Betray | Seduce | Persuade

- are three of the tech names used for the indie game "Love"- which was mentioned in Wired 16.08, and got a little extra love on the site. But putting up 10 screenshots from something where you are gushing about algorithms and generative computing seems oddly misplaced. What I wanted was to see a bit of the "machine as God" in action.

Oh well, there was at least a link, so I spent some time digging a bit more - and here are some direct links;
"Some of it is yours, and some is your friends. Some just happens by itself. Sometimes it disappears and makes you sad." [more on love]

And a nice blog with the news and updates - "Do you have time to read this? What if this update turns out to be a waist of time?" [25]

11k coffee?

"With an $11,000 asking price, the Clover has become a fetish object among the coffee-obsessed"
"program three key variables: dose, water temperature, and brew time. (Example: 37.5 grams of Brazilian Fazenda São João at 204 degrees for 43 seconds.)"

See the Clover work some magic in a short video along with the Wired article. Wonderful concept. A bit of a sticke-shock, but hey - it points to a brighter future for coffee in general. Details and control for the extra-ordinary cup. And just a little bit better everyday joe.

Want to watch with me?

So, what does YouTube lack? How can online video take it to the next level?
According to some - it is all about UsTube, connecting viewers they way the family and neighbours used to gather around the tv set.

"Laughter is social, and that’s important to consider as watching online video ... can be a pretty isolating experience" - from a story on CBS and their new social solution

"pre-populated and active fan communities ... each have nearly a million members spread over five different social network platforms: Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, and hi5" - ABC branching onwards

So - both building new solutions and hooking up across existing avenues seem like valid paths. And that is probably one of the key messages going forward - with Hulu driving the point home every day - it is not about locking up the farm, but about making it easy to spend more time and get even more engaded. In a world of too much to count, abundant choices and offerings across channels, plattforms and media - it makes a lot more sense to take a handfull viewers here and a score minutes there...

(always assuming it makes economic sense to play on the field at all)

...and the sun hides a bit too well behind the rainy clouds...