Mental Graffiti

Everyone Should (Still) Be Concerned About Proposed Legislation (SOPA and PIPA)

2012-01-17T16:31:00.003-05:00

Image source: http://goo.gl/un3nB

With SOPA [Stop Online Piracy Act] (H.R.3261) and the PROTECT IP Act [Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011] (S.968), free and open communication via the Internet may be severely severed. The power to censor could be in the hands of the entertainment industry and from within our government if this legislation eventually passes. The proposed legislation gives the government the power to shut down unauthorized Web sites used for piracy even though most of these Web sites are outside U.S. jurisdiction. Going further, Web sites like Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook and any others with user-generated and shared content could be flagged and caught in this bill. This should be important to everyone especially if you value your intellectual freedom.

On January 18, 2012 Wikipedia and others will protest SOPA and the PROTECT IP Act by blacking out their Web sites. People visiting libraries that day will approach the reference desk asking why some of their favorite Web sites are gone and I think Librarians should be ready to provide unbiased information/commentary on this proposed legislation, so that our users can make wise decisions and realize that this is very important – not just for today, but well into o future.

Although piracy is clearly wrong, this proposed legislation will not stop people from doing it. Simply adding an IP address into a browser’s address field will allow pirates to still download materials illegally while legitimate links/commentary etc. may be considered copyright infringement and subsequently blocked while our freedom of expression dissolves into the ether!

Technically, it is illegal to share Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in any format and if SOPA, for example, passed then links to this amazing speech would be removed automatically. No one would be able to experience the speech unless they purchased it. EMI on behalf of The King Center has enforced their copyright and ordered its removal from YouTube. Their Web site says that they will sell you or your school a copy for $10 or you can buy the DVD at Amazon.com. Although there are current ways for corporations to take infringed copyright content down (e.g., Digital Millenium Copyright Act, PRO-IP Act, Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), the passing of bills like SOPA and PROTECT IP would undermine the basic structure of the Internet while it’s open/sharing/collaborative aspect would diminish and this is very unfortunate.

The White House recently said that it wouldn’t support any bill that would “inhibit innovation” and they vowed to protect “the openness of the Internet” and this is fantastic news, but everyone (not just librarians or technologists etc.) should be aware of this threatening legislation and stand up and be heard. The Electronic Frontier Foundation makes it easy to send a “Please oppose the Internet Blacklist Legislation (PROTECT IP and SOPA)” letter to your representatives. So, if you oppose this proposed legislation, then please let your voice be heard!

Any Google search (right now at least) for SOPA will provide well over 120,000,000 results, but here are a few worth checking out:

Senator Ron Wyden’s statement opposing SOPA

What do you need to know about SOPA PIPA? Begin here

List of SOPA Supporters

List of Those Expressing Concern With SOPA & PIPA

SOPA: The debate in plain English

“A New Hope for Books”

2011-11-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

I couldn’t find an online version of this article, but Clive Thompson begins with a question that many of us have been asking for a long time and that is “will the e-book kill off the print book?” Well, the paperless office still doesn’t exist and it probably won’t; so, could this fact help answer the above question with a simple and emphatic NO!? Books will live on well into the future; however, they probably won’t flourish and we are already seeing a decline in print materials thanks to all this e-stuff floating around within the “clouds.” I shouldn’t be using that word because it makes me feel silly, but I digress. So, do you think that the above question and the multitude of prophetic answers even matters anymore? Does it create a moral panic? Even Marshall McLuhan predicted the end of print in the 1960’s and we still have print. We still have vinyl records! Hmmm …

Thompson states that print-on-demand will do the same thing to books as the explosion of paper use did for the paperless office. The print-on-demand trend is allowing people to self-publish and this is creating an “intergalactically long tail.” Thompson compares traditional publishing, where the number of new titles increased 5%, to print-on-demand and self-publishing, which is growing 169% -- albeit not all good content, but that is another post. So, imagine what the book market will be like when the average computer user can print out paperbacks at home using more affordable print-on-demand technologies. I can’t wait to read “The Myth of the Paperless Book” someday. ;)

Check out “The Myth of the Paperless Office” by Abigail J. Sellen and Richard Harper.

Is Instantaneous Access to Information Good?

2011-09-30T12:37:00.000-05:00

Find the needle in this haystack.

I was driving my “almost five” year old daughter (her words) to school the other day and she asked me to play “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen. My first reaction was my daughter is pretty cool. My second reaction was absolutely – I can do this for you because I have instant access to most everything. So, I was able to find and play that song on my phone thanks to Spotify and this is a great luxury, right? It probably is. Well, I started to think more about what happened and remembered a time, not that long ago, when I had to wait until an album was officially released before I could get my hands on it. The bike ride to the record store was exhilarating! I miss that anticipation today. Now, I can listen to albums BEFORE they are even officially released thanks to leaks and so forth. For the record, I usually don’t listen to leaked albums from artists I highly respect because I want to listen to it on their terms. Again, that eager anticipation is a strong feeling for me and I wonder if that feeling will be lost with our growing expectancies to have instant access to music, books, film, and other content. If so, does it matter?

We all know that finding a needle in a haystack can be challenging. In fact, it is probably unlikely that you’ll find the needle unless you have a strong magnet or some special needle-finding tool. Today, it seems that we have very strong magnets to help us, but we are finding thousands of needles. So, I wonder if we have too much content (i.e., music, books, film etc.) instantly accessible to us. Will we become less interested in discovering new content if everything we find isn’t extraordinary? Will the ordinary stuff be ignored? Plus, our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, so we may want to throw that magnet away. Should you throw away your magnet?

Just recently, Tzadik’s collection was removed from Spotify. My instantaneous access to this incredible music catalog is now lost and I need to search for it and acquire it again. For this week at least, MOG has the Tzadik collection and I can rebuild it from scratch. I hope MOG doesn’t lose this collection, but I’ll have to wait and see. So, I have a great collection started at Spotify and I don’t really want to start over, but I probably will. I own close to 2,000 CDs, but they aren’t convenient for me anymore. I’ve slowly started to digitize the ones that won’t be in Spotify and/or within other music services and have donated the others because I can stream any one of them instantly to any device whenever I feel the urge to do so. I am spoiled and get upset when I don’t have instant access to everything. Is this okay?

Most content that we have instant access to never sees the light of day, so is it important to even try to provide consumers with all this stuff? As Bob Lefsetz says regarding music, “it's so hard to find greatness amidst the cacophony” and I can see libraries suffering from this too unless we help to curate our content and give our users multiple opportunities to create something useful with it.

My daughter will grow up not having to wait for anything – digital at least. Sure, if she needs quick medical or safety information and can get it within seconds then that is a good thing, but is it good for everything else? I think it is wonderful that technology is providing us with this luxury, but I wonder if it will cheapen the value of the content and/or if we’ll get so spoiled and lazy that much of this content will get lost amidst the cacophony. I hope not. I hope humanity becomes more intelligent because of the torrent of information instantly accessible to us. We’ll see. What do you think? Does it matter?

Will Amazon Offer Purchasing and/or Donation Options for Library-Owed E-Books?

2011-09-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

It may already have happened, but if not, I am wondering how long it will take Amazon to offer a purchasing and/or donation option for library “owed” e-book titles. For a while, OverDrive’s LibraryBIN (“Buy It Now”) program has allowed patrons “to buy popular and best-selling e-books and audiobooks with most of the LibraryBIN profits going back to libraries.” This is pretty cool, but will Amazon do it? I’d think that publishers would be happy because they could gain some revenue from it. A win-win, right?

Undoubtedly, library e-book collections will gain more visibility and with more visibility comes more demand, which many libraries may not be able to handle. Although I am fairly confident that libraries can handle it, it is probably too early to tell. Anyway, I would welcome the idea of Amazon adding a purchasing option for high-demand library e-book titles as long as a portion (even a very small portion) of Amazon’s profits go to library funds AND if library users could then donate their used e-books to their library’s digital collections to give others the opportunity to read them.

On another note, Gary Price from InfoDocket, wrote a thought-provoking post on “eBooks, Privacy, and the Library” and he asks some very important questions that everyone, not just librarians, should be trying to answer.

What do you think?

Chad Mairn, CTO of Novare, publishes a chapter on Mobile-Optimized Library Resources and Services

2011-09-12T12:34:00.000-05:00

Chad Mairn, Chief Technology Officer at Novare Library Services and St. Petersburg College Librarian, wrote a chapter titled ‘Acquiring, Promoting, and Using Mobile-Optimized Library Resources and Services,’ which will be published this month in “E-Reference Context and Discoverability in Libraries: Issues and Concepts” edited by Sue Polanka. You can take advantage of IGI Global’s pre-publication pricing today or read a summarized version of Chad’s chapter from Advances in Library Information Science’s newsletter here. You can also read the first few pages of the chapter here.

Here is the abstract:

Although the reasons vary, it is apparent that the majority of library users prefer electronic reference content primarily because information provided in that format is easier to find and use; plus, much of this content is accessed via mobile devices. This chapter will discuss best practices for acquiring, promoting, and using mobile-optimized library resources and services including reference content -- although most Ready Reference print collections have disappeared because of the ease of finding factual information thanks to Google, Wikipedia, and others. A report on mobile library surveys and vendor usage statistics regarding the use and future aspects of mobile-optimized library reference resources and services will also be discussed in order to provide a snapshot of what is working in this emerging technology that is impacting most everyone today. The chapter also will attempt to answer questions to determine if promoting mobile-optimized content is helping users discover oftentimes hidden library reference content while they are on the go.

