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Tuesday, March 05, 2002 |
Casio Adds Life to Mobile Devices
"Using Casio's newly developed fuel cell, a notebook PC will run for 20 hours, compared to five hours using a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, says Akira Watanabe, a spokesperson for Casio. The company plans to include the fuel cell in its mobile products, including notebook PCs, digital still cameras, PDAs, and cell phones, by 2004, he says....
Casio's technology has shrunk the device to the size of a postage-stamp by combining these hundreds of parts into one chip, Watanabe says, allowing it to use the methanol-hydrogen method in small fuel cells.... Once the cells are in mass production, the price should be around the same as for a conventional lithium-ion battery, Watanabe says.... Toshiba aims to commercialize its fuel-cell technology for PDA products within two years, the company says." [PC World]
This type of technology should help mainstream the combination of cell phones, high-speed wireless bandwidth, and content.
11:43:09 PM Permanent link here
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BTB (Before the Blog): Pooh-Poohing the Purists, a Scholar Revels in Netspeak
"Dr. Crystal concludes that the Internet is not going to spawn a generation of illiterates, as a cursory look at any undergraduate's e-mail might suggest. On the contrary, he contends, it is developing into a splendid new medium that shows language users at their most inventive, adapting a variety of styles for a variety of purposes, some formal, some highly informal....
'The Internet is a genuine third medium of communication,' Dr. Crystal said. 'In the future it will probably be the main way we humans communicate.'
He sees computer-mediated discourse as the third cardinal event in language. 'First we had speech — that was the real breakthrough,' he said. 'And then, about 10,000 years ago, writing.' Now comes Internet-mediated language....
It is this hybrid of speech and writing that Dr. Crystal analyzes, unworried that English will be ruined by its often casual treatment. On the contrary, he argues, children who spend their day sending instant messages are in no danger of becoming illiterates. 'Children know that you use crazy, geeky language on e-mail and on mobile phones, and then they are sensible when they are writing for the teachers,' he said." [at NY Times, via both2and: beyond binary]
Heads up to library schools: the next course you should be planning is The Online Reference Interview Using Net Language. I'm only half kidding here, but I hope courses like Virtual Reference Librarianship will include a discussion of how to think in abbreviations. For librarians, it will be quite the task to keep up in an IM conversation when the other person isn't capitalizing their words properly or using punctuation, especially with all of the abbreviations strewn throughout. It's shocking at first... until you start doing it yourself. ;-)
11:38:26 PM Permanent link here
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More on the whole Windows minus Internet Explorer thing: Time To Call Microsoft's Bluff
"The issue at stake here isn't really whether Microsoft should have the right to ship a Web browser with its operating system. It's quite obvious that a Web browser is a useful utility in a modern operating system. The real issue is whether an illegal monopoly should have the power to essentially decide which browser you will use by forcing it into the operating system.
Take the case of Windows 95. Since it was not bundled with IE, you could run Windows 95 and then pick and choose between IE and Netscape, each of which had a similar impact on system performance. The memory overhead and speed of the browsers were effectively equivalent.
Then came Windows 98. With this operating system on the same computer, computer users run IE whether the IE browser is open or not. This means that launching Netscape on a Windows 98 computer makes it slower than it was under Windows 95 because IE is taking up resources that it didn't use before.
For Microsoft to suggest that it is impossible to remove IE from Windows -- and that it would simply refuse to offer any version of Windows if it were forced to do so -- is ludicrous considering the assertions it makes about being an innovator and leader in the software industry. In addition, the company's previous products accomplished that feat without difficulty." [osOpinion]
Performance was one of the big reasons I switched to IE last year. CSS support was the other. A lot of librarians are die-hard Netscape users because 4.7 let you customize it without email and newsgroups for public desktops. Even they're starting to switch now, though, because of performance issues.
11:19:24 PM Permanent link here
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Steve calls me on my earlier post about Windows minus Internet Explorer:
"The products on the 98lite site basically only removes the icon to IE and some of the support software. The core functionality of IE is still left on the machine so that applications like Outlook, help, etc. continue to function. They even admit to this in their explanation of what the program does. Ballmer is not talking about partial removal, he's talking about complete removal.
