Cognitive Friction

This week I’ve noticed a couple of really nice products from web-based startups and I’ve spent way too much time watching video blogs, wishing I could afford to upgrade my iPod. I recommend you check out the following:

Pando makes sharing large files easy, and useful

I came across a story about Pando on TechCrunch and had to check this service out right away. This is essentially a P2P file sharing service designed to make it easy to share large files with others. Here’s how it works:

• You download a free software client, which is available for Mac or Windows.
• You drag large files or folders (up to 1 GB) that you want to share on to the Pando client.
• You send a small file attachment to the people you want to share the file with. This can be sent via email, some IM clients (Outlook and Yahoo IM), or through a link on a web page.
• When the recipients click the Pando attachment, the file starts downloading using Bittorent from your computer or the computers of others who have shared the same file.

The best thing is, download speeds are reported as high and it’s all completely free. I can see great applications for this in sharing large documents, prototypes and other work-related stuff with clients.

Blue Dot makes social bookmarking a compelling prospect

Up to now, I have found social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us or Technorati to be interesting but not compelling. That changed the moment I saw Scoble’s interview with the founders of Blue Dot. So what’s the big deal with Blue Dot?

For me, the big difference is that you can choose to share your bookmarks (dots, in Blue Dot parlance) only with selected groups of friends, family or colleagues. You can make certain dots public, of course, but the permission controls introduce realms of possibility beyond the public-only bookmarking other sites offer. For example, we have a Basecamp project at work called Knowledge Sharing, which we largely use to share bookmarks and related comments. I can see Blue Dot replacing much of this functionality. Check out Scoble’s video blog on this company, you will be sold. I am already planning to add some of their functionality to this blog.

Video blogs are eating up my precious spare time

It doesn’t seem too long since listening to podcasts became the predominant use for my iPod. I now listen to music only when I have no new podcasts available or when I’m working and need to zone out the office hubbub. Now video podcasts are taking up a lot of my time and I wish I had the money to upgrade my iPod to a video-capable model. There are three shows that I watch regularly now, all through iTunes, and if you haven’t seen them I can highly recommend them:

• The Scoble Show: Robert Scoble, former voice of Microsoft’s Channel 9, has joined Podtech and puts out a great show interviewing big names in the tech world. His latest show on Blue Dot is worth catching, and I hear he is interviewing Woz soon, which I am really looking forward to. You can subscribe to the Scobleshow through iTunes or from the Podtech web site.
• Rocketboom: If you haven’t come across Rocketboom’s quirky take on the world then you should definitely check it out. It’s just a three minute slot, so it’s not much of an investment of time and it’s often well worth the effort. Of course, it can cover topics I don’t care for, and produce the occasional lame-duck episode, but Joanne never fails to brighten my day. Rocketboom can be found on iTunes and on the Rocketboom web site.
• The Show, with Ze Frank: I just caught on to this show this week and like it a lot. Like Rocketboom, it’s a three minute slot with one man’s quirky take on the news and life in general. Ze Frank has a more acerbic approach and is likely to comment on more contentious issues than Rocketboom, which is all fine with me. Again you can catch Ze Frank on iTunes or on the Ze Frank web site.

This week I’m reading…

Why?, by Charles Tilly. This is a fascinating examination of the types of reasons people give for their actions in different social situations. Apart from being an interesting read in itself, it may prove useful in my work as it provides a taxonomy of reason giving that seems useful for that large part of my working life I spend trying to understand what people are doing, and why. I’m just a third of the way through the book at present, but I’d already recommend it.