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JAMBO for AN!!!

Tiny by rungood on

Hey AN,

You guys know me as rungood, but in the real world, my name is John Heywood.  What's up everybody!?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love AN.  I love the community and being a part of it.  And what I've loved most is seeing real friendships form through AN, and reading stories about how ANers meet up with one another before, at, and after games-- and sometimes even randomly to talk A's and talk sports even when the team isn't playing. I've met a number of other users, all who have been very friendly and nice to me, and I never hesitate to approach someone when I see them wearing their Bill King or AN shirts.  That is the beauty of AthleticsNation and our community.

In any case, I'm 23, and after a year in Estonia on a Fulbright Scholarship, I'm back in the US and just got my first real job out of college, with a company called Jambo Networks.

Why am I telling you all this, right?  Well, for one, because I'm super stoked on the job and the company, and I like sharing good news with my fellow ANers.  But I'm also writing because Jambo makes a great piece of software that is free to download and to use, and will add a few cool functionalities to AN, most notably location-based messenging capabilities.

As some of you undoubtedly know, jambo is the Swahili word for 'hello.' What we've done at Jambo Networks is create Wi-Hi technology-- that is, wireless hello technology-- that is always on and allows people to connect with members of various groups they belong to when other group members are nearby.  In a cafe or sports bar, at a conference, in the airport-- even at the ballpark!

Jambo works even when there is no Internet connection, by utilizing the Ad-Hoc mode on existing WiFi and Cellular devices.  It is this feature that makes Jambo particularly useful somewhere like the Coliseum, as many A's fans are already coming together every night there's a game.  Jambo would put ANers instantly in touch and could enable AN-meetups, great tailgating, AN-gatherings at away games (wouldn't you want to meet other A's fans in, say, Kansas City or in Detroit), not to mention a million other things.  I mean, what better reason do we all have to come together than the A's? :)

Because I think Jambo would be a great fit for AN, I've taken the liberty to create an Oakland A's fan group on Jambo.  All you have to do is download Jambo and click this link, and you'll be up and running and can connect with any other ANers that sign up: http://www.jambo.net/groups/oaklandathletics.

I know many of you guys feel like I do-- that Athletics Nation is a great community and we're lucky to have it.  It is with this being said that I hope you take the chance with Jambo and start making connections with one another.  Invite your friends and fellow ANers, and the possibilities are limitless.

If anyone has any questions about Jambo or wants more of an explanation, I'd be more than happy to talk, anytime.  My email is jheywood@jambo.net.

See you guys out there, and hope to connect with you face-to-face someday soon.
-John

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During this offseason...
...I want a thread of 'who we are outside of AN'. Now THAT could be fun!
"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 18, 2006 11:04 AM PDT   0 recs

I'm a circus clown in the off-season
"I think we just feel that now is our time." - Nick Swisher

by saint on Sep 18, 2006 11:17 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

really?
I drive the clown car during the off season!! Are you one of the 35 clowns in my car???
There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Sep 18, 2006 11:20 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, I'm the one with Big Feet?
You know what they say about clowns with big feet right???

They smell funny!!!

"I think we just feel that now is our time." - Nick Swisher

by saint on Sep 18, 2006 11:21 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

big feet
You know what they say about clowns with big feet right???

They have big shoes?

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 12:37 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

For Halloween
I'm dressing up as someone really scary: the Rev Halofan.
"VORP? Not a clue what that is. But if it's good, I'll take it!"

-Nick Swisher

by kaweahkaweah on Sep 18, 2006 11:22 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Biggest. Clown. Ever.
"It's time to blow this team up." - Oaktoon, July 2006

by Ozzz on Sep 18, 2006 12:30 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

btw
I think this is a great idea. :)
There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Sep 18, 2006 11:20 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I am...
JonathanCheechoosGirl!!
"This is the best hug in the major leagues, right here!" - Swisher Pics

by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Sep 18, 2006 11:26 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Does Bobby Crosby know this????
There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Sep 18, 2006 11:57 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Well...
...during the off-season, he's Mr. Jolie, dontchya know?

by PositionPlayerProd on Sep 18, 2006 4:34 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

LMAO
"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 18, 2006 12:23 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

during the offseason, I'm Nico
A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 18, 2006 12:23 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

...which enables me to be monkeyball.
"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 18, 2006 12:24 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

...which enables me to be Poppy
Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 12:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I though Macha was the enabler?
"Game THREADS/posters piss me off more than games." -Jennifer

by ArakSOT on Sep 18, 2006 12:35 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

wait a second....
You're Macha in the offseason?  How is your Tai Chi?  Or was it Tae Bo?  Or was it Kung-Fu?

