WELCOME TO THE Weird Wide Web – where we take a look at some of the internet’s best offerings in social media, tech, science and weird news.
1. #TWTTR
Can you remember the first thing you ever tweeted? Was it something inane like “Hello” or “Just joined Twitter”?
Well, if so, you’re in good company. In honour of the micro-blogging site’s sixth anniversary @First30Tweets rounded up the first tweets ever to be posted – from all the way back when the site was still known as Twttr.com.
CEO Jack Dorsey’s initial contribution? “Just setting up my twttr”.
Mmm… we can see how it took off.
But, now that the site has come on a bit, what was trending this week? Two topics that got Ireland’s thumbs moving were the Census and – of course – the news that Anchorman 2 was to become a reality…
#census11
#census11
#census11
#census11
#census11
#census11
The return of Ron Burgundy
The return of Ron Burgundy
The return of Ron Burgundy
The return of Ron Burgundy
2. Jon V Jon
Last month, British author Jon Ronson stumbled onto an unexpected identity battleground when he logged onto Twitter and discovered that a spambot using his name and image had been created – and was generating automated tweets, such as:
Watching #Seinfeld; I would love a big plate of celeriac, grouper and sour cream kebab with lemongrass (link)
Ronson contacted the creators – a group of academics (who, incidentally, preferred the term “infomorph” to spambot) – asking them to remove the account as it was taking his identity. The group replied:
The informorph isn’t taking your identity. It is repurposing social media data into an informorphic aesthetic…
(Yes, seriously.)
Ronson asked the group to meet with him to discuss them matter further. The ensuing exchange is in equal parts infuriating and… infuriating.
Uploaded by EscapeAndControl
3. Connected
Check out these very cool DIY interactive kits that allow you to build your own personalised animated paper objects which connect to the web through WiFi.
The objects (called reaDIYmate) plays sounds, move and react to events that happen in a user’s digital life after being hooked up to web services like Facebook, Gmail, Foursquare, Soundcloud, Twitter.
And, even more impressive, they and can also form kinetic sculptures that can be controlled with your iPhone.
Via Wired
4. Google’s self driving car
To prove the capabilities of their self-driving car, Google asked Steve Mahan, who has lost 95 per cent of his vision, to test drive it:
Uploaded by Google
5. Memewatch
The latest bandwagon to jump on has arrived… and this one is especially for Mad Men fanatics. “Draping”, which mimics Don Draper’s casual-arm-over-the-back-of-the-sofa pose, has spawned a Twitter hashtag Tumblr page – and its popularity shows no sign of slowing yet.
6. Human face video mapping… through a mobile
What do you mean you use your phone to “make calls”?
Uploaded by SamsungPortugal
7. The stars
Ever wondered what the view from the International Space Station would be like? NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured a series of truly breathtaking images of our planet, which Alex Rivest has put together to make this beautiful time-lapse video:
Uploaded by CllifOrDofficial
