Friends
What is a friend?
Me Up for the challenge? ...
Friend request "... Sounds fine, would love to chat but I'm afraid I don't pass on personal details ..."
I've written this for my facebook account. A place I mostly package stuff from the open web to some friends. Noticed CodeSurgeon on Friendfeed has the same idea...
I've been thinking about this for a while now. What really constitutes a friend, on a computer system? If you look at it at a systems level a friend can be as simple as a binary toggle in a database with an identity id. It's easy to be friends in cyberspace. Just a click and a link in a couple of database tables represents a relationship. But real friends aren't like that. At a minimum you have met them. At least once. You probably know where they currently live. If not then where they grew up. What school they went to, what kind of things they like. What kind of look they last gave you when you cracked a rather ordinary joke.
So what do I do when I get a friend request of people I don't know? Well I think I now have a solution. When I look through my friend list on Facebook there's Spoofy, Moose, Simon, Jim, Glenn. Each of these blokes I've met. I went to Primary School with "G". We both bawled our eyes out when we lost the Footy Grand Final in G5. Then cheered the next year as we killed St.Andrews PS in the Grand Final at St. Andrews football oval. We went to High School together. And while we might have only crossed paths a few times after this, I wouldn't hesitate to call him if I need a hand. Visa versa if he ever gets round to farming :)
Then there's Moose and Spoofy. You can read about both here ~ www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3399436107/ Jim, Simon who I also went to High School with. They hijacked me (on this exact road driving for miles and not knowing where I was going. Bit thick I'm afraid) one night as my folks organised a 21st for me the next day. We've spent many a day just doing stuff. Another Simon. Met him numerous times, been over to his house, had lunch, dinners. And Ross. I've met him and he's got similar qualities I tend to favour. Bright, honest, open and speaks their mind. Someone who you know will speak up for you just as much as against you if you're in the wrong.
My site is open. Read here to see what I mean ~ www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3386846627/ All the content is available for searching on the web. But if you want to get into my friend list you have to go a bit further than clicking a button. It's nothing personal. I'm just making sure you're really in this for the long haul, good and bad and not as a trophy friend.
I don't make snap judgments on people I know. You can be easily fooled. But not over the long run. So here's the deal. If you want to become my "friend" you're going to have to earn the right as these people have. I've met all of the them (with the exception of Yotam. He makes me laugh, a fellow nerd who gets it that I think he's mossad and knows I'll take anything he can dish up). If you want to be my friend I'll set the following challenge.
We'll meet at a venue say www.thehive.org.au/ - a tech meet for entrepreneurs. We'll exchange drinks and cards and chat. Don't be put off if by the end of the night I ask your full name, birth date, where you used to live, school, your address, stuff you like, favourite food, your age, work, weight, height and then check it against your current license. Then we'll see how we go from there. This is a bit of a joke right? Well I reckon I'd know most of these things with my current friends. That or if I asked, they'd tell.
Sound stupid?
Well maybe but that's the base level of trust I have in them. In the world of Open data I'll expose my personal stuff as much as I like. But to get to my friends you have to jump through some hoops.
Anyone up for the challenge?
next >>>
Friends
What is a friend?
Me Up for the challenge? ...
Friend request "... Sounds fine, would love to chat but I'm afraid I don't pass on personal details ..."
I've written this for my facebook account. A place I mostly package stuff from the open web to some friends. Noticed CodeSurgeon on Friendfeed has the same idea...
I've been thinking about this for a while now. What really constitutes a friend, on a computer system? If you look at it at a systems level a friend can be as simple as a binary toggle in a database with an identity id. It's easy to be friends in cyberspace. Just a click and a link in a couple of database tables represents a relationship. But real friends aren't like that. At a minimum you have met them. At least once. You probably know where they currently live. If not then where they grew up. What school they went to, what kind of things they like. What kind of look they last gave you when you cracked a rather ordinary joke.
So what do I do when I get a friend request of people I don't know? Well I think I now have a solution. When I look through my friend list on Facebook there's Spoofy, Moose, Simon, Jim, Glenn. Each of these blokes I've met. I went to Primary School with "G". We both bawled our eyes out when we lost the Footy Grand Final in G5. Then cheered the next year as we killed St.Andrews PS in the Grand Final at St. Andrews football oval. We went to High School together. And while we might have only crossed paths a few times after this, I wouldn't hesitate to call him if I need a hand. Visa versa if he ever gets round to farming :)
Then there's Moose and Spoofy. You can read about both here ~ www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3399436107/ Jim, Simon who I also went to High School with. They hijacked me (on this exact road driving for miles and not knowing where I was going. Bit thick I'm afraid) one night as my folks organised a 21st for me the next day. We've spent many a day just doing stuff. Another Simon. Met him numerous times, been over to his house, had lunch, dinners. And Ross. I've met him and he's got similar qualities I tend to favour. Bright, honest, open and speaks their mind. Someone who you know will speak up for you just as much as against you if you're in the wrong.
My site is open. Read here to see what I mean ~ www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3386846627/ All the content is available for searching on the web. But if you want to get into my friend list you have to go a bit further than clicking a button. It's nothing personal. I'm just making sure you're really in this for the long haul, good and bad and not as a trophy friend.
I don't make snap judgments on people I know. You can be easily fooled. But not over the long run. So here's the deal. If you want to become my "friend" you're going to have to earn the right as these people have. I've met all of the them (with the exception of Yotam. He makes me laugh, a fellow nerd who gets it that I think he's mossad and knows I'll take anything he can dish up). If you want to be my friend I'll set the following challenge.
We'll meet at a venue say www.thehive.org.au/ - a tech meet for entrepreneurs. We'll exchange drinks and cards and chat. Don't be put off if by the end of the night I ask your full name, birth date, where you used to live, school, your address, stuff you like, favourite food, your age, work, weight, height and then check it against your current license. Then we'll see how we go from there. This is a bit of a joke right? Well I reckon I'd know most of these things with my current friends. That or if I asked, they'd tell.
Sound stupid?
Well maybe but that's the base level of trust I have in them. In the world of Open data I'll expose my personal stuff as much as I like. But to get to my friends you have to jump through some hoops.
Anyone up for the challenge?
next >>>