It Is Time To Negotiate Change

2011-02-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

Photo by Maggie Smith

Companies are in business to make money. I get this. If the book publishers looked to the failing, or failed, music industry they could learn a lot. They probably won’t and the most recent HarperCollins news seems to provide some evidence to support that statement.

Well, I’m sure this has been mentioned already, but I wanted to state it again because it makes sense to me. Okay, if I am reading an eBook and I am on chapter 12, then technically there are many other chapters that are not being read at that point in time. Another reader could start reading chapter 1. Another reader could have 3 pages left to read etc. It is technically possible for more than one person to read an eBook at the same time, but the publishers keep thinking “one reader/one book” and that is 20^th century thinking – maybe even 15^th century thinking.

Maybe it is time to look more closely at a Netflix-esque, Rhapsody-esque, or some other subscription model for libraries so that authors/publishers get paid per download or per view. Libraries can help distribute content! Libraries are pretty good at this actually. Publishers could make more money if they were more flexible and allowed libraries to do what they do best, which is helping connect their users to valuable information. Of course, libraries do way more than this, but this connection is significant. If an eBook is popular and, let’s say, 26 people read it, then charge the library for those “reads” by adding code to the eBook that automatically pays the publisher out of the library budget. It seems to be working for musicians – although musicians make more money if they aren’t under contract with a music label and/or distributor. Plus, an analytic reporting function could be incorporated into an eBook that lets the publisher know that a user, for example, was only browsing a particular title to determine if they wanted to read it or not and this would not count as a “full read.” I can browse books at Barnes and Noble and I am not charged for doing this. It should be the same for eBooks.

Going further, it is now affordable and convenient to download/stream music. More and more people are doing this legally because it is so much easier to have instant access to everything you want and whenever you want it, instead of illegally searching for music on torrent and file sharing web sites and taking risks with malicious software and other repercussions. For me, paying a $10 to $20 a month subscription fee to gain access to unlimited music or movies is totally worth it and I would do the same exact thing for eBooks through my library if it was possible. The funny thing, this is possible! We need to move past the “one reader/one Book” model soon. OverDrive offers “max access” subscription models and this is a step in the right direction, but this needs to benefit everyone and I am not 100% certain this is the case. If it is, please let me know.

Libraries need to step up and negotiate with these publishers, and as many librarians have already mentioned in other posts and tweets, librarians need to become strong advocates for their readers! If having access to eBooks and other eContent was in everyone’s “best” interest, including library users, then what is the problem? Why hasn’t this happened yet? Money? I would think publishers (and their authors) could get paid more money if they went this route and began to think like innovators and not like stubborn idiots. It is not my intention to insult anyone. I just want to know why we don’t have a decent model yet? I’d like to share a passage from Bob Lefsetz because it supports my initial thoughts above:

Eviscerate piracy. Make it so it’s just not worth it to steal. Hell, people may even forget how to steal… But, but, but…if we lower the price so everybody can get in, we’re going to lose that extra revenue from our best customers! Cable providers don’t care how much you watch TV, it’s just about signing up. And cell providers have unlimited plans. And both have great anti-piracy measures so there’s no direct comparison, but the point is today’s paradigm is giving a lot for a little, not being pecked to death by ducks, micro-payments of $1.29 for every track. Who could survive on a system like this? Not car companies, who sell accessories in packages. The key is to come up with a bucket of tracks, for a reasonable price. (Source: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2010/04/09/track-sales-peak/)

I agree! This is nothing new, but I do feel that it is time to rethink our library subscription models. Not just for eBooks, but we need to explore this for our databases and other eContent as well. Vendors are already figuring out ways (simple ways, in fact) to bypass libraries altogether and deal directly with their end users. This is unfortunate on so many levels. Should we simply watch this happen, or should we start negotiating, or should we boycott publishers who are not “library friendly?” These are tough questions that need answers. This recent HarperCollins announcement is ridiculous at best and libraries need to respond intelligently. A couple of good places to start:

The eBook User’s Bill of Rights

Library Renewal: Pioneering Electronic Content Delivery for Libraries

HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations

Search/use #hcod hashtag on Twitter.
There will be an “eBook Trends and Practices” track at the 2011 Computers in Libraries conference.

Mobile library website fits in your pocket!

2011-02-09T20:21:00.003-05:00

Although the SPC Library website has been optimized for mobile users, the time has come to utilize innovative technologies for the new generation of touch screen mobile devices.

SPC Librarian Chad Mairn designed the library’s new mobile-optimized “touch” website interface to act much like an application for an iPhone or other mobile devices. But unlike most applications, the website is entirely web-based and no downloads or updates are required.

“The trend is moving more toward mobile, and once students know that a website is mobile-optimized, they’ll be using it more,” Mairn said. “If a site doesn’t look well on my mobil device, I just won’t use it.”

The new mobile-optimized website, designed for on-the-go users, includes:

Library locations with one-touch access to Google Maps, library telephone numbers and hours of operation

Access to mobile research databases and the library catalog, making it quick and easy to find articles, books and other information

New library releases, resources and services such as Ask-a-Librarian

Selected research tools for a variety of operating systems, including Android, Blackberry, iOS (Apple’s iPhone), WebOS, Symbian and Windows

External links to the library’s full website

To access the mobile library, visit www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline/touch on your mobile device or scan this QR code to gain instant access.

For more information or to provide comments, please contact Chad Mairn. Special thanks to Yuka Takayama for helping code the mobile redirect script.

Testing my new ShareSquare QR code

2011-01-15T16:21:00.002-05:00

Abandon Ownership!

2010-11-17T10:51:00.001-05:00

An interesting Wired article regarding the "rentership society" got me thinking about libraries. Libraries have been in the "rental" business for a long time and it seems to be working, right? In the article, Suellentrop states that ownership is "for suckers" and I see his point. He goes on to say that ownership can be a burden and I know this feeling fairly well too (especially the last few years) since I do own my own home. Hopefully, the investment will pay off in the long run, but we'll have to wait and see.

Getting back to the point, I used to own thousands of CDs/DVDs/books and I still do, but I haven't bought a CD, DVD, or book for personal use in years because I simply can't find space for this stuff anymore. Conveniently, I now stream and/or download all my music and moving pictures. Occasionally, I will have Netflix mail me a blu-ray disc, but for the most part I have instant access to entertainment. The point is, I don't mind paying a monthly fee to have unlimited entertainment. I access content (e.g., music, film, documentaries, etc.) whenever and wherever I want, but I don't have this option right now with eBooks! I personally won't pay $10 for a single eBook EVER! Finally, Suellentrop wrote something that hit me hard in that "the winner of the ebook sweepstakes will be the bookseller who becomes a book renter." Wow, doesn't this sound like a perfect fit for libraries or is it just me? Having a library Netflix model for books in any format would be fantastic, wouldn't it?

Handheld Librarian 4 Online Conference: Call for Program Proposals!

2010-11-15T13:56:00.000-05:00

TAP Information Services and LearningTimes invite librarians, library staff, vendors, graduate students, and developers to submit program proposals related to the topic of mobile library services for the online Handheld Librarian 4 conference to be held online February 23 and 24, 2011.

The Handheld Librarian 4 (HHLib4) conference will feature interactive, live online sessions and links to recorded events following the conference. HHLib4 is interested in a broad range of submissions that highlight current, evolving, and future issues in mobile library services. This year, HHLib4 will feature a program track with presentations by graduate library students. These include but are not limited to the following program tracks:

ebooks
location-based social networking
augmented reality
twitter
apps
device and OS trends
QR codes
reference
mobile trend spotting
mobile technologies impacting society
web/app development best practices

Proposal Submissions:
Submit your proposal by completing the webform at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/submissions-form by December 1, 2010. Online presentations may be conducted in one of four formats:

a 45-minute live online session (i.e. synchronous webcast)
a 15 minute student presentation ***
a 10 minute live online session or
a pre-recorded presentation (i.e. narrated web tour or slides).

You will be notified by January 15, 2011 if your proposal has been accepted. Conference registration fees are waived for speakers. Presenters Are Expected To:

Conduct your session using Adobe Connect (computer, Internet, mic required)
Provide a digital photo of yourself for the conference website
Respond to questions from attendees
Attend an online 30-60 minute training on Adobe Connect prior to the conference

Thank you for considering submitting a proposal. If you have questions, please contact:

Lori Bell, lbell927@gmail.com
Tom Peters, TAP Information Services, tpeters@tapinformation.com
Susan Manning, LearningTimes, susan@ltgreenroom.org

Social Media Quick Guide

2010-11-12T10:55:00.003-05:00

I am talking about social media and I wanted to show how easy it is to publish to a blog. Here is a link to the Social Media Quick Guide.

Hello Android!

2010-09-28T14:05:00.003-05:00

Hello Android!

Well, I finally made my decision to move away from Blackberry and to start using Android. My Blackberry was great the first year, but it really started to have issues the second year. For example, it would drop calls unpredictably and became pathetically slow even after multiple reinstalls. Regardless, I won’t dwell on my Blackberry woes because, for the most part, it was a good phone.

