Tablet PC Thoughts

SCO vs. Novell ... the Copyrights.

2007-04-12T23:45:00.000-06:00

Tonight I read through the following filing that I found on the SCO web site. It is "SCO’S MEMORANDUM in Support of its Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on its First, Second, and Fifth Causes of Action and for Summary Judgment on Novell’s First Counterclaim"

Wow!

In this filing, there is testimony from a whole list of Novell executives - who actually negotiated the deal with SCO - who all testify that they *did* sell the Copyrights to SCO. When I read through this, I can only sit here thinking about what the current Novell management team was thinking ... and what they will ever be able to pull out to refute this evidence.

In addition, this filing contains testimony by a reporter who states that Chris Stone told her he was going to announce that Novell never sold the Copyrights with full intention to damage the SCO stock price, and impact shareholders. Amazing if this is true ... to think that an executive would do this and believe that he could get away with it.

Although all of the press wants people to believe this is all over ... it seems that there is still a lot of life left in the SCO lawsuits.

Need a professional Alibi?

2007-04-12T23:33:00.000-06:00

Amazing ... but I guess that anything goes in this day and age. The Alibi Network ... a professional organization that will cover for you and create an alibi for anything! You need a "virtual buddy" to answer calls for you, or make them? You need a phone number of the "hotel" that you are staying at where they will answer and say anything that you want? You need to fake where you are calling from? Read their FAQ and they even give an example real-life alibi.

What truly is an indicator of the level of integrity in our society is that these guys are in business, and probably doing very well. It floors me to see the direction that so many people would choose to take in their life. Stunning.

[tags: alibi lies deceit identity digitalidentity]

Brain / Machine Integration Continues

2007-04-09T11:31:00.000-06:00

Nice . .. we are getting closer and closer to neural implants to augment the operation of the brain. These first ones are oriented towards memory. I wonder when we'll be able to get additional memory added via this technology. Anyone for a memory upgrade ... for their brain?

The Memory Hacker. USC's Center for Neural Engineering researchers have developed a chip that can communicate with brain cells, a first step toward an implantable machine that could restore memories in people with brain damage or help them make new ones.

... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: brain computer integration memory augmentation]

Designer Dogs ... coming soon!

2007-04-07T08:42:00.000-06:00

I can only imagine ... in a world like ours ... when we'll see the 100lb. Chihuahua being walked (dragged?) by its master. Or maybe it'll be the miniature Great Dane? Now that we are discovering the inner working of the genome, I can only imagine the business opportunities that will come to mind. Genetically modified pets are only a short time away!

What Makes Little Dogs Small? Researchers Identify Gene Involved In Dog Size. Science Daily Apr 6 2007 6:54AM GMT [Moreover Technologies - Genetics news]

[tags: genes pets chihuahuas]

Google wants MORE of your identity!

2007-04-06T22:18:00.000-06:00

Ok ... this is one place where I like Local.Live.com even more than Google Maps ... again! I was long a user of Google Maps, however they didn't allow me to mark-up the maps and add my own annotations. Yes ... I could hack code, but c'mon ... Local.Live.com has had the ability for a long time.

Well FINALLY, Google adds the ability to annotate and more through their new My Maps features ... BUT ... I MUST create an account and be tracked by Google in order to use the features!! What the heck? I can't just hack out a quick annotated map for a friend or family without providing information to Google about who I am and having them permanently note my interest in some specific point on earth?

Once again ... the average person has NO idea they are now going to have even more records kept of every place they have marked or annotated, and when they did it. Google continues to gather even more information about you ... who you are ... what you do ... where you do. Amazing. I'll stick with Local.Live.com.

Google makes mashups easy, even for me. The search giant's new My Maps feature lets anyone create customizable maps with photos and video, regardless of technical know-how.
Photos: Google maps out mashups [CNET News.com]

[tags: google microsoft privacy identity digitalidentity maps]

Measuring the accuracy of computer models

2007-04-06T22:05:00.000-06:00

It really impresses me as we continue to make advances in the reproduction of human senses or capabilities in silicon and software. What really caught my eye about this article was thinking about the fact that the accuracy of the model can be measured not only by it's success at mirroring human-like abilities ... but that it also makes errors in a way that is similar to humans.

Once the models are solid enough, then they will be able to learn from the errors in humans ... and potentially due to shear quantity, scale, or speed exceed our human abilities. Closer and closer to the Singularity we move each day ...

Computer Model Behaves Like Humans On Visual Categorization Task. In a new MIT study, a computer model designed to mimic the way the brain itself processes visual information performs as well as humans do on rapid categorization tasks.

The model even tends to make similar errors as humans, possibly because it s... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: ai brain senses singularity]

ZoomInfo.com ... a nice search engine!

2007-04-06T00:07:00.000-06:00

After reading this post, I went out and played with ZoomInfo ... it's got some very interesting features. You are able to search using various keywords, names, etc. and it seems to come up with some pretty impressive results. Looking for a business in a particular market? Looking for people in a particular role in a market? Give it a try ... there are some really interesting results.

First Semantic Search Engine?. Business search company ZoomInfo announced today the launch of what it's calling the first-ever semantic search engine.

The site works by applying tags to information that distinguish between key concepts, such as a person, an industry, or a compa... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: search zoominfo semantic]

First Annual Utah Geek Cruise?

2007-04-05T14:55:00.000-06:00

I just found out today that tomorrow is the deadline for deposits for the First Annual Utah Geek Cruise! Of course its open to anyone that wants to go ... and it's an amazing deal ... September 2nd ... 7 nights starting at $455.00! There was a group of us that wanted to take a nice cruise, and my girlfriend found the amazing deal.

Its a Royal Caribbean Cruise ... Southern Caribbean route, going from Puerto Rico, to Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and then back to Puerto Rico. There are lots of things to do, and everything is included except for airfare (right now the roundtrip from SLC to Puerto Rico is ~$465!!), alcohol, and shore excursions. There are a bunch of us geeks going to be on the trip - and yes there is a wireless Internet available - and we'll have two days at sea to hang on the ship and have a lot of great conversations. When on the islands, there are a lot of shore excursions available, including visiting some caves, scuba, snorkling, lots of pirate stuff, etc. This shore excursion document outlines all of the various activities.

So from SLC, the whole deal is less than $1000 per person for a full 7 night cruise! For anyone that has never done a cruise ... this is an incredible deal on a really nice cruise line. Read the details ... if you want to join us, the contact information is on the brochure!

[tags: cruise utah geeks puertorico aruba curacao stmaarten stthomas]

New NuMe.com ...

2007-04-04T22:44:00.000-06:00

Ok ... after another few weeks of work, we just threw out a new version of our NuMe website! Go and check it out ... what is fun is that it is actually gaining some real momentum. Our videoWrapplet is now finding itself onto webpages all over the planet ... it's fun to see many of the places it's showing up!

Our biggest hit is the Smashing Pumpkins MySpace page, where they are using it to show off their latest videos. We're now on numerous other MySpace pages (like this one from the UK ... I love the video he posted called "Spiders on Drugs"), also Blogger.com blogs, and even more sites in South America and Europe. It's fun to see the Google Analytics, and to also see some of the uses of the videoWrapplet ... a conspiracy web site, a Japanese tech/audio site, Argentinian TV sites and cooking videos and Tech sites, a German Club site, and too many others to link to. Well ... you can always check them out on the NuMe site. We now have a videoWrapplet detail page that shows all of the top playlists, and the recently updated playlists.

One facinating thing that I caught yesterday, was that we had a user Jim from Mexico grab our videoWrapplet and load it up with videos. The first videos are Smashing Pumpkins videos, leading me to believe that he found it through their site. He then added several other videos from other artists. The best part is that he then went to YouTube and signed up so that he could upload his own home-made videos and put them into the playlist! So our videoWrapplet actually caused someone to create a YouTube account ... just so that they could use our videoWrapplet. Many people would argue that proves we ought to be hosting the videos ... but what I like to see is that the value they perceive in our videoWrapplet caused them to leap the hurdle and create a YouTube account!

Anyhow ... I'm having fun with this, and am about to release a new version ... with some small tweaks. But I also have a fully skinnable version in testing, and it also supports transparent backgrounds. We're also adding a full set of preferences. I'm also thinking that it will be easy to open up the skinning to anyone with some pretty basic skills ... :-)

Stay tuned ... the video experiments continue ...

[tags: youtube google video nume mediaforge videowrapplet cinemaforge widgets flash apollo myspace blogger]

Amazing Laser Graffiti ... 15 stories tall!

2007-03-16T00:29:00.000-06:00

On our NuMe website, the user rufinorosado posted an amazing video to their NuMe videoWrapplet playlist ... this is too cool. The video is by a group called Graffiti Research Labs and they have set up a giant video projector pointing at the side of a building, and then integrating a laser pointer tracking system to allow people to draw giant virtual graffiti on the side of the building using a hand-held laser!

I've added the video to my Inevitable videoWrapplet playlist with the title LASER Graffiti by Graffiti Research Labs ... you have GOT to check this out ... I want one!

[tags: laser graffiti technology nume videowrapplet]

We better be nice to them now ...

2007-03-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

It seems that someone is thinking ahead . .. to the future where robots and machines might have to make choices about what to do with the "legacy biologicals" roaming the planet. One robot to another "But remember ... they were nice to us in our infancy ... don't we want to stop the humans from becoming extinct?"

Robotic age poses ethical dilemma. The Robot Ethics Charter, an ethical code to prevent humans abusing robots, and vice versa, is being drawn up by South Korea.

"The government plans to set ethical guidelines concerning the roles and functions of robots as robots are expected to de... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: future ai robots humans substratetransitions robotrights]

Touch Interface of the Future

2007-03-14T15:56:00.000-06:00

You have to watch the video to really see how impressive this is. I've added the video to my Inevitable videoWrapplet playlist ... it's the presentation that Jeff Han gave at the TED conference of his 'multi-touch interface'. This is the stuff of Minority Report ... but being demonstrated as reality. Read the article ... check out the video ... this is an impressive product.

I keep thinking that I want this on my laptop, or Tablet PC!

TED: Jeff Han, A Year Later. Catapulted to geek stardom literally overnight at this high tech confab in 2006, inventor of mind-blowing touchscreen technology gives Wired News a glimpse into life as an entrepreneur and his new company, Perceptive Pixel. Kim Zetter reports from Monterey. [Wired News: Top Stories]

[tags: ui touchscreen future minorityreport jeffhan perceptivepixel ted userinterface]

Dog or Cat Captcha ...

2007-03-14T14:55:00.000-06:00

My favorite project talked about this article is one where the blurred letters and numbers - called captcha images - are replaced by the image of a dog or cat ... with you having to properly identify which it is. It turns out that this is a hard problem to solve ... today ... for machines.

Microsoft's research labs offer freebies. Many projects at TechFest are simply research concepts that will never come to market, but some are being made publicly available.
Images: From pets to panoramas at TechFest [CNET News.com]

[tags: captcha microsoft research]

Brain controls for computers and games

2007-03-14T14:44:00.000-06:00

As the work in the research labs continue, it was only a meeter of time before the technology begins to enter into commodity markets. I do have to wonder if the quality and capabilities will meet peoples expectations, however it is only going to improve with time.

I keep thinking of other applications for this product ... who will do the first TV Remote Control based on this? Just think about changing channels ... :-)

Connecting Your Brain to the Game. Emotiv Systems has announced that video-game makers are able to buy Emotiv's electro-encephalograph (EEG) caps and software developer's tool kits so that they can build games that, they claim, can use the electrical signals from a player's brain to c... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: brain eeg mindcontrol manmachine gaming]

Kurzweil predicted it accurately

2007-03-12T17:27:00.000-06:00

I think it was Ray Kurzweil that said during a presentation at Stanford that the US Patent System was in for some problems. I believe that he had some charts that showed the near exponential growth of the number of patents being filed ... and talked about the fact that reviewing and looking for possible overlap and duplication was going to grow to be near impossible ... unless we end up employing the majority of the US citizens! Well ... looks like things are heating up!

What is cool is that they are actually exploring some new and innovative ways to deal with the review of patents ...

The U.S. Patent Office Wants You. A plan to help overburdened patent examiners solicits online advice from outside sources (read: you), calling on Slashdot's founder for a system to rank user comments. Plus: China blocks LiveJournal. In 27B Stroke 6. [Wired News: Top Stories]

[tags: kurzweil patents acceleration exponential]

Another release of our videoWrapplet

2007-03-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

I've been working on my videoWrapplet some more, and just added a few new features, and fixed some bugs. I'm really restructuring the internals of the code to prepare for some of the bigger features ... more flexible playlists, and preferences.

With the new version the videos will automatically advance to the next video if they can (the Flex video player events are pretty hosed!), and I've also added a video info button next to each title to see, and copy, the URL of the video. All of this to make it easier to put videos into your playlist. And yes ... I'm working on a way to do a one-click add of a video into your playlist ... stay tuned!

Also ... Scott has been jamming on the home page of NuMe to show the users who are getting the top plays, and who have recently updated their playlist!

The one reason I have a Laptop and a Tablet PC

2007-03-12T16:49:00.000-06:00

I saw this article, and imediately read through it ... it's #5 that I agree with the most. The reason that I have a laptop *and* a Tablet PC is the screen. The screen size and resolution that is included on most convertibles is still just too low for me. I heard that the Gateway was a full 14", but then the resolution is still only 1280 x 768 pixels ... too small for what I am used to. I'll look forward to seeing what Dell does in this space ... but I want pixels!

As for the value of a Tablet PC ... I love the Tablet PC for notetaking. It is still the most amazing computer to take into presentations or conferences, or when walking around having to take notes and sketch diagrams of things. For these purposes, the Tablet PC beats out the laptop any day.

Eight reasons tablet PCs have missed the mainstream. Tablet PCs haven't caught on with consumers and remain a niche market for certain users, such as medical personnel and insurance adjusters. Cost and technology problems are among the reasons, according to analysts.
[Computerworld Mobile/Wireless News]

[tags: tabletpc laptop gateway dell]

Global Warming Caused by Sun!

2007-03-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

No ... it's can't be! <sarcasm>There is no way that I can believe for a second that the earth is at all warmed by the sun! Although I haven't yet seen Al Gore's movie, I've heard it's all full of hard evidence that Global Warming is caused by us humans. How could it be otherwise?</sarcasm>

Uh ... wow. This scientist is probably going to come under a lot of attack from folks about this ... but he's saying that maybe ... just maybe ... there are bigger forces at work than us humans. Imagine that.

Sun May Be Warming Both Earth and Mars. [Slashdot]

[tags: globalwarming sun mars earth commonsense]

Numenta Research Release

2007-03-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

A few years back I attended a conference at Stanford and watched a presentation by some of the folks at Numenta. It was very impressive, and discussed the architecture of the hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) system. There were several other presenters that discussed the learning of how the brain stores patterns, and does pattern matching.

What I really like is the thinking that dovetails with other articles and books that I have read, and how the brain - from childhood - constructs a model of the universe, and we the interact with the world using that model as a base reference for predictions and "next moves."

Numenta has now released their Numenta Research Release. It is now at the stages for researchers to begin to look at and experiment. Of course it's not just download and run ... in Jeff's own words:

We have found that it takes some developers months to get familiar with the concepts, and maybe a year to get commercially useful results. It also is possible that your first attempts at using HTM will be valuable for learning, but not valuable for commercial applications. The learning curve is similar to the learning curve for writing computer software. It takes anywhere from several months to a year to become proficient in writing computer software; HTMs have similar complexity.

The best part that I like about these theories and examples of possible brain models, is that we can learn a lot about ourselves from these. How we work. If the brain creates a model, and that is then used to interact with the world, then that model begins to define the limits of our interactions. The funny part, is that most people fail to distinguish that it is simply a model ... not the "truth", and not fixed. And so quite often their own model of the universe constrains their behaviors and actions, limiting what they can do. I took a number of courses from Landmark Education that focus on this specific area ... learning to distinguish that model, and to then learn to evolve and update that model. It is amazing experience each time I distinguish something new about how flawed my model of the universe is.

Even with the understandable doubts expressed by the author of this article ... I am impressed with Jeff and his work, and believe that he is on the right track.

Quest for the Thinking Machine. Jeff Hawkins created the Palm Pilot and the Treo. Now he says he's got the ultimate invention: software that mimics the human brain. By Evan Ratliff from Wired magazine. [Wired News: Top Stories]

[tags: brain numenta ai jeffhawkins landmark]

Heading to Apollo Camp!

