An important feature in the DLM is the journal. Different than your blog(s), this is an app that allows you to keep things separate and private if you wish. Typically a blog is something that you broadcast to the world. Some apps, like 360 or Flickr, let you define your social network and permissions; but even so, it's very likely that you'll want to keep some things to yourself. The journal should also act as a quick data entry catch all. It should allow you to take notes in a meeting, be an exercise journal, meal planner, schedule events, dream journal, task planner, list creator, personal diary, etc. etc.
Here's an example of what I would have written yesterday...
timetag: 830a, 02032006
geo:lat=xx.xxxx
geo:lon=xx.xxxx
Went to Isaac's class this morning to be "shared." Isaac was "VIP" all week and they get to share something. I was that something. Isaac stood at the front of the class and the teacher invited me up. I wore my Yahoo! hat and so the teacher asked me if I could explain what Yahoo is and what I do there. While Isaac danced around me in some sort of squiggle dance, I spoke about Yahoo and Yahoo shopping. I asked if any of them used Yahoo or if their parents did. Many hands went up.Kid 1: "Um my dad plays games and gets email there."
Kid 2: "I use google to find star wars stuff."
Kid 3: "My mom's cousin works for google."
Kid 4: "Your mom's cousin must be rich!"tags: isaac, school, yahoo, first grade
---timetag: 9a, 02032006
geo:lat=xx.xxxx
geo:lon=xx.xxxx
Went to the periodontist. I'm having gum surgery today. "Crown Elongation." Basically after they numb the hell out of you, they proceed to fillet your gums. Then they carve part of your jaw bone out with an assortment of grinders, scrapers, and other very noisy and disturbing things. Then they cut some gum away and stitch you back up. During the procedure the assistant and doctor had a conversation about murder, home invasion, karate, and Dirty Harry. I think they do this on purpose. It takes your mind off of the horror show in your mouth.tags: dentist, gums, periodontist, pain, surgery
---timetag: 12p, 02032006
geo:lat=xx.xxxx
geo:lon=xx.xxxx
Got my Vicodin and crashed. I had crazy pain dreams. I met Barry Bonds during an outdoor opera rehearsal. The Police got back together and played a show. I was stuck hiking in a river (probably had to pee or something). And some others that I forget now. My mouth is killing me.tags: dream, pain, gums
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I think you get the idea. With tagging, the journal can be used for almost anything. I imagine that plugins could be written to make timetagging and geotagging very easy. Permissions could also be set for each entry. Some might be private, some might be shared with your network, and some might be totally public. It's up to you.
By the way, if you want to check out one of the most amazing and inspiring journals ever published, "The Journey Is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon" is it. If the DLM could provide people the means to express themselves like this, it would change the world.
UPDATE: Also... If I had written in my journal yesterday the following:
timetag: 1030a, 02142006
Follow up appt. with periodontist
tags: gums, dentist, sugery
I hope you'd get that this would be placed on my calendar on that date and time plus there would be an entry waiting in my journal in the future. Of course a natural language entry could possibly work too. 30boxes and Spongecell have done this. But I also like the thought of using something more structured.