FIRE ARAKSOT NOW!! ;)

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 12:53 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

which enables me to be rungood
Quite different from my usual "sitonthecouchgood"
"The first night, we were right there," Bradley said. "All we needed was a couple of touchdowns, and we would have had them."

by jeepers on Sep 18, 2006 12:44 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Sweet! I'm jeepers!
"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 18, 2006 12:50 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm salb918!
Aw, same old crap :-(
Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 18, 2006 1:20 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

so that's where i went in the offseason...
...it all makes sense now!
Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 1:02 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm in a maximum security facility
the great playoff miss of 2004 followed by the good try of 2005...and 2006...is getting down to it!

by ak_A on Sep 18, 2006 1:51 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm a trapeze artist and international jewel thief
...looking to make one last big score before retiring from a life of crime.
"the reason why hitting the ball on the "sweet spot" of the bat feels so good is that the ball is contacting at the bat at a vibrational node." - salb918

by McFood on Sep 19, 2006 10:23 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

By the way...this seems pretty cool
I'd be all for testing it out during the off-season.
"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 18, 2006 11:09 AM PDT   0 recs

Chances are...
..you won't find many ANers at the Col in the off-season.

Well, except for Raiders fans, and really, that's where the handy 'ignore' feature comes in.

"It's time to blow this team up." - Oaktoon, July 2006

by Ozzz on Sep 18, 2006 12:31 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

If I'm understanding right...
...you don't have to be at the Coliseum...
"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 18, 2006 12:38 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Right-- you can be anywhere
The Coliseum is just a handy place where there are already a lot of A's fans, so meetups would be pretty darn easy during the season, before or after games.  Even though there's no wireless network at the Coliseum, for example, Jambo still works to find other members of your group who are nearby through the Ad-Hoc mode I mentioned above.

Now, you can also set Jambo (quite easily) to make it so you're not-location specific.  With this setting, you can chat with any other ANer in your Jambo group, no matter your location (so long as you  both have a wireless connection).  So, if you wanted to, you could sign on to Jambo and chat with me right now, or any other member of the AN group (growing slowly but surely).

You can join the AN/Oakland A's group at http://www.jambo.net/groups/oaklandathletics.

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 12:49 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

At the same time...
..Anaheim trolls could sign up, and then find me in the parking lot.

Ew.

"It's time to blow this team up." - Oaktoon, July 2006

by Ozzz on Sep 18, 2006 3:01 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Not so fast...
People can't just instantly know where you are.

If you're part of the same group and are nearby each other, then they can see that you're nearby, but not exactly where you are, and they can send you a chat message.  If you don't feel like meeting, or you think someone's a troll/Pasadena Angels of Rancho Cucamonga fan, just don't meet them!

You always have the last say as to who you meet with Jambo.

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 3:56 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

awesome!
I dig the enthusiasm, and I definitely hope you try it out!

Yeah, Jambo is definitely most-suited for large groups like ours, where users interact with one another regularly but don't necessarily know each other physically.  I might be walking by ANers all the time, or might sit in the same Starbucks as ANers and not even know it.  Jambo just enables you to see who from your groups is nearby, which I think is really cool.

You never know what connections you might make!

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 12:34 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I should also point out that we're about to launch
...the first of our "real-life treasure hunts."  Because we're a messenging program based around physical location, it made sense to me to create a game that you could play on your own and win prizes by using Jambo, from free coffees to gift cards and even IPODS!

All you'll have to do is keep an eye out for special "treasure chests" in your friends list when you have Jambo open.  When you approach a location with a treasure chest, all you have to do is send it a message and it will give you a clue or a riddle to solve, which will direct you to the next location, or at least the vicinity.  Keep following the clues and at the end, a prize will be waiting...

