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Whuffie is now running code

Joseph Petviashvili is a fan of my novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom -- he likes it so much that he's created a software version of "Whuffie," the reputation currency that forms the basis of the Bitchun Society I described in the book.

Bitchun.org is runs on open source code (still in alpha release), creating a marketplace for trading and rewarding favors for your friends and like-minded strangers. It's pretty amazing to have something I invented for a science fiction novel turned into running code!

What's the Bitchun Society and what's whuffie?
Whuffie is a high five, it's that look of appreciation you give for a job well done, it's a thumbs up. It's your personal capital with your friends and neighbors. It's whuffie! People who give out and receive whuffie are in the Bitchun Society. It was first mentioned in Cory Doctorow's novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.

What is the Bitchun Society for?
Right now, being part of the Bitchun Society lets you find people who share your interests and can help you through the use of a special Skype bot we call the Bitchun Butler.

(Thanks, Joe!)

Comments (0) | Posted on October 4, 2006 09:14 PM

Cory Doctorow doesn’t just write about the future – I think he lives there. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom isn’t just a really good read, it’s also, like the best kind of fiction, a kind of guide book. See the Tomorrowland of Tomorrow today, and while you’re there, why not drop by Frontierland, and the Haunted Mansion as well? (It’s the Mansion that’s the haunted heart of this book.) Cory makes me feel nostalgic for the future – a dizzying, yet rather pleasant sensation, as if I’m spiraling down the tracks of Space Mountain over and over again. Visit the Magic Kingdom and live forever!

Kelly Link
Author, Stranger Things Happen

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