2007-02-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ok folks . .. time for Apollo Camp! I'm going to be heading out there to participate, and some of our G3 team members from mediaFORGE are going to be there with me. If you aren't yet familiar with Apollo, you ought to be. I'm very impressed with what Adobe is doing, and we are fully committed to Flash, Flex, and Apollo development.

Apollo, IMHO, is going to truly alter web applications beyond what Ajax has done ... and I've been working with Ajax for quite some time. My issues with Ajax are that the most popular web properties on the Internet will not allow you to embed Ajax in their pages ... but they'll allow Flash! Apollo now adds to that since it allows the Flash applications to be "installed from the web" ... so now cross-platform applications can be created and distributed through embedded web objects.

I'm really looking forward to this evening ... and if you're there, we might even demo some of the projects that we've been working on!

[tags: adobe flash flex apollo ApolloCamp mediaFORGE ajax]

Microsoft Robotics

2007-02-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

I know that some people are going to say that this is old news, but today I came across some very cool software from Microsoft ... the Microsoft Robotics Studeo. Where the heck have I been? For all of my life I have loved the interaction between computers and the outside world. I remember writing my first code that controlled a floppy disk drive, and it was fun to use keyboard commands to control the heads ... stepping them back and forth and returning them to track 0.

I came across this offering from Microsoft while looking for information about White Box Robotics back in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm going to be taking a vacation back to Pittsburgh this summer, and am lining up various things to do. I want to stop over and check out what White Box is doing, as they are looking pretty impressive on the level of research and development that they are doing for "home" robotics.

White Box Robotics was founded in 2001 by Thomas Burick to fulfill the vision of changing the world one robot at a time.
We remain committed to the ongoing development of the PC-BOT, a new class of networked mobile robots that delivers exceptional value and ease of use. This achieved by leveraging mature PC technologies, adopting open standards and creating a plug and play environment that allows just about anyone to build exciting PC-based robots.

The White Box Robotics laboratory is based in Pittsburgh PA and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Frontline Robotics Inc. Thomas continues to pursue his vision as the company's Chief Robotics Officer and now is part of a new enlarged team of multi-disciplinary and highly experienced engineers. This team delivers the depth and breadth to catapult this technology into the rapidly emerging market for personal, commercial and security robotic applications.

What I really like about this is that there are a number of vendors all working together to create some standards for the platforms. The Microsoft Robotics Studeo press release lists an impressive group of companies and researchers in the robotics field.

I'm reading ... and I think I'm going to download this for my new laptop tonight! Cool to see robotics making some good jumps!

[tags: microsoft robots robotics software hardware]

Mass media and virtual worlds . ..

2007-02-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a long believer that the mass media - television and radio - are still poised to be the dominant powers of the Internet ... if they can let go of their fear of the Internet. Their current position reminds me of the stories of the railroads way back when ... ignoring and afraid of the airlines. If the railroads had recognized that they were in the transportation business ... they could have had it all!

It seems that still to this day, TV and Radio are all around us, constantly pushing their content at us, and - sadly or not - the masses still flock to it. Millions of people across the country are scheduling their lives around their "favorite" TV show that they can't get enough of. Even the news draws millions of people to learn more about all of the events that occurred around the nation, and in their local area, they they *must* know about.

With this huge audience, this medium is still, IMHO, the most untapped mechanism to get people to the Internet. It is the *only* way that you can impact so many people - at nearly the same instant - with some message or meme. TV was the original way that people or companies were "slashdotted" ... when something runs on TV there might be hundreds of thousands of immediate responses.

This article demonstrates a powerful TV brand utilizing it's communications vehicle to move people to a new medium on the Internet ... and to go beyond the "reality" TV of today, and into virtual worlds. MTV is now creating a television program, that is then being used to drive people into their online virtual world. This, to me, is a prime example of good marketing ... using the power and reach that you have through TV to then create awareness and drive the people to your web properties. Nice!

MTV launches 'Virtual Hills' based on There.com platform. Blog: MTV Networks on Monday announced the launch of Virtual Hills, a new custom virtual world created using the There.com platform,... [CNET News.com]

[tags: mtv marketing virtualworlds there massmedia]

Sending E-mail from Cingular SMS Text Messages

2007-02-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

When I got my new Nokia E70, one of the things that really disappointed me was the different way that e-mails were sent from the text messaging. No matter what I did, I was unable to figure out how to send an e-mail using the "basic" SMS text message. Instead, I was forced to use the "multimedia message" ... which I quickly found out was being charged to me per message, even though I was just sending simple text. :-(

So why do I really care about this? Well ... I have formed the habit of using SMS text to e-mail as a way to send reminders to myself that I later will find in my e-mail inbox! If I am out and about, and away from my computer, I can quickly jot a message on my phone and e-mail it to myself. When I get back in front of my laptop there are my reminders sitting in my inbox! Also ... I'm working on a cool SMS text messaging site that I have had under construction for years now ... and I am sending messages to it also ... for purposes to be announced soon. :-)

With my older Nokia phone, I could easily send a basic SMS text message, and specify an e-mail address ... the phone handled dispatching a properly formatted message to the SMS e-mail gateway at Cingular and everything worked. With the E70, although I am able to add e-mail addresses to my contacts, when sending a basic SMS text message, I am unable to pick an e-mail address to send to! Instead ... I have had to use the costly "multimedia message" format, and then I get a pick list of numbers and e-mail addresses to send to.

Tonight, while experimenting more with my phone I realized something ... that I could reply to a e-mail that was sent to my phone as a "basic" SMS text. If I could do that, then I figured that there must be a way to properly format a basic SMS text to send as e-mail. By searching Google, and remembering some obscure settings, I finally figured it out. So for anyone interested here it is:

To send a SMS text message to an e-mail address on the Cingular network:

Address the message To: "0000000000" (ten zeros)
Write the text with the format "{e-mail address}({subject}) {body of e-mail}

Now the exact format has to be followed. An example would be:

joe@somedomain.com(This came from my phone) I figured this out!

The key points in this are that the e-mail address and subject are separated from the body of the message by a space! Do not put a space after the e-mail address ... it must be the e-mail address, then the subject - in parenthesis - with NO space between them. Then a space before the body of the e-mail message. If you want to, you can leave out the subject and the parenthesis, and just get a message with no subject.

Now I do have to admit that I am still very disappointed with Nokia, in that I can not find how to get the e-mail address from a contact to appear in the text message ... so I end up having to type this EVERY time. But the cost of these messages is included in my plan ... so it's worth the extra effort!

[tags: cingular nokia e70 sms text email]

What is up with Firefox Updates?

2007-01-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

For the last while, I have been aware of the Firefox v2.x release. What has really surprised me is that the Firefox Update check has never told me to go and get it!

Just today ... for the last time . .. I launched Firefox, and then went to the "Help -> Check for Updates ..." menu. The dialog that appeared stated "No Updates Found. There are no new updates available. Firefox may check periodically for new updates." What? No notice at all that there is a whole new generation of the browser?

As a general marketing rule, it seems to me that you always make sure to let the customer know about products that you want them to use! I can't believe that Firefox would not tell me that v2.x is now out there and available to download.

P.S. If people want to tell me about the difference between an Upgrade and an Update ... or that v1.5.x is a different product from v2.0.x ... I don't want to hear it. This is all about marketing and getting the word out. For the general population that doesn't follow the tech news, Firefox would benefit the most from making these blatant announcements!

[tags: firefox updates upgrades]

Materials Science ... gel body armor!

2007-01-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

I love to read about new technologies like this ... something truly futuristic ... a "viscous gel" in a vest that is fluid until struck or impacted ... then it turns to a hardened material. Afterwards ... it returns to a gel. Bullet-proof vests that morph ... very cool!

Prison Guards Saved by Syrup. A new viscous gel that hardens on impact could make bulky, conspicuous body armor a thing of the past. By Vince Beiser from Wired magazine. [Wired News: Top Stories]

[tags: future body armor]

Portable keyboard for mobile computing

2007-01-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Nice ... I like it. It's a portable keyboard like no other. Simply sit it down and turn it on ... there are serial and Bluetooth versions. For those who want a full size keyboard for their mobile devices ... this is a very cool solution!

Review: A virtual keyboard for any surface. I-Tech virtual laser keyboard uses infrared and laser technology to project an outline of a full keyboard onto any surface. [Computerworld Breaking News]

[tags: keyboard mobile wearable umpc origami]

Understanding the coming future ...

2007-01-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome blog post about many of the key terms, areas of research, and conversations that are going on around the world related to the coming future. Anyone interested in the future ought to read through this list of key terms, and the associated links, and come up to speed on what the great minds around the planet are thinking of.

This list of terms and links will take you on a great journey through some amazing theories and discussions ... this is the type of thinking that I live for. For those who don't want to read it all ... we're in for a wild ride!

Must-know terms for the 21st Century intellectual: Redux. George P. Dvorsky has created a list of the most fundamental and crucial terms that re-define the human condition and should be known by any expert generalist.

They include Accelerating Change, Anthropic Principle, Artificial General Intelligence,... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: future future studies accelerating change virtual reality augmented reality digital identity identity human rights memetics uploading nanotechnology quantum society]

Humanimals ... or Animans?

2007-01-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

When I read an article like this one, it really causes me to stop and think. This article is talking about the discussions being held about the legality of combining animal and human material. What makes me stop and think is that the discussion is not about if it is now possible!

It's now completely possible ... and so now just a matter of time. What will the resulting creatures be called ... when someone takes it all the way?

Animal-human hybrid cloning deferred. Controversial proposals to make embryos by merging human and animal material remain on hold following a decision on Thursday by the UK regulator of embryo research.
The researchers want to use cow or rabbit eggs as a short cut to making cloned em... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: cloning hybrid humanimals animans genetics embryo]

Privacy ... still just a case of obfuscation ...

2007-01-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Once again we are reminded that "privacy" is simply a case of obfuscation. We have "privacy" only because it is too difficult to sense certain things. We have the "privacy of our own homes" only becuase others can not see what goes on "behind closed doors."

This article is demonstrating that even that level of privacy is slowly eroding. With the newest version of this product, different military and police agencies can actually "see" through walls. Now obviously this is something that will be very costly as a product ... but with the rapid evolution of technology, how long until you or I will be able to purchase a device like this? 10 years? 5 years? 3 years? It is inevitable that we will have our own personal versions of this before too long ...

Company with a camera that sees through walls gets $14 million. Blog: Camero, a company out of Israel that has developed a camera that can "see" things through solid walls, has raised $14 million,... [CNET News.com]

[tags: identity privacy digitalidentity]

iPhone ... is theirPhone ...

2007-01-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's already turning into a bummer. It appears that the iPhone is going to be locked down against 3rd party applications. What a loss. I was really looking forward to some sort of developer angle here ... but it seems that Apple is going to lock things up tightly when it comes to applications for the iPhone. From this article:

But it’s not like the walled garden has gone away. “You don’t want your phone to be an open platform,” meaning that anyone can write applications for it and potentially gum up the provider's network, says Jobs. “You need it to work when you need it to work. Cingular doesn’t want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up.”

In addition, I'm hearing more and more that they are locking the phone tight to the Cingular network ... not allowing you to change to alternate networks. David Isenberg comments on the same issues in his blog post: Apple blows it. I agree with him completely ... I'm shocked at the complete lock-in that Apple is creating around the iPhone. Bummer.

[tags: apple ipod iphone cingular]

The mediaFORGE videoWrapplet ...

2007-01-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

For the last six months I've been working with mediaFORGE here in Salt Lake City, Utah as CTO. It's been a fun place to work as we have been combining some interesting back-end technologies for doing viral marketing analytics. As we began to work with Internet Videos, we started to think about some new ways to embed more than just one video within a portion of web page real estate.

As we were developing some other solutions for our customers, I worked with one of my developers to create a basic video player that we call our videoWrapplet. This little Flash application can be embedded in almost any web page, and provides a simple way to maintain a playlist of videos, and embed them into your home page, blog, Myspace page, or other website. What is fun is that you can create your account through this widget, and then login, edit your playlist, and get the HTML codes to embed in your page through the widget also. You can add any .flv flash video into your playlist, and so we support videos from a wide range of sites - YouTube, Google, Myspace, etc. You can also resize the player to be any size you want down to 200 pixels wide, and up to a full page width.

We also created a web site called cinemaFORGE where you can check out the videoWrapplet, and also where we aggregate some of the analytics about what videos people are playing in the videoWrapplet. We're about to add some analytics on the popular playlists also.

To get your videoWrapplet for your page simply click the "login" button on the videoWrapplet to the right, and then click the "Create an Account" button ... you'll pick a username, password, and provide an e-mail address and that's it! Once you confirm the e-mail address you can then login through the Wrapplet and begin to populate the playlist with your own videos. While logged in you can click the "Put this on your page..." bar and it will open revealing the codes to embed in your page.

I figure that some folks will think of some cool things they can do with this, and I was hoping to see someone use this to embed their vidcasts into their blog page. I'm about to do exactly that. If you check it out, and think of some cool ideas that you would like to see, then please visit our forums ... they are linked to by the graphic at the bottom of the player. We have a lot of ideas on where we want to take this ... I want to hear some of your ideas!

[tags: youtube google myspace mediaforge cinemaforge flash widget widgets videoWrapplet podcasting vidcasting]

My $0.02 about the iPhone

2007-01-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ok ... it's cool. So far I like what I have read, except for a couple of things ... which I expected.

The price. Wow ... that is a lot of money for a phone. I know that it is more than a phone, but ouch. I'm also a little cautious about the cost of the cellular plans also. I already use Cingular and the data plans are not the most aggressive. The interesting part is that I already know they are going to sell as many as they can make. Steve Jobs knows how to market.
The storage. This really caught me off-guard. Only a 4GB and 8GB version? I have become so used to my 80GB Video iPod that I can't even imagine going back to only 8GB. I really enjoy taking such a huge portion of my music collection - along with several videos and numerous podcasts - everywhere that I go. I would really have to reset how I use my iPod if I was going to drop back to only 8GB. Maybe I shift to using my phone ... oops, I mean iPhone (trademark Cisco Systems) ... for all of the podcasts, but still keep my Video iPod for my music, etc.
Touch Screen. As usual, Steve has outdone himself as the iPhone appears to have even further enhanced the user interface. I have always liked touch-pads and touch interfaces, and hearing about some of the new multi-finger aspects really impressed me. It has me thinking about how natural some of this is going to become.
Application Support. I'm also impressed with this aspect ... it appears that this is OS-X and has support for the Apple Widgets. If there is truly compatibility with the standard development environment for Widgets this is going to really open up development for the phones. In addition, if Apple has truly opened up the iPhone and it's APIs, then things are going to get fun. When I last looked at some of the API limitations, I was unable to write an application that could access the camera, and even the text/SMS interfaces. I'm hoping that Apple will break through these barriers.
Battery Design. I had heard about the two-battery design, and it makes complete sense. Cool idea. Now if I use my iPhone for music too much ... I don't kill the battery for my phone. Nice.

I stopped by the Apple store here in Salt Lake City today. They said they have no idea when they will see one. It'll be interesting to see when the iPhone begins to show up everywhere. I'm sure that it won't be too long. It's already the thing to be seen using ...

[tags: apple ipod iphone cingular]

Video vs. Audio ... an iPod feature that I want!

2007-01-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend I spent some time with some friends that are into podcast and vidcasting. As we discussed the huge explosion in Internet video content, I started to think about some of the implications. I actually think that the growth of video content is about to drive even more audio content.

My reasoning is that video is simply more difficult to consume than audio! I can listen to audio almost anywhere, anytime. I can listen while driving, working, skiing, etc. Video on the other hand is a much more demanding sensory experience. It requires that I commit far more attention to it, and I can't do it when driving, skiing ... well ... any time that I have to be present to things that might kill me. :-)

As I thought more about this, I realized that two things might emerge. The first will be more attention being paid to the audio tracks being done for video content. This will involve careful production of videos that can be listened to ... audio only. The second thing will be new generations of multimedia players - like the iPod - that allow you to turn off the video when "listening only" to a video. So when I go skiing, I can listen to a video without burning up my batteries displaying content that I'm not even watching!

My request to Apple ... please give me an option to turn off the video display on my iPod when I want to ... so that I can listen when I can't watch!

[tags: apple ipod podcasting vidcasting video players]

Second Life ... still controlling the (virtual) world!

2007-01-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wow ... what a quick reaction ... but not quite enough, in my opinion. Linden Research quickly announced the release of the Second Life client into Open Source. I actually love the name of this blog post by phoenix linden ... Embracing the Inevitable. It announces the release of their client software into Open Source, and where to go and get it. There is an issue though ... they are still holding onto the control of the virtual world by not releasing the server software ... yet. As David Kirkpatrick at Fortune reports:

While this initial step will open up what is essentially the user's window into Second Life for modification, it will leave Linden Lab in control of the proprietary software code for all Second Life's backend services - the server software that makes the world exist. However, executives say that the company's eventual intention is to release an open source version of that software as well, once it has improved security and other core functions. They say they have been preparing for the open source move for about three years.

