November 30, 2006

Retired

sLop (the blog you are reading) is retiring..

The archives should stay up indefinitely though so feel free to continue linking in if you like..

In the coming weeks, I should have something new up. Please stay tuned.


Posted by vanevery at 11:49 AM | TrackBack

September 12, 2006

Asterisk 1.4 Coming Soon!

Digium - The Asterisk Telephony Company

Ok, this is a big deal. The next version of Asterisk supports GoogleTalk!

From the Press Release:
Asterisk 1.4 is the first major release of Asterisk since the release of Asterisk 1.2 in November 2005. With over 20 new functionality additions including IPFAX compatibility, unified messaging capabilities and Jabber/Jingle/GoogleTalk protocol compatibilities, Asterisk 1.4 features overall quality and performance improvements, as well as increased scalability and interoperability.

Posted by vanevery at 11:34 PM | TrackBack

August 14, 2006

Verizon Naked DSL Working!

In July, I complained that Verizon was constantly changing my IP address.

I theorized that it had to do with my impending transition to VoIP and that Verizon may have been punishing me... Well, turns out that I was wrong and that it was probably due to a lightning storm.

After contacting support several times I was finally sent a new DSL modem which is working great. I am still having some period disconnects but the reconnect is almost immediate and I am once again happy with my DSL. The speed is much closer to where it should be as well.

In other news, I was able to transition my phone number to Broadvoice and keep my DSL (without any problems). Now when I pickup the phone at home that is connected directly to the Verizon line I get a message saying that this is a dedicated data line and can not be used to make calls). Yippee!

Posted by vanevery at 04:35 PM | TrackBack

ITJ Project Beta Released

Interactive Tele-Journalism
So.. I have finally released ITJ on SourceForge.net.

With support from Konscious and Manhattan Neighborhood Network we have packaged and uploaded the latest version and it can be downloaded at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/itv-ism/.

Posted by vanevery at 04:26 PM | TrackBack

August 05, 2006

Dreamhost, my web host has had some difficulty lately

DreamHost Blog Anatomy of a(n ongoing) Disaster..
Damn.. I am glad I no longer work in that industry.

Posted by vanevery at 11:17 AM | TrackBack

August 03, 2006

YouTube APIs.. Is this new?

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Hmmn.. This could be very interesting..!

"YouTube is excited to offer APIs to the developer community. Using our APIs, you can easily integrate online videos from YouTube's rapidly growing repository of videos into your application. The APIs currently allow read-only access to key parts of the YouTube video respository and user community."

Thanks Steven.

Posted by vanevery at 04:39 PM | TrackBack

July 30, 2006

Popularity Dialer - Relaunch (and Dugg)

* popularity dialer

Go Jenny and Cory, go!

"Have you ever been in a situation where you wished your cell phone would ring? Maybe you wanted to look extra important or popular on that hot date. Or maybe you just needed an excuse to escape from an unpleasant meeting."

Posted by vanevery at 12:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Verizon DSL constantly changing IP address

So, I haven't called support and I know that is the first thing I should do when problems like this arise but it just seems too fishy.

To make a long story short, I recently decided to switch from regular home phone service from Verizon (who also supply my DSL) to VoIP service. I have had VoIP and regular phone service for quite some time and things were well. Recently though, we had a pretty nasty electrical storm and one of the things that got zapped was my Asterisk box which handled the integration between normal phone service and VoIP.

After a bit of research, I found the Verizon does in fact offer naked loop DSL (DSL without a phone number) for existing customers and that I could continue with my DSL and transfer my phone number over to my VoIP provider and basically save myself $50 a month.

Now here is the troubling bit. After filling out the paper work and sending it to my VoIP provider who subsequently contacted Verizon to get the process started my DSL has been tremendously flaky. So flaky that my IP address is repeatedly changing. Not once a day, not 10 times a day, somewhere in the vicinity of 100 times a day! I probably don't need to mention how bad this is for services like VoIP. Essentially making it useless and unusable.

I could chalk it up to damage from the electrical storm (but I didn't notice it until after sending in the paperwork) or:

Could this really be a Verizon tactic to prevent people from going with 3rd party VoIP?

Posted by vanevery at 11:57 AM | TrackBack

July 27, 2006

Dear telephone, meet the internet

Pheeder


"Pheeder is a whole new way of using your cellphone: it lets you communicate with all of your friends simultaneously, with a single phone call. To use it, you just call Pheeder, leave a message and hang up. Seconds later all of your friends, or anyone you want, receives the message at the very same instant. And if they want, they can send a reply to your message."

Posted by vanevery at 11:21 AM | TrackBack

July 14, 2006

Increasing cooperation in the IM space..

Yahoo, Microsoft IM Beta Joined at The Hip
Definitely a good thing. Perhaps a standard will emerge.. Nah.. That is just hopeful thinking. Besides, I would rather Jabber was the standard.

Posted by vanevery at 05:05 PM | TrackBack

June 11, 2006

Video Comments, WordPress Plugin

ITP Research >> Video Comments, a WordPress Plugin

Keeping the conversation alive in media blogs

Video Blogging, Vlogging or what ever you want to call it was born into a tradition of self publishing on the internet and benefits greatly from the infrastructure developed for blogging. The tools to create media and now to distribute media online are accessible and affordable. Furthermore, video blogging is often considered participatory and socially interactive. Much of this is due to what blogs have done, enabled true two-way conversation through comments and loose networking through trackbacks.

Unfortunately, while video blogging benefits from these, it doesn't really do much to improve or enhance this capability with video.

At ITP Research, myself and a couple of others have been working to change this or at least push commenting and trackbacks a bit further. We have created a Video Commenting plugin for WordPress that allows people to leave comments in-time with a video. This, we believe is one of the first steps to allowing conversation to happen around video and furthermore enable richer conversation with video.

Check it out, download it, modify it, use it... Video Comments, WordPress Plugin

From the site:
It’s really exciting to see the number of blogs that exist today, thousands of voices are talking about every possible topic. Blog syndication and commenting allows readers to subscribe, discuss and carry the conversation further, however, with the different forms of media becoming a normal part of many blogs there’s a need to keep this open communication open. Audio and video blogs are forming communities and to encourage conversation the viewers must be able to respond, so we developed a plug-in for WordPress called Video Comments.

Posted by vanevery at 01:48 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

May 27, 2006

Net Neutrality takes a step forward

Free Press : House Judiciary Passes Net Neutrality Bill
I love how AT&T is trying to spin this:
“While we are disappointed that the Judiciary Committee chose to move toward regulating the Internet, we are pleased that the majority of the majority recognized that this legislation would deter investment in our nation’s broadband infrastructure,” said Tim McKone, AT&T executive vice president federal relations, in a prepared statement. “We are optimistic that the majority in Congress will see this legislation as an attempt to solve a problem that does not exist, and will instead focus on bringing choice to consumers by passing video choice legislation.”

"the majority of the majority" .. That is nonsense.
"will instead focus on bringing choice to consumers by passing video choice legislation" .. Now there is a problem that doesn't exist!

Wake-up!

Posted by vanevery at 11:27 AM | TrackBack

April 27, 2006

Online video via RSS comes to Linux

Democracy: Internet TV
Now supports Linux..!

Posted by vanevery at 04:37 PM | TrackBack

April 19, 2006

ITP End of Year Events - Thesis Presentations and End of Semester Show

ITP Spring Show 2006
A two day exhibition of interactive sight, sound and physical objects from the student artists of ITP.

This event is free and open to the public. No need to RSVP.

ITP Thesis Presentations 2006
ITP's graduating students will be presenting a wide variety of highly creative and interactive projects that they have constructed over the course of their final project seminars.

Students have been encouraged to undertake projects that bring together the conceptual and design issues that they have engaged in during their two years of study at ITP.

Projects will include installation based work, digital video and audio pieces, interactive 3D, games and educational applications, to name only a few.

ITP will be providing a live webcast of all the thesis presentations.

Posted by vanevery at 02:41 AM | TrackBack

March 29, 2006

LifeBlog doesn't use XML RPC

Robert Price - Lifeblog Posting Protocol Example
Alas, after doing a bit of exploring, I see why LifeBlog never worked with my blog(s). It doesn't do XML-RPC. Arrrg..
In any case, detailed on the site above, Robert Price has done the hard work and figured out just what it does and how it can be used. A bit painful but some progress..

Does anyone have a pointer to XML-RPC J2ME code for me?

Posted by vanevery at 09:32 AM | TrackBack

March 26, 2006

Techdirt: Why Aren't The Telcos Paying Google For Making Their Network Valuable?

Techdirt: Why Aren't The Telcos Paying Google For Making Their Network Valuable?
It is true, cable franchises pay the networks for the privilege of carrying them. This is on a per-subscriber basis and allows the television networks to double dip in a sense, get per-subscriber fees as well as ad revenue.

The argument that Google makes the broadband networks valuable is true although there are a plethora of such services, no lack of content which is why the cable co.'s started to pay the networks in the first place.

There is NO WAY the telcos would fall for this (Verizon/CBS stupidity aside) on broadband lines unless they truly still envision the internet as 1,000,000 channels of TV.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think that Google should pay either. We (the consumers here) are already paying. Unless Google wants to be on the providers home page or portal there is no reason for them to pay.

I hope they do light up all of that fiber they have been buying and route around the telecos and allow me a WiFi Mesh or WiMax connection.

Posted by vanevery at 10:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

VoIP Provider Plan Comparisons

Voxilla :: VoIP Comparisons

Posted by vanevery at 03:37 PM | TrackBack

February 21, 2006

Open Source CDN

The Coral Content Distribution Network
Not a CDN for streaming, rather a distributed caching system. Developed at NYU and Open Source. Pretty interesting..

Posted by vanevery at 12:51 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 08, 2006

Web 2.0 Video APIs and Mash-ups

ProgrammableWeb: Tag Search

The future..?

Posted by vanevery at 03:54 PM | TrackBack

Verizon home phone features

Online Help For Your Home
Lists commands such as *69, *67, *77 and the like..

Posted by vanevery at 10:31 AM | TrackBack

yubnub - a social command line for the web

YubNub - YubNub.org
Pretty interesting. Brings Web 2.0 into the realm of the *nix geek. I would love to see some shell scripts that utilize this. (Never mind, it is browser plugins, guess shell scripts are out. Perhaps someone will take this concept and build it around wget or something)

Posted by vanevery at 10:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 07, 2006

Asterisk Automated Outbound Calls.. Cool

Asterisk auto-dial out - voip-info.org

Posted by vanevery at 07:24 PM | TrackBack

January 30, 2006

There is no here here

Abstract Dynamics: There is no here here
Google, like the internet itself draws its power from being neither here, nor there, but inbetween everywhere at once, immanent. There is no here there, only results, only meanings.

meanings...?

In any case, interestingly enough, Google for here gives a nice top to bottom list of what people link to when they say "go here" or "download here" or ... Actually, you get very similar results (in the beginning at least) if you Google for download here or "go here".

Interesting that people don't write, "download there". I love the second result: "ThereCare > Where can I download There?"

Last, if you change from treating the web as a consumption network and want to know about it as a publishing network, try Googling for upload here instead. The results are truely Shaken.


Posted by vanevery at 01:26 AM | TrackBack

January 28, 2006

Wireless Networking in the Developing World

Wireless Networking in the Developing World
Creative Commons Licensed book

From the site:
The massive popularity of wireless networking has caused equipment costs to continually plummet, while equipment capabilities continue to increase. By applying this technology in areas that are badly in need of critical communications infrastructure, more people can be brought online than ever before, in less time, for very little cost. We hope to not only convince you that this is possible, but also show how we have made such networks work, and to give you the information and tools you need to start a network project in your local community.

