OpenSocialNetwork

i just have a quick idea that i want to put out there into the ether. if you dont know about OpenID, then you should really check it out. it is basically a decentralized authentication system. it lets you create an account somewhere once, and then it will let you log into anywhere else that supports OpenID. its getting some traction and hopefully it will really take off. i hate to have so many account on the internets. its just not efficient.

i want to extend this idea and create OpenSocialNetwork. this can actually be implemented as an extension of OpenID. i want to create my friends network in one place. there are all these social networking sites popping up and one problem is initially creating your social network. sites like facebook solve this problem by importing your email contacts list and searching their site for them. this is not a complete solution but illustrates the problem they are trying to solve. if your social network was a create-once-use-anywhere entity, it would make life much easier. social networking sites are here to stay, so let's try to make it a little less painful.

the age of disposable code

there seems to be a shift in coding mentality of late. before i go any further, i would like to say that i am not counting all software companies. they are making products and they are doing their own thing. i'm talking about people who code for life. back in the day, people thought about coding as an art, of creation, and all that other warm, fuzzy stuff. now, it seems that hackers write little pieces of shit nowadays. their thought process goes, "i need to do x", and then "how do i get it 'working' as fast as possible?". there is no fucking way anyone can use that piece of code again. they dont think about things that people used to such as structure, extensibility, and all this other shit. admittedly, there is something to be said for writing a tool really really fast. i just worry about what's going to happen in the future. it seems we can work together and build good hacking libraries that everyone can use.

to be fair, that sort of exists already, but usually in the form of specific programs. there are some great things going on such as metasploit of course, and security tools like cain and abel, ethereal, nmap, etc. i'm talking more about libraries that implement exploitation techniques. there are some stuff out there but they are small and scattered. this goes back to my observation that hackers dont write reusable code anymore. please tell me if i am wrong and there is a whole community i am not aware of. maybe there are not enough channels to collaborate. there's this whole competition thing about it and the borderline legality of developing exploits may make it hard.

please just realize that this shit is here to stay. we may as well do it for real. think about the future.

on the state of convergence

recently, i flew out of SFO domestic to go home to Boston. the last time i was at the airport was when i went to japan last april. the airport is a rare place where everyone so many different people converge at one place. there is inevitably waiting of at least 30-45mins. in this time, you can see what people do with themselves when they have nothing to do. more so than ever before, i have seen people from all different backgrounds juggling multiple electronic devices. this was not so just a year ago.

everyone of course had their cellphones, but it was interesting to see how people were using them. admittedly, i have no idea what were actually doing because i didnt try to stalk anyone. i did notice, however, that they were glued to their cellphone screens typing away. i am assuming that they are texting or chatting online. a smaller percentage of people were just blankly staring at their screens. i have no idea what they were doing. there was also the plethora of ipods and laptops being charged in the wall. it has always been like this (well, ever since the ipod came out anyway). the surprise was the number of devices per person. you would see people with 2 ipods, a cellphone, and a laptop all being charged at the same time. it was a nightmare trying to find and outlet. people were sharing outlets to charge up their devices. it was wonderful and alarming. there are rows of booths they have for paid internet access. they were all filled with people not using those computers, but rather using the seat and outlets for their own personal computers and devices. all these people were between the ages of 13 to 35 i'd guess. everyone older had their cup of coffee and book at the ready. then you of course have the businessmen with their nondescript cellphone and ibm/lenevo thinkpads yelling "sell!" and "buy!" into their phones.

i gathered two things from my time here at the airport today. the first is that battery life on devices suck. they really do. everyone knows this. it is a wonder how moorse's law has been true for most everyone electronic except for battery life. i am guessing though that there is not enough drive for it in the consumer market. its one of those things that people dont think they care about, but if they had it, then they'd realize how much they had needed it all along. my guess is that once mobile devices become more integrated into everyone's lives, then they will start crying about battery life.

lastly, it is abundantly clear that everyone wants mobile device convergence. it is no longer for geeks and pedophiles as they say. even your average soccer mom can benefit from a blackberry. companies are starting to realize this and high powered mobile phones such as the Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone are the first to answer the call. people want to check their emails, chat with friends, share media, and browse the web from their phone. not only do they want it, but they want it to be easy and they want it right fucking now. everyone who has reservations about people's need or desire for such a device is fucking retarded and should get out of the industry right now. there is no room for you in this world. go back to your fucking farm.

it is a disappointment in this age to not have that type of device. i dont know what people are doing. it baffles me. it is no longer just about software. it is a consumer product and everyone in the position to build such a product doesnt seem to have the resource for the design, hardware, and software excellence to produce. i hope things change soon, or the people are going to be pissed.