Yes ... this is not enough to provide a free and open platform for virtual existence. I do see where this is a prudent business move to create even more of a lock on the entire market though. Linden seems to now be pushing to create de-facto standards of their client APIs and protocols by creating a group of developers who write to this environment.

My worry is if it took them three years to get the client out to Open Source, how long will it take them to get the server software out?

I believe that the pressure is mounting as other well-funded companies continue to explore the space ... as this quote from IBM demonstrates:

IBM Vice President for Technical Strategy Irving Wladawsky-Berger, a close student of Second Life, heard about the impending move toward open source from a Linden employee. "They have the right thought," he says, "which is that open source things work with the marketplace. But this is a field in its infancy that will be very competitive. Linden Lab might end up with a huge leadership position in a certain class of tools for virtual worlds, but those might not be the right tools for, let's say, a surgeon learning a new procedure in an immersive online environment. Second Life can be wildly successful, but so can others."

I do not think that IBM and others are sitting still. Neither am I. I'm heading over to download the APIs reference materials now ... :-)

P.S. I just thought of an interesting "client" to create for Second Life. What if there was an "augmented reality" client that was created that would overlay the Second Life world onto the real world? Maybe create someplace in the desert - like at Burning Man - that would allow you to have GPS tracking on yourself, and then wearing augmented reality goggles you would be seeing some portion of the Second Life world? As you wandered around the desert, your view would be augmented with the terrian of Second Life, and the other people wandering around in reality would be overlayed with their graphical avatar. Hmmmm ...

[tags: secondlife second life opensource open source virtualreality virtual reality croquet]

Open Source Second Life

2007-01-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's really not a question of if. It will happen. It's just a matter of when.

Second Life is gaining more and more attention, and more and more users. As I write this there are now 2.3 million user accounts, with 20,000+ users now on-line. It's really impressive ... but another lock-in application. Once you join and begin to pay ... you are captive forever. This is obviously a good deal for Linden Research, Inc. - the owners of Second Life - but not the way that the Internet likes to evolve and develop.

For those not yet familiar, Second Life is a very impressive virtual world. The kind of place that was forecasted and imagined by authors for decades ... the kind of place described in Snow Crash. In Second Life you can create an avitar ... a character ... to represent you in the virtual world. You can wander through a wide range of virtual land, buildings, boats, businesses, and fantasy objects. If you want to, you can purchase virtual property, and "own a home."

The problem is that it is all a huge lock-in right now. You are limited to their servers, their designs, their tools, and their rules. Oh ... and you pay their rates. Want to buy some land? Here is how to buy land in Second Life. Want to buy a private island? Here is how to buy a private island in Second Life. Wait! What is going on here! These rates are even higher than my real-world property taxes!

So what can I do about it? Nothing. Right now, there simply is not a Open Source Second Life solution. Let's call this Third Life. (Of course that domain name is already taken ...) What has to emerge is the Open Source platform that I can download and install on my own hardware and bandwidth. Where I can set the rules, and define how things work. Of course, as my server would only represent some small parcel of land, I would have to work agreements with others to create portals to travel between my land, and other peoples land. So maybe several of my friends and I might join our servers together to create a larger landmass.

There are even some other interesting ideas that could emerge from this ... such as using a commercial for-pay service like Second Life as the "connector" between private servers. What if there was an apartment building in Second Life, and when your character comes to the door of my apartment in Second Life, I actually have the option to connect my server to the other side of that door? So entering that portal transports you from Second Life to my private server. To me, this is the inevitable future for virtual worlds ... one that is open and interconnected, freely allowing people to pay to use "hosted virtual worlds" like Second Life, or to choose the option of hosting their own.

Their are two possible solutions for this to occur ... one is for Second Life to open their platform - and source code - to the world to use. The other is for the next generation of virtual worlds to emerge from the Open Source community. I hear rumblings of Second Life/Linden Research and what they might do, however it appears to be to push the business model and "open standard" more than Open Source. Of course, there are other people like Glyn Moody who also see Why We Need a Open Source Second Life. Even Ben King at The Register articulates the value of Open Source Second Life in his article Open sourcing Second Life.

The most impressive Open Source solution that I am now seeing is Croquet. Croquet is being developed by some brilliant minds, and is already out there and working. I'm about to install the lastest versions and begin to experiment, however much of the core is in place. As the networking layers solidify, we'll see how quickly you and I can get our own Croquet servers up and running, and begin to link them together via portals.

What is interesting is that I am beginning to see a parallel between this, and the beginnings of the World Wide Web. Instead of Web Servers, we have Croquet Servers. Instead of hyperlinks, there is now the world of TPostcards. And unlike the World Wide Web ... the client and server are the same.

I can't wait ... and I know it will occur. It's all just when ...

[tags: second life open source croquet virtual worlds virtual reality secondlife opensource croquet virtualworlds virtualreality]

Palm bugs that might never get fixed!

2006-12-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

As I am completing my divorce, it is causing me to find obscure bugs in various software. I have a 4 year old son, and I have 50% custody of him. Part of that arrangement means that I have to share holidays with him on alternating years. I had him for the Thanksgiving vacation this year, but his mother has him next year.

As a user of a Palm Tungsten E2, and Outlook, I figured that I would set-up the "recurring appointment" in Outlook and the sync that to my Palm. I learned that it's not that easy. The first thing was learning the syntax of the recurring configuration in Outlook. First I created the "Thanksgiving Vacation" appointment in my calendar, from November 22 at 7:00pm, till November 26th at 7:00pm. Then, I have to create a recurring appointment that repeats "From 7:00pm till 7:00pm lasting 4 days, monthly on the fourth Wednesday of every 24 months, starting on November 22, 2006 through November 29, 2020". Outlook actually deals with this ok ... but when I sync to the Palm it fails.

As I dug further into the problem, I found that the issue is that the Palm conduit, or sync software, can't seem to deal with the 24 month interval. The error log tells me to "split the appointment" into individual days, however when I do that the appointment sync's to the Palm on a 12 month interval. Uh ... not quite what is showing in Outlook.

After I spent hours trying to resolve this I finally realized that the only way around this is to "hand create" all of the appointments each year. Or to go in and modify each of the "occurances" of the recurring appointment to modify them in a way to make them unique and "non-recurring".

Hello ... Palm? Anyone out there interested in fixing this bug?

[tags: palm outlook sync appointments bugs software]

Head-worn displays still being worked on ...

2006-12-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

During the Tech Boom there were numerous companies and people working on Head-Mounted displays. As a dealer for Xybernaut, one of the only dedicated wearable computer vendors at the time, I bought a nice unit from Olympus. It was one of a very small lot of units, and was built to integrate into the Xybernaut units. I used it for a lot of my WarBlading efforts ... our "war driving" on roller blades. :-)

Shimadzu is one of the vendors who has persisted in this space ... they have always had an impressive (yet costly) solution. Their Data Glass 2/A has some impressive specs, and I can't wait to see exactly what the Data Glass 3 will be!

What got my started looking at this again was a post I read that lead me to some more current research. I came across this web page by Ozan Cakmakci who designed a new head-worn display, and wrote some papers about them. It's cool to see that people are still looking at this.

[tags: wearable computers mobile xybernaut shimadzu olympus augmented reality virtual reality head worn displays]

New Nokia E70

2006-12-01T00:54:00.000-07:00

I've had my Nokia E70 for about a month now. Here are some thoughts on the phone ...

It is slow. Period. This phone has now taught me that hardware vendors are trying to push far too much software and functionality at the limited processors in these devices. I find myself constantly waiting for the phone ... waiting for menus ... waiting for the applications to load and be usable. This phone is noticeably impacting my productivity in a negative way.
The phone is not reliable. Right now, my key problem is around the bluetooth connection to my Jabra BT250v headset. Once or twice a day now my headset connectivity stops working. I go through the menus on my E70, turn off the bluetooth, then turn it back on, and re-connect my BT250v and it's back working. But this is like having to re-boot my phone once or twice a day. C'mon Nokia ... can't you create a reliable product?
The task list is too limited. I had bought the phone hoping that I could replace my Palm Tungsten E2 ... and it's close ... but the Task/ToDo list application on the E70 is just too limited. I use 15 different ToDo lists on my Palm to organize my life. The E70 doesn't include the ability to create multiple lists ... it's all dropped into one big list. Bummer.
I do like the browser. I have to admit that it has been fun just opening up my phone, and cruising the Internet every now and then. The browser is small, but well designed, and very usable. I'm able to read the news and do searches, etc.

These are just a few quick thoughts off the top of my head ... I'm still glad I bought it ... maybe I'll have to keep checking for firmware updates to see if anything gets fixed. I am impressed at where these devices have got to ... I can only imagine what the next generation of phones will be like next year ...

[tags: nokia e70 cellphone bluetooth mobile mobiledevices]

Can I collect Virtual Unemployment?

2006-11-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ok ... I love to see where this is going. Someone in government begins to see the "dollar" volumn of commerce within virtual worlds ... and they soon think "Gosh ... how can *we* get a cut of that?"

I had really thought that taxation was something done for a purpose ... not just because it can be done. If the government is going to tax in virtual worlds, then are they going to begin to spend that money in virtual worlds? I can't even wait to learn about the newest virtual pork-barrel projects that are going to show up on the scene. Politicians are going to begin to cater to the special interests of "furries" or some other group within Second Life ... just to get their real-world votes?

If government really gets involved in Second Life, for example, then I wonder if they'll set up the various programs to assist the "needy" or "unemployed"? Hmmm ... maybe I'll be able to create a new character in Second Life and have them left homeless ... file to collect virtual-unemployment in Lindon dollars? Convert those on the various markets to real dollars? Wait ... I'll create 100 characters in Second Life and have them ALL file for unemployment! At that point will the government create "virtual immigration"? I won't be able to create a character or enter a virtual world without a proper passport that will limit me to one virtual character at a time?

It is amazing the times that we live in where the government is considering that they tax the creation of virtual wealth ... however this will begin to set some precedents on how virtual worlds are looked at by laws, and general definitions.

Congress to look into taxing virtual worlds. Blog: For at least the past couple of years, one of the biggest questions in virtual world circles has been whether or not the U.S.... [CNET News.com]

[tags: secondlife virtual virtualreality taxes taxation government]

Virtualization ... a whole new level of abstraction

2006-11-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

I love to think about the future, and how it is going be for my 4 year old son. As I consider the models of "how things are", I keep wanting to explore the "edges" more and think about what things are going to be like 10 years from now ... or 20!

Virtualization is one of those technologies that is just beginning to alter how we look at hardware and software. The hardware that we are buying is now so powerful, that we can emulate whole PCs on our PCs. On a daily basis I am running Linux on my laptop ... in a window, on Windows, using Microsoft Virtual PC. I am also running Windows XP and Windows 2000 in Virtual PC on my desktop at work for testing purposes. What is fun is that I now have a library of "machines" that I have created in Virtual PC, and I carry these on my 80GB pocket USB hard disk. Windows (various versions), Linux (numerous distros), OpenSolaris, OpenDarwin ... even a CP/M hack. When I set up my new desktop machine I simply copied my "test machines" onto the new hard disk, and immediately booted them in my free Virtual PC that I downloaded and installed.

What I found last week - and predicted years ago - is that "virtual hard disks" are now being distributed by Microsoft. Do you want to check out Windows Server? Exchange Server? SQL Server? Instead of installing all of that software, simply download the pre-configured Virtual Hard Disk and boot it in Virtual Server! You are instantly up and running with a machine ready to go!

What is facinating to me, is that I start to see this as a whole new level of software distribution. Instead of downloading ISOs images of CDs and DVDs ... just download the vitual hard disk and boot it! Why download the software to run on yor machine ... when you can download the machine!?!?! I can begin to see a future where people are running numerous virtual machines on their desktop or laptop ... just as we run applications on our OS today.

There are already tools like WinImage that can read and write the .vhd (virtual hard disk) file format, and Microsoft has opened up the specification for others to use this format. What this means is that we are watching the first moves to create a "standard" format for passing virtual machines around on the Internet.

I'm curious when we'll see the first Linux distros that realize that offering their installed solution as a .vhd might get them some real traction with Windows users who want to experiment with Linux? I'm also watching to see what Internet web site becomes the defacto palce to download *any* .vhd that you might want? Who will become the one-stop-shop for grabbing a VM? I can see whole libraries of VMs being developed and made available ... all in the not too distant future!

Oh yeah ... and my son? I can already see that he won't be into "file sharing" on the Internet ... he'll probably be into "machine sharing" or "VM sharing" ... or what ever comes after that.

[tags: virtualpc virtual pc microsoft windows linux virtualization hypervisors vhd]

Where is the Ultra Mobile PC?

2006-11-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

With all of my disappointment with cell phones lately, I started to wonder where is the Microsoft Ultra Mobile PC? I saw the one Samsung Q1 unit ... but are there others that are shipping? I see the Asus unit on the web site ... but is it out there?

I still have to say that I was left slightly disappointed by the current generations of Tablet PCs ... I really like the concept, but the hardware specs of the available Tablet PCs are just too far behind my current Dell Laptop. The one key feature for me was the screen resolution ... I must have more than 1024x768 pixels to view!

I'm now in the market for a new laptop ... I'm having a hard time nailing down what I want to buy ... a new Dell, a MacBook Pro, or a new Tablet PC.

Oh, and the Ultra Mobile PC? I'm looking at that for my son. He's four years old now and I'm thinking that might be a good Christmas present for him ... :-)

[tags: laptops dell mac macbook microsoft apple origami umpc ultramobilepc]

Telcos and Cellcos continue to lag ...

2006-11-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

While down at the Adobe MAX conference in Las Vegas, I saw some very nice demos of Flash Lite v2.1 ... a version of Flash for mobile devices and cell phones. It was interesting to see that both Verizon and Qualcomm were on hand to talk about the immediate availability for developers. As I just bought my new Nokia E70 phone (which I'm slowly getting used to!) I thought this would be great! I'm doing some Flash development ... and now I can write apps for my phone with it!

Well ... then reality set in. I went to the Adobe Flash Lite booth, where I was told that my phone ships with Flash Lite v1.1 ... an archaic version with severe limitations. Ok ... so when can I get the upgrade? Well, go ask the Nokia folks. It was nice that Nokia had a booth at the show ... I simply strolled across the room to ask! When I got to the booth, one of the Nokia reps even had a E70 in his hand! Woohoo!

As we discussed the wonders of Flash Lite v2.1, I finally asked "When will I get my update?" Long silent pause. "Well, at this time I don't know if we'll support Flash Lite v2.1 on our 3rd Edition Phones." was the answer. Uh ... I just bought this thing ... I asked "What is a 3rd Edition Phone?" The response was something like "Everything on the market is 3rd Edition or less. The 4th Edition Phones are already being developed." So the bottom line that I learned is that Nokia probably will never support Flash Lite v2.1 on any phone in the market. Yes ... there is a possibility asa a developer you can get your hands on a version that will work on your phone ... but the end-user community will not get it. What the heck are they thinking? The answer seemed to be that they did not want to go back and test and recertify the phones in the market. Bummer. Strike One for the Telcos and Cellcos.

The next step was to ask Adobe for the latest development tool that would allow me to create Flash Lite v1.1 applications! The answer was Flash Professional 8 ... a $700 tool. On top of this, the development paradigm used by this tool was completely foreign to me ... although I had been warned about the "timeline" model. When I got the developer demo, I quickly realized that this was not going to work for me. Bummer. Strike Two for the Telcos and Cellcos.

Before giving up completely, I then began to explore a conversation about some possible applications that I had thought of. Things got even worse. I really wanted to have some applications do some cool things with the camera, and SMS services. It turns out that the Telcos and Cellcos have prevented the Flash Lite applications from directly working with the Camera or SMS capabilities of the phones. So I can't have my application take photos, or send photos, or send/receive SMS text messages. Bummer. Strike Three for the Telcos and Cellcos.

It was amazing to me that after years of waiting for the cell phone to catch up and be a real player in the Internet age, it's still handcuffed and locked up by the Telcos and Cellcos. Yes ... I know that you can still do *some* things with these devices ... but they are far from being free, and a truly open and mobile platform for applications.

