TL AI.

What? You're not gonna park yourself? I see you looking out the back, sizing up the situation. You're in reverse, idling in the right direction. What? You can't turn the wheel a few degrees. Come on TL, I thought you were a fancy driving machine and you can't even get it together enough to back into a spot. You've got little flashing light and power control protocols that spring into action when you're sliding sideways, or when your go pedal is pressed too hard on slick surfaces. You're trying to tell me you can't handle this one, tiny, last task? Pff. I don't even know why you have a fancy key that's not a key and uber complicated voice activated menus that you repeat to me in a nauseatingly accentless drone. Oh, fine. I'll goose the gas and match up the lines. Actually I think I've played this video game before. Atari? Virtual boy? Something...

The Treadmill To The Future.

Oh Internet, what will you do next? You have to admit that there's a change happening in websites these days, whether you believe in web 2.0 or not. And meanwhile I have to admit I'm warming a bit to the term itself. But there's quite a debate in trying to describe what it is (if anything). I'd like to venture a supposition that it depends on who you are and what you expect, which dictates what qualifies or doesn't. Since I have no interest in developing or capitalizing from this 'revolution' my concepts may be very different from an investor looking for the next money train. So here's a hybrid summary of 10 common attempts to constrain this ethereal (pun alert) concept.

• 10 definitions of Web 2.0 and their shortcomings at twopointouch: web 2.0, blogs and social media

I'm a hearty subscriber to the "marketing buzzword" camp. But there must be something else to it since its so easy to feel the presence (truthiness?) of web 2.0. Its like pron in that sense, "I know it when I see it." But there must be a way to say it. I think of it as new and exciting, but also a certain look and feel that couples with functionality. I also like to think that there won't necessarily be a web 3.0.

I you've ever worked with Artificial Intelligence, you know that the definition of what qualifies as AI is continually changing. A computer that will beat a chess master is no longer an acceptable test case. So maybe its like AI in that the definition changes as time and technology progress. Something that was 2.0 four months ago, is not now because there are a new set of exciting sites and services that are. We could just mean the slick bleeding edge of the web. So rather than a Road Ahead, its more like a treadmill and staying where you are is moving forward. Alright... that joke was ridiculous.

There is definitely something to the concept that there isn't a strict dividing line between 1.0 and 2.0, but a spectrum as to the "oh-ness" of a site. Daily Placebo, for instance, is currently at about a web 1.6 level. What with our swanky new banner, CSS, collapsing comments, DPmail, blogsearch, wiki, and shameless self promotion. Granted there's not very much user content control, but I'm pretty sure you guys are illiterate anyway.

Shhh... Its A Secret.

So while we're talking about people selling out and Google taking everything over, look at this. Neven Vision was a company that, I'm assuming, did something cool. Although now I have no idea what that may have been. As you can see if you visit their site, they've been snapped shut like most of Google's acquisitions. Writely stopped accepting registration, but at least they still told you what the company used to do. (Incidently you can get into Writely if you're already in, or know someone, like most of Google's pre-beta make-you-feel-special exclusiveness. See also blogger beta.) Anyway Neven directs you to the Google Blog which makes some semi-vague connotations that they're an image recognition system. Which may be a way to tag your photos with anything from objects (bikes, trucks, buildings) to people (dad, mike, strange Hawaiian guy). Although I'm naturally wary of any claims of artificial intelligence recognition, voice or otherwise. It'd be nice if it worked, but really, I don't think its there yet. So I spose we'll see if Picasa gets facial recognition as the next upgrade, which would make searching for that certain picture a lot easier. I just know I'm not going to go through and tag all those photos by hand.

• Official Google Blog: A better way to organize photos?

Update
Here's a nice speculative about the additives Neven may provide to Google in the future. I have to admit, being able to Google someone whose name I can't remember in the morning does sound cool. But take that a step further and we're solidly in creepy territory.

For example, I take a photo of a cute girl, or group of people at a bar. And what does Google now know about these people?

* Which bars or restaurants they frequent?
* Where is the location of that bar?
* Whether they prefer beer, wine or liquor.
* What kind of clothing they purchase & wear?
* Whether or not they smoke.
* Do they wear eye glasses or not?
* Who are they connected to in the real world and what is that connection?

Databases of connections, recognizing who is in pictures together, where the are, and what they're doing. Now that's the kind of surveillance I haven't been scared of since carnivore. Which, incidentally, now seems like kid stuff.

• Search Engine Journal » Google, Neven Vision & Image Recognition