Web 3.0

It seems that the Web 2.0 fad-ish talk is now moving on to discussing the semantic possibilities of a Web 3.0. A Lifeboat Foundation Special Report titled 'THE THIRD GENERATION WEB IS COMING' states that:

The Web is entering a new phase of evolution. There has been much debate recently about what to call this new phase. Some would prefer to not name it all, while others suggest continuing to call it "Web 2.0". However, this new phase of evolution has quite a different focus from what Web 2.0 has come to mean.

The threshold to the third-generation Web will be crossed in 2007. At this juncture the focus of innovation will start shift back from front-end improvements towards back-end infrastructure level upgrades to the Web. This cycle will continue for five to ten years, and will result in making the Web more connected, more open, and more intelligent. It will transform the Web from a network of separately siloed applications and content repositories to a more seamless and interoperable whole...

Because the focus of the third-generation Web is quite different from that of Web 2.0, this new generation of the Web probably does deserve its own name. In keeping with the naming convention established by labeling the second generation of the Web as Web 2.0, I agree with John Markoff that this third-generation of the Web could be called Web 3.0.

Also worth reading on this subject is Nova Spivack's 'The Meaning and Future of the Semantic Web'

On the Future of RFID

The Institute for The Future has a piece on 'RFID gets smaller and edible... and bigger' which takes a look at the world's smallest and thinnest RFID tags that have been introduced by Hitachi, measuring just 0.05 x 0.05 millimeters. The new "powder type" chips have a 128-bit ROM for storing a unique 38 digit number and could be worked into any product:

A little over a year ago the Institute published a set of reports on the future of RFID. One of the things we argued was that in the future, RFID tags would be seen by consumers as just one of a kind Great Chain of (Digital) Being, part of a much bigger spectrum of information technologies that lived in or connected to the physical world. In addition to passive and active RFID tags, we'd have extremely small, disposable RFID tags; tags that had enough processing power and memory to almost be very small computers; RFID tags that were tailored to different functions and industries (e.g., security, asset management, object provenance and history and everything in between.

The post also makes mention of a patent filing by Kodak for an edible-- and more important, digestible-- RFID tag...

BBC Digital Planet February 13 2007

In this week's Digital Planet:

'as the 3GSM conference gets underway in Barcelona, we catch up with the directors of 'Little Miss Sunshine' who tell us about their movie created especially for mobile phones. We speak to Motorola about their new initiative to spread the use of Linux as the mobile operating system of choice and we hear from a global anti e-voting group meeting in London'

Download here

Mobile networks powered by wind

This BBC post on 'Mobile networks powered by wind' discusses how wind and solar energy could be used to set up mobile phone networks in rural areas of the world without power:

The world's first mobile phone base station powered by wind and the sun's rays will soon open in Namibia. The trial follows a pilot held in Swindon, UK, led by Motorola. Mobile firm MTC Namibia will run the cell.

MTC has been using base stations powered with just solar energy but will turn to the wind for the first time for the trial in the village of Dordabis, 40 kilometres east of the capital city Windhoek.

"This solution is perfect for areas only accessible by helicopter - that's where we would be looking to deploy this technology" - Linda Brown, Motorola UK

This ties in with my earlier post on how India hopes to start using mobile base stations that use generators running on biodiesel - in 'Mobiles switch on with biofuels'

Tiny cameras to monitor the behaviour of airline passengers

Smart Mobs has a good post on 'Big brother will be watching you fly':

Tiny cameras the size of a fingernail linked to specialist computers will be used to monitor the behaviour of airline passengers as part of the war on terrorism, reports IOL.

Fitted to seat-backs, the cameras will record every twitch or suspicious movement before sending the data to onboard software that will check it against individual passenger profiles.

Scientists from Britain and Germany are spending £25 million (about R360-million) to develop a system they hope will make it virtually impossible to hijack an airliner by providing pilots and cabin crew with an early warning system. They say rapid eye movements, blinking excessively, licking lips or ways of stroking hair or ears are classic symptoms of somebody trying to conceal something.

A separate microphone will record speech, including whispers; Islamic suicide bombers whisper texts from the Koran in the moments before they explode bombs.

The software being developed by the scientists will be so sophisticated it will be able to take account of nervous flyers or people with a natural twitch, helping to ensure there are no false alarms.

... Airlines have given the scheme a cautious welcome, indicating it would be too expensive to fit on existing commercial aircraft and it would probably be 10 years before such systems were fitted to new planes.

A British Airways spokesperson said "R&D of better screening and detection equipment on the ground would be of more value at this time."

Thanks to Smart Mobs!

Mobile phones to send money home

A BBC article 'Mobile phones to send money home' describes how mobile phone operators and banks are backing a scheme to allow those who work abroad to use their phones to send money home:

The pilot programme, announced by mobile operator trade body the GSM Association, could make sending cash easier and cheaper for migrant workers.

The initiative is backed by 19 mobile firms representing over 600 million customers in over 100 countries.

Vodafone and Telecom Italia are among mobile firms backing the scheme.The system will allow a person to put cash onto their mobile, and order it to be sent to a mobile phone number abroad, where the recipient receives a text message saying that money has arrived.

