Social Nets at Full Tilt: Not really what we thought it'd be

Some people remember when Facebook and Twitter were new and interesting things. Now, 'everybody' is on and the networks are operating at full potential with everyone you know and don't know sharing their lives and thoughts on the networks.

Good, right? Well, not so fast. Yes, almost everyone you could possibly want to friend or follow is out there and is sharing. However, how much noise do you see in your Twitter and FB feeds. It is rather overwhelming, and it should be. The data and information of even your truncated social landscape is more than a person with a full-time job can handle. Like in real life, we have to form task or topic oriented communities to help us focus on the social activities that mean something to us. Unfortunately, we haven't seen this behavior truly take off, but it looks like the networks, with Google+ at the lead, are moving in the direction of making your communities/circles/committees/lunch groups easier to parse out of the noise.

Will social networking lose its wild west, share all, see all ways in favor of neatly controlled cliques and groups where all members see the activity that only they care about? Will (real)friendless basement-dwellers be echoing into a social metropolis with all its shops opened to members only?

The Social Network Paradox | TechCrunch:

'via Blog this'

Finally Friday - Want to Play Angry Birds, But Why?

I like playing some Angry Birds. I like, not love playing it, but a lot of people out there love it to the point of creepiness. How does a game developer get this kind of response? Nothing about the premise is truly revolutionary. It is pretty much a tower defense game from the perspective of the invaders. The true genius behind Angry Birds is in the user experience. Transitional wait times, air velocity, and mysterious elements all add to the greater allure and addictiveness of the game.

Check it out: Why Angry Birds is so successful: A cognitive teardown of the user experience

While it is a little bit of a long read it reveals the true reason why you can't just put this game down.

Tragedy at the air show

Last weekend didn't really turn out that well. I went to the KC Air Show to enjoy some fantastic aerobatics and a much anticipated pyrotechnics show. I was able to see some impressive aerobatics but the whole event was cut short when Bryan Jensen, pilot of The Beast, lost control of his bi-plane, crashed into the ground and was enveloped in a gruesome fireball.

Gather 'round the Google+ hangout and watch some YouTube

Twitter / @YouTube: You can now start a Google ...

Yep, that's right. You can now start a huddle and watch YouTube videos with your friends!

The opportunities here are great. Maybe give a video presentation over the web and have a real conversation with your participants. Or, you could just waste time with your buddies watching cats do cat things.

Solar Flare Disruptions Possible for Next Few Days

Power companies prepare as solar storms set to hit Earth -AP

Looks like Earth is going to get a lashing over the next few days. Expect some disruptions in anything communication related. Folks who work on power lines and such, please be careful!

Machines Learning About the World: Time to Worry?

Recently, I saw this rather innocuous video of a robot torso (head, arms, etc.), filling a cup with fake water and ice. It had to learn that it must put down the water bottle before adding the ice. This actually highlights the fact that humans need more limbs, but I digress. The creepy part is that the machine, using its two "eyes" and internet-sized brain figured out the problem without any specific coding on what to do with only tow hands, It just figured it out. What!