The competition will be hosted by ChallengePost, an online network for organizations and individuals to create and offer competitions. The launch of NYC BigApps will be also be officially announced at tonight's NY Tech Meetup. So, what's in it for developers? Read on.

"Last week, we launched the Connected City Initiative to put technology to use improving services and providing information to New Yorkers as fast and in as many ways as possible, and BigApps will be yet another," said Mayor Bloomberg.

"The information we're providing is the public's, and we're relying on the creativity and talent of New York City's tech and entrepreneurial communities to come up with innovative and helpful ways to use it. It's a great example of a 21st-century, public-private partnership."

The New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications worked with around 30 agencies to provide more than 170 datasets for the competition. The data include geographic locations of all sidewalk cafés, laundry facilities, playgrounds, dog runs, city landmarks, as well as census data, extensive property valuation and assessments, the results of restaurant inspections, lists of permitted citywide events, and even side parking and traffic updates.

Another important aspect of the competition is the expectation that official, city government support of startups will add a measure of vitality to an already vibrant local startup culture.

"Supporting entrepreneurs and startups is an important component of our five borough economic opportunity plan and the launch of the Big Apps competition does just that," said Deputy Mayor Lieber. "By partnering with the private sector to encourage innovative and forward-thinking applications, we are leveraging existing resources to increase efficiency and transparency in government, stimulate investment, and create jobs."

Apps will be judged based on their benefit to residents, visitors, and government; their originality; their visual appeal; their effect on data accessibility and government transparency; and yes, their commercial potential.

The NYC BigApps Competition is open to individuals, startups, and non-profit organizations with fewer than 50 employees. Datasets will be available for download today from the newly-created Data Mine.

Submissions will be judged by a panel that is to include NY Tech Meetup co-founder Dawn Barber, Betaworks CEO John Borthwick, Mahalo co-founder Jason Calacanis, EDVentures Founder Esther Dyson, FirstMark Capital CEO Lawrence Lenihan, AlleyCorp co-founder Kevin Ryan, DFJ Gotham Ventures managing partner Danny Schultz, and Union Square Ventures managing general partner Fred Wilson.

Another Sunlight Foundation project is Get Represented. In a nutshell, Get Represented uses the GetSatisfaction model of public corporate discourse and applies it to Congress. Student Kyle Powers worked on this project for the Summer of Code in order to create a public feedback mechanism for government decision-making. Members of Congress have their own GetRepresented page and voters can comment, vote up articles and have public conversations with their representatives. While the final product is not yet available to the public, you can check for updates on the Sunlight Labs blog.

To view more Summer of Code projects visit the Google Open Source Programs page.

The I/O stands for "Innovation/Open" (i/o is also a programmer term input/output). Google told us in May 2008 that we're at an "inflection point for web app development" and that Google is all about "driving usage of the Internet". The Web is now the defacto platform for application development, according to Google, and so naturally they want to encourage developers to use both Google and Open Web products.

Please leave your feature suggestions in the comments below and be in to win a Google I/O ticket, worth $400 USD each.

Google experimented with the first official Google Doodle, a series of revisions that played out a story of "alien intrigue" over the course of a week in May 2000.

Bastille Day 2000 marks the first appearance of the current Google Doodler, Dennis Hwang. Also worthy of note is the fact that Google used to provide some reference copy for the tweak, a motif that has since faded from the tradition.

In 2001, Google took the opportunity to recognize 100 years of the Nobel Prize. The doodle replaces one of the "O"s with the sought after medallion each Prize winner receives.

In 2002, Scott Adams took a turn at providing a doodle, doing away with the Google altogether and replacing it with characters from Dilbert. The pointy-haired boss provides his usual insightful direction.

Google Doodles have always had a soft spot for artists. (Which only makes sense, given that each doodle is a work of art in its own right.) Because of that, you'll see a number of famous artists appearing in our favorites. The first to make the list? A doodle from 2002 where Picasso-inspired figures poke their heads through the Google logo.

Obtuse references have also become one of the mainstays of the doodles. And that makes St. George's Day easily one of our favorites, not only for the artwork but for the choice of subject matter.

