Myrimis (my-risk-managenment+information-system) is a product of Nanomatic, a company which utilizes and initiates novel types of nano-information technology. Myrimis, “a secure place on earth,” [i] operates on Nanomatic’s Nanonavi, “personal navigation on earth.” [ii] Myrimis, in conjunction with Nanonavi, provides social-networking software that represents an evolutionary step in the company’s development of complex data networks and geographical information systems.

Social networks are an integral part of everyone’s life—a fact upon which social-networking sites, like Nanomatic’s Myrimis, aim to capitalize. As we’ve discussed in class, social networks consist of a number of people (represented in graphs as nodes) connected by a series of ties (represented in graphs as edges). The graph models we’ve studied in class display distance only in terms of the shortest number of ties (edges) between two people (nodes). This means that two people who are best friends (two nodes connected directly by a single edge on a graph) could, in real life, be thousands of miles apart. Social-networking software such as Myrimis provides a platform whereby users can more easily connect to everyone in their social network, regardless of physical distance.

According to Myrimis’ nanowiki, Myrimis is a “location-based services platform that provides social network functionality combined with location-based media and telematics.” [iii] Akin to other social-networking sites, such as Myspace or Facebook, Myrimis offers a range of services to allow users to generate their own set of social ties on Myrimis.

Unlike other social-networking sites, however, Myrimis also employs GPS technology (Nanonavi). Using GPS, Myrimis “enables users to modularly configure and develop their “own world,” consisting of family, friends, pets, possessions such as cars, houses, and boats, and personal data including photos, videos, and holiday diaries.” [iv]

Myrimis provides an intriguing way to observe and keep track of social networks. Theoretically (provided that the proper GPS equipment is available at each respective location), Myrimis makes it possible to keep track of any given person on your social network. You can group people by their distance or relationship to you—family, relatives, friends, coworkers, buddies from an activity such as golf or yoga, etc.—and perform a number of functions thereon out. You can “geo-tag” (with specific locations) photos or videos, conveniently view points of interest (POIs) displayed for your specific area, and search for people or places in any location.

Myrimis’ more advanced services provide ways to actively manage your Myrimis network. For instance, Myrimis can notify you if your dog has left your yard, alert you if someone has tripped your home security alarm, and allow you to monitor the functions (lights, thermostat, security system) of your home or vacation house while you’re away. With Myrimis, nearly everyone and everything in your social network is just one click away.

Myrimis succeeds in bridging some of the physical distance between people within social networks by bringing them closer in other ways (internet, phone, etc.). Two best friends, thousands of miles away, can now visually observe each other’s activities and whereabouts at any point in time; and, subsequently, they can engage in real-time interaction. In that moment of real-time interaction, those two best friends are no farther apart than the nodes and edges by which they are depicted in a graph (well, figuratively speaking). In effect, by spanning the physical distance between people, Myrimis allows the real world to more closely resemble the theoretical graphs in which it is represented.

[i] http://www.myrimis.com

[ii] http://www.nanomatic.net/wiki/index.php/Nanonavi

[iii] http://www.nanomatic.net/wiki/index.php/Myrimis

[iv] http://www.nanomatic.net/index.php?option=com_content

[all photos are screen-captures from http://www.myrimis.com]