So, let’s rewind two weeks. I started exploring other cell phone carriers and then started reviewing the overwhelming world of smart phones. My wife and I looked at the 3 main carriers: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. T-Mobile had the best deal for us (we have 5 phones on our plan) and we both were able to upgrade to Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) phones with the Android 2.1 operating system (Kernel version: 2.6.29). Playing with this phone in the store sold me instantly. I was, quite frankly, blown away by the speed, intuitive interface, the crisp high-definition screen that was flawlessly playing the preloaded ‘Avatar’ movie. Oh, and Swype texting is awesome. I don’t need a keyboard anymore. Okay, so I won’t go into all the technical specifications, but if you are interested visit http://galaxy-s.t-mobile.com/samsung-android-galaxy-phone for more information.

I did play with an iPhone and loved it too, but the Samsung phone seemed much smoother and quicker to me. Plus the screen is way better in my opinion.

So, I have had my Samsung phone for a little over 2 weeks and I am still in love. Here are some of my favorite apps so far:

A Online Radio – online radio plays MP3/M3U/PLS/AAC channels, shoutcast/icecast etc.
Aldiko – eBook Reader.
Barcode Scanner - scan product barcodes, Data Matrix and QR Codes. Also share your contacts, apps, and bookmarks via QR Code.
Congress – keep up with new legislation, contact info for legislators etc.
Dolphin Browser HD – an excellent browser that offers tabs, add-ons, and much more. My favorite add-on is the Dolphin Reader, which provides an “interference-free reading environment.”
Evernote – create notes, tag them, and sync from anywhere.
Fring – free video calls.
Google (Talk, Voice, Maps with Latitude, Google Goggles so you can use pictures to search the web).
Kindle – eBook reader.
Kobo - eBook reader.
Laputa – eBook reader.
Layar – Augmented reality with multiple layers.
mSpot – send 2 GBs of your music to the “cloud” and listen from your phone or any other connected device.
NetQFree – manage your Netflix queue and read reviews etc.
Nook – eBook Reader
News apps (NPR News, NYTimes, TechNews)
Pandora – free personalized radio.
PocketCloud – remotely access your desktop.
Rhapsody – listen to a huge collection of music anytime and from anywhere.
TaskOS – task manager.
TweetCaster – Twitter application.
TweetDeck – Twitter application.
YouTube – for mobile!

2010-09-21T17:01:00.001-05:00

The time is now for digital textbooks, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/oreilly/radar/atom/~3/7fTVWn9thKI/punctuated-equilibrium-httpbit.html

2010-09-21T07:03:00.001-05:00

Brave New World With Such Google Transparency In It, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3LI84nxBWcQ/

2010-09-08T16:35:00.001-05:00

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/google-verizon-fcc-war-over-internets-future/19605776/

2010-09-08T16:21:00.001-05:00

http://thenextweb.com/google/2010/09/08/google-engineer-on-adding-social-to-google-instant-stay-tuned/

Mashable Shared Story

2010-09-06T17:55:00.000-05:00

Google's Music Service to Launch by Christmas [REPORT]: http://bit.ly/9eHeSS

Sent from my iPod

5 Useful Facebook Trend and Search Services (Source: Mashable)

2010-08-18T15:31:00.000-05:00

As the world's largest social network, Facebook is a fascinating place to find out what's hot, what's news, and discover the latest meme.

Despite recent improvements, Facebook's in-site search doesn't necessarily offer the best way to see such data. However, there are various services that provide a dedicated way to either search Facebook's 500 million-strong data stream (at least what's made public), or see what's "trending" on the site in a way that's similar to Twitter.

While we can't overlook the fact that search engines like Google and Bing have begun offering "social search," we think the five services listed below offer a more useful way to find out what people are saying about a particular topic, or even find out what's being "Liked" in your social circle.
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1. Kurrently
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Kurrently is a dedicated search engine for both Twitter and Facebook, but you can narrow down the options to see results from one service or the other.

Kurrently's great selling point is that the search results continue to refresh after you've looked up a word or phrase, so you can experience the kind of auto-updating hashtag search we're already familiar with on Twitter.

Kurrently's programmer Gilbert Leung said he started the site because he wanted to get a sense of the global sentiment on a certain issue.

"Twitter Search was the obvious tool at the time," says Leung, "but my immediate question was, What about Facebook?' Why am I searching through a community of around 60 million when a network of around 500 million exists?'"
---------------

2. It's Trending
---------------

Right now It's Trending offers a non-searchable, real-time feed of the most shared content across Facebook, which is useful for anyone who wants a snapshot glimpse of the social web's current zeitgeist in an incredibly simple and uncomplicated way.

Giving you a new way to see hot topics across categories (video, news, sports, tech, gaming, comedy, etc) and across popular sites (Cracked, YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, TechCrunch, Huffington Post, NY Times, CNN and yes, Mashable) it's a good-looking service that has big plans for the future so definitely one to watch.
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3. Openbook
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While many of you may already be familiar with Openbook, it's worthy of a place on this list for how simple it is to search, or see what others are searching for.

Also worth mentioning for marketeers or researchers is Openbook's unique ability to see search results from just male or female Facebookers something that's an incredibly useful tool if you need to narrow down data on a gender basis.
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4. Booshaka
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Recent startup Booshaka offers a real-time look at what's trending on Facebook based on open search keywords, as well as via topic if you're interested in more a general browse.

Main channel topics include news, music, sports, politics, gossip, TV, fashion, movies, deals, travel, brands and games (with each broken down into further sub-topics). Clicking on one of these will give you a stream of updates from relevant accounts.

Once you've carried out a topic search, you can see how many "Likes" and comments a Facebook post has received, and narrow down the results by what's trending now, what's most popular, what's most recent, and what has the biggest "buzz."

These further options could potentially help identify up-and-coming trends, as well as find out what folks are saying about established ones.
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5. Facepinch
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Facepinch promises to let you know popular "Likes" (as well as create your own "Like"), view hot trending topics, and see what's being sought after on Facebook with its top 100 most popular searches list. There is also the option to see recent searches if you're more interested in what's happening right now.

While there's no data to be gleaned from it, you can also browse recently updated profile pics with a gallery of random Facebook users' names and thumbnails. The site's default is the U.S., but you can select specific countries if you've an interest in a particular geographical area.

The service's creator, London-based Andrew Webb, states that besides the more obvious voyeuristic uses, he sees value in the site for brands:

"[C]ompanies and marketing professionals [can] see an unfiltered glimpse of how their products are being really perceived by the public."
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BONUS: Like Button
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More aimed at finding out what's hot in your own social circle, Like Button shows you "what people you know like on the Internet right now."

If you're signed in via Facebook, you can see what your buddies have "Liked" on popular pre-loaded sites such as YouTube, CNN, The Huffington Post, etc, and via categories including news, social media, tech, Apple, etc. But there is the infinitely useful option to add sites of your choosing too, making the Like Button site a personalized social window on the web.

You can also click to view a brief overview of what's hot on Facebook with the nine top trends displayed and refreshed every 15 minutes.

In addition, and on the fun side of things, Like Button lets you create your very own "Like" and "Dislike" buttons, the former of which looks like this when posted to your Facebook wall:

---------------

More Facebook Resources from Mashable:
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- 10 Fascinating Facebook Facts
- 10 Cool Facebook Status Tips and Tricks
- How News Consumption is Shifting to the Personalized Social News Stream
- How Online Retailers Can Leverage Facebook's Open Graph
- 10 Fun Facebook Accessories

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sodafish

More About: booshaka, facebook, facebook apps, facebook tools, facepinch, It's Trending, Kurrently, like button, List, Lists, openbook, Search, search engines, trends, web apps

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mashable/~3/dXG2yNXMoGY/

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Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Mobile Users Prefer Coupons to Checkins [REPORT] (Source: Mashable)

2010-08-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

As mobile users become more acclimated to sharing their whereabouts via mobile devices, findings from JiWire's Mobile Audience Insights Report prove that they're also becoming more open to receiving ads and mobile coupons relevant to where they are.

In fact, more than 50% of respondents indicated that they wanted to receive location-specific advertising, with mobile coupons a more appealing incentive than checkins.

In the report, mobile media company JiWire examines market trends around audience data over public Wi-Fi during the second quarter of 2010. The survey portion of the study focused on location-based mobile services and queried respondents on their location-sharing habits and attitudes.

Men showed more interest in sharing their location than women, and those in the 25-34 and 35-44 age categories indicated more openness than younger and older age groups. Responses also showed that mobile users are nearly as likely to use location-based services in their homes as they are while on the go.

JiWire also looked at the most popular LBS applications, and the functionalities and features that are most appealing to users. GPS and applications such as Google Maps ranked highest. Google, Yelp, Facebook and Foursquare round out the top five in sequential order. Interestingly enough, coupons and discounts placed second only to maps, and out-ranked reviews, status updates and checkins when users ranked the most valuable features of location-based applications.

The data is extremely telling and could point to a future where discount-oriented, location-sharing apps à la Shopkick make a major impact on mainstream mobile shopping behaviors. With Facebook set to make a big location announcement later today, it's also interesting to note that in the eyes of mobile users, the behemoth social network already out ranks Foursquare in location utility.