Basically John Lyon is wrong, they are talking about two different things. Although I'm of the opinion that Microsoft just implement what 98lite does and say 'You happy now?' Of course right after they do this, people will complain that they didn't completely remove it. Oh well, bunch of whiners..."
Agreed, but I still think the RIAA and MPAA are just plain wrong, and I'm not willing to admit that Microsoft couldn't do this if they really wanted to.
11:13:33 PM Permanent link here
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Can the Inernet Save News?
"We’re going to look back on this era as the Golden Age of the Internet—not because the content was so good, but because it was all free. News organizations simply can’t continue the giveaway. And with, say, another five years of technologic progress, Internet news will begin to be sufficiently compelling and integral to users’ lives that they will be willing to pay something for it—the nature of that fee yet to be determined....
As technology improves, Internet advertising is rapidly morphing into larger ads that combine audio, animation and even video. And sites are finally beginning to deliver on the promise of delivering ads that are appropriate for specific users—the ultimate solution to the media planner’s search for targeting. Five years out, the combination of interactivity, multimedia and targeting could make the Internet one of the most effective advertising mediums yet devised. " [at Newsweek, via Doc Searls Weblog]
I agree that the Internet can initiate a new era for newspapers, but I'm not willing to pay until they give me value-added services. Right now, I should be able to specify which headlines to send me via email (news, sports, life, etc.). Tomorrow (literally), I should be able to specify which headlines I want to appear in my news aggregator. I should be able to combine the best of the papers I read in order to get the most comprehensive coverage.
For example, I should be able to specify international headlines from the Guardian, national headlines from the NY Times, metro headlines from the Chicago Tribune, and local headlines from area papers. These companies will never work together to aggregate my news in the way I want, but thanks to RSS and Radio, I should be able to do this myself with just a few clicks. I'd even be willing to pay a small monthly fee for that convenience from those online news sources that I consider to be aggregator-worthy.
For a fee, I also want more depth, fewer fluff press releases masquerading as news, and supplemental links for further information. (Adding meta tags to blogs would make it easier to find "related" information via Google.) They could also point to bloggers for guest editorials, kind of a point-counterpoint scenario. For example, I read rc3 every single day for the great political coverage and Rafe's commentary, and I am far from alone in doing this. Or maybe incorporate Daypop or Blogdex as a barometer of current topics.
So far though, I don't see any newspapers headings in this direction. How about you?
10:54:29 PM Permanent link here
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Review: Palm i705
"For more than two weeks I used the Palm i705 along side my Blackberry 957 to get true comparison between the industry leading always-on email device and Palm's new entry into this market. As a result, I have mixed feelings about the i705 and how this device measures up to other wireless email products available today....
Conclusion
After using the i705 for over two weeks side by side with my Blackberry 957, the only word that comes to mind is "afterthought". The Palm i705 seems to be a reactionary device based on the advancements of the competition as opposed to a device resulting from a true desire to innovate and evolve the product line. For users who have never had a wireless device, the i705 is certainly a worthy choice if you can justify the cost, however for those who know how always on can be done and done well, the i705 comes up short." [PDABuzz.com]
I was afraid of this. I was really hoping that they would release a color, wireless device that would leapfrog the competition, but no go. I'll keep waiting to see what else comes out.
9:06:32 PM Permanent link here
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Location-Based Internet Communities
"Geographic Information System technology has traditionally been relegated to the domain of generating maps and driving directions online. What would happen if you combined a modern GIS system and an online community?" [kuro5hin.org]
A very interesting idea that intrigues me. Last year, I was lucky enough to hook up with Alison Denton and Nina Savar, and we brainstormed all kinds of great uses for GIS and libraries. Of course, we haven't had time to follow through on any of them, but that's another story. GIS fascinates me, especially when combined with wireless access to the data.