Pop artist Andy Warhol inspired a colorful Google Doodle in 2002. The doodle holds the distinction of being the only doodle so far to include multiple logos in a single doodle - a nod to Warhol's use of repeated popular imagery with varying color treatments. Being in front of millions of Google searchers definitely extends his "15 minutes of fame," and it lands him on our list of favorites as well.

Science achievements always appeal to the "geeky" and technical types, especially when they offer some interesting visual opportunities. The celebration of the 50th anniversary of understanding DNA took some liberties with the letter forms to represent the double helix in Google's colors.

There's no greater inspiration for scientific pursuits than Albert Einstein. So this doodle was easily a shoe-in for our favorites. Of note, the incorporation of Einstein's most famous formula into the artwork.

MC Escher is another artist whose work has inspired hours of contemplation. Staring at his interpretations of optical illusions still continue to delight - and confuse - fans to this day. Google picks one of his most famous works, Drawing Hands, to round out the "O"s.

The Masters inspire masterful doodles - if you can even classify this nod to Michelangelo as a "doodle." It makes our favorites for the tasteful use of nudity on a page that always has to be "safe for work."

Combining technology, artistic talent, and obtuse references is arguably the Google Doodle trifecta. That's why we like doodle for the birthday of Gaston Julia, the mathematician who devised the Julia set equations for fractals. These graphical representations, popularized by Mandelbrot, retain their resolution no matter how much you magnify them, making them a natural for the site that allows us to find minute details on the Web.

Sporting events - especially those that impact the whole world like the Olympics - often garnered a few Google Doodles over the course of the Games. The 2004 Summer Games series - highlighting the events held in the birthplace of the Olympics, Athens, Greece - was especially compelling.

One of the doodles that Hwang mentions as memorable is the Venus transit of 2004, which only happens once every 122 years. The idea for the doodle was submitted by a French astronomer. We're happy he made the suggestion, because It's one of our favorite doodles.

Not to be outdone by Michelangelo, the Da Vinci doodle of 2005 - celebrating the anniversary of Leonardo's birth - incorporates a number of the famous renaissance man's sketches into the Google logo. The wing on the "L" is an especially nice - if subtle - touch.

Google's initial success came from taking a different approach to solving a common problem. And that's what makes Frank Lloyd Wright - an architect who took a different approach to his craft - such a fitting tribute. The doodle features some of Wright's most famous buildings, with a repainted Falling Water replacing the "L" and "E."

It's hard not to pick every single artist that Google picks, because each doodle does a great job of representing the works in small form. Van Gogh was an easy - and obvious - choice for one of our favorites with Google's rendition of Starry Night.

Easily my personal favorite is the most visually illegible Google Doodle ever released: Louis Braille's birthday which appeared in 2006. The doodle serves as a gentle reminder that not everyone "sees" the Web in the same way.

Another recurring theme in the doodles is the nod to Earth Day. The 2006 rendering of the Google logo features renewable energy resources - like solar and wind energy. This doodle was a favorite of ours for its creative - and informative - doodling, reminding us all of our responsibility to the earth.

One of the first doodles to downplay the logo in favor of the artwork it's referencing is a tribute to Edvard Munch in 2006. The doodle, which features his most famous work The Scream, is striking, even if the initial "G" is almost imperceptible. Like so many artists before him, we're adding Munch to our list of favorites.

Earth Day 2007 made the favorite doodle list, as well. Unfortunately, there isn't much left of that Google iceberg below the water and that serves as a chilling reminder of the effects of global warming on the planet.

Space exploration got another nod in 2007 as the doodle captured the 50th anniversary of the first manmade earth-orbiting satellite in space, Sputnik. Humans using technology to explore the unknown seems to be a perfect theme for a company like Google - and an obvious addition to our favorites.

Google has made it a habit of recognizing its own birthday with a doodle. So we would be remiss if we did not include one of those examples in our favorites. The 10th birthday doodle in 2008 seemed the most appropriate choice, especially given its retro look resurrecting the original Google for old times' sake.

We've touched upon a number of obtuse references. What about an obtuse representation of the logo? The doodle honoring modernist Marc Chagall in 2008 makes it difficult to even discern the "Google," but it's one of our favorites, nonetheless.