[tags: adobe flashlite flash cell cellphones verizon qualcomm sms telco cellco]

Identity Leakage

2006-10-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

I just bought my new cell phone the other day. Well ... I ordered it. I'm buying a new Nokia E70, and I bought it directly from Nokia. Well ... from Nokia's distribution partner LetsTalk.com. There are two things that really struck me about the purchase ... one was the "Identity Leakage" that I am detecting about myself ... the other was their customer service. Both were impressive.

Identity Leakage? What is that? Well ... it's all of the information about me that is leaking out all over the place. And the slow accumulation of my leaked identity by various organizations that provide services based on that identity information. Nokia uses a company that is busy slurping up all of my leaked identity ... and yours too! How did I experience this? Well upon completion of my purchase of the phone, I received an e-mail indicating that I had to call into their offices to complete my sale.

When I called the 1-877-xxx-xxxx phone number I spoke with a customer service rep who indicated that I was going to have to answer three questions to verify my identity, and to receive my phone. I started to think about the experince that I had on-line with Tiger Direct that was similar ... and it ended up being identical.

First, the customer service rep asked me "Which of the following vehicles have you bought or sold recently?" She then listed five vehicles ... and the sixth choice "None of the listed vehicles." The funny thing is that the third vehicle she listed was my truck ... exact year, make, and model.

Second, the customer service rep asked me "What counties have you bought or sold property in?" ... and listed 5 or 6 county names several of which I had no idea. But of course, again, one of the last counties that she listed was one where I have bought both a house, and a building.

The third question was to "Please identify the name of a friend or family member." ... after which she read the names of 5 or 6 people ... none of which I recognized ... followed by the option to indicate that I didn't know any of these people. I told her that I didn't recognize any names, and she then said that I had answered the questions correctly.

Now I do have to mention that when I saw this on-line with the Tiger Direct system, when they listed names of friends or family I *did* see my sisters married name.

Through public records (vehicle registration, property title registrations?) companies are able to begin to assemble a lot of my identity. My involvement in public activities allows my identity to "leak". It's not a far leap to see where this will continue to go ...

P.S. Th other part of my story ... about their customer service? When I bought the phone on Friday it was ~$460.00 ... by Monday after they shipped the phone the price dropped to ~$400.00 ... and so on Tuesday morning I called to see what they would do about it. The customer service rep immediately asked if I had got the e-mail. Well ... I was on the phone driving to the office, so no ... I had not yet seen an e-mail. He indicated that an e-mail had already been sent Tuesday morning indicating that I'd get the $60 refund. They had already covered me with some sort of price-protection. Nice.

[tags: identity digitalidentity identityleakage nokia tigerdirect]

Travellers Wireless Solution ... Access Point and Router

2006-10-26T00:27:00.000-06:00

While down here at Adobe MAX, we wanted to get some work done after dinner. We realized that we hadn't brought ethernet cables, and chose to run to Fry's in Las Vegas ... we also had a Fry's virgin with us, and it's always fun to introduce a geek to the Fry's experience.

While wandering through the wireless section at Fry's, I chose to look for a new portable wireless access point that I could take on trips with me. I used to carry a Lucent RG-1000 with me everywhere that I went. It was an amazing box for the time ... it provided Ethernet and Dial-up capabilities, and was a router with DHCP and NAT built in. I could go into any place with a phone line, and create a shared wireless network ... uh ... sharing a 56kbps dial-up link. Not the best speeds, but it worked.

Well, I have now found my modern replacement ... and it's very cool. I'm impressed. The Linksys WTR54GS is now going to be travelling with me. This compact little unit appears to have two wireless radios, and two ethernet ports. It is able to be a complete wireless router, with either wired or wireless connection to the Internet, and then both a ethernet and/or wireless access point functionality for clients. Amazing. So, for example, I had it connect as a wireless client bridge to the hotel wireless network, and then was able to connect to it's wireless access point and have multiple machines share that single connection. So it was an active wireless client, and wireless access point at the same time ... complete with NAT, firewall, and even MAC Address cloning.

All of this in a compact little unit, with a retractable power connector, that fits into a small zippered carrying case. And the price? Fry's had it for $79 .... I'm sure that you might find it cheaper elsewhere. I'm sure that I'll blog more about it if it continues to live up to the experience that I've had this week.

[tags: wireless linksys wtr54gs mobile travel router adobe 802.11 access point client bridge]

Adobe MAX 2006

2006-10-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

I came down to Adobe MAX 2006 this week. It's being held in Las Vegas, and this is my first time attending this event. Last night at the welcome reception I met some great people, and saw a few interesting applications. One thing that hit me was the deep penetration that Adobe has into government. There were government employees - federal, state, and city - along with military employees and defense contractors everywhere!

I'm down here with part of my team from mediaForge as we are now committing This morning I'm at the keynote, and I'm impressed that Adobe has really spent some money on this event ... and there are a *lot* of people here. Our first guess is that there are maybe 2000+ people attending. After an intro by Blue Man Group, Kevin Lynch - Chief Software Architect - came on stage and said that this is the largest Adobe MAX conference to date.

The CEO then reviewed the Adobe/Macromedia merger, and showed a video of the feedback from users. He talked about the adoption of the "labs" concept that Macromedia brought. His focus then turned to the technologies that they are going to focus on - video, mobile devices (FlashLite is running on over 100 million devices!), Flex, and Flash Player 9 (now 10 years old).

Kevin Lynch returned to the stage and fist addressed the adoption rates of Flash Players. He showed where the Flash Player 9 reached over 80% adoption within 9 months, and how Flash Player 9 is on track towards 40% adoption in close to three months. This again demonstrates that the ability to deploy updates globally, in a seamless and simple way, is key to software adoption.

There was then a series of demos of new features in Fireworks, Photoshop, After Effects, their new application Soundbooth. Then came the demo of what I'm here for ... Apollo. Apollo is the new "cross-OS runtime that allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills (Flash, Flex, HTML, Ajax) to build and deploy desktop RIA’s." I'm hoping that Adobe will release a beta to us here at the show ...

More later!

[tags: adobe MAX MAX2006 flex flash apollo mediaforge]

More storage coming ... cheap.

2006-10-16T17:09:00.000-06:00

For those people who just don't seem to think it can get better, consider that within a few years you'll be able to head to Costco and pick up your 2TB and 2.5TB hard disks for your personal computers. This article outlines the announcements from Seagate and Hitachi announcing record densities in magnetic media ... and the fact that the 1TB drives will be in our hands by this coming summer.

So when will the 4TB and 5TB disks be here? 2010? Sooner?

Seagate, Hitachi up density in hard drive material. Blog: Seagate and Hitachi celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the hard drive by announcing two records in areal density, or the amount... [CNET News.com]

[tags: singularity storage harddisks terabytes seagate hitachi]

Net Neutrality from Gilder's Telecosm

2006-10-16T17:03:00.000-06:00

Bummer. I just realized that I missed the 10th Annual Telecosm Conference held by George Gilder and Steve Forbes. This has always been one of my favorite conferences, where I'm always stimulated with something technology oriented that I never would have thought of. I'm really into discovering what I don't know that I don't know.

The one thing that I was glad to find is that they are releasing the conference proceedings as podcasts ... good move. The first one is on Net Neutrality and has an all-star line-up of speakers. I'm downloding it now. Oh ... ad it even says that it's a video podcast.

[tags: internet netneutrality net neutrality gilder telecosm forbes]

Identity Tuples

2006-09-16T23:53:00.000-06:00

One of my friends asked me some questions the other day about my constant focus on identity within the context of community. As usual I was being asked about the "real" application of this notion ... not just the "philosophical" perspective. Well ... I'm always thinking the "real" application ... I just don't seem to express it well.

I started to think about how - from my perspective - this notion would be implemented in code, or within an identity store. All of this relates back to my work on digitalMe while at Novell ... and a group of us were working towards this back then. As I thought more about some of my recent comments, I realized that one of the "real world" aspects was what I'll now call "Identity Tuples".

What exactly is an Identity Tuple? First, lets look at what most people use as examples of identity ... simple name/value pairs.

age = 32
shoe_size = 12
job_title = CTO

There are a number of critical issues with this perspective, and to me it is the gross assumptions when we view this that make it nearly useless. Let's first look at "age = 32" ... uh, well 32 WHAT? Oh of course most people will call me silly and state "32 years of course!" But that is an assumption. And even if we do say that "age = 32 years" then we still have to reference what a year is, or also identify the context that the measurement "year" exists within. A "year" is what, exactly? 365 days? Nope ... it's actually 365.242 days. Who says so? NIST! Ok ... and the second flaw in this perspective? WHEN was this true? Well, it would be at some epoch in time ... or between some range of dates. Lastly, who is the community or authority that states this as fact? When we state that "age = 32" it is a very incomplete statement. This is where an identity tuple can come into play ... instead of storing "age = 32", we would actually store:

Attribute: "age = 32" :: NIST
Epoch: @ 2006-10-05 09:50:34 :: NIST
Context/Community: http://www.utah.gov/, http://www.state.pa.us/ :: ICANN

It is how Identity "attributes" can be stored and represented. What this provides is support for the fact that identity evolves with time! I understand that most often people are asking about my identity right now, but there is considerable identity information that relates to the past, or trends in your identity. Credit History is a classic example of this. Likewise, if you have children you would know about the "growth charts" that compare your child to the averages of other children.

The other core value of Identity Tuples is that the context, or community, where this attribute is distinguished is referenced with the identity information. To me, this is critical to be able to properly assess the identity information and determine its value to me. It's not enough to say that I am {x} years old ... in the case of liquor laws, we want that information from a credible source. We have to identify the community which will support my claims.

Now some people reading this will notice there are some subtle flaws in this example ... it's a rough example. But it is an attempt to describe some of what I see lacking in existing solutions ... and what a real solution will one day have to have to be more effective.

[tags: identity digital identity digitalidentity tuples identity tuples identitytuples]

The edges of the Internet

2006-09-03T09:45:00.000-06:00

This year it has been fun to retest the edges of the Internet. What I mean is "How easy is it to get on the Internet from various places?"

In May I took a trip to the Philippines (Philippines Videos) and was blown away at how easy it was to get Internet access everywhere. There were cost-effective Internet Cafe's all over the place. I was there from the 21st to the 31st, and travelled from Manila to Baguio, to Iloilo and Bacolod, and back to Manila. Internet was everywhere. Cheap and plentiful.

I'm posting this from the coast of Cuba, on the way to Labadee, Haiti. I'm aboard the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas, and yes ... there is Internet. In fact, I'm on Wifi sitting in a lounge on the 14th deck looking out over the upper decks of the ship toward the distant horizon. Somewhere out there is Haiti. We'll get there sometime tomorrow morning ... I think.

Slowly but surely access to the Internet is reaching everywhere on earth. Everywhere. It was interesting to see that even cellular is reaching out ... there is a Cingular cell onboard the ship and so I have full strength cellular service and SMS text.

As technology continues to advance, wireless technologies improve, and business models support it ... the edges of the Internet are slowly going away. It is inevitable that when something like the Interent permeates the entire planet ... there are no longer any edges ... it simply becomes something that is.

[tags: internet cruise inevitable cuba haiti cellular cellphones wifi]

Undistinguished Identity

2006-08-09T19:04:00.000-06:00

This last weekend I was talking with a friend about Google, and the tracking of identity. I blogged about Google, Identity and Privacy a few weeks back, and have been doing a lot of R&D in this area. On Monday there was the uproar about the AOL leak of search queries and how this data could be used to locate the person who was making the queries. What this article does not address is the "undistinguished identity" that the person is revealing ... information about themselves that even they do not know.

The more that I discussed the issue with my friend, it started to really get clear to me that my concerns about provacy and identity are not as much my identity as most people think about it ... but large systems and companies that gain access to my undistinguished identity.

What do I mean by this? To me, undistinguished identity is all of my thoughts and behaviors that are completely a reaction to stimulus around me. Companies like Google are beginning to gain vast amounts of information about me, what I search for, when I search for it, and then have the ability to relate to to seemingly unrelated events.

To me, it's not just about companies knowing information about me that I also know ... it's when they begin to know me, better than I know me.

[tags: identity digitalidentity distinguished undistinguished google aol]

Google knows who you REALLY are!

2006-07-18T14:43:00.000-06:00

It's always fun to learn whole new layers of technology. What I'm posting about here is probably known by a lot of people, but my recent involvement in two new start-up companies has really started to have me think about the breadth and depth of data mining occurring on the Internet involving personal behavior and habits. And one of the largest harvesters of all of that personal information is Google. There are already others who cover this much better than I ... Google Watch is one ... however I still wanted to blog about this.

Two of the four start-ups that I am now involved in are working on web applications - hosted services - that want to provide new levels of social and affiliate networks. With one start-up we are creating a new form of video advertising on the net, with a full affiliate marketing network behind it. So it becomes important to track when affiliates (bloggers or web sites that host the ads) cause sales to occur. When that happens they get paid a commission. With the other start-up we are creating a new interactive media type that can be spread virally through web sites, e-mail and IM. With this solution we want to be able to track and map the viral spread to acknowledge and reward the people who are able to cause the most spread.

As my teams and I began to build both of these solutions we began to examine how other vendors are accomplishing the same things. We have now looked at dozens of implementations, and then created our own solutions that we believe will give us what we are after. While doing this I began to see a pattern that is an amazing wealth of personal information that Internet users are giving away about themselves ... about who they REALLY are. On one of the largest consumers of all of this personal behavioral information is Google. It's really the scale of their ability to gather this data that caused me to pause and think.

It all starts with a cookie

In doing some research into how ot track consumers, I was surprised to find that most people agree that 99%+ of web browsers operate using the default settings when it comes to cookies. Cookies are the small pieces of data that a web site can pass down to your web browser, and from then on - until the cookie expires - that data is passed back to the web site every time that you access it. Cookies can be defined to last for a very short amount of time - just that particular session - or a very long amount of time ... decades, or even hundreds of years.

So when you first visited Google ... the very first time ... you got your first Google cookie. And this is a good starting point ... when did YOU lose your Google-virginity? When exactly was that first time? Google knows. Even if you have changed computers, browsers, upgraded, etc. there is a chance that Google still knows. They know the year, day, hour, minute, and second. You were given the mark of Google. Ok ... big deal ... so what.

Tracking what you search

The first thing they are now able to do is track every single search that you perform on Google. Lots of people know about this, and understand this is the case. They also know the time of day, day of the week, phase of the moon, weather conditions, popular news, and even the popularity of that particular search when you did it! So what searches do you tend to do late at night during a full moon? Ask Google ... they know!

In my opinion, it's not really the details of what you searched that have the real value ... it is when you did them, and in what sequences, and what other patterns emerge about you. This is where your true identity begins to emerge. What? You were on-line searching on a Friday night? Not out with friends?

Proliferation of AdWords

Ok ... now this next part is where I started to really think. While working on how to dynamically inject video advertising into a web page, I found that Google is using a very interesting technique for AdWords and Google Analytics. Again ... it's very simple and easy, and many people know this ... however many people do not. And the implications are very interesting.

If you have a web site, and you choose to place AdWords on your web site, Google will give you a nice little bit of HTML to embed in your page. That HTML includes a script tag that will fetch a snippet of Javascript code from Google's servers. The Javascript then causes the AdWords ads to be rendered within your web page. It's actually pretty impressive that when I browse to your website, without being told a thing, my browser will automatically load your page and go and load the script from Googles servers. Clean ... transparent. Ok yeah ... and when it did that ... the Google cookie went with that request. Remember the Google cookie?

Yes ... now it's not just the searches that you do on Google's web site that are being tracked, but also every single web page that you visit that contains Google AdWords!

Tracking what web sites you visit

Google is now notified by your browser any time that you visit a web site that hosts Google AdWords ... and it only gets better. Google recently announced Google Analytics. This is a service that allows web site owners to get detailed analysis of the traffic to their web site, and about the visitors to their web site. Any web site owner who wants this impressive reporting can simply request that Google give them an account. When approved, Google will provide access to the Google Analytics web site, and there you get ... another little bit of HTML to put into your web pages. The little snippet again requests a script from Google, and of course passes along your cookie!

So now Google knows what you search, and what sites you visit that have AdWords, and now any site that uses Google Analytics. I'm digging to find figures to understand just how much of the Internet now falls into this category, but it is a large number of sites. And just like the searches, Google not only knows what web sites you have visited, but at what time, in what order. Combined with their broad indexes of Internet content, they have the ability to categorize those sites. Combined with all other types of data they can really begin to get an idea of just who you are, what you do and when, on the Internet. I really begin to wonder what some of the patterns must look like.

If Google knows your real identity also ...