6:59:36 PM Permanent link here
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Broadband Access Usage Outpaces Dial-up Access
"High-speed Internet usage accounted for more than half of all time spent online in January, outpacing dial-up Internet access for the first time, Nielsen/NetRatings said in a report Tuesday."[IDG InfoWorld]
I only believe this because I think it reflects that broadband connections are increasing in the workplace.
"Nearly 21.9 million surfers at-home accessed the Internet via broadband connection in January, up 67 percent and accounting for 21 percent of the total online population at-home. The at-work broadband population jumped 42 percent to 25.5 million office workers for the same period, compared to 18 million the year-earlier."
I only believe this because it means that 79% of at-home surfers don't have a broadband connection, which sounds about right. Web designers tend to forget that the rest of the world isn't like them. At least, not yet.
"In a research note, Westmont said that the recent bankruptcy of ExciteAtHome Corp. caused no visible effect upon cable modem subscriber additions in North America."
I really, really don't believe this. If nothing else, a lot of people realized that they either didn't need a high-speed connection or they couldn't live without one. Either way, it did have an impact.
In my neighborhood, I'm one of two houses I know of with a broadband connection. Half my neighbors don't care about the internet, let alone a fast connection to it. Heck, my boss doesn't have a broadband connection at home. Sure, the numbers are going up, but I don't think we've turned a corner yet.
6:50:40 PM Permanent link here
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An Open Letter to Jack Valenti and Michael Eisner
"Turing's Universal Machine means that you cannot have a software or hardware protection scheme that is secure. Whatever scheme you come up with can be simulated by another computer. The computer industry are not opposing your bill because they want to encourage copying, or because they are bloody-minded, they are not opposing you because of your self serving rhetoric about rewarding artists (remember Peggy Lee, Michael?), they are opposing you because what you want is provably impossible. You can only succeed by making all Turing machines illegal." [Kevin Marks, via Doc Searls Weblog]
6:36:51 PM Permanent link here
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never say never
"Paul Boutin says in an article in Salon that 'you won't be blogging from your phone soon.' Wrong-o, dial tone breath. I am blogging from my WAP phone now - by email. Sure, it's slow..." [Sean Gallagher, via Scripting News]
As Dickie V. says, "Awesome, baby!"
6:23:21 PM Permanent link here
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More Jessamyn - two great links from her site:
- Overdue, a library comic strip. I especially liked this one, as it's the kind of misunderstanding we have at my house all the time.
- Cybernetics and Librarianship by Lynn M. Fortney
"Automated library processes via integrated library systems, electronic databases with full text, e-books and online journals, the World Wide Web, and the interlinking of all of these information resources are making cybrarians of us all. Why haven't these electronic wonders made librarianship obsolete? Because after overcoming the first hurdle of "how to" use computer technology, librarians are in the best position to understand two important things: when to use the technology to locate information, and what to do with technology to better manage information resources...."
See Marylaine's Rules of Information for an illustration of why librarians are so important. But to get back to Lynn Fortney's essay:
"We've all heard and probably used the term "cyberlibrarian" and assume it to mean a librarian who is in constant touch with the Internet, but where did the word “cybernetics” originate? Norbert Wiener coined the term "cybernetics" more than 50 years ago, not to describe the use of computers, but rather as a term denoting the study of the use of messages to control machines and the use of communication to control society. He derived it from the Greek word “kerbernetes” – a “steersman”: the one who controls the ship....
'To live effectively is to live with adequate information' is a quote directly from Wiener's book. His purpose for writing the book was to show that we exercise control over our environments based on the information we have available, and the more information we have, the less likely it is that we will succumb to the second law of thermodynamics: in a closed system, energy spontaneously runs down, leading to increasing entropy. As time progresses, a system will tend toward an equilibrium state of uniformity where nothing really new ever happens. Are you lost yet? Wiener's theory is that human beings and the machines we control constitute "local islands of decreasing entropy". If the flow of information can work to "keep things happening", then libraries must be an integral part of a society’s successful future....
