March 31, 2004
Police looking for camera phone image...
The Sydney police are looking for anyone that may have seen a brawl with around 25 participants that took place outside a nightclub last week.....
It really makes you wonder about the lunacy and paranoia involved around the world that makes entire countires want to ban camera phones....
Telco's....take note.....
A couple of posts back i had a little rant about the way i think that telecommunication companies should be offering WiFi.....it seems that Verizon have had some success with their rollout of WiFi access pointd on Manhattan Island...
Read the article at Telephony Online to find out more...and Techdirt also has some links to other proviers looking at the same style of access...
March 30, 2004
The Pitch...
How would you pitch the idea of weblogs to someone if the only time you had was in an elevator????
If you think you have a good idea, go to The Social Software weblog and enter it into the " The ‘Perfect’ Corporate Weblogging ‘Elevator Pitch’ Competition…"
March 29, 2004
how would you like to get your spam???
At first glance this story on news.com.au just sounds bizarre....but when you actually read it, it all makes sense...
How would you prefer to recieve marketing communications (hang on a second...isn't that term generally associated with spam)????? By snail mail, email or SMS???
As funny (stupid) as it is...it just shows that people (journalists and research people) should be careful about how the write stories and how they try to pass of their research....at least the American's got a chuckle out of it (at our expense..)
March 27, 2004
Push-To-Talk is coming to Australia
According to some techy web sites and the run of the mill news sites as well, Telstra will be the first Australian Telco to release a Push-To-Talk (PTT) service and the first handset out of the gate will be the Nokia 5140. It sounds like Optus are looking at it as well and won't be to far away either.
Links to the web sites with stories below:
IT News
PC Authority
ninemsn
Austalian IT
ZDNet
Voice and Data Online
Smart House
Nokia Press Relase - March 2nd
Aside from being the first Nokia handset to offer Push-To-Talk , the Nokia 5140 (GSM / GPRS / EDGE capable) is starting to shape up to be a pretty interesting handset with lots of interesting bits built into it and tons more accessories coming out.
Built in features:
Camera (still and video)
Push-To-Talk
Digital compass
Torch
FM radio
Thermometer
Decibel meter
Fitness Coach
Splash and dust proof
Accessories:
GPS Xpress-on cover
RFID Reader Xpress-on cover
Fitness Monitor
my googlejuice cup runneth over...
For the past couple of days, i have held the top ranking on Google if you do a google search for my surname, STANIC.
Mick Stanic almost fills the first 20 places...
Google for "Splatt" and it comes in at 3rd or 4th
Hell...even google for variations on the name of the company i work for and i come in pretty high....Singleton OgilvyInteractive and Singleton Ogilvy Interactive,
As i said....my google juice cup runneth over.. :)
PS. Gapingvoid on google juice....
WiFi for Australian conferences....yeah...right...
Telstra and Staging Connections have put out a Press Release that shows a bit of foresight...(not a lot..but a bit)...announcing that they will be offering a "pay-as-you-use WiFi" service at major Autralian conferences.
When will Telco's understand that they need to provide services like this for free to keep their current client base from switching...or at least use some logic that follows along the line of..."I am a Telstra BigPond cutomer at home or at work...so shouldn't i be able to acess a Telstra / BigPond Wifi service anywhere in Australia as part of my monthly fee???"
Hey Telstra....if your listening..."that is a service i wouldn't mind paying a little bit extra for on top of my monthly fee for my home ADSL...it would stop me from switching my home ADSL provider for a start..."
Now don't get me wrong, i have no problem in paying for Wifi access. While in the US i was more than happy to fork out the $29US a month for accessing T-Mobile WiFi at StarBucks...but if i was a Telstra ADSL user at home, why should i have to pay another $29 to access a Telstra WiFi point???? I also have to mention, this ramble is because the WiFi spread into publicly accessable areas in Australia is pathetic....its almost prompted me to go around offering a WiFi service to cafes and other places in Sydney for a set-fee just so "i" can have access to WiFi in my favourite out-of-office / out-of-home locations....