Now ... they know you by your cookie, but do they really know who you are? Well, if you choose to use any number of Google services - gMail, AdWords, AdSense, etc. - then the answer is yes! In most cases, you join these services and begin to disclose personal information that just might be a solid connection to the real you. And remember, each time you use these services that nice little Google cookie ensures that they know it's you. Closing the loop. Connecting the dots.

Lastly ... your friends? Well ... Google now knows via gMail who you communicate with, and at what intervals and times. They now know the type of people that your friends and contacts hang out with. Google knows that YOU are the type of person that all of these people communciate with. From their e-mail address they might even draw the direct connection to yet another person who they have collected all of the data about ... from their Google cookie. I haven't really spent too much time thinking about how much deeper all of this goes ... however it makes sense why Google wants all the storage and bandwidth they are building out. It's not about providing search to you ... it's about owning a perspective of you that no one else on the planet could recreate right now.

Google knows you like no one else. Google knows more about you and I then we know about ourselves. Google will use this to provide us what we really want ... right? Google will do no evil ... right? Google would never use this data to use us ... to manipulate our undistinguished behaviors ... right? The Internet is here, and some things appear to be inevitable ...

Google knows who you REALLY are.

[tags: google identity digitalidentity privacy cookies internet adwords adsense gmail]

Lame toppings ...

2006-06-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

The weekend before last, I took my son Sam out to spend some time with my parents in the Bay Area of California. While we were there we also ran around so that he could visit with with my sisters and their families. On the Saturday he and I ran down to Big Basin, one of my favorite parks just outside of Silicon Valley. We spent several hours hiking around the immense trees, enjoying the quiet, and the incredible coniferous forest smells.

On the way back we met up with my sister Susan and her family. We ran to get dinner at a local soup and salad place. As usual they have the dessert bar, with soft ice cream. Sam wanted a ice cream cone, and so we walked up to the machine and I pulled a chair up for him to stand on ... he is really wanting to do everything himself these days. He did a good job of filling his cone with the mixed chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and then asked if he could get some "sprinkles."

We walked over to where the "sprinkles" are, and I was surprised that they only had raisins, broken Oreo cookies, coconut shreds, and crushed peanuts. No other choices. I immediated commented to Sam, "Oh man ... they only have LAME sprinkles!"

Sam immediately replied, "Daddy ... I want lame sprinkles! I want lame sprinkles!"

To Sam ... even LAME sprinkles are better than no sprinkles. I've become tainted with age. We did have some peanuts, and Oreos.

[tags: children lame icecream california bigbasin smile]

Amazing ... Novell opens the door for new leadership!

2006-06-22T16:45:00.000-06:00

Wow ... I'm wondering if there might be a glint of sunlight out there for Novell. Once again ... and long over due ... there has been a change of guard in the executive ranks of Novell. Jack Messman is finally out the door, along with the CFO.

I have to admit that I'm only willing to call Jack an executive ... not a leader. From all of my experiences, and watching the direction that Novell has taken, I would have a difficult time calling him a respected leader. Instead, most of the employees that I have talked to felt that he created an oppressive, dictatorial workplace that suppressed the potential of the company.

All I am hearing today are the IMs of joy coming from all directions ... employees and investors.

Good for the board of Novell. No matter what, the culture and the overall energy level in the Novell offices just jumped several notches up.

[tags: novell linux messman provo utah cambridge]

Where to get Cat5e Cables ... Home Depot?

2006-06-22T15:22:00.000-06:00

Last month I was working on rewiring my data center rack to install a slew of new machines. It was on a Sunday afternoon, and I had to run and pick up some CAT5e patch cables ... but where was i going to get them on a Sunday?

I had a few other things to pick up from Home Depot, and so I went back to their electrical section and looked around ... sure enough they sell 3', 7', 15', 25', and 50' pre-made patch cables. Even multiple colors! I didn't even want to look at the price.

I was shocked ... but in the good way! When I looked at the prices they were just under $1/foot! I couldn't believe it. A 3' patch cable for ~$2.98 ... the 25' was $24.95. I bought enough for my rack, and some extras!

Yesterday I walked into CompUSA to buy a video card ... something that I don't think Home Depot would have. While there I figured I would check to see what CompUSA charges for CAT5e patch cables. This time I was SHOCKED ... in a bad way! CompUSA was charging $14.95 for a 7 foot cable in the store!

We have reached an interesting tipping point in computer technology when I can run down to the local hardware store (Ok ... the local Home Depot!) and pick up a CAT5e patch cable ... at a good price. Technology is continuing to weave itself into our lives ... becoming a more and more natural extension of our lives ... leading towards the inevitable substrate transition ...

[tags: homedepot compusa cat5 cat5e cables technology commodity inevitable]

Adobe ... the dark horse

2006-06-22T13:00:00.000-06:00

I'm back working on several very cool Internet/Web projects now. It's fun to get back deep into the Internet, and catch up on what is going on with the bleeding edge. There are several areas that I'm now really digging in ... video on the net, and the whole SEO, web marketing, web advertising, and affiliate marketing.

One thing that has now become evident to me, is that the acquistion of Macromedia by Adobe was brilliant. Adobe/Macromedia is now making huge inroads in web properties, and seems to be linked to a lot of the best things going in Web 2.0.

First lets look at YouTube ... all based on the Adobe/Macromedia Flash player. So distribution of video on the Internet quickly becomes ubiquitous and platform independent! Google Video? Same thing ... Adobe/Macromedia Flash player. There are now a half dozen video related sites ... all using the Adobe/Macromedia Flash player.

Besides the fact that the player is everwhere, and it's on all the top operating system platforms, by using the Macromedia player, the videos can quickly be embedded anywhere in any web property. This is one of the core value propositions that we are leveraging in one of my new start-ups.

So then we get to Flex. Amazing stuff. Again, Adobe/Macromedia now has a platform for creating advanced applications, providing rich UI, and the player is everywhere! And the one key feature is that they can escape much of the "sand box" surrounding current AJAX applications! Writing applications in MXML is now easier ... they have adopted the Eclipse development environment ... and their plug-in can escape issues like cross-domain access. In one of my other start-ups, we're looking at embracing the Flex technology for all of it's benefits. We immediately get a ubiquitous, cross-platform solution that produces user content that can be embedded in any of the top web properties on the planet. Nice.

Oh yeah ... and Adobe also got Cold Fusion in the acquisition.

I started to think about new metrics for measuring the success of companies in the Internet. One possible metric is user viewable pixels ... or even a percentage of user viewable pixels. For example if you went to CNN.com and looked at the page. Out of all of the viewable pixels, who's technology "owns" what percentage of those pixels? In the case of CNN, there are all sorts of Adobe/Macromedia ads running, and even if they are 10% of the viewable pixels ... that is a lot of web real estate. Some sites are more. Again ... think of Google Video ... there Adobe/Macromedia has a huge percentage of viewable pixels. If you add in the number of Cold Fusion sites on the net? Adobe has a lot of the "web-top" now in their pocket.

I think that people so quickly forget about the battles for the desktop, and the complaints about Microsoft "controlling" the desktop. What is amazing to me is the penetration that Adobe now has with the Acrobat reader, and Flash player ... and the tools for the creation of powerful content.

[tags: adobe macromedia pdf acrobat flash flex youtube googlevideo coldfusion]

Philippines Videos

2006-06-21T23:10:00.000-06:00

I completed a couple of short, amateur videos of my trip to the Philippines and put them up on YouTube. The first was just of a cab ride through Makati to the Manila Airport. The second is the plane flight from Manila to Baguio.

I'll do a few more ... I'm wanting to get back into creating videos.

[tags: philippines manila baguio asianspirit youtube airplane flight]

Identity Verification ... by Tiger Direct

2006-06-21T22:47:00.000-06:00

A few weeks back I made an on-line purchase - for the first time - with Tiger Direct. When completing the purchase - a $3000+ Plasma Display for a client - I was really surprised when I was presented with a notification that I was going ot have to answer some questions to verify my identity!

Ok . .. so I was thinking some steps ... but never would have imagined what I was going to see. I was presented with a page that appeared to contain an iFrame, and it suddenly filled with a set of three multiple-choice questions. As I read the questions ... I was shocked.

The first question had my city name - Heber City, Utah - and it asked me to pick which street address was in that city. It listed four street addresses ... and sure enough one was for another property that I own. Uh ... ok ... kinda' weird.
The second question? This is the one that got me. It asked me to identify the name of someone that I know ... and listed four names. The second name ... was the married name of my younger sister. No way.
The third question showed a street address ... and asked me to identify the city that the street was in. I immediately recognized the street address ... but could not identify which of the four listed cities it was in ... funny ... must have been an old rental or something.

It really was a weird experience to see that type of personal detail ... being asked on a web page. Overall, I like it ... it was a cool system and I can see where it would be very tough for someone to gather those pieces of information. At the same time, it was strange to see personal information gathered in such a way.

What made me think about this tonight was when a friend indicated that he requested his annual free credit reports today. He said that the same system was used to verify his identity to request the reports ... wild.

[tags: identity digitalidentity verification creditreports freaky]

Skype unblocked!

2006-06-21T22:30:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure that I want to say that it's over ... but as of today I can SkypeOut again! I spent weeks on their on-line forums, and posted 16+ support requests through their website (NONE of which were ever answered!) and then as of today got a personal message on the on-line forums indicating that I was unblocked.

My Skype account was blocked when I unsucessfully attempted to purchase Skype credit with my credit card from the Philippines. That was on the 28th of May! They blocked my account that night ... and I have been struggling to get it unblocked - on a daily basis - since then.

Sure enough ... I can use Skype again!

[tags: skype skypout voip blocked support]

Technological life getting biological implants?

2006-06-14T15:07:00.000-06:00

I like this one even better. So what we seem to be doing is planning for the future, when technological life has taken over. In this future, entities that have come from the technologic substrate will be able to have biological implants!

Ok ... all kidding aside ... this is till pretty cool stuff. We're making huge advances in the merging of biological and technological life!

Scientists Couple Nerve Tissues With Computer Chip.
[Slashdot]

[tags: singularity implants biological technological cyborgs]

RNA Interference

2006-06-14T12:54:00.000-06:00

I first heard about RNA Interference a few years back ... caught this article today - here is the full text - that talks more indepth about the tools and techniques. This is amazing stuff ... I have read a few papers about the possibilities and they are endless. The first article that I saw was about a possible gene therapy using RNA interference to possibly change your eye color!

Now we are talking about modern body/identity modifications!

Sharpening the tools of RNA interference. Nature May 23 2006 8:13PM GMT [Moreover Technologies - Genetics news]

[tags: genes rnainterference rna rna interference genetherapy]

RFID Implants ... do it yourself?

2006-06-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

When I read this article I immediately began to think about all of the science fiction movies where the various characters are always trying to REMOVE tracking devices from themselves. I can remember the image of Arnold pulling the giant round tracking module from his nasal cavity in Total Recall.

This article, however, is about a growing number of people who are now inserting RFID tags into themselves! Well ... in some cases they are having doctors do it ... but the one web page referenced includes the list of items to do it at home!

Of course this links me back to Pete Ashdown's comments last night about integrity ... we spoke about this breifly after the Utah Bloggers conference had ended. It's cool to see people who are ok with being tracked ... and aren't afraid of anything that might be gathered about them. They are ok with where they go, and what they do.

I'm going to keep thinking about this one. I have been thinking that with the younger generations adopting lifestyles where 'body modification' is becoming the norm, they will be more and more open to technological implants. If you are willing to get tattoos, and have piercings, then when might you go for subdermal animated LED impants, or RFID tags?

Social Consequences and Effects of RFID Implants?.
[Slashdot]

[tags: future singularity implants rfid bodymodification identity scottclemon]

More molecular assembly ...

2006-06-14T11:03:00.000-06:00

Ok ... this is my day for finding interesting articles on molecular manufacturing. I really like this one ... a MIT team using genetically modified viruses to manufacture.

Battery electrodes self-assembled by viruses. Genetically modified viruses that assemble into electrodes could one day revolutionize battery manufacturing.

The MIT team genetically modified viruses to create the electrodes. They introduced snippets of single-stranded DNA that caused the virus... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: mit molecular nanotech genetics DNA]

Writing a 10nm point size

2006-06-14T10:25:00.000-06:00

I caught this today ... IBM going further and further with their molecular-scale lithography. They are now able to write compounds onto a substrate at sizes down to 10 nanometers. We are getting closer and closer to molecular manufacturing at a whole new scale.

IBM uses atomic microscope for direct writing. IBM has unveiled a new method of direct writing (like an inkjet printer) to substrates that harnesses an atomic force microscope (AFM) to electronically control molecular-scale lithography.

For semiconductors, IBM's new electronically controlled ... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: ibm molecular nanotech afm inkjet]

Visualizing Communities

2006-06-14T10:04:00.000-06:00

I always like a good visualization of Internet activity. Especially when it relates to social and human interaction. I like this paper ... some nice ideas in here.

Visualizing Bidder Activity In Online Auctions [Nooface]

[tags: visual visualization babble IBM socialnetworks]

Utah Bloggers Conference ... the first!

2006-06-13T20:20:00.000-06:00

I'm at the first Utah Bloggers conference, and it's fun to see the size of the community here. Ryan Money from HireVue kicked off the meeting, and quickly went into the panel discussion.

The group of panelists included Cydni Tetro, Phil Burns, Phil Windley, Tim Stay, and Pete Ashdown. The questions varied from what blogging software is being used, to making money with your blog. It was good to hear them all. I really liked one thing that Pete Ashdown said about the record of your history on the Internet ... he referred to that as the "... price of integrity." Instead of going to edit your history - such as on the Wikipedia - you simply live honestly with the choices that you have made.

One of the people stood up and admitted that he doesn't yet have a blog ... he wanted to know what to do to start. Phil Windley suggested his essay How to Start a Blog. Nice ... it's the first result when you search Google for that sentence.

Ryan wrapped things up talking about how we really do have a good blogging community. Utah is continuing to grow rapidly, and the growth from people moving to Utah is fueling the tech industry here. We are slowly gaining some real momentum. There are going to be some future events ...

That was it for now ... I'm going to get some other video ... another YouTube video ...

[tags: utah blog bloggers utahbloggers scottclemon philwindley peteashdown ryanmoney]

A kick in the blog ...

2006-06-13T19:24:00.000-06:00

Man ... too many new things since returning form the Philippines. I'm going to get back into the habit of regular blogging ... and I'm at the Utah Blogger event tonight which is kicking me into gear.

I got home on the 1st of June, and thought long and hard about what I have been doing with my life. I've been working at Agilix Labs and having a lot of fun, however I realized that I wanted to do more ... to further pursue some Web 2.0 projects. In addition, Agilix is realigning its direction to more focus on the student and mobilized learning market ... and for now not as much focus on the SDK and developer community. I made the choice ... time to move on!

I'm still going to be working closely with Agilix on some specific projects, but I am now back out in the consulting world. I've already landed two consulting deals, both which are working on some cool new technologies and human-oriented services. I'll be blogging more about them as I get rolling and into the groove of the new routines. What is really fun already is working deep in the Web again ... I'm developing in both 'realms" ... AMP and .NET.

The AMP development involves a lot of Javascript and AJAX, and has been a great learning experience. It also involves a lot of digital video, and so I get to play back in one of my favorite hobbies ... video editing. I'm not a pro at it ... I just like to play around. I posted my first video to YouTube and am going to be posting a number of others.

The .NET development is for a social networking site ... but more. It's actually looking to create a new type of media ... combined media ... interactive media. I guess it's kind of like true 'multimedia' ... a new way to deliver a media experience 'wrapped' into a single download. What is really cool also is that the site is already leveraging some of the most advanced Atlas technologies ffrom Microsoft ... so taking the site to new levels of interactivity and customization.

On top of this ... I'm working on my new Software Development Outsourcing company. The web site is coming quickly, and after I have now been using a half dozen developers from overseas, I am ready to share the power of these people with anyone interested.

Anyhow ... I'm going to listen and blog about the Utah Blogger conference ...

[tags: blog blogging bloggers utah utahbloggers agilix scottclemon]

Still Skypeless ...

2006-06-06T01:53:00.000-06:00

Amazing ... I have been sending support requests every single day. And I get no response, except for the occasional reply to some of the messages saying "We normally will respond within 72 hours." Uh guys ... if you are hearing this ... it's now been almost two weeks! Uh ... they still have my $10.00 ...

I wrote them the following message:

Please ... oh Skype gods ... let my account go! Please unblock me ...
My prayer to the Skype gods ... please have mercy on my account ... PLEASE unblock my account. Why haste thou forsaken me????

