Links

Genes into space

And now you can send out your genes into space. You write a poem on your photo, stick your hair on it, and they’ll throw it into space. Read the FAQ. Oh, and by the way, it costs $50. If they can store 4.5 million submissions, and get $30 per submission (after discounts), they still make $135 million. Plus merchandise, advertising, etc. How much does it cost to launch a spacecraft? (NASA lets you send your name to Mars for free, though. I signed up and got a certificate.)

NetMogul

Carl Steadman’s book, NetMogul, is evolving online. It’s about dot-com startups. What I liked best was the way the book has been formatted online.

Nomic

Nomic is a game that you play by changing the rules of the game. You start with an initial set of rules and then players can vote to change the rules. Steve Gardner has produced a summary of many such games played on the Internet. If you’re interested in legislation, or online games, this is an interesting topic.

Opera 5

I shifted from Netscape Navigator to Internet Explorer because I could cut and paste tables from IE to Excel. But now that I’ve downloaded Opera 5.11, used its zoom function, it’s gesture keys, and so on, I’m moving over to Opera. Long live Opera! (Which, given Netscape’s fate, is perhaps no more than a fond hope.)

Zero piracy zone

By the end of the year, Bangalore will become a zero piracy zone. First, the Karnataka Government will try and eliminate all piracy within. Then it’ll appoint compliance officers who’ll walk into offices and check randomly. And this will reduce piracy. Right. What of corruption?

Orbitz

Orbitz, the travel site backed by Delta, Northwest and American, is online. It cuts through travel agents and lets passengers book flight tickets directly with the airlines. (I tried booking a flight from Mumbai to Bangkok, but for some reason, it kept giving me an error.)