SOMEWHAT FRANK

Six Degrees to… Kevin Bacon's Charity?

We’ve all heard of the game “Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon.”  It’s simple: start with a celebrity, say, Selma Hayek and connect her through movies to Kevin Bacon.

• Salma Hayek in Fools Rush in with
• Matthew Perry on Friends with
• Jennifer Aniston in Along Came Polly with
• Ben Stiller in Something About Mary with
• Matt Dillion in Wild Things with
• Kevin Bacon

And there’s the concept.  Now take the game, and do some good with it through SixDegrees.org. 

Launched by none other than Kevin Bacon himself, in partnership with Network For Good, an AOL, Yahoo and Cisco Systems backed charitable organization, celebrities advocate their favorite charities and encourage others to do the same – and that includes non-Hollywood types.  It’s a great vehicle for awareness as well as fund-raising, as Bacon has promised to match the top six non-celebrity fund-raisers with a $10,000. Check out the video below for Kevin Bacon’s perspective on the charity.

Echoing the ever-growing role of the web as a social network, SixDegrees.org rallies us all around a great purpose that evolved out of a simple grassroots game. I never really considered myself a particularly huge Kevin Bacon fan, though Footloose rocked my world back in 1984, I have to say that I think a lot more highly of him now.

You can donate and add a badge to your web site, social network page or blog. Additionally, you join the Six Degrees AIM Pages Network or buy Six Degrees swag on eBay to show your support.

Special thanks to Kyle Bradbury for assisting with this article.

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Last Chance To Win $1 Million In Gold

In my first few days at AOL, I highlighted AOL Gold Rush the innovative interactive game that offers players a shot to win $1 million in gold by leveraging their pop culture knowledge. I asked if people were playing AOL Gold Rush and according to a recent report I think the answer is pretty clear:

"The game has attracted an estimated 8 million visitors since September, who have been to the website over 12 million times racking up an estimated 80 million page views, according to AOL’s internal reporting."

The final round of AOL Gold Rush starts tomorrow (October 26, 2006). So if you know fashions, fads and other pop culture tidbits you might want to give it a shot by going here: www.aol.com/goldrush. What would you do if you won a million dollars?
 

Constituent Dynamics Polls For Predictive Election Results

A few weeks ago I profiled The Washington Stock Exchange, a new site offering political junkies the opportunity to play in a special stock exchange dedicated to political probabilities.  With just over two weeks remaining until election day, there have been a number of political sites emerging to better tell the election story.

Constituent Dynamics offers an amazingly in depth look at the political reality.  The site focuses on new polling methods to produce more accurate and predictive results.  While targeted toward professional political operatives, the Majority Watch project offers an impressive look at the midterm elections that any lay-man can enjoy.  Majority Watch features updating polling data for key races, with more being added everyday plotted on a map (shown below). Similarly, Google has also recently rolled out their own election focused mashup which combines Google Earth with information about the upcoming congressional elections.

If you are looking for election news, Constituent Dynamics offers more information than is offered on many mainstream news site, you can select an individual District to view demographic breakdowns and side-by-side data comparing the midterm race against the last presidential election.  All said, it is an impressive site for anyone interested in politics in general, or this year's tumultuous midterm elections in particular. Of course, if you are looking for additional content and analysis, you might want to visit The Stump - AOL News Elections Blog, AOL's recently launched elections blog.

Should Technology Change Sports?

The wonders of technology...  At work, it can make us more efficient and it can even make us seem smarter.  At home, it helps us navigate trips, stay in touch with friends, and opens up an unending mall right on the screen.  On the field, it makes us faster, more precise, or stronger.  Simply stated, technology helps us perform better.

But what happens when the line between man and machine gets blurry?  When does “supplement” become “synthetic”?  We hear often about steroids – and what are they but biotechnology?  And when does it all become obsolete?  A few years ago there were controversial second skin-like swimsuits at the Olympics.  But the Games came and went with the typical tight races and record breakers inherent in any athletic cycle.

An interesting article recently discussed the latest round of controversial sports equipment, training strategies and apparel, and how the incorporation of these new technologies may influence athletics for better or for worse.  There is also a slide-show showcasing what lies ahead or sports technology.

Should technology be allowed to change sports the way it changes business?

The Washington Stock Exchange: Stock Market For Political Futures

In more than enough time to catch the horse race, The Washington Stock Exchange (WSX for short) has appeared online. Although still in beta, the site offers users the ability to bet on future political events; things like whether the Republicans will retain control of the Senate come November, if Senator Barack Obama will announce a Presidential Run for '08, or if Bin Laden will be captured in 2007.

