Link

Pretty fascinating stuff, really. The possibilities for this are amazing, using the world wide web as a sort of collective conscious to solve difficult problems.  I knew there was something more than online games, celebrity gossip, and porn on the internet.

As most of us are just big kids at heart, I can’t imagine too many people getting rid of this “card”. Instead, I imagine most of us would keep it on our desk, maybe even bringing in a few other Legos to supplement the fun.

Lego must be a great company to work for….

Read the full article here.

No surprise here.  Personally, I’ve found it to be rather boring. Perhaps its because many of my friends aren’t yet on there, or maybe because the few people who are aren’t particularly active, but whatever the reason, I’ve found it to be much less engaging than Facebook or Twitter, despite the fact that it’s sort of a hybrid between the two.

Will it pick up? Probably, Google basically runs the internet. Then again, maybe not, who knows?

With that said, assuming Google+ catches on, and I believe it will, it could very well be the demise of Facebook, much as Facebook caused the demise of MySpace, which killed off Friendster, etc.

On the plus side, in addition to the circles, I also like the complete integration that Google offers, something Facebook has been striving for, but Zuckerberg & co. simply don’t have the universal reach that Google has. Thus in the next social media war, I don’t see how they will compete.

At any rate, Google+ is worth checking out, if for no other reason than to see what will probably be the next big thing.

“Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has asked the club’s fans to act as scouts by suggesting potential signings on Twitter. “ (link)

Apparently the football (soccer to us Yanks) club, located in Yeovil Town in Somerset, southwest England, can’t afford a scouting program, so manager Terry Skiverton has asked the club’s supporters to take over that role.

With so many youths dying to be discovered, this could be a great opportunity for Yeovil Town to scoop up some diamonds in the rough. Of course the nature of the English leagues means they won’t be able to afford to keep them, but at least they could potentially get a nice transfer fee out of it.

An interactive site detailing the bio of German super DJ Tomekk and his record label F-Records, this site leads you through an interwoven story about Tomekk’s career, and the growth of the label.

I spent a good 30 minutes just playing around with this site, primarily because of the infectious beats and the presence of KRS-One. If you like hip hop and/or interactive marketing, I highly suggest you check it out.

(Cut to bedroom scene where two young people are getting kissing passionately)

Boy: Hold on (runs to bathroom, pulls out box from under sink)

(Black screen simply reads “Trojan”)

And while I consider myself a big fan of the show, I can’t help but feel that on yesterday’s season finale they jumped the shark. The plot, which was fairly weak for a Simpsons season finale, revolved around a romance between ancillary characters Ned Flanders (the annoying neighbor) and Edna Krabappel (Bart’s teacher).

To give you some back story in case you live under a rock and have never seen the show, Flanders is a uber-religious conservative, whereas Edna has a rather checkered romantic past with lots of partners. You may have expected hilarity to ensue from this unlikely pairing – it didn’t.

But that brings me to my point – at the end of the show, Ned was having doubts about continuing to date such an experienced woman and was debating whether he should continue their relationship. And here The Simpsons producers did something rather unusual: they left this decision up to the fans.

By logging onto thesimpsons.com, fans of the show can vote on whether the couple should stay together.

While I like the idea of including the viewers in show decisions, from an established show like The Simpsons, it seems like a desperate ploy for attention. This is particularly true when you consider how irrelevant these characters are to the show in general. Sure, Ned’s Christian morals play a good foil to Homer’s buffoonery, and Mrs. Krabappel is a nice antagonist to Bart’s antics, but they’re simply just not very interesting characters on their own.

And while I understand the desire to leave the fans wanting more by leaving questions unanswered on the season finale (sort of like their “who shot JR?” take-off “who shot Mr. Burns?”), as a longtime Simpsons fan, I can honestly say, I don’t care. I don’t care whether Nedna stays together.

Bringing the audience into plot decisions is an innovative approach to television, but interactivity for its own sake seems like a waste to me. But then, what do I know? I’m just a guy.