The full report is available as a free PDF and includes interesting data on the increase in free public Wi-Fi and the most popular Wi-Fi mobile devices.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Thomas_EyeDesign

More About: checkins, foursquare, geolocation, jiwire, location based advertising, location sharing, Mobile 2.0, mobile coupons, study

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How Mobile is Affecting the Way We E-mail (Source: Mashable)

2010-08-12T13:28:00.000-05:00

This series is brought to you by the new BlackBerry Torch, the touch screen BlackBerry complete with social feeds, improved internet browsing, and much more.

As smartphone and mobile web usage continues to soar, users are spending more and more time on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. But how is the mobile web impacting the oldest form of Internet communication, e-mail?

For desktop Internet users, e-mail may be playing second-fiddle to the likes of Facebook and social games like FarmVille, but on mobile devices, e-mail is still number one.

In fact, new research from The Nielsen Company suggests that e-mail represents 41.6% of mobile Internet time for users in the United States.

Putting that in perspective, if all mobile Internet time was condensed into one hour of usage, e-mail would represent 25 minutes of time spent.

In fact, mobile e-mail usage continues to grow, even as social media continues to become a bigger and bigger part of the mobile experience. Last fall, ExactTarget commissioned a study on smartphone Internet usage and found that the rise in social media adoption has lead to an increase in how much we e-mail from our mobile devices, and not the decrease many analysts were predicting.
---------------

Mobile E-mail is NOT Just for Business
---------------

It's easy to conflate mobile e-mail with business users, after all, this was the demographic that first fully embraced the ability to send and receive messages from their mobile devices.

Over the years, however, e-mail usage on mobile devices has become less about business and more about staying in touch with personal contacts. According to ExactTarget's research, 71% of business professionals with smartphones said that they send more personal e-mails than work-related missives from their mobile devices.

Don't let the business suit fool you next time you see a smartly dressed corporate type tapping away on their phone, chances are, they are probably e-mailing with friends.

Part of the reason we're seeing an increase in personal e-mail communication devices is because of the nature of mobile. Users are always connected to their inbox and thus, can always receive a message.
---------------

E-Mail for Breakfast and After Sex
---------------

As we noted earlier this summer, more than 50% of U.S. online users check their e-mail before doing anything else online.

When you consider that peak Internet usage often takes place around 7 a.m., it's not a stretch to say that many of us check our e-mail on our mobile phones before, well, stretching and getting out of bed.

It's not just when we wake up that we check e-mail; studies indicate that more and more individuals check e-mail in the middle of the night and even after sex.

Again, the always-connected nature and location-ambivalence of mobile devices makes it easier for users to check their message or jot off a quick note, whether it's the most appropriate time or not. I think we've all seen "that guy" at a solemn event like a funeral desperately trying to refrain from checking his BlackBerry during the service. Heck, some of us may even be that guy.
---------------

Is Social Media Eroding E-mail Usage?
---------------

Last year, Nielsen looked into what impact social media is having on e-mail usage. The results showed that there is a strong correlation between those who are frequent e-mail users and users that are also active across social media.

In fact, the study basically showed that social media makes users consume more e-mail, not less. Part of this is an effect of the e-mail nature of many social networks. Facebook, for instance, sends you an e-mail when you get a new wall post or someone sends you a message. Likewise, Twitter and Foursquare send you follower updates, and Twitter sends out direct message notifications.

Many blog comment systems can notify users when someone has responded to an article online, and services like Google Buzz bring commenting on social statuses or shared Google Reader items to the inbox.

We should note, however, that more and more users are starting to treat services like Facebook as replacements for an e-mail inbox. E-mail is still more versatile, but for users that have a heavily populated social graph, sometimes social networking services can offer a more convenient messaging experience.

Have your e-mail habits changed since buying a smartphone? Let us know in the comments!
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More Mobile Resources from Mashable:
---------------

- Top 16 Unusual Foursquare Badges
- 5 iPhone Apps to Help You Learn to Dance
- A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Mobile
- Top 5 Mobile Commerce Trends for 2010
- Why QR Codes Are Poised to Hit the Mainstream

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, graphixel
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Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Google Buzz, Google Reader, Internet, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: e-mail, mobile web, stats, web usage

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RIP Google Wave (Source: Mashable)

2010-08-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

Google Wave, a product once heralded by many as a massively disruptive communication tool (heck, invites were even selling for $70 on eBay), is no more.

In a blog post this afternoon, Google says they "don't plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product," though the code for it will remain available as open source.

The move isn't much of a surprise; adoption never seemed to materialize for Google Wave even after it dropped its invite-only status as users struggled to find meaningful use cases for the service (though we found a few).

What's most interesting about Wave, perhaps, is the spectacular rate of its rise and fall. It was easily one of the most hyped products of 2009, but within months of its launch, the buzz had almost completely disappeared.

The product might've been more successful had it been integrated into Gmail (basic e-mail notifications weren't even part of the launch), though Google hasn't had much success with Buzz in that department either.

In any event, Wave represents another disappointment in Google's long line of attempts at social, an area in which the company is now reportedly eyeing a completely new approach. Shutting down Wave, it would seem, is a logical step in moving on.

[img credit: Vaguleartisti]

More About: Google, Google Wave, trending

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RIP Google Wave

2010-08-04T17:17:00.000-05:00

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Facebook Taking Gaming Seriously, Hiring Head of Games Partnerships (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-08-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

(Schools should pay attention to this job description to better prepare students for opportunities like this in the future!)

If there was any doubt before, it's clear now that Facebook is embracing the fact that games are a core part of its experience, and it's taking its relationship with gaming companies very seriously. The company has recently posted a job listing for a Head of Games Partnerships, who will be asked to "develop and enhance successful partnerships and influence internal and external partners and industry stakeholders in the Gaming industry." Facebook exec Dan Rose, who used to head the company's global business development and is now VP of Partnerships and Platform Marketing, posted a link to the listing twelve hours ago.

Gaming has been very popular on Facebook for quite a while, but the social network has created a strained relationship with some developers as it's changed the rules on the fly by cutting off the viral notifications channel and pressuring developers to use official Facebook Credits (which Facebook gets a 30% cut of).

But now the battle over games and developers is heating up: Google is preparing to launch a new social strategy with a social network rumored to be called Google Me, and gaming will play a big part in that. Google has already forged an alliance with Zynga, which has long been a major source of Facebook traffic and advertising dollars.

The news also comes just a week after a Nielsen report found that in the US, online gaming was beating email in terms of time spent online, with half of Americans playing online games like FarmVille.
The full job listing:

Facebook is seeking a leader for our Strategic Partner Development team to build and manage a high performance team, develop and enhance successful partnerships and influence internal and external partners and industry stakeholders in the Gaming industry. This job requires high levels of creativity and strategic thinking, as you'll be called upon to help both large, incumbent gaming companies as well as venture-backed gaming start-ups develop innovative social gaming experiences building on Facebook Platform. This team is the face of Facebook to our external gaming partner relationships and serves as the primary point of contact for both internal and external stakeholders. You should be as comfortable pitching and negotiating deals with partners as working cross-functionally with colleagues in Product, Engineering, Sales, Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Legal to create new social experiences that meet the strategic objectives of partners and Facebook. You should also expect to handle day-to-day operations and partnership management with many of our most important gaming partners, develop and execute on strategic partner initiatives and advocate internally and externally for our social gaming partners.

Responsibilities: •Build, train, manage and grow a high-performing team of talented and motivated partner-facing individuals •Develop and drive our gaming partner strategy to support the continued growth and success of our partners and social gaming on Facebook •Scale our gaming Partner Development team by hiring highly talented and motivated individuals • Initiate, structure, negotiate, and maintain high impact strategic gaming partnerships. •Support new partners through launch process and liaise with Facebook product and technical support. •Track, analyze, and communicate key quantitative metrics and develop and execute against partner account plans. •Become the primary point of contact for and maintain strong direct relationships with Facebook's key gaming partners • Be an internal and external advocate for our gaming partners.
Requirements
Requirements: •BA/BS degree with outstanding academic performance. MBA a plus. •10+ years experience, including 5 years of related partner or partner facing experience •Extensive experience in the gaming industry • Business development experience negotiating complex media or Internet deals preferred. •Deep passion for Facebook products and social gaming • Strong management and coaching skills •Proven track record of initiating and successfully driving new business opportunities. •Excellent project management experience, with the ability to lead and execute multiple time-sensitive projects •Exceptional communication and presentation skills, and the ability to clarify and summarize complex issues • Demonstrated ability to think strategically about complex issues, leading to thoughtful recommendations and action plans.

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Library of Congress Gets a Mobile App

2010-08-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/library_of_congress_gets_a_mobile_app.php
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Blackberry Aims For the KIN Generation, But Is It Too Late? (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-08-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

Want to know why Blackberry launches are so exciting to so many? Because it means those chained to RIM because of their IT departments dependence on Blackberry mail services will get new phones. So what is this inexplicable Blackberry Torch and what does it mean for the brave folks in RIMs Canadian mountain fortress? First off, office drones, don't expect to get the Torch with all its security breaching social media razzmatazz. You'll probably get a toned down version with much of the functionality locked down. That's the first problem.