Posted by vanevery at 06:52 PM | TrackBack

VSee get's some attention

P2P Videoconferencing Gets Better - Robin Good's Latest News
I had a chance to try out VSee a couple of years ago and was thoroughly impressed. Milton and crew have done very nice work on this product.

From the article:
If you are looking to try out one of the latest and best performing video conferencing technologies available out there, you have come to the right place.

Posted by vanevery at 04:40 PM | TrackBack

January 25, 2006

Bluetooth Remote Control

Miscellaneous Docs and Tools
Sony Ericsson has Bluetooth Remote Control software for their phones and Mac/Windows PCs as well as an API to go with it.

(Once again, I think I have linked to this in the past but I can't find it so here it is again.)

Posted by vanevery at 03:08 PM | TrackBack

January 24, 2006

YackPack - Simple Voice Messaging for Groups

Yack Pack Corporate
From the site:
YackPack is a new way to stay connected with a group of friends, family or work colleagues. YackPack conveys the nuances of spoken language, leading to better communication, stronger friendships, and more group unity. In a nutshell, YackPack is simple voice messaging for groups.

Posted by vanevery at 08:05 PM | TrackBack

January 23, 2006

Piracy is Good? How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV

Mindjack - Piracy is Good? How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV
Very interesting and thorough article about recent trends in downloading television programming.

From the article:
Now we have a paradox: the invention of an incredibly powerful mechanism for the global distribution of television programming brings with it a fundamental challenge to the business model which pays for the creation of the programs themselves. This is not at all BitTorrent's fault: the technology could have come along a decade ago, and if it had, we'd have stumbled across this paradox in the 1990s. This is a failure of the value chain to adapt to a changing technological landscape — a technological desynchronization between producer and audience. Once again, there's no need to find fault: things have changed so much, and so quickly, I doubt that anyone could have kept up. But the future is now here, and everyone in the creative value chain from producer to audience must adapt to it.

Posted by vanevery at 12:54 AM | TrackBack

January 18, 2006

Network Neutrality

Free Press : Press Release
From the report:
"Congress should enact tough new laws prohibiting cable and telephone companies from blocking consumer access to content and services on the Internet, bilking both consumers and Internet-based companies," said Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst at Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. "If they don't, these big companies will use their market power to line their pockets by discriminating against competitors in favor of their own content and service offerings."

I completely agree.

Hopefully, if Congress doesn't do something, the marketplace will.

Here is an idea: http://www.freepress.net/news/13403

Posted by vanevery at 02:28 PM | TrackBack

January 17, 2006

The end of broadcast as we know it...

The Doc Searls Weblog : Friday, January 6, 2006
Doc writes:
The meta-story behind Intel's Viiv and Clickstream announcments yesterday is not just the death of TV as we know it, but the gang-stabbing of it by Intel, Apple and their new partners in the broadcasting and entertainment industries. Or, if you prefer, by the reconstituted entertainment industry, which will still be about production and distribution, but without the current channel-based TV system (which will come to an FCC-mandated end in 2009 — it was originally scheduled for 2006 — when every TV station will be required to move off its branded VHF channel and up to some unbranded UHF digital channel, by which time nearly everybody will stop watching over-the-air TV anyway, getting everything we used to call TV over cable, satellite or Internet).


Epeus' epigone - Kevin Marks weblog
Kevin Marks Follows Up with:
In 1998, I went to work at Apple on QuickTime, and started work on live streaming. This was hard work, but interesting - making a personal TV Transmitter for anyone with a Mac, so they could use the internet for lots of people to watch them at once. Having built this technology, I started looking for uses for it, and was rather bemused to find there weren't any.

The problem was storage again. It was always better to have a locally stored copy of the video than to try to get it over the net in real time. It just didn't use the net efficiently, and the 'buffering' experience really sucked. In fact, what I realised was that live TV was a waste of time too. But now we had enough storage.

People spend lots of money on iPods and TiVo's, whose whole purpose is to turn live streams into files so you can pause and skip them, moving the storage into their houses, and pockets. This personal storage is why Podcasting makes sense.

Downloading is always better than streaming, and Edited better than Live, except in one instance.

That difference is when you have 2-way interaction. When you can speak back to the person at the other end, either via iChat AV or Skype, or just by having a textual back channel to a conference.

That's where Live is needed.


EXACTLY!

Posted by vanevery at 05:34 PM | TrackBack

Reinventing TV

Release 1.0 / Publication / Reinventing TV: Network TV Signs Off. Networked TV Logs On.
Scott Kirsner write in an older Release 1.0 about Networked TV. It is a good article, too bad it costs so much.

From the abstract:
Television, because of its high production and distribution costs and FCC regulation, has always been the most massive of all the mass media. It seeks the middle ground, and usually finds it. The ads that accompany today's shows are made with a similar shotgun mentality: There's no such thing as one-to-one marketing on the tube. Any niche-oriented programming that does exist tends to be available only to small audiences, on obscure satellite channels or community cable access stations.
That will change over the next decade, as a growing number of television sets, PCs and mobile devices are connected to what Jeremy Allaire, the founder of Brightcove, has dubbed "the Internet of video." Plugging TV into IP rather than into a terrestrial cable system or a fleet of geosynchronous satellites, could redeem - or at least reinvigorate - the medium. The hermetically sealed world of television is about to be cracked open and rewired, transformed into an open publishing platform as a variety of new devices and services emerge to make independent video content easier - and perhaps even profitable - to produce and distribute to smaller subsets of the population.

Posted by vanevery at 02:50 AM | TrackBack

The Future of Independent Media

GBN: The Future of Independent Media
I thought I linked to this a while ago but I couldn't find it recently when recommending it to a student.

Andrew Blau writes a great essay contemplating Independent Media in the face of the quickly changing technological landscape. A very good read:

From the text:
The technologies that enable us to make and consume motion media are becoming better, cheaper, and more widely available—and with blistering speed. As a consequence, patterns of media production and consumption are changing just as rapidly. The Internet continues to create new opportunities to connect with audiences. Video games are becoming a platform for critique and education. A new generation of media makers and viewers is emerging, which only increases the likelihood of profound change. Images, ideas, news, and points of view are traveling along countless new routes to an ever-growing number of places where they can be seen and absorbed. It is no understatement to say that the way we make and experience motion media will be transformed as thoroughly in the next decade as the world of print was reshaped in the last.

Posted by vanevery at 02:44 AM | TrackBack

January 16, 2006

Jabber, Jingle, Google and Asterisk

Google Jabbers And Jingles
What a funny bunch of words..

In any case, a quicky on Google's use of Jabber and their extensions (Jingle). A little tidbit about Asterisk support forthcoming near the end.

Posted by vanevery at 08:52 PM | TrackBack

Massive Media, distilled

Future Of Television Is Self-Service, P2P Distributed Media Consumption - Robin Good's Latest News
Robin Good edits and re-presents Dan Melinger's Massive Media thesis.

Posted by vanevery at 11:48 AM | TrackBack

December 18, 2005

Music publishers going after lyrics sites

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Song sites face legal crackdown
Grumble grumble.. increased sales, free information.. grumble. dumb move.. obviously people want this, where do you find it legitimately. grumble.

Posted by vanevery at 11:32 AM | TrackBack

December 14, 2005

Content for P2P about P2P (almost)

THE.SCENE
From the FAQ:
Q: What is "The Scene" in real life?

A: The Scene is the piracy underground where 99% of pirated movies, songs, video games, etc start out. There, thousands of pirates upload, download, and trade files (often illegally) using FTP sites. From there, the files make their way onto the peer-to-peer networks, that so many know and love.

Posted by vanevery at 12:16 AM | TrackBack

December 11, 2005

Good WML/WAP related development resources

The Wireless FAQ
WURFL: the Wireless Universal Resource File
Yahoo Groups: wmlprogramming · WML ,XHTML MP and Wireless-related stuff

Posted by vanevery at 08:14 PM | TrackBack

December 10, 2005

Build Your Own Geocoding Solution with Geo::Coder::US

Build Your Own Geocoding Solution with Geo::Coder::US
I can think of a couple of classes that could use this. On my list..

Posted by vanevery at 09:10 PM | TrackBack

Asterisk: The Future of Telephony

Asterisk Documentation Project - Project Information
Book available online, Creative Commons licensed. Very nice..

A good book for anyone doing anything with Asterisk!

Posted by vanevery at 08:57 PM | TrackBack

Java + VNC, nice..

VNCj
Add remote GUI control capabilities into your Java app. Very very nice..!

Posted by vanevery at 10:15 AM | TrackBack

December 09, 2005

Future of Television Conference

Beyond TV: TVSpy.com Next Generation TV
So, I went to the Future of Television conference a couple of weeks ago and was somewhat suprised. Last year, I poked my head in to see what was being discussed and it was a big snooze. After checking out the website, I figured it was worth my time this year so I went.

Wow.. I was surprised. You wouldn't know it but there are people in TV who really "get it"... Larry Kramer from CBS most notably get's it.

Here is what I had to say on the day of:
I am writing from Future of Television Conference at NYU's Stern School of Business today. I am here for several reasons, first of all I would like to know what the networks and traditional media concerns think of the scrappy interactive folks. Second, I am here doing recon. Specifically, I would like to know how long video bloggers and other decentralized media creators have before traditional media begins to offer enough of what they are doing to satiate "consumers". (Perhaps that is not exactly my fear but close enough for now.)

First of all, I have to say that Larry Kramer gets it. He really does. He is open to experimentation. At CBS he has launched many interactive initiatives from a broadband news channel to podcasts of daytime soaps to fantasy sports sites to deep entertainment content add-ons to viewer/user photo posting to writer and producer blogs to actual audience participation through SMS. Phew..

CBS isn't the only media company doing this type of experimentation. The other networks, cable and broadcast are doing the same or similar. Notable is ABC News Now, ESPN, Playboy and the like.

The question is, whether or not this is enough. Will this engage and empower viewers enough to keep them despite the ever growing number of alternative content channels. The networks certainly know how to deliver programming to a passive audience. They are just beginning to support a more engaged and digitally connected viewer.

A later speaker in the day, IBM's Saul Berman described the audience by categorizing them in 3 camps. "Massive passives", the folks that CBS has always served, lean back, over 35, want to be entertained but don't feel compelled to buy the latest gadget or create their own media.

The next camp, arguably the focus of most of these efforts he described as "Gadgetiers". He describes this group as heavily involved in content, they are fans, will seek out other individuals who are interested in the same content they are. They will purchase the latest devices, use time shifting (TiVo) and will space shift (TiVo To Go). They are also the heavy buyers, the early adopters, in short, the people that the advertizers (and therefore the networks) covet.

It remains to be seen whether what the networks are starting to do will appeal to this group in the long run. In the short term, it is clear, if you put it out there they will come. How long they stay is another matter.

The last camp, the "Kool kids", the ones really getting all of the attention, are the hardest to understand. He suggests that this is the group that rejects DRM and "walled gardens", in short, the group that wants media on their own terms. This is the group that uses P2P software and is heavily social. They have dream devices that aren't out in the market as of yet.

I know that the kks (short for "Kool kids") are what have network executives up at night. They are the hackers and inventors who are really driving the internet. TV and media in general will fit into their game or be disregarded.

