A funny thing happened on the way to the multiplayer online game that Ludicorp was building -- a photo network cropped up. And like Blogger dwarfing the project-management software that spawned it, Flickr looks like a side-project with some serious legs. At first glance, you could mistake Flickr for yet another online storage space for personal photo collections, but don't be fooled -- it's plenty more. Social network. Blogging tool. Topical groupware. Of course, the kicker may be the effort, enthusiasm, humor, and smarts the Ludicorp gang brings to developing Flickr as a platform for interaction. Check out their blog for random snaps and cool new features, added just about every day.

Harold Check