Now thats not saying that at least some people aren't trying their hardest to get WiFi off the ground over here....this week at the unwired sucess breakfast session at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art put on by Salesforce.com, Telstra and Intel, a push is starting to happen trying to educate people about the benfits of WiFi. Hop over to Mark Jones's blog, "Filtered", to read more about the unwired success session and to pick up the presentation he gave...
My addition to the conversation would be that its all fine and dandy to have WiFi in the office, buthe benefit is to the knoweldge worker who is on the road...i can still plug into an ethernet cable at the office if i have to, but its when i'm at a conference...at the airport....in a cafe...in a food court...that i really need access...and in my opinion, it all comes down to a value-add service by the telco's.
March 26, 2004
Hold onto your hats...the next dotcom craze is coming...
Its more a question of when and not if Google are going to IPO CBS Market Watch story
March 23, 2004
"Lifeblog" or is it just "Life"
Nokia have launched their "Lifeblog" site....
It's a nice idea...but.....its missing one major thing...
The whole concept is based on your mobile and your desktop only....no web component....using the word "blog" in the name implies a certain webby expectation within a product...it is a very pretty looking application though...
Mobile RSS reader and the MDC
Allright...this is a really well done and extremely useful mobile app.
mobilerss essentially allows you to subscribe to indivual feeds or to upload your OPML file with your entire feed list in it, and it then provides you with a URL to view on your mobile device....it even gives you a few options on simple formating.
Oh yeah... its free.... :)
I found this gem on the MDC Bloggers site, and they appear to have some sort of blogging tool contest running in conjunction with MDC 2004...
Some of the stuff coming out of the first day on the blogs looks pretty cool...wish i was their...but i'll have to do with the Australian version in Sydney on the 20th of April
March 22, 2004
Blogging article in the Australian Financial Review
Trevor Cook, who mantains the "Corporate Engagement" blog has had an article on blogging published in one of Australia's major newspapers, the Australian Financial Review.
He has posted the article on his site as you need to register (and pay) to access it online.....will they never learn????
Its a good article and the value of having a double page spread on blogging in the AFR will do me wonders in helping to sell in blogging as a corporate tool...up until now most of my clients have had trouble grasping the idea and hopefully this will help.
I would love to know how Trevor got them to publish it though....well done....
Life Goes Mobile with Nokia and RFID's
Nokia announced an RFID Xpress-on cover for their 5140 phone (the first Nokia push-to-talk phone as well as the phone that worked with the GPS Xpress-on cover) at CeBIT.......Links and more info below..
xbmc....kewl....
Spent the weekend down in Canberra preparing things for a friends upcoming wedding (suit fitting, talking about the venue, speeches, etc) and while i was there i helped him configure up his network so he could use all the features of the XBox Media Center.
As soon as i arrived back home (after the 3 hour drive), i spent the evening getting it set up on my 1st xbox (the 2nd one is used for XBox Live, and yes, their is a reason the 1st Xbox isn't used for Live).
XBMC (as its a called) is a very kewl application...its allows you to play a multitude of media file types (audio, video and image) through your XBox with an interface that looks very similar to Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004. It also has a nice little feature which allows you to enter in your weather.com city code (Sydney = ASXX0112) and you can see your three day forecast on your TV through you network connection.
I cannot wait to get a copy of the XP Media Center OS and get it setup and working....I don't quite understand why you cannot buy the OS as a standalone but are required to be a PC with it all pre-installed...i suppose that way MS can guarentee the machines hardware is optimised....the other big issue is that XP Media center is only available in the US and Canada.....just like the SPOT watch service...grrrrrrr
I have heard (reliable source ;) that we should be getting XP Media Center realesed in Australia pretty soon....fingers crrossed....until then, i guess i will just have to make do with the XBox version....
