A new computer technology based on artificial intelligence (AI) and statistical methods promises to deliver speech-to-speech translation in many languages. And one day, it might even be implanted into your mouth and your throat.
Read full article at ZDNet
Monday, November 07, 2005
The organisation of the French riots
In a way that reminds us of the smart-mobs:
"The French government met in emergency session Sunday evening to confront youth rioting that worsened on its 10th night",the IHT reports.Later in the article it says,"in its early days,the rioting appeared to spread spontaneously,but law enforcement officials said it was also being abetted by exhortations on the Internet.Worse,said Patrick Hamon,the national police spokesman,"what we notice is that the bands of youths are,little by little, getting more organized" and are sending attack messages by mobile phone texts".
Full article - As rioting spreads, France maps tactics
Thanks to SmartMobs
"The French government met in emergency session Sunday evening to confront youth rioting that worsened on its 10th night",the IHT reports.Later in the article it says,"in its early days,the rioting appeared to spread spontaneously,but law enforcement officials said it was also being abetted by exhortations on the Internet.Worse,said Patrick Hamon,the national police spokesman,"what we notice is that the bands of youths are,little by little, getting more organized" and are sending attack messages by mobile phone texts".
Full article - As rioting spreads, France maps tactics
Thanks to SmartMobs
Wireless: The new backseat driver?
It seems that the 'race' is on (excuse the pun) to find our century's first computer-driven car. For now, here's an article about cars using wireless communications.
"Just in case you don't have enough backseat drivers, your car could one day tell you when you're about to screw up.
On Thursday, General Motors demonstrated a vehicle-to-vehicle, or V2V, wireless communication system that alerts you when a collision is imminent. The automaker equipped regular Cadillac STS sedans with wireless and Global Positioning System antennae and computer chips that allow the cars to communicate with other vehicles with similar equipment.
The technology, demonstrated here with three cars navigating a special course, creates what could be described as a digital-driving symphony. The wireless technology in one car detects the presence of the other two Cadillacs and avoids collisions by either alerting the driver of danger or by automatically stopping the vehicle in an emergency."
Full article here
"Just in case you don't have enough backseat drivers, your car could one day tell you when you're about to screw up.
On Thursday, General Motors demonstrated a vehicle-to-vehicle, or V2V, wireless communication system that alerts you when a collision is imminent. The automaker equipped regular Cadillac STS sedans with wireless and Global Positioning System antennae and computer chips that allow the cars to communicate with other vehicles with similar equipment.
The technology, demonstrated here with three cars navigating a special course, creates what could be described as a digital-driving symphony. The wireless technology in one car detects the presence of the other two Cadillacs and avoids collisions by either alerting the driver of danger or by automatically stopping the vehicle in an emergency."
Full article here
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Go Digital - 31st October
Bill Gates talks about the competition and Microsoft's future, and the 2D boardgames getting a 3D makeover
Podcast download here
Podcast download here
Gloriad: Huge research data exchange via global high-speed net
A fast data-network has been set-up for the transmission of academic information:
"Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of High Energy Physics exchanged huge scientific data with their Italian counterparts via the Global Ring Network for Advanced Applications Development (Gloriad).
The huge data, collected at the Yangbajing Observatory for space radials, could not be transmitted through the prevailing Internet.
The Hong Kong Open Exchange Portal (HKOEP) witnessed such a kind of huge data transmission in the past year.
Chen Wei, a senior engineer at the CAS Computer Network Information Center who oversees construction of the HKOEP, said here Monday that the portal has already been linked with research networks in Japan, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea. It is scheduled to connect other nets throughout the world.
In addition to three Gloriad founders, China, the United Statesand Russia, the HKOEP program was joined by the Republic of Korea,the Netherlands and Canada in September."
Read full article here
"Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of High Energy Physics exchanged huge scientific data with their Italian counterparts via the Global Ring Network for Advanced Applications Development (Gloriad).
The huge data, collected at the Yangbajing Observatory for space radials, could not be transmitted through the prevailing Internet.
The Hong Kong Open Exchange Portal (HKOEP) witnessed such a kind of huge data transmission in the past year.
Chen Wei, a senior engineer at the CAS Computer Network Information Center who oversees construction of the HKOEP, said here Monday that the portal has already been linked with research networks in Japan, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea. It is scheduled to connect other nets throughout the world.
In addition to three Gloriad founders, China, the United Statesand Russia, the HKOEP program was joined by the Republic of Korea,the Netherlands and Canada in September."
