karl.tsakos.us/blog

Where to begin? Well, let me start at the origins of this tale…

I finally decided to sign up for a Twitter account. You can follow me at http://twitter.com/ktsakos. I signed up because I wanted to follow a few of the pundits I hear talking about it on some of my favorite podcasts. Twitter in itself is kind of amazing. It allows you to post what are basically micro blogs. Anything you post must be 140 characters or less. There are numerous applications which allow you to access it directly and also track the people whose twits you are watching. It’s a fascinating way to see what is going on around the world with the people who interest you (and who twitter).

Oddly, Twitter is not the subject of this entry. It is in fact a site called Flickrvision. Now we all have heard of Flickr (no, it’s not a typo, it’s the cool web 2.0 way of dropping the ‘e’ in site names) which is a social networking site oriented around photography. I myself have always been a person who wanted to post my images myself on my own site. This feeling is changing after finding Flickrvision.

Filckrvision combines two web sites for an amazing experience. It basically watches the recent post feed from Flickr and then looks at the location of the poster. It then uses an API (programing interface) for Google Maps to pinpoint those poster’s locations. Then it shows you the picture as in reference to the location.

Wow Karl, that’s really neat. Well yes, it actually is. It is updated every couple of seconds. So you are quickly transported across the globe from the southern US where there is a picture of a large dog following a smaller dog to China where you see a young girl walking down a dirt road in a small village. Then to France where two ladies are talking in a cafe (what else would you expect in France). And then it’s up the former Eastern Block states where there are several twenty somethings reading a bulletin board in a boring blue hallway.

The point is it is in incredibly captivating. We’ve all seen those books that chronicle a city or country photographically for a 24 hour period. This is the entire world in real time. Just staggeringly amazing. If you want to see how important you are and give yourself a sense of proportion, then watch Flickrvision for 5 minutes. It has a similar effect to the Total Perspective Vortex except on a global scale, not universal. And yet, it doesn’t have the effect of turning your mind to mush.

For me, it is a moving experience to see a quick, voyeuristic glimpse into all these people’s lives. A glimpse, I might add, that they invited us to take. Since Flickr uses open source licensing, everything posted there is free for use as long as it isn’t for commercial gain.

I highly recommend you take a look. I think you will stay for a while.

Oh, you may be wondering why I started with the whole conversation about Twitter at the beginning there. Quite simple really. David Troy, the same guy who created Flickrvision also created Twittervision which does the same thing with tweets.

No he didn’t. That was a lie.

He said do it every night before bed. That’s the ticket to a prolific if not informative blog.

Dave. He’s the one who said it. Blog every night before you go to bed. Make it the last thing you do before going to bed. It’s right there in the comments to my March 23rd blog entry.

Well, what can I look forward to if I do that? A feeling of dreaded commitment. If I don’t do it will I sleep poorly as a result? Am I damning myself to guilt ridden evenings where I feel obliged to do something?

Where has it gotten him? Comments on how many Star Trek universe cast members wound up on the ’80s Twilight Zone. Actully, upon further inspection it is kind of hard to find too much self involved fluff on Dave’s site The Subway Rambler. Well self involved yes (for it is the nature of the blog). But fluff? Yes, okay fluff. BUT! Entertaining fluff. The exploration of the gaudy house in New Jersey is priceless.

The point is, can I be interesting on a nightly basis or just wind up talking about how boring I am? (See, just then?)

Perhaps we could discuss the band Dave and I are in? Neither he, nor I, nor the Telepathic Unicycle (that would be DELETED’s blog) discuss our band. No, not the cover band, the originals band with Dave, Shaun, Edz and me. We’re recording now. Well not right now, but we’ve been recording for the past 6 months.

Ah, does this peek your interest? Perhaps some samples as we get going to keep you interested and wanting more. Then, when there is more, you’ll want it and get it and then all will be happy.

Hurrah!

(No music this go round. You’ll have to come back for that another time. [Give me a break, I just thought up the idea now.])

Hello. (Hello?)

Is there anybody in there? Is there anyone home?

No, really. What the hell is up with this blog? It’s as like the person writing it just gave up and stopped. Hmm… That would be me wouldn’t it.

(Ahem.)

Hello! Glad you could drop by to see and hear all the interesting things going on in my life. All the things that get me excited. All the things I like to talk about with you, my friends.

Uhh… So, how about that local sports team?