I just got back from a guest lecture by Marc Smith of Microsoft who researches community technologies/social networking environments. He mentioned the different tools available for social networks, like mail, newsgroups, blogs, flickr, del.icio.us, etc. All these most of us use, and find indispensible in some sense. Now don't get me wrong, Marc was smart and witty, but when he threw at me - MoSoSo, SNARF, AURA and a whole bunch of other Micorsoft acronyms, I'd never even imagined, I was lost! Could this be *it*? Is this what we all have been looking for to improve the quality of our already information-overloaded lives? Perhaps....But what do you have to say to BodyBugg, the little thing you strap around your arm that tells you you've been a couch potato today. Do I need BodyBugg to tell me I'm a lazy ass (sometimes...)  There was also SenseCam which you put around your neck and it'll take pics throughout the day everytime you change context (sit/stand, etc). Great for Alzheimer's patients (and studies prove so). But do I want to carry this on my vacation to Italy? Thanks but no thanks.....I'll take my own pictures that aren't shot at neck level randomly.

So the point is, we have HUGE research going into social networks, and the re-emergence of the Net with user-created content, and now that we have all this content, we need to have tools to organize this, and its endless....I'm beginning to lose the distinction between what we need and what we *think* we need. Maybe my view is over-simplified, but wouldn't it be worthwhile engaging in more meaningful research like... I don't know....computers consuming less/alternative power...what with cheap Linux boxes thrown into HUGE data centers radiating enough heat to give the sun a complex. Electricity is getting scarce you know...our recent heat wave's proven that! Oh, maybe that would be another area of research- changing weather patterns and its long term effects. You know the boring, mundane stuff! We already do that you  say...hmmmm maybe then we do have time freed up to think of how to tag and annotate the entire web world for a meaningful, contextual experience!!! You tell me.