The second problem, as Matt noted before, RIM isn't very good at consumer grade products. While I'll agree that Blackberries are, bar none, the best email devices out there, they have all the sexiness of a road accident.

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The Anti-Shotgun Approach to Social Media (Source: Mark Evans)

2010-07-31T08:17:00.000-05:00

Social Media Today had a post recently with the provocative title, "When Not to Have a Twitter Account", which is a sacrilegious thought to all of us social media junkies.

The post reminded me of an important social media tenet: that it's alright not to have a Twitter account or, for that matter, a blog or a Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr or MySpace account. In other words, you could take a "popgun" approach to social media as opposed to a "shotgun" in which you try to be everything and anywhere (aka a recipe for failure).

And while it is, heaven forbid, possible not to embrace social media, a more reasonable approach is that it's perfectly fine to have a small social media presence.

Yup, your digital existence can be happy and fulfilling by only embracing a single social media service. It could be Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or a blog as long as it meets your goals and objectives and, as important, the needs of the target audience.

The key – and I stress this point to clients – is that whatever social media service(s) is deployed, it has to be used consistently and done well. In other words, if you do only one thing, do that one thing great.

It's like deciding to open a bakery to only make cupcakes. As long as those cupcakes are delicious, you're not going to be penalized for not baking pies, cakes and muffins.

Too often, social media is seen in terms of quantity rather than quality. There's too much focus on the number of tweets, likes, comments, page views, comments, etc. rather than the quality of the conversation. The same approach goes for social media services. It's far better to do one thing really well, rather than many things average.

This is not to suggest some people and companies can't have a social media arsenal with several tools but less can sometimes be more.

(Note: This post originally appeared on the Sysomos blog.)

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Like Facebook, Twitter Starts Using Algorithms To Bulk Up Social Graph (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-07-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

Last month, we noted that Twitter was testing a "You both follow" feature, showing users you and another user both follow. That's interesting, but not particularly useful. Today, they've begun to roll out a new "Suggestions for You" feature which looks at who you follow, and who the people you follow follow, and suggests new people for you to follow. Yes, just like Facebook does. This is very useful.

In fact, this is arguably the most useful social graph feature that Twitter has rolled out yet. A few weeks ago, Twitter rolled out a new name results area for search which was incredibly helpful for finding celebrities or brands on Twitter. But this is better. This is all about finding people you may actually be interested in based on your current social graph, but for whatever reason, haven't connected with yet.

Such a feature would be less interesting if it were only tucked away in the "Find People" area of the site. But Twitter is actually going to put it front and center too. When you click on other users' profiles, you'll see a "Who to follow" area in their profile space to show similar users that you might be interested in. And when you follow someone, you'll get other suggestions based on that follow as well.

In terms of how they determine these suggestions, Twitter says:

The algorithms in this feature, built by our user relevance team, suggest people you don't currently follow that you may find interesting. The suggestions are based on several factors, including people you follow and the people they follow.

[thanks Tyler]

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15 Developer/Hacker Women to Follow on Twitter (Source: Mashable)

2010-07-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

This series is supported by Rackspace, the better way to do hosting. Learn more about Rackspace's hosting solutions here.

Everyone should know at least one woman who can code her way out of a wet paper bag.

While women developers, computer programmers and hackers of all stripes are by far outnumbered by men in their field, they're hardly nonexistent. They blog, they tweet, and they do fantastic work to keep the Internet afloat. We've chosen to highlight 15 reader-recommended tech women here; if you know of others who should be on our radar specifically women with coding skills please do let us know about them in the comments section.

Some of the women on our list are "Internet famous." Some, less so for now at least. Some have worked at big tech companies like Google and Apple and Adobe. Some are startup employees or fly solo. Some are hardcore hackers, some are web design-focused. We've even got a hardware geek on our list.

With a big hat-tip to all our friends on Twitter who recommended these women, here are 15 technically skilled women (in no particular order) to follow.
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1. Pamela Fox
---------------

Pamela Fox is a graduate from the University of Southern California Computer Science Department, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees with minors in 3D animation and linguistics. She lives in Sydney, Australia and works for Google as a Wave API Developer Advocate.
---------------

2. Jeri Ellsworth
---------------

This woman is a self-taught computer chip designer and expert electrical and mechanical engineer. She taught herself to program as a kid by reading Commodore 64 manuals. Ellsworth lives in Oregon, works as a consultant, and has a serious penchant for pinball machines, of which she owns 60 or so.
---------------

3. Emily Chang
---------------

Emily Chang lives in San Francisco and works at Ideacodes, a web dev/design shop she co-founded with husband Max Kiesler. She's a nationally recognized expert in user experience and interaction design. In addition to her Twitter account, we also recommend her personal blog.
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4. Hilary Mason
---------------

This data-loving lady is a computer science professor with a thing for machine learning. Mason does research at Johnson Wales University and also works as a scientist for Bit.ly. She occasionally posts code on her personal website.
---------------

5. Danese Cooper
---------------

Danese Cooper is the Wikimedia Foundation's CTO. She's also a huge open-source advocate; in fact, she's affectionately known as "The Open Source Diva" in certain circles. She worked for the Peace Corps, on the floor of a stock exchange, and even at a law firm before making the move to tech, where she began at Apple in 1991.
---------------

6. Leah Culver
---------------

Leah Culver is a software engineer specializing in web apps and Django development. In 2007, she co-founded Pownce, a social networking site, and sold it in late 2008. These days, she's a freelancer in San Francisco, where she cranks out applications and speaks on a number of topics relevant to web devs and designers. Culver is also an open-source advocate; we recommend checking out her blog.
---------------

7. Amanda Wixted
---------------

Amanda Wixted is a game programmer and an iPhone tech lead at Zynga. In fact, she's the one responsible for FarmVille for iPhone. Before she went to Zynga, she was a lead programmer for Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man for iPhone. And how's this for street cred: Each of the iPhone games Wixted has worked on has been in the Top 10 Free Apps in the App Store.
---------------

8. Sarah Allen
---------------

Sarah Allen has helped to develop such products as After Effects, Shockwave, Flash video and OpenLaszlo, a development framework for web apps. Formerly an employee at Apple, Adobe and Macromedia (pre-dotcom crash), she now acts as CTO of mobile startup Mightyverse, does some consulting on the side, and reaches out to women in the Ruby on Rails developer community. You can keep up with Allen's goings-on via her blog.
---------------

9. Jenn Lukas
---------------

Jenn Lukas says she loves three things in life: Coffee, kittens and XHTML. Judging from her website, we'd guess that unicorns are a close fourth. She's done web design projects for such big names as ESPN, Johns Hopkins University, United Healthcare, ABC Sports and Microsoft. Lukas lives in Philadelphia and works at Happy Cog, a web design and UX consultancy.
---------------

10. Nicole Sullivan
---------------

As a performance engineer and international evangelist for Yahoo, Nicole Sullivan does as much communication and research as she does actual app building. She's an engaging, readable, and regular blogger, and a CSS expert to boot. Sullivan lives in Menlo Park, California.
---------------

11. Laura Thomson
---------------

Laura Thomson is an "Internet engineer," a self-applied job title we don't see thrown around too often. But given her position as a senior software engineer at Mozilla, makers of Firefox, we can't argue with the description. She's a FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) advocate, and she wrote the book on PHP and MySQL web development. She's an Australian who lives in Maryland.
---------------

12. Marissa Mayer
---------------

Marissa Mayer was one of the first 20 engineers at Google; in fact, she was hired in the same month that Google got its first round of funding. Currently, she's the company's VP of search product and user experience, which means she basically green-lights every product that gets released to the general public, including Gmail, Google Earth, Google Maps and many other apps and features.
---------------

13. Sara Chipps
---------------

This software developer is one of the minds behind Girl Develop IT, a low-cost program for women who want to learn how to code. Chipps posts regularly on her personal blog, including code samples, and she's particularly skilled in .NET development. She lives in New Jersey and works on contract.
---------------

14. Alison Gianotto
---------------

Alison Gianotto has been blogging for 15 years, give or take that means she started out before blogging was called "blogging." She co-authored a few books on PHP/MySQL, too. Gianotto is currently working in New York City as the director of information architecture at a creative agency.
---------------

15. Gina Trapani
---------------

Gina Trapani is a programmer, but she's perhaps best-known for founding Lifehacker, a blog that we at Mashable like to read, ourselves. She tapered off her Lifehacker leadership in January 2009 and recently wrote a thorough guide to Google Wave. She's currently developing ThinkTank, a web-based platform for crowdsourcing insights via social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Buzz. Trapani resides in San Diego, California.
---------------

BONUS: Women Developer Lists on Twitter
---------------

Fifteen geeky, nerdy, technically talented women not enough for you? Check out these Twitter Lists of women developers and engineers:
Terri Oda's Technical Women
Anita Borg Institute's Women to Follow
Grace Hopper Celebration's 2010 Speakers
Nicole Sullivan's Grrl Geeks
Jolie O'Dell's Coding With Ovaries
@DevChix's Dev Chix

---------------
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[img credit: johncarney, briansolis, 4nton, adactio, allaboutgeorge]
---------------
Reviews: App Store, Australia, Facebook, Firefox, Gmail, Google, Google Earth, Google Maps, Internet, Lifehacker, Mashable, PHP, Twitter, Yahoo!, adobe AIR, bit.ly, blogger, iPhone

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Solazyme Provides U.S. Navy with Algal Jet Fuel (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-07-19T15:24:00.000-05:00

Biofuel producer Solazyme delivered 1,500 gallons of its algae-based jet fuel to the U.S. Navy's testing and certification program today, helping the military reach its goal of switching half of its fleet to clean fuel by 2020. The Navy will use the fuel to power jets.

