"Generalized Algebraic Data Structures" have become a a hot new topic. They have recently been added to the GHC compiler. They support the construction, maintenance, and propagation of semantic properties of programs using powerful old ideas about types (the Curry-Howard Isomorphism) in surprisingly easy to understand new ways. The language Omega was designed and implemented to demonstrate their utility. Here a a few talks I gave that explains how they work. Also class lectures
* MakeCloud simplifies adding a cloud to any web page. Give it an RSS feed, and it makes a link cloud that summarizes the contents of the feed, and provides code to embded the cloud * FeedMarklet instantly creates an RSS feed and a browser button. You click the browser button to add whatever page you are currently reading to the feed. It is faster and easier to save links, because you do not have to interupt your browsing flow to go to a different website, and it automatically extracts information to save you the effort of entering it manually. * Video Lecture Database is a collection of links to streaming video lectures on subjects ranging from quantum mechanics to literature. The lectures are tagged. * The WizzardWiki is a power user's wiki- no stripped down markup here, just raw HTML, with real-time previews. * Hebbalicious is an experimental link cloud. Links get bigger when clicked, and anyone can submit a link. The cloud sorts out the rest.
It is greatly ironic that algorithms, the quintessential example of all that is not human, would be so fundamental to social media. Last week I wrote a post about how Google gathers user data. This week I continue by exposing how popular social media webs