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webheadWebheadInside the Internet.3NA=1154&NC=1201&DI=4098&PS=58350&PI=7315webheadfalsefalsespacernotembeddedwebheadYour Gullible Friend Has Sent You a Photo!Chris Wilson1/123122/2202502/wilsonc.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200992424850PMThursdaySepSeptember149/24/2009 6:48:50 PM633894005304257839200992424850PMThursdaySepSeptember149/24/2009 6:48:50 PM633894005304257839200992424850PMThursdaySepSeptember149/24/2009 6:48:50 PM633894005304257839false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseThe dangers of social spam.noYour Gullible Friend Has Sent You a Photo!The dangers of social spam.noUntil last weekend, I had never heard of WeGame.com, the go-to source for videos of video games. Then, on Sunday, I got an e-mail from a casual acquaintance with the subject line "[casual acquaintance] has sent you a photo!" Naturally, I clicked the link, which took me to WeGame. The site invited me to see this photo—just as soon as I entered my e-mail password, which it promised not to remember.truenotochyperlinkno2009923111255AMWednesdaySepSeptember119/23/2009 3:12:55 PM6338930117500000002009923111255AMWednesdaySepSeptember119/23/2009 3:12:55 PM633893011750000000webheadBe Like GmailChris Wilson1/123122/2202502/wilsonc.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200992360125PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:25 PM633893256852323507200992360125PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:25 PM633893256852323507200992360125PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:25 PM633893256852323507false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseWhat Facebook and other Internet companies can learn from Google's webmail service.noBe Like GmailWhat Facebook can learn from Gmail.noOn Tuesday, Facebook launched Prototypes, a service that lets users test out new tools and features before they become fixtures on the site. The first small batch offers nothing revolutionary: a search feature for photo tags, a way to better sync events with Outlook and other programs, and an app to let Mac users monitor their profiles from their desktop. But for a site with a history of unveiling huge makeovers with little notice—like the March 2009 redesign that got a 5 percent approval rating its first week—this is good news. Using Facebookers as beta testers is a great PR move and a positive sign for the future of the social networking site. By enlisting a huge, devoted focus group, Facebook will likely ensure that nothing that nine out of 10 users hate will become a part of the site's permanent design.truenotochyperlinkno200991613120PMWednesdaySepSeptember139/16/2009 5:31:20 PM633887046800000000200991613120PMWednesdaySepSeptember139/16/2009 5:31:20 PM633887046800000000webheadMasters of the WikiverseChris Wilson1/123122/2202502/wilsonc.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200992360125PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:25 PM633893256856995422200992360125PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:25 PM633893256856995422200992360125PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:25 PM633893256856995422false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseWikipedia's new editing policy isn't the end of the encyclopedia's democratic age. It's business as usual.noMasters of the WikiverseWikipedia's new editing policy isn't the end of the encyclopedia's democratic age.noThe council of elders that runs Wikipedia confirmed last week that, sometime soon, the unwashed masses will no longer be able to directly edit the profiles of famous living people. The proposed policy, first reported by the New York Times and later clarified by the Wikimedia Foundation, would require an ordained Wikipedia editor to approve changes before they become visible. This was widely reported as a stress fracture in Wikipedia's sacred anyone-can-edit architecture. Fast Company painted it as Wikipedia's coming of age. A commenter on Slashdot compared the move to "Lenin abolishing free elections."truenotochyperlinkno200992120233PMWednesdaySepSeptember129/2/2009 4:02:33 PM633874897530000000200992120233PMWednesdaySepSeptember129/2/2009 4:02:33 PM633874897530000000webheadNo, You Can't Have My Social Security NumberChris Wilson1/123122/2202502/wilsonc.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200992360124PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:24 PM633893256843756924200992360124PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:24 PM633893256843756924200992360124PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:24 PM633893256843756924false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseWhy using SSNs for identification is risky and stupid.noNo, You Can't Have My Social Security NumberWhy using Social Security numbers for identification is risky and stupid.noIn a paper published last week, two Carnegie Mellon professors unveiled a method for cracking the code of Social Security numbers. Given a person's birth date and the state where he or she was born along with public records of deceased people born around the same time, the researchers wrote an algorithm that predicted a person's SSN with startling accuracy. The biggest question raised by their paper isn't how our country came to rely on such an insecure identification system. The mystery is how it took so long for anyone to break such a ridiculously elementary system.truenotochyperlinkno200971460853PMTuesdayJulJuly187/14/2009 10:08:53 PM633831917330000000200971460853PMTuesdayJulJuly187/14/2009 10:08:53 PM633831917330000000webheadWill My Video Get 1 Million Views on YouTube?Chris Wilson1/123122/2202502/wilsonc.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200992360126PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:26 PM633893256863115545200992360126PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:26 PM633893256863115545200992360126PMWednesdaySepSeptember189/23/2009 10:01:26 PM633893256863115545false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseA Slate investigation reveals: not a chance.noWill My Video Get 1 Million Views on YouTube?Will my video get 1 million views on YouTube?no"Charlie Bit Me," the fourth most-viewed YouTube clip of all time, is a viral video in the truest sense of the word. In May 2007, the father of two British tykes uploaded a home video he wanted to share with the kids' godfather in Colorado and a few American colleagues. After three months, only a few dozen people had seen the video, and he considered taking it off the site. Then, something strange happened: On Aug. 24, 2007, the video was viewed 25 times in California. Three days later, that number was up to 79, with a dozen more coming in from Washington, Texas, and Wisconsin. The number of daily views doubled roughly every week as "Charlie Bit Me" spread around the country and through Europe. On Nov. 5, a couple of guys in Canada filmed a frame-by-frame remake. Two weeks later, CollegeHumor.com linked to the video, and by January it was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. A year and a half later, it's been watched 104 million times.truenotochyperlinkno200972101538AMThursdayJulJuly107/2/2009 2:15:38 PM633821265380000000200972101538AMThursdayJulJuly107/2/2009 2:15:38 PM633821265380000000200311442611PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:26:11 PM631781583710000000200311442611PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:26:11 PM631781583710000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue20011018111443PMThursdayOctOctober2310/19/2001 3:14:43 AM6313904368300000002001102610934PMFridayOctOctober1310/26/2001 5:09:34 PM631396985740000000