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Posts with tag meme-tracker

Filed under: Internet, Web services, web 2.0

Google Reader meme tracker ReadBurner relaunches

ReadBurner v2
Last month Drew Olanoff and Mashable's Adam Ostrow acquired ReadBurner from developer Alexander Marktl. This afternoon they're relaunching the site with a new look and a ton of new features.

ReadBurner is a meme tracker based on Google Reader shared items. We covered the site when it launched. At the time it was simply a repository for shared items from a handful of well known tech bloggers. Now the site features a much more elegant design, categories like Popular, Upcoming, and Most Recent, and subcategory links for All, Web, Desktop, Mobile, and Apple.

There 's also a related stories section that lets you know if other sites have picked up on story. This feature makes ReadBurner a bit more of a Techmeme competitor than it used to be. And ReadBurner has partnered with Disqus, an online comment system to let users comment on stories. The companies are looking into ways to also make those comments appear on the original blogs where the stories came from. Finally, the site now sports Google Reader integration. Just click the Google Reader tab and your RSS reader will open up on the same page.

While we're dubious that this will be a true Techmeme or Digg killer, it does look like a good way for casual readers to find tech related news. Since the site relies on users who share their Google Reader link blogs, it's possible users could start spamming the site when it goes live. But as long as the site is well managed and someone takes care to prune spammy feeds you should see stories from a more diverse set of readers showing up soon.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

View more Time Wasters

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