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The Debate about Social Software
Roland Piquepaille writes "Is "social software" the new overhyped buzzword? In an article for the Guardian, Jack Schofield says yes. On the contrary, in Historical Roots of Social Software, Howard Rheingold offers insights about this new phenomenon. And in this Tech Central Station article, Arnold Kling agrees with Rheingold. He thinks that social software is likely to the basis of what could be the next "killer app." Kling says that with social software, the interaction is no longer between you and your computer, but between the groups you belong to and networks of computers. In order to explain the issues, King studies three types of problems that this new kind of software might solve: the matching problem, the issue-resolution problem, and the classroom-management problem. So, is social software hype or reality?"
And what if we make a beowulf cluster with this???
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I certainly regard myself as a masterdebator
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The jockey who won the Kentucky Derby aboard Funny Cide is being investigated by track stewards who examined a photo of him possibly holding something besides his whip as he crossed the finish line.
Santos
Besides Jose Santos' whip, officials are looking at this Getty Images photo, wondering what other object he was holding before crossing the finish line.
The investigation will focus "most particularly on the actions" of Jose Santos at the race, chief Churchill Downs steward Bernie Hettel said Saturday. The stewards scheduled a meeting for Monday with Santos and Funny Cide owner Jack Knowlton, said Karen Murphy, the jockey's lawyer.
Knowlton said any accusations that Santos might have cheated are "just absolutely, totally ridiculous." Funny Cide, a 12-1 shot, became the first New York-bred horse and first gelding since 1929 to win the Derby, holding off favorite Empire Maker by 1 3/4 lengths last Saturday.
The stewards decided to investigate after The Miami Herald published the photo, along with a story. A reporter from the Herald brought the image to the attention of the stewards Thursday night.
The investigation gave Empire Maker's trainer, Bobby Frankel, second thoughts about his decision to skip the Preakness. He told the Blood-Horse Web site he was going to enter Empire Maker, after all, but later he decided against it.
"I don't think there'll be any change," Frankel said, referring to the possibility that Funny Cide could be disqualified in the Derby, "so I'll stick to my original plans."
Kentucky Racing Commission rules do not prohibit a jockey from holding an object besides his whip, other than those specifically prohibited, such as an electrical device that might make the horse run faster.
The Getty Images photo, which ran in several newspapers the morning after the race, depicts a dark area in the space between Santos' right hand and his whip. It is unclear whether the area is a shadow, the green background of another jockey's silks or something else.
Rick Leigh, a Churchill Downs steward, told the Herald the photo looks "very suspicious." The stewards, who have ultimate authority over a race's results, set no timetable for their investigation.
"It takes as long as it takes," track spokesman John Asher said. "If there is a next step, it could be a formal charge or a hearing. But we are nowhere near that."
Knowlton
Jack Knowlton, one of the owners of Funny Cide, answers questions from the media at Belmont on Saturday.
The stewards could take away Funny Cide's victory and award the Derby to another horse if they find that Santos violated racing rules. There has been only one Derby winner disqualified, Dancer's Image in 1968 after he was given banned medication. Forward Pass was declared the winner.
Knowlton called the investigation "an unneeded distraction" as he prepares to take Funny Cide to Baltimore for the Preakness.
"We're trying to get the horse and all the horse's connections ready for the second leg of the Triple Crown," he said by phone from the horse's barn at Belmont Park in New York.
"There's absolutely, positively not one iota to this and we're very, very disappointed that an individual can take the luster off what we all consider to be a great victory."
The Herald reported that Santos said he carried an object in his hand during the race and that he described it as a "'cue' ring" to alert an outrider to his presence. An outrider is a rider aboard a pony who can guide a thoroughbred before and after the race.
However, Santos told the Daily Racing Form that the Herald misunderstood. The jockey, who is from Chile and speaks English with a heavy accent, said he was talking about a ``Q-ray'' bracelet he wears for arthritis.
Frank Carlson, the Herald's horse racing writer, told New York Racing Association vice pr
I am a homosexual. I bought an Apple computer because of its well earned reputation for being "the" gay computer. Since I have become an Apple owner, I have been exposed to a whole new world of gay friends. It is really a pleasure to meet and compute with other homos such as myself. I plan on using my new Apple computer as a way to entice and recruit young schoolboys into the homosexual lifestyle; it would be so helpful if you could produce more software which would appeal to young boys. Thanks in advance.
with much gayness,
Father Randy "Pudge" O'Day, S.J.