The traditionalist view is that libraries are about books, journals and pieces of information. If it is so easy to get to any of these, what do they need us for? However, think about what librarians actually do. We collect information on behalf of our users, and we provide a means of access. It is a relatively new innovation that we are able to connect users to information that we do not have in our own libraries. Talk about "steering" patrons in the right direction…we should have invented the word "cybernetics" ourselves!"
I'll stop there because I'm finding myself quoting the whole article, so make sure you read it in its entirety for yourself.
3:55:37 PM Permanent link here
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I forgot to mention in my earlier post that Teri has a blog, too, and It's All About Books. I had forgotten that she signed up with iGive in order to enable a percentage of purchases made through their link to go to the Chicago Library System. Great idea! It's seems like every time I see or talk to Teri, I learn something interesting about her that I didn't know before. She's another non-stereotypical librarian.
Today I learned that she used to work at an auction house. If you ever have the chance, ask her about her wedding....
3:16:54 PM Permanent link here
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How did I miss this one? Subcommittee to Markup New .kids Bill
"A House subcommittee on March 6th will vote on a bill mandating the creation of a new Internet domain aimed at protecting children online, ".kids.us." Unlike previous efforts, the bill focuses on creating the new space within ".us," the American country-specific Internet domain. The bill would require that the operator of .us limit content in .kids.us to that which is "suitable for minors" under the age of 13. CDT remains skeptical about setting such Internet content standards, which are difficult to create and police, and risk running afoul of American free speech values." [ at the Center for Democracy & Technology, via Dave Farber's Interesting People list]
This is a losing proposition right out of the gate because just like filtering computers in libraries, it's too subjective to scale. Granted this domain will probably get as much use as .biz and .info (in other words, close to none) and at least in this scenario no one is being forced to use it (as opposed to filtering software in libraries), but who is going to decide what "is not psychologically or intellectually inappropriate" for this domain? As the original poster, Alan Davidson, says in his email:
"Will families in New York City and Salt Lake City agree on what is appropriate for kids under 13? How will you enforce such a standard? Are we giving parents false hope about creating a "safe" zone for kids that might not be so safe? And should Congress really be placing these mandates on a registry operator anyway?"
As a librarian, techno geek, and parent, I'm smart enough to recognize this is impossible. Besides, does this mean that I can register cocacola.kids.us or will it still be trademark infringement? And if Coca Cola does take that domain and put up a site, is it really appropriate for kids under age 12? Why are politicians spending time on this kind of legislation that is DOA? (BTW, that's a rhetorical question, so please don't flood me with the obvious - to us, not them - answers.)
2:26:44 PM Permanent link here
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Here's an interesting link from Dave Farber's Interesting People mailing list. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is claiming that if the company is forced to comply with sanctions proposed by the nine hold-out states, it will have to pull the Windows operating system from the market. Poppycock, says John Lyon, who points to the 98lite site where you can purchase programs to remove Internet Explorer from your Windows 95/98/ME/2000 PC. John even has his own blog.
Don't you feel like Microsoft, the RIAA, the MPAA, and the BigCos all think we're a bunch of idiots that will blindly believe whatever they say? Or maybe they just believe this of our legislative and judicial branches. Let's hope they're smarter than the average bear.
1:36:06 PM Permanent link here
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Entertainment Execs, Fear Not the Net
"Earth to Mike. The biggest threat to the movie business isn't the Internet, just as the top danger facing the music business isn't the file-swapping technology that makes it easy to download copyrighted tunes. Actually, those systems are doing what the music and movie businesses should long ago have tried to do: They're giving customers what they really want. The biggest threat is the film industry's stubborn insistence on trying to stop the parade from marching into the future, rather than to lead it.
Here's what people don't want. They don't want crappy movies that cost $7, $8, or more per ticket. And they definitely don't want CDs that contain a single hit and cost $18. One can also understand why they might dislike copyright-protected CDs that won't play on computers. When was the last time a Recording Industry Assn. of America official actually set foot in a college dorm? If any did, he or she might find that among undergraduates, the computer is really the music system of choice. That's due in part to the ease of using PCs to create custom song lists and to computers' super-high-fidelity sound systems, with sub-woofers and amps that can blow the doors off a barn.
