3D World Wide Web
I expect the virtual worlds to evolve in the same way as the World Wide Web:
- Businesses and consumers will be able design, build, host and control their own presence in the 3D Web. Service providers will provide options to outsource any of these aspects.
- Consumers will be able to design and control their avatars. Everyone will belong to and participate in several communities: family, friends, work, associations, etc. with complete control on what overlaps and what does not.
- An HTTP like protocol will allow us to interlink and traverse the worlds and spaces in a seamless way.

We will also see several of these features get built right into the browsers for the 3D Web.

Google Trends
Came across this really cool product from Google. It is very interesting to see what people are searching for. Read here how it works. I especially like the feature to compare multiple search terms. Fascinating!

Thank you for seeing our billboard!

Google has announced an eye-counting camera (on the right) that can be used on billboards and other public displays to count eyeballs: Here is an article at EETimes. The product is developed by xuuk inc and costs $999. The company claims that the camera can tell if a person looked at it from as far as 10 meters away. I wonder how long does the person need to look to generate a "Click".

WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY?
Very interesting article on the results of a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey. They have separated people into 10 categories. Check out the details on DEMO.com. You can also take a self-test at the Pew / Internet site. I took it and verified what I could easily guess. Here are my results:

Your Results
Based on your answers to the questionnaire, you most closely resemble survey respondents within the Omnivores typology group. This does not mean that you necessarily fit every group characteristic.

Omnivores make up 8% of the American public.

Basic Description
Members of this group use their extensive suite of technology tools to do an enormous range of things online, on the go, and with their cell phones. Omnivores are highly engaged with video online and digital content. Between blogging, maintaining their Web pages, remixing digital content, or posting their creations to their websites, they are creative participants in
cyberspace.

Defining Characteristics
You might see them watching video on an iPod. They might talk about their video games or their participation in virtual worlds the way their parents talked about their favorite TV episode a generation ago. Much of this chatter will take place via instant messages, texting on a cell phone, or on personal blogs. Omnivores are particularly active in dealing with video content. Most have video or digital cameras, and most have tried watching TV on a non-television device, such as a laptop or a cell phone.

Omnivores embrace all this connectivity, feeling confident in how they manage information and their many devices. This puts information technology at the center of how they express themselves, do their jobs, and connect to their friends.

Who They Are
They are young, ethnically diverse, and mostly male (70%). The median age is 28; just more than half of them are under age 30, versus one in five in the general population. Over half are white (64%) and 11% are black (compared to 12% in the general population). English-speaking Hispanics make up 18% of this group. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many (42% versus the 13% average) of Omnivores are students.

Red-hot Electric Cars
Just read about Tesla, the latest electric car. Went to their website expecting to see a small clunky car with an electric wire hanging from the side. WOW!

Link to an article on the founder, Martin Eberhard (one of Fortune's top 24 innovators).

Recruiting on Second Life
While exploring Second Life, I came across an IBM Germany recruitment center. I could look at jobs that they were trying to fill. Today, I cam across a posting about Microsoft hosting a job fair on Second Life. It will be held at TMP Island (parent of monster). Wonder if you would get rejected on the basis of what your avatar is wearing!

Will check it out next time I am on second life!

Taxi Tech
Was in NY last week. Caught a cab (one of 200) with a touchscreen monitor behind the driver's seat. The driver told me that it was a one year test. I could check news, look at maps and search for other information wrapped in a whole lot of ads.

The taxi driver told me that the product works on the cellular network and was free for now but will cost the taxi driver once the trial period is over.

After I browsed around a bit, I was able to look at the location of the cab on a map in real time. At the end of my trip, the monitor showed my fare that I had to approve before the receipt printed.

Digital advertisements will try to grab our attention at every public place. Interesting piece from O"Reilly Radar on the topic: What Does it Mean for Public Space to go Digital?

Fragmentation of Television / Video Channels
Came across an interesting presentation by Jeremy Allaire of Brightcove on Widgefy, Hooman's blog. He makes a very good point that the number of producers of video content is exploding and the customer is now being presented with a very wide choice of channels. Due to the relatively low cost of the infrastructure, these channels require a very small customer base to succeed. The tradition linear video channels are largely threatened.

Another important important aspect Jeremy discusses is that content is being widely syndicated with the advertising included. This is putting the content where the user is an not where the publisher / producer is.

Interesting npr research on Second Life
Interpersonal Distance and eye contact rules migrate to Second Life ... fascinating! Here is the link to the npr post with the video: Don't stand so close to me!

Cisco has a Second Life
Just read this very interesting InformationWeek article by Mitch Wagner. It seems, in addition IBM, Cisco has a significant presence in Second Life. Most interesting paragraph in the article:

By the way, I've found SF Designs to be a great source for men's business clothes. I bought about 10 identical suits from them in different colors (including one goofy one in red and green for Christmastime, with a realistically cheezy Christmas necktie). They're on-sale now for L$300 each, that's a about a buck and a quarter US$.

On the other hand, I have read enough words of caution: Second Life is not easy for novice users, it does crash, security of conversations is at the same level as IM, etc. I am sure we will hear a lot of discussion on the topic. I also believe that there is an opportunity for a new player to do a much better execution than Second Life and produce a real business usable tool. We are in the very early stages ... time will tell.

I have a Second Life!
I finally got down to setting up my avatar on second life. I am Taez Masala in my other life. It is fun. I am glad I do not have any friends as I am still learning how to walk and get around. To be born in the world as an adult is kinda scary and challenging. Had a long chat with someone from IBM who has been on second life for a while. She has promised me a tour ... I better learn how to walk, sit, etc. before I make a fool of myself with her.

If you are not on a virtual world ... thinking I don't do games ... think again! Start thinking about what you would have liked to be, if you had a choice. The number of options just to tweak your face are amazing.

If you get there, let me know and I will be happy to show you around, even tell you what my name means :-)

On to the Virtual Worlds!
I have been tracking the explosion of the virtual worlds (Second Life, There.com, etc.) in the press. Finally, I have decided to get deeply educated on the topic.

It is a fascinating world with its own language (InWorld, SIM, Gridwide, etc.). I am hoping to come up to speed on this over the next month or so.

Here is an interesting metric from the Second Life website: "Linden Lab creates new land to keep up with demand. What began as 64 acres in 2003 is now over 65,000 acres and growing rapidly." In the real world, I would have said: "Our key focus is scalability of our site."

I hope to record my discoveries here on a regular basis!