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Archive for the ‘Cool Ideas’ CategoryManifold Clock: A 3D timepiece for math geeksPosted February 8th, 2012From Amanda Kooser on CNET The Manifold Clock doesn’t just tell time with flat hands, it expresses it with ever-changing shapes created by a flexible sheet of Tyvek attached between the hands. Every minute looks slightly different. There’s some delightful mathematical geekiness behind all of this. The design uses the concept of Riemann surfaces. See the full story HERE. Posted in Cool Ideas, Gadgets by Ken Taylor North America Represents 13% of over 2 Billion Internet Users WorldwidePosted January 18th, 2012From CNET Internet now active with 2.1 billion usersYou’re one of the 2.1 billion people actively using the Internet. Looking at the state of the online world throughout 2011, traffic site Pingdom found that the number of Internet users has jumped from a mere 360 million at the end of 2000 and now accounts for 30 percent of the planet’s population. Sweeping across the continents, Asia holds 922 million Internet users, Europe has 476 million, and North America is in third place with 271 million. Drilling down to individual countries, China is on top with 485 million people using the Internet, more than 36 percent of its total population. For the full story go HERE. Posted in Cool Ideas, World Events by Ken Taylor Afilias Launches International Contest to Explore Innovative Uses of New Top-Level DomainsPosted October 3rd, 2011As posted to CircleId.com: “Afilias Limited, a leading Internet registry services provider, today announced a rapid-fire contest to generate ideas for new top-level domains (new TLDs). As organizations consider whether or not to invest in new TLDs under the forthcoming ICANN New TLD program, they may not consider all the possibilities for new TLDs. The “Afilias Global Innovation Contest for New TLD Ideas” is designed to address that issue. With this contest, Afilias is looking for unique new TLD ideas, whether that domain is a “dot Brand” (for a company) or a “dot Niche” (for a concept or community) or a “dot City” domain. The goal is to discover ideas for “right of the dot” domains that cannot be done today with any of the existing domains, like .com or .net. To help participants generate ideas, Afilias has created a special downloadable e-book — The Afilias New TLD Innovation e-book: Ideas to Stimulate Your Imagination — available on the contest website at http://www.afilias.info/newtldcontest.” Click HERE to read more. Tags: New gTLD Contest What Happens To Your Online Identity After You Die?Posted September 8th, 2011Mike Dalley for CircleID.com explains: “How large is your digital footprint? If you pulled together your email account, web site, blog, social networking accounts, and every other virtual identity you have online, just how well known are you on the Internet? Have you ever stopped to consider what happens to your online identity when you die? How would your online friends know? What would happen to your accounts and your content? As social networking continues to grow in popularity, so too does our individual online identities. No longer are we members of a close knit circle of local friends and family, but members of a global social circle that breaks geographical barriers. Our friends are now all over the world as opposed to all over the community. Our business partners, customers, and professional peers are no longer found in the office, but across the Internet as a whole. It may be considered a morbid subject, but planning for your digital life after death, and how your virtual affairs should be handled, is fast becoming just as important as the financial and business affairs we consider common matters for estate planning. Virtual property, just as real property, has equitable value that may be lost when you die. Registered domains, web sites, and the contents of an email inbox, these are all types of virtual property that we simply fail to take into account when planning how our estates and property are to be handled.” Click HERE to read more. Tags: Death and Your Online Identity Musings From Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Author Douglas Adams On Internet InnovationPosted May 11th, 2011Today is the 10th anniversary of the death of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy author Douglas Adams. In honor of the date, the following musing on Internet innovation by Mr. Adams has been making the rounds online Written in 1999 his sentiment is applicable to the variety of predicaments we as an industry find ourselves in today. Click HERE to read. Tags: Douglas Adams What We Learned From .NXTPosted March 7th, 2011The only thing we can expect of the future of the Internet is that it is evolving. The way we use it changes constantly and we see patterns in the change. Social networking for instance has evolved from message boards to chat rooms to the early platforms what we now recognize as social networking. It will continue to advance. Facebook is not the future of social networking, but it is one of many springboards for what is coming next. As the Internet changes, the way we think about and operate it has to change as well. The models in place to implement progress must change also. Technology evolves incredibly fast. Our decision making processes do not. Such was the spirit of the .NXT conference for New gTLDs in San Francisco; a gathering of New gTLD applicants, registries, registrars, consultants and speculators. The vibe of .NXT was emblematic of the coming change. A laid back excitement was palpable. Attendees were actively social, interesting questions were asked during the sessions and almost every speaker had a point. Coffee breaks were orgies of pretzels and popcorn with nacho cheese dipping sauces. People seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves.
