Friday, April 16, 2004Howard Rheingold's Slovenia visit next week has a Web site. The talk will be streamed, and the site will support queries for Howard.
(thanks to vuk!)
Hmmm - I wonder if Paolo will make it. Lubijana is only :45 from Gorizia - maybe an hour from Graidsca. Paolo could definitely make it.
I bet he'd really like it.
Great article by Mike Langberg on an idea he has called Receptionist.....
Trying to reach me? Meet my Receptionist
Mercury News
I have four telephone numbers, three e-mail addresses, two fax numbers and user names on three instant messengers.
Many of the people I know personally or professionally have equally complicated electronic fingerprints.
I lose more and more productive time trying to figure out how to reach them, as well as managing my own little communications network so people can reach me.
This is a problem caused by technology, and I believe technology can provide a solution: a future service I've dreamed up and named Receptionist.
I got the idea for Receptionist after writing recently about improvements in electronic mail, instant messaging, video conferencing, voice-over-the-Internet phone calls and mobile phones. Receptionist would bring together all forms of electronic identity in a single gateway, making it easier to reach other people and at the same time increasing our privacy.
I'm not the first to think of this. A long list of companies in a field called ``unified messaging'' offers services today that cover one or two pieces of what I want. Yet as far as I know, none is yet offering a product as comprehensive as Receptionist.
The center of Receptionist would be a customizable Web page where others would go to reach you. My page could be www.langberg.com/contactme. The address would never change, even as I shift phone numbers or e-mail addresses, and I'd never have to give out any contact information other than my page.
The public version of your page would have only basic information that you're willing to share with the world at large, perhaps just your name and e-mail address. A password-protected private page, where you would control how much information is given to each account-holder, would go much deeper.
Receptionist would link to a new generation of mobile phones, just now becoming available, that know their geographic location, allowing the Receptionist page to display either vague or detailed information on your whereabouts. Receptionist would also know when you're signed on to an instant messenger program, so visitors could be told whether you're sitting at your desk.
Here's how my Receptionist page might look:
``Welcome to the contact page for Mike Langberg, Personal Technology Columnist of the San Jose Mercury News.''
The next line would vary.
On weekdays, you might see: ``Mike is working, and is available now for your phone call or message.''
Or you might see, ``Mike is working, but talking on the phone at the moment'' -- because Receptionist would know when either my wired phone or cell phone is in use.
Or ``Mike is working today, but is out of the office at the moment.'' Receptionist would post this message automatically whenever the location data on my cell phone showed I was more than a few hundred yards from the longitude and latitude of my desk.
Below this line would be a row of buttons with options for contacting me:
``Leave a voice message,'' ``Call me on the phone,'' ``Send me an e-mail,'' ``Send me an instant message,'' ``Start a video conference.''
The voice message and e-mail options would always be available, but the others would be grayed out when I'm busy or otherwise unavailable.
Beneath the contact buttons would be a log-on box, where family, friends and co-workers could enter their name and a password. This would take them to a private page where they could see my exact location, as reported by my cell phone. Family and close friends, but maybe not my boss, could ring through to my home phone anytime day or night. Co-workers would get permission to view my electronic calendar, although they wouldn't see private appointments such as weekend parties.
There would also be a voice-only version of Receptionist for people who want to reach me on the phone, without using a computer.
I'd gladly pay $10 to $20 a month for such a service, and I believe millions of others would do the same.
Receptionist would greatly increase my privacy, because I could manage how people interact with me.
More important, I could quickly and easily manage how people interact with me.
Receptionist in its fullest form isn't ready yet for the real world. We'd need much wider adoption of self-locating cell phones, more broadband Internet access in homes and more integration between telephones and the Internet. But all these things will happen within the next few years.
Contact Mike Langberg at mike@langberg.com or (408) 920-5084.
one of kinja's alternate designs. some interesting ideas in the alternate design, though perhaps not right for basic users [anil dash's daily links]
This is SO MUCH BETTER! I can't believe they didn't go for this.