Ok.. So the big question at the end of the day? Will the cable and TV networks run scared and do everything possible to protect their business models or will they embrace the new like they must. My feeling after this conference is that they have learned something from the music industry and will try to embrace but there will still be a major shakeup and Yahoo! and Google just might become the "new" networks. Good or bad.

Posted by vanevery at 09:31 PM | TrackBack

AIM + Java

Create a Java TOC2 Class to Communicate with AIM
AIM + Java.. Nice, didn't know that AOL had a publicly available AIM protocol.
From the article:
However, you may not be aware that the protocol underlying AIM, called TOC2, is the gateway through which you can create a lot of customized AIM-based applications. AOL provides an API that anybody can use to connect to TOC2 and AOL's network.

Posted by vanevery at 05:04 PM | TrackBack

David Pogue writes "What's Holding Back the Digital Living Room?"

What's Holding Back the Digital Living Room? - New York Times
In the article he posits a couple of theories ending up with:
Could it be that the digital living room concept is equally flawed--and all Silicon Valley's horses and all Asia's men are barking up the wrong tree?

Perhaps I am jaded today but I think the concept that Silicon Valley is pushing forth is flawed for many reasons. First and foremost is that entertainment companies don't understand interactivity (games aside) and tech companies don't understand entertainment, specifically that their content doesn't *work* on TV.

After saying all of that, I do believe that there is a way to "infect" the entertainment industry with interactive technology. Some day I will let you all know how. ;-)

Posted by vanevery at 04:42 PM | TrackBack

December 08, 2005

EPIC is about to arrive, powered by Googlezon

EPIC 2014

Posted by vanevery at 02:28 PM | TrackBack

Mobile Location Tracking Library

Welcome to the Place Lab homepage
Java based location finding libraries using GPS, GPRS, WiFi and Bluetooth (all the good stuffs).

From the site:
Place Lab is software providing low-cost, easy-to-use device positioning for location-enhanced computing applications. Place Lab tries to provide positioning which works worldwide, both indoors and out (unlike GPS which only works outside). Place Lab clients can determine their location privately without constant interaction with a central service (unlike badge tracking or mobile phone location services where the service owns your location information).

Posted by vanevery at 12:57 AM | TrackBack

Mologogo - Internet enabled mobile phone tracking


From the site:
Mologogo is a free service that will track a friends GPS enabled cell phone from another phone or on the web. Mologogo also serves as a dirt-cheap tracking system, so go ahead and fauxjack something.

Posted by vanevery at 12:36 AM | TrackBack

December 05, 2005

XMLTV

Cover Pages: XMLTV
Continuing with my links to computer in living room technology.

From the site:
XMLTV is a set of utilities to manage your TV viewing. They work with TV listings stored in the XMLTV format, which is based on XML

Posted by vanevery at 02:40 AM | TrackBack

Apple Rumored to be building Mini into a set-top-box

Think Secret - Road to Expo: Reborn Mac mini set to take over the living room
The living room is HOT!

From the site:
Apple's Mac mini will be reborn as the digital hub centerpiece it was originally conceived to be, Think Secret sources have disclosed. The new Mac mini project, code-named Kaleidoscope, will feature an Intel processor and include both Front Row 2.0 and TiVo-like DVR functionality.

is Apple's remote control and television like display functionality that they are currently building into iMac's.

Posted by vanevery at 02:38 AM | TrackBack

November 19, 2005

What is an STB?

The Set-Top Sage Knows All, Sees All - New York Times
Don't know, then read this article.

Is it possible create an "open" set top box? One that can decode a signal, whether it be from a cable company, digital tv broadcast or satellite?

Posted by vanevery at 09:42 AM | TrackBack

November 17, 2005

Java + BitTorrent Library

TorrentSniffer - TorrentSniffer
TorrentSniffer is a Java library for reading BitTorrent information. TorrentSniffer currently implements the following sections of the BitTorrent Protocol Specification 1.0: Metainfo File Structure, Bencoding and Tracker 'scrape' Convention. The primary purpose of this library is to retrieve the number of seeds and peers of a torrent. This is done by using the Tracker 'scrape' Convention.

Posted by vanevery at 09:46 AM | TrackBack

November 13, 2005

Cisco makes a dumbass move

Slashdot | Linksys WRT54G drops Linux

Posted by vanevery at 04:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Shelly's on to something here..

Emmy Advanced Media - Television Business News: The WiMax Price Club

A nice idea...

From the site:
They’re popping up all over America -- in backyards everywhere -- it’s the latest do-it-yourself craze – the WiMax Price Club. Want free Internet access for life? No problem. Just go to http://www.WiMaxPriceClub.com and order your tower kit online. When it arrives, get your building permit (if required by local zoning laws) and erect your new 80’ antenna tower in your back yard or on your rooftop. Just plug in the included WiMax repeater and you’ll be online in a jiffy! Imagine over 70 megabits up and down, FREE for life! Nothing else to buy

Posted by vanevery at 04:46 PM | TrackBack

SMS signup via phone in

ChristDaily.com Television Commercials by Shelly Palmer
Content aside, the ability to phone in and signup for SMS is great. Such a simple idea, I am surprised that it has been overlooked till now. It would be easy to setup Asterisk to grab caller-id and pump out an SMS message.

Excerpt from site:
these two direct response television commercials show off a new way to subscribe to a brand new information service. The spots offer the audience an opportunity to purchase a subscription to an SMS (short message service) cell phone service via an IVR (interactive voice response) system. This is important because so many cell phone users don't know how to send a text message - but they can easily dial a toll-free number.

Posted by vanevery at 04:31 PM | TrackBack

November 06, 2005

Ninjamonkey on Instant Mobile Social Networks

Ninja Monkey Party 411 : Instant Mobile Social Network Or; Listserv + Email-to-SMS Gateway = LOVE
Ninjamonkey describes a service he setup for his birthday party a couple of weeks ago using off the shelf components. Of course the magic sauce was that his crowd includes some tech savvy and highly motivated social drinkers.
From the page:
Social networks and mobile applications are obvious bedfellows, but aside from a few noteables like dodgeball almost nothing has been done to exploit them. The thing that many people may be missing is that SMS is pretty much like email, except with extreme size restrictions (160 characters/message) and controlled solely by the telcos (which is sort of like having a draconian ISP with terrible, terrible service). This means that as long as you can find a way to translate between email and sms (with, say, a publicly available email-to-sms gateway) you can pass messages between them.

Posted by vanevery at 11:05 AM | TrackBack

The Participatory Generation

The Lives of Teenagers Now: Open Blogs, Not Locked Diaries - New York Times
NY Times is running an article about a recent Pew survey that is demonstrating that teenagers have embraced publishing media online. From myspace and the like to creating their own websites featuring music remixes, videos and so forth.

They have become the participatory generation.

From the article:
According to the Pew survey, 57 percent of all teenagers between 12 and 17 who are active online - about 12 million - create digital content, from building Web pages to sharing original artwork, photos and stories to remixing content found elsewhere on the Web. Some 20 percent publish their own Web logs.

That reality is now inextricable from the broader social, cultural and sometimes, as in Melissa's case, deeply personal experience of being a teenager. And it is one that will undoubtedly have profound implications for the traditional managers of content, from big media companies and libraries to record labels, publishers and Hollywood.

[Later in the article]

The Pew survey shows "the mounting evidence that teens are not passive consumers of media content," said Paulette M. Rothbauer, an assistant professor of information sciences at the University of Toronto. "They take content from media providers and transform it, reinterpret it, republish it, take ownership of it in ways that at least hold the potential for subverting it."

Posted by vanevery at 10:37 AM | TrackBack

October 10, 2005

Bandwidth for Ads


Welcome to The Free Bandwidth Project (Beta)

The Free Bandwidth Project

Then again, not that interesting.. I suppose that if you need it and are advertising friendly it could work out well.

Posted by vanevery at 02:02 AM | TrackBack

A world of webcams

Newest Webcams
From the site:
Random live webcams from the Net

These webcams were found automatically through a variety of clever search techniques. Their owners might or might not have intended for them
to be public. But they obviously are. Many of them are security cameras in companies or
semi-public places. If you hover over the picture you'll see what location information is available.

Interesting how "security cameras" are not "secure" themselves..

Posted by vanevery at 01:56 AM | TrackBack

TV to Go.. (I feel like I am repeating myself)

Sling Media :: Welcome
From the site:
The Slingbox enables you to watch your TV programming from wherever you are by turning virtually any Internet-connected PC into your personal TV. Whether you’re in another room or in another country, you’ll always have access to your television.

Just what the world needs, more access to broadcast television. ;-)

Posted by vanevery at 12:52 AM | TrackBack

Group as User

Shirky: Group as User: Flaming and the Design of Social Software

Clay makes a great case against developing user centric software.

A random paragraph:
And yet, when we poll users about what they actually do with their
computers, some form of social interaction always tops the list --
conversation, collaboration, playing games, and so on. The practice of
software design is shot through with computer-as-box assumptions,
while our actual behavior is closer to computer-as-door, treating the
device as an entrance to a social space.

Posted by vanevery at 12:00 AM | TrackBack

October 09, 2005

Closed Caption Text from Blog RSS feeds..

META[CC] -Main
From the site:
META[CC] seeks to create an open forum for real time discussion, commentary, and cross-refrencing of electronic news and televised media. By combining strategies employed in web-based discussion forums, blogs , tele-text subtitling, on-demand video streaming, and search engines, the open captioning format employed by META[CC] will allow users to gain multiple perspectives and resources engaging current events. The system we are developing is adaptable for use with any cable news or television network.

Posted by vanevery at 10:29 PM | TrackBack

October 08, 2005

Neighbornode Article

Free Neighborhood Wi-Fi - Popular Science
Pop Sci publishes a nice write-up about John Geraci's Neighbornode project. I had my hands in this a bit early on, a great idea, hope it continues to catch on.
http://www.neighbornode.net/

Posted by vanevery at 11:59 AM | TrackBack

October 02, 2005

Open Source Textbooks

Main Page - Wikibooks
a collection of open-content textbooks that anyone can edit.

Posted by vanevery at 01:51 PM | TrackBack

September 20, 2005

Scan those books!!!

AOL News - Ambitious Google Project to Put Copyright Laws to Test
Scanning to start scanning again in Nov.
Not surprisingly, I see this as great all around. Those publishers who don't allow it will be sorry in the end.

Posted by vanevery at 01:40 PM | TrackBack

September 13, 2005

Prodigem creates BitTorrent API (seems to be a web service API for BitTorrent)

Prodigem API - TorrentocracyWiki
From the site:
The Prodigem API is an interface for programmers to gain access into the Prodigem Bit Torrent Hosting Service. It allows the possibility of designing new Prodigem interfaces and making Prodigem a part of other services (eg. blogging tools, content management systems). Imagine the power of a "Help, I've been slashdotted!" button in any web management tool.

Posted by vanevery at 10:34 PM | TrackBack

August 22, 2005

Local Report

local report: home
For those of you wondering what I have been up to for the past month or so, here is your answer: Called, Whitman Local Report, this is a performance piece utilizing mobile phones to create a montage of video "reports" and phone "reports" all in real time (live).
I created some custom software that runs on the phones (Nokia 6710's) to shoot and automatically upload video from the participant's phones (30 of them) and more software to playback the videos as they come in (with some controls for play, pause, stop, next and previous).
Hans, my technical collaborator, took care of setting up an Asterisk server and queue to receive the phone in reports and play those out as they came in.
We have one performance to go, please tune into the live stream, come to the live event or check it out afterwards. The previous 4 are available now if you would like a taste.

