Sociosophy is growing, changing… and evolving. Soon it will be a 100 foot tall lizard with a craving for hairless sheep and kittens covered in pasta sauce! Until then, here are the fancy new stuffs that I’ve recently added, and why.

After just 20 days of being alive, I’ve began to lose track of what I reviewed, where I’ve signed up… Oh, Nelly! So… I’ve made a shopping list:

Review Index

The Review Index is the comprehensive list of all things Sociosophized… errr reviewed. It’s chronological, and will probably be expanded, but only after I make it into a WordPress plug-in.

Also, in case you want to get a hold of me, for whatever reason:

Contact Us

That’s right, a CONTACT FORM! I know, I know… I’m too kind.

What’s better than user created content? The force that drives Web 2.0 is the user, so of course, the next logical step in the world of the 2.0 webs is to allow us people to work together, damn it! Kaltura is an online rich media (video) website that allows users to collaborate with one another and create video treats for all to enjoy.

Basically, Kaltura allows you to view videos, add clips to the videos you see, and of course the common features - add comments, vote, create profile stuff, etc… I like the concept… This could evolve into awesome vlogged debates, with point after point presented in a streaming time line, it could also be used for (from their site):

• Musicians and fans create together music video clips.
• Filmmakers create collaborative short films and documentaries.
• Activists, bloggers and Non Profits document and advocate political and social awareness campaigns and calls for action.
• Students and friends create clips together about life at school, college, or in the neighborhood.

… and of course, tons of other stuff. (Insert cliché here) The possibilities are virtually endless.

For those of use fortunate to have and use Mindjet’s MindManager Pro, we are fully aware of how important disorganized brainstorming is… especially when it’s organized. For those of you unaware of what mind maps are, but can understand how fundamentally important it is to brainstorm projects, either solo or collaboratively - well, Mind42 is your friend.

I’ve been using MindManager Pro at work for about 4 months now, and LOVE it. Problem? Price. So - when I’m at home, I crack open a Mind Map interface, such as the one at Mind42, but I use MindMeister just for preference. The interface of both Mind42 and MindMeister are about the same, but I’ve found that my usage habits allow for MindMeister to be faster for me.

Both of these applications allow you to create and share mind maps, and to hold brainstorming sessions over the wire(less) with your contacts. The interfaces are loaded with AJAX, so be prepared to wait a few seconds for it to hog up your browser resources. But when it is loaded up? You’ll soon find out it was well worth the short wait to get your thoughts onto a screen. Just imagine it like a huge whiteboard, and everyone that’s in it has a grease pen ready to spill their brains all over the place.

As a project manager, web developer and the occasional DBA, typically for software development - these mind mapping tools are nothing short of totally neat.

Ever want to send SMS from the web to your contacts without bothering with your handset? Or, how would you like to grab, organize and share the photo and video files you have on your phone… from your computer? These are just two of the awesome features offered by Dashwire, an early beta, online service that allows you to do all the awesomes you have on your cellular device, from your computer. Rad!

The easiest way to check out how it all works is via their video [link].

Sign-up is currently limited, but all in all, this service - when launched - will be awesome. The interface is filled with AJAXy goodness, and loaded with features: contact management, messaging, speed dial management, photos, videos, mobile bookmarks, and ring tones are all manageable via the interface, leaving you happy and well organized on your cell phone, centrally, on the web.

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I know I’m not alone when I say, “I’ve lost my cell phone before, and with it? All of my contacts.” Of course that was before I owned a Smart Phone which is now synchronized to damn near every portable device I own, and backed up to a server, then offloaded to offsite storage as well just in case - you never know… but Mobyko is a service for you not-so-geeks out there that need the safety and security of being able to throw your cell phone from the car when it fails to connect over and over again, even when you’re in a service area.

That’s right, an online place to offload your contacts and store them safely - securely, and in Web 2.0 style, you can manage and weirdly enough, share your contacts with others? [edit - see comment]… Ok, not share, thank God, that would be just odd -  but, I can see how a feature like that could be convenient for sending numbers to others, but that’s what SMS is for, so good call Mobyko on protecting the privacy of others [/edit]. The set up requires a little input on your behalf, things like your carrier, country, phone type… but it’s nothing too difficult to understand if you just fill in the blanks, and choose the right stuff.

I’m a fan of being forgetful, so this site holds some value to it - even if I do have my contacts in a gazillion places already… the “what if” of being me is around, and the more insurance the better.