NumberWizFP sum: E46. Solution

Hi NumberWizards,

The question was: how do you add, subtract, multiply and divide 5 8 a 40 80 c0 to get e46 ?

There is no exact solution. The best one is e45:
e45 = (40 x 8 - 80) x a - (c0 - 5)

NumberWizFP sum: E46

Here's another hexadecimal sum for number wizards:
How do you add, subtract, multiply and divide 5 8 a 40 80 c0 to get e46 ?

Twitter and Facebook are quite different

Twitter and Facebook share a few characteristics. They are networks of people and companies. Each user has an identity and a feed or wall where he gets some news through the actions of his contacts. With Facebook the user selects his contacts by requesting friendship and accepting requests. With Twitter the user selects his contacts by following. And here the important similarities end.
The way you select your contacts is very different. The result is that users tend to have different contacts on the two networks. On Facebook your contacts are people you have met and perhaps meet with outside Facebook. On Twitter your contacts are people you most probably never met, but you find interesting. Another important difference is the way contacts are made. If your Facebook friend request is ignored, your friendship with that friend outside Facebook may cool down or worse. This does not happen on Twitter, because there's no mandatory reciprocity in following someone. I can follow anyone I like and they usually don't care much, and may not even notice me if they have many followers.
Twitter is open and Facebook is closed. I have to have friends to gain from Facebook. On Twitter this is not necessary. Following someone is a convenience rather than a must.
Much due to the contacts I have on both networks, I find them useful in quite different ways. Facebook gives me access to what my friends are doing or thinking. Twitter gives me access to what complete strangers, including celebrities, are up to.
A skilled twitterer producing many tweets can be great fun. Such a person can indeed wield quite some power: if someone with millions of followers endorses or rejects something, it's going to have noticeable consequences, and the results will show up quickly. I often click on a link that one of my contacts likes.
This is an interesting theme, which I'm sure I'll come back to. But enough for now and I wish You, valued reader, a prosperous 2012.

Social network monopoly

We all know the evil of monopolies. The power created by a monopoly will always be used against its customers, giving them an ever worsening deal. The monopolist will usually maintain there isn't a monopoly situation, while still doing what he can to extend its reach. When disproven he will maintain it's not a bad monopoly, but really a "natural monopoly" and no one is actually getting hurt.
Sooner or later extremely successful companies will be accused of trying to create a monopoly or at least trying to create an oligopoly with others. There are countless examples of this happening and government agencies are working hard to expose the crooks and fine them.
Facebook could be an emerging monopoly. Of course Facebook will behave the same as anyone should they be accused. They might say something like:

• We are not a monopoly. (Always the first defense).
• We're big because people like what we provide. Sorry MySpace!
• People join Facebook, because their friends have done so, and want to keep in touch by being on the same network.
• It's easier for everyone if there's just one social network. It happens to be Facebook. Everybody benefits from our network.
• We provide a platform for third party services. That makes us a vital engine in the economy.
• We do own user data, but the ownership question is unimportant.
• Users don't need to export their data. Where would they go with it and why?
• We only use the data in ways that our users are aware of and accept.
• You can't disconnect a user from Facebook, because the whole network structure would collapse if you did. Most users would not be happy about that.
• We will continue to improve and expand our services.
• At best we provide a lot of people with something they need without charging for it. At worst we're a "natural monopoly".

Of course I googled "Facebook monopoly" before writing this. Top hit was a Monopoly game app for Facebook. Google hits do vary with time. Let's see what the same search gives same time next year.

Where's Google+ ?

It amazes me that I hear and read so little about Google+. Is anyone using it? If so, what do they use it for?

Perhaps I'm being negative. I would actually want Facebook to get some good competition and that's one reason I'm wondering when Google+ is going to climb up the exponential curve. Here is what I wrote about Google+ a couple of months ago, and I still think the same. Google isn't a social company. They understand algorithms and search and that doesn't cut it.

I'm sure there are opportunities in social, in spite of Facebook's strength. One of those is that people will soon start turning away from Facebook. You don't want to be in a club where everyone is a member. That is a very strong driver for change. 

Facebook will soon start to feel the cold. Someone is going to start up a cooler social network. It probably already exists, but hasn't hit the exponential curve yet. Its name is not likely to be Google+.

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Alcohol Check - Skills Test is a way of determining if you're really feeling Ok. In five mini-games It tests:

1. the steadiness of your hand
2. your eye-hand coordination
3. your visual clarity
4. your mental agility
5. and your memory.

The first ability to go when you've had a drink is the memory, at least that's my experience. Fail that and you're ready to hand over the car-keys. The most fun of the games may be the steadiness test: first you have to park a car and then you have to drive it for a few seconds. The nice snarling of raw V8 power accompanies your drive. Enjoy yourself!
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NumberWizFP: solution to the problem

Hi all Hexadecimal Wizards,

Here's a solution for the problem I posted a couple of days ago.
The problem was: use 2, 8, 9, e, 80, 100 to get ded hex?

Solution: ded = (100-2) x e + 9

Hat off for those who solved it!

Buy the NumberWizFP game for just $1.99 to enjoy more of this whenever you like.