Paul John Lamb reports on a meeting of the Innovation Funder's Network and suggests ways in which social activists and the organizations that support them can connect activism with appropriate technology - a few ideas here (edited):
"1. Bleed together: Organize intensive training sessions that bring together community-based activists and social leaders (with little or no tech experience) with technology/innovation activists and bleeding edge techies. Part of the training would introduce the social sector folks to the latest technology tools and potential applications, and another part would further sensitize the techies to community and social issues.
2. Support the small 'technivist' in a big way: Create a think and do tank that brings together teams of talented social entrepreneurs with policy experts and funders to address major social and economic issues.
3. Establish an annual 'gadgets for good' exhibition. How about an alternative to the Consumer Electronics Show and the MacWorld expo - a Social Electronics Show that features gadgetry and tech stuff that actually matters?"
Read full here
Thanks to Smartmobs
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Mobile phones make money mobile
It is interesting to note that taking a service that is growing in Asia, Motorola Inc. is planning to launch a system that will allow people to purchase products simply by waving a mobile phone with an embedded chip over scanners at the cash register.
Read here at textually.org
Read here at textually.org
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Holla Back NYC
In this new website titled 'Holla Back NYC', they encourage local citizens to mobile-camera snap any sources of harrassment - and to post the picture, with words, to publicly humiliate the offender. The site states:
"Holla Back NYC empowers New Yorkers to Holla Back at street harassers. Whether you're commuting, lunching, partying, dancing, walking, chilling, drinking, or sunning, you have the right to feel safe, confident, and sexy, without being the object of someone's fantasy.So stop walkin' on and Holla Back: Send us pics of street harassers!"
Another indication of the move towards civil participation and the participatory panopticon?
"Holla Back NYC empowers New Yorkers to Holla Back at street harassers. Whether you're commuting, lunching, partying, dancing, walking, chilling, drinking, or sunning, you have the right to feel safe, confident, and sexy, without being the object of someone's fantasy.So stop walkin' on and Holla Back: Send us pics of street harassers!"
Another indication of the move towards civil participation and the participatory panopticon?
Welcome To The Blogosphere: Population 27.2 Million And Growing
In this recent article from Information Week, it says:
"A new blog is created every second and the phenomenon has grown 60 times larger than it was three years ago, according to Dave Sifry at Technorati.
In "State of the Blogosphere," published most recently on Monday, Sifry said there are about 27.2 million blogs and 75,000 new ones created each day. At that rate, the blogosphere doubles about every 5.5 months, with about 1.2 million new posts daily, or 50,000 an hour."
Read the article here
"A new blog is created every second and the phenomenon has grown 60 times larger than it was three years ago, according to Dave Sifry at Technorati.
In "State of the Blogosphere," published most recently on Monday, Sifry said there are about 27.2 million blogs and 75,000 new ones created each day. At that rate, the blogosphere doubles about every 5.5 months, with about 1.2 million new posts daily, or 50,000 an hour."
Read the article here
Up, Up and Away!
Another interesting post has emerged on Worldchanging - about how mobile technologies are being used in the 'leapfrog nations' - here is an extract:
"One of the reasons why mobile phone technology is so appealing to the leapfrog nations is that it's far less expensive and time-consuming to erect cellular towers than it is to pull miles of copper or fiber optic wire. But what if there was a solution that would be even cheaper and faster? Arizona-based Space Data and North Dakota's Extend America have developed a system using inexpensive balloons with cellular routers to provide wide-area coverage of sparsely-populated areas. North Dakota is set to be the test site for the system, which will use three balloons to provide coverage equivalent to 1,100 cellular towers. The balloons, once launched, would rise to a height of 20 miles, well above flight paths and transient weather conditions."
"One of the reasons why mobile phone technology is so appealing to the leapfrog nations is that it's far less expensive and time-consuming to erect cellular towers than it is to pull miles of copper or fiber optic wire. But what if there was a solution that would be even cheaper and faster? Arizona-based Space Data and North Dakota's Extend America have developed a system using inexpensive balloons with cellular routers to provide wide-area coverage of sparsely-populated areas. North Dakota is set to be the test site for the system, which will use three balloons to provide coverage equivalent to 1,100 cellular towers. The balloons, once launched, would rise to a height of 20 miles, well above flight paths and transient weather conditions."