Read full article here
US Congress votes to allow regulation of blogs for political content
Interesting development on the blogging side, especially since it has become a politcal force in the US recently:
"After considering the issue for the past year, the United States Federal Election Commission (FEC) has [considered blogs to be covered by campaign finance laws), which constitutes an extension of speech regulation to the Web. The United States Congress considered a measure to block such a policy, but failed to assemble enough yes votes to do so.
The 225-182 vote on the Online Freedom of Speech Actwas numerically in favor of ending the FEC decision, but came up 47 votes short of the necessary two-thirds."
More via Smart Mobs
"After considering the issue for the past year, the United States Federal Election Commission (FEC) has [considered blogs to be covered by campaign finance laws), which constitutes an extension of speech regulation to the Web. The United States Congress considered a measure to block such a policy, but failed to assemble enough yes votes to do so.
The 225-182 vote on the Online Freedom of Speech Actwas numerically in favor of ending the FEC decision, but came up 47 votes short of the necessary two-thirds."
More via Smart Mobs
MIT Wireless Network Tracks Info on Users
To follow on from what I posted before about MIT's iSpots wirless network - the network is also being used to track users' movements:
"In another time and place, college students wondering whether the campus cafe has any free seats, or their favorite corner of the library is occupied, would have to risk hoofing it over there. But for today's student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that kind of information is all just a click away.
MIT's newly upgraded wireless network — extended this month to cover the entire school — doesn't merely get you online in study halls, stairwells or any other spot on the 9.4 million square foot campus. It also provides information on exactly how many people are logged on at any given location at any given time."
More details from Yahoo News
"In another time and place, college students wondering whether the campus cafe has any free seats, or their favorite corner of the library is occupied, would have to risk hoofing it over there. But for today's student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that kind of information is all just a click away.
MIT's newly upgraded wireless network — extended this month to cover the entire school — doesn't merely get you online in study halls, stairwells or any other spot on the 9.4 million square foot campus. It also provides information on exactly how many people are logged on at any given location at any given time."
More details from Yahoo News
Texts will warn of poor air quality
Use of SMS text technology will allow Croydon Council in Greater London to keep residents who are sensitive to air quality changes informed as quickly and effectively as possible, reports icCoventry.
"Called "airTEXT", the scheme has funding from the European Space Agency's Promote project, which is using satellite technology to improve air quality forecasting.
The air quality alerts are based on forecasts to vulnerable groups such as asthmatics and people with bronchitis, emphysema and heart disease, warning them of a deterioration in air quality and giving simple advice on minimising exposure and managing their symptoms."
"Called "airTEXT", the scheme has funding from the European Space Agency's Promote project, which is using satellite technology to improve air quality forecasting.
The air quality alerts are based on forecasts to vulnerable groups such as asthmatics and people with bronchitis, emphysema and heart disease, warning them of a deterioration in air quality and giving simple advice on minimising exposure and managing their symptoms."
Friday, November 04, 2005
Local energy networks
From the Neighbourhoods site:
"The future will be shaped within a national system of local energy networks; a system where every part of our existence – our home, our roads, our workplaces, schools and hospitals – are generators of sustainable energy rather than just consumers of it.
"This isn't pie-in-the-sky thinking. It is already happening now; and being driven by local visionaries and engineers who have metamorphosed into eco-engineers, holistic scientists and sustainability designers. The more I became immersed in the construction of my own eco-house, the more I entered a world which is both humbling and exhilarating. Some 80% of new buildings in Berlin have solar powered energy generators. Holland has installed ‘hot road' energy systems under asphalt road surfaces that provide heating/cooling for local houses. (Every 1 km of road heats about 100 houses). Toronto is replacing energy guzzling, air conditioning systems in modern buildings, with a cooling system that circulates (and returns) water from Lake Ontario. Woking, in England, has installed its own local wiring system, generates 135% of its own energy needs, and will be coming off the National Grid in the next few years."
"The future will be shaped within a national system of local energy networks; a system where every part of our existence – our home, our roads, our workplaces, schools and hospitals – are generators of sustainable energy rather than just consumers of it.
