Brand Republic

Brand Republic: "LONDON - Text messaging has caught up with letter writing as the medium of choice for young people wishing to communicate something important to their friends.

Only three years' ago writing a letter far outstripped texting, with twice as many 16-to 24-year-olds choosing the paper and pen method as the phone in 2000. But according to a survey by youth research project Roar, texting has now caught up."

SimpleTEXT: a mobile phone enabled performance

SimpleTEXT: a mobile phone enabled performance: "SimpleTEXT is a collaborative audio/visual public performance that relies on audience participation through input from their mobile phones. The project focuses on connecting people in shared spaces by attempting to merge distributed devices with creative and collaborative experience. SimpleTEXT focuses on dynamic input from participants as essential to the overall output. The result is a public, shared performance where audience members interact by sending SMS, text, or voice to a central server from their input devices. These messages are then dynamically mixed, cut, parsed, and spliced to influence and change the visual and audio output. These communications are also run through a speech synthesizer and a picture synthesizer. The incoming images and text are dynamically mixed according to specified rule sets such as pixel values, length of text, specified keywords, and inherent meanings."

Wired News: Feel Free to Jack Into My IPod

Wired News: Feel Free to Jack Into My IPod: "'But ... this music-sharing appliance could have fairly dramatic social effects.... You could get promiscuous with strangers: You could pair and exchange a song on the same short bus ride. You could create short, ad hoc personal broadcasts, to anyone else with a Bluetooth iPod. You could have a 'What am I listening to?' menu option and share your choice with anyone within discoverable range.' "

Wired News: Feel Free to Jack Into My IPod

Wired News: Feel Free to Jack Into My IPod: "Sharing an iPod through its headphone jack is also a crude, low-tech version of what some predict is the real killer application of future iPods: transforming them into short-distance broadcasting devices by adding Bluetooth or similar radio technology, coupled with Rendezvous, an Apple-developed networking technology that allows devices to discover each other automatically"

The Long Now Foundation: about

The Long Now Foundation: about: "Civilization is revving itself into a pathologically short attention span. The trend might be coming from the acceleration of technology, the short-horizon perspective of market-driven economics, the next-election perspective of democracies, or the distractions of personal multi-tasking. All are on the increase. Some sort of balancing corrective to the short-sightedness is needed-some mechanism or myth which encourages the long view and the taking of long-term responsibility, where 'long-term' is measured at least in centuries. Long Now proposes both a mechanism and a myth. "

Japan Media Review -- OhmyNews Makes Every Citizen a Reporter

Japan Media Review -- OhmyNews Makes Every Citizen a Reporter: "OhmyNews Makes Every Citizen a Reporter
The pioneering South Korean news site posts hundreds of stories every day -- most are written by housewives, schoolkids, professors and other 'citizen journalists.' Founder Oh Yeon-Ho says his site is changing the definition of journalism -- and who can be a journalist."

Siemens Webzine/user interface design

Siemens Webzine/user interface design: "The Fine Art of Listening to the Customer


Ever tried using a new cell phone or computer program and wound up being totally frustrated? Customers often wonder why some products are easy to use while others defy logic. The secret lies in making things simple and, above all, listening to the customer. "

Siemens Webzine PoF 1_02/Plugging Customers into the Multimedia Picture

Siemens Webzine PoF 1_02/Plugging Customers into the Multimedia Picture: "When it comes to the success of the new mobile communications networks, the biggest uncertainty remains the customer. Which applications will be attractive enough to persuade users to part with their money? Industry studies and experts are focusing on multimedia messaging, entertainment, localized and personalized services, and business applications. "

ElectricNews.net:News:Bluetooth boom spawns 'bluejacking'

ElectricNews.net:News:Bluetooth boom spawns 'bluejacking': "In simple terms, bluejacking is the art of anonymously sending messages to users of other Bluetooth devices who have switched on the technology and made their handset 'visible' to potential bluejackers. Since Bluetooth-enabled phones, PDAs and laptops can search for other devices within their short range, bluejackers in crowded transport hubs, pubs or any other public place can easily send off messages without being detected. "

Smart Mobs - The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold

Smart Mobs - The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold: "What does the Matrix do? According to Congressional testimony and news reports, it appears to do just what TIA would have done, if enacted: Tie together government and commercial databases in order to allow federal and state law enforcement entities to conduct detailed searches on particular individuals' dossiers.
The Matrix web site states that the data compiled will include criminal histories, driver's license data, vehicle registration records, and significant amounts of public data record entries. Company officials have refused to disclose more specific details about the nature and sources of the data. According to news reports, the data may also include credit histories, driver's license photographs, marriage and divorce records, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and the names and addresses of family members, neighbors and business associates. "

mySociety.org

mySociety.org: " Guidelines | FAQ | Submit Your Proposal | Read All Proposals
mySociety.org will support projects that have three broad attributes:
Founded on electronic networks. This includes the internet, mobile and telephone networks, wireless, fax and anything related.
Real world impact. The projects must have an impact which is above and beyond helping users to use their computers or mobiles more efficiently. We understand that there is a degree of philosophical ambiguity here (isn't faster browsing a real life impact?), so we've developed the following list of desirable outcomes from projects.
Increased social capital, preferably bridging between groups.
Reduced social exclusion
Improved human capital and employment prospects
Decreased occurrence of common social problems
NB Projects are not limited to these outcomes - if you've got something good which doesn't fit in here, please let us know anyway.
Low or zero cost scalability. This is key. We are looking for projects that cost the same (or virtually the same) to run for ten or a million users. This doesn't exclude the possibility of SMS based services, but it does rule out one-on-one tuition or building a site just for your community. "

BlueHereNow - Your Local Wireless Station

BlueHereNow - Your Local Wireless Station: "In 2004 ½ a billion cell phones will be sold. Nearly half of these phones will be camera phones and almost 30 million will be smartphones. By 2005 there will be over 100,000 WiFi Hotspots. This confluence of wireless technology means that we are about to witness a fundamental change in the way we create and get information. As more people are able to capture photos and send text, images and sounds through the air it is inevitable that all major cultural events will be captured by hundreds if not thousands of accidental bystanders."