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 1:01 PM PDT   0 recs

so confused!
Loud Noises!
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 18, 2006 1:11 PM PDT   0 recs

I love lamp...
...but seriously, is there anything I can clear up for you?  Chances are if you're confused, so are other people...so maybe I can help.

Unless of course your confusion stems from losing your memory... ;)

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 1:32 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

well it could be one of many things but mainly
1) I was really into technology when I was younger, now Im really into technology (like Ipods and such) but my patience level has gone out the window.  I read all these press releases, get about two sentences into it, realise Im not hip with the new technological lingo and close the window.

 Explain it to me, as if I was a 4 year old, what does JAMBO do? what is its purpose? why is everyone excited? If Nico and a goat mate, will their offspring be called Nigoats?

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 19, 2006 12:18 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

OK, here goes, sans technological lingo
Basically, what we're all about is putting people in touch with other people they want to meet, but without Jambo, likely never would have.

At its base, Jambo is a messenging program, similar to something like AOL Instant Messenger.  So on one hand, Jambo is all about giving chat-functionality to groups like AN.  When people sign up with Jambo, they can join whichever groups most suit them, or if they don't find a group they like, they can create a new one.  I took the liberty of creating an AN group, which I mentioned is accessible at http://www.jambo.net/groups/oaklandathletics.

But what makes Jambo unique-- and in my opinion most beneficial-- is that its chat functionality can be location-based.  What that means is that if you've downloaded Jambo and join the AN group, for instance, then whenever Jambo is on, you can see which other ANers are nearby, chat with them, and possibly even meet face-to-face if you want.

As I said above, Jambo even works to connect people with one another when no wireless network is present.  Essentially, our program utilizes existing wireless connections and wireless devices (WiFi-Enabled Laptops, Cellular Phones, PDAs, etc.) to create a mini-network when no connection to the Internet is present.  On this mini-network, you can see who is around you, and ultimately make relevant social connections that would have otherwise been missed.

How many times have you been sitting in a coffee shop, or walking down the street, and wondered to yourself, "Who are all these people around me?"  With Jambo, not only can you see who is nearby, but you can connect with these people in ways never before possible, opening up a seemingly endless slew of possibilities.

Does this make sense?  If you, or anyone else, has questions, please don't hesitate to post here, or email me personally, at jheywood@jambo.net.

Click here to try Jambo today!!

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 12:18 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

oooohhhh!
Ok I get it now, hey that sounds fun! Sign me up!
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 19, 2006 4:51 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

ya gotta sign yourself up ;)
http://www.jambo.net

See you over there!!

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 20, 2006 1:24 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Small World
Rungood I used to know you in a previous life.  In real life I am Scott Erickson a small time poster on AN and a developer of Clif Bars.  I don't think I've seen you since we were both little kids.

I wonder how many other people I know on AN?

by oaklandpride on Sep 18, 2006 5:03 PM PDT   0 recs

Holy CRAP!
See, people, this is exactly what I'm talking about-- making connections you wouldn't have made otherwise.  Granted, it was through AN, but Jambo just extends this possibility with the offline/online convergence that will be inevitable in coming weeks, months, and years.

In any case, awesome to hear from you, Scott!  How are you?  I think the last time we saw each other was at Drew and your graduation party, you had one of your snowboard videos going or something, but we didn't get much of a chance to catch up.  Life is good?

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 18, 2006 5:59 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

mmm...
Clif bars...

if they were a bit cheaper, i'd eat more of them. they're sure tasty on a hike, though.

--Nebraska--

ThePastime

by Ryan Armbrust on Sep 18, 2006 7:23 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

This might freak you out...
...but were you associated with the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp in the late 90s?

by anomaly_kat on Sep 18, 2006 10:56 PM PDT   0 recs

Yes indeed, I was!
I camped there in '96, '97, and '98, and staffed there in '98, '99 and 2000.

Now...who are you?! ;)  I'm very intrigued.