One of the most momentous occasions in United States history, the 2008 US Presidential election, resulted in a doodle that hid most of the letters from us behind the curtains of voting booths. I wonder who the letters voted for? In any case, we're voting for it as a favorite.

What's a list of favorites without the Large Hadron Collider? Not a complete list, we say. That's why we've been sure to include the 2008 doodle - celebrating the first time they sent particles screaming around the loop of the LHC - as one our favorites.

The final artist to make our list of favorites - Google's celebration of the 110th anniversary of Rene Magritte's birth - has Google taking a backseat to the artist's most famous facade, The Son of Man, with its iconic green apple.

We're going to wedge one last space-oriented doodle into our favorites. And nothing seems more appropriate than the doodle celebrating the 50th anniversary of NASA, the organization behind the US space program.

It seemed a shame to close out our list without a representative from 2009, so we've also included the New Year doodle, a whimsical representation of the jungle that is the growing Google ecosystem.

Inspired?

So there you have it. Thirty of our favorite Google Doodles.

As you can see, a number of our favorites have centered on artists and accomplishments, making these doodles the perfect complement for the Doodle 4 Google contest. Hopefully, they've provided some much needed inspiration for the students who will be participating in that program.

Need even more inspiration? You might want to take the opportunity to review Google's complete collection of holiday doodles. Or it might help to look over the shoulder of the official Google Doodler.

Now, it's your turn to doodle - or more appropriately, your kid's turn. If grade school age students want the chance to have their artwork in front of millions of searchers, they'll need to convince their schools to let them get to doodling about "What I wish for the world."

At the very least, the participants are sure to do better than the original Google logo, Backrub.

Now, the creators of the app are offering $1000 US to each of the 10 best Ocarina players in the world as part of the "This Contest Blows" contest.

Striking a chord similar to that of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the Ocarina contest is using YouTube as the place to gather the contest entrants. To participate, simply record a video of yourself showing off your Ocarina chops. Then, upload your inimitable Ocarina stylings to YouTube as a response to the "This Contest Blows" video, or post it in the "This Contest Blows" group.

Not sure you can even play a song on Ocarina? Don't worry. There's even sheet music for Ocarina, now.

Entries will be judged on a variety of factors, including number of ratings, average number of stars, and number of views. All submissions must be received by January 10, 2009.

Good luck! Here's hoping all those hours you've wiled away on Ocarina pay off.

For Yieldex - a company that predicts available online advertising inventory to help optimize campaigns - that creative funding angle came in the form of participating in the Amazon Web Service Start-Up Challenge. And it paid off, twofold. Not only did they end the week with an extra $100,000 by winning the second annual Amazon AWS Start-Up Challenge, they also - as we reported in Jobwire - managed to woo a former AOL exec to join the team.

Clearly, the judges weren't the only ones who found the solution compelling. The former Senior Vice President for Network Development at AOL's Platform A, Larry Allen, has joined the Yieldex executive team as President. Allen joins a team that has its roots in Matchlogic and NetGravity, two online advertising oriented companies from the dotcom days.

Yieldex follows in the footsteps of Ooyala, the winner of the inaugural contest. We reviewed Ooyala last year about this time.

What Yieldex actually does or how it really helps advertisers optimize their inventory remains a bit cloudy, but we'll be sure to keep an eye on their progress.

You can download the Executive Summary here. We got a look at the whole report and it is packed full of great data, including the two top 10 lists of Semantic Web opportunities detailed below.

Also in this post we're giving away 3 free tickets to Defrag for the best suggestions in the comments for 'web 3.0' apps. See below for more details.

Top-10 List -- Enterprise
1 Information sharing
2 Semantic search, discovery, & navigation
3 Semantic mashups and composite applications
4 Semantic infrastructure / middleware SSOA, SBPM, SWS, virtualization, policy-based computing
5 Semantic business intelligence
6 Semantic ERP applications CRM, PLM, SCM, HRM
7 Semantic governance, compliance, & risk
8 Semantic web sites, wikis, collaboration, interest networking, & collective knowledge systems
9 Semantic advertising, marketing, personalization, & customization
10 Intelligent systems knowledge-based research, design, engineering, simulation, planning, scheduling, optimization, & decision support.