Here is some press that I just came across: Art and Innovation Collide

Posted by vanevery at 12:02 PM | TrackBack

August 09, 2005

DTV for MacOS X released

Participatory Culture: News and Ideas
From the site:
This is a big day for us we just released a Beta of DTV for Mac OS X.

Nice interface, easy to use.. Great stuff!
A couple of important things missing: Comments and Permalinks to the vlog entries. Vlogs aren't vlogs without them.

Posted by vanevery at 10:09 PM | TrackBack

Freenet - Anonymous File Distribution on the Internet

The Freenet Project - whatis - beginner
From the site:
Freenet is free software which lets you
publish and obtain information on the Internet without fear of
censorship. To achieve this freedom, the network is entirely
decentralized and publishers and consumers of information are anonymous.
Without anonymity there can never be true freedom of speech, and without
decentralization the network will be vulnerable to attack.

Posted by vanevery at 04:58 PM | TrackBack

Darknet: J.D.'s New Book is out

Darknet
From the site:
Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation is a new book that offers first-person accounts of how the personal media revolution will impact movies, music, computing, television and games

Posted by vanevery at 04:33 PM | TrackBack

July 19, 2005

Verizon, calling P2P illegal

I am a Verizon DSL customer. Perhaps once a month I receive a newsletter, generally marketing their latest product or offering some tips. In the latest newsletter, they have a little tidbit regarding P2P and filesharing. Here is the paragraph that troubles me:

"Remove file sharing software from your computer. The way many popular file sharing software programs work is by allowing other users to access music or other files on your hard drive. P2P file sharing involves one Internet user requesting files from another unknown source. Aside from being illegal, file sharing can open your PC up to viruses, Trojan horses, and theft of your personal information."

While P2P file sharing services are often used for illegal purposes, such as sharing copyrighted music, pirated software and movies, it is NOT ILLEGAL itself. Verizon is perpetuating a myth and discounting any legitamite uses for P2P software. For instance, I utilize BitTorrent to distribute videos that I have made or worked on to whomever is interested. This is clearly NOT illegal

Posted by vanevery at 02:39 PM | TrackBack

July 10, 2005

FXO, FXS and VoIP, damn the acronyms

For my reference:

FXO: Foreign eXchange Office - This is the plug on your phone. It receives Dial Tone, Current and Ring Voltage. If you have a card that does this, you can plug it into your wall jack and receive calls.

FXS: Foreign eXchange Subscriber - Service from the phone company, provides Dial Tone, Current and Voltage. If you have a card that does this, you can plug your normal phone into it.

In terms of VoIP (asterisk in my case), if you want to receive POTS calls into your system you need an FXO. If you want to plug in a normal phone and make VoIP calls you need an FXS.

Both terms from the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) world.

Posted by vanevery at 11:50 PM | TrackBack

June 21, 2005

Microsoft's answer to BitTorrent

Geek.com Geek News - Microsoft creating a bit of a torrent
Of course, right in the spirit of Big Co. only playing with Big Co.:
"a file will only be made available over Avalanche if it has a publisher's certificate attached confirming that it is a legal file"

Posted by vanevery at 03:03 PM | TrackBack

June 03, 2005

Asterisk and Vonage, it can be done...

Google Search: asterisk vonage working site:lists.digium.com

Posted by vanevery at 01:41 PM | TrackBack

April 05, 2005

Annotating The Times

The Annotated New York Times
Interesting site that tracks blog entries that cite the NY Times.

Posted by vanevery at 01:24 AM | TrackBack

March 20, 2005

When everyone is media, no one is

Scripting News: 2/2/2005
Dave writes:
When everyone is media, no one is
1. Everything these days is media.
2. All media is technology and vice versa. The convergence everyone was buzzing about in the early 90s has happened. It's behind us. There is no separation between media and technology.
...

I disagree:
The telephone company isn't media now and people who call each other aren't producing media (although an argument can be made). Perhaps he is just arguing an extreme.

Posted by vanevery at 02:01 PM | TrackBack

Cameraphones as personal storytelling media

TheFeature :: Cameraphones as Personal Storytelling Media
Nice article from Howard Rheingold:
The cameraphone exists at this moment in that ephemeral, potent and confusing phase of its adoption cycle where people are still deciding what kind of social medium it is.

Posted by vanevery at 11:58 AM | TrackBack

Cable companies, common carriers..?

It's Degrading: VoIP Firms Urge More FCC Action
I thought only the phone companies are.. In any case, they have monopolies, they should be required to allow all IP traffic. Actually wait a second.. This company is a telecom, it should be forced to act as a common carrier.

Posted by vanevery at 11:42 AM | TrackBack

March 08, 2005

Perfect use of BitTorrent

Wired News: SXSW's Torrent of Free Tunes
Legit and huge, 2.6 GB

Posted by vanevery at 11:35 PM | TrackBack

March 01, 2005

Feeds on Roids

FeedBurner - Point your feed here. We'll do the rest.

Posted by vanevery at 11:54 PM | TrackBack

February 25, 2005

A great new bittorrent hosting service

Prodigem Hosting Service
From the site:
Prodigem is a content hosting service. It uses Bit Torrent peer to peer (p2p) filesharing to enable you to distribute extraordinarily large media files at an extraordinarily low cost. In fact, the service is currently free.

Posted by vanevery at 08:35 PM | TrackBack

February 24, 2005

P2P Audio Streaming

PeerCast P2P Radio
From the site:
PeerCast is a new, free way to listen to radio and watch video on the Internet. It uses P2P technology to let anyone become a broadcaster without the costs of traditional streaming. This means you get to hear and watch stations not normally found on commercially funded sites.

Posted by vanevery at 08:28 PM | TrackBack

February 03, 2005

NYTimes rounds up the WiFi phone scene

The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > What's Next: Phones to Use Wi-Fi Instead of Cellular Systems, or Both

Posted by vanevery at 03:55 PM | TrackBack

January 08, 2005

Block those radio waves

Force Field Wireless
Paint your walls with this...
Thanks to Jeff G. for the link.

Posted by vanevery at 01:55 AM | TrackBack

December 21, 2004

New forms of media delivery


Santa Delivers New Forms of Media Delivery

Nice summation of some of the interesting going-on's over the past year. Podcasting, iPods, Digital Media Servers/Centers, Juice boxes and more.. It has definitely been an interesting one.

Posted by vanevery at 05:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

BitTorrent based distribution services under fire


MPAA to serve lawsuits on BitTorrent servers | The Register

The title is a bit misleading. These aren't BitTorrent servers but websites hosting Torrents to illegal (copyrighted) material. It is good news that the MPAA is differentiating the technology used from the content. In some strange twisted way I think that this will be a boost for independent media bittorrent distribution as the popular content just won't be available. Perhaps people might even open their eyes.

Posted by vanevery at 04:59 PM | TrackBack

December 19, 2004

Jay has it going on...!

Momentshowing: VIDEO: Videobloggers invade the TV box
Video bloggers from around the country live on TV using iChat AV.. Nice job Jay. Really illustrates the possibilities.

Posted by vanevery at 05:02 PM | TrackBack

December 16, 2004

Creative Commons RSS license element

creativeCommons RSS Module
From the site:
A RSS module that adds an element at the or level that specifies which Creative Commons license applies.

Posted by vanevery at 07:25 PM | TrackBack

Yahoo! Launches a standard for Media RSS Syndication

Yahoo! Search Services and Tools
To go hand in hand with their Video Search engine.
Very nice...

Posted by vanevery at 07:23 PM | TrackBack

December 13, 2004

The Betamax case of the digital age

Wired News: File Sharing Goes to High Court
I have my fingers crossed on this one. If these file-sharing services can be held responsible for the actions of their users, what does that mean for any company developing software that allows people to connect via public networks? What about ISP's and common-carrier laws? What about FTP, IM, Email and so on?
The devil in this one may be that the media companies will renew vigor in lobbying congress for legislation like the INDUCE act.

Posted by vanevery at 01:40 AM | TrackBack

December 08, 2004

An Open Source P2P Web Cache for large files

Dijjer
Nice concept in many ways easier and better than BitTorrent but for it to be useful it should be an infrastructure component which would require that it be installed on a web server. Perhaps the best direction for this is to include it as an Apache module.

Posted by vanevery at 04:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

BroadSnatching - Get that Content

HOW-TO: BroadSnatching to a Portable Media Center - Engadget - www.engadget.com
From the article:
Getting video on a Portable Media Center is a fairly complicated task, but not because its all that hard, its just because no one has ever shown folks how. Its a lot easier if you have a Media Center PC (MCE), but even if you dont have an MCE, we showed you how to put DVDs on your Portable Media Center when we reviewed the Creative Zen.

Posted by vanevery at 03:45 AM | TrackBack

ANTs Not Television

ANT | ANTs Not Television
Go Jay and Josh GO!

ANT helps you download and watch video published on the Internet.

ANT allows you to organize and manage video playlists

ANT is a video aggregator that allows you to subscribe to RSS 2.0 feeds with video enclosures

ANT seeks to build opensource software tools to enable an emergent, grassroots, bottom-up, video distribution network based on exisiting technology such as weblogs and RSS.

ANT is about FREE VIDEO -- not free as in price, but free as in freedom.

Posted by vanevery at 03:38 AM | TrackBack

December 07, 2004

BeyondTV - Keeping my eye on this one!

BeyondTV: BeyondTV - An offline internet TV project

This is an undercurrents project to create a real alternative to the centralization of media by narrow corporate power. Its not an Indymedia project as quality control is too much of an issues- TV with out quality control is not open to normal people to watch. Most activist media is made for a tiny minority of popule and is un-intelligible/un-whatebal outside this minority.

The project will work in a number of stages the first being a functional full screen activist TV channel, based on MPG1 and MPG4 content from the current archive of ruffcuts and euro/US Indymedia newsreal CDs (we have over 20 hour of programming encoded and access to at least another 20 hours). Secondly stage we add automatic functionality? and some user input into viewing choices. Third stage a re-write to create a decentralized user rated P2P universal TV network when we have good experiences of the idea working in a practical way. I feel it is paramount that we start at the beginning using simple, thus reliable, tools and techniques.

Posted by vanevery at 01:41 AM | TrackBack

December 06, 2004

ITP Winter Show 2004

ITP Winter Show 2004
Sunday, December 19 from 2 to 6pm
Monday, December 20 from 5 to 9pm

A two-day explosion of interactive sight, sound and technology from the student artists and innovators at ITP.

An oversized Greenwich Village loft houses the computer labs, rotating exhibitions, and production workshops that are ITP -- the Interactive Telecommunications Program. Founded in 1979 as the first graduate education program in alternative media, ITP has grown into a living community of technologists, theorists, engineers, designers, and artists uniquely dedicated to pushing the boundaries of interactivity in the real and digital worlds. A hands-on approach to experimentation, production and risk-taking make this hi-tech fun house a creative home not only to its 230 students, but also to an extended network of the technology industry's most daring and prolific practitioners.

Interactive Telecommunications Program
Tisch School of the Arts
New York University
721 Broadway, 4th Floor South
New York NY 10003

Take the left elevators to the 4th Floor
This event is free and open to the public

No need to RSVP

For questions: 212-998-1880
email: itp.inquiries@nyu.edu
http://itp.nyu.edu/show

Posted by vanevery at 06:29 PM | TrackBack

AT&T Wireless/Cingular can not route calls to Vonage?!?