Our Skype who art in Luxemburg,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy phone call come, thy will be done,
on the Internet as it is on POTS lines.
Give us this day our daily SkypeOut,
and forgive us our use of mobiles,
as we forgive our non-Skype friends.
And deliver us from expensive calls,
for thine is the $.02/minute, the p2p calling,
and the VoIP solution forever.
SkypeMe.

Oh please Skype gods ... please unblock my account ...

Will it work? Hmmmm ... we'll see ...

[tags: skype skypeout blocked sucks lame ripoff]

Skype ... where the whole world CAN NOT talk for free. Not even for PAY!

2006-06-01T14:39:00.000-06:00

Ok ... I had to take a moment to vent about Skype. What a great product ... what lousy execution. Their support? It sucks beyond almost any vendor I have ever dealt with.

On my recent Philippines trip, I started to use SkypeOut ... or tried to. First, I was unable to get them to accept any of my credit cards ... business or personal. Now these are the same credit cards that I use for all other on-line purchases ... but not with Skype. Nope. They wouldn't take them. So no SkypeOut credit.

Well, then I noticed that they accept PayPal ... hmmm ... wonder if that will work. Yeah! It worked! A week ago I was able to pay Skype $10 for SkypeOut credit. They even gave me an extra $1.60 of credit for paying! I called lots of people ... for one day. Then ... back to ground zero.

Six days ago ... the morning after my success paying via PayPal ... and after using Skype to make calls for over an hour ... I wen to dail a number only to see a red bar appear that said:

Skype Account Blocked - Your Skype account has been blocked! Click here for details

Yeah ... right. Try clicking ... it takes you to their home page. Uh guys ... how about if I log into my account? I simply get another message:

You are currently restricted from purchasing services or redeeming vouchers. Please contact Customer Support to review your account status.

Ok ... great. No details ... I click the link ... get taken to a crappy tech support form. Fine ... I filled it in, posted it, and was sent to a page with a bunch of unrelated "knowledgebase" articles ... with another button to *really* post my support request.

So six days ago ... I sent my support request. And I have done so for each and every day since. No response. Oh ... well this monring I finally got back a message saying that they have received my first support request ... sent seven days ago!

So Skype has my money ... and has blocked my account. As for the "free in the US" they claim to be offering? I can't call those numbers either now ... my account is blocked. I can call PC to PC ... I think ... but no SkypeOut at all ... nada.

So they lie ... the whole world CAN NOT talk for free. And in my case, I have even paid my $10 and I can not talk ... at least not via Skype. What a bummer ... some people are screwing up a perfectly good idea.

[tags: skype skypeout ripoff voip support sucks]

The Trip to Baguio

2006-06-01T01:26:00.000-06:00

After spending one day and night in Manila, we headed up to Baguio City ... north of Manila in the Mountains. We left early and flew Asian Spirit ... in a YS-11 ... an old turboprop airliner. After taking off, we quickly climbed to ~10,000 feet. The grey color of Manila slowly began to be sprinkled with green, and the quantity of green again continued to grow as we flew north away from Metro manila.

As we continued our flight, the spots of green continued to grow until we were over a large flat valley with some large winding rivers. Various roads - paved and otherwise - cut convoluted paths between farms, towns, and open ground. All of these roads seemed to wind in strange directions with no rhyme or reason. Below, one large river wound below us, leaving groups of buildings, and maybe whole towns, stranded on empty oxbows. And then the foothills appeared.

It was impressive to see the mountains rise from the valley as a series of large sharp ridges. The river winding below us came from a valley in between some of these ridges, and a large reservior with a dam had been built to hold back its waters. The mountains continued to rise. And rise! All of the sudden the stewardess announced that we were approaching Baguio ... and the mountains continued to climb up towards our altitude. Below us there were now a few roads winding up the jagged mountain sides ... all looking like dirt roads. And then the first towns appeared up in the mountains. As we passed over one of the larger ones ... now looking only a few thousand feet below us ... I caught site of a runway cut into the mountains ... one end spilling out over a shear mountain face. Baguio Airport?

As we now passed that runway the plane began to turn ... yep ... that's Baguio! I actually shot some pretty good footage of the landing ... amazing mountain with a mix of small homes and big mansions. The vacation homes of the upper-class, mixed with the homes of the average people. We continued to bank hard left ... circling around to the other end of the runway that I saw ... to land in the direction of the shear mountain face. As we got lower and lower there were all sorts of streams and rivers flowing down the mountain, with waterfalls all over the place. We continued to decend, and finally touched down. We're in Baguio!

As we exited the aircraft, it was immediately cooler than Manila ... by far! Nice. We wandered the parking lot ... found a cab ... and headed to Session Road ... one of the main roads in Baguio. I'll write more later.

[tags: philippines baguio ys-11 manila]

Arriving in Manila

2006-05-28T17:18:00.000-06:00

We flew to Manila, from Los Angeles, on Sunday the 21st. One of the first things that was nice was the free wireless Internet provided by the Asian carriers in the LA terminal. Getting there early we were able to get our seats (nice big aisle exit-rows!) and then hang out and get work done.

The Philippines Airlines flight over left at ~10:00pm, so we flew into the darkness, being chased by the sun. The flight actually landed at ~4:00am in Guam for refueling, and then continued its way to Manila. We approached the Philippines at daybreak, just before sunrise. As we crossed over the first edges of the Philippines, it was a combination of islands and then the mountains of Luzon. The mountains turned into a large flat valley, and then the density of grey structures began to grow. Slowly, the grey started to overwhelm the green and we had started to cross over the outer edges of Manila. As we continued to descend, the grey color took over ... it was impressive to see the sprawl of Manila below us.

We landed and got off of the plane, walked into the terminal and passed through immigration ... very uneventful. We had both packed in only carry-on, so we had no luggage to claim ... instead we headed right out into the hot and humid air to look for our car.

The first thing that hit me as the humidity wrapped all around me was the smell of smoke. Everywhere. Like a fireplace nearby kicking out the smoke of burning wood. I had been told about this ... it was the smell of forests being burned in Indonesia. Some of my contacts here indicated that a month ago it was a constant haze that was almost unbearable. Even today in Iloilo I am greeted each morning to the same smell as I leave my hotel room.

I'll write more later ... have to catch the high speed boat to Bacolod!

[tags: philippines manila iloilo bacolod]

Blogging from Iloilo, Philippines

2006-05-28T04:22:00.000-06:00

I've been telling myself each day this week that I was going to post ... and I'm only getting to it right now. I'm sitting in the Amigo Terrace Hotel in Iloilo, Philippines ... and after completing a whole ton of work, I'm now ready to post. I'm in the lobby restaurant ... on wireless.

I'll probably break this into a whole set of posts ... there is too much to write about. It's been a very cool trip so far, and a lot has changed since the last time I travelled in this region. I've never been to the Philippines before, but when I was with Novell I visited a number of Asian countries ... Singapore, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand ... all amazing places. But these trips were in the early 1990's and predated the penetration of the Internet. What a huge difference. I'm floored. The Internet is everywhere.

So where exactly am I right now? I'm at the hotel here in Iloilo. I've been here a few days after visiting Manila ... we stayed in Makati ... then visited Baguio City. Tomorrow we'll be heading over to Bacolod for the day ... then another day back here in Iloilo, before heading back to Manila and home.

I'll write more ... it's been eye opening. An amazing trip.

[tags: philippines manila makati baguio iloilo bacolod blogging internet]

May CTO Breakfast

2006-05-19T10:09:00.000-06:00

It is time for another Phil Windley CTO Breakfast. It was a smaller group, but some good conversations - both technical and philosophical. Some good talk about business and team management.

I walked in and there was a conversation about "in the net" storage. Bruce Fryer from DiGiSENSE brought up JungleDisk ... which looks very cool! This solves one of the things that I have wanted for a while now. I've been backing up my various laptops and home computers to a server at my house. On Windows I'm using a very cool tool called Second Copy that I found years back. Second Copy provides very customizable copying profiles to mirror date from my hard disk to almost anywhere. So each night when I go to bed I ensure that I set up a Samba share to my Linux server in the basement. Second Copy kicks off after 2:00am and replicates several designated subdirectories from my machine to the server. It also will create "archive" copies of any changed files ... keeping the last {x} copies of changed files. The one hole in my model is that I don't currently have "off-site" backup. With JungleDisk it appears that I can now consider automating the replication of my server storage to Amazons S3 storage in the net!

I really didn't take too many notes today ... the conversations were too fun! I started to fall quite behind in my typing. We talked about Identity, and that VeriSign has added an OpenID service. This is a good thing as it is showing the growing momentum in Internet Identity.

The web site World Mapper was brought up. This is a very cool site that shifts the sizes of the various countries based on a number of criteria. I really like maps and checking out the statistics of the world ... this site has great information.

Someone brought up the "the Lost experience" ... which is a very interesting way that the TV show Lost is now attracting people to the commercials by embedding puzzles into these commercials. Hollywood and the Networks are now starting to learn how to leverage the net ... finally.

Too many other conversations ... I just wasn't committted to blogging it all today. It was fun to be with the group, and I look forward to next month!

[tags: cto ctobreakfast philwindley digisense jungledisk lost centered secondcopy]

WuFoo ... nice AJAX

2006-04-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here playing with WuFoo ... what a nice AJAX tool. I was reading this great article on AJAX Prototyping, and it linked to WuFoo. It's a pretty amazing example of where applications within the browser are going. What I started to think of - and maybe they are already doing this - is how I can download the final form that I create and host it on my own server?

[tags: ajax wufoo particletree]

Croquet SDK Beta v1.0 Released!

2006-04-21T07:46:00.000-06:00

Wow ... I have been too heads down on projects lately ... I missed the release of the new Croquet SDK Beta! I'm downloading it as I write this ... and will begin to write more about what I find.

For those who are not familiar with Croquet, it is a full blown 3d virtual world platform being developed by an amazing team. It is cross-platform for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms and is able to be networked for multiple users to interact. If you go to the web site, check out the FAQ, and the Screenshots ... they are really worth seeing so that you can get an idea of what is possible.

What I am currently most interested in is the state of the networking components. These were rough when I played with Croquet last, but to me hold the real network effect value of the platform. This is where I am able to "hyperlink" between spaces, and into other spaces. Consider that this is the equivilent of hyperlinking between web pages in the Web ... but that I am moving from space to space in a 3d universe where much of that universe does not exist initially on my machine. Oh yeah ... it's all Open Source!

I'll blog more about my experiences ... I'm also starting to learn more about Second Life and will be comparing and contrasting my experiences.

[04/18/06]
Croquet SDK 1.0 Beta released!

The Croquet Software Developers’ Kit 1.0 Beta has been released. This represents the first complete public release of the core Croquet technology. Croquet is a new open source software platform for creating deeply collaborative multi-user online applications. It features a network architecture that supports communication, collaboration, resource sharing, and synchronous computation among multiple users. Using Croquet, software developers can create powerful and highly collaborative multi-user 2D and 3D applications and simulations.

[tags: croquet opencroquet 3d secondlife virtualworlds squeak simulations opensource]

Delayed Deposition

2006-03-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have had some people asking about my deposition for the SCO vs. IBM lawsuit. Well ... it was delayed. I was supposed to be deposed in Salt Lake City on the 16th of this month, however it turned out that SCO didn't have enough lawyers to cover all of the depositions going on. So I was asked to alter the date ... which was fine with me.

So my new date is this Friday ... the 31st. I'll head into Salt Lake City first thing in the morning, and the deposition will begin at 9:00am. I had to ask some questions to learn more about this since I have not been subpoenaed for a deposition before ... by the US Federal Courts no less.

Do I get paid or reimbursed for my time?

Nope. Nada.

Well ... how much time to I have to provide?

IBM is allowed up to 7 hours of "tape time". Crap! That's all day!

Can I blog about the experience?

Yeah ... but not about the content. Period. The judge said so.

Can I plead the Fifth?

I didn't really ask this ... but it sounded kinda cool.

Do I get to eat lunch?

Yeah ... there's a lunch break, but it's not counted in the 7 hours above.

Who pays for lunch?

I didn't ask, but I'm going to guess that they can't buy me lunch either!
(As a side note, I think that IBM and SCO ought to fairly split the cost of my lunch so that I would be equally biased.)

Hmmm ... I ownder what to wear? :-)

Well ... I'll blog about the experience. It's going to be interesting.

[tags: ibm sco linux lawsuits subpoenas scox novell utah]

Bloggaps

2006-03-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Wow ... time flies. I know that I have to alter my blog writing behavior. It seems that when I start to get busy with things. I stop blogging until I have the time to "post it correctly." I want to make sure that I write it well. I really want to give this up and just blog.

Today I started to think that I want to stop creating Blogaps, or Bloggaps ... large gaps of time between my blog posts. Ok ... time for a new word:

bloggap (blggp)

n.

An interruption of continuity in blog posts: a two week bloggap left his readers in a quandry; real bloggers don't have a bloggap of more than 12 hours.

What I realize in all of this is to just BLOG. Post it! Don't worry if it's good enough!

[tags: blog posting bloggap bloggaps language new words]

Closer to the Singularity

2006-03-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Dave Cline sent me another link today about Mechanical Turk. It's a story from the MIT Technology Review about Pennies for Web Jobs. To me this is the type of article that backs some of of my theories on the coming Singularity.

From the article, I really liked this quote:

Not only did participants supply the necessary answers, but they did so "outstandingly fast," according to Cabrera, allowing Amazon to use the photographs in its search results. "This is the tip of the iceberg, but you can see how it enables 'massively parallel' human computing," he said.

When I last met Vernor Vinge I spoke with him about my theories on how to measure the presence of the Singularity. I proposed that we might look to create a metric based on how many people are performing machine driven work. Mechanical Turk is a very good example of this ... and yes it is simple ... but there are people and systems putting "work" into a large database, and there are people who are executing on queues of tasks for money. To me, this really isn't that different from the little mouse pressing a bar for a piece of food.

A more complex example are the drivers for UPS and Fedex. Their entire day is coordinated by massively complex computer systems that manage the thousands of drivers all over the world. From the beginning to end of the day they are simply following the directions of computer systems that are managing a process far too complex for humans to direct anymore. In fact, the computer systems are managing the flow of packages and simply using humans as one of the components in that management system.

Vernor talks about a hard takeoff, and a soft takeoff of the Singularity. I will argue that we are already accelerating on our way in a soft takeoff.

[tags: singularity future mturk amazon ai automation]

Microsoft Origami - first thoughts

2006-03-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well ... it's been fun watching the media uproar, and the debates over the hype about the Microsoft Origami device. I has also been fun to see the product announced and in the press. It was fun since we at Agilix Labs had one here at our facility for quite some time prior to the leaks. We've been tweaking our GoBinder code to ensure that our Tablet PC applications work on this new device.

So what do I think about the UMPC/Origami device? I actually like it! Yes, like many people are saying, this is a mini-Tablet PC type of device. There is nothing earth shattering about it that I know of right now, but I do want to buy one for my three year old son. He has been using my HP Tablet PC for quite a while now, and is becoming very adept at navigating the user interface, and easily switching from mouse to stylus. I have really been thinking about what I buy him to use ... or do I give him my old laptop as I upgrade? What about a PlayStation Portable? Oh ... what about the $100 Laptop Project?

My laptop is too large for my son. The PSP? It's still $250.00 and doesn't have half of the capabilities nor features. The $100 Laptop? Way too limited in my opinion in that it lacks the breadth of application support ... and isn't yet available. A Tablet PC? No ... too expensive today.

In my opinion the key is going to be the price point of these new Origami devices. When I can buy a device like this for the ~$600+ I have a hard time considering anything else. It runs a standard operating system (and might even support Linux!) and brings the full breadth of application support. It'll run games, and provide Internet connectivity. It'll have Bluetooth and integrate with cell phones.

I'm not saying that this product is going to kill the $100 Laptop Project ... that will always have it's place. But in more affluent societies where some extra money can be spent it seems to me that the Origami is addressing a real market. This is the place between the PDA/PSP types of devices, and the laptop/Tablet PCs.

So I'll probably buy one for my son. Will I buy one? I think that I might buy one for myself ... just to experiment as a platform for new applications. Religion aside, when Microsoft and Intel (and Samsung, and ASUS, and ...) get behind something they are going to create a new market. I do believe that for software developers, there is going to be a whole new generation of applications for this platform.

[tags: origami microsoft intel umpc agilix gobinder tablet pc]

I've been served!

2006-03-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

Wow ... that was wild. I'm sitting here working on some code and projects (~9:43pm) and there was a knock on my door. Some guy standing there looking a little shady ... like one of these guys chasing bail jumpers. He asked me "Scott Lemon?" as he pulled out some papers ... oh I know what's going on: I'm being served with a subpoena!