As a result, the costs of sending small amounts of cash could be reduced to just a few percent, from 24% currently.

Colloquium on scientific applications of Galileo

The first international colloquium on the fundamental aspects and scientific applications of Galileo and global navigation satellite systems will be held at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse from 1 to 4 October 2007:

The colloquium will address three major issues:

* the fundamental aspects of navigation by satellites and Galileo – geodetic and temporal reference frames, relativistic frame, on board and ground clocks, orbits, radiation environment in orbit, inter-satellite links, fundamental aspects of propagation, tropospheric and ionospheric corrections, calibration and validation, relations with international organisations
* scientific applications in meteorology, geodesy, geophysics, space physics, oceanography, land surface and ecosystem studies – using either direct or reflected signals; differential measurements, phase measurements, occultation measurements – using receivers placed on the ground, in airplanes or in scientific satellites
* scientific developments in physics and dealing with future systems, particularly in testing fundamental laws, in astronomy, in quantum communication, and in developing clocks or experiments based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)

For more details read here

Lancaster University's own Mobilities Research Day - 16 May 2007

Lancaster University Centre for Mobilities Research (CeMoRe) will be having an in-house research day on 16th May 2007.

As before, the aims of the day are to highlight on-going mobilities research at Lancaster, and to promote interchange and dialogue between Lancaster mobilities researchers. We expect to include contributors from all three faculties and would especially like to include papers from researchers who have not previously been closely involved with CeMoRe activities.

CeMoRe takes a deliberately broad view of mobilities research and embraces mobility in all its forms. Further information can be found at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/sociology/cemore/index.htm

We expect the day to consist mainly of short (c10 minute) reports on on-going research, new research ideas, or recently completed projects. Please bring this research day to the attention of colleagues and postgraduate students who may not currently be involved with CeMoRe activities.

You are, of course, also welcome to simply come to listen to papers and participate in discussion. Further details will be circulated in March when the programme is finalised. Participation in the Research Day will be free of charge!

Car driving creates cancer??

This article by the BBC titled 'Car drivers 'risking skin cancer''says that drivers who spend a lot of time behind the wheel increase their risk of skin cancer, according to a US work study:

Experts say repeated sun exposure through the car's side windows is to blame, and drivers who roll down the window are at even greater risk. Most glass used for windows blocks UVB rays that cause sunburn but not deeper penetrating UVA rays.

The Saint Louis University School of Medicine team presented their work to the American Academy of Dermatology. They looked at 898 patients (559 men and 339 women) with skin cancers occurring on either side of their body.

Among the men, the rate of cancers directly correlated to the areas of the body most often exposed to UV radiation while driving - which in the US is the left-hand side of the body.

Will this affect your 'love for the road'... enough to change your habits..?

Biofuel Mobiles

The BBCOnline has a piece on how India hopes to start using mobile base stations that use generators running on biodiesel - in 'Mobiles switch on with biofuels'

One third of Indian homes are not connected to the power grid and demand for mobile phones is growing rapidly.

A pilot scheme in west India has been set up by mobile firms and industry body the GSMA development fund.

"It is about connecting the unconnected," said Dawn Hartley, development fund manager at the GSMA.

Rural connection

Mobile phone use has exploded across India. In 2003 there were just 13 million mobile phone subscribers. Today, there are nearly 130 million.

Much of this take-up has been in urban areas where there is a comprehensive mobile network.

Quick guide: biofuels

But outside the major towns, where approximately three-quarters of India's 1.2 billion people live, mobile coverage is fragmented.

Engineer Online is also covering this in 'Biofuels power India’s rural mobile networks'

BBC DIGITAL PLANET FEBRUARY 05 2007

In this week's Digital Planet:

As part of the BBC's special series of programmes from India, India Rising, the Digital Planet team this week visit Kolkata or Calcutta as it was previously known. The City is marketing itself as the next big destination for IT growth, but it seems an unlikely rival to Bangalore. As the Capital of the Communist governed state of West Bengal Kolkata sees frequent strikes and public protests, and with every stereotype of Indian poverty evident on its streets it seem a less than attractive destination for potential investors. Gareth speaks to some companies who have already set up shop here, he also looks at how the city's ancient tea auctions are being modernised with digital technology and gets an insight into Kolkata's blogging scene.

Download here

Mediterranean Mobilities Research

The Mediterranean Mobilities Research Network now has its new website up and running: and re-titled as 'Medmobilities'. Specific aims of the Mediterranean Mobilities Network is to 'look at the region in innovative and critical ways that capture its transnational complexity and aims at generating and disseminating policy relevant intelligence on issues of cosmopolitanism and sustainability':

* To raise awareness about the interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples and places across the Mediterranean, now and historically;
* To promote comparative, transdisciplinary and historically sensitive research on Mediterranean mobilities;
* To bring together academics, practitioners and policy-makers;
* To serve as a centre for exchanging information between civil society actors and the academia;
* To support research students in the UK with an interest in the Mediterranean;
* To organise and contribute to seminars, conferences and symposia nationally and internationally.

