I’m enjoying this new site so much! Cre8Buzz! is a friendly network of talented people trying to spread the word of their projects while making friends and contacts. Because of the ranking system, and the communities, it is easy to quickly find talented people in many fields. Two things I noticed immediately: the warm welcome from the community and the lack of css themes. Both may be attributable to the relatively small size of the user group.

The Buzz, as some users call it, just launched recently. Many users keep the default theme, which is clean and functional. Some try using Myspace themes with predictably horrendous results. Some members use themes from khenny of Quartz Mountain Communications, a California-based web design studio. His themes are very good but limited in number. As some of you may know, I love to play with themes, changing them to suit my mood. So I’ve started saving them to themes.timbury.net where they are available to all. While the site is not “live” yet, the themes can be accessed now. I hope to get the site built up soon, with a snappier look and an upload facility so everyone can share. As always, feedback is welcome.

So come join in the fun, sign up on Cre8Buzz! and use my themes or create your own. Stop by my page and give a shout out to my friends Antman, RealWorldMom and piper of love. They all have great profiles and links to some really slamming blogs of their own. Peace.

A post on Mashable brought this to my attention. It should be no surprise that a CA Linux startup, A La Mobile, is the first to offer a suite of apps based on Android, Google’s mobile platform. Let’s hope open source can play an increasingly important role in the mobile and handheld scene. I’m interested to see what Android looks like. Googleis pushing hard to become the backbone of all our connectivity; I’m suspicious of their methods. The licensing issues in Android are fuzzy. Based on the Linux 2.6 kernel and other code released under various open source licenses, Android can never be “nailed down tight”, a condition Morgan Gillis claims is necessary for adoption by handset makers.

What we need next is clear to me: an open source hardware platform for mobile devices. The PC was open sourced by IBM in the 80’s, allowing other manufacturers, large and small, to offer competing designs. This was the single biggest factor in the success of the technology. Now, one of these mobile hardware companies with deep pockets needs to step up and release a design spec that can be developed openly.

Why can’t I purchase or build my own mobile device and choose my own OS and applications, select a carrier and enjoy communicating my way? Why do the carriers and handset makers dictate what my mobile communication experience will be? Wait a minute, I have an idea for a new project!

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Tags: Android, mobile, Linux, open source, A La Mobile

You’ll note my new Utterz widget in the sidebar below. I think it’s pretty damn cool (kewl?), but a little confusing yet. I’m supposed to call one number to record a voice message, text another number to post a text entry, or email an address from the phone to upload video, photos, or text in one post. Huh?

I’m determined to keep practicing. Luckily, Utterz seems to have a very helpful support staff. I sent the first post attempt from my t-mobile cell to the utterz email address. Unfortunatey, Utterz didn’t recognize me. I’d registered the phone number with them, but my email came from my_name@tmomail instead of my_number@tmomail. But I received a “who are you” message with instructions and my entry was soon posted! Twitter seems simpler, but less powerful.

The point of this rant, if there is one, is that the world seems to demand that we are in touch, on the grid, within ear/finger shot of anyone who’s trying to reach us. And we must publish our daily movements, plans and mood swings as they happen. I have listened, with difficulty, to 16 year old PopTart Baby from J-Town High School babble on for 3 minutes or more about how she resents people who think she’s too young to understand some things. That’s because, of course, she’s too young to understand.

Ajmac has kindly posted a photo of “more flipping meds” for “whatever they think is wrong with me”. One young lady mentioned how drunk she is and how much she normally drinks (too much), while another was clearly posting from work about how lazy her co-worker is and what an ass the boss is. I’m sure her co-worker, the boss and any future prospective employers would love to read her thoughts. And now, they can.

This generation seems to be almost completely unconcerned with privacy. It requires a constant flow of data and source of entertainment. In the meantime, it is providing both for law enforcement officials. They no longer need a wiretap warrant, just a web-enabled mobile device and a Twitter account.