March 18, 2004
New pen phone from Siemans...
Siemans have just announced a "pen phone" at CeBIT...nice idea....strange...but nice....
"Siemens goes small with the new PenPhone, the first ever tri-band mobile phone housed in the unusual shape of a pen and offering all the features of a standard mobile phone. The 140 mm long PenPhone recognizes handwriting for dialing numbers and writing text messages directly into the mobile phone – no matter what surface you write on. Even if no writing surface is available, built-in voice recognition means you can activate the PenPhone. Additional features include an integrated loudspeaker and handsfree function and using its Bluetooth interface, you can connect wirelessly to your PDA or headset."
More new product info can be found at the Siemans CeBIT press release site.
March 15, 2004
Dave Winer talks at Microsoft on weblogs
Courtesy of the MURL (Multi-University/Research Lab) Seminar Series, you too can now watch the same session that Dave Winer (Scripting News and UserLand Software) presented to Microsoft staff, "Weblogs and how we can work together", on the privacy of your own computer.
The MURL Seminar Series has some great tech video sessions available for your perusal....and what else would you expect from the combined talents of Carnegie-Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Microsoft Research, Stanford University, the University of Washington and PARC.....
Lots of stuff to watch to fill in any spare time you may have...
March 14, 2004
Vodafone gets into moblogging...
Vodafone and Microsoft have joined forces to provide a demonstration moblog called vodablog...
It's only a matter of time until the bulk of the telco's realise that they need to provide these sorts of services to keep their users happy and to stop them from wandering to other network providers....
a mobile story....
Heres an interesting article about an author called "Yoshi" in Japan who has been writing a novel called "Deep Love" for the past three years.
The different thing is that he has made it available on a mobile phone friendly website and also sent it via email to subscribers mobile phones in chuncks of 1600 characters....he's now looking at making a movie about it...
Only in Japan....
SPOT watch mini site and video....
A new SPOT watch mini-site has been launched by the guys over at Fossil and Microsoft...
It looks like it had some stuff on the site about new channels that they were not supposed to be talking about...oooops....but luckily the team over at SpotStop.com managed to grab some screenshots before the site was changed back to its intended version.
The sports channel we knew about, but some of the other channels have got some of the pundits starting to sit up and take notice...current traffic conditions, a dining guide, a movie finder and daily diversions (horoscopes, lottery results, word and quotes of the day, born on this day and this day in history)....
They also have a copy of "Secret Agent Man"..the Microsoft video promoting MSN Direct featuring Spike Lee.
ProjectLonghorn.com ?????? or is it Channel 9???
Found this on Adam Kinney's site...
Andrew Watt didn't think it was funny, but I found this humorous. Check out ProjectLonghorn.com, truly registered by Microsoft.
Channel 9 is the Public Broadcasting Station in Seattle.
Scoble's hard at work :)
I've moved to movable type...
Well...it took a couple of hours, but i have managed to move the entire blog over from Blogger to Movable Type 2.661....
It look OK and seems to have some nice functionality...i really like the "category" feature and its nice to have the blog now searchable as well....
Another nice thing is that it automatically creates mutiple syndication feed types....I now have RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0 and ATOM syndication feeds available....
I will have a bit more of play with the plug-in feature later as it looks quite interesting....i'm just glad to have ot all up and running....
March 11, 2004
hmmmm......coincidence....i think not....
Simple, short post......
I've been thinking about this recently (something to do with trying to watch 24 episodes of Voyager in one sitting with a bunch of geeks....the BBQ and alcohol probably didn't help either....)
Here what I've been thinking about.....
"Captains starlog.......weblog........starlog.......weblog.......hmmm...."
March 8, 2004
mmm....segway...
I tried.....i really, really tried.....i really, really, really tried not to go for a ride on a segway....
