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Monday, 22 September 2003
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USA Today has discovered how handy WiFi hot spots are for business travellers. [The Connected PDA] Every hotel should provide free Wi-Fi, every commuter train should provide free Wi-Fi, Amtrak should provide free Wi-Fi...
8:57:58 PM  ;
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One of the woefully underreported benefits to the FCC's decision to force the cellphone companies to let customers take their number with them when the switch carriers is that phone number portability doesn't just apply to cellphones, beginning November 24th you'll also be able to switch a number from a landline to a cellphone, and vice versa. Read... [Gizmodo] That would be very, very cool indeed.
8:49:33 PM ;
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We've all chuckled at the businesses that promised to deliver us a "smart refrigerator," but after discovering that his fridge died during a two-week road-trip, Dan Gillmor's figured out a pretty important business-case for one:
I won't be too graphic about it, but the food -- including yogurt and formerly frozen meat -- was decomposing in an especially pungent manner. Luckily, I hadn't eaten anything in many hours, if you get my drift.
The circuit is now repaired. The foul smell is more stubborn. (There's also a whole industry devoted to "odor control," I've discovered.)
In any event, the experience has convinced me that that the modern home should be more intelligent, and communicative, than it is today.
[BoingBoing]
Check out the comments Dan Gillmore received!
This is my favorite:
Dan, get a cat.
Then you'll have
to get a friend
to feed the cat
who'll open the fridge
to fetch the milk
and notice the odor
that Dan has!
Posted by: Jock Strapp on September 21, 2003 11:33 PM
Although this one is pretty good, too:
And no, nobody needs a smart fridge. You'd just be adding one more layer of technology that can fail and bring the system down. What you need is a more reliable fridge, not a more complex one. Refrigeration ain't rocket science.
Posted by: C on September 21, 2003 10:22 PM
8:47:17 PM ;
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Billboards all over the United States are sprouting Napster stickers. The former bad-boy company is about to relaunch as a legal music-download service, so surely it wouldn't be illegally stickering billboards, would it? By Leander Kahney. [Wired News] Hillarious! In order to be cool and street certain companies are faking the old sticker on billboard (Roxio for Napster) or graffiti on billboard (Nissan) underground advertising....Ha! I still talk to people wondering how my band in Boston was able to get stickers so high up off the ground....I'm not telling!
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The UK has made spam a criminal offence to try to stop the flood of unsolicited messages. [BBC | TECH] Kudos!!
8:10:06 PM ;
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Drawing 05 
7:04:44 PM ;
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Our friend Lewis sent me this email after the Albuquerque show.
"Laptop DJ" is cool sounding but I think yer right about renaming it "Electronic Percussionist". Uh oh...I feel a spurt of alternates coming on....look out!
Samplecaster
Looptop
Mac Daddy Loop J
Powerbook Boogie Boy
Stereo Typist
LCD J
Secret Sauce
Cyber Synth
Virtual Virtuoso
Apple Chorus
Mouse Trap Set
Screen Dork
Click Art
Keystroke of Genius
RAM Rod
Sound Card Shark
Notebooker T
eesh...sad as it may seem I could go on...e pluribus Lewnum ya know. I like 'em all Lewis, but Stereo Typist and Mouse Trap Set have to be my favorites!
4:14:00 PM ;
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San Diego - Sunday I have been a fan of your music for a while but, until last night at Humphries, have not been able to make it to any of your live performances. I enjoy live performances because they allow the audience to see and maybe get to know the performers and their music a little better. Live shows also allow the audience to hear variations on themes, derived from spontaneous interactions between live performers, and sometimes the audience, that they alone have the priviledge to hear. There were a few "magic" moments last night (eg your interplay with bassist Jon) but, overall, I found the evening a huge disappointment. I don't think I was alone as I often looked around to see a relatively motionless and emotionless audience around me. The biggest disappointments came from the computer driven part of your show and your lack of interaction with the audience. Would it have been so costly to you to have live performers provide the backup instead of the DJ? Would it be asking too much for you to give a brief introduction or to tell the audience something about the songs you are playing? It is extremely rare for me to leave a concert thinking less of a band or performer. Your concert last night was truly one of the most commercial and souless performances I have ever experienced. Sorry to be so harsh. I hope these comments will be taken in the spirit of constructive criticism for that is how they are intended. Take care and good luck on the rest of your tour - Paul Brust
I have no problem with criticism, but I do have a big problem when people lie. You, Sir, are lying to make your point. Shame on you. We received two standing ovations last night in San Diego, the first one at the end of our set and the second after our encore. I saw so many happy faces that your sour face must have escaped my attention. We also sold over $5,000 worth of CDs to an audience you call emotionless. Would they have bought that many CDs had they not enjoyed the concert? Regarding your comment on the motionless crowd, it is true that dancing is sadly not allowed at Humphrey's - a subject I have brought up unsuccessfully several times with the promoter in the 13 years we have played at that venue. Now, regarding the laptop: I enjoy the variety and interaction the electronic percussion from the laptop and the "Kaos" pad bring. Canton plays new stuff every night and surprises us with new sounds. We are not using the laptop as a cheap replacement of "real" musicians - we like what the laptop can do. It is a new kind of instrument, just like the synthesizer was in the Seventies and Eighties. I am sure in those days bands received letters much like yours for using a synthesizer instead of a real orchestra. However, it is true that if we were to bring enough musicians to do what the laptop does, the band would probably exceed 10 people and the already high ticket prices would have to be raised and I have a feeling I would receive another letter from you about that. I would like to make one last point: I have never introduced my music as most people around you could have told you. I am not an entertainer. I did not chat when I started in 1989 and have no plans to chat in the future. I realize that I cannot please all people, in fact that is not the point of my music. I perform because I enjoy playing music, and as long as people come to see me play guitar I will continue. Last night was a special night for me and I was very happy with the music that my little group was making, in fact a lot of it sounded inspired - I am sorry that you could not hear it.
3:41:30 PM ;
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© Copyright
2003
Ottmar Liebert.
Last update:
25.09.03; 8:24:04.
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