Some sites get written about. Some sites get looked at and then forgotten. The five sites below have been open on my browser for at least a week. I’ll be bookmarking them and closing their tabs in my browser as soon as I post this.
What MySpace’s Tom Anderson Thinks of Google+
More people than I care to count, including me, have been pontificating on the possible impact of Google+ this week as the launch begins to go global. It all feels a little like critiquing a newborn’s progress toward an eventual Ph.D. Even so, looking through the whole thing through the eyes of someone who tried to build a social network and then took many admitted wrong turns was interesting. Anderson at once holds a sort of humility and optimism as he writes. The piece has a definite tone of, “If not me, then I’m glad it’s these guys.”
No designer am I. It’s probably why I’m so curious to learn how design works and what the edge of a field I know little about might look like. This tumblr page has yet to fail at giving me a new angle from which to view the world or at least providing me with better questions. It’s getting thrown in delicious as well as my reader. If you’re going to check it out, be sure to see where it all began.
After two summers working with teachers in Kenya and South Africa, I’ll admit to a bit of withdrawal. For as much as teachers in North America like to talk about helping their students connect globally, I’m struck by our general lack of knowledge of what education looks like in various African nations. Fifteen minutes skimming this portal could prove prospective changing.
WikiViz 2011: Visualizing the impact of Wikipedia
I like a challenge. More importantly, I like a challenge that requires literacy. The WikiViz challenge is a competition calling for visualizations telling the story of Wikipedia’s impact. I’ve seen countless keynotes and listened to even more podcasts explaining the site’s importance. I’m keen to see what happens when the story leaves traditional narrative arc behind and gives us something to see. If you’re interested, the deadline is August 19.
I love this. Copy and edit any page on the web. It reminds me of those booths at the state fair when I was younger that let you superimpose yourself onto the cover of Time or People. I wonder if BO.LT let’s you put the site on a T-Shirt after you’re done.