Blackhacker

Freedbacking is a term coined by Chris Pirillo. Short for Free Feedback the idea is that bloggers blog about products and services they are using and tag them ‘freedbacking’. By simply scouring the internet for these tags developers and service providers can find valuable information about problems and suggestions to improve products that are used and loved all over the Internet. The desired affect is that users are brought closer to the those that bring them there products.

This is something I support. I think the developer user interaction is a key element of the Open Source movement that made the blogosphere, Web 2.0 and all of the later innovations that we see and enjoy in the post bubble era, possible. In the early days, OSS was developed for other developers. Feedback and support was carried through email lists, Usenet groups, and IRC chats. While all for those mediums still exists they have been eclipsed by blogs, wikis, and other forms of social networks, as forms of mass media.

I will lend my iron to the crucible that is freedbacking, adding a new category, and soon publish my freedbacking first post.

Google has rolled out a Webmaster Central site. A webmaster with a Google account to see some basic search related statistics and diagnostics as well as a single location to find links to services and blogs that would be useful to site owners.

I think it is a good thing. As much as I love Google they seem to have some arrogance about their “almighty” search algorithm. Getting people involved to improve the quality of there searches and rankings is a start. The only thing is the people involved are the webmasters. Google enventually will have to provide more support. Google has positioned itself as the defacto search engine. As such it is going to have to take responsibility to provide a friendlier, HUMAN voice, that the public can interface with. It will be necessary if they plan to live up to there motto of “do no evil.”

Dap: BetaNews

A new service has launched named Allpears. It is a firefox extension that allows “buddies” chat and share files securely and easily.

I have been waiting for the public release of this for quite some time. I Think I heard about i last year sometime, and they have finally released a public beta. Still downloading my copy, but test it out and provide a review later on.

Update:
Google apparently beat them to the punch. There’s a new GTalk as of the 8/16. File Sharing is a central feature of this new version.

BetaNews | Netflix Antitrust Case to Continue
Netflix’s apparent attempts to force Blockbuster out of the online rental market were stopped for the time being on Tuesday, as a federal judge ruled that Blockbuster would be allowed to proceed with its antitrust case against Netflix. The lawsuit was filed in response to a patent infringement suit filed by Netflix in April of this year.

That case attempted to shut down Blockbuster Online through an injunction. Netflix claims Blockbuster infringes on two patents, one related to the automatic queue, and another that allows for the automatic receipt of new DVDs as well as reorganization of the queue.

I don’t think that I commented on this case before. But this is a an example of why patenting business methods should not be. Netflix basically has patented ‘the list’. It is saying that, “if you have a list of stuff that you can organize in any order you want. Than you have to pay us money.” I don’t see how this a novel idea. There should be a ‘blatantly stupid patent’ rule, such that if you submit a ‘blatantly stupid’ patent, you not only loose the patent but are bared from applying for a patent for say 5 years. During that time, you may only apply for a patent, with another party, a cosigner if you will who is not currently bared. The cosigner would also be at risk of being bared if this patent is also found to be ‘blatantly stupid’. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE Netflix. But this is NOT an invention.

SPACE.com — Pluto Demoted: No Longer a Planet in Highly Controversial Definition
Capping years of intense debate, astronomers resolved today to demote Pluto in a wholesale redefinition of planethood that is being billed as a victory of scientific reasoning over historic and cultural influences. But already the decision is being hotly debated.

Officially, Pluto is no longer a planet.

Ben Browder and Claudia Black were the stars of the 2nd best TV Show every to be broadcasted : Farscape(The First being the new Battlestar: Galactica). It aired for a FAR TO SHORT four seasons several years ago on the Sci-Fi channel. Alas even though it had a great and devoted following, Sci-Fi saw fit to cancel it. But hope sprang a new as these two found homes on a new sci-fi channel series Stargate : SG-1, but yet again the fates where not so kind:

SCI FI Wire | The News Service of the SCI FI Channel
SCI FI Channel confirmed that it will not renew its record-breaking original series Stargate SG-1 for another season, but will pick up its spinoff series Stargate Atlantis for a fourth year. SG-1 aired its 200th episode on Aug. 18, and the SF series is the longest-running SF show on American television.

Dap: /.

Wow. I’ve really been asleep at the switch. I just realized that I’m in the finals for the for Black Weblog Awards under the ‘Best Technology Blog’ category. I haven’t talked about the BWA this year. But please take the time to vote. And if you feel that I am worthy, please vote for me.
 
 
 
 

Update:
Must give Dap to Marc Lamont Hill. Had he not blog about his nomination I wouldn’t have clicked over to see my nomination.

That’s where I’ve been for the last couple weeks. Some vacationing. Some taking a break from the blog. Some modification to the blog theme. Anyway Am i the only blogger who announces a hiatus AFTER its over?