Last: November 2002
Next: January 2003
December 19, 2002
O is for Ontology
As I specifically invoked the lazyweb when talking about FOAP, it looks like I'm going to have to reach for the other rule of the Internet, and JFDI.
So I've been reading a lot about RDF. And vocabularies. And ontologies. Blimey. There's a lot of work out there already. Pity no one told the rest of us.
I'm in deadline hell until Christmas, so whilst you tuck into a turkey dinner I'll be slaving over a hot XML document. For fun. Bah!
Many thanks to Jo, and Earle - spacenamespace is very similar in idea to FOAP. I hope we'll work together on this. I'm more of a hand-wavy planner rather than a programmer these days, so it'll be nice to have other people tell me when I'm talking bull. If anyone wants to get involved, please leave a comment after the tone.
If anyone who understands all this can reply: what's the difference between DAML+OIL and OWL? Are they backward (and sideways) compatible?
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December 13, 2002
ad-hoc networking as community art
I'm going to try to persuade Tate Modern to put an open wireless hub on the top of their chimney. It's the highest thing around here, and there's lots of people in the local community who would benefit.
I'm thinking of tying it into an art project (therefore easier to get funding) - it would be easy to draw diagrams with data from the proxy, to show activity and virtual reach.
However, what would be really nice is to take the current lighting (The Swiss Light), and create a response to the Hayward Gallery's Neon Tower installation, designed by Philip Vaughan and Roger Dainton. It reacts to the wind direction and speed to create changes in frequency and colours of the lights.
vs 
A version of this, that responds to the wireless smog in its physical location, would be a great way of illustrating and archiving the importance of wireless networking. Just got to persuade the Swiss now. Heh.
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December 03, 2002
lazyweb idea 2: FOAP - Feel Of A Place
an RDF vocabulary, describing a place, and information about that place
(inspired by: FOAF, upmystreet conversations, and knowhere)
People are starting to create semantic webs of contact information. The idea of FOAP is to create descriptions of physical locations, and items of interest (shops, blue plaques, whatever) in those physical locations.
It would contain links to other FOAP descriptions of nearby places, and how they are linked (maybe how to get from one to another).
People could add descriptions of the area, good points, bad points, things to do, and also link their contact information to FOAP places.
This is sort of done at the moment - knowhere in particular, or it could be done via starting new forums in upmystreet - but it would be nice to tie it into the semantic web, and then we can create location browsers, overlays, and generally slice, dice and connect the information however we want it.
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ideas for the lazyweb, no. 1: blog mornington crescent
Mornington Crescent, played with blogs, rather than tube stations
(inspired by: london bloggers tube map, the idea that blog titles generally sound like names of horses - which I'm sure I saw somewhere, but can't find again - and the huge number of links between blogs that everyone seems to have. Oh, and Mornington Crescent)
An Example Game, played with the short blog rules, using the 1998 Information Architects appendix, and International Allowances.
indiawest
DarkInformer
iamcal (oooh, a hush falls over the audience)
heyblog
cityofsound
purselipsquarejaw (using the appendix to the full)
azeem.azhar
bOingbOing
sylloge
interconnected
scriborg (the use of bots was questioned, and the player referred to the recent 802.11b ruling)
and, finally, to win: Acerbia.
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December 02, 2002
physical groundings
London bloggers is really nice - a lundun version of the NYCbloggers site.
This kind of place is incredibly important - linking virtual and physical, and creating social networks in the process - and they're springing up everywhere, for example local conversations, implicit, and explicit.
Do you feel a sense of community with someone you've never met? What about if they live near you? What about if they share the same name? Howabout if they buy the same catfood as you?
Are you only interested in talking with people you might possibly meet?
Well, you probably aren't, you're a weirdy type who reads weblogs. I'm unconvinced that people in general are used to publishing to the world. I've spoken to several people who happily wrote blogs, but were surprised when someone in the Real World used that information. So, a possible product - the intrablog?
I can't think of a really nice easy site that lets small groups create personal, private spaces where they can talk, chat and share. Yahoo, the flashing behemoth that it is, doesn't count. Does the world care that I had a fry up for lunch? I'd hope not. There are a few people who might appreciate knowing (lunch choices can occupy several hours of thought). Can we create small intimate places as well as large public places?