Today, people have a fondness for mixing, matching, and managing their tunes. Rip, mix, burn might sound like a hostile mantra to the Big Five labels. But it's a lifestyle for a generation of kids -- and for an increasing number of aging baby-boomers in their 50s and 60s. You can't legislate a lifestyle. Like a digital river, the flow of content over the Web will move around any obstacles." [at BusinessWeek, via Tomalak's Realm]
Amen!
12:55:14 PM Permanent link here
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Cool - A Kosher Blog! Sure wish I could read Hebrew. This is one of the things I was discussing with a reporter last week. International blogs will open up an entirely new venue of information over the next few years. Wouldn't it have been interesting to read blogs by Afghanis during the last few months (I'm posing a theoretical question here because I know they need food way more than they need blogs right now). I'd love to read Israeli and Palestinian blogs and learn how things really are for the average person over there. It would be a wonderful supplement to newspaper and television reporting. [via Insomniac's Lounge]
11:08:32 AM Permanent link here
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Score one for FrontPage users. You have a most excellent resource in Dave Berry, and now he's written some docs for Using Microsoft FrontPage with your Radio Weblog. Dave does nice stuff, too, with screenshots and lots of explanations.
"By the way, all of these tutorials were created solely using FrontPage and then upstreamed to my Weblog. At no time did I use the Radio interface and no electrons were harmed in the writing of these articles."
10:43:49 AM Permanent link here
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Sony Ericsson phones boast camera, color
"At least three of the six new phones have color screens and an always-on Internet capability--key features for creating, sending and displaying images on a mobile phone. The industry hopes that such functions will help to drive a new boom in mobile communications.
Nokia, the giant handset maker, does not have any color screen phones in shops as yet, although it plans to launch one with a built-in camera in the middle of the year." [CNET News.com]
This is going to be a big year for wireless and for cell phones. Finally, people won't look at me like I've grown a third eye when I discuss these types of devices in my presentations.
I'm a Sony gal, too, so I'm happy to see them moving forward in this marketplace. I hope they can do it well, because mobile gaming will definitely be an entry point into the Net Gen market. Remember when I noted that the wireless industry targets their advertising for kids ages 10 and younger? This is why.
The Sony Ericsson site has some interesting Flash demos for Gaming, Imaging & Messaging, and Connectivity (always-on). It's a glimpse into the future that will excite anyone under the age of 35 and mystify anyone over that age. If you are 35, you're borderline and could go either way. ;-)
Check out their Press Releases and the Photo Library for more info about the phones. Here's some info just for the P800:
"The P800 is the most advanced mobile phone from Sony Ericsson. It has an integrated digital camera, a colour screen and a wide range of imaging features. Take a picture, compose a colourful Multimedia Message, (MMS), and send it instantly, to an MMS capable devices or to an e-mail address. Add photos to your contacts to see who?s calling, and design your own wallpapers and screensavers. The P800 acts like a mobile and thinks like a PDA. You can store up to 1000 contacts, organize meetings and tasks in the calendar and make notes (written or voiced) in the notepad. The P800 also handles e-mail with attachments, and has four viewers for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Acrobat documents ? plus more than 20 viewers for other document formats on CD. Contacts, calendar, notes and e-mail can all be synchronized with Outlook and Lotus Notes on your PC via Bluetooth? or cable. The Symbian operating system and Java support lets you store new applications and games to customize the P800 to fit your needs. The P800 also supports GPRS, High Speed Data and WAP 2.0 with one button access to the mobile Internet."
Of course, Europe and Asia first, but I can't wait until these puppies hit our shores. Yeah, you'll pay a premium for Sony Ericsson phones, but it would be worth it to me to have all of the above on one device.
10:36:21 AM Permanent link here
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© Copyright 2004 Jenny Levine.
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