"This isn't pie-in-the-sky thinking. It is already happening now; and being driven by local visionaries and engineers who have metamorphosed into eco-engineers, holistic scientists and sustainability designers. The more I became immersed in the construction of my own eco-house, the more I entered a world which is both humbling and exhilarating. Some 80% of new buildings in Berlin have solar powered energy generators. Holland has installed ‘hot road' energy systems under asphalt road surfaces that provide heating/cooling for local houses. (Every 1 km of road heats about 100 houses). Toronto is replacing energy guzzling, air conditioning systems in modern buildings, with a cooling system that circulates (and returns) water from Lake Ontario. Woking, in England, has installed its own local wiring system, generates 135% of its own energy needs, and will be coming off the National Grid in the next few years."
Society for New Communications Research Launches
The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) is a new international non-profit think tank. The group was formed to provide a forum for research and education and a source of expertise focused on the broad theoretical and practical implications surrounding new communications methodologies, tools and technologies. [press release]
"To be the leading think tank for the advanced study of new communications tools, technologies and emerging modes of communication, i.e. blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts, collaborative tools and the growing phenomena of participatory communications and their effect on traditional media, marketing, public relations and advertising, as well as their broader impact on business, politics, entertainment, culture, education, religion and society"
Via Smartmobs
"To be the leading think tank for the advanced study of new communications tools, technologies and emerging modes of communication, i.e. blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts, collaborative tools and the growing phenomena of participatory communications and their effect on traditional media, marketing, public relations and advertising, as well as their broader impact on business, politics, entertainment, culture, education, religion and society"
Via Smartmobs
Nokia Mobility Conference 2005
On November 2-3 the Nokia Mobility Conference 2005 took place in Barcelona, Spain. Convergence across all areas of mobility is the key theme. The site allows webcast downloads.
Now in it's tenth year NMC is one of the world's premier forums for operators, developers, IT vendors, content owners, service providers, retailers, and other members of the mobility services value chain. The conference site features five seminar streams covering mobile TV, mobile email, mobile music and entertainment, mobile technology, and new applications. It gives an overview of the presentations, data sheets and press releases.
"We expect the market for convergence devices to double to 100 million units in 2006. Developers, media companies and enterprises are shifting their focus to Nokia’s S60 smartphone platform, as they see the business potential of using it to offer content and ensure secure remote access to corporate applications"
Now in it's tenth year NMC is one of the world's premier forums for operators, developers, IT vendors, content owners, service providers, retailers, and other members of the mobility services value chain. The conference site features five seminar streams covering mobile TV, mobile email, mobile music and entertainment, mobile technology, and new applications. It gives an overview of the presentations, data sheets and press releases.
"We expect the market for convergence devices to double to 100 million units in 2006. Developers, media companies and enterprises are shifting their focus to Nokia’s S60 smartphone platform, as they see the business potential of using it to offer content and ensure secure remote access to corporate applications"
Eyes on Galileo - and the 'green vehicles'
Galileo is a satellite-based positioning network similar to -- but more accurate than -- the well-known Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS, put into space by the United States, originally limited civilian accuracy but gave the military full access.
An interesting development of the increase in positioning/location aware technologies:
"Galileo, a European Space Agency system, uses the same overall protocols as GPS (and therefore accessible using the same hardware), but its readings will be accurate to less than a meter. Galileo is set to be operational by 2008. The European Union, in an attempt to encourage innovative uses of Galileo, holds an annual Galileo Masters competition, and this year's winners have a distinctly green aspect.
The top prize went to VU Log, a French company building a satellite-monitored electric car sharing network. As the BBC describes it:
The transport application devised by the Vu Log company in Sophia Antipolis, France, envisages a fleet of "green" vehicles on city roads. Each electrically powered mini-car would be equipped with instant and highly precise positioning equipment. Commuters could use the internet or their mobile phone to find the nearest vehicle, jump in and start it with a smartcard, and then drive it to their destination.
"There would be no constraint - you could leave the car where you wanted," explained Vu Log's George Gallais.
"The service provider would come and charge the cars up every two or three days. Being used just for short distances, they wouldn't need charging every day," he told the BBC News website.
The best UK entry was TrackerBack, a method of monitoring the real-time location of truck loads. The green application? Control of illegal waste and dumping:
"With the sub-metre accuracy of Galileo, you'd even know how high off the ground that consignment of tyres was," [the inventor, Richard White] said. "You'd know instantly if it had been dumped over a hedge rather being taken to the reprocessing plant."
It remains to be seen whether applications such as VU Log and TrackerBack will show up outside of Europe. There's no reason why they couldn't. Like GPS, Galileo will be accessible world-wide, and the cost of positioning system receivers is now low enough for casual use. By 2008, the technology should be small enough and inexpensive enough for routine inclusion in most portable communication and information devices.