But Jason Fried (and Anil and Adam Seifer and Ross Rader and Adrian Scott and Adriaan Tijsseling and and and and) should know that you're NEVER going to get "the right" layout, design or even set of features right - when you design and offer ONLY ONE user interface to your wide range of end-users.
The future of software is in adaptable, adaptive, customizable user intefaces.
So we won't have to try and find the interface for the right target audience. The end-users will find it for themselves. I myself would be using Kinja - if it looked like this.
bikrammed madonna. I left LA around noon, to make it back up to Oakland by 10pm, maybe time to meet Amy after... [Justin's Links]
The Madonna Inn is also one of my favorite places in America. Oh the stories!
In not so a difficult decision, I've decided to copy and paste Justin's entire here... God Bless copy and Paste.
bikrammed madonna
I left LA around noon, to make it back up to Oakland by 10pm, maybe time to meet Amy after her flight and eat some Korean food. And I had a brief Scream screed due for TheFeature.
Just partway up Highway 5 from Los Angeles and Allison makes contact - I met her through this site, emailing and posting comments. I interviewed her years ago as part of Links.net folks but I haven't posted it yet. "I have a lot going on," I said by way of apologizing. She verbally punched me.
That was over oysters. She invited me to take the road past Santa Barbara to get back to San Francisco. It's a longer road but I had already missed meeting her on my last drive in February. So I arranged to stop in her town yesterday. I suggested we grab a bite to eat before I hit the road. She insisted we do some hot room Bikram yoga. That was her plan last time and she met all my whining about deadlines and driving with teasing and pushing.
So I found myself in a bikram yoga studio in the prototypical California resort town. It's like doing yoga in a sauna. This Bikram guy was pictured on a poster in the room, twisted around himself with immaculately coifed hair sitting on top of an animal skin, on the beach. What kind of a yogi sits on a pelt?
The room itself was a non descript facility in a mall, with extra heating units abounding. Man that place smelled strong. The funk. Months and years of hot human dank. I'm imagine if that yoga sweat studio ever moves out and some poor clothing store tries to set up there, that room will never stop smelling like old pores.
Our class was lead by a late middle-aged looking man wearing a headset. He kept up an incredible steady banter - sportscasting our suffering. This was only possible, I figured, since he wasn't performing any of the incredibly ass-kickingly hard exercises he was describing. Sweat was running into my nose, into my eyes, my knees were slipping against each other, my shorts were wet, I touched my slick and slimy skin. The towel beneath me was wet with sweat. I did all that I could, skipping parts of only a few exercises. 90 minutes of hard yoga in a hot room - I couldn't decide whether to vomit or pass out. I drank a ton of water. I threw death threats at Allison with my eyes - for inviting me into this hell.
All the while, this guy is talking about the monkey mind and encouraging us to look at ourselves in the mirror. Never been to a martial arts or yoga tai chi type class where I was so encouraged to look at myself. 
Red face ribs showing huffle puffle wet hair and bony knees. I kept trying not to look at the lady in front of me, with a tight body and a massive boob job. Boobs popping out the side of her tank top, as she's standing on one foot, grabbing the other and lifting her arm. Crazy boob job and yoga.
It was a throttling experience - I did feel quite high afterwards. Like I wanted to sit in a swimming pool or lay on a wood bench and feel all my chakras coursing with chi. Drink an assload of gatorade and eat a pile of cheeseburgers. Here's a picture of Allison and me, just after class.
Driving back, scenic tour through Santa Barbara - I blasted Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" off her IPod, "a place of neverending happiness, you can always see the sun, day or night" and I watched some very white teeth and light colored hairs turn towards our cruising station wagon. She pointed out Brophy's near the ocean, and I suggested we top off our workout with a dozen raw oysters. We traded stories and laughed good and hard.
Then I did have to hit the road, for all my work and wanting to sleep in my own bed. 8.50pm at a small rest stop near Gaviola I talked with a lone-riding biker lady, coming back from her place in Montana, at the end of a three days ride. She suggested I had at least five hours to go. Shouldn't I drive across the state some, to hit the straight-shot 5 freeway? No, 101 is a beautiful drive. At night? I asked, incredulous. It's not worth driving over to the other freeway, she promised.
