Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Second post in a week that broke Radio.  Oy.  Need to examine alternatives. 10:35:37 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

Working on a resolutions list.  Not a real one, but one that I would write if I really had my act together. 6:28:33 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

K-Logs: The types of RSS aggregators available  There is a large variety of different RSS aggregators available (which adds to the confusion in this area).  Here is a list: Desktop aggregators. Server aggregators. Search engine aggregators. E-mail aggregators. Newsticker aggregators. Any others?  There is some overlap, but this list may cover most of the basic types. 5:35:16 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

K-Logs: Profiles of RSS users (more detail)  Here is a more fleshed out version of the profiles: Newshound.  This user wants lots of news from a multitude of sources.  This is the type of person that reads a newspaper or two a day and a half dozen magazines a month.  They want the ability to archive the stories they like and search the archive.  Simple ways to find new sources of feeds is a big plus for this user.  Categorization of feeds is a must since this is the same approach they take with their e-mail.  "All the news that is fit to syndicate." Flowmeister (previously the connector).  This user wants to consume, publish, and share custom feeds.  This type of person clips news articles they like and sends them to friends.  This person may be at the center of a community that needs customized information or they may be interested in just decreasing the flow of information they get via extreme customization.  The key is control over the flow.  "The eye of the information storm." Simplifier.   This user wants an easier way to get news from sites they like.   Bookmarks just don't cut it.  This type of person scans newspapers for interesting stories, when they have time to read a newspaper.  They would be much happier spending time on other things (like getting work done) rather than reading news.  However, they recognize the need to keep up to date.  A simple, easy-to-use interface is important.  "Just the basics please." 5:27:13 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

K-Logs: Profiles of RSS users  The best way to analyze the effectiveness of tools is to build profiles of typical users (based on their intentions).  Here are a couple: Newshounds.  Hundreds of feeds.  Sort and archive. Connectors.  Create, modify, combine, and republish feeds.  Simplifiers.   Quick and simple.  Easy to use.  No hassles. Agree with these?  Are there any others? 1:48:50 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

K-Logs: New Social Networking Software and K-Logs  K-Logs continues to grow (nearing 1,000 members).  I am going to do lots more work on RSS systems over the next week that will be published there as well as here.  Also, any good insights on how to integrate social networking software and weblogs would be welcome.  Integrated web apps make sense. 12:03:55 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

LOL>  I am still getting hate mail from analysis I wrote before the war:  Is the Bush doctrine the right doctrine?  It is holding up as a bit of analysis, although I wrote it more to get people to think.  Funny how that works. 11:48:38 AM    Comment_ Trackback []

Technology: Professional Virus developers target P2P  Professional development has finally come to virus development.  The growth path of SoBig and Blaster shows that there are smart developers driving their development cycles and not idle teenagers.  New research on this concurs and puts KaZaA in the crosshairs of the next big wave of attacks: Hughes predicted that these so-called 'zero day' attacks--called that because of the ability of an exploit to appear before a vulnerability is even known, much less patched--will increase in 2004. Other threats which will plague users in 2004, he predicted, will come from peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing software, and spyware, utilities for tracking Web usage that often piggyback on free-for-the-downloading software.  Hughes sees peer-to-peer software, such as KaZaA, as being particularly troublesome in 2004. After analyzing hundreds of the most popular files shared on KaZaA--including 'cracks' that allow users to break copy protection on commercial software--he discovered that 45 percent actually contained viruses, worms, or Trojan horses. 11:19:32 AM    Comment_ Trackback []

Technology: Netscape, success or failure?  Here are the factors pro and con.  First, the pro: At one point in early '96, everyone used its product.  It changed the world by making the browser and the Web something everyone could use. It set the price of the browser at $0, a key factor in growing the Web. It pushed the evolution of the browser via standards and innovations for several years until it reached a very usable form. It was a success financially for its investors, founders, and early employees. It went away when it accomplished the above tasks. The talent trained at Netscape went into hundreds of other companies. Con: Its browser isn't currently a counterweight to Microsoft's.  ? Hmmm.   Looks like Netscape was a success. 11:02:20 AM    Comment_ Trackback []