Win a Ticket to Defrag

Totally unrelated to Project10X's report, but we just happen to have 3 tickets to the Defrag conference in Denver Nov 3-4 to give away. To win one, simply leave a comment in this post detailing what kind of 'Web 3.0' app you wish to see developed. You can use the above top 10 lists as inspiration, or wing it ;-)

The best 3 as chosen by our editors will win a full ticket to Defrag.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the great comments. The 3 winners of the Defrag passes are:

Scott Brinker
Jesse Wilkins
Edward Benson

To be in to win one of the 3 prizes, we asked: for the 'Web Meets World' charity auction at the Web 2.0 Summit later this year (5-7 Nov), what would YOU bid on that web celebrities could offer? The 3 best answers, subjectively chosen by the RWW team, are printed below.

"I'd bid to send three web celebrities on a week long trip to visit AIDS orphanges in Malawi, Africa, with the condition that they would write web articles about these two things upon their return.

A. Their experiences with the children and orphange operators while there.

B. Their ideas on how "Web 2.0" can make a huge impact on really, really big problems like this."

The second full pass goes to Andraz Tori of Zemanta (comment #11):

"I'd bid for very first versions of business plans of MySpace, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Wordpress, Skype, eBay, ...

Comparing them with where they are now would be a fun and very very interesting reading!"

And for the consolation prize, we liked this suggestion by Alex Capece:

"A Metallica CD signed by Shawn Fanning." (comment #37)

Congratulations to all of the above, we'll be in contact by email regarding your prizes.

Note: if for any reason either of the 2 winners can't make it, we'll return to Random.org again and pick another one.

Thanks Technorati for the free passes for 2 lucky RWW readers. Note: if you can't make it to the conference you can still leave a comment with your fave app(s), but please add a note that you can't attend - so that we can give the tickets to 2 people who can make it.

The passes include:

- all sessions (Wed - Fri)
- workshops on Tues, April 22
- all keynote and plenary presentations
- the Expo and all events held in the Expo
- all conference networking events
- Web2Open
- Continental Breakfast & Lunch (Tues - Fri)

UPDATE: we've had a tremendous response to this competition. The winners have now been announced and the competition is closed. But you can of course continue to leave comments noting your fave web apps! Thanks everyone for participating.

To celebrate our new comments system, from Monday 11 Feb (US time) we are giving away one $30 Amazon gift voucher every day for the next month for the best daily comment.

1. To "enter", all you need to do is write a comment on a ReadWriteWeb post (you'll need a valid email address, but that won't be published). Alternatively you can leave a trackback instead of a comment, if you prefer to extend the conversation that way. We will consider both comments and trackbacks for the daily prize.

2. At the end of each day, the RWW team will select the best comment of the day -- and we'll email that person a US$30 Amazon gift voucher (this will be done in weekly batches).

3. Not only will the best daily comment win a prize, but (in a further effort to extend the conversation), we'll publish it as a separate new post on ReadWriteWeb. So you'll enhance your profile too.

This competition is being sponsored by our partners, AdaptiveBlue, and their SmartLink Widgets - including an Amazon Wishlist widget.

Criteria

The criteria that the RWW team will use to judge the best daily comment is subjective and flexible. But we'll be looking for characteristics such as: insightful, topical, witty, furthering the conversation.

Basically, we want to see a thousand discussions bloom on ReadWriteWeb. We get a lot of comments already and our community is always insightful. But we want to encourage even more two-way conversations. Wisdom of the crowds 2.0!

Another goal is to encourage you to try out the new comments registration and OpenID features on ReadWriteWeb. You can sign in using a custom ReadWriteWeb MovableType id, or any of the following: OpenID, LiveJournal, Vox or TypeKey. Or you can simply fill in the comment form and click 'Remember'.

So, first thing Monday EST -- get commenting and be in to win a $30 Amazon gift voucher every day for the next month.

"Overall, pricing on iTunes is inline with traditional DVD rentals from bricks-and-mortar stores such as Blockbuster, as well as directly comparable online offerings. Movie rentals are priced at $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, with High Definition versions costing one dollar more. However, when compared to subscription packages such as the eat-all-you-want service from Netflix, Apple’s prices soon add up, for all but the most casual movie watcher. Not offering a subscription option seems like a missed opportunity by Apple."

iPhone, iPod touch updates are incremental, welcomed, and point to future

"Today’s software updates for the iPhone and iPod touch are welcomed refinements from Apple. Are they earth-shattering? No. They’re incremental, carefully thought out, and point to what we can expect in the future.