But I wasn't strong enough...my will power broke down.... :(
I took one for a ride while i was in Seattle at the GlideUSA rental place near Green Lake, and now i just need to have one....
The Segway is one of the coolest things I have ever seen....and to ride one was just amazing....the only problem is that because their motor is rated at over 200 watts, Australian Customs classify it as road vehicle and this stage are not allowing you to import them (info here).....I will find a way.... ;)
Anyway...photos of my Segway ride can be found here.
March 7, 2004
Live.....at last....
Allright.... i finally went out and got an XBox Live pack.....very, very kewl.....(and yes....i've spent all day on it...ok..)
Took a while to get the Netcomm 802.11g bridge to work (opening ports and locking down IP's), but its finally going....I've been playing some MotoGP (a demo came with the Live pack), Mech Assault (memories of playing battletech on the Tesla system at the Intencity arcade in Parramatta - damn shame they closed it down, it was by far the best VR setup in Australia), and Links 2004.
I have also signed up for the Road 2 Longhorn XSNsports.com golf tournament put together by Jeff Sandquist....playing golf with a bunch of geeks....online....hehehehe...
If anyone out there wants to add my gamertag to their friends list its"TTalpS" - SplaTT was taken :(
game on.....
March 5, 2004
yeah....yeah...i can't talk...i'm at the dentist...
This was just waiting to happen.....SounderCover....hide behind fake sounds...
XBox communities have value...but not just onXBox Live...
Keeping in the area of the xbox inspired post not long ago, Amanda Murphey (from over at ATG.Blog), posts about finding an interesting article on the xboxsolution.com web site about the online relationships developed on the sites forums....their is hope for the web yet....
Is Russell changing his tune???
Interesting article by Russell Beattie about Microsoft Smartphones, Motorola, Nokia, .Net Compact and J2ME....
by the way...the nice looking phone on the left is the Motorola MPx100 and you can find a nice short write-up on it at InfoSync World...
heres a small out-take about its capabilities.."Furthermore the Smartphone sports an integrated MP3 player, and instant messaging capabilities through MSN Messenger. The MPx100 also allows for photo album storage and features embedded Multi-Media Messaging Service (MMS) capability for sending and receiving photos, wallpapers, icons and more. Available accessories will include a Bluetooth Stereo Headset, a GPS Bluetooth receiver and a Wi-Fi adapter.".......ooooo......lots of nice toys....
The Nokia 9500 Communicator also has a lot of the same functionality as the MPx 100, but it is in a much larger format and aimed at the Enterprise market.
March 4, 2004
internet vs television comparison
Mark Hemphill has made a nice comparison of the Internet and the television broadcasting model in terms of the user experience.
[Found on PR meets the WWW]
March 3, 2004
meetings in game-space
Ok...this is really cool idea...
Golf has always been a popular way to help you develop and grow your social network with business associates and even just friends....
Now, with the advent of gaming consoles, like the XBox, being connected to the "internet", suddenly playing a round of golf is taking on a whole new meaning.
Imagine playing a game of social golf not in real life, but in "game-space". Game-Space is that magical place you go when you fire up your gaming console / PC and enter a world only available on though that device and the net. This is causing flashbacks to conversations about the value of virtual reality from years ago - something about distributed virtual worlds.
Check out Jeff Sandquist's blog for info on a recent gathering for a game of golf....
March 1, 2004
w.bloggar 3.03....offline blogging tool.....
Just loaded up w.bloggar and have started to use it as my main tool for posting to my blogger based blog.....I actually really like the web based blog system that blogger use, but w.blogger lets me write posts while i'm not even connected to the web....nice.....
I know that a lot of other tools offer this service, but as i said, i like the blogger system and w,bloggar gives me access to easy updating...wether its text or text and images.....
It also has a couple of other nice tools.....Microsoft have developed a plug-in for Media Player which talks to a number of blogging tools which automatically pulls the title of the song you are listening too and makes it part of your past...see below...