Facebook App Reveals Your Social Cliques

Socializing online and in the real world may be edging ever closer, but one stark difference remains: it's much easier to juggle different groups of friends offline than it is online. A new tool developed at Stanford University addresses the problem by automatically working out a person's different and overlapping friendship groups by analyzing the history of their Facebook or Gmail account.

The tool?called SocialFlows?is available as a Facebook app. Once a Facebook user connects it with their account, they can extract their social groups in two ways. The researchers' software can either work from the images a person was tagged in over the last two years, or from the pattern of e-mail recipients recorded in the last two years via a Gmail account.

Once SocialFlows has processed the necessary data, it suggests different groups of contacts or friends, some overlapping. An interactive interface allows the user to add, remove, or reshuffle the groups and then save them to either Facebook or Gmail as contact lists or new groups.

Putting different types of contacts into different groups?family or coworkers, for example?can be useful to people who want to control what they share, and with whom, online, explained Diana MacLean, a member of the MobiSocial Lab at Stanford where she and colleagues created SocialFlows.

"The current solution is friends lists," said MacLean at the Intelligent User Interfaces conference earlier this week. "That does give some granular control over who gets to see our data, but they're very tedious to create and even more tedious to maintain over time." As people acquire new contacts, they must keep adding them to groups or perhaps create new ones, and there is currently no way to transfer groups between services, she pointed out.

Social sites actually have all the data they need to tackle these problems, said MacLean. "Your social topology is captured latently in your communication data." SocialFlows is an attempt to tap into that. The algorithm behind the tool first creates many small groups by linking people who have often appeared in the same photo as the SocialFlows user, or who have been recipients of the same e-mail. Larger groups are then assembled by merging groups that are similar. Some groups become nested inside others, as when the data reveals a pattern of connections between a subset of people within a larger group.

MacLean and colleagues conducted a user study in which 19 volunteers were asked to use SocialFlows on their e-mail to generate and fine-tune groups that could help them achieve specific tasks, for example, notifying close friends in their home town of an upcoming visit, or inviting guests to a birthday party. Study participants also performed the same task using Gmail's contact manager.

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Source: http://feeds.technologyreview.com/click.phdo?i=658fb72353f3fa788b90664779cef996

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New updates come to handheld healthcare

New updates come to handheld healthcare

ipad-doctorDiversinet, the company behind the MobiSecure platform, have just announced that it has added 50 new features and has extended support to over 70 additional smartphones and tablets.

MobiSecure is a platform that enables healthcare organizations to implement improved processes by taking advantage of mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad and Android. The platform allows healthcare providers to use applications that are HIPAA compliant, a health insurance portability and accountability act that protects the privacy of your medical information.

Diversinet?s platform uses OATH standards for authentication and has taken precautions with its encryption architecture to ensure confidential health records are not compromised. And, it?s a platform that the U.S Army is currently using to stay connected and secure.

Utilizing MobiSecure, organizations can keep their people super-connected by allowing people to communicate and access secure data through mobile applications. As an example, in the healthcare field, caregivers and healthcare payers, can use mHealth (mobile health) apps to access and exchange personal health records, schedule medical visits and treatments, or send notifications reminding patients of upcoming appointments.

Dr. on iPad

The new features within the MobiSecure Publisher, aside from the vast array of devices it now supports (iOS, Android, BlackBerry), brings users updates to SMS functionality, an enhanced user interface and handy tools like appointment reminders, healthcare web portals and the ability to store multiple information sources, a feature that assists organizations in passing audits.

?Our enhanced offering also enables healthcare organizations to easily achieve HIPAA compliance, as well as more easily and quickly meet ?meaningful use? criteria? We have enriched our MobiSecure product suite to support additional mobile devices, including tablets, while making it simpler for healthcare payers and providers and the users they serve to manage mobile health applications, ? Albert Wahbe, Diversinet?s Chairman and CEO

The healthcare field, like many other industries, are adopting smartphones and tablets to simplify processes, reduce costs and to give their people constant access to critical real-time information.