)(WarDriver Vinyl Stickers - WarDriving Accessories for Windows and Laptop Computers 802.11b Decals

)(WarDriver Vinyl Stickers - WarDriving Accessories for Windows and Laptop Computers 802.11b Decals: "WarDriver: One who locates and logs wireless access points while in motion ;[benign]. WarDriving was invented by Peter Shipley and now commonly practiced by hobbyists, hackers and security analysts worldwide.

WARDRIVING is fun and common in many cities, identify yourself as a WarDriver with these WarDriving 802.11a and 802.11b accessories. These are Vinyl DICUT Window stickers for your cars, laptops, or any non-textured surface. Hear the whistles, honks from fellow WarDrivers as you're scavenging the city for access points. These stickers look sexy on any car or laptop. Each letter is individually cut and is vinyl, not paper. Used for Window Stickers, Bumper Stickers. The sticker is marked with the )( icon for the hard-core warchalkers out there. Perfect accessory for any WarDrive event. "

C21Media:

C21Media:: "In this near future world, you'll now be watching a combination of programmes: some from existing TV channels, some off the internet, others stored on your own hard disk at home, or swapped electronically with friends. You'll need a pretty sophisticated on screen navigation tool to find your way around programmes or content that comes from so many different sources. It's something that we're only just starting to think about, but here too, is a classic case of new media merging and taking advantage of old media."

C21Media:

C21Media:: "Broadband, will make downloading of decent video quality worthwhile, easy and cheap via the net. Downloading and sharing this video is the final piece of the jigsaw and will create a killer combination that I believe could undermine the existing models of pay-TV.

The killer combination is Broadband together with digital TV and PVRs, plus the ability to share this video in the same peer-to-peer model with which music files are already exchanged on the net. It really doesn't matter if this solution is built into a PC as with the Microsoft's Media Centre, Sony's new play station or a set top box. It all basically adds up to the same solution: a box and a screen - offering unparalled video, TV, interactive and games content. "

C21Media:

C21Media:: "Future TV may well be unrecognisable from today, defined not just by linear TV channels, packaged and scheduled by television executives, but instead will resemble more of a kaleidoscope, thousands of streams of content, some indistinguishable as actual channels. These streams will mix together broadcasters' programmes and viewers' contributions.

At the simplest level - audiences will want to organize and reorder content the way they want it. They'll add comments to programmes, vote on them and generally mess about with them. But at another level, audiences will want to create these streams of video themselves from scratch, with or without our help.

At this end of the spectrum, the traditional 'monologue broadcaster' to 'grateful viewer' relationship will break down, and traditional advertising and subscription models will no longer be viable.

Against this background, new research from the BBC has revealed four new and significant social trends that show that the way in which we consume TV is changing forever. From this we have been able to start changing our content and looking at the ways in which blurring the boundaries between the old and new media can benefit both sides of the industry. "

C21Media:

C21Media:: "Future TV may well be unrecognisable from today, defined not just by linear TV channels, packaged and scheduled by television executives, but instead will resemble more of a kaleidoscope, thousands of streams of content, some indistinguishable as actual channels. These streams will mix together broadcasters' programmes and viewers' contributions.

At the simplest level - audiences will want to organize and reorder content the way they want it. They'll add comments to programmes, vote on them and generally mess about with them. But at another level, audiences will want to create these streams of video themselves from scratch, with or without our help.

At this end of the spectrum, the traditional 'monologue broadcaster' to 'grateful viewer' relationship will break down, and traditional advertising and subscription models will no longer be viable.

Against this background, new research from the BBC has revealed four new and significant social trends that show that the way in which we consume TV is changing forever. From this we have been able to start changing our content and looking at the ways in which blurring the boundaries between the old and new media can benefit both sides of the industry. "

C21Media:

C21Media:: "Kara Swisher, a Wall Street Journal columnist who is considered an authority on the internet and the Time Warner/AOL merger, entertained delegates with tales of greed, deception and egomaniacal rantings.

She told delegates that players in the online space have to redefine their perception of content. 'The reason people go to the web is for instant information, hooking up with people or searching,' she said. 'There is no one thing that everyone needs to see. There is no 'Friends' on the internet. In fact, there still has not been anything I've seen that is the 'right' content,' she said.

She was excited about happenings in online gaming and photography areas. Swisher felt that that Blogs (a running commentary, or regular column that a user posts on a web page) are a definite movement forward, and that funding in Silicon Valley is opening up for social networking initiatives. She also noted that she's watching the wireless area very intently, but for 'conduit, not content'.

It was ironic but fitting that Swisher quoted renowned Canadian media visionary Marshal McLuhan and spoke about the movement of youth that will take the medium forward. In closing, she likened the entire Next MEDIA delegation to 'dinosaurs', which by the way likely averaged between 25-35 years old."

C21Media:

C21Media:: "Ashley Highfield, director of new media and technology at the BBC, proclaimed a multitude of engaging plans that the Beeb is working on in interactive TV, wireless and other digital media spaces. 'New media is going to form a key part of television's future, but television hasn't clocked us yet,' he said.

Highfield also predicted that PVRs will become mass market within the next five years, saying: 'the viewers will finally be able to break free of the 50-year tyranny of the TV schedule'."