Via Worldchanging
An interesting development of the increase in positioning/location aware technologies:
"Galileo, a European Space Agency system, uses the same overall protocols as GPS (and therefore accessible using the same hardware), but its readings will be accurate to less than a meter. Galileo is set to be operational by 2008. The European Union, in an attempt to encourage innovative uses of Galileo, holds an annual Galileo Masters competition, and this year's winners have a distinctly green aspect.
The top prize went to VU Log, a French company building a satellite-monitored electric car sharing network. As the BBC describes it:
The transport application devised by the Vu Log company in Sophia Antipolis, France, envisages a fleet of "green" vehicles on city roads. Each electrically powered mini-car would be equipped with instant and highly precise positioning equipment. Commuters could use the internet or their mobile phone to find the nearest vehicle, jump in and start it with a smartcard, and then drive it to their destination.
"There would be no constraint - you could leave the car where you wanted," explained Vu Log's George Gallais.
"The service provider would come and charge the cars up every two or three days. Being used just for short distances, they wouldn't need charging every day," he told the BBC News website.
The best UK entry was TrackerBack, a method of monitoring the real-time location of truck loads. The green application? Control of illegal waste and dumping:
"With the sub-metre accuracy of Galileo, you'd even know how high off the ground that consignment of tyres was," [the inventor, Richard White] said. "You'd know instantly if it had been dumped over a hedge rather being taken to the reprocessing plant."
It remains to be seen whether applications such as VU Log and TrackerBack will show up outside of Europe. There's no reason why they couldn't. Like GPS, Galileo will be accessible world-wide, and the cost of positioning system receivers is now low enough for casual use. By 2008, the technology should be small enough and inexpensive enough for routine inclusion in most portable communication and information devices.
Via Worldchanging
The next CEMORE event
Tuesday 8th November, 5pm to 6.30pm, County South C26
Claude Denis:School of Political Studies and Institute of Canadian Studies, University of Ottawa:
Human (in)security at the chaotic border: The Ciudad Juárez murders, Mexican politics and transnational processes
There will be a supper afterwards with Claude Denis, Alex Arellano (former PhD student), John Urry; please let john URRY know ASAP if you would like to attend.
Also the first issue of the new journal MOBILITIES is just going to press and will be out early 2006, published by Taylor and Francis
Claude Denis:School of Political Studies and Institute of Canadian Studies, University of Ottawa:
Human (in)security at the chaotic border: The Ciudad Juárez murders, Mexican politics and transnational processes
There will be a supper afterwards with Claude Denis, Alex Arellano (former PhD student), John Urry; please let john URRY know ASAP if you would like to attend.
Also the first issue of the new journal MOBILITIES is just going to press and will be out early 2006, published by Taylor and Francis
Thursday, November 03, 2005
iSPOTS
How Wireless Technology is Changing Life on the MIT Campus - iSPOTS at MIT shows how the campus is developing one of the largest wireless networks in order to adapt to new mobile working routines: from the site
"New wireless communications technologies are changing the way we live and work. This fact is particularly evident at MIT, thanks to the presence of two conditions: 1) the very high percentage of laptop computer ownership on campus; and 2) the existence of one of the most pervasive wireless Internet networks on earth, which includes over 2,800 access points and was completed at the end of October 2005.
The iSPOTS project, developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory in collaboration with Information Services and Technology, aims at describing changes in living and working at MIT by mapping the dynamics of the wireless network in real-time. Thus, the complex and dispersed individual movement patterns that make up the daily life of the campus can be revealed, helping TO answer many questions: Which physical spaces are preferred for work in the MIT community? How could future physical planning of the campus suit the community's changing needs? Which location-based services would be most helpful for students and academics?
Also, as many cities around the world are launching extensive wireless initiatives, the analysis of the MIT environment could provide valuable insights for the future. Will today's MIT be tomorrow's norm?"
From the project page:
"new communication technologies, in particular hand-held devices and laptops with wireless connections, are changing the way we live and work. work that till recently required a fixed location and well-defined architectural settings (such as a working desk with a desktop computer in the infamous 'cubicle'), can now be performed in a distributed way from multiple locations, at the same time, conventional hierarchical arrangements of employee management are being replaced by virtual internet-based relationships, creating new patterns and needs for work-spaces. while this trend is widely recognized in the scientific literature (see for instance francis duffy, the new office, london, 1997), it has not been quantitatively measured in accurate ways yet. the aim of this research is to monitor and collect extensive data of wifi usage on the mit campus, which will enable us to better understand the emerging daily working patterns and re-evaluate the qualities of physical space supporting them. the mit campus is a privileged environment for this research due to its pervasiveness of wifi connectivity in its community's daily life."