After 45 minutes on the phone with AT&T Wireless/Cingular and conversations with Vonage, I have determined that these two companies are incompetent and can not successfully route calls between each other's networks.

Update: After threatening to cancel my service, I was informed by the customer care (yeah right) that my contract explicitly states that they can not guarantee interoperability with any other network, including the international phone network. Pretty interesting considering they are selling me phone service.

Posted by vanevery at 05:35 PM | TrackBack

Hillary support's The INDUCE Act

I was dismayed to learn that Senator Hillary Clinton has come out and in fact co-sponsored Senator Hatch's Induce Act. What follows is a draft of a letter that I am writing to Sen. Clinton to express my concern. I hope that others will do the same.

Here is some background material:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.2560:
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,64315,00.html
http://techlawadvisor.com/induce/
http://www.corante.com/importance/archives/004563.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20040618-3906.html
http://www.futureofmusic.org/articles/INDUCEanalysis.cfm
http://action.eff.org/site/pp.asp?c=esJNJ5OWF&b=164928

Like your iPod, read this:
http://www.eff.org/IP/Apple_Complaint.php

Please comment on the letter as you see fit.


Dear Senator Clinton,

I was dismayed to learn that you have come out in support of Senator Hatch's Induce Act. I hope that on further consideration of the issues that this bill covers that you change your stance to better reflect the opinions of your constituents and for the betterment of our society.

The Induce act as it currently is written does much to stifle free-speech, artistic and fair uses of media. Imposing legal responsibility on the makers of devices and software for illegal use such device or software will create a burden so great on manufacturers and creators of such programs that they will not develop or offer products that have potential for misuse.

I fear that by trying to curb the theft of copyrighted material you will instead be curbing the ability for individuals and groups with legitimate uses for the technology that enables such to use it. Being thoroughly immersed in an academic and artistic atmosphere, I am witness every day to fair uses of technology that would not exist today were such a law in existence. In fact I feel that the software that I am using to write this letter would not have been developed simply because it includes the ability to cut and paste text from any source into the document.

I believe that should this Bill become law that it will undo much of the progress of free-speech and alternative media creation that has been enabled by the internet, personal electronic devices, computers, tape recorders and so on. Furthermore it will be a giant step backwards and lead to increased power by the media and further relegate citizens to the role of consumer without a voice.

I hope that you will reconsider your position on this matter.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Shawn Van Every

Posted by vanevery at 11:35 AM | TrackBack

Internet Archive Hosting Creative Commons licensed audio and video

Killer CC App: The Publisher, beta version
Bye bye bandwidth bills for *free* media (maybe because I don't think bandwidth and disk space is really that cheap that it can just be given away in large quantities, yet).

Oh yeah, the link above is for their nice tool in support of this.

Posted by vanevery at 01:30 AM | TrackBack

December 05, 2004

NYC Government DOITT

Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications
The Cities department responsible for mobile phone services, cable services, NYC TV, pay phones and more..

Posted by vanevery at 11:41 PM | TrackBack

National Weather Service XML Feeds

NOAA - National Weather Service - National Digital Forecast Database XML/SOAP Service
Thanks Ann..

Posted by vanevery at 04:33 PM | TrackBack

December 02, 2004

Here we go again...

Wi-Fi Acacia's next patent target | CNET News.com
Acacia, a representation of all that is wrong with our patent system, having successfully extorted companies using streaming technologies has turned to companies using WiFi, attempting to enforce another patent that they apparently have purchased.
I heard a while ago that they Acacia was short on money. Hopefully a couple of high-profile legal battles will drain them and we can sing good night Acacia, good night (until they sell their patent portfolio to another company willing to sue sue sue).

Posted by vanevery at 01:21 PM | TrackBack

November 15, 2004

Extending the RSS Enclosure concept

The RSS Enclosure Exposure
A nice and short writeup regarding podcasting and RSS enclosures in general.

Posted by vanevery at 12:41 PM | TrackBack

WritTorrent

WritTorrent: RSS 2.0 Feeds for Azureus
From the site:
Forward-thinking little programming tricks for blogs, blogging, and bloggers everywhere. BitTorrent utilities, plugins to help you make a TV interface for RSS media enclosures, and more!

Posted by vanevery at 12:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 26, 2004

WiFi Cablecasting

Daily Wireless - WiFi Cablecasting
A nice wrap-up of some of the work that Drazen and Kenyatta did last year plus a whole bunch more.

Posted by vanevery at 09:46 PM | TrackBack

Hacks for the Linksys WRT54G wireless router

Portless Networks
The other day I put this hacked firmware on a spare router. It was fun to look at the additional capabilities that are offered (such as SSH) but what I would really like to do is be able to modify one of these and put a very light weight streaming server on it. Unfortunately, you need a solid Linux box setup (I have to get to work on that one) to build a new firmware image.

Oh yeah, what is MORE interesting (to me at least) is that Linksys has made available the firmware for their wireless cameras as well (also Linux based). Looking through the firmware image for the WVC11B I was able to confirm my suspicion that in fact they do not offer a true MPEG-4 solution, rather it appears as though they *may* be using an MPEG-4 codec but wrapping it in an ASF file (hence the reason you need the stoooopid active x control to view the stream).

In any case, it is one of my missions to hack a true MPEG-4 solution onto one of these. How cool would that be!

Posted by vanevery at 09:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

A couple of sites that handle SMS/MMS to Web posting for you

Welcome to Airblogging.com

mms2web.com home

Posted by vanevery at 06:36 PM | TrackBack

October 17, 2004

Google goes SMS

Google SMS
From the site:
Google SMS (Short Message Service) enables you to easily get precise answers to specialized queries from your mobile phone or device. Send your query as a text message and get phone book listings, dictionary definitions, product prices and more. Just text. No links. No web pages. Simply the answers you're looking to find.

Posted by vanevery at 11:49 AM | TrackBack

October 14, 2004

Open Source "Legitimate" Peer to Peer Tech

LionShare: Home Page
From the site:
The LionShare P2P project is an innovative effort to facilitate legitimate file-sharing among individuals and educational institutions around the world. By using Peer to Peer (P2P) technology and incorporating features such as authentication, directory servers, and owner controlled sharing of files, LionShare promises secure file-sharing capabilities for the easy exchange of image collections, video archives, large data collections, and other types of academic information. In addition to authenticated file-sharing capabilities, the developing LionShare technology will also provide users with resources for organizing, storing, and retrieving digital files.

Posted by vanevery at 11:49 PM | TrackBack

October 10, 2004

Cringely writes about the Ultimate wireless neighborhood (which exists up in Ontario)

PBS | I, Cringely . Archived Column
Andrew Greig has setup something amazing, DIY all the way. A big satellite fed Myth TV setup, WiFi, VOIP and Sharp Zaurus thin clients serving his entire neighborhood. Wow...!

Posted by vanevery at 09:36 AM | TrackBack

October 09, 2004

A traditional broadcaster embraces podcasting

komo 4 news | KOMO 1000 News Podcast

Posted by vanevery at 05:02 PM | TrackBack

October 08, 2004

Sparkfun sells some interesting GPRS development kits

Spark Fun Electronics
Cellular modules, antenna, development boards with USB and all that jazz..

Posted by vanevery at 12:22 PM | TrackBack

October 07, 2004

iPodder 1.0 released

iPodder, the cross-platform Podcast receiver.
So the question is, what is a Podcast?. The answer: An audio bloggers wet dream.

Someone needs to make something like this for the video blogging community. I know, i know, people are working on it but we don't have a dominant video device with the market share of the iPod yet (and that is a requirement).

Posted by vanevery at 10:29 AM | TrackBack

October 02, 2004

Spectropolis, Happening NOW

( (( ((( Spectropolis 2004 ))) )) )

Posted by vanevery at 09:31 PM | TrackBack

podcasting explained

Trade Secrets Radio: What is podcasting?
Dave gives us a quick overview of what Pocasting is all about. Essentially, using RSS with enclosures with an app that automatically synchs the enclosures (audio) with your iPod. It isn't totally there yet but it is on it's way.

Posted by vanevery at 09:02 PM | TrackBack

September 30, 2004

Howard writes about how text messaging is changing the face of world politics

TheFeature :: Political Texting: SMS and Elections
From the article:
Texting and electoral politics are the strange bedfellows of the 21st century. The use of SMS for political action is only in its infancy, but has already enabled citizens to topple governments and tip elections from Manila to Madrid. The electoral power of texting could be an early indicator of future social upheaval: whenever people gain the power to organize collective action on new scales, in new places, at new tempos, with groups they had not been able to organize before, societies and civilizations change.

Posted by vanevery at 12:22 PM | TrackBack

September 29, 2004

Making the Every-person's Bit Torrent

Downhill Battle - Downhill Battle Labs - Blog Torrent

Posted by vanevery at 09:15 AM | TrackBack

September 13, 2004

Run MIDP 2 on your Mac

mpowerplayer
From the site:
mpowerplayer is a MIDP runtime written in pure Java.
Think of it as an appletviewer for midlets. If you know why that's useful, then this tool is for you.
With mpowerplayer you can run J2ME applications on your desktop computer. If you like, you can play the same games that run on your phone on your desktop.

Posted by vanevery at 03:43 PM | TrackBack

September 10, 2004

Engadget gives some info on Song's in air Linux system

Song Airlines' Linux-based distributed media system - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Posted by vanevery at 12:52 PM | TrackBack

September 07, 2004

Skype now available on MacOS X

Skype - Download Skype for Mac OS X
The peer to peer voice over IP client is now available on the Mac. Anyone tried it?

Posted by vanevery at 11:45 AM | TrackBack

August 25, 2004

Spam, Fraud and Generally malicious bs

E-Evidence Information Center - Organizations, etc
So, of course, with the power of organized communication networks (like the internet) comes the potential for misuse. Lately I have grown fed up with the recent rise in spoofing of financial sites that is occurring through email and on the web. A couple of days ago a I received a very official notice from what claimed to be PayPal. This email included a link to fill out a form located on their website dealing specifically with security concerns. So, immediately, since this was an HTML email, I looked at the source and determined that the link wouldn't take me to PayPal's site but one with a domain of mycitisecure.com .. Visiting that site (without the rest of the URL) reveals a spoof of the Citibank site complete with the proper url in the location bar. Going to the actual URL that they sent reveals a replica of a PayPal site in the same manner. Now THAT is BAD NEWS.
In any case, I want to do something about this and am looking for a place to start. Perhaps the link above will yield something worthwhile.

Posted by vanevery at 11:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 09, 2004

Apache, meet BitTorrent, BitTorrent, meet Apache

mod_torrent
From the site:
Mod_torrent is a drop in solution for Apache servers when deploying the BitTorrent file swarming technology. With mod_torrent your visitors share the bandwidth burden when distributing large files on your web site. The module transparently makes all, or optionally only certain types of files, retrievable by any client implementing the BitTorrent protocol.

Posted by vanevery at 11:54 PM | TrackBack

May 31, 2004

Hot Spot in a Box

Boingo Wireless - Hot Spot in a Box
From the site:
The BoingoѢ "Hot Spot in a Box" will enable you to quickly and easily offer commercial high-speed Wi-Fi Internet service in your location and start earning revenue right away! Enabling the Boingo "Hot Spot in a Box" at your venue will put you on the cutting edge of technology, attract new patrons to your location and make you money!

