OpenID is a maturing (not quite there yet) standard for decentralized exchange of identity-related assertions. In plain-speak, what that means is that OpenID is the lingo used by your friend Bob to assure Alice, whom you just met, that you are a reasonable guy and not some freaky psycho. Technology-wise, it's just another fish. What sets it apart from other competing 'languages' is that it is still moving and being watched. Believe it or not, that's a big deal since, if it doesn't move or is ignored, it's about as interesting as a dead corpse appearing in CSI episodes.

OpenID is a solution. Like many solutions, it replace a set of questions with another, the most prominent one being the one asked by Alice: Who the hell is Bob and why should I trust him? Well, I am still trying to kill them. The problem is there are too many ifs and buts flopping about on the floor still, many of which will, I am sure, make a nice cost-of-entry for some deserving players.

This reminds me, I want to take some lessons on how to sing the blues. I tried self-learning but it comes out rather like a crazy cat stuck in a drain pipe. Any blues singers in the SF peninsula who'll accept irresistible charm as payment? I have a problem with paying for anything that won't break down in 6 months.

I've been quiet lately because all my spare time got sucked into OpenID. I had intended to add OpenID support to ongoing myidspace project but Sam Ruby's tinkering with OpenID got me to change my priorities.

Monkey see, monkey do. What people around us do and how they behave are memes as well. Whether it's a yawn or a wedding, all of us are vulnerable to people around us. For example, I am pretty sure that the genesis of my desire to get married started with a friend's wedding. It's not limited to physical world either because I clearly remember watching a virtual yawn (*yawn*) infecting others on Joi's IRC channel then on to other IRC channels.

I think OpenID has a good chance of reaching escape velocity in the near future. I have doubts about i-name though. Anyway, OpenID version 2 spec is, while still in draft form, much clearer than version 1.1 so my implementation will be v2. There are some gray spots though, particularly around extensions, so I've joined the OpenID spec mailing list.