March 30, 2005
Lunch
I had lunch today with an old friend i haven't seen in nearly four years to remember and honour Paul Hester, the drummer for Crowded House who the world lost on Saturday.
It was good to catch up Cindy...even if it was for a sad reason.
March 29, 2005
MSN Search Champs V2 announced and guess who has been invited?
(cross post from Principius Blog)
MSN's Search Champs V2 program was officially announced over at the msnsearch weblog over a week ago...so i guess i can talk about this now.
For those that don't know and are asking the question..."What is Search Champs?"
"One of the most successful programs was Search Champs, which included about 30 of the world's most influential technology enthusiasts from the field of search. Invited to Microsoft in October, they were given a special in-depth preview of the beta release and encouraged to provide detailed input on how MSN could improve the service, both in the initial release and beyond. " Quote from MSN Search Launch press release in February of 2005.If your interested in what happened at Search Champs V1, check out Robin Good's report.
And the good news is that I have been invited to become a member of "Search Champs V2" which kicks off in Redmond this April. The team over at Microsoft and MSN have done a fair bit of work over the last 12 months and it will be interesting to see exactly what they have up their sleave and will be showing us at the Search Champs V2 event.
Now...where do i sit on the search engine fence???
I do actually use MSN Search...I use it as much as i use Google...the way i like to keep an eye on the serach engines is to run the same queries through them..well..most of the time. To be honest Google has had a fair share of preference from me as its results have been "more correct for me", but that has been changing...v e r y s l o w l y.
I love the MSN desktop search...i tried Googles for about a week then switched it off, while the MSN bar has been on my desktop since it was released. But...I did use to run both the Google and MSN bar in Internet Explorer...(you can never have enough pop-up blockers ;) and i only recently removed the Google bar in favour of the MSN bar.
The other stuff i really like is some of the new XML feed (RSS and ATOM) integration the MSN guys have been releasing as well. A great example of that is some of the updates that myMSN has had over the last 12 months and also with some of the "MSN Sandbox" stuff they have let out like start.com/1 and start.com/1. The two start.com sites seem to be getting updated as well with new features (check out their MSN Spaces site)...sort of like a really early alpha release for us all to play with.
I am really looking forward to being a part of Search Champs V2 and have to thank the team for inviting me. The opportunity to see what is being worked on for the future releases, and to be a part of a (no doubt) great group of poeple and help to shape its direction in even a miniscule way will be a great expereince.
Seattle and Redmond...here i come :)
Addendum: Sean Carver from the MSN team has sent through some more details including the invitee list....and Robin Good has worked up a blog post with most peoples details
G'day World podcast number 7...its been a while...
Finally...the last podcast that Cameron and I did for G'day World was on January 26th of this year...that was over two months ago...
Well...no need to wait any longer...G'day World Podcast #7 is now live over at G'day World site at "The Podcast Network"...enjoy :)
March 28, 2005
Crowded House is just a little less crowded...
I just got of the phone with Cameron...and he told me that Paul Hester, the drummer for one of Australia and New Zealands favouite bands, Crowded House, was found dead at a park in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. Apparently he commited suicide.
Crowded House are one of those bands that played a big part in my late teenage amd early adult years and i saw them perform live so many times between 1986 and 1996 when I got to spend the day in Sydney at their last concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
What can you say...the world has lost one of the good one's :(
Articles at The Age newspaper site:
Music world mourns an incredible showman
Photos
Welcome to the Matrix...online...
Warner Bros and SEGA recently launched the latest game that will no doubt sweep the MMORPG world..."The Matrix Online".
The story line (directed by the Wachowski brothers) appears to take off from where the last Matrix movie finished...and it looks pretty cool. It has guest appearances by all of your favourite matrix characters (except Neo) and has a few interesting things up its sleave..like the fallowing description taken from the press release...
"In an unprecedented move, a specialized role-playing live events team at Monolith will assume the roles of the actual Matrix characters and support the continuation of the game’s storyline through choreographed interaction. Players will meet, battle and eventually team up with the familiar characters on high-profile missions or at player-organized events."
Check out the trailers for a preview into what the "Matrix Online world" looks like.
The game will retail for around US$50 with a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99 and has already been launched in the US with Europe following on the 8th of April..no word for Australia yet though... :(
March 27, 2005
The Media Center Show launches at The Podcast Network
It may be Sunday...but at The Podcast Network, that doesn't stop us from putting in a full days work and launching a new channel...
The latest show to join our ever expanding stable of content is one that i have been looking forward to for a while (as i'm an avid user of the technology)...is the "The Media Center Show".