I actually figured this might happen ... the IBM lawyers have been calling me since before my vacation last week. For the many people who didn't know ... I used to work for SCO. Yes ... Santa Cruz Operation ... the ones in the big lawsuits with IBM and Novell. Now before you start to dis' me let me provide some background. I was working for a very innovative startup called Vultus. I joined a team of guys at Vultus who were working on this amazing technology that used Javascript, XML, and HTTP to create active 'applications' that ran within a browser. Yes ... today that is called AJAX ... but we were doing it years before that term came about. (Shipping product in 2002!)

So anyhow ... Vultus was purchased by SCO just prior to the whole lawsuit issue blew up. In fact, I have to admit that I was floored. When we were negotiating with SCO about the acquisition, I was looking forward to the opportunity to working for a Linux company! Just as they purchased us, we were told one day there was going to be a huge "Linux announcement". Yeah ... and when I heard it I couldn't believe it!

So anyhow, I quickly became the SCOX Architect working on some web services integration projects, and then architected and collaborated on a patent with Bruce Grant for a OS independent application substrate. About that time I became the Chief Technologist and spent considerable time researching the differences between kernels and numerous Open Source projects. I have to admit that I really was given the opportunity to learn a lot about UNIX, BSD, Darwin, and Linux ... along with the vast amount of Open Source that is out there running on all of these. My real interest was researching the new substrates ... the new layers of software that are emerging as the next generation platforms above the operating system. I left SCO almost two years ago as they were consolidating and letting a lot of folks go.

Well ... it appears that somehow IBM got my name, and with their discovery deadline coming up fast they must be grasping for straws all over the place. They called me just before I left on vacation and asked if I would be able to sit down with them and chat, and then sign a legal declaration. My question was "How much do I get paid for my time?" Yeah ... right. I told them that if I had the time I would get back to them after my vacation. It was funny when the IBM attorney asked where I was going - Hawaii - and then he actually asked me if I would meet with their attorney's while on vacation in Hawaii! I'm guessing that sending attorneys to Hawaii for a interview would just be a IBM expense paid for by the shareholders?

They called me this last Monday and when I said I really wasn't interested they followed up with the following e-mail:

Scott,
Thanks for your quick reply. We would like to meet with you as soon as possible. Our discovery period is quickly coming to an end, and we would like to assure ourselves that we will be able to get your testimony in a manner that we can use. Our preference would be to do so through more informal means in a signed declaration. An attorney would meet with you to put together the facts, then draft a declaration after the meeting. The attorney would then review the declaration with you, and obtain your signature at a later meeting. The other way to get your testimony would be more formal. We could serve you with a subpoena requiring you to attend a deposition at which lawyers from both sides could question you under oath. If you would prefer that to the more informal declaration option, we could arrange that. Also, if you are unsure if you would be willing to do a declaration, we could serve you a subpoena now, and then withdraw it later if you decide to do a declaration. Let me know if that option appeals to you. One of our lawyers from either NY or SLC can meet with you virtually any time, any day, and any place that would be convenient for you. I understand that our deadlines are not your problem, and that we asking you for help, so I would like to make this as easy as possible on you. Please let me know how you would like to move forward. Please give me a call or reply to this email. Thanks Scott.

Greg T. Lembrich
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Worldwide Plaza
825 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
(212) 474-1462
fax: (212)474-3700

Uh ... ok. So let me get this straight. Either meet with us because you are a nice guy and you just want to give us a bunch of free, uncompensated time ... or ... we'll use legal means to force you to sit down with us. Hmmm ... let's see ... in both cases I get nothing in return for my time. I replied letting him know that they could feel free to subpoena me. And they did.

Looks like I'll be visiting the offices of Snell & Wilmer here in Salt Lake City on the 16th of March. I'll make sure to blog about the experience.

[tags: ibm sco linux lawsuits subpoenas vultus novell utah]

Eye Tracking Research

2006-03-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

This post on Slashdot brings up some interesting perspectives ... I mostly like the eye tracking research that is referenced. It's fun to see what we are *really* doing when watching a video. I know that I work to catch myself when I get distracted, etc. but this research shows what the eye is drawn to.

I don't agree that video blogs will suck ... but I do believe that video podcasting is a very different animal. I'm finding that for audio, I really like the 15 to 30 minute podcasts. For video, I haven't really found something that works for me. I could see where I might subscribe to a "movie feed" to get stuff onto my PC at home for later watching. From my early conversations with some students it seems that video podcasts (on campus lectures, etc.) are used mostly for their audio content, however when something interesting is said the student will then rewind and look at the video.

The biggest issue that I see is *where* I view video podcasts. I can listen a lot more places than I can watch. For me, driving is the place where I listen to most of my downloaded content.

Why Video Blogs Will Suck. [Slashdot]

[tags: podcasting humans behavior video blogging vodcasting]

Amazing robotic advances

2006-03-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

While I was on vacation last week I came across an article about an amazing robot being developed as a "pack animal" for soldiers. I have a long time love of robotics, and downloaded the video ... and it is surreal! You have to go and check out the BigDog from Boston Dynamics and download the video. It is stunning to watch this thing. As I watch ... I just keep thinking of seeing old World War II movies where two guys are carrying a stretcher. This is stunning to see! There is an amazing human/biomimicry component that I just can't believe ... can you tell?

I'm downloading the videos of their other robots now ...

[tags: bigdog boston dynamics robots singularity biomimicry future]

Organick Lecture - University of Utah - Alan Kay (Part II)

2006-02-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

After a great dinner at a local Greek restaurant, we returned to the University of Utah to listen to the second presentation by Alan Kay - Learners, Powerful Ideas, and the $100 Laptop

As I have been following the progress of the $100 Laptop project, I have a lot of my own ideas of where this device might succeed, and what it might become. I'm looking forward to what Alan has to say about this space.

Is a "$100 Laptop" Possible?
Alans slide showed a portable DVD player that has a 7" TFT LCD screen. The price on this product is $122.99 on-line. Obviously, this proves out the fact that the raw hardware of a $100 Laptop is quite possible. Swap the DVD drive for a keyboard, and add some flash memory and you have a decent computer. With the addition of a real manufacturer - Quanta - everything has started to fall into place.

Alan brought up an interesting point where these devices could create a huge grey-market, where the laptops might not actually make it to children. Instead, they might be grabbed up and used by others ... sold for various profits. They are intending to add features to the products so that they are customized to the child so that it will not work for anybody but that child.

The laptop is going to have mesh networking as a core feature, and they are exploring various power options. The hand-crank is the most well known, but they are also working on a tredle(?) design for foot powering the device.

The "layers" of this device are:

The $100 hardware - the foundation for everything
Free Software - the operating system from RedHat and Squeak?
Authoring & User Interface - the first level of interaction with children
Content & Pedagogy - interaction to educate
Mentoring - a large list of things we don't know how to make happen!

His comment refering to this list of layers - The Music Isn't In The Piano!

Future of Printing?
Alan again went through his progression of the history of printing. Where a new medium appears, and initially is used to mimic the older mediums. It was 100 years after the creation of the printing press that this new medium was exploited to massively alter global society. It finally provided for the presentation and distribution of radical new ideas.

How the Mind Works
Neuro-ethology is a newer study of the brain and behavior. He talked about research being done with babies, and at 8 weeks some of the things that they are capable of doing. One of these was that a baby that young was able to use an artificial nipple, with some electronics attached, to control the focus of a slide projector showing a picture of their mother. Amazing ...

He also talked about other pattern recognition tests done, and the ability of babies to show interest in various patterns ... and the increase in interest in more complex patterns as the baby develops.

This led to a discussion of Human Universals vs. non-Universals. Those things found in almost every culture around the world ... vs. those things that are not. Examples of the Universals: Social, Communications, Language, Culture, Fantasies, Stories, Loud Noises & Snakes - he had a longer list but these were very common and present in over 300 cultures studied.

Thge non-Universals are things that modern education are all about: Democracy, advanced mathematics, equal rights, etc. - these are the things that are only gained through deep thinking and teaching. This appears to be much of what Alan believes can be brought to more cultures in the world using the $100 Laptop!

He went on to do demonstrations of using Squeak, and talking about some of the amazing educational advances that have been taking place. All of which will only be available to more and more people on earth.

Overall, it was a great presentation and shows the commitment that Alan has to making a difference in the world with his talents and abilities. And the $100 Laptop will become a reality ... and is only going to spur more developments in this space.

Some of my final thoughts linked to his comments about security of the devices, etc. I start to wonder what is going to occur as unscrupulous people choose to take advantage of the children who are given these machines. I also start to wonder how these children in developing countries might end up being "remotely exploited" over the Internet by these same types of people ...

In either case, it is going to open whole new channels of communications, and create a very different networked world ... with whole new sets of eyeballs, and new participants in globalization. The next 10 years are going to be amazing to live through!

[tags: alankay alan kay future $100laptop singularity utah organick]

Organick Lecture - University of Utah - Alan Kay

2006-02-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Phil Windley blogged about this lecture series, and the fact that Alan Kay was speaking today. I had to take the time to come and hear Alan, as his focus on computing for children and education demonstrates a true commitment to the future.

I have often used his quote: The best way to predict the future is to invent it. His opening slide had the quote ... slightly modified ... toggling between:

Is the Best Way To Predict The Future To Invent It?
Is the Best Way To Predict The Future To Prevent It?

His talk is about about Computer Science and Software Engineering ... are they Oxymorons?

Some points from his talk:

he feels that our industry has been mired for years ... perhaps since the 1970's
the commercialization of Personal Computers was a tremendous distraction from computer science ... and we may never recover from this distraction
computer science is teaching non-scalable algorythms and data structures
this is like teaching gears ... something that is non-scalable
the Internet is a vastly different solution that is highly distributed and operates non-stop ... and scales
the human body consists of 100 trillions cells, created through only 50 cell divisions
all of the atoms in your body have been changed out within the last 7 years ... even your bones!

He talked about Bob Barton, and his early work and papers. He referenced a paper that outlines seven of the top ten things that people ought to know about software. He said it is worth reading the six page paper ... that includes a full page bashing IBM. The slide about Bob referenced the Burroughs B5000 built in 1961. Bob taught by destroying traditional thought ... allowing more freedom to contemplate what is possible.

He began to talk about "engineering" and gave several examples of what he feels is real engineering - the building of the Empire State Building (<3000 people for <11 months start to occupancy), the massive pumps that survived the longest during the Katrina hurricane - built in 1922 and 1912!

He talked about the real meaning of the word "Architecture" - the building of arches. He used this to connect analogies of Microsoft Windows, and the ancient pyramids of Egypt. The Egyptians had no arches, and so they built the pyramids by piling on rock, creating a "garbage dump", and then covering it with a "pretty UI". It was only those who understood and perfected the building of arches that truly developed architecture.

Humans have been on earth for ~100,000+ years, however Science has only been around for ~400. But it didn't emerge from genetic evolution ... so Science has always existed. He then showed the video called "Private Universe" which was a series of interviews with Harvard University graduates who were being asked basic questions about "What causes the seasons?" and "What causes the phases of the moon?" The majority were not able to answer accurately.

I have to admit that I stopped taking notes as Alan went into a very interesting conversation about the Future of Printing. He started to talk about the original printing press, and how it immediately began to be used to mimic the handwritten manuscript books of the time ... instead of creating a new type of communications ... a new medium to argue within society and to present new ideas.

Alan used this as a way to describe the revelation that hit him when he first thought of children using computers. Up to that point, they had simply thought of computers looking like terminals, without the mainframe. He drew a cartoon back in the 1960s of children using what would become his idea of the dynabook.

He emphasized the stagnent aspects of computer science and software engineering ... at the end he questioned how students of these disciplines were using yesterdays technologies - hardware and software - when trying to create the solutions of the future. He commented that it was only because his team was using $20,000 computers more powerful than anything in its time, that they were able to create solutions for the future. This is a really good point ...

As usual ... an amazing presentation that spurs a lot of thoughts.

[tags: software computer science engineering alankay alan kay future utah organick]

February CTO Breakfast

2006-02-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Wow ... what a crowd! This morning was quite packed, and there was a good variety of people from many roles in Utah companies.

Phil started off talking with Hilarie Orman from Purple Streak. It turns out that Phil was familiar with some of the previous work of Hilarie, and some of the people that she worked with. This led into an interesting conversation about security, encryption, and quantum computing. She was involved in the Demo Conference ... on a security panel. She mentioned that Koogle(?) was one of the more interesting demos.

Bruce Grant started to talk about his perspectives of Demo, and some of the mobile applications and thoughts on where mobile devices are going. He talked about the difficulty in developing software for these devices due to all of the various operating systems, etc. He also commented that there will be some sort of consolidation ... which I agree with. This is a standard EVO-DEVO pattern.

I commented that I believe that the Negroponte $100 laptop is going to be one of the catalysts that is going to cause the consolidation. I'm not so sure that this device is going to be in high demand for the developed world, however it is going to drive innovation and solutions that wil be delivered at a slightly higher price point.

I missed a good bit of conversation going to get some food, but when I returned we were well into a conversation about AJAX, and the new Web 2.0 trends. One of the people brought up a new Marc Andreessen project called Ning. Very cool ... some very innovative ideas as a platform for the creation and sharing of social application. This is a variation on JotSpot ... and I'm going to do some experimenting.

Fun morning ...

[tags: utahctobreakfast security encryption ning]

DevUtah February Geek Dinner

2006-02-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the DevUtah Geek Dinner. There was a slightly smaller group, but there was a great topic - Agile & Adaptive Project Management. David Spann kicked off by doing a quick exercise in thinking of the top traits of a great leader/manager. Most of these ended up centering around communications, trust, and involvement. He went on to talk about the The Agile-Adaptive Management Model:

Know the Purpose and Organizational Value of any project
Hire great people - use the best people
Do Something Innovative!
Learn and Reflect - spend the time (often!) to look at what you are doing
Deliver Results - ensure that you are delivering on the project

If you follow this model, then innovation will occur. In addition, this is how knowledge is built.

Alistair then jumped in and gave some background on how he got going in the industry, and how he began his writing career. He talked about the history of the creation of the Agile Manifesto, and the follow on for managers of Agile projects - the Declaration of Interdependence.

He offered a fun way to think about software: Developing software consists of making ideas concrete in an economic context. In addition, he posits that software development - and most any business - can be seen as a cooperative game of invention and communication. This then leads to where Agile is a special case of software development.

Expanding on this, he summarized the Agile Manifesto as being values ...

More Valuable	Has Value
Individuals and Interactions	Processes and Tools
Working Software	Comprehensive Documentation
Customer Collaboration	Contract Negotiation
Responding to Change	Following a Plan

All of these work from: communication, trust, feedback, fluidity

David and Alistair progressed into Q&A to address many of the questions that were brought up:

How do you convince business people to use Agile?

focus on ROI - delivering customer value which generates revenue

How do you deal with Feature Creep?

base development on constant re-prioritization and customer renegotiation
do not use a fixed requirements model ... constantly adjust and adapt with the customer

There was some other conversation ... I got too interested in listening and forgot to write. David closed with a good point and that was that it's easy to celebrate the "wins" and what was accomplished ... the real learning comes, however, when you can celebrate what didn't go well, or what could be improved.

It's always fun to hear David and Alistair ... they both consult in this area, and bring a lot of knowledge and experience!

[tags: devutah utahgeekdinner agile software methodologies business]

Human Extensions

2006-02-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

This is a great article, however I don't know that it goes far enough! Seldom do we really think about the wide range of "tools" that we depend on ... that have become an extension of our own humanity. In this day and age, an automobile is now a necessary extension ... enabling us to collaborate with others. And even wired telephones ... this form of communications is what allowed for the creation of global virtual communities in the first place. Well ... after the telegraph. And smoke signals. It is not only here in America, but all over the globe that humans are developing whole new capabilities based on these "gadgets" ... these Human Extensions ...

Americans 'Need' Their Gadgets. Whether it's a personal computer, an iPod or TiVo, Americans are growing increasingly dependent on personal technology. Not everyone thinks this is healthy. [Wired News]

[tags: humans humanity tools gadgets future evolution singularity]

More progress on recreating identification

2006-02-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Although it is primitive, this is a very cool example of where research is taking things with respect to identity, identifying, and self-recognition.

Robot Demonstrates Self-awareness. [Slashdot]

[tags: indentity robots brain recognition future singularity]

Hacking your vacuum

2006-02-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of buying one of these soon ... this is cool to hear that I might be able to hack my vacuum soon!

