“If you look in your type-ahead search, and you press “A,” or just one letter, a list of your best friends shows up. It’s no longer organized alphabetically, but by the person you interact with most, your “best friends,” or at least those whom we have concluded you are best friends with.”
They’re also redoing the site in a compiled version of PHP to reduce web frontend CPU load by 80%.
[via:Gina Trapani]
Depressed woman on sick leave loses insurance over cheerful Facebook photos
She was partying on doctor’s orders.
[via:Slashdot]
Facebook simplifies handling of user deaths
Relatives or friends of a deceased user can now contact FB via a form to have the profile archived, or “memorialized” with decreased visibility on the site.
[via:Waxy]
Math Overflow, a Questions and Answers site for math problems
Implemented using the platform of Stack Overflow, a Q&A board for programming topics. Beats any old-type forums or wiki sites, they have among other things, an addicting reputation and badge system inspired by Xbox Live.
[via:Spolsky]
Stalking Facebook users with strict privacy settings
This is important, so I’ll try to explain the linked article: The API is what applications and developers use. Applications on Facebook run with their users’ privileges: applications can see anything their users can.
To put it simply: Facebook allows anyone capable of writing, say, a simple but alluring questionnaire access to stuff most users probably think of as visible to friends and site admins only.
All Internet users who think of sharing information on Facebook and the Internet in general as being “kind of private”, should familiarize themselves with data mining. Except for when you forget to log off a service or leave your computer unlocked, the real privacy issues are rarely about what someone is able to see while browsing your inbox for a few minutes. It’s all about what profiling information can be collected over time and which patterns are identifiable in heaps of data.
[via:Waxy]
Facebook using user faces for ads
Failing contextual advertising is always hilarious. You might want to opt out, though.
[via:Mashable]
StackOverflow.com (beta) is made of distilled awesome
Stack Overflow will be a questions & answers site for programmers. A reputation/experience points and “bagdes” system comparable to those of online gaming systems are what’s supposed to drive people to the service, making the intended audience (easily distracted programmer types) forget about their jobs and ruining their lives further.
In addition to giving social advantages to people who ask good questions and give useful answers, the innovation of the system is described as a mix of features from digg/reddit voting sites, wikis and forums. Most notably, the site is entirely usable for anonymous users, keeping it easy to ask questions quickly. The reputation-tracking accounts use OpenID.
The project’s blog is now offering a beta access code, giving anyone who’s interested access to the site before its launch next Monday. Having played with the site earlier in the beta stage, I can wholeheartedly recommend anyone who might need help with coding to take a look at this.
Facebook Blocks Users From Mentioning BugMeNot.com in status posts
BugMeNot is a wonderful service which publishes user accounts for sites with stupid login/registration requirements (New York Times, I’m looking at you).
“Compare People” Facebook App Selling User Info
I’m not surprised. Something about the app struck me as quite sleazy from the beginning, but I avoided it too efficiently to notice any premium options. Maybe the features discussed here were pulled later, but I can’t seem to recall hearing about this matter before.
The same author has a later post with more details (read: screenshots) on what the premium mode that exposes the actions of your friends looks (or looked?) like.
[via:Trent E.]
Robot Messenger Displays Person-to-Person Notes In Public (Modern Mechanix, August 1935)
“To aid persons who wish to make or cancel appointments or inform friends of their whereabouts, a robot message carrier has been introduced in London, England. Known as the “notificator,” the new machine is installed in streets, stores, railroad stations or other public places where individuals may leave messages for friends.
The user walks up on a small platform in front of the machine, writes a brief message on a continuous strip of paper and drops a coin in the slot. The inscription moves up behind a glass panel where it remains in public view for at least two hours so that the person for whom it is intended may have sufficient time to observe the note at the appointed place. The machine is similar in appearance to a candy-vending device.”
[via:the Twitter blog]
Research paper on inferring personality from young people’s e-mail addresses (University of Leipzig)
“Using 599 e-mail addresses of young adults, their self-reported personality scores and the personality judgments [...], it was shown that personality impressions based solely on e-mail addresses were consensually shared by observers. Moreover, these impressions contained some degree of validity. This was true for neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and narcissism but not for extraversion.”
[via:Slashdot]
