From the bots list, some nice ideas for tech support IM bots making use of domain specific bot identities. But far cuter are stooge bots: one, two, three.
Sort-of-related is the story of the IM networks wanting to get paid. Maybe the problem is the relatively small number of networks -- there seems to be a level where competition doesn't effectively lower prices, and the competitors feel they're within reach of a monopoly so either make cartels or play hardball. Compare this to when there are hundreds of players in a market: the mobile phone situation in Finland is brilliant (just look at Nokia); the internet itself is treated as a shared common-land rather than large pipes joined only by tollbooths.
From the bots list, some nice ideas for tech support IM bots making use of domain specific bot identities. But far cuter are stooge bots: one, two, three.
Sort-of-related is the story of the IM networks wanting to get paid. Maybe the problem is the relatively small number of networks -- there seems to be a level where competition doesn't effectively lower prices, and the competitors feel they're within reach of a monopoly so either make cartels or play hardball. Compare this to when there are hundreds of players in a market: the mobile phone situation in Finland is brilliant (just look at Nokia); the internet itself is treated as a shared common-land rather than large pipes joined only by tollbooths.