Have you ever had a question about something that you thought other people, maybe even your friends could answer? What about their friends...and their friends...and their friends.
A very intriguing site call Aardvark does exactly this; mesh together a large community of inter-related people to answer questions live via IM chat or the website, or do it via email. Using ridiculous algorithms, Aardvark developers have designed a site that "crawls" through your linked sites such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. to find your interests so that they can recommend you to questions that you may be able to answer.
The IM application is very cool and being able to get answers from real people live is an awesome concept. Think about this...you need to buy a bottle of wine but not sure what to get. First, you ask Aardvark, "I have a date tonight and don't know what to wine to get that she will like...any suggestions?". Boom, seconds later you have 3 answers from three 20-ish year old women, and all three say "Sauvignon Blanc!". So, next you ask "Which regions make the best Sauvignon Blanc...Cali, France, etc.?...Please help I'm clueless.". Cha-ching. Matt W. from Boulder, CO who is a wine connoisseur chimes in with "Try Amadore County in Cali, specifically ...", well you get the point... and that's just a trip to the grocery store. Think about planning a road trip, ideas for a party, marketing techniques, pet questions...the sky's the limit.
The other fun part is actually answering questions. It's like a live, real world Jeopardy but with real people asking questions that are pertinent to their lives.
The whole application runs very smoothly and was designed impeccably. It's such a creative idea, and of course the owners who started it up are former Google designers.
Try it out, it's fun and you could learn something.
~ D
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow
La Nina. She's in full affect.
The North is getting slammed with foot upon foot of that fluffy white stuff...and all I can think about is how cold I am! Did I mention I reside in Florida?
You see these pictures of complete houses covered to the roof in snow...but my feet are still frozen. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I, along with many Americans (that's an assumption :) ), are a little obtuse. Our neighbors to the North are getting 50 mph winds with complete white outs. They just got 22+ inches of snow last weekend and they are getting ready for at least another 18 to 20 inches. And all I can think about is updating the hourly weather forecast to see when it's going to be 80 again. Are we clueless? I think they win. You don't hear them complaining either.
Is it because that happens on a regular basis? When I say "that" I mean cold and snowy weather. Or do they have a more resilient premonition to hard times.
I think we as Americans are all resilient to hard times. And it's all relative.
So let's look for something good out of this cooooollllllddddd weather. People more then ever seem to say "hello" when you pass them on the street. I can remember 3 years ago when I'd say "hi" to someone in passing and they wouldn't even look up. Now you walk by someone and say "is it ever going to get warm again?" and they literally stop to discuss how they are coping with the cold.
Also, cold weather is great for business. Sales spike upwards in space heaters, warm clothing, alcohol, hot cereals, and gas/utilities. So if you sell any of these things or are invested in a company that provides these items...Winter, especially this winter, should be a revenue boost.
So to drop my obtuse tag, I'm acknowledging that it's super cold up North and I hope they have a good supply of whiskey and fire wood. And I'm going to acknowledge that it's not that cold down here....BUT, everything is relative and 30's in Florida is cold, when it's usually 60. If someone up North needs a bottle of whiskey, I'll locate the best deal for a fifth of JD, relative to your location. And for everyone down here...check out smartwool socks...they are the best! I'm just trying to do my best to help out everyone's needs.
Wow...a snow ramble...Really?
The North is getting slammed with foot upon foot of that fluffy white stuff...and all I can think about is how cold I am! Did I mention I reside in Florida?
You see these pictures of complete houses covered to the roof in snow...but my feet are still frozen. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I, along with many Americans (that's an assumption :) ), are a little obtuse. Our neighbors to the North are getting 50 mph winds with complete white outs. They just got 22+ inches of snow last weekend and they are getting ready for at least another 18 to 20 inches. And all I can think about is updating the hourly weather forecast to see when it's going to be 80 again. Are we clueless? I think they win. You don't hear them complaining either.
Is it because that happens on a regular basis? When I say "that" I mean cold and snowy weather. Or do they have a more resilient premonition to hard times.
I think we as Americans are all resilient to hard times. And it's all relative.
So let's look for something good out of this cooooollllllddddd weather. People more then ever seem to say "hello" when you pass them on the street. I can remember 3 years ago when I'd say "hi" to someone in passing and they wouldn't even look up. Now you walk by someone and say "is it ever going to get warm again?" and they literally stop to discuss how they are coping with the cold.
Also, cold weather is great for business. Sales spike upwards in space heaters, warm clothing, alcohol, hot cereals, and gas/utilities. So if you sell any of these things or are invested in a company that provides these items...Winter, especially this winter, should be a revenue boost.
So to drop my obtuse tag, I'm acknowledging that it's super cold up North and I hope they have a good supply of whiskey and fire wood. And I'm going to acknowledge that it's not that cold down here....BUT, everything is relative and 30's in Florida is cold, when it's usually 60. If someone up North needs a bottle of whiskey, I'll locate the best deal for a fifth of JD, relative to your location. And for everyone down here...check out smartwool socks...they are the best! I'm just trying to do my best to help out everyone's needs.
Wow...a snow ramble...Really?
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