Diversinet is based in both Dallas and Toronto and it has invested $80 million in patents and the development of its secure application platform.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2011/02/18/new-updates-come-to-handheld-healthcare/

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Political Memo: On Long Island, Palin Opens Up and Plays Coy

?Nobody is more qualified to multitasking and doing all the things that you need to do as president than a woman, a mom,? Ms. Palin said to appreciative laughter, particularly among the women. She added with a smile, ?Maybe someone who?s already run for something ? a vice-presidential candidate??

No, she did not say whether she intended to upend the Republican race for president with a campaign of her own. And, no, she did not say when she would answer the question that has kept other prospective candidates in suspense. But she did suggest that the presumed candidates for 2012 might not have the intensity that voters are demanding.

And, she said, her decision could come sooner rather than later.

?Time on the ground is very important, and I?d be the first to not necessarily recommend a short amount of time,? Ms. Palin said, recalling those chaotic days after she was chosen as the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2008. ?People need to start making up their minds here pretty soon for that time on the ground, meeting with constituents and having time to pack their suitcases.?

For more than an hour on Thursday afternoon, she took questions not from Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity or Greta Van Susteren, who often interview her as an analyst on the Fox News Channel. Instead, she stepped away from her comfort zone and appeared before a bipartisan crowd of 1,000 business leaders at the Long Island Association and took questions from the group?s president, Peter Law.

She urged Congressional Republicans to oppose raising the nation?s debt ceiling, declaring, ?It doesn?t necessarily have to result in a government shutdown.? Even if it did, she added, ?Let it be for a week or two.?

She conceded that a successful presidential bid could not be built through a digital campaign alone, saying that Facebook and other forms of social media could not reach enough voters. Asked if she would be the first Twitter president, she blanched and adopted a self-mocking tone. ?What a slogan: I tweet more than you tweet.?

She said it was unwise for Republicans to keep doubts alive about the authenticity of President Obama?s birth certificate and citizenship, saying: ?It?s distracting. It gets annoying. Let?s stick with what really matters.?

And she called for the full repeal of the new health care law, revisiting the catchphrase that caused so much controversy during debate of the bill: ?When I talk about death panels, death panels was in quotation marks.?

Such lines are standard political fare, and Republicans may not give them a second thought on television. But on the front lines of a campaign ? whether in an Iowa living room or a New Hampshire diner ? voters often consider things with a different ear.

?What people are desiring to see is no more status quo ? not necessarily just seeing more players in these political machines, who are sort of preordained and get to be the ones who get nominated and go forth,? Ms. Palin said. ?People are ready for our governmental establishment to kind of shake it up.?

Ms. Palin?s afternoon appearance at the ballroom of the Crest Hollow Country Club, the site of numerous wedding receptions and bar mitzvahs, offered an atmosphere much like she would face if she decided to run for president. Despite her best-selling books, reality television show and hours of televised interviews, Ms. Palin is not yet a fully formed political figure, and her approval ratings could change ? for better or worse ? as a candidate.

The audience, which included many Democrats, responded with repeated applause. But there were also uncomfortable silences. She held up a Reader?s Digest from February 1964, the month of her birth, which she used to make a point about reducing the deficit.

?We don?t have to reinvent any wheels here to get the economy back on the right track,? Ms. Palin said. ?The solution in here to fix the problem, you know what it is? You invest in a five-cent stamp and you write your congressman and you tell him, ?You?re going to get fired.? Five cents back in the day! Nothing?s changed. It?s the same principles that can be applied.?

Robert Zimmerman, who represents New York on the Democratic National Committee, was in the audience and met with Ms. Palin at a reception before her talk. He said he was surprised by the Reader?s Digest anecdote.

?She?s really an Atlantic City lounge act for the right wing,? Mr. Zimmerman said. Still, he said, Democrats should not to dismiss her potential, saying, ?Suburbs have the largest swing voters in the country, which concerns me.?

