I’ve posted about “reputation” previously; including links to sites and video discussing the importance of reputation in a digitally-connected world (link). I’ve also posted about griefers; mainly of the virtual 3D space variety (link). Well, here’s an interesting bit of regular old character assassination courtesy of USAToday, “A false Wikipedia ‘biography’ ” (link); just the wikipedia and the good old 2D internet. Worth reading.

via C|Net

I’d like to post more about rapid-prototyping and desktop manufacturing, but the truth is there’s not much being said out there that I haven’t already discussed here. The concept and potential may still be seeping into the mainstream, but I’m watching the science and engineering now, and on those fronts things take time to develop… which is why in the meantime I spend so much time following topics I think are relevant and related.

I do, however, still find it interesting to see the Big Idea moving out into the mass consciousness. It’s not the same as with non-physical content: music, movies, etc. Watching mp3’s go from yielding maybe 10 hits on a websearch to Napster was like watching a crowd gather round a wrecked armored car hemorrhaging money. It’s been a frenzy. Understandably so. A song doesn’t have a physical presence, so downloading it off the internet doesn’t feel like theft to most people. I don’t believe the same will be true for digital files people can easily fabricate and hold in their hands. For that reason I’m especially interested in observing how the digital rights/piracy issue plays out when regular people realize their whole world is becoming replicable (*reBang*). What will they think when they finally realize their blue collar manufacturing job isn’t just in danger of the technology, but of the casual attitudes of people all around them? Suddenly, they all have a stake in the piracy issue (which of course was the point of my old “rocket launcher” post).

That said, via an entry over on WorldChanging.com (link), comes word of a short article on Salon called “Desktop Manufacturing” (link, registration or ad viewing required). Not much there, to be honest. More interesting are the comments of Jamais Cascio and assorted commentators. Be sure to read that one.

Yesterday evening a Second Life acquaintaince casually mentioned that they’d just come from a virtual movie theater playing the recently released-to-DVD “War of the Worlds“. This person also mentioned how their spouse was amazed. I’m not entirely sure why. They’d previously seen a pr0n flick in SL. Maybe pr0n is so ubiquitous on the net no one gives it a second thought. In any event, it once again reminded me of the inherent power for a virtual world to distribute content. There are plenty of virtual radio stations, movie theaters, and nightclubs with live streaming music and audience interaction. There are even virtual books which can only be read inside the virtual space. It’s like the virtual world gateway is a form of DRM system.

Well, via Blue’s News comes word of a new racing game that appears to be partially based on leveraging videogames as distribution conduits. From the Mythopoea Games website:

Phoenix Racing will offer three different user options. … ALL users will be able to hear special music from Jamie Hunerdosse, Eric Hand, and other musicians, plus each user will be able add custom music to the game.

DRM software as videogame. Makes sense to me.

I noticed something odd a couple days ago when I logged into Yahoo Email: the addition of “Yahoo Avatars” to my profile {Note: I don’t have Yahoo Messenger, which has had avatars for some time}. Okay. So I figured I’d see what this was about and clicked on the mysteriously grey silhouette that prompted my curiousity (I’ll avoid joking about how I initially thought it might be Big Brother scanning my email). That led to a “create your avatar” page which doesn’t seem to work (since the “Save” isn’t working I’m wondering if I’m supposed to pay someone to let me change my default appearance; or maybe it’s Firefox…). But what really caught my attention was the branding. Heck, there’s even a separate tab all on its own called – what else? – “Branded” stuck up there with “Appearance“, “Apparel” and “My Favorites“. And what brand is being hyped right off the bat? None other than Chrysler Jeep. I guess they weren’t kidding. Good for them.

Now if they can just get the darn thing working. This clean-cut look irritates the hell out of me.

{Update: Holy Crap. As I prepared to log out, I just noticed Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. gear! Just what I wanted! Keep your Shanghai Tang pleated leather and give me a t-shirt with a faux ketchup stain. That’s class. Just how I want to represent myself on the net.}

For anyone who remembers how “Made in Japan” was a running joke in the U.S. during the 70’s, the “Made in China” tag can elicit some mixed feelings. It gives off the “been there, done that” vibe as in “We joked once and then watched as the Japanese taught us a thing or two about quality, so maybe I should keep my mouth shut about China”. On the other hand, for those who aren’t old enough (especially within the design community), the often defensive commentary on China has taken pot shots at their design ability; or rather, supposed lack of it. And even though more than a few older designers are out there reminding the youngsters that Chinese business is only giving the West what it wants, the perception that the West somehow owns style persists.

Well, get ready to eat crow youngsters. BusinessWeek is carrying a slideshow (link) to accompany an article today on Shanghai Tang, and it’s looking like the one-way style street has opened for two-way traffic. Maybe we should give the Chinese 3 of the 4 lanes.

{Image source: BusinessWeek}