Ian Dixon, the host for "The Media Center Show", has already produced two shows about the Windows Media Center before joining us and he has kindly allowed us to put those shows up on the site while he is getting the third show together. Thnx Ian..and welcome onboard.
The show has already gotten favourable reviews and we hope you all enjoy it...
March 25, 2005
David Duchovny audioblogs...
David Duchovny (thats right...Mulder from X-Files) has written and directed his first feature movie "House of D" and he not only has a blog about it...but he is also doing audioblog posts as well...
Nice....and to top it off...the movie looks pretty good as well...but then anything with Robin Wiliams in it is always going to be good in my opinion...check out the trailer and see for yourself.
The Rock Show...rocks...
Want to listen to some rock music??? If you do, The Rock Show is for you. Check out and subscribe to the second music channel over at The Podcast Network and hear Ewan, thats right...Ewan the mad kilt wearing rocker from Scotland, play some of the best "podsafe" rock music around.
And make sure you turn your iPod's volume upto eleven...its that good...
Gnomedex 5.0...here i come...
Its done...i have purchased my ticket to attend Gnomedex 5.0 in Seattle in late June...
:)
ETech 2005 podcast goes live
The first podcast by Ewan Spence and "Crow" from the 2005 O'Reilly's Emerging Technologies Conference..or ETech...is now live at The Podcast Networks latest site...The Tech Conference Show.
Listen in while Ewan interviews Tim O'Reilly, Cory Doctorow, Robert Kaye, Mauel Kiessling, Phillip Torrone, James Larsson, Mike Rowehl andf Rael Dornfest.
I really wanted to get to this years Etech as i attended the 2004 conference and it was brilliant..but alas, various things kept me from going...so when Ewan said he was going, he just knew he had to record some interviews with some of the great people who showed up...more ETech shows are coming up so make sure you subscribe to the feed...
Oh yeah..great job Ewan..and Crow of course :)
March 24, 2005
The Segway Cross-Terrain Transporter....i must have one :)
I knew i hadn't bought a Segway for some reason....the gods (in their wisdom) have been keepng me from getting one until the Cross-Terrain model, the Segway XT, was released...this thing is so cool....
They have also released new range of "colours" with the Segway i180 models (in red, yellow and blue) as well a model for you golfers, the Segway GT.
The Tech Conference Show launches
Time to launch a new channel at The Podcast Network...
If you like attending tech conferences...but just can't seem to get them, check out our latest channel...The Tech Conference Show. We are not pretending that we will get to every tech show that is put on every where in the world, but the ones that we do go to and that we record shows at, we will post at this new site. We will also cross post any conference based recordings from other channels that fit into this category as well.
March 22, 2005
The Microsoft Visitor Center and Museum re-opens
I missed visiting the Microsoft Museum (as it was called then) last time i was visiting Microsoft's Redmond campus because it was either closed or being re-built...but i will definately visit it on my next trip.
Check out the press release and the centers website for more info.
Now..when will i be in Redmond next??? Stay tuned for that answer ;)
The Movie Show launches at The Podcast Network
Time to launch some new channels at The Podcast Network...and the first one???
The Movie Show...starring Cameron Reilly and Ewan Spence. These two movie fanatics will be giving us a weekly look at the movies of the past, the present and the future...so grab some popcorn, subscribe to the feed and get your movie fix at The Podcast Network.
March 18, 2005
State of the Blogosphere 2...part 3...
Another day goes by...and this time we get Part 3 of David Sifry's State of the Blogosphere.
This update has some good info on comparisons of traditional media sites vs blogs, the A-list and the power of the long tail.
Too much for me to decode for you here...so head on over to his site and check it out...more to come...
Ewan's book
This is a really cool flash app that takes a book title, runs it through an Amazon search and then creates a flash animation using the books cover...very well done.
For an example check out Ewan's book and Cluetrain
On the Pod with Howard Rheingold
The interview we did in early February with Howard Rheingold is now live over at the G'day World site at the The Podcast Network.
As i have mentioned before, interviewing Howard and being able to bring that interview to all of our listeners (eventually) has been one of the highlights of the whole G'day World experience for me...so go and listen to it...
March 17, 2005
Another TechEd video from Rory and Scott
Another video from Rory and Scott in the lead-up to the US edition of TechEd. This one has them trying to architect a solution with some bizarre components.... :)
And don't worry...unlike the first video they did that i mentioned in an earlier post, this one isn't shot in a Microsoft bathroom.
ETech 2005 coverage
Interested in finding out whats going on at the 2005 O’Reilly’s Emerging Technology conference that is on in San Diego at teh moment???