There were many comparisons to ICANN meetings, but that comparison is unfair. Any meeting focused on progress and ideas and not hard decision making is bound to be a bit more positive, however, it was incredible to attend a meeting of people sharing a common vision that wasn’t weighed down by the mechanics of bureaucracy.
Despite the good will, sessions weren’t marked by a head-in-the-clouds optimism. Sobering, practical realities were not ignored, but hammered home. No one seemed interested in tip toeing around the elephant in the room. The New gTLD process thus far has been hard. For those whose careers are deeply entwined with the process it has been a long and sometimes terrifying road. Companies dependent on the launch have downsized, people have lost their jobs. While there are a lot of voices complaining about the process, few are willing to admit the dark realities of the sacrifice that many applicants, consultants and other domain professionals have made to stay in the game.
As has been said many times, no one wants to rush through the process at the expense of doing it right. However, I think as a group we would like to move forward and there are ways to do that that are productive and ways to do it that are not. The community may be a bit bruised by the uncertainty of the process and financial losses but it was clear at .NXT this is a group that want to move forward and are hungry for change.
The most valuable aspect of .NXT was that attendees were able to gage how diverse New gTLD interest really is. People from all corners of the program voiced their concerns, issues and solutions. It was an opportunity to understand that none of the issues surrounding the New gTLD program are black and white. They are far more complicated and nuanced than what can be crammed into a pull quote or sound bite. We Share the most valuable things we learned at .NXT after the jump.
Tags: .NXT, new gTLDs, TLDs British Rock Star Persuades Fan To Turn Over Domain NamePosted February 2nd, 2011According to NME.com, “Noel Gallagher has managed to recover his rightful domain name after a decade without it. An unnamed Spanish Oasis fan snapped up the Noelgallagher.comdomain name ten years ago andNoel has been trying to buy it from him ever since. Initially the fan had demanded tens of thousands of pounds, but according to the red-tops after Noel flew the fan to London, put him up in a swanky hotel and offered him a truckload of Oasismerch and a guestlist place for future solo gigs, he relented (The Sun).” Tags: Domain Purchase, Oasis .NXT Conference To Invade San Francisco, CA February 9-10Posted January 21st, 2011.NXT, “A Conference About New Internet Extensions” will invade the Hyatt Regency, on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco from February 9-10, 2011. Unlike the other conferences happening this winter (it feels like we’ve got one every week) .NXT addresses one topic only: New gTLDs. Geared toward applicants, anyone interested in working with new gTLDs and industry professionals who want to learn more about the realities of new gTLD implementation this conference is a do not miss. New applicants will be receiving practical advice from industry veterans who absolutely know what they are talking about. If you are remotely considering joining the ranks of new gTLD applicants this is a crucial event and a great place to pick up staff, meet with consultants and start getting to know the familiar faces of this microscopic industry. With sessions on community trust, working with registrars and trust and community, this is not a light-weight snoozefest. Register and book hotel accommodations soon as spots are filling up fast. Click HERE for more information on .NXT Tags: .NXT, new gTLDs A Secession By South Sudan Could Lead To Domain Profit For New CountryPosted January 19th, 2011The average person has little idea how much money there is to be made in Internet real estate. While some were lucky enough to have the foresight 15 years ago to participate in the invisible land grab, it took years for the rest of us to catch on. While most of the “good” (i.e. profitable) domains have been long ago accounted for, there are occasional wells to be tapped in the form of ccTLDs re-appropriated for vanity use. While the world watches South Sudan inch closer to secession, Domain Name Wire points out that this could be a golden opportunity for the emerging country to make a killing on the ccTLD they may choose. Montenegro experienced wild success upon the release of their ccTLD, .ME when they encouraged it’s use as a vanity extension and there is nothing, but imagination stopping another entity from having the same. If South Sudan were to make strategic choices in their Internet identity, it could lead to a huge gain for the new nation continuing the interesting precedent for possibilities of financial stability in emerging countries. Click HERE to read more. Tags: .ME, CCTLD's, Montenegro, South Sudan Internet Nation State?Posted December 17th, 2010In a December 14, 2010 address to the UN, ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom emphasizes the importance of a New Internet Nation State. He calls for greater transparency, trust and collaboration. Beckstrom states “Today, we again confront a great transformation. The Internet’s pace of change accelerates daily. Its power is awesome. It cannot be ignored; it should be channeled for maximum benefit”. Although not a new idea, Beckstrom insists the the multi-stakeholder model is not only not a hindrance but the solution to how an Internet nation state might be formed. He cites the great success of the introduction of IDN’s as an example of what can be achieved as a cooperative body. Beckstrom closes the address with a call to “follow the youth”. He explains “They are already collaborating - online, every day, every month, every year. As we design the New Internet Nation State, we should listen, and follow”. To read the full communication, click HERE. Tags: ICANN, Internet Nation State, Rod Beckstrom, UN
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