Bloogle, first new service

blogspot is a service offered by blogger for people who don't have hosting set up for their blogs. In exchange for showing banner ads on your material you get free server space. The first side effect of the Google / Blogger takeover to be seen is the appearance of targetted advertising instead of the random stuff Blogspot carried previously.

Take a look at the MBA focused adverts on Tads website or this one to see what I mean.

Its the tip of the iceberg, but its a simple thing that has probably just pushed what used to be Pyra Software into cash positive mode for the first time in its history.

How can I refuse?

"I was expecting to hear about the google-blogger acquisition on your site already. I was hoping for a business slant from you as you know a fair bit about this stuff. For some bizarre reason, I'm actually starting to rely on your blog for commentary :) well not that bizarre; what you say is normally pretty insightful, and you do have the inside track in many respects.

C'mon dude, your public awaits!!"

Oh my god I have a public! Cool. I will now stop looking like some nervous starlet, dazed by the snapping of papparazzi flashbulbs and resume my normal posture of controlled ranting and carefully timed dribbling.

The Blogger thing. For those who don't know Google now own Pyra labs, which is the technology that I use to run this website. This was announced at the Live from the Blogosphere event in a typically blogcentric manner. (Pictures), (Words). There is nothing particularly remarkable about the Blogger technology, the core is probably a dozen lines of ASP that takes what I type into a form and turns it into HTML, its not difficult. Of course what Blogger really has is a big idea and if not a business model then at least its a communication model. Big Ideas are ideas that change the way we behave and for a significant number of people Blogger does that. For some blogging is social discourse, it keeps us in touch with friends down the street or over the water. It puts us in touch with likeminded souls or just people in similar situations.

In a way some blogging is like reality TV, but its a reality shot from inside the protagonists head with themselves as a director. Blogs are used for academic debate, as bully pulpits as seeding grounds for ideas. Journalists use them as sources and leads, clued in readers use them to bypass journalism and pretty much everyone uses them to express opinions. They are the number one illustration of the cluetrains contention that markets are conversations. As you can probably tell I like Blogs, they're cool.

Google is also cool, and Google has a mission. "To catalogue and make usable all the worlds information". That ladies and gentlemen is the biggest mission in the history of the modern corporation. Google is staffed by people who want to use technology to improve the condition of mankind. At any rate thats what Raymond Nasr told me, and he works there, and he has an honest face. So is there a tie in between Google and Blogger? I think so.

A while ago Google changed their search algorhythms in a way that seemed to downplay the importance of links from blogs. Bloggers, who'd had all kinds of fun with Googlebombing and other search engine manipulation up till then were disappointed. Google base their rankings on links, which webpages effectively use to vote for each other. Blogs are absolutely stuffed with links, so they're a great source of fresh information. When Google changed their methods they didn't stop looking at Blogs, I suspect they just worked out how to put a more appropriate weight on them.

So I think there is a huge advantage to Google in having direct access to a few hundred thousand individuals who scour the web for fresh interesting content, link to it and then describe it in a way that by and large tells people what it is. No other search engine has a workforce like this.

That however is probably small potatoes compared to whatever Google have come up with. I know they're hugely interested in looking at all the data they have in aggregate, spotting patterns and trying to understand them. Blogger is in some ways probably a huge reservoir of research material and an experimental lab all in one nice shiny package. Google would have been nuts not to buy it, the genius is in the fact that we only think so after they've done it.

Finally, as Ev, the guy behind Blogger put it. Google, Blogger, just look at the names. There's clearly some shared DNA there.

Why isn't Michael Franti more famous?

If this was the 1960's Michael Franti would be a mega star. On a good day he sings like Marvin Gaye and Raps like Chuck D. He writes articulate lyrics that range from tenderness to fury. His last album had a guest appearance from Woody Harrellson and the cover notes featured quotes from Bono. If this was the 60's he'd be up there on a stage with Hendrix at Woodstock. I've played some of his recent stuff to many of my friends and the general response is 'that's damn fine music'.

Back when ICE T and Dr Dre were urging us to try a little cop killing, or maybe just fuck the police Franti brought out HipHoprisy is the Greatest Luxury, with a band called 'The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy'. It was a blistering condemnation of the first iraq war, environmental standards, the american justice system, racism and the entertainment industry. It went nowhere.