I know i am...since i didn't get to go :(
Check out the ETech Interacts post over at The Gadget Show on The Podcast Network for all the links.
And if you are at ETech find Ewan and say hi for me. Ewan will be easy to spot...look for a man in a kilt with a crow ;)
State of the Blogosphere...part 2
Part 2 of David Sifry's State of the Blogosphere is up.
And the highlight???
- Technorati was tracking on average around 400,000 posts each day in October of 2004 and is tracking an average of around 500,000 posts each day in early March 2005.
- Thats 5.8 blog posts each second.
March 15, 2005
A new co-host for The Tablet PC Show #2
The second show by James Kendrick over at The Tablet PC Show has been released, and in this show he has a surprise guest for a co-host...Marc Orchant.
One of the benfits of doing post production to the shows is that i get to listen to them before anyone else...and let me tell you...if you own a Tablet PC, or are thinking of buying a Tablet PC, then i highly recommend that you go and listen to the new show...
State of the Blogosphere according to Technorati...March 2005...part 1
David Sifry (Founder and CEO of Technorati) has released the first part of his second State of the Blogosphere (the first one was released in October of 2004) over at his website.
And the stats are once again amazing...
- The blogosphere is doubling in size once every 5 months. So...in the last 20 months it has increased in size by over 16 times.
- 30,000 - 40,000 new weblogs created each day.
David will be releasing more stats tomorrow...
TechEd toilet humour
As far as video's shot in bathrooms go...this video created by Scott Hanselman and Rory Blyth is pretty funny...well...its funny if you understand what they are talking about... :)
It look likes a "Part 1" as well...that means more to come...
March 12, 2005
Expedition Oz...or geeks in the great outdoors
With all i have going on you think i would learn..but not me... :)
I've just launched another site called Expedition Oz (complete with blog and gallery) which will focus on my (part time) love of the great outdoors.
The one thing i do to get away from the office, is to get in my Landrover and drive out to the middle of nowhere. Sometimes i even dump the car, and go out for a mountain bike, a hike, a bit of kayak, a little bit of bouldering, a trail run, some geo-caching or whatever takes my fancy. I once spent four weeks travelling around the Australian outback...just me and my trusty Landrover Discovery. And yes...you do start talking to yourself after not having seen another human for 5 days..hang on...i do that anyway ;)
But the different thing between me and the bulk of the other people who like to spend their spare time in the "the big room", is that i tend to carry a heap of technology with me...GPS, digital camera, iPod (for podcasting on the move), PDA (secondary GPS), scanner, UHF radio, portable weather station, USB camera a(ttached to laptop), etc. Now i dont always carry this stuff "on me...but its usaully in the car or not that far away.
Like in my work life...so it is in my private life. I like to use the technology to better enjoy and to enhance the experience, and the Expedition Oz sites (and no...i'm not sure how often they will be updated) will be my way of sharing that experience...enjoy :)
Gnomedex 5.0...officially announced...
A couple of days ago Chris Pirillo announced on his blog that Gnomedex 5.0 is being held between June 23 and June 25 2005 in Seattle...
So now you know where to find me is you are looking for me on those dates...after staying up all night listening to the live audio feed of the last Gnomedex (which was absolutely fantastcic..well done Chris and the Lockergnome team) there is no way that i am going to miss being at this one in person...Seattle...here i come :)
Convergence 2005 video
On a serious note (but man that cannon is so cool)...the segment of the video following the closing keynote given by Bill Gates where he is asked questions about Microsoft, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and some generic "humourous" type questions, is one of the best "Bill is a real person too" moments I have ever seen.
Do yourself a favour and go and watch it...
March 11, 2005
Check out the Microsoft t-shirt cannon...
Watch the video of Bill Gate's closing keynote at the Microsoft Business Solutions Convergence 2005.
Right at the beginning, they come and and throw schwag in to the audience...but those rooms at the San Diego Convention Center are damn big...so they bring out the t-shirt cannon... :)
You have to see this thing...it should become compulsory at all conferences...
XBOX Podcast??? Where????
"To listen to a podcast or watch video of the keynote, go to ...."
Ummm..guys....an mp3 or WMA on your website does not make a podcast...or did i miss the RSS feed somewhere????
(Note: From the XBOX 2 press release...right near the bottom of it)
March 10, 2005
Great chat at the Breakfast Bytes blogging panel
So the Hill & Knowlton Breakfast Bytes' Blogging Panel session came and went this morning and it was pretty cool to see about 70 people show up to hear Frank, Mark, Andrew (that?s right...Andrew now has a blog) and myself talk about blogging.
