Social Fabric
In his thesis, Steven Blythe proposes a software that would be installed on your cell phone or PDA and would monitor your contacts.
A graphical representation of your contacts would give you visual cues to alert you to people you have neglected or up and coming birthdays, etc…
From the thesis summary:
What it is: The Social Fabric is a representation of your social world, displayed as a single visual array on your mobile phone. It does not replace your address book or calendar but keeps you subtly informed about which relationships are prospering, which you have neglected, and the overall state of your social fabric.
How it works: Your phone’s screen shows a crowd of human figures, each an avatar of one of your friends, acquaintances or relatives. The frequency of all digital communications between you and each person, which the system monitors, determines that avatar’s posture: an alert stance indicates frequent recent contact, for example; a lethargic posture or turned back means neglect. You can also register non-digital contacts manually. The avatars can be grouped manually according to sentiment, category, and so on, or programmed to begin clustering together before an upcoming event: your family before a birthday, say.
(http://people.interaction-ivrea.it/s.blyth/thesis/)