Solazyme produces fuel by fermenting algae to create oils and biomaterials including fuel, skin care, chemical and animal feed products. The company claims the Solajet HRJ-5 fuel it delivered to the Navy produces 85% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. In the next two weeks, Solazyme will also provide the Navy with 20,000 gallons of F-76 naval distillate fuel to be used in military ships.

The South San Francisco based company was founded in 2003 and received $21.8 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy last December.

Image by Solazyme

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Solazyme

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Apple Multi-Touch Appears Ready To Tickle The Desktop (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-07-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

In front of me right now there's an enormous 27-inch screen with another 24-inch screen connected to it for use as a second monitor. This massive amount of screen real estate is nice for everything from blogging to watching streaming movies. And yet, I find myself using this set up less and less and instead favor my 15-inch laptop. Why? Simply because I prefer using a multi-touch trackpad to navigate my computer. It looks like I'm about to get the same experience on my desktop now.

The FCC has just approved a new bluetooth device made by Apple. The model number Engadget found seems to prove this will be a new trackpad device meant to be used with desktop computers. It seems fairly likely that this thing will either be called the Magic Trackpad, the Magic Slate, or the Magic Pad based on trademark filings. Given Apple's history with FCC approvals, we could see this device unleashed as soon as tomorrow.

So what exactly is it? If the leaked images from June are legitimate (and they certainly seem to be), it would seem that this device is simply a MacBook trackpad made into a stand-alone device so it can be used with desktop computers. The design is really a cross between a trackpad and one of Apple's new style keyboards. The circular bottom will be where the batteries are held, and it will boost the thing up at a comfortable angle to use on a desktop. The entire surface should be clickable, just like a MacBook trackpad.

Okay, so it's a trackpad for your desktop big deal, you might think. But it could be a pretty big deal.

While Apple's Magic Mouse brought some elements of multi-touch to the desktop, it's still pretty limited. The two-finger swipe to go back and forth on webpages is great, but there's nothing like pinch-to-zoom or the two-finger rotation that you find on Apple's other multi-touch products (well, unless you use this awesome third-party software). The Magic Mouse simply has too small of a surface area for more advanced multi-touch. Plus, it's still a mouse, the decades-old input device.

Apple's stance on the future of computing is becoming more clear every day. The iPhone set the standard for multi-touch on a mobile device. Apple then included elements in its MacBook trackpads. And now we have the iPad. For many users, myself included, touch (and multi-touch to be more specific) is now a preferable input method of computing. I don't want to use a mouse. I want to use a touch surface. That's what this Magic Trackpad is. It's the first real step to bring multi-touch to the Apple desktop experience as all computing moves towards touch.

[images: Engadget]

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Your Mobile Phone Becomes A Robot With Cellbots (video) | Singularity Hub

2010-07-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

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HP's McKinney hints that a flexible display Palm device could happen

2010-07-12T15:34:00.000-05:00

Speaking at MobileBeat in San Francisco today, HP's Phil McKinney chatted up the company's flexible display tech, which uses rugged Mylar-infused sheets similar to those found in solar panels and can display video while still being bistable the same way E Ink is -- in other words, it'll hold an image without power. Thankfully, this seems to be more than a pipe dream sitting in a lab somewhere, because McKinney went on to say that "these are the kinds of display technologies that will change what we think of in form factors, both in products from Palm with flexible displays, and with HP." In other words, it's entirely within the realm of reason to imagine a bendy webOS device that gingerly sips battery juice -- or stops sipping it altogether -- while you're reading the morning news. We wouldn't expect it any time soon, of course, but it's encouraging to hear a conservative industry behemoth like HP start to talk like this. In the meantime, can we just get a new Pre, guys?

Gallery: HP's flexible display at MobileBeat 2010

HP's McKinney hints that a flexible display Palm device could happen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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As Part Of Its Kindle Everywhere Strategy, Amazon Prepares An HTML5 Web Previewer (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-30T15:18:00.000-05:00

Jeff Bezos wants Kindle books to become ubiquitous and the standard in digital reading. "Buy once, read everywhere," is his motto. He already has the various flavors of the Kindle e-reader, as well as an iPhone app, an even better iPad app, a Blackberry app, a new Android app, and desktop readers for the Mac and PC. But what about the plain old Web?

Amazon is inching in that direction with a soon-to-be-released "Kindle Previewer for HTML5." When you buy a Kindle device or download the software, you can sample a free chapter for any book in the Kindle store. With the new previewer, those free samples will be available on the Web as well, with the option to buy the Kindle edition.

It sounds like it will be similar to the "Look Inside the Book" option on Amazon's Website, except this will be for Kindle editions and be in HTML5.

What is not clear, however, is why Amazon is only making the previews available in HTML5 and not the entire book. One argument could be that it is not ideal to read an entire book on a desktop or laptop computer. But, in that case, why offer Kindle software for Macs and PCs with full book downloads?

On the iPad and other tablet devices, the HTML5 preview will be available right on the browser, creating another way to promote Kindle editions when people are just surfing the Web. The HTML5 previews will also be linkable, as opposed to the sample downloads locked inside each app. But ultimately, there is no reason why Amazon shouldn't offer full HTML5 versions of the entire Kindle library. Once it does that, it really won't matter what device you are on as long as it has a browser.

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NeighborGoods Extends The Sharing Of Actual Things To The National Level (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Back in October, we covered a new sharing service called NeighborGoods. When you see the term "sharing" associated with a startup, your eyes may glaze over at this point but NeighborGoods is a bit different because it's all about actually sharing stuff. Like, in the real world. Sadly, the site was previously only open to users in Southern California. But today brings its nationwide roll-out.

As a refresher on the idea behind it, say you have something sort of expensive you bought but don't use all that often. For example, a vacuum cleaner. Most of the time it just sits there, unused. But what if you could let someone else around you borrow it, or even rent it for a day? That's what NeighborGoods facilitates.

The key to all of this is local. Obviously, most people aren't going to be comfortable shipping their stuff across the country just to lend it to someone (and that's sort of a logistical nightmare). But if you live near someone who has something you want or vice versa, this system works. That's why it's key to have the service available across the entire U.S., rather than just in Southern California.

So how does NeighborGoods make money? Well, the obvious idea would be to put fees on top of what users who rent things out charge but they're not doing that. Instead, they've baked a small fee ($4.99) into the verification process. This optional process ensures that someone lives where they say they do, so people can feel better about lending to and borrowing from them.

There's also an option for members to chip in if they like the service. NeighborGoods is still a bootstrapped startup.

Check out a bit more in the video below.

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NPR Music app for iPhone and iPod Touch

2010-06-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

NPR Music app for iPhone and iPod Touch: http://n.pr/aIIGSq

Search WorldCat via Twitter!

2010-06-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

#Ask4Stuff is a new, Twitter-based service that returns a WorldCat search when you send a tweet with the tag #Ask4Stuff. I just tried it out by sending the following tweet:

#Ask4Stuff World Cup + Social Media and I received the following reply within seconds:

Ask4Stuff

@ cmairn A few things about World Cup Social Media in #Ask4Stuff, get them athttp://purl.org/wct/414

More information available at:http://community.oclc.org/cooperative/2010/06/sometimes-the-internet-is-just-not-big-enough-for-me.html

Russian President Visits Twitter Headquarters, Sends First Tweet (Source: Mashable)

2010-06-23T16:25:00.000-05:00

Yet another world leader has recognized the power of Twitter. Recently, President Medvedev stopped by Twitter's headquarters for a quick visit and his first tweet via @KremlinRussia.

The president's first tweet was simple and to the point: "Hello! I'm on Twitter and it's my first message." He then went on to compose two more tweets, commenting on how beautiful San Francisco is and showing us a view from his hotel. You can check them out, in the original Russian, below.

In a blog post on the subject, Co-founder Biz Stone wrote that 60% of Twitter users are from outside the U.S., adding: "Recognizing the power of new technology and learning to leverage it to advance humanity in positive and meaningful ways is a powerful display of leadership."

Lately, more and more political leaders have been getting in on the Twitter trend most notably President Hugo Chavez, who once decried Twitter as a "tool of terror." U.S. President Barack Obama also got his share of press when he composed his first real tweet for the American Red Cross to help disaster recovery efforts in Haiti previously, he had said he was too clumsy for the microblogging tool.

Still, many a political leader has a cadre of staffers to head up their accounts as we mentioned before, President Obama isn't a frequent tweeter (remember when he was on the lookout for a Twitterer?) and President Chavez has a team of 200 tweeting for him. We wonder how often President Medvedev will take the time to tweet.

[img credit: Twitter]
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Landon Donovan Goal Kicks Off Dramatic News Day [VIDEO] (Source: Mashable)

2010-06-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

As we reported earlier, today saw the second highest traffic spike in Internet history on the heels of the United States beating Algeria in dramatic fashion to advance to the round of 16 in the World Cup.