And why aren't more university campuses becoming wireless - an obvious necessity?
"New wireless communications technologies are changing the way we live and work. This fact is particularly evident at MIT, thanks to the presence of two conditions: 1) the very high percentage of laptop computer ownership on campus; and 2) the existence of one of the most pervasive wireless Internet networks on earth, which includes over 2,800 access points and was completed at the end of October 2005.
The iSPOTS project, developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory in collaboration with Information Services and Technology, aims at describing changes in living and working at MIT by mapping the dynamics of the wireless network in real-time. Thus, the complex and dispersed individual movement patterns that make up the daily life of the campus can be revealed, helping TO answer many questions: Which physical spaces are preferred for work in the MIT community? How could future physical planning of the campus suit the community's changing needs? Which location-based services would be most helpful for students and academics?
Also, as many cities around the world are launching extensive wireless initiatives, the analysis of the MIT environment could provide valuable insights for the future. Will today's MIT be tomorrow's norm?"
From the project page:
"new communication technologies, in particular hand-held devices and laptops with wireless connections, are changing the way we live and work. work that till recently required a fixed location and well-defined architectural settings (such as a working desk with a desktop computer in the infamous 'cubicle'), can now be performed in a distributed way from multiple locations, at the same time, conventional hierarchical arrangements of employee management are being replaced by virtual internet-based relationships, creating new patterns and needs for work-spaces. while this trend is widely recognized in the scientific literature (see for instance francis duffy, the new office, london, 1997), it has not been quantitatively measured in accurate ways yet. the aim of this research is to monitor and collect extensive data of wifi usage on the mit campus, which will enable us to better understand the emerging daily working patterns and re-evaluate the qualities of physical space supporting them. the mit campus is a privileged environment for this research due to its pervasiveness of wifi connectivity in its community's daily life."
And why aren't more university campuses becoming wireless - an obvious necessity?
The rise of VoIP
According to a recent BBC article titled 'Internet phone calls on the rise':
"Broadband telephony is gaining ground among consumers as people become more confident users of their high-speed net connections.
It offers a cheap alternative to fixed-line voice calls.
By 2009, 70% of voice connections around the world will be wireless, the Gartner report found."
Another indication that there are moves towards convergence.
"Broadband telephony is gaining ground among consumers as people become more confident users of their high-speed net connections.
It offers a cheap alternative to fixed-line voice calls.
By 2009, 70% of voice connections around the world will be wireless, the Gartner report found."
Another indication that there are moves towards convergence.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Telework-freedom: Consequences to business travel behaviour?
Here's an interesting short paper (not including survey visual data) by Jasper Lim. Lim would be interested in any feedback and comments, and for further information, please send to Jasper Lim at: h.n.lim@tbm.tudelft.nl
"In recent years, there have been increase teleworking practices by employees, from teleworking part-time from homes, client offices, starbuck cafes, or even during travelling from one place to another. Teleworking is now being offered increasingly to employees of business organizations in The Netherlands. So, we may expect a big bang of “teleworkmania” in the coming years?
Not exactly, the reasons will become apparent in the next paragraphs. The benefits of teleworking are enormous and are well documented by many researchers. From the benefits of increase work concentration, work efficiency, travel time reduction, attending to domestic chores and many more. Teleworking could also be just simply “nice” and “handy” for some employees. It gives employees a feeling of independence and the opportunity to “release” themselves from the traditional 9-to-5 jobs.
In theory, telework allows employees to work anytime-anywhere with the assistance of information and communication technologies (ICT) for communication and travel substitution. However, this freedom and may be restricted by two factors. Firstly, employees, particularly field employees (e.g. salesmen, consultants) have to attend to “client maintenance”. This means that they have to meet clients face-to-face. As one interviewee puts it “It’s very important to visit the clients in person. Personal contacts cannot be replaced by any other form of communication. In business, it’s important to create trust and the best way to do that is through face-to-face meetings”. Secondly, social contacts with colleagues are important, particularly for employees with managing or coordinating roles. It allows them to communicate with the team more effectively in-person than via email or msn messaging. Furthermore, it’s the best way to enhance cohesiveness with colleagues and also to “catch-up” with office politics.