The Long Island Association, which bills itself as the state?s largest business group, invited Ms. Palin to speak about a month ago. She was paid for her appearance, but organizers declined to disclose details of the arrangement. It was originally intended to be private, officials said, but Ms. Palin asked that it be opened to the media.

?I was actually surprised she got as much applause as she did,? said Mr. Law, who asked Ms. Palin questions for 64 minutes. After escorting her to her car, he said: ?She told me she loved the format. She probably will do more of it because she did pretty well.?

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f2f7b442a2a21f7e1c8f626df22003de

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Mainstream GTX 550 Ti rumored for March 15 launch

Silicon Valley Uncovered: PariSoma to launch innovation hubs in New York, London, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing [video]

Silicon Valley Uncovered: PariSoma to launch innovation hubs in New York, London, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing [video]

The Internet and technology industry is growing all over the world and it?s not only Silicon Valley that needs space to house all the innovation taking place. Dotted around SF and Palo Alto there?s incubators, co-working spaces and innovation lofts. I visited one of the valley?s most prolific co-working spaces The Parisoma Innovation Loft, aptly named because it is located south of Market in the heart of San Fran?s startup district. Founded by digital innovation agency Faber Novel, It is home to many tech related events including hosting three Ted X events and offers membership for co-workers who have access to not only a desk but tools and advice to help them grow their startup.

I caught up with chief co-working coordinator  Julian Nachtigal who told me about how PariSoma started and their plans to launch innovation loft?s in New York, London, Sao Paulo, Moscow and Beijing.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/video/2011/02/18/silicon-valley-uncovered-parisoma-to-to-launch-in-new-york-london-sao-paulo-moscow-beijing-video/

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Silicon Valley Uncovered: PariSoma to launch innovation hubs in New York, London, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing [video]

Silicon Valley Uncovered: PariSoma to launch innovation hubs in New York, London, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing [video]

The Internet and technology industry is growing all over the world and it?s not only Silicon Valley that needs space to house all the innovation taking place. Dotted around SF and Palo Alto there?s incubators, co-working spaces and innovation lofts. I visited one of the valley?s most prolific co-working spaces The Parisoma Innovation Loft, aptly named because it is located south of Market in the heart of San Fran?s startup district. Founded by digital innovation agency Faber Novel, It is home to many tech related events including hosting three Ted X events and offers membership for co-workers who have access to not only a desk but tools and advice to help them grow their startup.

I caught up with chief co-working coordinator  Julian Nachtigal who told me about how PariSoma started and their plans to launch innovation loft?s in New York, London, Sao Paulo, Moscow and Beijing.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/video/2011/02/18/silicon-valley-uncovered-parisoma-to-to-launch-in-new-york-london-sao-paulo-moscow-beijing-video/

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An exclusive first look at twitter client Twimbow?s new features [invites]

An exclusive first look at twitter client Twimbow?s new features [invites]

Twimbow, the browser based Twitter client we covered last year is launching version 1.0  at the end of the month and we were lucky enough to get some previews. What makes Twimbow special is it enables you to color code your Tweets, making it easier to quickly sort and digest the mountain of information coming through the Twitter firehose.

Twimbow also provides an augmented reality-like interface where users can send songs and videos which play inside the client, pulling in added data around the Tweet sent.

Founder Luca Filigheddu told me they want to be the ?Apple of Twitter Clients? and with the client?s beautiful UI providing an easy to understand environment, Twimbow could make Twitter easy to use for everyone, just like the iPhone did with smartphones.

Twitter clients are big business right now, with TweetDeck recently sold to UberMedia for $30million.

We got an exclusive preview of the new features which include:

- A Twimbow account: now you must login with Twitter through oauth. In version 1.0 users will migrate to a Twimbow account. Every setting (and colors, too) will be stored in the cloud so it will be portable from one browser to another.