Roomba Vacuum Robot Opens to Hackers. [Slashdot]

[tags: roomba irobot hacking robots]

Realizing where you stand

2006-02-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

In each day of our lives, it's very easy to fall prey to the normal complaining about our lives. Oh me, oh my ... what I don't have in my life ... what I should have! :-)

Miguel posted this link and it's an amazing presentation to remind you of where you stand in life ... the majority of people on earth live on less than the equivilent of $10/day.

Human Development Trends.
Various statistics of human development trends in flash-tutorial form here http://gapminder.org/. By Miguel de Icaza (miguel@gnome.org). [Miguel de Icaza]

[tags: poverty wealth future gap income future]

Botnets ... the unknown reality

2006-02-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

I find it hard to believe that many people are not aware of botnets, and what they are doing. Of course, I'm so deep in technology and the Internet that my "common sense" is now severely distorted. For those people who have not heard about botnets, this Washington Post botnet article is a great place to start. It's an eye opener.

When you read this article, just realize that this is about the botnets that have been discovered and are known. There are more out there that are unknown, and the sizes of some of these botnets is staggering. Read here, here, or here, about the FBI arrest of a many running a 400,000+ node botnet! Oh yeah ... and he was 20 years old.

[tags: botnets trojans hacks cracks future technology software internet]

Tagging++ ... where the web is heading?

2006-02-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I really love RSS. Not necessarily "blogging", but the concepts of RSS itself. It is an amazingly simple idea, and yet it can be used for extremely powerful solution. The whole world of blogging, and news aggregators, is built on the foundation of RSS.

Of course, then came "pinging". When a RSS feed is updated with new posts or data, it can "ping" a service to notify others that it has been updated. This provides a way to subscribe to the updates of huge numbers of RSS feeds and blogs. So if I can then get all of these updates, how do I make sense of them? Enter "tagging" ...

Tagging is an ingenious idea ... it embraces the concepts of "microformats" where additional metadata can be embedded into content like RSS feeds and blogs. In the most simple cases, tagging allows for a post to be "categorized" using simple keywords ... anything. So now if I subscribe to the updates of large numbers of posts, I can scan each post for "tags" and create new outbound feeds (which is what Technorati does) or do my own sorting and filtering based on tags.

Tonight I was reading about Edgeio in a post by Tom Raftery. This is a whole new step in tagging ... and it's really getting me thinking. This is where the tags can now designate a post in a blog for a specific purpose! This is not just about categorizing ... but now hinting at what the content is ... and allowing for specialized engines - like Edgeio - to consume the posts to create new aggregated solutions. In the case of Edgeio, the new tags are for "listings" ... posts about things that you want to have listed on the Edgeio web site.

What I really like about this, is it that it represents the latest turns in the whole microformat/tagging process. Now, I can simple posts something in my blog, and provide some custom tags that will tell various engines out in the Internet what my intentions are with that post. Already I'm using tags to allow people to simply subscribe to tag feeds ... RSS feeds of posts along a particular topical category. But now I'm able to tag a post to indicate to some engine that this is a post that I want it to consume and take action on! This is an impressive capability.

I can start to think of other directions that this could take. For example, Flickr - the popular photo sharing web site - could now begin to support tags that would indicate a post contains photos that are to be included into Flickr. So instead of uploading my images ... I simply blog about my photos, including the images in my posts. Flickr could detect these images based on tags that I include and automatically consume them. This is where whole new types of tags and actions can begin to take place ... and create some interesting new directions with the web. This introduces yet another "neural" aspect to the applications emerging on the Internet.

[tags: tags tagging blogs blogging rss edgeio flickr technorati neural web 2.0 humaneural]

wikiCalc ... and interesting example

2006-02-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

I downloaded wikiCalc today and began to play with it. It reminds a lot of Radio Userland ... wikiCalc is an application that installs on your desktop and then uses a browser for the UI. It appears to be using AJAX for a lot of the interaction, and has an interesting publishing architecture.

I really like to see more and more applications like this. I believe that they represent an interesting intersection of client and server ... leveraging the power of the desktop, while allowing for remote access. I simply point my browser at a "server" - running on my local machine, or a remote machine - and I am presented with a flexible UI that contains rich AJAX functionality.

I like it!

[tags: wiki ajax wikicalc applications software]

Great series of Global Thinkers

2006-02-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

I found this post from Thomas Barnett early, but only recently began to download and listen to the podcasts ... amazing stuff! This is a great series about global politics, etc.

A video of my Blueprint for Action brief.
This is the one I delivered in early November in DC to the seminar series put on by Johns Hopkins and the Office of Force Transformation.

It is found here: http://www.jhuapl.edu/POW/rethinking/video.cfm. You can watch it in chunks or download the entire brief as a file.

You can also access a PDF compilation of the slides. Pretty cool package!
[Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog]

[tags: globalization military terrorism future war peace]

Manipulating biology

2006-02-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

I have recently been at a few events where I mentioned reading the article about the rat brains being used to fly a F-22 jet simulator. Here is the article - Why this brain flies on rat cunning - and the reference below is where I first found it. Yes ... I find this really cool ... amazing work.

Why this brain flies on rat cunning. A "brain" grown from 25,000 neural cells extracted from a single rat embryo has been taught to fly an F-22 jet simulator by scientists at the University of Florida.

They hope their research into neural computation will help develop sophisticated h... [KurzweilAI.net Accelerating Intelligence News]

[tags: neural nets ai singularity neural computation future]

Google? Privacy? Yeah ... sure ...

2006-02-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of Google, I have always been reluctant to allow cookies from their site. I've also been reluctant to heavily use many of their other services. Part of this has been my understanding of their overall architecture, and knowing that they could choose to store a whole lot of information about me. Is this just paranoia? No ... it is because of my understanding of the inevitable. I fully understand and accept that I'm just delaying the inevitable ... and so it's just my little game with the giant Google.

So what am I talking about? It's the fact that computers are getting to be so pervasive, and their ability to gather information about us, and create profiles, exceeds our own abilities to distinguish our own behaviors. We all have certain predictable behaviors, many of which we are aware of. We also all have behaviors that we are not aware of ... that become predictable to others who gather enough information about us. Computer systems are able to gather large amounts of information, and mine that information for patterns that we are not even aware of.

I often use the simple example of grocery stores and their "discount" or "members" cards. Yeah ... just sign up, allow the grocery store to gather information about everything that you have ever bought, and they'll give you a little discount. C'mon ... what could it hurt? Honestly, I'm not sure how it could hurt ... but I have thought through the amazing amount of behavioral data that they could gather from you. The potential for them to then prey upon your undistinguished behaviors and reactions grows quickly. They know what day you buy what. They know what aisle and shelf it was on when you bought it. They know the color of the packaging when you bought it. They know the messages printed on the packaging when you bought. They know the weather, the time of day, and the phase of the moon. Your grocery store knows much more about your buying patterns that you would ever think of.

And Google? Uh huh ... they know your on-line behaviors. Big time. According to this article FAQ: When Google is not your friend they have been recording everything that they can. Of course they have been ... storage is cheap, and only getting cheaper. They know every search you have done, and when you did it, and what Google Ads that you might have clicked on from the results. So what? Yeah ... I'm not immediately sure of the impact on my life, however it is interesting to think about what Google can start to know about you, and who you are, by all of this data. When are you on-line. When do you search for what. What kinds of Google Ads attract your attention. Where do you search from. To me ... this is pretty amazing. When you begin to think about mining this huge volume of data it seems to me that some interesting patterns have to emerge. Google can begin to know a lot about you, your interests and undistinguished behaviors. Google ... knows who you really are. Google ... knows your true identity.

Oh yeah ... you use Gmail? Google Groups? Google News? Google Alerts? Google Maps? Holy cow ... they have a whole lot on you! :-)

What is so funny to me is when people are all up in arms about the "government" and what "they" can find out about you. The article above really touches on an ironic twist. The government can find out all about you ... as soon as they get it from Google. You see, you have been giving your privacy away to Google and don't complain a bit. How could a company with a motto: Do no evil! do anything wrong with all of this information they are gathering about you? Well, I guess that we'll see. It's all inevitable ... if it isn't Google ... it'll end up being yet another company. The pervasiveness of the Internet, computers, cameras, sensors, and all things technological is merely the solidifying of the next substrate. The technologic substrate is forming all around us. The singularity is coming ... and Google is just an example of the evidence.

[tags: google privacy identity digital identity singularity]

Apple - moving to Intel, and Tablet PCs?

2006-02-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

I caught this article about Apple Patents for Tablet Mac designs today on Engadget. I figured that this is a no-brainer ... Apple *has* to catch up at some point. Now get me right ... I'm not talking about catching up outside the context of the Tablet PC. It's that they really had to catch up and produce a Tablet PC/Mac. I didn't even know there was a previous Apple Tablet Patent also.

As I have been researching more and more on the Tablet PC, I have to say that it is a much more natural interface in many cases. I have found that I like the convertable designs far better ... where I can switch from using it in laptop configuration, to using it in a slate configuration. The HP that I am using is designed this way.

As for the value of a Tablet, the most impressive aspect to me is when I have allow my son, nieces and nephews to play with it. For them, it is an absolutely intuitive experience.

The one real advantage that I see about Apple jumping into the fray is that it will truly begin to validate the Tablet PC concepts and market. Apple will also begin to push the designs, features, and ergonomics of the Tablet. The one thing that has really kept me from fully adopting only a Tablet PC is the limitations in the devices when compared to a regular laptop.

I like seeing Apple jump into the fray. 2006 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for computer platforms. Hardware is really making leaps and bounds ...

[tags: apple tabletpc tablet pc patents]

Use cell phones ... live longer ...

2006-02-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

A the CTO Breakfast the other day I was talking about breif paper that I wrote at Novell positing that "If you evolve to have a cell phone you will live longer than those without a cell phone." It was sort of a spoof of a paper, however my overall theory is that those who use technology can gain from it.

I just got this today in an eWeek mail blast ... again showing these same benefits ... cell phones extending the life of medical patients. Ok, slight variation ... "If your doctor evolves to use a cell phone ..."

1. News: More Cell Phone Use, Less Medical Error, Study Shows

The use of cell phones by medical personnel lowered the
overall error rate, due to adequate communication; because
of changes in technology, there's less risk of interference
with hospital equipment.
http://ct.enews.eweek.com/rd/cts?d=186-3161-16-87-154837-369777-0-0-0-1

[tags: evolution cellphones longevity live]

January 2006 CTO Breakfast

2006-01-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

There was a large group this morning at the CTO Breakfast arranged by Phil Windley . It was fun to see people from Novell (even some ex-Novell employees) and even a friend of mine from SCO. This was probably one of the largest groups of people that we have had at one of these breakfasts. A good sign of interest!

Phil kicked off the conversation with a reference to a proposal in North Dakota to float cell phone "towers" over the state using weather balloons. I brought up a conversation from the 2005 Gilder Telecosm Conference this year where Klein Gilhousen, Co-founder; Senior Vice President, Technology, of Qualcomm talked about the Katrina disaster in New Orleans which left lots of people with cell phones ... with no way to call out due to the towers being down. He talked about hanging cell towers from helicopters, and also implementing peer-to-peer mesh networking in cell phone handsets. Cool ... I just found that can hear the Klein Gilhousen Telecosm 2005 audio.

I then brought up the Pop!Tech podcast "Mind and Body" podcast from ITConversations about the coming man machine interfaces. The story of Jesse Sullivan is an amazing thing to listen to. It details how far we have progressed in using computer systems to monitor nerve activity for the operation of artificial limbs. The doctor presenting talked about how they can now move nerves from the upper arm, and split and "regrow" them into muscle in the side of the chest. These nerves can then be monitored ... and the computer tranlates the signals into control signals for the artificial limbs. Watch the videos in the link above and you'll see how amazing the research is. The coolest part of the conversation was when they discovered that the sensory nerves were also growing! So they can even add artificial senses to the artificial limbs!

We then got off talking about DVDs, and the growth of storage. When I mentioned that I had seen the 320GB SATA drives at Costco for ~$179.00, Eric Smith brought up the ~$700 Buffalo Technology TeraStation storage server that he bought. Ok ... that is a cool. I turn-key terabyte storage server for under $1000! Ok ... and where will we be in 5-10 years? When will a turn-key petabyte storage server fall below $1000?

Bruce Grant then moved into a conversation about psuedo-AI. He is implementing a version of the "application substrate" ideas that we developed when we were both at SCO. The core concept is to create a set of portable component services that can be replicated, migrated, and connected in various ways to provide composite services. He is now looking for ways to create emergent services ... or simple ways for the average person to define some sort of high-level goal, and have the services create paths of connectivity automatically to create solutions. He's working on some very cool stuff ...

The topic of "thin-client vs. thick-client" came up when someone asked if we are about to see the turn back to "thick clients", or to "thin clients". This got me thinking, and I suggested that what we are actually watching is the natural progression of our perception of a "thick client" until the substrate that it exists on evolves more capacity. At this point we perceive the client as "thin". e.g. when we didn't have much processing power, a browser would be thought of as "fat" ... now that we have so much processing power, AJAX is referred to as a "thin" client. When processing and memory evolves forward further, virtualization will continue to evolve where running multiple entire instances of operating systems will be thought of as "thin"! My three year old son is going to be laughing 10-15 years from now when we talk about the platform limitations that we are experiencing now. What we perceive as a fat client today, will be seen as a background task 10 years from now.

One of the guys from Novell brought up No Machine ... a VNC-like solution for remote desktop computing. Another person brought up what Microsoft has been working on with their UI technologies, and also the AJAX Dojo project ... all various directions that UI, remote UI, and AJAX are continuing to make distributed netowrked computing occur.

From mobile devices we got talking about child ren using them, the user interfaces, and the way that children quickly adapt to new experiences. We got onto the conversation about children and computers, and that children often are more interested in the games on DVDs then the movie content itself! They seem to be wanting the constant interaction and challenge. I joked that eventually children are going to want more and more interactive media that ultimately they will realize that the most amazing, realistic interactive media is life itself! They will realize that going out the front door of their house will immerse them in the richest multimedia experience possible! Phil Burns brought up a book called Natural Born Cyborgs where he said that this is one of the core topics of the book.

Hamachi was brought up as a solution for encrypted peer-to-peer communications. This looks pretty cool and appears to be yet another growing start-up on the Internet. I always question a solution like this when it's not Open Source code ... what am I really installing on my machine?

There are a lot more topics that were discussed ... as usual too much to write about. I have to admit that I like to see the continuing tech culture growing here in Utah. There are more and more events where you can find people who are in tune with what is going on in the world and the Internet.

Phil Windley ... thanks for creating this breakfast!

[tags: cellphones poptech cyborgs bionics dvd hamachi vnc nomachine phil windley novell sco singularity ai utah cto]

Blastyx hits the net

2006-01-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

The other day I spent some time with Phil Burns and the guys from Blastyx. We had fun creating a quick video about some of my wireless business (80211.net) and installation. I am still doing a lot of wireless R&D on the side ... outside of my day job at Agilix Labs. Blastyx is doing some very cool work, and they have some very interesting ideas on where to take next generation marketing. You can go and check out the video ... it's the "Wireless Mountain Man" video ...

[tags: wireless blastyx video utah]

Problems with style in blog posts

2006-01-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

I got this blog post in my aggregator (Radio) a while back and have been meaning to post about it. It mirrors a problem that I have been experiencing as I have been hacking on Radio to add some new capabilities. This is a post from Phil Windley's blog ... and it shows where some of the use of CSS, Classes, and Styles breakdown.

As you can see below, when I viewed the post in my aggregator it appeared like this:

Geek Dinner Tonight.
I'll be speaking on microformats at the <a class="hcal" href="javascript:showpopbox('blogtools:0.9-a7369493d8a334254d358837dd47669d', 0, 20)" id="link_blogtools:0.9-a7369493d8a334254d358837dd47669d">geek dinner tonight. See you there.

What the heck? I'm guessing that the tags and attributes are being exposed due to some sort of issue in rendering the post, without having something from the base web page? I ran into something like this when I was working to embed pictures and photos in my posts. I wanted to hack a simple "image inserter" button into Radio ... and when I added some really cool Javascript it worked wonderful ... until you got my post in your aggregator.

I'm working on tweaking my code so that it will work fine without the base page ... but it was taking long enough that I delayed the project. I'll work on it more in the future. It was interesting to see that other people have the same issues with their posts.

The weird part? When I included Phil's post in my post ... it turned out like below! It's appears to be ok ...

Geek Dinner Tonight.
I'll be speaking on microformats at the geek dinner tonight. See you there.
[Phil Windley's Technometria]

[tags: blogging javascript css styles classes]