The consequences of telework-freedom and the restrictions impose by the above factors lead to somewhat interesting developments to business travel behaviour. Firstly, it leads to changes of the business travel chain. For instance, business travelers can now prepare materials from home and depart to visit customers directly without visiting the office. Secondly, it leads to traffic-anticipation travel planning behaviour by employees. For example, to avoid been caught in traffic congestions, appointments are planned during non-peak rush hours (e.g. after 10 o’clock). This allows business travellers to work partially from home before going to work or visit clients. The employers seem to support this. As can be seen in Figure A, the majority of employers cited avoiding business appointments during peak rush hours as a good measure, followed by the use of virtual meeting tools and the extension of road networks (Lim 2004).
Figure A: Employer preference on how to solve traffic congestion (not included here)
As expected, majority of the employers were not in favour of the idea of introducing road pricing (e.g. kilometer pricing or congestion pricing).
The third consequence to travel behaviour may not be apparent at this point of time due to the fact that broadband wireless internet is not available everywhere except for sporadic Wi-Fi spots at cafes, hotels and airport. One particular interesting proposition was to have wireless internet on trains for business travellers. A survey conducted by Zhang (2005) on NS (Dutch National Railway) train business travellers suggested that having wireless internet service (WIS) on trains would improve travel efficiency and increase work productivity of business travellers during train travel. This means that value of travel time could change may have to be re-evaluated in the near future. Having internet on trains may even stimulate the use of public transport given the fact that car drivers could only perform limited tasks in their cars.
To conclude, there are still barriers with regards to the concept of working anytime-anywhere. Employees are still “bounded” by traditional social and business ethics. However, telework is slowly changing the way business travellers conduct their work and travel activities, particularly, time losses attributed to traffic congestions could be reduced by intelligent use of telework options and adaptation to the travel chain."
References
Lim, H.N. (2004), W.A.T.T. Survey report, company and public versions, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, April 2004.
Zhang, M. (2005), An E-journey for business travellers on trains. Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Master Thesis.
"In recent years, there have been increase teleworking practices by employees, from teleworking part-time from homes, client offices, starbuck cafes, or even during travelling from one place to another. Teleworking is now being offered increasingly to employees of business organizations in The Netherlands. So, we may expect a big bang of “teleworkmania” in the coming years?
Not exactly, the reasons will become apparent in the next paragraphs. The benefits of teleworking are enormous and are well documented by many researchers. From the benefits of increase work concentration, work efficiency, travel time reduction, attending to domestic chores and many more. Teleworking could also be just simply “nice” and “handy” for some employees. It gives employees a feeling of independence and the opportunity to “release” themselves from the traditional 9-to-5 jobs.
In theory, telework allows employees to work anytime-anywhere with the assistance of information and communication technologies (ICT) for communication and travel substitution. However, this freedom and may be restricted by two factors. Firstly, employees, particularly field employees (e.g. salesmen, consultants) have to attend to “client maintenance”. This means that they have to meet clients face-to-face. As one interviewee puts it “It’s very important to visit the clients in person. Personal contacts cannot be replaced by any other form of communication. In business, it’s important to create trust and the best way to do that is through face-to-face meetings”. Secondly, social contacts with colleagues are important, particularly for employees with managing or coordinating roles. It allows them to communicate with the team more effectively in-person than via email or msn messaging. Furthermore, it’s the best way to enhance cohesiveness with colleagues and also to “catch-up” with office politics.
The consequences of telework-freedom and the restrictions impose by the above factors lead to somewhat interesting developments to business travel behaviour. Firstly, it leads to changes of the business travel chain. For instance, business travelers can now prepare materials from home and depart to visit customers directly without visiting the office. Secondly, it leads to traffic-anticipation travel planning behaviour by employees. For example, to avoid been caught in traffic congestions, appointments are planned during non-peak rush hours (e.g. after 10 o’clock). This allows business travellers to work partially from home before going to work or visit clients. The employers seem to support this. As can be seen in Figure A, the majority of employers cited avoiding business appointments during peak rush hours as a good measure, followed by the use of virtual meeting tools and the extension of road networks (Lim 2004).
Figure A: Employer preference on how to solve traffic congestion (not included here)
As expected, majority of the employers were not in favour of the idea of introducing road pricing (e.g. kilometer pricing or congestion pricing).