Posted by vanevery at 07:22 PM | TrackBack

May 18, 2004

The joy of statistics - Music sales actually up

RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter
The labels manipulate the numbers showing declining sales as a result of peer-to-peer file sharing. In truth, there are other reasons for the numbers and music sales at stores are actually up.
From the article:
Now here's where things get interesting: The RIAA forecast a 7 percent decline in recorded music sales for 2004, but data from market research outfit Soundscan, which measures point-of-purchase sales, shows a 10 percent increase in music sales when comparing the first quarter of 2004 to the first quarter of 2003...

Posted by vanevery at 09:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 15, 2004

Open hosting

Metawire Network open hosting
Sort of an open source model for server hosting.
From the site:
Metawire.org is a collaboritive effort between Daniel Selans and Eric Harrison to provide free shell, email, and webhosting at a quality of service unheard of on the Internet today. Metawire.org offers the most storage space, a diverse selection of domains to choose from, and a great underlying OS (OpenBSD) to power a new generation of free hosting services. Metawire offers unrivaled levels of service, poising itself high above any and all existing competitors.

Posted by vanevery at 09:00 AM | TrackBack

April 25, 2004

Ambient chandeliers!


Yahoo! News - Chandeliers shaken by crystal SMSs

From the article:
"It's time to shake up the industry. There are too many chandeliers around with no life and soul -- just expensive cookie-cutter designs," said Nadja Swarovski, grand-daughter of the company's founder and vice president of communications.

Posted by vanevery at 06:19 PM | TrackBack

April 07, 2004

Java gets blue in the tooth

www.JavaBluetooth.org
Thanks to Mike for the pointer.
From the site:
The JavaBluetooth Stack is a 100% (no native) Java implementation of the Bluetooth Specifications Version 1.1. It currently supports HCI, L2CAP and SDP. Support for RFCOMM, TCS, and SCO, as well as implementations of specific Bluetooth Profiles such as the Handsfree-Profile and the Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profiles are planned.

Posted by vanevery at 06:39 PM | TrackBack

Crazy networked and responsive environment

RIPLfield info
From the description:
... it consists of light and soundscapes which respond to the actions of people in the environment and remote data from a second environment in new york city. the project is a collaboration between students and instructors at the technical university of berlin and parsons school of design in new york.

Posted by vanevery at 02:27 AM | TrackBack

April 03, 2004

Azureus is a java bittorrent client

Azureus : Java BitTorrent Client

Posted by vanevery at 01:27 PM | TrackBack

The labels are the real pirates

salon :: :: tech :: feature :: Courtney Love does the math, By Courtney Love :: Page 1
This is a bit old but as Dave Winer says, it is as relevant now as it was the day she said it.
From the article:
The controversial singer takes on record label profits, Napster and "sucka VCs."

Posted by vanevery at 12:08 PM | TrackBack

April 02, 2004

Early Bicycle Transmitter

Here is what might have been the first bicycle transmitter
From the site:
Here is what might have been the first bicycle transmitter, a "breadboard" model I built in 1938. I am shown "tuning up"the rig, with twograde school friends looking on. I used a type 30 oscillator, another 30 for the modulator, and two 45 volt "B" batteries in series. The antenna was my fishing rod.

Posted by vanevery at 08:02 PM | TrackBack

FM Broadcasting from your computer

All about FM radio - Schematics, KITs, FM transmitters, digital transmitters and RDS encoders from PCS Electronics
From the site:
PCI MAX 2004 is a computer card that will change the way you listen to your MP3's or other audio via PC. It will effectively change your PC into a FM radio station. You will be able to play your audio files (CD, wav, MP3, real audio etc.) from your PC through radio waves directly to your household radio receiver in the next room, in the living room, across your yard, in whole block of flats....or for the entire village/small city. I repeat, you need just an ordinary radio receiver to receive your signal. The included software (also available at the link below for a quick DL) lets you set the frequency and the output power. You can either service your living room, garden or an entire community. Get rid of these pesky cables!

Posted by vanevery at 07:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 01, 2004

Sharp to release a new Linux PDA

Sharp launches "Enterprise" Zaurus to boldly go... anywhere
From the article:
Sharp plans to ship its Linux-based Zaurus SL-6000 PDA early in 2004, supported by IBM middleware and Sprint wireless services for connecting with enterprise apps from most anywhere. Sharp's new 640x480 high-brightness VGA display tops the list of hardware enhancements, along with "laptop-like" performance and a ruggedized case.

Includes 64mb flash memory, 400mhz xscale, 802.11 wireless networking, linux, java and more..

Posted by vanevery at 10:52 PM | TrackBack

Downtown network for the Arts

downtown network for the arts | about
From the site:
Location One has developed a package of hardware, software and support services that enables artists and cultural organizations to take full advantage of Internet-based technologies for creative interchange, program creation, delivery and promotion, both individually and as an arts-based community.

Posted by vanevery at 12:53 AM | TrackBack

March 31, 2004

A P2P media distribution platform for news for and by students and others

DV Guide
The goal of this project is to create a content sharing platform consisting of contributors and corerspondents recruited from young audiences and students distributed throughout the global mediascape who are engaged in direct reporting via collective production of Internet and broadcast news clips. Ideally, the material of DV Guide should reflect on the social and cultural issues of a given participants respective community that has significance for broader audences while at the same time maintains the highest standards of journalistic integrity.

Posted by vanevery at 05:59 PM | TrackBack

P2P, 802.11b, handhelds and radio, a combination made in my heaven

tunA
From MIT via Gizmodo:
tunA is a mobile wireless application that allows users to share their music locally through handheld devices. Users can "tune in" to other nearby tunA music players and listen to what someone else is listening to. Developed on iPaqs and connected via 802.11b in ad-hoc mode, the application displays a list of people using tunA that are in range, gives access to their profile and playlist information, and enables synchronized peer-to-peer audio streaming.

Thanks to Dan for the link.

Posted by vanevery at 05:55 PM | TrackBack

March 24, 2004

Indie record stores tell us the the RIAA is full of it..

Wired News: Record Stores: We're Fine, Thanks
Interesting, from the article:
High prices, rather than file sharing, are what usually stop a kid from buying a CD, Wiley said.
Typically, the music industry wants stores to sell CDs for $18 when they should be going for $15, he said. That $3 can make the difference in terms of whether or not a CD is going to sell.

Posted by vanevery at 09:37 PM | TrackBack

March 22, 2004

Phone browser, Opera on Nokia phones

Opera for Series 60 tutorial
From the site:
The Opera Web browser for Smartphones is a full Internet browser that allows all access to any Web site, just as with a desktop computer. Opera is included on the Nokia 6600 as part of a complimentary sales package for Europe and Africa and is easily downloadable for the Siemens SX1, Nokia N-gage, Nokia 3650, and Nokia 7650.

Posted by vanevery at 03:14 AM | TrackBack

March 15, 2004

Subscribe to my home videos

Wired News: Speed Meets Feed in Download Tool
From the site:
A demo publishing system launched Friday by a popular programmer and blogger merges two of this season's hottest tech fads -- RSS news syndication and BitTorrent file sharing -- to create a cheap publishing system for what its author calls "big media objects." The hybrid system is meant to eliminate both the publisher's need for fat bandwidth, and the consumer's need to wait through a grueling download.

Posted by vanevery at 11:23 AM | TrackBack

March 13, 2004

P2P video archive and sharing system

NGV
From the site:
New Global Vision is a digital video archive project. The goal is to build up a network of dedicated ftp servers and a peer-to-peer file sharing system able to overcome the bandwidth problems related to the size of video files.

Posted by vanevery at 04:39 PM | TrackBack

March 04, 2004

WiFi changing consumer behavior

USATODAY.com - Wi-Fi changes virtually everything

Posted by vanevery at 12:24 PM | TrackBack

March 02, 2004

As Alex says, Social Software in a box, just add water

AlstraSoft E-Friends - Run your own online social networking community just like Friendster. Members create their own personal friends network, meet new friends, dating and join groups
From the site:
AlstraSoft E-Friends is an online social networking software that allows you to start your own site just like Friendster and Tribe.net. The E-Friends software allows members to connect to people in their personal networks and community, creating a new online interactive resource that is based on a trusted network of friends and associates on the internet

Posted by vanevery at 07:42 PM | TrackBack

February 29, 2004

TV and web chat program with youth from around the world

Chat The Planet
- Homepage

From the site:
Chat the Planet is a groundbreaking TV & web initiative that connects young people from different countries and cultures to break down barriers, foster tolerance, and to celebrate our common humanity.

Posted by vanevery at 09:47 PM | TrackBack

February 28, 2004

Musicans attempting to use P2P for distribution (with payment)..

About Weed File Sharing
From the site:
Weed is a service of Shared Media Licensing, Inc., a group of musicians and software developers from Seattle, Washington. They envisioned Weed as a better solution to the problems of Internet file-sharing. File-trading is here to stay, so finding a way to legalize it and supporting musicians at the same time is the most equitable solution for all parties concerned. Independent musicians and small labels have a hard enough time making a living these days, so something revolutionary is needed to give them some leverage.
Weed encourages file-sharing while making payments to musicians at the same time. File-traders who respect artists' rights are rewarded and a new community of file sharing is born! Anyone who buys a few songs can become a distributor and put up a page with their songs or put these songs on a P2P network.

Posted by vanevery at 05:09 PM | TrackBack

Pirate radio information


yourpiratestation.com

Great information on creating a pirate radio station.. Why, how and what..

Posted by vanevery at 12:25 PM | TrackBack

February 27, 2004

Linux distro for routers and more

NYCwireless
From the description:
Pebble Linux is a smallish (smaller than 64megs, larger than 8 megs) distro image designed for embedded style devices such as the Soekris boards, or a Stylstic 1000. It is based off of Debian GNU/Linux. It runs on many different types of systems, such as old 486 machines, mini-itx boards, or the $199 machine down at Frys.

Posted by vanevery at 07:22 PM | TrackBack

February 25, 2004

TiVo to your friends favs

RSSTV: Syndication for your PVR
From the site:
We propose to share program information by building on existing syndication infrastructure. Specifically, we'll add a number of namespaced elements as an extension to RSS. The value formats for these elements will be taken directly from XMLTV, a source of publically available program information.

Posted by vanevery at 12:43 AM | TrackBack

February 24, 2004

Rendezvous for Linux and Windows

Porchdog Software
From the site:
Howl is a cross-platform implementation of the Zeroconf networking standard. Zeroconf brings a new ease of use to IP networking.

Thanks to Hans for the pointer...

Posted by vanevery at 11:10 AM | TrackBack

February 21, 2004

Everything must go...

New York New Media Association
From the site:
For the past ten years, the New York New Media Association (NYNMA) has had the pleasure of serving the New York area technology industry. Unfortunately, we must now inform you that as of Friday, December 19, 2003, NYNMA has ceased operations due to a significant financial shortfall.

Posted by vanevery at 12:48 AM | TrackBack

February 14, 2004

Free Voice over IP - Worldwide..

Free World Dialup - by pulver.com
From the site:
Free World Dialup (FWD) allows you to make free phone calls over the Internet using a 'regular' telephone or a computer program. You can join today, at no cost, by either using programs already on your computer, or by downloading a free program. Later, an IP phone upgrade will let you realize the total freedom FWD provides whether on Cable, DSL, Dialup modem, or WiFi around town.

Posted by vanevery at 04:25 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 13, 2004

Nobody knows how to make money, really..

Social Networks In Search of Business Models
Article tag line:
Social Networks In Search of Business Models
Social networking tool companies are sizzling as start-up venture investments, but can
they make money?

Posted by vanevery at 07:05 PM | TrackBack

February 12, 2004

Shady (online, social software) marketing tactics..?