Go Digital 6th Feb 2006
Monday, February 06, 2006
We Know Where You Are
The Mobile Weblog has this interesting post:
"One of the bigger stories over the weekend has been the resurgence of issue of companies using cellphones to track employees. With an increase in the number of devices that support GPS queries, or just the greater ability to triangulate a cellphone based on the current cells that handset is using, the number of firms that offer tracking services has grown dramatically.
According to a story from ZDNet, the sheer number of firms now offering this service is starting to raise privacy concerns.
Not everybody is happy about being monitored, however, and civil rights group Liberty says the growth of tracking raises data privacy concerns.
Kevin Brown, operations director of tracking firm Followus, said there was nothing covert about tracking, thanks to strict regulations.
"An employee has to consent to having their mobile tracked. A company can't request to track a phone without the user knowing," he said. "Under government rules we send random alerts to each phone we track, informing the user they are being monitored."
All that is needed to trace a mobile phone is a computer with an Internet connection. Once a phone is activated for tracking, it becomes a mobile electronic tag and its approximate position can be followed using the service provider's Web site."
Read the post
"One of the bigger stories over the weekend has been the resurgence of issue of companies using cellphones to track employees. With an increase in the number of devices that support GPS queries, or just the greater ability to triangulate a cellphone based on the current cells that handset is using, the number of firms that offer tracking services has grown dramatically.
According to a story from ZDNet, the sheer number of firms now offering this service is starting to raise privacy concerns.
Not everybody is happy about being monitored, however, and civil rights group Liberty says the growth of tracking raises data privacy concerns.
Kevin Brown, operations director of tracking firm Followus, said there was nothing covert about tracking, thanks to strict regulations.
"An employee has to consent to having their mobile tracked. A company can't request to track a phone without the user knowing," he said. "Under government rules we send random alerts to each phone we track, informing the user they are being monitored."
All that is needed to trace a mobile phone is a computer with an Internet connection. Once a phone is activated for tracking, it becomes a mobile electronic tag and its approximate position can be followed using the service provider's Web site."
Read the post
Will Google navigate your car?
It seems that Volkswagen is working on a prototype vehicle that features Google's satellite-mapping software to give drivers a bird's-eye view of the road ahead.
The two companies are also building an in-car navigation system and a three-dimensional display so passengers can recognize where they are in relation to the surrounding topography.
Read full article here
The two companies are also building an in-car navigation system and a three-dimensional display so passengers can recognize where they are in relation to the surrounding topography.
Read full article here
Emotion Map
Here is some interesting research being done on combining emotions with location awareness and mapping:
The Greenwich Emotion Map is part of NODE.London whose site says "is committed to building the infrastructure and raising the visibility of media arts practice in London.Working on an open,collaborative basis,NODE.London will culminate,in its first year,in a month long season of media arts projects across London in March 2006".Two free public workshops will be held at Independent Photography in Greenwich,and "participants will be able to see the current Greenwich Emotion Map produced by local residents and then create their own emotion map walk in the area.Participants will use a Bio Mapping device that measures their Galvanic Skin Response,which is an indicator of emotional arousal connected to their geographical location.The resulting maps encourage personal reflection on the complex relationship between us,our environment and our fellow citizens.By sharing this information we can construct maps that visualise where we as a community feel stressed and excited.Will seeing other people’s experiences allow us to engage differently with our environment?"