The third consequence to travel behaviour may not be apparent at this point of time due to the fact that broadband wireless internet is not available everywhere except for sporadic Wi-Fi spots at cafes, hotels and airport. One particular interesting proposition was to have wireless internet on trains for business travellers. A survey conducted by Zhang (2005) on NS (Dutch National Railway) train business travellers suggested that having wireless internet service (WIS) on trains would improve travel efficiency and increase work productivity of business travellers during train travel. This means that value of travel time could change may have to be re-evaluated in the near future. Having internet on trains may even stimulate the use of public transport given the fact that car drivers could only perform limited tasks in their cars.
To conclude, there are still barriers with regards to the concept of working anytime-anywhere. Employees are still “bounded” by traditional social and business ethics. However, telework is slowly changing the way business travellers conduct their work and travel activities, particularly, time losses attributed to traffic congestions could be reduced by intelligent use of telework options and adaptation to the travel chain."
References
Lim, H.N. (2004), W.A.T.T. Survey report, company and public versions, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, April 2004.
Zhang, M. (2005), An E-journey for business travellers on trains. Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Master Thesis.
Cell Phone Culture
The following event will take place on the MIT campus on Thursday, November 17, 2005. If you would like us to ask one or both of the speakers a question, please email it back to 'seawell@MIT.EDU' with your name, affiliation and location. We will identify the author of any questions sent via email. An audio recording is made available a couple of days following the event.
MIT COMMUNICATIONS FORUM
Cell Phone Culture
Thursday, November 17, 2005
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Bartos Theater, Media Lab
20 Ames Street, MIT
Abstract
No contemporary cultural artifact embodies the genius and the disruptive excess of capitalism as clearly as the cell phone. Ubiquitous in most developed societies in Europe, the Americas and Asia, the cell phone has become a laboratory some would say an asylum for testing the limits of technological convergence. Less a telephone today than a multi-purpose computer, cell phones are game consoles, still cameras, email systems, text messengers, carriers of entertainment and business data, nodes of commerce. Particular age cohorts and subcultures have begun to appropriate cell phones for idiosyncratic uses that help to define their niche or social identity. This Forum will examine the cell phone as a technological object and as a cultural form whose uses and meaning are increasingly various, an artifact uniquely of our time that is enacting, to borrow the words of a contemporary novelist, a ceaseless spectacle of transition.
Speakers
James Katz is professor of communication and director of Rutgers University's Center for Mobile Communications Studies, which he founded in 2004. Katz' research focuses on how personal communication technologies, such as mobile phones and the Internet, affect social relationships and how cultural values influence usage patterns of these technologies. His books include Machines That Become Us: The Social Context of Personal Communication Technology (Transaction, 2003, editor) and Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk and Public Performance (Cambridge, 2002, co-edited with Mark Aakhus). He is also the author of Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement and Expression (MIT Press, 2002, with Ron Rice).
Jing Wang is professor of Chinese cultural studies, and the head of Foreign Languages & Literatures at MIT. Her research interests are focused on contemporary Chinese popular culture and its relationship to marketing and advertising. She worked at Ogilvy in Beijing for two summers as a consultant for the Planning Department, and is currently finishing up a book manuscript [Brand New China: Advertising, Media, and Commercial Culture]. Wang's presentation on cell phone branding and youth culture in China is based on some of her work at Ogilvy.
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum
MIT COMMUNICATIONS FORUM
Cell Phone Culture
Thursday, November 17, 2005
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Bartos Theater, Media Lab
20 Ames Street, MIT
Abstract
No contemporary cultural artifact embodies the genius and the disruptive excess of capitalism as clearly as the cell phone. Ubiquitous in most developed societies in Europe, the Americas and Asia, the cell phone has become a laboratory some would say an asylum for testing the limits of technological convergence. Less a telephone today than a multi-purpose computer, cell phones are game consoles, still cameras, email systems, text messengers, carriers of entertainment and business data, nodes of commerce. Particular age cohorts and subcultures have begun to appropriate cell phones for idiosyncratic uses that help to define their niche or social identity. This Forum will examine the cell phone as a technological object and as a cultural form whose uses and meaning are increasingly various, an artifact uniquely of our time that is enacting, to borrow the words of a contemporary novelist, a ceaseless spectacle of transition.