New Media Strategies and us
From the post:
But "Dixie" 's posts about "All My Children" got me curious. I looked up her IP address. Why am I not surprised it's registered to a company called New Media Strategies and that New Media Strategies offers:
Highly effective online Word-of-Mouth marketing (that) drives buzz about your brands and products. NMS harnesses the power of the online communities and opinion leaders to raise awareness of your brands and, ultimately, produce sales that bolsters your bottom line.
So, just in case Google indexes this page: New Media Strategies sucks. Let me repeat, "New Media Strategies sucks."

Posted by vanevery at 06:40 PM | TrackBack

Evolutionary distributed SHEEP (screensaver)

the electric sheep screen-saver

Posted by vanevery at 03:11 PM | TrackBack

Amazing collaborative text editor


SubEthaEdit

From the site:
With SubEthaEdit you can. The idea of collaborative editing has been researched for years, with notable results. But now for the first time it has been implemented in a way you actually want to use: A sophisticated technique allows all users to type anywhere in the text without locking parts of the text for other users, making SubEthaEdit just as easy to use as a traditional text editor

Posted by vanevery at 12:19 PM | TrackBack

February 11, 2004

Machine readible web of people and links between them

the friend of a friend (foaf) project

The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project is about creating a Web of machine-readable homepages describing people, the links between them and the things they create and do.

Posted by vanevery at 07:41 PM | TrackBack

See the citations

CiteSeer: The NEC Research Institute Scientific Literature Digital Library
From the site:
CiteSeer is a scientific literature digital library that aims to improve the dissemination and feedback of scientific literature, and to provide improvements in functionality, usability, availability, cost, comprehensiveness, efficiency, and timeliness.

Rather than creating just another digital library, CiteSeer provides algorithms, techniques, and software that can be used in other digital libraries. CiteSeer indexes Postscript and PDF research articles on the Web, and provides the following features.

Posted by vanevery at 07:10 PM | TrackBack

Matt Webb's Glancing Software

Glancing

Social presence software by Matt Webb. Very interesting presentation given at O'Reilly's Emerging Technology.

Posted by vanevery at 07:00 PM | TrackBack

Launching the ITJ Site

Interactive Tele-Journalism

Interactive Tele-Journalism is a platform (under development) for supporting the creation of low cost, live interactive television news progams.

Posted by vanevery at 03:25 AM | TrackBack

February 10, 2004

Great cell/pda created content

mobile.links.net

mobile.links.net
text and sketches from the mobile internet

Posted by vanevery at 08:21 PM

How Pigeon's are changing the web

The technology behind Google's great results

Posted by vanevery at 03:27 PM

February 09, 2004

Wireless messaging

Simplewire : Home

Simplewire is a wireless messaging infrastructure and software provider. Its unique platform and accompanying tools ease the process of creating wireless applications for businesses, telecommunications carriers, and software developers. The Simplewire Wireless Messaging Network currently supports 400+ networks in over 150 countries. Its SMS Software Development Kit seamlessly integrates into applications of all types, while its Wireless Message Protocol Server provides the ideal foundation for a full spectrum of customizable solutions. Hence, Simplewire's comprehensive suite of products and services connects users in an array of industries to the global wireless world.

Posted by vanevery at 05:46 PM

IRC on the Mac

X-Chat Aqua is a MacOS X IRC client. If you are familiar with XChat for UNIX/GTK /XWindows, then you will be at home with X-Chat Aqua. X-Chat Aqua uses the IRC engine from XChat and has been designed to look and feel like XChat.

Posted by vanevery at 03:11 PM

February 06, 2004

AIM and iChat AV, Interoperable with VIDEO

AIM Video Debuts, Links to iChat

America Online (Quote, Chart) has officially taken the wraps off the new version of its AOL Instant Messenger application, with its much -anticipated video IM feature -- and the surprise addition of compatibility with Apple Computer's (Quote, Chart) iChat AV.

Posted by vanevery at 10:00 PM

February 04, 2004

Open Source Streaming Distribution Network

STREAMING ALLIANCE.org

What is the Open Source Streaming Alliance?
Open Source servers, exchanging streaming content and replicating content.

The driving idea is global networking of servers and high-bandwidth centers in ways that avoid unnecessary multiplication of Net traffic while delivering content as locally as possible.

The Open Source Streaming Alliance is extension of the networking paradigm with one crucial addition: it transcends the current only-for-profit context, allowing experimental, independent media and arts centers to catch up with the need to stream content creation and distribution. It thereby gives voice to diversity and facilitates global accessibility for all.

Posted by vanevery at 07:16 AM

ABC NoRio's InterActivist Network

InterActivist Network

We seek to offer new, dissenting perspectives, and to disseminate information about news-worthy events often overlooked or misrepresented by mainstream media.

Though the issues we address will be specific to our community, our goal is to instigate both a national and international conversation concerning similar issues affecting other communities.

The InterActivist Network is a model for community action using new media and technology to invigorate notions of public dialogue; to inform current debates within our community, both local and global; and to motivate non-mediated communication between the general public and participants in news-worthy events.

Posted by vanevery at 06:54 AM

Community art and activism

ABC No Rio | About

ABC No Rio is a collectively-run center for art and activism. We are known internationally as a venue for oppositional culture. ABC No Rio was founded in 1980 by artists committed to political and social engagement and we retain these values to the present.

We seek to facilitate cross-pollination between artists and activists. ABC No Rio is a place where people share resources and ideas to impact society, culture, and community. We believe that art and activism should be for everyone, not just the professionals, experts, and cognoscenti. Our dream is a cadres of actively aware artists and artfully aware activists.

Posted by vanevery at 06:48 AM

February 01, 2004

Mobile phone news and dev and whacking

MobileWhack

Posted by vanevery at 11:07 PM

WiMax - The industry's answer to WiFi's wild west

Intel Preps for WiMax Chips

"The new technology will usher in a broadband wireless revolution." -- Isn't that already happening with WiFi? We shall see.

Posted by vanevery at 04:24 PM

Pan, Tilt and Track Webcam

Logitech > Cameras > QuickCam Orbit

Unfortunately it is USB and not FireWire. Probably no MacOS support either.

From the site:
You've never seen anything like the unique combination of form and function of the QuickCam Orbit. It features a black, ball-shaped camera that sits atop a nine-inch-high stand at your eye level. Why? So that you'll get optimal face time during your video calls or video instant messaging (IM) sessions. And when you move, it actually follows you around! The QuickCam Orbit mechanically and automatically turns left and right for almost a 180-degree horizontal view or up and down for almost 90-degree top-to-bottom view. So your smiling face will always stay in the picture.

Posted by vanevery at 04:17 PM

Internet watches... ;-)

Suunto
From the site:
Suunto n3, the first in a new line of smart wristop computers that combine the quality and features from Suunto with access to timely, glanceable information provided by Microsofts MSN Direct Service. The Suunto n3 offers a variety of features that will streamline daily tasks and enhance daily life - a stylish and unique information source for people who want to be in the know while on the go. Owners will be able to receive customized information to their wrist discretely and automatically - Microsofts MSN Direct Service ensures that the information they need is up-to-date and ready at a glance.

Fossil has another MS powered watch is: http://www.fossil.com/jump.jsp?iMainCat=450&itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=451.

Fossil also has a Palm powered watch: http://www.fossil.com/jump.jsp?iMainCat=447&itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=448

Posted by vanevery at 04:08 PM

January 31, 2004

Open Source WiFi Stumbler for the Mac

binaervarianz.de - KisMAC

KisMAC is a free stumbler application for MacOS X, that puts your card into the monitor mode. Unlike most other applications for OS X we are completely invisible and send no probe requests.

Another Open Mac Stumbler is: Mac Stumbler

I have also been told about: iStumbler

Posted by vanevery at 04:45 PM

Friendster goes to the Dogs

Dogster :: A Walk Through The Dog Park

Woof and welcome To Dogster. You've come directly to the page of Jarvis.
Feel free to look around when you're done with this perfect pooch. Woof!

Posted by vanevery at 12:49 PM

January 28, 2004

Robot journalists

BBC News | SCI/TECH | Robo-reporter goes to war

From the article:
A robotic war correspondent that can get to places even veteran correspondent John Simpson cannot reach is being developed in the US.
The Afghan Explorer looks like a cross between a lawnmower and a robotic dog and has been designed to travel to war zones to provide images, sound and interviews from hostile environments off-limits to human reporters.

Another article: "Robot reporter puts a new spin on things" available at http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/03/27/1017089547673.html

Thanks to Hans for the links.

Posted by vanevery at 02:57 AM

January 25, 2004

Google's Friendster/Tribe play

orkut
From the site:
Orkut is an online community that connects people through a network of trusted friends.
We are committed to providing an online meeting place where people can socialize, make new acquaintances and find others who share their interests.

Someone invite me....!

Posted by vanevery at 11:12 PM

Virtual money becomes real

The Gaming Open Market - Welcome

GOM is an exchange site designed specifically for trading standard online game currencies, items, and accounts. Not only are we cheaper than the auction sites, but our trades are instant and secure.

Wired article: http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,61999,00.html/wn_ascii

Posted by vanevery at 11:10 PM

January 18, 2004

Our patent system does everything except encourage innovation

Fight The Patent: Providing information and Prior Art about patent abuse cases currently covering Acacia Research Corporation(Acacia Patent Lawsuits) vs (sueing) Everyone, SightSound vs (sueing) CDnow / BMG, and USA Video vs (sueing) Movielink.com. Providing patent prior art for the defense / defendants in litigation at no charge

The purpose of Fight The Patent is to bring awareness and activism to Internet-related patents that affect all websites. In addition, this website presents searches for Patent Prior Art.

Posted by vanevery at 09:59 PM

January 14, 2004

Blog Subject Popularity Index

blogdex - the weblog diffusion index

The following sites are the most contagious information currently spreading in the weblog community.

Posted by vanevery at 12:00 AM

January 11, 2004

What is RSS anyway..?

RSS 2.0 Specification

RSS is a Web content syndication format.

Posted by vanevery at 01:39 PM

January 02, 2004

Networking Trends to watch in 2004

BitTorrent, 'Gi-Fi,' and Other Trends in 2004
From the article:
Thanks to a never-ending supply of sharp minds and energy in the information technology industry, innovation will keep on marching ahead in 2004 -- good economy or bad. (But a good economy sure helps.) Editors from internetnews.com and across Jupitermedia have compiled a list of ideas/trends/innovations to watch in 2004.

Posted by vanevery at 11:48 PM

December 22, 2003

Jeff Jarvis' BuzzMachine

BuzzMachine ... by Jeff Jarvis

Jeff's weblog

Posted by vanevery at 12:24 PM

December 13, 2003

Everything you ever wanted to know about htaccess files

Comprehensive guide to .htaccess- intro

Posted by vanevery at 06:49 PM

December 12, 2003

Warflying over Los Angeles

Kallahar's Place

Posted by vanevery at 06:34 PM

December 01, 2003

Anthony Townsend's Dissertation on Urban Wireless Access

Wired / Unwired: The Urban Geography of Digital Networks

This dissertation examines the development of digital network infrastructure in the world%u2019s great cities at the turn of the 21st century. Drawing upon the concept of cities as information systems and techniques of communications geography, it analyzes how the physical components of digital networks were deployed in major urban areas during the 1990s. It finds that historical processes and pre-existing differences between places shaped the evolution of this infrastructure at multiple spatial scales; global, metropolitan, and neighborhood. As a result, rather than bringing about the %u201Cdeath of distance%u201D, digital network infrastructure actually reinforced many of the pre-existing differences between connected and disconnected places. With the telecom bust of 2000-2002, these differences were likely to persist for a decade or more.


