Open source

I don't wear a watch. I used to. Then I realized that ever-present wristbands feel like chains. I don't wear a watch now, and I feel less constrained. Time still progresses, and you can always verify it--particularly in the cell phone era. Watches are cosmetic.

Today I unlocked my T-mobile G1 (you can request here with your IMEI number); if feels similar to not wearing a watch. I can flip SIM cards.

I am preoccupied with how digital networks can re-orient urban interaction. That's why the My Tracks Android app (which I've used often) impressed me so much today in Ghana (I also got Google Maps update pushed today). After a GPS connection on my roof deck, it tracked my route around the neighborhood/block while in my pocket. That means the geolocation was triangulated from the cell phone network. There will be enormous effects as Africa transitions to higher smartphone density and market-specific mobile apps.

(below) from the 'send to Google' option in My Tracks;
Google Docs:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t04-s0hNT-sCQn8n-8HtsKw&output=html
Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=203811272969523791297.000475ffe164e0e459774

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For the record: I am two weeks into a 10-month Fulbright in Ghana. The views expressed on my blog are my own solely and do not in any way reflect the opinions or policy of the U.S. State Department. In order to avoid any opening for being called a US spy, my goal is to share online as close to the entirety of my research as my Zipnet bandwidth can support.