Speakers
James Katz is professor of communication and director of Rutgers University's Center for Mobile Communications Studies, which he founded in 2004. Katz' research focuses on how personal communication technologies, such as mobile phones and the Internet, affect social relationships and how cultural values influence usage patterns of these technologies. His books include Machines That Become Us: The Social Context of Personal Communication Technology (Transaction, 2003, editor) and Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk and Public Performance (Cambridge, 2002, co-edited with Mark Aakhus). He is also the author of Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement and Expression (MIT Press, 2002, with Ron Rice).
Jing Wang is professor of Chinese cultural studies, and the head of Foreign Languages & Literatures at MIT. Her research interests are focused on contemporary Chinese popular culture and its relationship to marketing and advertising. She worked at Ogilvy in Beijing for two summers as a consultant for the Planning Department, and is currently finishing up a book manuscript [Brand New China: Advertising, Media, and Commercial Culture]. Wang's presentation on cell phone branding and youth culture in China is based on some of her work at Ogilvy.
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Corporate reputations and blog relations
An interesting article from the Guardian titled 'Firms in the dark over blog threat'
"Nearly two-thirds of businesses have not woken up to the threat posed to their brands and reputations by disgruntled bloggers, a survey of PR professionals revealed today.
While more than 60% of PR executives interviewed believed that web blogs by unhappy employees or exasperated customers can damage corporate reputations, but 58% said businesses were insufficiently aware of the threat.
Based on interviews with US, UK and European and Asian PR companies, the Blog Relations PR Survey shows that more than one in four respondents believed that there were a number of influential blogs that could affect a company's standing.
With many blogs finding their way into mainstream media - such as Adrian Melrose's Land Rover rant, and high-profile blogs targeting the likes of Ryanair, Dell, BT and NTL, just over two-thirds admitted negative blogs could spark a "full-blown" PR crisis.
"Companies find it very difficult to get to terms with blogs and to get to grips with which ones are influential and what is the right way to proceed," said Hugh Fraser, the co-author of the report and a former journalist for the BBC World Service."
Blogging is becoming ever more a pervasive mobile info-sphere. I would certainly welcome any more links/articles/comments.
"Nearly two-thirds of businesses have not woken up to the threat posed to their brands and reputations by disgruntled bloggers, a survey of PR professionals revealed today.
While more than 60% of PR executives interviewed believed that web blogs by unhappy employees or exasperated customers can damage corporate reputations, but 58% said businesses were insufficiently aware of the threat.
Based on interviews with US, UK and European and Asian PR companies, the Blog Relations PR Survey shows that more than one in four respondents believed that there were a number of influential blogs that could affect a company's standing.
With many blogs finding their way into mainstream media - such as Adrian Melrose's Land Rover rant, and high-profile blogs targeting the likes of Ryanair, Dell, BT and NTL, just over two-thirds admitted negative blogs could spark a "full-blown" PR crisis.
"Companies find it very difficult to get to terms with blogs and to get to grips with which ones are influential and what is the right way to proceed," said Hugh Fraser, the co-author of the report and a former journalist for the BBC World Service."
Blogging is becoming ever more a pervasive mobile info-sphere. I would certainly welcome any more links/articles/comments.
Full text access to article in Theory, Culture & Society
Theory, Culture & Society Volume 22, Number 5, October 2005
We are pleased to offer free online access until November 30th 2005 to one of the articles in this issue of Theory, Culture & Society: (click on the article below to view the free PDF)
Microstructures: The New Terrorist Societies by Karin Knorr Cetina
For a complete list of articles in this issue (and free abstracts) please click here
We are pleased to offer free online access until November 30th 2005 to one of the articles in this issue of Theory, Culture & Society: (click on the article below to view the free PDF)
Microstructures: The New Terrorist Societies by Karin Knorr Cetina
For a complete list of articles in this issue (and free abstracts) please click here
Monday, October 31, 2005
It is a great pleasure to introduce you to the third Carnival of the Mobilists. The more I get Carnival of the Mobilists 03
M-trends introduces the third Carnival of the Mobilists:
"The more I get into the concept the more I believe it's really great for everybody involved. Not only for the bloggers writing about mobile but especially for the readers who, not only get a compact weekly overview of the most important mobile blogging news, but above all, it's an overview of qualitative, original and diverse opinions about what's hot in mobile. And that's what it's all about!
"The more I get into the concept the more I believe it's really great for everybody involved. Not only for the bloggers writing about mobile but especially for the readers who, not only get a compact weekly overview of the most important mobile blogging news, but above all, it's an overview of qualitative, original and diverse opinions about what's hot in mobile. And that's what it's all about!
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