It's basically a Wikipedia-like knowledge creation app, but the design focus is on identifiable individuals writing on a subject area; collaborators are also named.

Examples given have been created by Medical Doctors, Profs etc - Google are obviously trying to position this as individual expertise and opinion, vs. the collaborative, independent wisdom of groups in Wikipedia.

I'd read about it before, and reminded myself to take a further look. And just by chance, they happened to launch Knol to the public today.

There's a nice write up of the Knol team in today's Wired.

So, curious to see it in action, I created a Knol; recycling an old (2003) Academic paper I'd written.

You can access the Knol here.

A very smooth content creation experience - better than the Google Docs experience (surely it uses the same engine?) and a nice touch - embeddeble NewYorker cartoons, and simple Creative Commons rights setting.

Out of curiosity, I setup an AdSense account (I don't expect to earn a penny from that though!).

Very impressive content creation experience.

Whether this will get targeted by spam-like content creators will be interesting to see.

It's used to particularly good effect to engender feedback for this UK government strategy paper on innovation.

via Tom Watson.

One particularly lovely idea, in action, noless, is this guy, Simon Berry, who had the idea of Coca Cola using its distribution network to bundle much needed salts into various countries:

"Our idea is: That Coca Cola use their distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to distribute rehydration salts. Maybe by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as 'the life saving' compartment?"

Brilliant lateral thinking - loads of updates here:

Simon's Blog (the personal one), and if you want to show support, join the Facebook group.

Of the millions of topics I know nothing about, medicine/healthcare is one of them (being so fit and all :-).

So this list of innovations in healthcare is quite amazing. I think the ability to treat cataracts, and the eradication of smallpox are both 'innovations' as well.

I also think how Cuba, through the constraint of not being able to afford reactive healthcare, unlike most other countries, innovated by shifting focus to preventative healthcare.

I think Cuba's healthcare innovation, like many great 'quiet' innovations are focused on getting in control of what you don't want to do, not what you end up doing (to paraphrase Steve Jobs).

Wonderful - full screen 'Powerpoint' formatted novels, for when the boss walks by.

This is simultaneously amusing and depressing (I mean if you need this site, quit your job!)

Having known Guy Dickinson, the proprietor of this blog, for 6 or 7 years, I can tell you that this is a man whose thoughts are never still. He calls it ADD, (as if it was something that shoudl be medicated away) but it's more like he is carrying on a perpetual-motion conversation with the world; he is asking rapid-fire questions instead of taking-for-granted assumptions, and making his own suggestions instead of waiting for someone else's answers.

It's been a couple of months since he and I have spoken, mainly because I've been trudging through a death march project at work, but I realized how much I missed talking with him as soon as I started listening to Nicole Simon's wonderful interview with Guy just before the Reboot10 conference held this past week in Copenhagen. In a little more than 20 minutes, Nicole and Guy cover a universe of topics, from the paradoxical interactivity of micro-presentations, to the novelty of the age-old process of food gardening, to whether easy access to knowledge via Google is actually making us stupid, to how book technology has shaped literature, to how we all may profit by giving away some of our best ideas. It's well worth a listen.

Near the end of the interview, while talking about giving away ideas, I was reminded of a quotation by Thomas Jefferson which seems to me to support Guy's argument and to describe Guy to a certain extent, too.

If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possesses the whole of it. He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.

"15 years ago some of these predictions were far more outrageous than today, and some are more outrageous today than back then. We made short lists of ideas and emailed them to provoke each other. This is the aggregate of several rounds."

They're prescient in some:

"Revitalized cities squeeze out the urban poor to squatters' suburbs. Inner cities flourish. The poor take over the nearest suburbs, between edge cities and downtowns. With little transportation in the suburbs, the poor are really downtrodden."

Close to the mark in others:

"No more employees. Everybody is hired as a consultant, each negotiates a deal with various goodies (benefits, insurance, perks). Even factory workers are treated as "consultants."

Elsewhere, a bit tongue in cheek"

"Everybody becomes so completely cynical about the election process that voter turnout drops to 2 percent (families and relatives of prospective politicians) until finally the "democratic process" is abandoned in favour of a lottery system. Everything immediately improves."

And aspirational:

"American education works. Revived by vouchers, a longer school year, private schools and for-profit schools, the majority of Americans (though not the most disadvantaged) get the best education in the world."

That these ideas, even 15 years ago, are so on the ball is no surprise I suppose, coming as the do from Eno and Kelly.

You can see the maturation of these scenario planning exercises in initiatives such as 'Long Bets', where scenario outcomes over multiple years are wagered, and the parent organisation, Long Now.