Another hour of driving and I realized I was tired. Too tired to keep on - I could have had a Red Bull energy drink to stay awake. But what would Bikram say? I decided not to push myself hard and bleary eyed pulling towards Oakland two am no food no lights not safe. Why not sleep full eight and drive straight in the day light?
Working mobile/internet, CHecker tried to find me a room from some OddWorld local San Luis Obispo Indie Game Jam veterans. Too short notice - happily, I ended up in the magic grounds of the Madonna Inn. One of America's great hotels - kitsch embraced and extended through every fixture - each room a unique homage to some aspect of travel or location. A great attitude too; this solo driver was offered a $95 rate for a night in Swiss Bell. Stone walls, waterfall shower, wooden ceiling. As close as I've been to the style and brilliance of Love Hotels in my birth nation.
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| I sat in a chair and pounded out my assignment, using my Treo 600 mobile phone as a 150k bps modem since the Madonna Inn may be the last bastion of true 'merican taste but it only has dial-up. |
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| Then I laid in bed, admiring the hand-painted broad wooden armoire, very much Swiss-like. I watched Hosni Mubarak on C-Span, waiting for him to give some insight into modern Egypt. Instead he was asked mostly about Israel and Palestine. Sigh. |
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| When I woke up this morning, the stained glass swiss cows and flowers had come alive. Behind the windows, trees and a grass covered rock pile. Beautiful! |
Apple takes Playfair bullying to India. Playfair is the program that removes the use-restriction wrapper from your iTunes Music Store tracks. It used to be hosted on SourceForge, but they chickened out when Apple sent them a bullying note demanding takedown under the ludicrous and loathesome DMCA. Playfair moved to a host in India, which apparently has no such law, but now Apple has nastygrammed the Indian hosts too, resulting in another takedown while the Indians get some legal advice. Gee, Apple, you really can't buy publicity like this. Well, you can. But why would you want to? Link (via /.) [Boing Boing]
I know allot of bloggers and people who read this blog have Macs.
I don't.
I won't use Macs anymore. That's how badly Apple fucked with me. Never again. Ever.
Everyone will take their own journey with Apple. It's only a matter of when you get fed up and leave - for good. Sure you'll always miss it, the quirkyness, the coolio insider feel of it all. Everyone will have their own definition of how much it too much.
I suspect this iTunes attitude will dispell all notions that Apple is on our side. They're not. They'd lciense their technology if they were share the wealth with others. As long as they don't they force everyone else to work together. The HORROR!
Rob Glaser working with Microsoft! The HORROR!
At some point - everyone will realize that the only difference between Apple and Microsoft is 97% of the rest of them. To be a software developer - means you have to have somebody using your software, and developing Mac only software sort of puts you into the ultimate ghetto - with the rich, snobby insiders. Jet Setters, those who can afford to pay for the most for the best.
In other words - Mac users. Macs are the modern day BMW. Sure it's better, but not all of us can afford it.
Watch Adriaan Tijsseling's life change - now that ecto is on the PC. His shit is gonna take off!
Well I am off to Carnegie Hall this evening to see Caetano Veloso - the first ‘non-classical’ artist to be asked to present a ‘Perspectives Series’ at Carnegie Hall.
Of Caetano Veloso, David Byrne shared this:
“Caetano’s work gives one a sense of a world in which there are nodes of common intellectual and sensual pleasures here and there scattered around the globe - a network of “others” who connect to one another and to us but who at the same time articulate something unique to their place of origin.”
The entries are all in for the ’Perfect’ Corporate Weblogging ‘Elevator Pitch’ Competition — and now the work of the judging panelists begins!
I cannot help but substitute Weblogging for Caetano’s work in David Byrne’s above quote - now that would be a “Perfect Pitch”... (-:=
There are few times when I'm jealous of not living in NYC anymore. This is one.