Via Smartmobs
The Greenwich Emotion Map is part of NODE.London whose site says "is committed to building the infrastructure and raising the visibility of media arts practice in London.Working on an open,collaborative basis,NODE.London will culminate,in its first year,in a month long season of media arts projects across London in March 2006".Two free public workshops will be held at Independent Photography in Greenwich,and "participants will be able to see the current Greenwich Emotion Map produced by local residents and then create their own emotion map walk in the area.Participants will use a Bio Mapping device that measures their Galvanic Skin Response,which is an indicator of emotional arousal connected to their geographical location.The resulting maps encourage personal reflection on the complex relationship between us,our environment and our fellow citizens.By sharing this information we can construct maps that visualise where we as a community feel stressed and excited.Will seeing other people’s experiences allow us to engage differently with our environment?"
Via Smartmobs
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Pursuit Management System
Mobile escapers?? Not for long, according to this article:
"The LAPD will use air-propelled miniature baseball size "tags" equipped with a global positioning system,"this ABC News article says."The officers fire the darts,which stick to a fleeing motorist's car, and within minutes can find and track the suspect's location."There is a social need for better managing of high-speed pursuits,"said Mandy McCall,chief operating officer at StarChase,the inventor of the vehicle tagging and tracking Pursuit Management System.Car chases,a staple on cable news channels,often end in deadly outcomes.Last year alone,there were more than 600 pursuits in Los Angeles and more than 100,000 nationwide".
Read more at Runaway Cars Tagged to Stop Chases
Via Smartmobs
"The LAPD will use air-propelled miniature baseball size "tags" equipped with a global positioning system,"this ABC News article says."The officers fire the darts,which stick to a fleeing motorist's car, and within minutes can find and track the suspect's location."There is a social need for better managing of high-speed pursuits,"said Mandy McCall,chief operating officer at StarChase,the inventor of the vehicle tagging and tracking Pursuit Management System.Car chases,a staple on cable news channels,often end in deadly outcomes.Last year alone,there were more than 600 pursuits in Los Angeles and more than 100,000 nationwide".
Read more at Runaway Cars Tagged to Stop Chases
Via Smartmobs
Carnival of the Mobilists
You'll find this week's round up of the very best writing about mobile at the Mobile Enterprise Blog.
Topics covered include Web 2.0, mobile behaviour and the latest apps - another important read for those following the path of the mobile....
Topics covered include Web 2.0, mobile behaviour and the latest apps - another important read for those following the path of the mobile....
Friday, February 03, 2006
Networks on wheels
Here's an interesting piece on intelligent transport from Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends -
This is an extract from the post 'Networks on Wheels':
"More and more cars and trucks are equipped with some kinds of wireless networking devices, helping to create applications based on vehicle to vehicle communications. But these types of networks present some new security challenges because of the short contact times between different mobile nodes and of the large size of these networks. This is why Germany's funded Network on Wheels (NoW) project has decided to apply security considerations right at the beginning of the network development. Read more...
Let's start with an example picked from "Trusted Network on Wheels," an article published by ERCIM News No. 63 in October 2005. "As soon as two or more vehicles are in radio communication range, they connect automatically and establish an ad hoc network, and create a new security threat" (Credit: BMW Group Research and Technology).
The NoW project has produced many documents, but if you're interested in this last part, here is a paper I recommend: Attacks on Inter Vehicle Communication Systems - an Analysis (PDF format, 11 pages, 741 KB).
This is an extract from the post 'Networks on Wheels':
"More and more cars and trucks are equipped with some kinds of wireless networking devices, helping to create applications based on vehicle to vehicle communications. But these types of networks present some new security challenges because of the short contact times between different mobile nodes and of the large size of these networks. This is why Germany's funded Network on Wheels (NoW) project has decided to apply security considerations right at the beginning of the network development. Read more...
Let's start with an example picked from "Trusted Network on Wheels," an article published by ERCIM News No. 63 in October 2005. "As soon as two or more vehicles are in radio communication range, they connect automatically and establish an ad hoc network, and create a new security threat" (Credit: BMW Group Research and Technology).
The NoW project has produced many documents, but if you're interested in this last part, here is a paper I recommend: Attacks on Inter Vehicle Communication Systems - an Analysis (PDF format, 11 pages, 741 KB).
The Type-A Bathroom
For workaholics, it's the new home office. Jon Weinbach and Peggy Edersheim Kalb on showerproof computers, mirrors with stock quotes and the latest water hazard: 'BlackBerry dunk.'
