiki coverage, WikiSym is rife with experienced bloggers and (hopefully) a few Twitterers. There are some events that are accessible online, even if the face-to-face discussion is not.
Co-constructing politics
My exposure to wikis in 2005 led to a 6-month experiment, PoliticWiki, that asked participants to build a political platform from scratch. Now, as that project lingers in a near dormant state, I’ve found myself concentrating on the dynamics of community and how emergence can be designed. My panel on Tuesday will touch on those ideas, but here I will just provide an update on the state of politics and wikis.