The Washington Stock Exchange mirrors the New York Stock Exchange as events are set to stocks and the stock price represents the likelihood that the specific event will occur. The site does not provide much information on the actual company that developed it but it does boast a very scholarly Advisory Board. Joining is free and membership includes $1 million dollars to play around with, so it's all fun and games at this point.

On Election Day we will see how accurate of a predictor the WSX really is. Yet, there are some issues that still need to be worked out. For example, in the highly publicized Connecticut Senate race between Senator Joe Lieberman and challenger Ned Lamont, Lieberman's stock is valued at $83.89 while Lamont's is $26.89. Perhaps it's counter-intuitive, but if Lieberman has an 83% chance of victory, shouldn't Lamont have only a 17% chance? Perhaps statisticians can prove otherwise. Regardless, the site is an addictive place to go for those interested in politics or campaigning. The site also features data on each stock, including past performance and total shares. Graphs showing the fluctuating price of stocks like the one representing the GOP's control of the House of Representatives are especially interesting to examine given the present political climate. The GOP retaining US Senate control is also a stock option (as shown below).

All in all, The Washington Stock Exchange offers an intriguing opportunity for political-junkies to chart public perceptions. It draws comparisons to ProTrade, the professional sports stock exchange. If the site catches on, it may become a useful tool for the politicians as well.

*Special thanks to LBJ for assisting with this article on Somewhat Frank.

The White House Has RSS Feeds & Podcasts

With my recent move to the Washington, DC area I have been exploring what the new city has to offer and I noticed that the White House has RSS syndication feeds and podcasts. Yes, it's true.

It is great to see the government supporting the web 2.0 movement leveraging syndication feeds to get the White House updates out.  I'd love to see how many subscribers each feed has. I wonder if they are even capturing those metrics?

Of course, my favorite offering is a video podcast starring first pup, Scottish Terrier Barney.

Are You Playing AOL Gold Rush?

AOL launched the first ever, cross-platform reality game called Gold Rush this past week with the help of Mark Burnett and CBS. The game allows players to turn pop culture knowledge into gold. Yes, you could win real gold during one of the 12 rounds which are each worth $100,000. The first two rounds already are over but ten rounds still remain and you can sign up today to play to win. You do not need to participate in the first two rounds to start playing today. The game is hosted by Mark Stein of Entertainment Tonight fame and has launched the first ever Glog (Game Log) which reports on the game and all of its happenings.

So check out this video which helps to explain the game and register today. Remember to start paying attention all the things see while watching TV, glancing at checkout magazine stand at the supermarket, and listening to the radio could make you a winner - it could win you gold!

AOL Headquarters in Dulles, Virginia has been buzzing with Gold Rush promotions as gold and black flags and signs have popped up everywhere. The AOL.com website even briefly took on a gold bar background theme. Since I am an AOL employee I cannot play the game but don't let that stop you from signing up. Good luck!

Facebook Redesign Angers Students Over Invaded Privacy

Facebook launched a redesign today (September 5, 2006) which changed the layout of the homepage and introduced a few new features.  The Facebook redesign introduced, "News Feed" which on the surface appears to be an excellent feature. It leverages the users attention to show the most recent activity of the 9.5 million users in the community and displays it on the homepage. The "News Feed" display items in a feed reader like "river of news" stream of Facebook updates. The redesign enables Facebook to harness the attention of its users as TechCrunch highlighted by saying:

"It’s interesting because Facebook clearly gets the idea of an attention metastream, where page views aren’t the currency that matters but rather how effectively the service allows users to communicate. Facebook users will now have a much easier way of staying up to date on what their friends are up to."

Alternatively, the users, mostly undergraduate students around the country do not agree, as they find the "News Feed" feature (shown to the right) an invasion of their privacy and "basically creepy."  Using the "groups" feature of Facebook to rally together, one user, Ben Parr of Northwestern University, created a group called "Students Against Facebook News Feed."  The group's description reads as follows:

"We want to feel just a LITTLE bit of privacy, even if it is facebook. News Feed is just too creepy, too stalker-esque, and a feature that has to go." 

Open since early this morning "Students Against Facebook News Feed" already has over 60,000 members and is growing literally by the minute (it was only 50,000 members when I started writing this article). Group members are pledging to stop updating their profiles until the new features are removed or altered.  There is also a call to "boycott" Facebook on September 12th.

Will users grow more comfortable with the new design? Or will  more of the 9.5 million Facebook users join the revolt? It will be interesting to see how Facebook handles the situation since privacy settings have remained the same yet students feel more exposed.

*Special thanks to LBJ for assisting with this article.