"It’s a platform that competitors are no where near duplicating. By the time competing manufacturers introduce their versions of the iPhone (many of which may use Google’s open mobile operating system Android), Apple will unveil even more refinements as well as introduce iPhone 2.0."

AppleTV 2 breaks free from the PC, remains under Apple’s lock and key

"With AppleTV "take 2," the chains are off so to speak. No longer does the device require the use of a computer to download and manage content (although it can still access media stored on a PC), and is instead capable of fetching content directly from the Internet -- movie rentals; film, TV and music purchases; podcasts; and photos.

"But aside from Apple-sanctioned access: the company’s own iTunes Store and .Mac service, podcasts, Flickr and YouTube -- the AppleTV remains under lock and key, closed to third-party developers and web services, and subsequently unable to pull in additional content from elsewhere on the net."

Reading between the lines of Jobs’ comments on Kindle, Android

"What does Steve-o really mean when he says, "It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore"? And: "The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t ready anymore"?"

BBC tech chief: iPlayer on iTunes now a possibility

"Movie rentals on iTunes could pave the way for content from the BBC’s catch-up service, iPlayer, being offered on Apple’s platform, according to the broadcaster’s Future Media and Technology Director, Ashley Highfield."

Be sure to check out more great digital life coverage every day at last100.

We got a lot of great comments on your favorite Mobile Web apps in the contest post, which we will analyze soon. Keep telling us the Mobile Web apps you use, e.g. in this comments thread too, because it's great to know.

The winning entries:

The 'Humorous' definition winner: Josh, for comment #23 'Web 3.0 will complete my sentences'

"Web 3.0 will complete my sentences. It will think ahead of me. In a sense, it will think for me. For example, if I write "I like..." a web 3.0 app will complete my sentence with "...big butts and I cannot lie."

I don't know if it is earth shattering, but it helps me be more efficient."

The 'Serious' definition winner: Robert O'Brien, for comment #42 'Web 3.0 – a decentralized asynchronous me'

"Web 1.0 – Centralised Them.
Web 2.0 – Distributed Us.
Web 3.0 – Decentralised Me

Web 1.0 was the first time to show the value of standards, Web 2.0 is teaching us how liberating standards can be. Web 3.0 will reflect on what worked in Web2.0. It will mean more constraints for better communication/connectivity. Improved connectivity will mean revised practice and new business models.

Therefore Web 3.0 must be about me! It’s about me when I don’t want to participate in the world. It’s about me when I want to have more control of my environment particularly who I let in. When my attention is stretched who/what do I pay attention to and who do I let pay attention to me. It is more effective communication for me!

When it is about me it means Web 3.0 must be about more semantics in information, but not just anything. Better communication comes from constraints in the vocabularies we use. Micro formats will lead here helping us to understand RDF and the Semantic Web. With more concern over my attention comes a need to manage the flow of information. This is about pushing and pulling information into a flow that accounts for time and context. Market based reputation models applied to information flows become important. Quality of Service (QOS) at the application and economic layer where agents monitor, discover, filter and direct flows on information for me to the devices and front-ends that I use. The very notion of application [Application is a very stand-alone PC world-view. Forget the Web, Desktop, Offline/Online arguments] disappears into a notion components linked by information flows. Atom, the Atom API and semantics, particularly Micro formats initially, are the constraints that will make this happen. Atom features not because of technical merit but by virtue of it’s existing market deployment in a space that most EAI players won’t even consider a market opportunity. Hence Web based components start using Atom API as the dominate Web API – Feed remixing is indicative. Atom will supplant WS* SOA.

User centric identity takes hold. This extends the idea that everyone has an email address and mobile number, why not manage it for single sign-on and more. Universal Address-book anyone?

More Market based brokerage business models emerge, earning revenue on the ‘turn’, as we learn more about the true power of AdSense/Adword’s underling business model and realise there are close parallels to the worlds financial markets.

