MetaFilter posts tagged with communication

I say potato, you say...potato!

Gyan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:46:09 -0800

Would it be inherently evil if there were not 6,000 spoken languages but one?

Google Asks: "What Would Email Look Like, If It Were Invented Today?"

zarq — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:45:13 -0800

Google began inviting volunteers to a public preview test of their new Wave web-based collaborative email and document communications platform yesterday, which enables users to "communicate and work together in real time." Initial reviews this past May seemed positive. (Previously) Features include real-time collaboration, (including concurrent editing and control of each "wave" thread,) natural language tools and a variety of APIs which users can use to embed content in other sites. Google Wave Developer Preview at Google I/O 2009 (80min video -- an abridged 10 minute version is here. Wave login page is here. Google Wave Federation Protocol is an open source project for developers. The WSJ reports that invites are now for sale on EBay. Something similar happened when Google launched GMail in 2004.

the consumption renews the appetite

nickyskye — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:33:14 -0800

Seeking - How the brain hard-wires us to love Google, Twitter, and texting.

Shoot It-Real postcard from your iPhone

ColdChef — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:37:05 -0800

Shoot It! Create and mail a real [paper!] postcard from anywhere and to anyone around the world.

Get your schadenfreude here

reenum — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:53:08 -0800

Recently, there have been a host of websites that delight in exposing the inanity and stupidity of our society. There is the granddaddy, Overheard in New York, which recounts silly conversations heard in the Big Apple, as well as a host of similar sites. There are now a variety of such websites, dedicated to different aspects of our society. First, there are the ones targeted at different groups: STFU, Marrieds, STFU, Parents, STFU, Believers, and My Roommate is Such a Dick. Then, there are the ones that expose the silliness and inanity in our communications: Texts From Last Night, My Drunk Texts, Passive Aggressive Notes, and Lamebook. Relationships and sex loom large as well: Disgusting People I Have Made Out With, Why My Ex Sucks, and I Bang the Worst Dudes. Finally, there is just plain bad luck or failure: F My Life and FAIL Blog. Bonus: Awkward Family Photos and Hot Chicks With Douchebags

Google Wave - the next big thing, or a wash?

CunningLinguist — Thu, 28 May 2009 10:57:37 -0800

Why do we have to live with divides between different types of communication? Introducing Google Wave. "In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it. Everyone on your wave can use richly formatted text, photos, gadgets, and even feeds from other sources on the web. They can insert a reply or edit the wave directly. It's concurrent rich-text editing, where you see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave. That means Google Wave is just as well suited for quick messages as for persistent content — it allows for both collaboration and communication. You can also use "playback" to rewind the wave and see how it evolved."

Regaining Your Balance

netbros — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:52:09 -0800

"Web professionals are often expected to be “always on”—always working, absorbing information, and honing new skills. Unless our work and personal lives are carefully balanced, however, the physical and mental effects of an "always on" life can be debilitating." Burnout: Running On Empty By Scott Boms

Social Networking, Mobile Phones, and Crisis Communication

divabat — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:12:12 -0800

Can social networking be used to effect positive social change? Ushahidi (meaning "testimony" in Swahili) is one such project that harnesses mobile technology to empower local citizens to report on crucial and crisis situations in their area. Started as a mashup of user-generated reports and Google Maps on the post-election crisis in Kenya, it has now been deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. They are currently working together with other organisations, such as Kiwanja, which uses mobile technology to assist NGO communications and outreach, mobile programming education, and gorilla conservation. Currently they're collaborating on prototyping the "ultimate activist tool". MobileActive is a dedicated blog that tracks such technology in international development and advocates for the use of mobile technology in crisis situations and disaster relief. (This post is a collaboration between divabat and infini.)

2008 AD: Horace Rumpole makes an FPP

Horace Rumpole — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:18:53 -0800

70,000 BC: The Earliest Known Examples of Paleolithic Art
668 BC: Ashurbanipal Attempts to Collect all Knowledge
150 BC: Earliest Analog Computer
593 AD: First Mention of Printing in China
1454 AD: The Gutenberg Bible
1964 AD: Creation of ARPANET
From Cave Paintings to the Internet, a timeline of the history of information technology. In addition to a straight chronological order, the timeline can be explored along categories such as Artificial Intelligence, Book History, Censorship, Human-Computer Interaction, and Writing.

