Stations not ready for digital. More than 30% of commercial TV stations tell regulators they may miss May 1 broadcast deadline. [USA Today : Front Page]

Catch 22 - No one is buying HDTV sets, so why should we broadcast in HDTV? Nevermind that the standard may change soon, inorder to give content providers better control over what and how you can recored, so all exisiting sets and converters will need to be replaced/updated.

Bah.

10:06:14 AM    

Slippery Slime Developed to Control Crowds [Slashdot]

Makes it hard to riot when you cannot stand up. Non-lethal/less than lethal technology is the next "big thing" in both warfare and law enforcement, along with the precision bombs that we are already using.

10:03:16 AM    

Adobe Adds Web Services Capability to AlterCast. A new update to AlterCast gives designers and developers the ability to dynamically update Web images and automate production tasks. [Product News]

This looks to be a great tool for use in outsourced content management. This would also tie in nicely with a workflow that involved managing a large number of images that were to appear in a variety of formats across a product line (print, web, CD.) 

For data tracking, being able to automate the generation of graphs is way cool, as is the automated image creation and labeling.

9:11:19 AM    

Study: IP-based services slow to grow [IDG InfoWorld]

I forsee a time when IP based telephony is standard in people's homes, with cables running through the house to serve your video,  data and telephony needs. This is already starting in some areas, but with the roll out of the Moxi media center, gigabit ethernet and WiFi, I can see a host of home and neighborhood services just around the corner:

• IM Video the kids wirelessly to call them home for dinner.
• Videoconference at holidays in the living room with your retiree parents who are out of state (or country) in their wired old age home.
• Distance learning with access to univerity classes for those who cannot travel (bedridden patients, remote areas who need specailized training)
• Serving different music to different people, and having it follow them around the house. I realize that Bill Gates has something similar in his home, and is planning to roll out something for the homes of others soon as well.
• IR cameras mounted with your outdoor lighting that feed into your home server/PVR. Set them to record when the motion detector goes off so that you can track just when it is the deer are munching your garden, or when a break in occured.
• Wire the fridge with a UPC scanner and a touchpad so that you can make a shopping list automatically. Tie that in with your recipie book and you an plan your meals for the week. While this was a part of the functionality of 3com's failed Audrey product, if it is embedded in an appliance you are already buying, adoption will be easier.

12:28:45 AM