Idea
I really like this “ball” model I’m using in Cluster. I’m actually thinking about abstracting it into a “Ball API” and then re-implementing the Cluster code to use it in a clean way. You know, with storage drivers and stuff: “mysql:dbname” and “txt:/path/to/datasource” being valid paths to a storage system.
I’ve never really seen anything like Cluster on the net, and I’m thinking it fits in very well with the whole Facebook- and MySpace-influenced prominence of looking at other people’s junk all the time and writing stuff on their pages.
One of the reasons I was thinking about an API is I can see the possibility of a game using the Ball API. Same model of use as Cluster, but with a clickable image map or something. Actually, there seems to be a lot of fun stuff you could do.
One thing that could be snapped into the existing code very easily is e-mail notification of when you have the ball. While I think Cluster is small enough to make this a stupid idea, I could see a larger-scale implementation thriving with only a slightly extended feature set.