The Dark Furie

If you're reading this page then you've probably noticed that I'm both passionate about and have an intuitive knowledge of mobile devices. If you're not reading this page then I can say whatever I want about you because you'll never find out and your mother said "Hi" last night as she licked at that camel's rectum. Anyway, back to the post. Undoubtedly you've noticed that I push mobile technology further than most people, and also know that I've got a very definite picture in my head about the future of mobile devices and software. When I get passionate about a phone you know it's got something worth being passionate about, and the fact that even the latest phones don't fully meet my needs shows you that my view of the future is born of necessity and innovation rather than copying ideas from other companies.

Wouldn't it be great if my ideas could somehow be brought to the attention of the CEO of a company that creates a leading mobile phone operating system? Can you imagine the fast forward the technology would have if my ideas were taken on board and integrated into a new operating system? That's the reason I recently signed up for an account on Symbian Ideas, where I can submit my ideas and get them rated by others, and eventually have them brought to the attention of the Symbian CEO. Well, that and the fact that my last source in the Symbian team recently left the business meaning that if I'm going to post about the future here I'm going to have to create that future myself. Unfortunately the site is full of people who're going the "copying ideas from other companies" route that I mentioned earlier, with hardly any innovation in their ideas at all so I don't know how long the initiative will last.

My first idea that I posted there is as follows, and includes links to more detailed posts that I've made here.

I suggest scrapping third and first party downloadable applications having new icons and instead integrating them into the existing applications already on the phone.

Okay the basic idea is that the phones have a more powerful core application package (PIM functionality, gallery, image editing, web browser, etc), achieved by combining some features, that deals with most situations and that can have the core applications functionalitys improved via plugins to add new features and browser window shaping widgets rather than having an entirely new application added to the menu. These plugins would use the core user interface as standard, only adding new functions to the existing applications. For example, rather than downloading a new application to add funny stickers to my images I'd add a plugin to my image editor that does that. Rather than downloading a new Twitter client I'd add a widget to my Twitter bookmark that shapes how the site is presented when I open the bookmark.

This would result in both a cleaner user interface with less icons needed, making it easier for newcomers to find their way around the phone and for themers to create themes, and a more personal device containing only the extra functions you actually need. As user interface wouldn't be a concern for most developers, they could release smaller function packages quickly for smaller development costs, luring bedroom coders towards Symbian as they design things for their own use.

I've written about this in a bit more detail before now and there are more examples and a more advanced way of looking at this at that link. I'll try to copy it over at some point, but the main points are all present.

So, here's what I need from my readers, all you other mobile junkies who come here for your fix of mobile news and views amongst other things. I need you to visit the site I linked earlier in the post and make your own account, then vote for my idea and any others that you like so that they can be brought to the attention of the people who can actually make that happen. Remember, my view of the mobile future is a glorious one that just needs a chance.

The millitary and Sasquatch

Hitslink - for many it's a tool, the way we see how many people have visited us recently. For some though, it's a dark insight into the minds of our visitors. A terrifying visage of the world around us.

Okay, the first thought that ran through my head my head when I saw this was "Oh fuck, someone in Washington is looking for anyone who knows about the military's secret plans for Bigfoot." The second thought that ran through my head was "Get away from the windows. Don't let them get the shot!" It was only the third thought that reminded me that only my military is experimenting with DNA from fabled creatures. It was then that I realised I'd found a spy after my work and sent my own assassins over to America's capital - Washington, Seattle.

"What is life without trust?" he muses in his final blog post. He talks a lot about these intangible things we need in life recently. He has done ever since he found out about the cancer. He tells us how he could always trust his body to do what he wants, how he feels betrayed by it now as it rots from the inside out. He tells us how much we all mean to him, how he's trusted us to keep him strong through the illness, how much all our cards and gifts have meant. He types one final word, and is gone...

A little melodramatic, yes. A little derivative, of course. A load of bullshit, yes it is. What you've seen above is a prime example of Munchausen By Internet. Most people are already aware of Munchausen Syndrome in real life, the strange condition that causes people to fake or induce an illness or injury in themselves in order to gain a medical professionals attention. Related to that is Munchausen By Proxy, where the sufferer induces an illness or injury in a weaker third party (usually a child or other dependent) for the same reasons, and it is that particular form that is usually seen on television or in films making it the most well known. Munchausen By Internet is similar in the actions of the sufferer, but rather than seeking attention from a medical professional the sufferer aims at online communities. Like the fictional Baron who the disorder is named after, Munchausen sufferers tell vivid and fantastic tales of woe to anyone who will listen and, on the internet, the entire world can be your audience with only one click. Just like people who exhibit the symptoms of Munchausen in real life, those who practice this disorder over the internet will tell detailed tales of their descent (or that of someone close to them) into illness. They will have detailed information on the symptoms they say they're suffering from (something that people could only get from medical journals and encyclopedias before but now is available via a simple web search) and give enough of that detail in their postings that most people will believe them.

It starts innocently enough, as someone new joins a community and starts to make friends and you may meet them by yourself or through another common friend. They become popular quickly, seeming in hindsight to have catered their personalities to suit those of the group they've chosen to infiltrate. They may even have a whole supporting cast of characters in their life - family and friends that they talk about on their posts - and some of these people may already be online (the most advanced forms of these create several personalities, build friendships and relationships between them and focus on whichever turns out to be the most popular one while keeping the others going) or may claim to have met each other in real life since becoming friends online or talk every night on the phone. They gain peoples trust, become part of their lives, and become cared about. Sometimes it can be years before the trouble begins.

In most cases it starts slowly with the person posting about a strange recurring pain they've been having, and they eventually and unwillingly cave to peer pressure from their online friends to go see a doctor. They'll anxiously await test results, with their friends so drawn into the drama that they may as well be waiting for their own results. The test results come back and the charade is in full swing as the person tells everyone the terrible news about how long they have left to live. They'll be scared, but put on a brave face. Sometimes their bravery will even be inspiring to others. They'll talk openly about their fears, sharing secrets with other people, slowly coming to accept their illness, fighting the valiant fight (some have had cancer go into remission then repeatedly return) but ultimately losing. The death is a simple affair. The blog goes quiet for a short time then a relative comes on and posts about the death just to inform the friends of the person. Sometimes one of their supporting cast will announce it to others as they've found out from visiting/calling their friend.

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Case Study 1 - The Knitting Monkey
Gigi Silva was part of an online knitting community under the name MommaMonkey and definitely not the sort of person you'd expect to pull this sort of trick. She'd been a helpful member for years, gained many friends and shared thousands of her knitting patterns online.

Read more...