- Multi Twitter account support (through oauth). Facebook coming soon (version 1.2 or 1.3, very soon)

- Support for Gmail-like labels that will replace the current color codes.

- Completely new architecture and structure of the app (faster than ever)
Invitations:

Twimbow is offering 30 free invitations to the first 30 commenters. To get an invite you must:

1. Tell us why you?re interested in trying Twimbow

2. Specify your @ Twitter username

2. Follow @twimbow

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/video/2011/02/18/exclusive-first-look-at-twimbows-new-features-video/

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Secret Report Ordered by Obama Identified Potential Uprisings

Mr. Obama?s order, known as a Presidential Study Directive, identified likely flashpoints, most notably Egypt, and solicited proposals for how the administration could push for political change in countries with autocratic rulers who are also valuable allies of the United States, these officials said.

The 18-page classified report, they said, grapples with a problem that has bedeviled the White House?s approach toward Egypt and other countries in recent days: how to balance American strategic interests and the desire to avert broader instability against the democratic demands of the protesters.

Administration officials did not say how the report related to intelligence analysis of the Middle East, which the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, acknowledged in testimony before Congress, needed to better identify ?triggers? for uprisings in countries like Egypt.

Officials said Mr. Obama?s support for the crowds in Tahrir Square in Cairo, even if it followed some mixed signals by his administration, reflected his belief that there was a greater risk in not pushing for changes because Arab leaders would have to resort to ever more brutal methods to keep the lid on dissent.

?There?s no question Egypt was very much on the mind of the president,? said a senior official who helped draft the report and who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss its findings. ?You had all the unknowns created by Egypt?s succession picture ? and Egypt is the anchor of the region.?

At the time, officials said, President Hosni Mubarak appeared to be either digging in or grooming his son, Gamal, to succeed him. Parliamentary elections scheduled for November were widely expected to be a sham. Egyptian police were jailing bloggers, and Mohamed ElBaradei, the former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, had returned home to lead a nascent opposition movement.

In Yemen, too, officials said Mr. Obama worried that the administration?s intense focus on counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda was ignoring a budding political crisis, as angry young people rebelled against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, an autocratic leader of the same vintage as Mr. Mubarak.

?Whether it was Yemen or other countries in the region, you saw a set of trends? ? a big youth population, threadbare education systems, stagnant economies and new social network technologies like Facebook and Twitter ? that was a ?real prescription for trouble,? another official said.

The White House held weekly meetings with experts from the State Department, the C.I.A. and other agencies. The process was led by Dennis B. Ross, the president?s senior adviser on the Middle East; Samantha Power, a senior director at the National Security Council who handles human rights issues; and Gayle Smith, a senior director responsible for global development.

The administration kept the project secret, officials said, because it worried that if word leaked out, Arab allies would pressure the White House, something that happened in the days after protests convulsed Cairo.

Indeed, except for Egypt, the officials refused to discuss countries in detail. The report singles out four for close scrutiny, which an official said ran the gamut: one that is trying to move toward change, another that has resisted any change and two with deep strategic ties to the United States as well as religious tensions. Those characteristics would suggest Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen.

By issuing a directive, Mr. Obama was also pulling the topic of political change out of regular meetings on diplomatic, commercial or military relations with Arab states. In those meetings, one official said, the strategic interests loom so large that it is almost impossible to discuss reform efforts.

The study has helped shape other messages, like a speech Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave in Qatar in January, in which she criticized Arab leaders for resisting change.

?We really pushed the question of who was taking the lead in reform,? said an official. ?Would pushing reform harm relations with the Egyptian military? Doesn?t the military have an interest in reform??

Mr. Obama also pressed his advisers to study popular uprisings in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia to determine which ones worked and which did not. He is drawn to Indonesia, where he spent several years as a child, which ousted its longtime leader, Suharto, in 1998.

While the report is guiding the administration?s response to events in the Arab world, it has not yet been formally submitted ? and given the pace of events in the region, an official said, it is still a work in progress.

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