Sunday, June 06, 2004

Computer talk radio Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger: Levin's computer talk radio show. I'm listening to his Brookstone's Best Bets for Father's Day (31:13) show as I post this. "Rich Levin has posted a bunch of his PCTalkWeb radio shows. He runs a real interesting computer talk show." 12:24:10 PM  comment []    trackback []     What is "Wimpy Button"? I just sent an email to razvan.dragomirescu@simeda.com requesting to beta test Pocket Rendezvous.  But wait a minute, what the heck is Wimpy Button?  Sounds like a "MP3 Rich Media Object".  I tell you, all this, WAPS, blogs, audioblogging, MP3s is connected and leads to something bigger!! "We have bundled a demo version of Wimpy Button with our software. It only allows you to preview 10 seconds of MP3, if you want you can purchase it for $25 or create your own solution. " Smart Mobs: Pocket Rendezvous: "Razvan Dragomirescu of Simeda writes: " We have completed development for our Pocket Rendezvous project. It's a web server for the Pocket PC that advertises itself to other Pocket PCs in the neighbourhood wirelessly using ad-hoc WiFi networks and Rendezvous. Windows users can look here for a Windows Rendezvous browser/publisher. Pocket Rendezvous also allows you to browse for nearby devices running Pocket Rendezvous and view the content published by the Pocket Rendezvous server on those devices. You can also browse for regular Rendezvous services published on your network." Here are a few cool uses for the product: 1. Personal advertising and matchmaking - Publish information about yourself (a picture, personal details, maybe a streaming recording of your voice - you name it!). Can also be used in corporate environments or at tradeshows (carry your "electronic business card" in your pocket and have people discover you and browse your "pocketable" web server for details) 2. Share your music collection with passers-by or listen to (or download) their playlists while sharing a ride on the bus. The builtin web server supports streaming, so you can preview before you download. Think of it as your "Pocket Napster" :). 3. Carry your important presentations or other files in your pocket and have them instantly available on your wireless corporate network. Whenever you need a file, just browse the wireless neighborhood using Rendezvous and find your Pocket Rendezvous server then download the files as you need them. An additional nice feature is the use of icons (or avatars) for each service. If you put a file called favicon.icon in your Pocket Rendezvous webserver root, all other clients browsing for your service will display it next to the service name. So you can be creative: use a heart if you're looking for love or maybe a musical note if you're sharing music. Any 32x32 icon will do. We are currently looking for a small batch of beta testers before the official launch (scheduled for mid-June). The software requires the OpenNETCF SDF 1.1 (we'll bundle it with the release, for now it expects it to be available on the device). If you want to preview music, you will also need the Macromedia Flash Player plugin. We have bundled a demo version of Wimpy Button with our software. It only allows you to preview 10 seconds of MP3, if you want you can purchase it for $25 or create your own solution. If you are interested in giving this a try, please drop me an email at razvan.dragomirescu@simeda.com" 9:34:32 AM  comment []    trackback []     Zero Configuration Networking (Zeroconf) Zero Configuration Networking (Zeroconf) ... To achieve this small-network functionality in IP, there are four main areas of work: Allocate addresses without a DHCP server. Translate between names and IP addresses without a DNS server. Find services, like printers, without a directory server. Allocate IP Multicast addresses without a MADCAP server. A final requirement is that the solutions in the four areas must coexist gracefully with larger configured networks. Zeroconf protocols MUST NOT cause harm to the network when a Zeroconf machine is plugged into a large network. It is important to understand that the purpose of Zeroconf is not solely to make current personal computer networking easier to use, though this is certainly a useful benefit. The long-term goal of Zeroconf is to enable the creation of entirely new kinds of networked products, products that today would simply not be commercially viable because of the inconvenience and support costs involved in setting up, configuring, and maintaining a network to allow them to operate. ... Apple has announced their Zeroconf networking solution under the product name Rendezvous. Rendezvous forms the foundation for completing Apple's transition from AppleTalk to all-IP networking. Apple's customers have high expectations for ease of use, and Rendezvous enables Apple to meet those expectations. Apple is providing Rendezvous services beginning in the Jaguar release of the Mac OS X Operating Sytem, and will be using those services aggressively in its own applications. 8:54:33 AM  comment []    trackback []     Engadget: Portable solar panels. Portable solar panels are a definite needed accessory for the public mobile LINKSYS WRT-54G network.  I just don't know if this model will work.  "For those who simply can’t bear to go a day without their gadgets, notebook-sized solar panels can provide a solution. One guy even brought his laptop and phone to the top of Mount Everest, which really seems like a bit of overkill. Isn’t the top of a mountain one place where you could probably do without a phone? In more mundane uses, regular backpackers and cyclists can attach them to their packs or bikes so they can have enough juice to fuel one more gadget fix. The systems are quite frequently homebuilt but a few companies do offer ready made systems, which of course cost about twice as much." 8:28:12 AM  comment []    trackback []     Automatic discovery and creation of a filesharing LAN via WiFi This just in on my radar.  A Register article titled "Promiscuous BluePod file swapping - coming to a PDA near you" is sparking a lot of conversation.  This network file sharing idea uses Apple's Rendezvous protocol for discovery.  This network lets it's peers advertise it's files for discovery on a WLAN.  Actually from what I read in the past, the LINKSYS WRT-54G use to support Rendezvous in it's firmware but the support has somehow disappeared or fallen out in the latest versions. What I see missing here for this idea to stick and scale up is a real legimate structure for a long lasting network and business plan built on this kind of network (but I admit the idea at first glance seems fun, the wild wild west where everyone's an advertised server on the network).  I mainly question how WAP owners, especially corporate IT department are going to feel about opening their networks, behind their firewalls to being used for this uncontrolled rogue purpose by others, possibly strangers.  Somehow this really smells to me more like the beginnings of a anti-Rendevous product/feature for some security WIFI Enterprise vendor.  Lets not forget that the "WAP" owners really do own and control their networks and will have the final say. With all that in mind, the high level concept and idea seems sound, it's just the enterprise implementation not completely described in the article that seems to be in question which without makes this at best a niche and playground for some temp wireless network fun.  I for one would prefer to be looking at and spending time with an implentation that would involve "the owners" of the static WAPs.  I believe we need to convince and show them an implementation that is safe, secure, legal, legimate and ultimately controlled by them with a purpose and benefits for them.  If we are successful, getting them to open/allow/advertise/make available legimate wireless services like free news delivery, etc.  with some kind of automatic "digital social gesture" would be the goal and a platform to build legimate business plans. After reading the article I mostly fear that this kind of rogue wireless networking with the hype and anti-hype sure to follow, may deliver the wrong message and cast a black cloud against a legimate thought out implematation and design.   What drives me to that possible fear.  Living and watching the history of MP3s and peer to peer networks comes to mind. With all the above said,  I prefer to try the product and talk with the company before I cast any real judgement and opinion about their product and it's current and future implementation design. WiFi WANs and LANs. unmediated: "A recent Register article on a new program that permits automatic discovery and creation of a filesharing LAN via WiFi has been getting a lot of attention recently (Promiscuous BluePod file swapping - coming to a PDA near you). I didn't really look closely at the article because, to be honest, I kind of assumed such a tool already existed. This is important software, but I think the spin is missing much of the point. It is clear to me that the basic software concept is a no brainer and even a necessity in our increasingly unwired world. After all, there are many obvious legitimate uses for such a service. Anytime people gather physically such software would be very useful in transfering all sorts of files and information. Papers and notes can be zapped around during meetings, conferences and class. For more examples of non-music related uses, see Social Twister: Pocket Rendezvous: Spawning Connectivity. However, the music sharing aspect is less impressive to me. I have to disagree with Derek Slater on how interesting it is (WiFi File-Swapping). I don't really see much more than novelty value in being able to join a filesharing network with complete strangers in a physical space. Are you really going to want to share that much with strangers you pass on the street or a local coffeeshop? It is one thing to be able to transfer with someone you've made some connection with, but to promiscuously advertise your files and interests to everyone around? Sure, such software would make fileswapping parties a bit easier, but they're not that hard to set up in the first place. (Read the rest of this post at Copyfight.)" 6:17:20 AM  comment []    trackback []     iPod May Not Have The Horsepower For OGG Slashdot: iPod May Not Have The Horsepower For OGG So, what's the plan here guys?  Get Apple into a little grade school playground game of "No it can't" "Yes it can" to get Vorbis on the iPod?  6:10:01 AM  comment []    trackback []

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