Michael Franti's most recent album is a protest against the death penalty. It's called Stay Human, and its a pretty impressive call for tolerance, brotherly love, the legalisation of marujauna (sp?), an end to genetic manipulation and greater spirituality in life. Its also got some of the best soul and disco tunes laid down in the last ten years. It didn't do that well either.

Of course by now you already know why Michael Franti isn't more famous.

"Being kicked in a closed mouth, or smiling with no teeth,
they're both choices yes, but its impossible to eat"

Digression

My last post about homeland security generated a fairly vitriolic response from one classmate. Here is a chunk of my response, which I hope puts what I have to say in context. It is worth pointing out to my American readers that coming to study in Europe will expose you to opinions far more extreme than mine. (I'm mainstream centre-left here, a good 30% of the nation is to my left). Another American colleague tells me he was approached by demonstrators over the weekend asking him to sign a petition in support of the Intfada (he's Jewish). If dealing with this sort of thing (whatever your political views) is likely to send you off the deep end then European life may not be for you. Anyway, on to the explanation of why I feel justified in having a go at http://www.ready.gov , the US governments paranoia production engine.

>>

Like everyone else in this country of my age I have lived with terrorism all my life, including IRA bombing campaigns and threats from ETA when we go on holiday in Spain. The sad truth is that ninety nine days out of a hundred you forget about it, and on the hundredth day you evacuate your school for a bomb scare, or your tube is abandoned or you hear about another shooting on the news.

Like almost every other UK citizen I was horrified to see terrorism reach the America's in the most terrible way possible. Differing responses does not mean indifference.

Sadly I was also then left to witness one of the world's great nations throwing away so many of its virtues - tolerance, understanding and respect for individual freedoms. These are of course not gone, but as the constitution is swept aside, prisoners detained without trial and military tribunals convened one cannot see anything other than the American soul being tarnished. The administrations call for every American family to duct tape themselves into a coccoon is not about protecting them, it is about sustaining public interest in a coming war.

Its at times like this that I'm glad someone at the Washington Post agrees with me. Hell, if I'm as Anti-American as Aaron McGruder I'm down with that.

Even better. Here's a guy whose American Loving credentials are pretty damn impeccable. Apparently he's seen the Elephant - whatever that means. Anyway, read and think.

Under Control?

At times this term has felt like it had completely got away from me, I'm behind on the reading, the Oxford Business Forum demolished any chance of getting serious work done for my New Business Project in the first month of term and ... well it just mounted up a bit.

Now I'm not so sure. I'm just about OK with the reading (should point out I try to read all the compulsary material, a significant minority of the class reads nothing and makes do with the lecture material), the New Business Project is still suffering, but with the Oxford Business Forum out of the way it's the only thing that's likely to eat time. Of course exams are now only three weeks away, so revision has to start soon.

Oh, and my jobhunt really should start. This was meant to be the term I really made an effort sent out the CV's and lined up the interviews. Maybe next month...

Beyond belief

I really, really, really do not understand the American government. So far the only attacks on American soil were pretty hard to avoid for anyone involved. Now however we have this. Don't be afraid, be ready? Judging from this the American nation looks bloody terrified. How about websites describing how not to get shot in school, how to avoid wearing the wrong colors and getting shot in the street, websites giving health and safety advice for nightclubs and....

It just looks like scaremongering to me

Better idea. How about a website for Iraqi civilians telling them how to avoid becoming collateral damage in the event of a US onslaught. Advice about the kind of buildings they should stay away from and how to say 'don't shoot I'm a civilian' in English for when half a dozen scared, nervous and heavily armed US Marines kick in the door to your home unsure as to whether or not yours was the building they were being fired on from.

Guerilla Politics in Action

Over at Bloggerheads Tim's campaign to get Tony Blair to adopt a publically accessible email address may finally be heading for a breakthrough. He started out with a set of reasonable demands, he got his MP to help him then there was a campaign of hostage taking followed by a massacre of the innocents and finally blackmail.

Now it seems that maybe, just maybe we'll be able to email our dear leader sometime soon, thanks to a direct approach to his wife.... (scroll down for the content)