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 webslinky: realising your aspirations
What do you want? “What do you want to do with your life?” 43things demands an answer. “I'm not sure”, I tell it. I didn't come here for an existential interrogation.Sadly the site isn't very forthcoming. Instead it (mistakenly) adds “I'm not sure” to my profile, and shows me I'm not alone: six other people were obviously equally bewildered. Not that this is all that comforting when their other goals include “control the world” and “find out what's wrong with my head”. Yes, 43things is a site about realising your aspirations, whatever they may be. Or at the very least, listing and sharing them. Every goal is automatically cross-referenced, allowing you to see which other users want to do it, as well as those who already have. And this is where it gets clever. 43things is actually the originating member of a group of social networking sites, all of which share your data. Cross-referencing the user’s goals with locations on sister site 43places, for example, shows that the most popular goal for Londoners is to “survive an Al-Qaeda attack right by my home”. Looking at the dates around which that goal was created, it’s likely to be a testament to the flurry of online social activity following the 07 July bombings. Less easily explained is “destroy the future in order to save the past”, another common goal for Londoners, so we'll move swiftly on to what appears to be one of biggest concern for 43things' overall userbase: weight loss. The considerable level of interest in this goal means there are plenty of people with whom to share tips and support, though if you prefer your lists a little less dynamic you might like to read Chris Pirillo's 50 Weight Loss Tips. Nosing about in people's dreams can be inspirational, moving and, above all, entertaining. “Develop my psychic abilities! I am an enlightened millionaire! Find a woman who touches piano for me!” But none of this has helped me to answer the original question. Or maybe it has? Inevitably, my own list indicates I should probably stop looking at the internet quite so much, which is a shame as I'll fall behind on my stalking.
David Thair
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related info
 useful links43things: lose weight www.werenotafraid.com chris.pirillo: 50 weight loss tips
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see also
 webslinky #088web of deceit  webslinky #087make & do  webslinky #086photo fun  webslinky #085ninjas  webslinky #084high street hi-jinks  webslinkyarchive books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. art  art archive Watch artist interviews and see images from British exhibitions. |
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