Reliable vocabularies, user identity and trusted [i.e. user controllable] reputation models, market based brokerage business models all become a necessity as the more decentralized event driven web becomes a reality.

Web 3.0 – a decentralized asynchronous me.'

And finally, the Editor's Choice winner: Mayur Jobanputra for comment #35 'Warning: This comment is BETA'

Ed's Note: The reason I chose this was mainly due to Mayur's extra efforts to win a Web 2.0 Expo ticket, because he emailed New York Times technology columnist David Pogue to ask for his support. What's more, this ploy actually worked. David Pogue popped into the comments on Mayur's blog to say:

"I hear you!

And I wish you the best of luck.

Unfortunately, I can’t get into the business of endorsing one candidate or another–I’d never escape all the requests–but I’m sure you’ll win on the merits!"

Well Mayur, for getting the attention of the NY Times - and of course for a great Web 3.0 definition - the third ticket is all yours :-) Here is Mayur's entry:

"Warning: This comment is BETA. I reserve the right to change my view at any time without telling you.

Everyone seems to think that the (near) future of the web is the ability to use your apps offline. I think thats a very narrow view of where the technology is headed. Companies banking on this concept are doomed. Going "off the grid" is going to be a thing of the past for future generations. Eventually, you will always be connected to the cloud (aka "Internet" for you newcomers). For example, the idea of logging into your favorite instant messenger will be passe. You will always be online be able to contact people with streaming video and audio at any time from any where..your car..your phone..your home. The trend in web video, social networking and staying connected to friends and family is just starting. The thirst for people-to-people communications is still mostly unquenched (sorr for the pun). Sites like facebook can draw such a huge audience even though they fail completely in keeping users connected (eg: you only know whats happening when you login).

Realtime video and audio anytime anywhere with anyone you want is coming. Is it here yet? Sort of..but not in mass consumption, and your local ISP is happier for it. Its really a technical problem and not one thats easily solved. Just imagine if your local ISP was providing fiber to your home for 10% more than what you pay now? Everyone would take advantage of the immense speeds. Video apps and full screen video communication would be everywhere. The problem is ISP's banked on cable and dsl connections, spent millions...no billions to develop the infrastructure. They have since realized that many more people can afford to have high-speed Internet services, or at least are placing a high value on their ability to go online. The last I heard, 1/10th of the world is online.

Until the technical problem of easily serving full-screen, quality video to every high-speed user is solved, we will continue to see various interesting social networking and video streaming sites (if joost gets out of private beta asap, they may have a fighting chance with p2p idea but there days are numbered imho). Web 3.0 to me is video-driven social networking, video-driven news blogs and user created entertainment, and video-driven email (yep..one day!).

P.S. I love how every man and his dog is trying to create the next dating site masking as a social networking site!"

Runners-Up

These 3 entries were the runners-up and (in the order below) will be selected for a ticket should any of the 3 winners not be able to make it to Web 2.0 Expo.

1. Jonas Brandon for comment #18 'dictionary definition'
2. Charlie Wood for comment #11 'Not to be glib, but Web 3.0 = Web 1.0 + Web 2.0.'
3. Andre Stechert for comment #37 'It's time to register your new blog: onlineofflineweb.com.'

As always, it's difficult to choose just a few winners from such a quality crop of entries. Sorry to those who missed out! Congrats to the 3 winning entries, I'll be in contact by email.

Well I am not brave enough to ask for people to trash R/WW posts, so I am going to settle for asking you to (ahem) define Web 3.0. C'mon, I know you want to... The 3 most creative and/or witty definitions for Web 3.0 will win a free pass to Web 2.0 Expo, valued at $1,500 each. Put your definition in the comments below - it can be just one line, or more if you like. I'll select the winners Tuesday afternoon PST next week (nb: if you can't make it to the conference, but want to enter anyway, please note that in your comment).

Web 3.0: When Web Sites Become Web Services
London Mashup: What's Next, Web 3.0?
Web 3.0 = (4C + P + VS)
Web 2.0 Summit Wrap-up

Incidentally I will be at Web 2.0 Expo in a couple of weeks, so I look forward to catching up with R/WW readers there.

UPDATE: The winners have now been announced. Thanks all for your participation.