I want my five dollars back?

|n$eCur3 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:07:47 -0800

Fivedollarcomparison.org is a collaborative photo project designed by a number of Nokia researchers to understand the buying power of 5 dollars across the world. The goal of this project is vague: to understand how culture, context and communication might change the world. Post your own example here. Sample photo.

Kiki and Bubu

homunculus — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:26 -0800

Kiki and Bubu! Austrian art collective monochrom presents the adventures of two sock puppets. Part One: Kiki and Bubu and The Shift. "Bubu wants to know why his dad is busy all the time. And Kiki explains him why... because of the neoliberal shift." Part Two: Kiki and Bubu and The Privilege. "Bubu ran into a bunch of liberals and they gave him a book. They said if he doesn't read it, they're going to beat him up. But Bubu can't read! And so Kiki helps..." [Via BB]

Facial Expression Simulator Lets You Play with Emotions

shivohum — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:03:02 -0800

Facial Expression Simulator Apparently it's useful for helping autistics learn facial expressions, among other things. Related.

Moko Saves the Day!

kliuless — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:26:41 -0800

Dolphin rescues beached whales another reminder that animals really are smarter than you think :P [via]

The History of Visual Communication

Wolfdog — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:53:13 -0800

The History of Visual Communication

Do not dig or drill before 12,000 AD

never used baby shoes — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:23:23 -0800

The site must be marked: What is here is dangerous(?) and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger...This place is best shunned and left uninhabited. Full document describing the marking plan here(pdf).

how to talk to a friend with cancer

nickyskye — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:45:11 -0800

How to talk to a friend with cancer, Time interview. Author of the excellent, Help Me Live: 20 Things People With Cancer Want You to Know [now a free, readable online Google book], Lori Hope, also lectures on compassionate communication and blogs for the practical and supportive CarePages.com, "free, personal websites that connect family and friends during illness and injury. Top 10 Dos and Don'ts.

This story is about something called Radical Honesty. It may change your life. (But honestly, we don't really care.)

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:35:05 -0800

I appreciate you for reading this article. I resent you for snarking in the thread without reading it.

Who Cooks for You?

Miko — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:38:48 -0800

Zoomusicology , a subfield of Zoosemiotics.

Voices of Africa

infini — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:37:55 -0800

"Thanks to tremendous progress achieved by the General Packet Radio System (GPRS), the wireless communication protocol, it is now possible for Africans to send articles and images (still and moving) about events taking place in their countries without using a computer and without having internet connection. Under those circumstances, the bigger the number of people expressing their opinions through that technology, the stronger becomes democracy, and the more valuable is the contribution to good governance efforts in Africa" - Voices of Africa, Mobile stories and videos from Africa. Quote above from article Mobile Reporters in Africa.

Listening to the past

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:16:50 -0800

Before the iPhone there were devices known as t e l e p h o n e s.

Me talk pretty one day

psmealey — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:31:17 -0800

A communication primer. A pretty basic, but well-written primer on effective communication, and proper understanding of the communication process, barriers, listening, feedback and non-verbal hints. Don Clark's site contains a lot of well-formed ideas on leadership and human performance without resorting to mumbo-jumbo and buzzwords. Not your typical MBA / self-help bs.

Theory of science communication

Gyan — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 06:51:53 -0800

Belief and knowledge - a primer on science communication

One Voice

infini — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:36:36 -0800

When will Indians and Pakistanis release such a video on YouTube?

Is the 21st century making you miserable?

wallstreet1929 — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:34:56 -0800

Is the 21st century making you miserable? This young fellow may know why. Is he right, folks?

In My Language

maudlin — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:13:08 -0800

An autistic woman "speaks" her language, then ours. (YouTube) "My language is not about designing words or even visual symbols for people to interpret. It is about being in a constant conversation with every aspect of my environment, reacting physically to all parts of my surroundings." [more inside]