The humble bathroom, long a place of refuge and solitude, is playing quiet host to more workplace transactions. Bathroom business has gone way beyond tapping out furtive emails on a BlackBerry. Lately, more hard-driving homeowners have converted their loos into virtual satellite workspaces, with retractable desks or waterproof touch-screen monitors. Manufacturer Acquinox of New York says sales of its steam shower/whirlpool units -- a hands-free phone is standard in each -- nearly tripled last year to 14,800 modules. Wisconsin-based Seura, meanwhile, reports rising sales of its vanity mirrors, which feature LCD screens in the glass. The mirrors, starting at $2,400, let users check their tie-knot, then flip a switch to watch the embedded TV.
Read more here
Thanks to Smartmobs
The humble bathroom, long a place of refuge and solitude, is playing quiet host to more workplace transactions. Bathroom business has gone way beyond tapping out furtive emails on a BlackBerry. Lately, more hard-driving homeowners have converted their loos into virtual satellite workspaces, with retractable desks or waterproof touch-screen monitors. Manufacturer Acquinox of New York says sales of its steam shower/whirlpool units -- a hands-free phone is standard in each -- nearly tripled last year to 14,800 modules. Wisconsin-based Seura, meanwhile, reports rising sales of its vanity mirrors, which feature LCD screens in the glass. The mirrors, starting at $2,400, let users check their tie-knot, then flip a switch to watch the embedded TV.
Read more here
Thanks to Smartmobs
From Amazon to Creator
Amazon.com said this week that it has started a program to let authors communicate with readers, the latest in a series of moves by the online retailer to add entertainment features to its site, reports News.com.
The Amazon Connect program lets authors post messages in blog format to readers who have bought their work at Amazon in the past or to those sign up for the program. Amazon has so far enrolled more than 1,000 authors in the program, including Meg Wolitzer, James Patterson and Nelson DeMille, and is looking to sign up more, a company representative said.
Authors can post their thoughts as frequently as they like, but the communication is one-way. Some authors have found a way around this by guiding readers to their personal Web sites in their blogs.
Via Smartmobs
The Amazon Connect program lets authors post messages in blog format to readers who have bought their work at Amazon in the past or to those sign up for the program. Amazon has so far enrolled more than 1,000 authors in the program, including Meg Wolitzer, James Patterson and Nelson DeMille, and is looking to sign up more, a company representative said.
Authors can post their thoughts as frequently as they like, but the communication is one-way. Some authors have found a way around this by guiding readers to their personal Web sites in their blogs.
Via Smartmobs
Women in mobile
M-Trends, well-known for its series of interviews with women active in the mobile world, has an interview with Emily Turrettini (creator of textually.org).
Read interview here
Read interview here
Thursday, February 02, 2006
A flock of 'mobile' pigeons!
In this somewhat odd yet true and inventive story:
A flock of pigeons fitted with mobile phone backpacks is to be used to monitor air pollution,New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday.The 20 pigeons will be released into the skies over San Jose,California,in August.Each bird will carry a GPS satellite tracking receiver,air pollution sensors and a basic mobile phone.Text messages on air quality will be beamed back in real time to a special pigeon "blog",a journal accessible on the internet.Miniature cameras slung around the pigeons' necks will also post aerial pictures.The idea is the brainchild of researcher Beatriz da Costa,of the University of California at Irvine,and two of her students.
From this New Scientist article
A flock of pigeons fitted with mobile phone backpacks is to be used to monitor air pollution,New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday.The 20 pigeons will be released into the skies over San Jose,California,in August.Each bird will carry a GPS satellite tracking receiver,air pollution sensors and a basic mobile phone.Text messages on air quality will be beamed back in real time to a special pigeon "blog",a journal accessible on the internet.Miniature cameras slung around the pigeons' necks will also post aerial pictures.The idea is the brainchild of researcher Beatriz da Costa,of the University of California at Irvine,and two of her students.
