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Friday, August 01, 2003 |
 KeepMedia is a back issue archive service for magazines (that aren't making much money from archive sales and are trying this out). There are good magazines in the service like Business Week, Forbes, Esquire, Fast Company, US News and World Report, and lots of trade/professional magazines. It costs $4.95 a month. The pros are: 1) you can read the articles that you were not able to read in the restricted versions online, 2) it is much less expensive than a subscription to these magazines, 3) the articles are ad free, and 4) you can share these articles via e-mail. The negatives are: 1) you can't link to the articles via your weblog, 2) the articles are a week or a month out of date, 3) there isn't an RSS feed, 4) there isn't filtered search driven RSS or e-mail, and 5) it doesn't include many publications, which will force you to go to numerous locations for archive information (which is a chicken and egg issue). Your decision: is it worth it?
11:28:51 PM 
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Daypop word bursts. Funny, never thought that the word Hummus would get me on that list.
4:15:45 PM
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YAWP (yet another weblog product): Blogware from TuCows. Given their focus on domain sales, this makes a some sense, but not enough to build from scratch.
4:06:51 PM
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Completecampaigns.com: Starter kit for candidates that want to go online. Not nearly what you need for a full scale assault online.
4:02:12 PM
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BestBuy (the home entertainment retail store) doesn't have front projection systems available. They should. When people see this, and the low price you pay for this type of capability, it will be a big hit. If you are an exec BestBuy and want to open up a new hot category, this is your chance.
2:16:37 PM
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Salon: Will Arnold Run?? Update: Find out next Wednesday on Leno.
2:14:22 PM
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Dean is also missing from Google's Adwords (I assume he doesn't have Overture ads either). This is short dollars. Pick out all the keywords that define the candidate and get text ad space on both networks, pronto!
12:28:04 PM
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Question: Why does Dean's weblog have a Google PageRank of zero? I would look into that. Also, one of the things I would immediately do to the site is add position articles on all of the major national issues and link to them from the home page (make sure they are on the same domain). This would improve the site's ability to pull in Google/Yahoo/AOL/MSN search travellers that are looking for information on specific issues. Without the keywords present on the weblog, you don't get any walk-ins.
12:21:14 PM
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Dean's contribution screen. Why not get advertisers and doners to buy advertising space on the weblogs of supporters of the campaign (ala Adsense but private). These individuals can then opt to contribute the proceeds to the campaign which would go against the $2 k personal contribution limit. There could also be a way to automate this through affinity networks like Amazon, BeFree, Linkshare, and more.
12:17:11 PM
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Dean's video and audio archive. This is great, however, there should be an option for automatic downloads via a private P2P connection (this is both less expensive, easier to manage, and provides users with a better experience). A small application that runs on the desktop for easy viewing of local video links would be great (very easy to build). I can't understand why the P2P guys aren't all over this with support. My suggestion: Onion Networks. One more suggestion: make sure you aren't part of a larger application that lists other download options (Kontiki) or on an open network (KaZaA) that may allow corrupted content into the loop. The key is focus. Also, watch the open networks (Morpheus to KaZaA) for bogus video and pics on the candidate. That will come. There are countermeasures available.
12:13:40 PM
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Dean's profile data screen. This is good for basic contact information but it doesn't capture the issues that motivate people to vote, contribute, or participate. This info would also be great for "smart mob action."
12:04:46 PM
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Howard Dean has SMS connections available. This would be great if combined personal profiles and issue/geography-based "smart mob action." For example: two Senators propose a bill that would radically harm xyz program. SMS messages go out to people in the Senators states and those individuals that care about xyz to send e-mail and phone their Senators to express their opposition. Fast and efficient.
Is there a way to do this with IM systems? I suspect that mass IM communication would be blocked (via spam filters), but has anyone at these campaigns actually approached AOL, MSN, and Yahoo about opt-in mass IMing?
12:01:16 PM
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AMDMD.com. Nice comparison of ATi and Nvidea graphics cards. The upshot is that the Radeon 9500 is the best buy (I own one and it is great) and offers as good if not better performance than all other models in normal video display ranges. If you need 1600x1200 get the Radeon 9700 otherwise stick with the 9500.
10:36:02 AM
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Slow start on a rainy day. Here is a blue sky technology idea to wake up with. Just some fun. Question. I was looking for something else and stumbled on Microvision, a maker of HUDs (Heads Up Displays). The tech looks a little bulky, but nothing that can't be improved through the use of wireless and a module on a beltloop. What really gets me thinking is the potential combination of RFID chips and HUDs. The commercial applications are obvious and in many corners of the corporate world already in motion. What is the killer consumer app for this? Think simple overlays powered by geographically contextual information. Think about looking at a person that is sporting an RFID chip card that includes links to local files that are available for download, weblog location, and more. A couple clicks later you are interacting with that person and they might not actually know you are doing it (assuming that they allow this -- which must mean that there is a way to turn off RFID access, perhaps through a wipe and reload process).
10:32:08 AM
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© Copyright 2004 John Robb.
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I had a chance to see the Sony (