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 10:29 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

This is the best (and freakiest) thread ever!
"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 19, 2006 10:54 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It's the "stalk rungood" thread!
"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 19, 2006 11:25 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

you're definitely right
And next thing I know, I'm going to find out that you are my 7th grade history teacher, Ms. Comey, and BaseballGirl is my best friend's mom, or something equally bizarre.
Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 11:34 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Best friend's...
mom!?!!??!!?

<bursts out into uncontrollable sobs>

Is this what it's like when you turn 30?!?!?!!? I'm three weeks away!

"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 19, 2006 11:37 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

<ahem>
best friend's sister.  Excuse my typo.
Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 11:44 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

A bit freaky...but mostly cool
to find out that people from my past are posters on AN...makes the community that much tighter to me, plus it's great to reconnect...I love that stuff!

More than anything, though, this has is all demonstrative of the fact that there are connections to be made that we're usually oblivious to.  Everyone should download Jambo and see who they know but don't realize they know, on AN or otherwise! :)

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 11:27 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I THOUGHT SO!!
I was that crazy insane clarinet counselor who went to Fresno State... I was a counselor '96-'98 and was a music instructor in '99.  Remember Kathy?  That's me!!!  (and a bit of sax playing--I was in the staff sax quartet with Leahy and we always did "When You Wish Upon A Star" the last night of camp for Taps)

HI!!!

by anomaly_kat on Sep 19, 2006 7:42 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I figured it out!!
After some moderate googling/stalking, I figured out who you are, Kathy!  LONG TIME!!

How's life, anyways?  Are you still as involved with music as ever?  I haven't been playing as much as you might have guessed...I switched more to tenor sax and was in a funk band in college, which was a ton of fun...I didn't have my instruments last year in Estonia and am now just getting back into the thick of things since being back.

Who are you playing with these days?  Are you by any chance still affiliated with Caz?  I hope to join up with a group soon, just to get my chops back!

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 12:48 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Now, I'm really afraid.
"Today, everyone did do what I wanted!!"~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 19, 2006 12:52 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

why?
I'm not really a stalker...just of people who claim to know me and then don't respond right away! I was getting too impatient waiting for a reply to my post...hehe ;)
Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 19, 2006 1:38 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm pretty sure you owe me money. :)
"the reason why hitting the ball on the "sweet spot" of the bat feels so good is that the ball is contacting at the bat at a vibrational node." - salb918

by McFood on Sep 19, 2006 3:43 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Nice try there, bud ;)
Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 20, 2006 1:25 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

You're not a stalker....
You're just "highly focused"!!

by anomaly_kat on Sep 19, 2006 7:47 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

LOL!
My work has blocked AN, so I just saw this now.  How rude of them!!!!  They actually want me to WORK when I'm there?!

I'm still heavily involved in music; I'm a middle school band/orchestra/choir teacher (interesting times, lemme tell ya!).  I still play lots--I'm in the Ohlone Wind Orchestra, two groups out here in Livermore (a symphony and an opera company), and do summers with the Alameda Civic Light Opera (did "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Guys & Dolls" this past summer).  I enjoy the civic light opera TONS since I get to play sax and flute in addition to clarinet.

Whee!  Are you going to any games this weekend?

by anomaly_kat on Sep 19, 2006 7:46 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Work? At WORK?! Noo.....
See, I find reasons to post on AN for work...it's brilliant, I tell you!!

That's great you're still so involved in music.  I think I'll eventually get back into it, but my life is just in so much transition right now that it has to take a back seat.  Maybe when I get back into it, I can hit you up for some music and/or music recommendations...I'm sort of low on material right now.  We can cross that bridge when we get there.

As for games this weekend, I'm not sure what my schedule will be.  But I'd really like to get there.  Do you think I'll be able to get $10 tix day of game, or will they sell out ahead of time?

Great to reconnect.

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 20, 2006 1:48 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm a professional band geek.
You can give it a try... if you come, we should try to meet up and have a beer or something.  My buddy and I will be over in the RF bleachers.  I just checked and there were still tix available for the games.  If we win Friday, then Saturday is gonna be CRAZY.  And I fully intend to lose my voice screaming my head off. ;D

I'll e-mail you my cell # so we can try to meet up if you make it to the games.

by anomaly_kat on Sep 21, 2006 9:30 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

wow.
I'm late to this thread, but I can't resist commenting on how this is definitely on the threshold of technology going a bit too far and crossing the line from connecting people to invading people's privacy...this right here is a great illustration of why I don't even own a fucking cell phone.  I'd like to remain inaccessible/solitary at times, thank you.  

