A Separate Internet for Kids.

Pikluk aims to create a “subnet”–a walled-off part of the web–for pre-teens by letting parents filter which websites and email addresses their children can access.

While other products manage either web browsing (Net Nanny and KidRocket) or email (ZooBuh), Pikluk does both. But unlike competitor Children’s Internet, which has a monthly fee and filters sites and email automatically based on a child’s age group, Pikluk downloads for free and requires that parents provide a list of okayed sites and email addresses. (Like WebFugitive.com ! …. prolly not. Stay in School, Don’t do Drugs ! How about now ?)

Pikluk’s thousand or so beta-testers have given enthusiastic feedback, the company says. It currently has a Mac version and a Spanish version in the works. The Spanish version is set to be released in the upcoming weeks.

“Pikluk is based in Austin, Texas and is currently seeking its first round of funding.” -Venture Beat.

My thoughts: Really cool. Definately needed. Helping. Creative. The end of the ‘roflcopters’ and ‘rick-rolling’.

Footprints
The WebFugitive

Assassins for hire, killing bad habits.

A newly launched website allows you to put a contract out on bad habits. Maybe you smoke. Maybe you eat too much. Maybe you dance to Culture Club at 3 a.m. in a black Zorro mask (see last post.) The fact is, we all have baggage, hang-ups, or vices and stickK.com is here to help!

According to their website they are “designed to promote a healthier lifestyle for you by allowing you to create Commitment Contracts.” What is a commitment contract ? Its a prenuptial agreement … no wait, here it is, sorry, I found it. “A commitment contract is a contract that binds you into achieving a personal goal.” According to their years of  behavioral research at Yale, people who have something to lose, apparently have something to gain. That is, by creating a system where the subject has their money or reputation on the line, it increases your chances. … (Note to self. See if founders want to go to Vegas.) Ahem.

So, after setting up your commitment contract, and hammer out the details, you set the stakes. For example, if you give them 365 dollars, and are trying to stop smoking, they could give you one dollar back every day that you don’t smoke. You then set up a referee, someone who knows you … and is watching. (Que psychotic laughter). If you let stickK know that you fail, or if your referee finds out that you did, your busted! The remaining money goes to a charity of your choice.

My thoughts. Genius. Creative. Helpful. Deserving of traffic. May cure my late-night dance fever.

Footprints,
The WebFugitive

Mr. Rogers would be pleased.

After moving into an apartment with his girlfriend, Brant (not Brent) Walker quickly realized that there was an odor lingering from his nearby neighbors house that resembled hot-dog water, and old inner-tube air. This made living, eating, and sleeping very unpleasant for Brant and his girlfriend. The WebFugitive would assume that “Ugh, was that you?” was a common phrase used in the Walker household.

The WebFugitive would have kidnapped their dog until they washed more effectively, but Brant, like most people in similar situations, can be skeptical about confronting someone who lives so close. So instead of smelling them for the rest of his life, he smelled an opportunity and launched RottenNeighbor.com.

Currently in Beta, RottenNeighbor allows you to “Locate, rate, and share good or bad neighbor news before and after you move.” Its extremely easy to use, and you can also check and see if people you know are on it ! Just minutes ago, I found that someone in my neighborhood likes to leave their bay window open and dance at 3 a.m. to Culture Club in a black zorro mask ….. wait …. crap ….. Well, looks like I’ll be sending out gift baskets this week. Until next time.

Footprints,
The WebFugitive.

______________________

Edit: Brant was nice enough to comment about his startup and how it came to be.

“It all started with my own design back in July of last year. I went to school for web design, but I am actually more interested in Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Optimization. As the site continued to grow I was approached by venture capitalists. The majority of the funding all goes to development as the site just continues to spread virally. We are still in beta so there are alot of features/bugs we are still working on.

Good luck with your site, I like it.
-Brant

Brant Walker. Innovative. Entrepreneurial. Nice guy. Thanks Brant.

Fusu. The Domain Stock Exchange.

Because so few good names are still available, domains have become the real estate of the 21st century. More than 90,000 domain names are bought daily, with some achieving spectacular market values: Vodka.com sold for $3.5 million, Computer.com for $2.1 million. As the market matures through the efforts of experienced investors and industry leaders, processes and standards have emerged that have facilitated the development of brokerages, auction platforms and leveraged financing instruments. Fusu’s Domain Stock Exchange represents the natural evolution of this trend as it brings further transparency and reliability to the market.

As with a traditional Stock Exchange, Fusu allows its participants to get liquidity from their assets. On Fusu, holders of a premium domain (i.e Vodka.com) can devote a fraction of their domain to the market and immediately get money out of it without having to give up its control at any time. In return, stockholders in the domain name will get their share in future sales or advertising revenues generated by the domain name.

• For example, one domain owner sold 45% of his $5,000-value domain on Fusu. He earned $2,250 in the first 24 hours after his Initial Domain Offering. In the trading that followed, the domain rose to a value of $6,200, a 24% gain.

Shareholders participate in the booming domain name industry, without having to spend hundreds of thousands on a single premium name. Just like on any other Stock Exchange, shares can then be traded between buyers.

• Indeed, during the closed beta, the most successful trader on Fusu earned over $4,000 in real money, only by investing in shares.
• Under the same circumstances, the most active trader bought or sold over 18,000 shares, resulting in a transaction volume of $36,594.90.

With today’s launch of Fusu’s Public Beta, everyone is now invited to buy and sell shares of premium domain names that are owned by a few well known and trusted domainers, to guarantee a safe and trustworthy Exchange during the Beta period.

Footprints,
WebFugitive

Playyoo. My phone has a new crush.

Playyoo announced the 25h of January the launch of their public beta site at playyoo.com and m.playyoo.com on mobile phones. The site is designed to give mobile users easy access to free Adobe Flash Lite games. Along with offering a global community for users, Playyoo also features game creator tools that allow more developers to publish their own mobile games.

Playyoo is also launching the Playyoo Game Contest. Open to all Flash Lite developers, the contest offers $25,000 in cash prizes. More details about the contest can be found here.

My thoughts? It beats the hell out of buying games from your service provider.

Footprints,
The WebFugitive