Presidential Candidate Campaigns (Virtually) On Second Life

Mark Warner, high-tech entrepreneur and former Virginia Governor,  visited the online virtual gaming world, Second Life, yesterday (August 31, 2006). Mark Warner appeared as the Mark Warner avatar as shown to the right to speak to a number of other avatars that were attending the virtual world event. A full transcript of the event can be found here. It is the first known use of an online virtual world gaming by a political figure.

It appears Mark Warner is planning to make additional Second Life appearances like a town hall style meeting as he is currently a potential Democratic Presidential candidate in the 2008 election. Look out Hillary!

It is great to see a politician using cutting edge technology to communicate. He appears to be getting some wonderful guidance. I expect to see others following Mark Warner's lead but kudos to Mark for being the first - maybe it will win him a Democratic nomination?

I-GO Big City Car Sharing Option

With gas prices at a high and parking in small supply in larger cities it makes sense to not own your own car. Though there are several alternatives to driving (i.e. public transportation, biking, walking, etc.) sometimes you just need to to drive a car.

I-GO Car Sharing, a not-for-profit car sharing services based in Chicago, gives people yet another transportation option in the city without the hassle of owning a car. I-GO allows you to pay a one time enrollment fee ($75) and schedule to borrow a vehicle by the hour 24/7. You don't have to pay for gas or insurance and instead pay an hourly rate (starting at $6 per hour) plus mileage ($0.50 per mile) for usage of the car. Check out all the specific pricing details here.

I-GO uses technology to enable its users to have access to vehicles in any location at any time. Each member receives a Smartcard and each car is equipped with a Smartcard reader.  Upon retrieving a car you simply:

• Place your new I-GO Smartcard over the card reader on the front windshield to unlock the doors.
• The car key is in the glovebox and is now attached to a green key fob which is stored in a specific slot.

I-GO was developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and offers a number of car sharing locations throughout the city of Chicago and also has expanded to other cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C. and Portland. For more information on the Chicago program check the I-GO Chicago web site or go to the Chicago I-GO blog.

Inform Offers Autolinking Aggregator

Inform was spotlighted recently (July 31, 2006) for its latest offering, a product that automatically adds related content links into the body of an article. This could be a very interesting time saver for content producers. You can see an example of the product in action here on the NewsOK.com website. If you go through the article an click on the links you will be presented with a new page filled with additional items. For more on Inform.com's publisher services visit there web site here.

How are they doing it? Most likely, with a slick algorithm to cluster related articles and some search and replace functionality to implant the links. I think the product has some value for larger sized media companies. I could also see a couple of my favorite news aggregators, Topix.net and techmeme.com offering similar services.

NYC Apple Store Resembles the Louvre

I have been hearing a lot about the new Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City and after further investigating I have concluded that it is worth of the buzz. The glass design of its new flagship store draws sharp comparisons to the Louvre in Paris, France which makes it is very interesting to the eye. You enter the store and head for a basement where the inside of the store is much like any of the other Apple stores but more of an open floor feel. Unfortunately, your money spends just the same as at the other stores.

*Apple store photo thanks to Brian Oberkirch.

Ballbug Tracks Baseball's Happenings Real-time

I am a pretty heavy blogger therefore I have been using a news aggregator called memeorandum for quite sometime, to stay connected with the top stories of the day. Memeorandum recently has grown to offer Ballbug, which tracks the latest baseball happenings. Check out this post on Somewhat Frank to find out more.

(via Ballpark Frank which I have shut down)

Yahoo Offers Local News Beta

Yahoo has launched Yahoo News for local area news. The product is still only a beta but is offered from the Yahoo News area. It allows users to select a city and then aggregates local news from a number of mainstream media sources from the local area. Since I am in Chicago this is the page that I see. Unfortunately the beta does not yet offer syndication feeds (RSS or Atom) of the local area content. I am hoping that feeds are added soon.

The Yahoo local news aggregator is ultimately just another bell or whistle to add to Yahoo News product. However, I currently think Topix.net offers a better local news aggregation service since it pulls from more sources, offers syndication feeds for any local area and offers local news content of just about every US zip code.

Memeorandum Now Tracks Celebrity News

Memeorandum, the aggregator site created by Gabe Rivera that tracks the most recent and prominent happenings on the web in technology and political news, has added celebrity and entertainment news to the list with WeSmirch. According to this post on the memeorandum blog the name WeSmirch was chosen for two reasons:

"First, smirch is a perfectly good verb.  And second, because celebritygossip.memeorandum.com is just too awesome a name for the world to handle at this time."

I agree, with WeSmirch tracking celebrity gossip real-time gossip followers are going to have a lot of free time on their hands. One other note on memeorandum, I noticed that all meme verticals are now displaying images along side articles and posts which is a nice added feature.