I've been curious about Eno and Kelly's involvement with Scenario Planning through their involvement with the Global Business Network; now we see the seeds of that approach.

Brilliant stuff; there's a load more in the post, do read.

An NGO ("crime and communities") advisor has written a reasonable review looking at reactions from the 'community' re. crime.

The headline on the news site is great, but I only see vague recommendations re. online crime stats, and no solid proposals to, say, engage MySociety et al and release this information in an easily usable format.

I've scan-read the report "Engaging communities in fighting crime", and found this section on online crim stats maps

"With advances in mapping technology, there are several examples of crime information available on websites that allow the public to bring up crime information mapped onto a neighbourhood."

"Mapping and interactive reporting tools are useful and careful consideration should be given to their development and presentation. We believe some consideration should also be given to standardising the information they provide on crime, based on best practice, so that consistent types of information are presented to the public in a recognisable and user-friendly format. While the focus of existing sites is local, some consideration should also be given comparisons between areas. An end aim could be to ensure that information is available on a national basis, consistent between areas. This would raise the profile of such information with the public – and a consistent format would make sense to a more mobile population."

Here's hoping that this section of the report is acted upon, and the govt simply provide this data in a decent format, allowing for information mashups ala Chicago Crime .

UPDATE: Got an email from someone involved with SpotCrime, which seems to be a mashup of news sites (mainly US, but they have a London site, linked) with google maps.

Interesting, and very up to date, as it pulls in news reports, rather than the retrospective data of say, Everyblock.

Some manipulable graphs of histroical data would be a fantastic tool for urban planners, local councils, prospective and current residents...I bet most places have far less crime, than perceived, and would make for a useful community reassurance tool.

I really like the effort (and hook at the end) that this chap has gone to, in order to mockup his dream text editor.

Reminds me of Khoi Vinh's mockup of BlockWriter asking for someone to build the ideal, distraction-free text editor.

Which they did.

I think they'll kill off ipod classic, we'll see the framing of the 'touch platform' - I reckon Jobs will literally delineate the touch and mac as two distinct, but integrated platforms, and demo a load of stuff accordingly.

So:

def: 3G iphone, no GPS
def: this snow leopard shit they've been talking about
def: new touch
def: some publishing/ebook announcement (new yorker content, blah de blah)
def: intunes renamed to suit it's multi-purpose function

no: new macbook pro form factor (I reckon they'll do a press special in a month or two)
no: different iphone form factors
no: completely new whatever (itablet, toaster, etc)

"Gmail Labs is essentially a stage for Google employees to develop new features for Gmail under the public eye. Starting at 6pm PT tonight, all Gmail users in the US and UK will see a new tab in the settings area called “Labs”. The tab will show a selection of beta features, such as “Pictures in Chat”, which (unsurprisingly) puts portraits in chat sessions, and “Mouse Gestures”, which allows you to navigate Gmail using mouse gestures.

Fabulous - I really like this approach of a really early push of rough features out to users and getting them to use and feedback...

I'd like to see them extend this even further and just list the ideas they have for upcoming gmail features, and enable people to vote on them, and refine the idea.

Interesting to see them take the long view on ad revenue, where the goal is retain a user's value from ads, not just goose short term revenue:

"These factors contribute to an ad’s ‘quality score.’ The higher that score, the less the advertiser has to bid to secure top billing. For example, an advertiser who offers to pay $1 per click to attract those searching for ‘vacation rentals in Colorado’ may receive more prominent placement than another who bids $1.50 for the same query but has a lower quality score. An advertiser with a very low quality score may have to bid so much for placement as to make it uneconomical.

Quality scores work as an incentive to advertisers to improve their ads, which benefits users and, in turn, benefits Google, Mr. Fox said."

Thinking like this is why Google rule search - they understand deeply that they're in the intention space - and diminishing the value of intention from their users will corrode their long term brand...

If only other companies were as focused on the long view.

So, the last day of open drinking on the Tube network, and some bright spark(s) decide to convene and impromptu party to celebrate...

Cue thousands(?) descending on the Circle Line for the last night of boozing...

Could have been a wonderfully eccentric British bash, except it ends up with shit everywhere and a bunch of assaults on staff.

Ah, the reputation of Brits and Booze takes another hit.

Much more interesting is the use of social networks in enabling this unstructured gathering to take place...

According to the news article:

"The party, mostly on the Circle Line, was dubbed the Last Round on the Underground or Last Orders. It had previously been widely advertised on social networking and other internet sites."

I can't find any reference to these on Facebook - looks like the events have been expunged (or they fall off the search index past the date?), but there's a great write up of how FaceBook was used here

I bet the Government have already got plans to force ISPs to pull net access to Facebook et al in times of 'serious' public disorder...