“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”
–Philip K. Dick

Huge news today. Tonight Facebook will be launching a public listing search feature which will allow any unregistered user to search its records for a specific person. More significantly, it will officially be opening up its profiles for search engine crawling, which means Facebook user profiles will be indexed and showing up in Google results next month. Likely near the top.

What does this mean? Depends on who you ask. A few things jump out at me today, which should become clearer as the weeks roll on:

1. Privacy is naturally an issue. Facebook is giving its users a month to take down any sensitive information from their profiles. (Um, you should be doing that anyway.)

2. Domination of the people search business. With this move, Facebook’s positioning itself to squelch funded people search companies like Spock, Wink, Zoominfo, WikiYou, and PeekYou. It’s gonna be the White Pages of the Web. This reminds me of the day back in 2001 when Google cracked and indexed the then 22-year-old Usenet database, which changed the world overnight. Google’s acquisition quickly proved to be the coup de grace for the top engines at the time like Lycos, HotBot, AltaVista, and to a certain extent, Yahoo. (I mean, really. Do you reach for anything other than Google now?) It wasn’t long before Google became not only a household word, but a verb. (GTP = “Google that puppy!”) We can probably expect the same from Facebook. (“Have you Facebooked her yet?”)

3. Cha-chinnng. Somebody’s gonna get unimaginably rich fast. Keep an eye out for a big deal with lots of commas, and try to keep your resentment in check.

This is gonna be fun to watch. Jump on over and register with Facebook if you haven’t done so already. And look me up.

Tap that foot with a purpose! This convenient online metronome is a great way to channel that limb jittering habit into a useful practice session while you do other things on the droid.

Here’s a good program for your feet. Do each pattern for two minutes non-stop, for a twelve minute workout. Start slow; don’t continue if the notes aren’t tight.

1. RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL
2. RRRR LLLL RRRR LLLL
3. RRRR RRRR LLLL LLLL
4. RRRR RRRR RRRR LLLL LLLL LLLL
5. RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL
6. RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL

This promises to be a never-ending list. Let’s get started. Remember?: [click to continue…]

Can you read Chinese? It’s easier than you’d think according to the message conveyed in this killer ad for Berlitz Language School.

INT. SUSHI BAR IN HERMOSA BEACH – NIGHT

It’s been a notably hot and personally eventful Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles. Bryan, Naylor, and Jace have hooked up in Hermosa Beach on the weekend’s final Monday evening for some sushi, dry Japanese beer, and some catch-up brotherly conversation. They’ve grabbed a table. [click to continue…]

“Summer breeze makes me feel fine.”
–Seals and Crofts

Written all over this guy’s face. By John Langdon.

Catching the last sunset of August 2007. I never get tired of shooting these.

A view of Palos Verdes from our stomping grounds at White Point, where Western Avenue runs into the Pacific Ocean. The camera’s pointed northwest; immediately on the other side of the hill from here would be Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa, and the rest of the South Bay curve.

For those who don’t know, the famous “golf ball” (there are actually two) on top of the hill are not tanks. They’re the main antennas for LAX.

“Friends are not made, but recognized.”
–Carl Rakosi