What's goodbye in Swahili?  Bet you can't recite that part of thew company line yet, John.

I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 20, 2006 5:59 AM PDT   0 recs

kwa heri
means goodbye in Swahili, as a matter of fact.

And if you don't want any part of this, all you have to do is not sign up.  But as Amnesiac notes below, you can turn off the program, and even when it's on you can make it so you're only accessible to people in groups you belong to, like AN.

Either way, I realize that all technology's not for everyone.

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

--

My Blog

by rungood on Sep 20, 2006 11:13 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

now if this had been Jambi for AN...
as in, making the Tool song of that title the official soundtrack of athleticsnation, that might have elicited a different response from me.  John, seem like a very nice guy, don't want to sound too harsh, as I may have in the last post, but...this is the sort of innovation that makes me fear what the world is going to be like in the future...the near future, even.  We're going ahead and creating/approving of all sorts of new technologies without properly weighing all of the social consequences of them.  I mean, the path to the apocalyspse grows shorter with every passing day; even if we're powerless to undo previous mistakes, let's at least not accelerate the process by engaging in activities that we really don't understand (as if anything is understood anyway).
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 20, 2006 6:09 AM PDT   0 recs

Geesh!
and here I thought you had a sense of humor/fun/nonbitterness.  Invading someones privacy? kind of hard to do when you actually have to sign up to be part of this .  Not only that but when youre signed up Im pretty sure you can turn the darn thing on and off, as almost every other technologial device out there.  So hows is that invasion of privacy? If you buy a nice dress, get your self a stretch limo, a date and then show up to the dance....dont go around saying someone forced you to show up and even then you can leave the dance at any time! Why? cause its a free country!

Nothing against you but I think you where unecessarily harsh to John in that first post....the guy is just trying to be nice and let us know about this new program, doesnt invade anyones privace and no one is being forced to take part in it.

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 20, 2006 9:01 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

nothing to do with Jambo...
...but there's a commercial that annoys the crap out of me... I think it's a Corona beer commercial.  It shows a person trying to find the part of the beach where their cellphone will have no service (they're looking at their phone having progressively fewer bars until it says "no service") -- at which point they decide that's the perfect spot because they won't be disturbed by calls there.

I'm always going, "What the hell?! MY cellphone has an 'off' switch, doesn't yours?"  LOL

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 20, 2006 9:11 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

heh
does John volunteer for Jambo (where's my umlaut when I need it...and for the first time ever, when I need it over an "m"...)?  Is this a technology he has a strong ideological commitment to, or, uh, a nice little start-up that presents decent career opportunities?  Kind of rhetorical questions, but John can answer them if he wants.  

Regardless of whether or not involvement is by choice, it's an invasion of privacy...it's just a matter of whether or not you choose to allow your privacy to be invaded.  Some people would prefer to be connected to the world as they sleep, so for them, sure, it's a welcome invasion of privacy...but's an invasion of privacy nonetheless.  My point was more general, that the line continues to blur, till it will eventually fade away.

I don't cross-dress, so I can't comment on the dance analogy.

Listen, I've experienced first-hand the psychological tumult that the search for immediate stimulation produces.  Thanks largely to irresponsibly looking for the next adrenaline rush, mainly through a seemingly harmless combination of lots of poker playing and lots of caffeine, I developed panic disorder, depression, etc...I've improved significantly since the onset, but I still have scary episodes.  Like one I had today.  I could easily be an alcoholic recluse by this point (and I'm younger than John here), but I still fight the battle.  Daily.  

I'm not alone.  The more gadgets we check, the more pills we pop, legally prescribed or otherwise, the more self-absorbed we become...I know because I've been there, but I also observe, analyze, and of course participate in the world around me.