It turns out that the current version of the ecto beta isn't a blogging client, its a Typepad/MovableType client.
I can't use it. :(
I really hope this changes in a future release. A near-future release.
Marc's reply....to Ross Rader
Well some of us have accounts on all major blogging tools, though I'm sure nobody checks out my TypePad account or BlogWare for that matter or LiveJournal. But us professionals have to do our research.
Meanwhile I'm sure Adriaan will take care of supporting Blogware - soon enough.
Tom Mangan is proposing a blog-in at a baseball game:
"The San Francisco Giants play the Oakland Athletics in Oakland in June, and I'm hoping to get as many bloggers as possible to the game and to write about it on their blogs," he says.
You're on! Now the only issue is - "how good is the Wifi". Afterall - it's SBC park, gotta expect them to fuckup somehow. Murhpy's Law.
What date?
SGI Sells Alias Subsidiary to Accel-KKR [Slashdot]
SGI Sells Alias Subsidiary to Accel-KKR
dmehus writes "SGI on Thursday announced it has agreed to sell its Alias subsidiary for $57.5 million in cash to Accel-KKR. Interestingly enough, Accel-KKR owns GroceryWorks, which powers and provides the online version of Safeway. After transaction costs and other items, SGI said it expects net proceeds from the sale come in line at $50 million. Slashdot covered this story in February, saying that SGI was rumoured to be in talks with an unnamed private equity firm, but now it is confirmed."
Let's see Accel. That's Bud Colligan - right? And let's see Alias - that used to be Rob Burgess - right? One used to be CEO of Macromedia. The other the current CEO of my former company.
So now that SGI is tubing, they're shuttling companies back and forth, reaping millions off of the transactions and adding absolutely zero value of the companies or their customers.
Ah the VC way.
OK - so one of the first complaints I get about FOAF is privacy. And I blindly just keep repeating the mantra: "each system is repsonsible for their own security." And then someone asks "do you think everyone will want their FOAF files sent around" and I reply "then don't put anything into your FOAF you don't want others to know about".
OK - so I'm sitting here - waiting for the results of two FOAF based systems to sucessfully import and export FOAF files between each other - and others have said "we can just spider and scarf" - just like any other red-blooded web developer.
And I answer "yes - but we want to get the end-user involved in all this".
So this morning I get an invite into a new system - called AskMyNetwork.com - truly a YASNS. But this one's got some twists. It's a recommendation (read: reputation) network, enabling folks to recomend services, people, restaurants, etc. And it (apparently) has scarfed up a bunch fo FOAF and they're using it for..... well let me tell you how.
1. So I'm looking around this YASNS and there's a button that says:
You have at least 48 potential connections - users that the network believes you already know, but haven't added to your connections list yet.
2. So I click on it - and sure enough, there's good old Mr. Joi Ito. "Ah" - I say, someone warm and fuzzy. So I click on it - and the system asks me for Joi's email. Huh?
3. Now wait a minute - how did they know a) that I know Joi and b) that they DON'T know Joi's email......
4. Hmmmmm - there was also a long list of 48 other people there. Hmmmmmm. Think. Think.
5. Oh shit - they scarfed a FOAF file from somewhere (I think it's the set of FOAFs I have on Phil Pearson's TopicExchange! Ouch - now I have to eat my own dogfood!
6. Solution? Give the end-user the explicit control over exporting FOAF. That's what the FOAFnet is going to do.
7. So Dom Ramsey - if you're reading this - please make AskMyNetwork.com a FOAFnet compliant site and work with us to make ALL FOAF based sites adhere to these simple rules.....
A) No one's FOAF is exported without their explicit permission.
B) No one gets bothered if they don't provide their email - get the hint!
C) Please stop collecting FOAF files as if they're little trophies to be put up on a mantle and admired.
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Next week I'l critique the entire premise of AskMyNetwork and why these recommendations should be locked up inside some data silo - or set free - and placed onto open servers.
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Epilog - they do have some coolio animated gifs though........
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