#FF00AA

@games@

Wow, that’s insanely cool. Webcomic VG Cats makes a strip about Spore; the game’s developers respond with an edited version with ‘live’ Spore creatures [via]. Best PR ever.

@computer@

Availabot real-world IM presence indicator. If they were cheap, and designed in such a way that you could conveniently have two dozen of those on your desktop (plus, compatible with every possible IM program), this would be great. Since neither is likely, I doubt it can ever work. What would work, however, is a kind of tiny coffin or cryotube that a regular, user-supplied Lego character or Kubrick would pop out of when your contact is online — simple, standardized, buyable in bulk, and easily customized.

But then, I didn’t believe in Nabaztag either, so what do I know.

@web@

Meet someone in your train, sponsored by the French railways [via]. “This service is not for love meetups” (since ads are pre-moderated, I doubt they’ll accept “blow jobs in the toilet” offers either) and it costs 1.50€ per contact? Are they completely clueless, or there’s just something I don’t grasp?

(This is a web service created by a French semi-administration. The same that inflicts voyages-sncf.com to its users. Yeah, it’s probably the former alternative.)

One of these days I’ll have to get to programming a revolutionary meet-up site targeted to wap / i-mode / Windows Mobile / café wifi users.

@windows@

Microsoft acquires iView. In other words, Windows Vista is going to include (either at release time or as a free download later on) a superior iPhoto alternative. They must be reminiscing so many fond memories… ah, the good old days of Internet Explorer starving Netscape off.

And, a couple years from now, Microsoft management will have completely ruined iView’s software, to the benefit of Adobe’s Lightroom and Apple’s Aperture. (Aren’t they letting Virtual PC die right now?)

How can someone create a company to sell Mac software, and end up selling their business to Microsoft down the line? Have you no shame?

@windows@

“Do you want that &$%^ing toolbar or not?”