So that's me.  Sorry if it dampened your hastily formed perception of me, but...you know what, all that being said, I try to have a good time.  Almost everyone I know would describe me as a fun person...too much fun on certain occasions.  High highs, low lows...a little more variability in serotonin levels than in most people, I'd surmise.  But read through my posts, ones like these are the exception.  But forgive me for being a bit cynical after my head spun, heart raced, and muscles went numb while I tried to navigate my car through traffic, a routine commute.  And it lingers...I'm still calming down, through one of my preferred methods, by occupying myself on this great website.  And by popping the Klonopin I rely on.  Estimated recovery time left: 3 months-indefinite.  

I'll close with two quotes I've come to appreciate:

  1. There's a fine line between genius and insanity.  
  2. Wear it.
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 20, 2006 10:18 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

for the record
in the Buffalo area, there's not a whole lot of traffic to navigate through either...it's not exactly NorCal (or SoCal).  I cover my 15 miles in ~20 minutes on the expressway (freeway's strictly a Californian term, heh), 25-30 on the streets depending on my level of aggressiveness (which is dictated by my state of mind/need to get home to my comfort zone).
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 20, 2006 10:31 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

More to address
In answer to your first questions: this is a technology that I believe in, but it also is a startup that potentially could end up being a good career opportunity.  But the latter is all irrelevant at this point, as the startup is barely off the ground.  Obviously, I hope that will change.
Regardless of whether or not involvement is by choice, it's an invasion of privacy...

This is false.  I wrote my honors thesis on the intersection of Radio Frequency Identification Technologies and Privacy, and even though RFID and Jambo are quite different, my discussion of privacy is equally important:
In "Privacy and Autonomy," Hyman Gross argues that privacy is "the condition under which an individual has control over who is acquainted with their personal affairs."   What this means is that the privacy of an individual depends primarily on control; if someone other than the individual to whom the sensitive information pertains has control over this information, privacy is in jeopardy and can be lost.  On the contrary, when an individual has control over his or her own personal affairs and sensitive information, privacy is maintained.  According to Gross, maintaining control over personal affairs and sensitive information, which relates directly to maintaining personal privacy, depends largely on the limits an individual sets on who can access or become familiar with this sensitive information.  It follows, then, that "loss of privacy occurs when the limits one has set on acquaintance with his personal affairs are not respected.  Almost always this means we are not respected by others..."   In order to counteract potential losses of privacy, the limits we set on who has access to our personal affairs can be fortified by physical structures, such as a home or an office, as Gross suggests, or any other place in which we can exist apart from the public.

There are two types of limits that exist in order to help maintain individual privacy.  First, one may impose restrictions on what information may be known by certain individuals.  This concerns information that is not public knowledge-- information that is readily accessible to anyone in society-- and never will be.  For instance, when I visit the hospital, my doctor will know my medical history, but this is not appropriate information for any other type of acquaintance, apart from my immediate family or others I tell, to know.  And in some cases, medical information would not be appropriate for anyone beyond my doctor and his hospital staff to know.  The second type of restriction we implement to protect our privacy limits who can know particular information about us.  Thus, for someone like my doctor to provide my medical records to a potential employer or to a news outlet who goes on to broadcast this information to thousands of people would be to show blatant disregard for both of the limitations our consideration of privacy implies.   Not only is sensitive information becoming known by people who do not have license to this information, but the actual act of spreading this information is an infringement of privacy itself.

In regard to the restrictions on personal information in relation to privacy, Gross points out that privacy is only threatened when both limits (whatever those limits may turn out to be) are violated: "there is not loss of privacy when such limits as do exist are respected, no matter how ample the disclosure or how extensive its circulation."   Thus, so long as information that is known and potentially distributed respects these pre-set restrictions, privacy is not immediately in danger. Of course, as a greater number of people know more and more about an individual, the level at which this individual is at risk of having his or her privacy infringed upon increases.  But as long as the people who know sensitive information about an individual have come to know this information in a legitimate way, where the autonomy of others has been respected, and they do not pass it along in a way that disrespects that autonomy, no loss of privacy has occurred.

I do agree with you about the fine line between genius and insanity.  And I'm hoping that with my involvement behind a team that is very talented and thoughtful, Jambo can err to the side of genius.

Me and your kid probably have the same IQ!! -Swisher to Chavvy

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My Blog

by rungood on Sep 20, 2006 12:29 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I love academia
actually I don't.