Worth checking out as the site will be updated weekly and any relevant information about the region will be very welcomed.

Your Daily Transport Info for the UK

TransportInfo.org.uk provides Today's Transport News in the UK.. Hand picked for you each morning .

This site links to all transport related stories from national and regional newspapers and radio for each day.

This site will now be linked to from this blog - see links on RHS.

Car firms facing pollution curbs

The BBC reports in 'Car firms facing pollution curbs' that the European Commission is proposing to force carmakers to make an 18% cut in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2012:

A spokesman said the commission was aiming for a 25% cut in car emissions overall, with the "bulk of the effort" coming from better motor technology. The rest of the cut is expected to be achieved by measures such as greater use of biofuels and better tyres.

Details of the plan, which has divided the commission, are being unveiled on Wednesday after a two-week delay.Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas had wanted to force carmakers to achieve the full 25% emissions cut alone, but ran into strong opposition from the German car industry and Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen.

The European Federation for Transport & Envionment states that:

Transport is the worst performing sector under ‘Kyoto’ and seriously jeopardizes the achievement of the targets. Transport CO2 emissions in the EU grew by 32% between 1990 and 2004. The share of transport in CO2 emissions was 21% in 1990, but by 2004 this had grown to 28%.

Read the T&E report here as pdf

UK Car Road Pricing - want to petition the Government?

The UK car road pricing Bill is an Act now being pushed through government very quietly with hardly any publicity. According to one source:

The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to use it. The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for a delivery driver. A non working mother who used the car to take the children to school paid £86 in one month.

On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit in time you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with your monthly Bill.

However, there is a petition. The petition is on the 10 Downing St website but they didn't tell anybody about it. See for yourself and decide:

The website is located at: http://petitions.PM.gov.UK/traveltax/

BT Archive

The Journal of the Telecommunications Network, (formerly the British Telecom Journal and before that the Post Office Journal) has made available its entire archive of articles on-line in a joint project with www.connected-earth.com .

This archive goes back to 1908 and offers some interesting insights into a century of post and telecommunications developments. Although the majority of articles are about engineering/technological topics those interested in socio-technological shaping may find the trend away from the purely technical over the last few decades of interest.

Thanks to Jane Vincent via Mobile-Society

Let’s talk about txt!

Let’s talk about txt! is a conference on texting and education at the University of Leeds:

Edutxt and Cy-nap are hosting a one day conference 27th March at Leeds University focussing on the uses of SMS in the Education sector in the UK. “The speakers are all desktop SMS text messaging users from the education community, and they will be sharing their experiences and showing examples of how mobile messaging has made a difference from recruitment through to student retention and achievement. Speakers include Andy Black - a well known authority on new technology for e-learning from BECTA and Ray Lawrence - howtomoodle UK.”

The conference is designed as a showcase for creative uses of SMS, and of course to promote the services of the conference organisers, but it seems it genuinely will offer an insight to those who have yet to adopt and develop a mobile strategy in education.

More information via the Cy-nap site, or here via this PDF.

Tracking Your Car by Phone & E-Mail

Textually.org has this post on Tracking Your Car by Cell and E-Mail:

Inilex Inc. uses global-positioning satellites to track the location of customers' cars and deliver a host of other information. PhysOrg reports.

The "Kepler Advantage" device, sold through car dealers for $600 to $1,100 plus a monthly subscription, looks like a walkie-talkie and gets stowed covertly under the dashboard.

Then car owners or corporate fleet managers can go on an Inilex Web site to track their vehicles' locations - and set up alerts that would be delivered by e-mail or a cell-phone text message.

With this service, you can be notified within minutes that your parked car has been moved, presumably by a thief, and shown where it is in real time - fruitful information to pass on to police.

Of course...the sacrifice is, again, privacy - control or transparent society? Take your pick...

Indeed, 'war' is increasingly mobile - so I thought it worthwhile to point to this site: Mankind Must Manage World Without War Website (MMMWWW):

Overview

This website is intended for people who are concerned about the threat of nuclear weapons, who want to do something about helping to eliminate conflict and want to become involved, but who feel they need to learn more about the issues before taking the next step.

Through the MMMWWW project, we hope to stimulate a greater awareness of global conflict, in whatever form; religious, social or political. We will be following a programme initiated by Dr Brendan O'Regan and Irish Peace Institute who have already collaborated with prominent leaders in other fields, including Nobel Peace Laureates, religious leaders, military experts, students and environmentalists in creating the Mankind Must Manage World Without War series...

Creating visual material highlighting the causes and consequences of conflict.

Create and distribute publications exploring conflict related themes

Provide an opportunity, through our web site, for opinion makers from different professions to contribute to a discussion on aspects of global conflict and conflict resolution.

Found via Space & Culture

Digital Planet January 30 2007

This week's BBC Digital Planet - January 30 2007 - takes a close look at how the release of Windows Vista will benefit those in developing markets. There's a roundup of the technology issues discussed at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos and they investigate a new electronic voting system which uses encryption to crack election fraud. Plus news of young technology entrepreneurs meeting in London.

Download here