It is not enough to get information, now need we to have that information presented contextually and graphically. If done well, this kind of information aggregation can cause greater understanding, but naturally it can also cause greater confusion.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/13/graphing-internet-digg-google-trends/
Digg has the lead on creating fascinating ways to connect who is spreading what information. The net is all about the curious flow of connectivity between people and topics. If you are in marketing this is tremendously useful for tracking fads. If you’re bored at work, this is a cool distraction that make you sound so knowledgeable at the water cooler. Check out Digg Swarm for example.
As topics pop up digg connects and moves the topic heads around like gas molecules in a chamber. Some items are connected (as shown with the bridge connectors) and others are tiny bubbles that will fall off the screen quickly. The bubbles move quickly so the screen shot was tricky. Just go take a look.
In other information source news, the kids at microsoft have been fantasizing about swimsuit models. Microsoft Pivot lets you search for pictures. Say you want to look at Sports Illustrated Covers . . . but only covers featuring bikini models. Viola! All the Swimsuit Issues pop up. Pun fully intended.
For Microsoft Pivot fun: http://www.getpivot.com/
Like everything else from Microsoft, it is a pain-in-the -arse to get it. Instead of being available on the net like all of the other great infotainment products . . . you must download the microsift pivot program. And you must update your silverlight drivers. Oh wait, you don’t have silverlight? Then you must download that too….
Open Note to Microsoft: We tolerate you. Barely.
Get it together folks. They have some clever folks at Microsoft, but damn, it is such a bother to use any of their more clever outputs, why bother?
If I could love Excel less, I wouldn’t even consider using Microsoft products.
Anyway, if you can put up with the bafoonery of how microsoft let’s you use their products, then the labs have cranked out some fun things. Go get pivot.