Spezify
August 10, 2009One thing I generally like about developing internet technology is the idea of “everything, all the time”. Sometimes this can be a muddy concept that gets in the way of effective communication, but when done well, it can save the user precious visual time they might otherwise spend looking in several places for similar sets of information.
Spezify is a Flash-powered service that allows users to search for terms and retrieve results as a visual canvas of assorted media. Photos, videos, articles, and Twitter updates relevant to the search query populate the screen, pannable in all directions. It also retrieves a list of words relevant to your search, so you can easily browse different results (by clicking the word) or additional, more specific results (by clicking the pink “+” next to the word). One-click search refinement sounds pretty great; I like the idea of being able to maximize my laziness and yet still dive deeper and find new content. One down side: you can’t zoom, which is usually our first instinct. 
Still, this does give what is surely a milder version of the Clockwork Orange information overload experience, without any of the nasty brainwashing side effects.