We covered as much as we could in the 75 or so minutes we had and hopefully everybody who attended got something useful out of it. For a recap of the event, watch for a screening of the event on a Foxtel show called "Business Technology Review" in the next few weeks.
We had some good questions from the audience and i think we all responded pretty well, with each of us covering areas that we knew about. We all also had some great conversations with people before (and yes...i was running late) and after the event and hopefully I should be catching up with a few people i spoke to in the near future.
What was the highlight of the event i hear you ask? Well...that would have to be the outcome that Hill & Knowlton now have a Breakfast Bytes' Blog...damn that was quick... :)
A big thanx to Rob Irwin and the team at H&K for organising what is being called Australias first event of its type that focussed on blogging. And a big thanx to me fellow panellists, Frank, Mark and Andrew...it was a pleasure guys. We must do it again some time...
LINKS for visitors from the session
March 9, 2005
Hey geek...looking for good coffee???
What is it with geeks and coffee??? When ever you see a geek, he/she always have some sort of caffeine hit within close grasp at all times...(mmm..caffeine...)
Well...for those moments when you are travelling and just can't seem to find a good coffee...you can refer to a new site a good mate of mine, Rob Barac (who left sunny Sydney to live in Lac-Megantic in freezing Canada), has decided to set up called Cafe Geek.
Well...you need to go and give him some feedback on the site first so he knows what he needs to build to keep everyone happy. The last thing he needs is caffeine starved geeks chasing him around...he gets enough of that with all the bears and moose he has to to put up wth now :)
March 8, 2005
The Worlds First Podcasting Survey...(with Prize)
Cam and I were trying to find podcasting statistics on the web and... well... there aren't any reliable stats that we can find. So we decided the world needs a PODCASTING SURVEY.
Click here to take THE WORLD'S FIRST PODCASTING SURVEY. FREE PRIZE INSIDE!
March 7, 2005
Just for Robert Scoble
What the Scobleizer aks for...the Scobleizer gets...
:)
Note: Everybody else can (and probably should) ignore this post ;)
Battlestar Galactica...these guys get the whole emerging technology thing
NOTE: Cross post from the Principius blog
Its nice to see when traditional media "gets it"...and its even better when its from someone or has something to do with something i like.
You can now download and listen to commentary of episodes of the new Battlestar Galactica series by the shows Executive Producer, Ronald D. Moore, via podcasts they are providing. Very nice... :)
And another few things that shows that these guys get it...the EP has his own blog...and...you can even watch the whole 1st episode online....for free...complete with some deleted scenes. The link for that is on the series home page.
Now that is how you keep the fans happy. I know i am.
March 3, 2005
I'm on the Breakfast Bytes' Blogging Panel
Along with Mark Jones (Deputy Managing Director, IDG Communications), Frank Arrigo (Group Manager, Microsoft Australia) and Andrew Kirk (Associate Director, Hill & Knowlton), i have been asked to be on a "blogging panel" session being held by the PR firm Hill & Knowlton on Thursday the 10th of March....details below..
*********************************
Breakfast Bytes' Blogging Panel
Sydney - Thursday 10 March
"Weblogs" -- websites that can be updated as quickly as talk-back radio -- have become a worldwide phenomenon.
Blogging is the focus of Hill & Knowlton's next Breakfast Bytes seminar, which will be in panel format.
Join some of Australia's leading bloggers and communication experts for a frank and engaging discussion of blogging, marketing and public relations:
- Mark Jones, Deputy Managing Director, IDG Communications, who pioneered the use of blogs in IT journalism
- Frank Arrigo, Group Manager, Microsoft Australia, and a prominent corporate blogger
- Andrew Kirk, Associate Director, Hill & Knowlton, and an ex-Channel 10 and radio reporter
- Mick Stanic, proprietor of Principius, the mind behind Splatt, and a 'podcasting' pioneer
Where:
Level 1, 338 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW, Australia
When:
7.15-9am, Thursday 10 March
Breakfast will be served from 7.15am
The panel will begin 7.45am sharp
Spaces are limited - please register
Register:
To register for this free event, please visit the Breakfast Bytes registration page.
Further Information:
Hill & Knowlton
p: 02 9268 0242
e: breakfastbytes@hillandknowlton.com
Its all about the podcasting
My life has no other meaning at the moment... :)
The Tablet PC Show's first show is live
The techAddiction Show's first show is live
The Jazz Show has a new show up
The G'day World DEMO@15 Show is up
Claybourne has new episodes going live every 2-3 days
And new shows are nearly ready for both The Gadget Show and The Mobiles Show
We are also getting real close to launching another 3-4 new shows/channels as well....like i said in my last post..its been busy around here ;)