It's also been an incredible day elsewhere in sports and current events, featuring another key game at the World Cup between England and Slovenia, the world's longest tennis match ever being played out at Wimbledon, and the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal as U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

The moment that seems to be getting the most buzz, however, continues to be Landon Donovan's goal in the 91st minute of action in the U.S. match, in a video that will no doubt be shared millions of times before all is said and done.

There appears to be a typical copyright and takedown war going on at YouTube, but this clip from ESPN captures the moment for those of you that haven't seen it yet (or want to relive it, many many times). Enjoy:

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Internet Conga Line Is A New Take On ChatRoulette, But Might Be Safer (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-23T15:58:00.000-05:00

InternetCongaLine is a new take on the ChatRoulette phenomenon. But this time serial UK entrepreneur Alex Tew has approached the issue of how you meet random people on video chat without... hitting the masturbators. On first viewing it appears there are actually four full video and audio chats going on. Personally I suddenly didn't feel so trepidatious, as one does with ChatRoulette. As Tew says himself, "it's a fundamentally different experience to meet people in groups."

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The World Cup's Social Media Evolution (Source: Mashable)

2010-06-23T13:25:00.000-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/06/11/world-cup-evolution/
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Foursquare and C-SPAN Team Up for Political Education (Source:TechCrunch)

2010-06-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

(Offering location-aware tips to help educate people could be huge for 4square, especially to help enhance field trips etc.)

C-SPAN is going geosocial with political and policy education through a new partnership with Foursquare that will be announced later today.

The cable network will have a major presence on the mobile geosocial network, starting with Foursquare.com/cspan, a completely customized homepage for the C-SPAN/Foursquare partnership. It is the central nexus for C-SPAN content, including official tips and information about the cable network's new Foursquare presence.

Tips are at the core of the partnership. In public locations throughout Washington, D.C., C-SPAN will offer educational tips about U.S. public policy, politics, and government. If you check in to the U.S. Capitol for example, you will be able to access a YouTube video explaining aspects of the Federal Budget. More tips will be added outside of D.C. later on.

The second part of the partnership focuses on the "C-SPAN Digital Bus," a virtual entity that will travel the country, providing tips and checking in at locations across the U.S.

Partnering with media companies isn't new for Foursquare Bravo, The New York Times, and MTV are just a few of the many with Foursquare presences. The C-SPAN partnership strikes us as both unique and utterly useful, though. Tourists in D.C. can use Foursquare to gain a great deal of knowledge about the lesser-known facts of the Beltway.
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E-Readers Race To The Bottom As Tablet Market Solidifies (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

You must have heard that the Nook and the Kindle, two of the world's best-selling e-readers, have dropped their prices to below $200 -- down to $149 for the Wi-Fi Nook and $189 for the Kindle. It's bad news for e-readers that recently placed themselves at low price points to compensate for fewer features (like the Kobo I just reviewed), but of course good news for everyone planning on buying an e-reader soon. When I considered secondary features and the possibility of "bulk" e-readers, I concluded that these devices would survive but find themselves marginalized both in price and market share. That seems to be just what's happening, though of course the tablet market is still emerging, and Google may have a few cards up its sleeve. The brief age of "premium" e-readers is ending.

What can you expect from the e-readers? Well, first of all they can and must cut the hell out of the price, and that's what we're seeing now.

Continue reading

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Adobe Starts Shipping Flash Player 10.1 for Mobile – Let The Real Testing Begin (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-22T08:02:00.000-05:00

About 7 months after the release of Flash Player 10.1 for desktops (beta), Adobe has today announced it has shipped its mobile sister to partners worldwide.

Adobe unveiled a beta version of Flash Player for Android about a month ago, but has been dabbling with bringing Flash to mobile devices - including Android handsets - for much, much longer.

Make no mistake about it: Adobe really needs to get this completely right.

They need to, considering the harsh criticism it has been given for the shipment delays and claims regarding its stability, security, resource usage and whatnot, the majority of the deriding notably coming from Apple chief Steve Jobs.

Adobe can prove Apple's decision to bar Flash from running on some of the world's most popular and capable smartphones and the iPad wrong, but only by doing what it is doing now: by actually shipping Flash for Mobile and showing that it knows how to make it an integral part of the mobile experience, without slowing things down.

Running a bunch of ads, pre-approved demos and canned industry feedback' won't cut it. If Adobe thinks Apple is wrong for blocking Flash from their mobile devices and referring to it as a technology only fit for "PCs and mice", let them prove it where it really matters: in the hands of phone users all across the globe.

Flash Player 10.1 for Mobile should be available for download today on devices using the latest iteration of Android, version 2.2 aka Froyo (no surprise there). As Adobe writes, devices supporting Android 2.2 and Flash Player 10.1 are expected to include the Dell Streak, Google Nexus One (that one actually already does), HTC Evo, HTC Desire, HTC Incredible, Motorola DROID, Motorola Milestone, Samsung Galaxy S and others.

Once upgraded, smartphones, tablets and other devices can be updated with Flash Player 10.1 over-the-air in a variety of ways, including content triggered downloads, system software updates and on-device app catalogs such as Android Market, Adobe Labs and others.

Adobe says it has shipped also Flash Player to its other device partners, readying its roll-out on BlackBerry, Palm webOS, Windows Phone 7, LiMo, MeeGo, and Symbian phones.

All eyes are now on Adobe. Soon, the real testing will commence and it will continue for a couple more years as Flash Player makes its way to mobile platforms other than Android 2.2. By 2012, Adobe plans to have Flash 10.1 on more than half of all smartphones shipped - assuming no major market share changes.

If Adobe manages to deliver a great product, consumers will be better off and Steve Jobs will become pretty much the only person who continues to badmouth Flash for being a technology of the past rather than the future. If it doesn't, Adobe stands to lose credibility, and face.

That may not sound like much, but it makes a world of difference in the software industry.

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YouTube Launches Web-Based Video Editor (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

This morning, news broke of a spiffy, and very powerful new feature on YouTube: a built-in video editor. It's a feature that I've personally been longing for for years, and it's going to be a huge deal for anyone who uploads to YouTube on a semi-regular basis. This morning I spoke with Rushabh Doshi and Josh Siegel, the lead engineer and product manager for YouTube's video editor, respectively, about how the feature came to fruition and what users can look forward to in the future.

The JavaScript-based YouTube editor isn't loaded with bells and whistles, but it can handle the basics just fine: it's easy to trim and splice together the video clips that you've uploaded, and you can replace your video's audio with any of YouTube's library of 40,000 approved songs (you can't upload your own audio yet, but YouTube is working on deals to make that happen).

Siegel says that the core idea behind the video editor is to give users the basic features they need in the cloud. YouTube isn't out to recreate existing video editors like Final Cut in the browser — he notes that many people aren't even familiar with them. Instead, it's taking the core features that have broad appeal and putting them in a lightweight package that's accessible from nearly any browser. YouTube has also learned from its experiment with with YouTube Remixer, a mashup feature launched in 2007 that didn't have a particularly good user experience.

Doshi added that one of the main goals with the project is to keep the interface very lightweight for the user, leaving all the intense processing to Google's massive infrastructure. He contrasts that with current video editing solutions — even if they're easy to use, low and medium end computers can struggle at quickly editing content that's shot in HD. That isn't a problem when you're doing your editing in the cloud.

Siegel and Doshi were hesitant to talk too much about what we can expect from the video editor in the future, explaining that it will depend on what users are asking for. That said, they did hint at a few features. First, they said that they're "really excited" about the opportunities provided by the iPad and other mobile devices, so we can probably count on that coming fairly soon.

They also mentioned some features that are being considered, including video transitions, effects, titles, and audio layers (again, these will be implemented pending user demand). Finally, they said that they're looking into a way to deal with mashup videos that combine both high and low resolution content (right now if one video in a mashup is low quality, it downgrades all of them).

One other thing to note: YouTube says that the feature is slated to launch later this evening, but there's a chance that it might slip til tomorrow. When it does go live, you'll be able to access it at YouTube.com/testtube.

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The Pattern-Seeking Fallacy (via Tim O'Reilly)

2010-06-14T20:26:00.000-05:00

http://blog.asmartbear.com/pattern-seeking-fallacy.html
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Twitter Starts Teaching You How To Tweet With Videos (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-10T15:17:00.000-05:00

One of the keys to Twitter is that on the face of it, it's very simple to use. You just type in 140 characters or less, hit "Tweet," and you're done. But actually it's a bit more complicated if you want to get more out of it. So Twitter has started doing what any good company should they've started making video tutorials.

The recently launched Twitter Help Center now features a number of videos to answer questions such as "What is Retweet?" "What is Following?" "What is a Timeline?" and "How to Find People and Be Found". Twitter has also set up a YouTube account for these videos.

"These are new videos that we made in house. We're experimenting with videos to gauge the impact on helping people use and understand Twitter better," a Twitter spokesperson tells us.

So how good of a job does Twitter do explaining its service? Check out the video below and judge for yourself.