Yet just as the development of wired digital network infrastructure slowed, wireless technologies emerged as a more flexible, intuitive, and efficient form of connecting users to networks in everyday urban settings. As a result, an untethered model for digital networks emerged which combined the capacity and security of wired networks over long distances with the flexibility and mobility of wireless networks over short distances. This new hybrid infrastructure provided the technology needed to begin widespread experimentation with the creation of digitally mediated spaces, such as New York City%u2019s Bryant Park Wireless Network.

Posted by vanevery at 02:26 PM

November 24, 2003

Seattle Wireless has it together

FrequentlyAskedQuestions - SeattleWireless


Very nice (if somewhat dated) FAQ on everything wireless (WiFi).

Posted by vanevery at 02:32 AM

November 04, 2003

Smart Mobs

Smart Mobs - The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold

From the site:
A Website and Weblog about Topics and Issues discussed in the book
Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold

A great book and weblog..

Posted by vanevery at 01:30 AM

October 31, 2003

The power of the Cabal

The Cabal: Valves Design Process For Creating Half-Life

More about working in groups and managing a large and I mean very large project through a group.

Posted by vanevery at 01:19 PM

1337

Originally:
1 == L
2 == R
3 == E
4 == A
5 == S
6 == G
7 == Y
8 == B
0 == O

Now:
411 '/0|_||2 8453 4|23 83|_0/\/6 70 |_|5

Translation: All your base are belong to us

Posted by vanevery at 01:23 AM

The internet is about socializing not about passive entertainment

BBC NEWS | Technology | Net's dark side dents broadband

Some news with a clue!

Posted by vanevery at 12:58 AM

October 25, 2003

NYCWireless, the folks unwiring the city.

NYCwireless
From the site:
Our Mission
-Provide Free Public Wireless Internet Service to mobile users in public spaces throughout the New York City metro area.
-Provide a Forum for Wireless Internet technology issues and Access Points Development.

Enough said.

Posted by vanevery at 12:36 PM

Run a small network, have wireless..? Check this out.

: Small Net Builder : Real Help for Your Small Network from Tim Higgins

Posted by vanevery at 12:34 PM

October 24, 2003

Wireless network repeaters, directional antennas and bridges

Shoring Up the Signal of a Faltering Network

Posted by vanevery at 09:46 PM

Location based wireless platform for virtual annotations of a city..

Proboscis | SoMa | projects | urban tapestries

Urban Tapestries is a framework for understanding the social, cultural, economic and political implications of pervasive location-based mobile and wireless systems. To investigate these issues, we are building an experimental location-based wireless platform to allow users to access and author location-specific content (text, audio, pictures and movies). It is a forum for exploring and sharing experience and knowledge, for leaving and annotating ephemeral traces of peoples presence in the geography of the city.

Posted by vanevery at 09:43 PM

802.11 Card and Access Point Makers

NetGate Home Page

Posted by vanevery at 07:46 PM

October 21, 2003

EFF takes on the Music Industry

#nextScene

From the site:
For years, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been waging war against peer-to-peer file-sharing software and the technologists who create it. Now the RIAA has turned its crosshairs on you, threatening to sue you for sharing the music you love. But even shotgun-style lawsuits won't solve the RIAA's problem. As more and more Americans learn to love online music, the answer must lie in new business models that harness the power of P2P as a vehicle for paying artists. If artists get paid when we share files, then artists win, we win, and yes -- even the RIAA wins.

Posted by vanevery at 12:57 PM

October 20, 2003

Jabber, commercial client but open protocol

Jabber, Inc. | Welcome


See the Jabber Foundation site too: http://www.jabber.org

Posted by vanevery at 01:03 AM

October 18, 2003

A public multi-user interactive surface..

www.dynamo-interactive.com


This looks interesting...

Posted by vanevery at 11:26 PM

October 17, 2003

The Slashdot Experience

Slashdot FAQ - Comments and Moderation

Slashdot as an experiment has been fruitful, the FAQ gives a background on the processes involved. A great social software read.

Posted by vanevery at 10:36 PM

October 15, 2003

Wired News

Wired News

News and articles concerning just about everything I care about.. Hard to imagine the world without Wired.

Posted by vanevery at 12:40 PM

DIY WiFi Antenna (out of a Pringles can)

Pringles Yagi Antenna

Posted by vanevery at 01:22 AM

October 12, 2003

Need your IP, Behind a NAT Router..?

Your ip is 162.84.213.86 WhatIsMyIP.com

From the site:
WhatIsMyIP.com is the easiest way
to determine your IP address.

Posted by vanevery at 12:19 AM

October 11, 2003

Great Art/Technology/Media Space/Gallery

Location One | Manifesto

From the site:
MANIFESTO :: Our Artistic Mission

Location One: Catalyst for Content and Convergence
This is our credo:

1. First, the Internet will be about content,
not just serve as a conduit for it. The nature of the technology changes content%u2014not just access and distribution%u2014with implications across the full range of artistic expression and subject matter.

2. Second, Location One is about convergence.
We are bringing together creativity along the two standards that have governed the history of human expression: the axis of expressive discipline and the axis of available technology.

3. Third, Location One is a catalyst.
We select talent, stimulate interaction, supply resources, and provide real and virtual forums. We enable things both cool and consequential to happen. New media transform artistic expression. Conventional barriers of time and distance are erased. With them depart a myriad of social, political and cultural distinctions. Access, distribution, participation become universal (and affordable).

4. Creative alternatives proliferate.

Posted by vanevery at 02:28 PM

Remote Lounge

welcome to REMOTE LOUNGE

Controllable Video Cameras, VJ's and Booze.. What a combination!

Posted by vanevery at 02:24 PM

October 10, 2003

IBM new Wi-Fi Security Platform

IBM Goes Wi-Fi Security Sniffing

"The new service included embedded Linux-based sensors which detect irregularities in the Wi-Fi network and identify unauthorized or unsecured access points. Once that detection is done, the information is translated into reports that define the nature and severity of the problem before the appropriate response is generated."

Posted by vanevery at 11:49 AM

IP Address to Physical Location Tool

IP Address Locator - Enter an IP address to find its location - Lookup Country Region City etc

Posted by vanevery at 12:29 AM

October 09, 2003

NYC Menu Pages

NYC Restaurants, NYC menus, ratings, reviews, New York City Restaurants Guide

NYC Restaurants & Menus by Neighborhood

Posted by vanevery at 11:01 PM | Comments (4)

October 08, 2003

Company offering other co's the ability to have free hotspots

Public IP Services - DSL FREE Wireless Internet WiFi Hot Spots

"Offer FREE Wireless Internet at your location.
Are you looking for the right Hot Spot solution for your business?
Share your Internet connection with WiFi.
Create a new source of revenue.
Strengthen your brand. "

Posted by vanevery at 03:07 PM

Confluence Points

BBC NEWS | Magazine | A unique picture of the world, in 16,146 frames

"A new breed of adventurer is roaming the globe. Armed with a GPS and an eye for a quirky mission, these men and women are seeking out the spots on the earth's surface where lines of latitude and longitude cross. Their aim - to create a picture of the world. "

Posted by vanevery at 01:34 PM

October 07, 2003

Interesting Blog regarding Microradio and Journalism

DIYmedia.net - Microradio, Media Collage and more.

Posted by vanevery at 03:28 PM

Underground P2P

CNN.com - Song swappers flock to invitation-only Internet - Oct. 6, 2003

These high-tech Cotton Clubs usually require users to be trusted or at least know someone inside. The files being traded, instead of out in the open, are encrypted -- the 21st century equivalent of hiding bathtub gin under a fake floorboard.

Posted by vanevery at 02:38 PM

All WiFi News, All the time..

Wi-Fi Networking News

Posted by vanevery at 02:33 PM

October 06, 2003

Where is the NYU Wireless Access?

NYURoam Access Locations

Posted by vanevery at 09:32 PM | Comments (1)

October 05, 2003

Massive Multi-User Game Lessons

The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat

"Detailed central planning is impossible; don't even try."

Posted by vanevery at 05:44 PM

Social Networking Music Service..?


Yahoo! News - A "Social Networking" Music Service

Posted by vanevery at 12:20 AM

October 04, 2003

WiFi Node Database

Welcome to NodeDB.com - The Wireless Node Database Project

Posted by vanevery at 11:13 PM

A community music metadatabase

Welcome to MusicBrainz!

Posted by vanevery at 12:34 PM

October 03, 2003

Java meets Blogging

java.blogs - Welcome to the java.blogs community!

Posted by vanevery at 12:57 PM

October 01, 2003

Will VLogging take off..?

Pundit Ex Machina: Video Blogging May Prove a Serious Challange to Cable TV

Watching Jeff Jarvis do his video blogging, I am struck by how good the quality of the work is. Not so much the technical mastery his anchorman look, but the quality of the content, and the easy watchability of the short "vlogs", as he calls them

Posted by vanevery at 09:30 PM

Audio Blog work..

Chris Lydon Web Studio

Posted by vanevery at 09:12 PM

September 28, 2003

A Friendster copycat?

Tribe.net

Posted by vanevery at 01:59 PM

September 27, 2003

Nullsoft's WASTE P2P Framework Escapes AOL

No Nullifying Nullsoft's WASTE

How long will it last on Source Forge?

Posted by vanevery at 12:40 PM

WiFi Hotspots go mainstream

Wired News: Wi-Fi Earns Zagat's Blessings

Well, if wireless internet access wasn't "mainstream" before, it most certainly is now.

Zagat's Survey

Posted by vanevery at 12:01 PM

September 25, 2003

Power Line Broadband

216Mbps broadband coming soon via a power company near you? : Small Net Builder : Real Help for Your Small Network from Tim Higgins

Posted by vanevery at 11:45 AM

September 24, 2003

Micro$oft shuts down chat rooms

Wired News: Microsoft to Shut Down Chat Rooms

Citing pedophiles and spam to get knee jerk press, Micro$oft washes it's hands of anonymous free-speech. My guess is that they just don't feel like offering the venue any more and they weren't making any money from it. Yeah, let's push the criminals further underground..! <-- Sarcasm

Posted by vanevery at 01:08 PM

September 18, 2003

NYC WiFi Everywhere

Linux Makes Wi-Fi Happen in New York City

Great article..!

Posted by vanevery at 01:53 AM

September 15, 2003

M$ Patent Woes..

IE patent endgame detailed

When you think about this, having to go around the patent highlights the stupidity of the patent system,"

Posted by vanevery at 10:13 PM

Glancing: Social Network App

Glancing

Glancing: An application to allow ultra-simple, non-verbal communication amongst groups of friends online

Posted by vanevery at 08:11 PM

NYC Wireless Park Lab Days

Wireless Park Lab Days

All-kindsa-cool stuff..

Posted by vanevery at 06:17 PM

Yuri Gitman's Magic Bike

magic bike :: wireless internet

Mobile WiFi access point..

Posted by vanevery at 06:15 PM

Semantic Web Article

Semantic Web: Out of the Theory Realm

Article Discussing P2P, Blogs and the Semantic Web.

Posted by vanevery at 06:09 PM

September 14, 2003

Spam No-More

I have taken the first step to a spam free lifestyle. Thanks to Dens for describing the joys of Cloudmark. It is a nifty P2P spam filtering service with a very reasonable price.

Posted by vanevery at 01:06 PM