From this New Scientist article
MOBILEFEST
"MOBILEFEST is the 1st Brazilian Festival of Mobile Art, based on the sociological implications that mobile phones and mobile technologies have been promoting in our culture. MOBILEFEST will happen in September, 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil, with an agenda composed by two days of cultural and technical activities. MOBILEFEST will include an international symposium, workshops and recognition awarding of the best works and mobile applications developed by Brazilians.
Different from other national and international festivals, MOBILEFEST has been designed for the mobile era, that’s why it’s the first festival in the world that only takes submissions of texts, photographs and videos sent via SMS and MMS."
read more here
Via Smartmobs
Different from other national and international festivals, MOBILEFEST has been designed for the mobile era, that’s why it’s the first festival in the world that only takes submissions of texts, photographs and videos sent via SMS and MMS."
read more here
Via Smartmobs
GPS, narrative, geodocumentary in Latvia and Netherlands
Location awareness, narrative, and documentary come together in this project. What else are people going to map?
For their 2005 Golden Nica-winning MILK project, the artists gave GPS devices to people involved in the dairy trade between Latvia and the Netherlands, representing their movements as animated maps, photos, and textual memories on the web. A kind of geographic documentary, MILK conflates the objectivity of mapping with the subjective experiences of economics, politics and, of course, other people. And this MILK is perfectly safe for lactose-intolerant viewers!! :-)
Via Smartmobs
For their 2005 Golden Nica-winning MILK project, the artists gave GPS devices to people involved in the dairy trade between Latvia and the Netherlands, representing their movements as animated maps, photos, and textual memories on the web. A kind of geographic documentary, MILK conflates the objectivity of mapping with the subjective experiences of economics, politics and, of course, other people. And this MILK is perfectly safe for lactose-intolerant viewers!! :-)
Via Smartmobs
Go Digital - Wi-fi, optics and gorillas
This week how free wi-fi is affecting the people of New Orleans, a telecentre that helps endangered gorillas and the 40th anniversary of the invention of fibre optics.
Download here
Download here
Communication as Digital Witness
Founded in 1992 by musician Peter Gabriel, Witness supplies video cameras and communication gear to allow people around the world to document abuses of human rights, partnering with human rights groups in over 50 countries. Witness attempts to create pressure for change by shining a light on injustice around the world. The people who take up cameras in the name of human dignity are remarkably brave, facing in many cases torture and death for the "crime" of revealing the truth. But the Witness cameras stand alone; their only connection to the rest of the world is via the hand delivery of video tape.
That will soon change.
In an interview at BusinessWeek online, Gabriel and Witness Executive Director Gillian Caldwell reveal that the organization intends to open up an online portal allowing people to send in video clips from digital cameras and cameraphones -- that is, if they can get the funding.
Are people already sending tapes or images from mobile phones?
Gabriel: We haven't had the structure to do that. That's the next challenge.
Caldwell: Implementation will be in the next 12 months. That's what we're shooting for, although we need financial support.
How will you keep control of the content?
Gabriel: We hope there will be some sort of self-regulating system. People, in order to get content uploaded, would have to rate three or four other pieces of material [on the site]. My country [England] is the most observed country in the world. I think the average person gets filmed eight times a day. The aim here is to turn the cameras back.
An interesting project....
Via Worldchanging
That will soon change.
In an interview at BusinessWeek online, Gabriel and Witness Executive Director Gillian Caldwell reveal that the organization intends to open up an online portal allowing people to send in video clips from digital cameras and cameraphones -- that is, if they can get the funding.
Are people already sending tapes or images from mobile phones?
Gabriel: We haven't had the structure to do that. That's the next challenge.
Caldwell: Implementation will be in the next 12 months. That's what we're shooting for, although we need financial support.
How will you keep control of the content?
Gabriel: We hope there will be some sort of self-regulating system. People, in order to get content uploaded, would have to rate three or four other pieces of material [on the site]. My country [England] is the most observed country in the world. I think the average person gets filmed eight times a day. The aim here is to turn the cameras back.
An interesting project....
Via Worldchanging
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