election.twitter
Twitter is traditionally a place where people tell other people (that care) about what they are doing/thinking/seeing, etc. Basically a fairly flippant local/global “what’s happening now”. So it’s a little weird of Twitter to launch a relatively serious service monitoring the US Election, right?
election.twitter.com works by filtering hundreds of relevant Twitter updates ‘real-time’ to create a source that gathers public opinion about the presidential election. It’s a new(ish) way for you to share your thoughts on a topical item, and an excellent place to check out the zeitgeist of the election. If you’re are a twitter user, you can join the discussion by posting directly from the site, your Tweet not only goes to everyone who follows you, but to the automatically updating election time line (not unlike a chat room type set-up).
Politweets has been providing a similar service for a while already, but it has a limited filtering system. Twitter, on the other hand, uses a constantly changing set of keywords, which makes it more dynamic. Performing real-time algorithmic analysis on millions of unedited public reactions. election.twitter determines a set of ‘Hot Topics’ and displays any tweet that fits into those categories - creating a live ticker of continuously fresh opinion. Twitter’s Summize-based search does a similar job, only not automatically and not to a ‘live’ stream.
People have already started to use services like Monitter to track Twitter conversations, when there is a breaking news story, because again it updates automatically. The obvious value of a service like this is not so much in what’s being said in each tweet, but in the aggregation of opinion and the real-time view of global conversation.
As more and more people use Twitter, the company sits on an ever increasing goldmine of information and opinion. Now that they have the infrastructure in place, Twitter could easily create similar services for any event, or even allow its users to create their own Twitter-based memetrackers. As they so proudly say: ‘Twitter is the pulse of what is happening with the people, organizations, and events you care about—delivered immediately, wherever you are.’ This has finally proved compelling, shared events ranging from earthquakes to film festivals have already been covered, and now Twitter has introduced an engaging way to participate in democracy.
No longer quite so flippant…..
Work Better
A lesson. From AaronR
Got Me Tache Back
Last year I grew some face furniture for Tacheback and, more importantly, Everyman - the UK’s leading Male Cancer Campaign. If you’re not aware of Tacheback it’s a yearly event that takes place in September, all you have to do is neglect to shave your upper-lip and grow a sponsored moustache to raise vital funds for Everyman.
Since 2003 the hairy heroes have collected £700,000 for Everyman’s life saving research into testicular and prostate cancer. This year they need help making it to the big £1,000,000.
I’m a little bit late to the party this time, but none the less I will be sporting a moustache (of sorts) and collecting sponsors as usual. Thanks to the lovely people at Remington, I am armed with a 7in1 (frankly awesome) grooming kit with which I’ve carved my chops (see above).
So, make a donation or get your moustache on.
Terrifying Coke Fact
Coca Cola sells about 400 billion cans a year, an average of more than 60 cans to every single human being on the planet.
Shit boy.
Welcome to the Periodic Table of Videos
“Tables charting the chemical elements have been around since the 19th century - but this ‘modern’ version will have a short video about each one”.
Thankyou Orange//Poke
While I’m on the subject of Poke and although, sadly, I am unable to go. I wanted to thank the lovely Orange and Poke (Iain) for the kind offer of tickets for Glastonbury.
You are both lovely, and I hope you enjoy yourselves.
Gaming Will Save The World*
Foldit is a video game that results in players contributing to important scientific research.
Lazynauts
NASA offering $5000 a month to lay in bed…
Wow.
Partner Marketing: A Sign Of The Times
This might look like a regular TV, and mostly it is. The only anomaly is that if you look closely, you’ll see an Armani badge sitting along side the Samsung one. Again, not really much of a surprise when you consider there’s been an Armani / Samsung phone around for ages.
What is interesting though is the incremental increase in partnership branding as a way to market product. It’s been going on for a while on a small scale, but this kind of activity suggests a larger shift in acceptance, both from brands and consumers.
For those brands and their marketeers it’s a smart way to focus similarly minded audiences and reduce risk, which is an attractive proposition in the world of the diminishing ‘ad-spend’. For the consumer, it’s simply an easier way to make a statement, particularly in the market of ubiquitous/functional items.
If I was to hazard a guess, I’d say partnerships will account for around 25% of all marketing within a few years.
Info on the Armani Theatre here.
http://www.thecultoftheamateur.com/
Nemesis
This watch is designed to measure physiological data. It comes with sensors that detect your heart rate and heart variability, location, body temperature, skin temperature and moisture levels. It then sends all this information, in real time, to a central database through a Bluetooth connection for analysis and your employer can get this data from anywhere in the world.
The software, which is updated automatically, runs in the background on your employer’s computer and will alert him or her of any unusual, non-productive situations.
Shit.
Newsworthy?
‘StarNow,’ a UK based talent agency, has a job listing for someone who can ‘write a few lines about how computer games turned you to crime’ for an un-named national newspaper. The newspaper will apparently pay hundreds of pounds to the right person, who can help manufacturer a tabloid exposé.
Pleasure Raiders
Pickled Onion Space Raiders have always been my ‘binner’ snack of choice. Since as far back as I can remember, I have marveled in their low-end cheapness and the seemingly boundless unhealthiness contained in one tiny little bag. They are the cornerstone of ‘filthy’ snacks, always considerably more pickled oniony that Monster Munch, and more chemically addled than Amy Winehouse.
So, you can imagine my abhorrence when I, Space Raider fan #1, discovered that, unlike the pitiful whining crack whore, Space Raiders have cleaned up their act.
Look, less than 100 calories per pack, and there’s an ‘EAT HEALTHY’ slogan emblazoned across the back of the bag.
Eat healthy? What..? When I buy Space Raiders I don’t want to eat healthy, if I did, I’d have bought a carrot wouldn’t I?
It gets worse…
To my horror, upon opening the bag, I made an even more shocking, nefarious discovery. Space Raiders have had their trademark ‘weapons grade’, tongue stripping flavor, removed. It’s just gone; like someone at the corn snack factory forgot (on purpose?), to add the acid. Nothing; bland, unpalatable nothing.
It’s a sodding nightmare I tell you. I’m shattered. I don’t know where to turn. If anyone knows of an old skool Raiders dealer, I’ll pay top dollar.
It be calling me man, it be calling me.
rubbishcorp®Lite
Introducing Molly, born at 3:38 this morning.
Mind Reading Computers
I am sounding more and more like The Daily Mail. Anyway, apparently, computers will soon be able to know what you’re looking at by reading your mind.
Madcap scientists have used a ‘magnetic resonance imaging machine’ (brain scanner) to record the electrical brain activity of a man/woman viewing thousands of random pictures including: people, animals, sausages, cakes etc. From those recordings the researchers built a model for deciphering the patterns created, patterns that can be applied to others…
Surely it would be easier just to tell the computer what you’re looking at?