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Twitter Annotations Testing Starts Next Week Through The Streaming API (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-06-02T20:08:00.000-05:00

Twitter Annotations are the next big feature a lot of people are excited about. With them, both users and clients will be able to add more context to tweets, which should make for a richer experience (and more useful data). A new post today in the Twitter API Announcement Google Group indicates that testing of Annotations will beging as early as next week.

To be clear, this is just a test of the feature through the API, and it will not yet be available to users. On June 7 through June 11, Twitter plans to flip the switch on some sample Annotation-enabled tweets in the Streaming API. Clients using this API should start to see tweets with these payloads appear. Some will be populated with sample Annotation data, some won't be, Twitter's John Kalucki writes.

"Assuming general stability, on our end and yours, we'll eventually leave annotation delivery turned permanently on," Kalucki notes.

Twitter recently updated that Annotations Overview wiki page with some more information about what you can expect from the feature. Of note, Twitter has listed 11 "recommended" types of Annotations so that people can get started using them. Those are:
webpage
review
song
movie
tvshow
book
product
stock
offer
topic
event

Also worth noting is that Annotations will be limited to 512 bytes initially (though Twitter hopes to increase that limit over time).

This past weekend, Twitter held a Annotations Hackfest at their headquarters. Here's one account of the event.

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Jinni Is Building A Smart ‘Taste Engine’ For Google TV (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-05-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

By now, I'm sure you'll be aware that Google yesterday introduced Google TV, a platform with the potential of moving us closer to real integration between television and the Internet.

In the blog post announcing the new platform, Google mentioned that it has already started building strategic alliances with a number of TV technology companies, specifically naming Jinni and Rovi in the process.

The former is a small Israeli startup that we've been tracking for a while now, and with whom I'm acquainted because they were one of the 3 finalists at my Plugg startup competition event back in March 2009.

The startup, dubbed the Pandora for movies' by observers, bills its service as an intelligent taste engine' for movies and TV shows.

Its guide helps users choose what to watch next amid the abundance of available content (live TV channels, VOD, DVR, and Internet services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu). Based on semantic technology, Jinni essentially aims to filter the universe of content through the lens of the user's personal moods and tastes. It operates a fairly popular destination website in addition to API-based solutions for Internet content providers and TV operators.

The company, which has raised just over $3 million in venture capital to date, is now working with the Mountain View Internet giant to provide semantic search, personalized recommendations and social features for Google TV across all sources of premium content that will be available to the user.

Perhaps if Jinni plays its cards right, Google might be interested in buying them out somewhere down the line, provided the startup can prove its technology's worth and wow Google TV users with its search features and personalized recommendations.

Either way, here are some preliminary screenshots of the service we've scored, although we should warn that the application is still very much under development at this point.

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Google Voice Goes After Impressionable Young Minds; Students Get Invite Priority (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-05-14T16:35:00.000-05:00

Google is adopting an Apple strategy today. The search giant is giving students priority to its invite-only phone service, Google Voice. Clearly, Google is trying to go after impressionable minds to gain early adopters of their technologies, which is something that Apple has been doing with its products for some time. The company implemented a similar strategy with Google Apps and Google Wave. The college student market is key because that's where many people get trained, start relying on, and form brand allegiances to apps and technologies.

Google naturally believes the features of Voice, including the integration of Voice with email, free text messages and the ability to read voicemail in a transcript form are ideal for students and their lifestyle. Of course, this claim isn't off base but I think those features are useful for anyone, which is why we find the service compelling overall.

Now when a student signs up for Google Voice with an .edu email address, he or she will be given priority over other applicants for the service. There's even a special page for students to sign up for Voice. Apparently any student who applies will automatically receive an invite within 24 hours. Maybe I should have kept that old college account active after all.

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Sometimes Social Means Shut Up (Source: Social Media Today)

2010-05-12T21:46:00.001-05:00

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Borders Launches the Kobo eReader and New eBook Store (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-05-07T15:48:00.000-05:00

Borders just announced that they're selling the Kobo eReader, an $149 ebook touted, by Wired, no less, as a Kindle killer. This device isn't formally Border's only ebook reader. Instead, they will sell multiple readers online and in stores and the real news is that they're creating an ebook store that will act as their default spot on the interwebs for ebooks and content.

If you pre-order - and you probably don't want to - you'll get your Kobo by June 17.

While I doubt the Kobo will sell at all, the more compelling offering is Borders' ebook store featuring "a million titles" with apps for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android as well as the iPad. While I'd prefer all my content in one place on each of these devices - an overarching umbrella ebook app, perhaps - having a bit of overlap is always fun and some stores - Apple's for example - are missing large parts of the catalog due to rights reasons. Regardless, it's nice to know Borders is no longer absolutely irrelevant in the world of ebooks.

Read more

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FCC Turns Up the Heat in Battle for Net Neutrality (Source: Mashable)

2010-05-05T19:17:00.001-05:00

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to change Internet regulations in a way that will favor users over Internet service provider (ISP) companies and help bolster the net neutrality movement.

The FCC has been trying to regulate and enfore net neutrality the concept that all Internet traffic, including music downloading and other file sharing, is equal for some time. Results have been mixed. Just last month, a federal court ruled that the FCC didn't have the right to enforce certain regulations when Comcast was monitoring and blocking user traffic because of file downloading.

But today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski made Internet lines subject to the same rules as telephone networks, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. These rules, which come from Title 2 of the Communications Act, state that service providers should not block or restrict speed or bandwidth for websites or applications because of their content or the nature of the traffic. According to this act, carriers are required to provide service when requested, to provide service at a reasonable rate, and to provide service without "unjust or unreasonable discrimination in charges, practices, classifications, regulations, facilities or services."

The FCC has also recently proposed a plan to bring more broadband service with faster download speeds to more homes across America. We applaud the Commission's stand for Internet access and the freedom of users to browse and download as they please. We do wonder, however, just how far the FCC will get in this newest attempt to regulate net neutrality for ISPs before the big telecom companies start fighting back.

What do you think: Will, or should, the FCC be able to mandate net neutrality any time soon?
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May 2–8 is Choose Privacy Week

2010-05-05T17:30:00.003-05:00

"May 2–8 is Choose Privacy Week, a new ALA initiative from the Office for Intellectual Freedom that invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. "

Watch this video regarding privacy in a digital age.

Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.

University to Provide Online Reputation Management to Graduates (Source: Mashable)

2010-05-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

Syracuse University has purchased six-month subscriptions to Brand-Yourself.com's online reputation management platform for all 4,100 of its graduating seniors. The platform will help students monitor and shape their online presence during the job search process.

According to a recent study by Cross-Tab Marketing services, 75% of HR departments worldwide are required to screen job candidates online. Seventy percent of recruiters and HR professionals in the U.S. clam they have rejected potential hires based on information surfaced online, and nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their hiring decisions to a "great extent." A similar study conducted by CareerBuilder last year found that 45% of HR professionals screen job candidates on social media sites.

Given these numbers, the partnership seems like a smart move for Syracuse University's Career Services department. "Our students need a way to put their best foot forward when they're being researched by potential employers on Google, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn," the director of the department, Mike Cahill, explained. "Brand-Yourself helps prepare our students for success in today's digital environment."

Students can use Brand-Yourself's platform to evaluate their current online presence, build professional profiles on their own websites and platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and then optimize these profiles to rank above negative or irrelevant results in Google search. Students can then use the platform to monitor their online presence as it evolves.

Brand-Yourself's professional relationship with Syracuse began last year. The startup, whose four employees all studied at Syracuse, observed that some students were failing to get hired for jobs and internships because of their online presence was poorly managed. Initially, Syracuse hired the team to hold workshops for career coaches and students on online reputation management while they developed their SaaS.

Brand-Yourself soft launched their platform nine weeks ago and is currently averaging about 100 sign-ups per week. The company also just raised its seed round of funding 275K from private investors, including a managing director at Black Rock.

Do you think universities should provide online reputation management tools to their students? What other tools do you recommend to optimize your online presence?
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Tags: job seekers, online reputation, students, university

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Free "Jazz in the Stacks" concert featuring the WWHM Quartet!

2010-04-26T12:35:00.014-05:00

To celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month the WWHM Quartet, featuring Kevin Wilder (keyboard); Johnny White (Trumpet); Pat Horgan (Bass); and Chad Mairn (Drums), will be performing at the West St. Petersburg Community Library @ St. Petersburg College on Wednesday, April 28th at 7:00 PM. The WWHM Quartet (pronounced 'whim') will perform improvisational free jazz, fusion, and will reinterpret some classic R&B tunes. This free concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Refreshments will be served!

For more information regarding Jazz Appreciation Month visit: http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/jam or call 727.341.7177

Take action: Drastic Cuts to State Aid to Public Libraries Funding Today!

2010-04-24T14:12:00.009-05:00

I just read this at http://stephenslighthouse.com and I am going to start posting this around the city -- guerrilla marketing style.

If you support libraries please visit http://capwiz.com/ala/fl/home/ and take action today! If you don't support libraries ... well, you should! Oh, and tell me why you don't support libraries in the comment section below and I will demonstrate several ways to hchange your mind.

Conan O’Brien Drops in on Twitter HQ [PICS] (Source: Mashable)

2010-04-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

It hasn't even been two months since Conan O'Brien joined Twitter, but now the former Tonight Show show host is dropping in on Twitter HQ like he's part of the family.

Twitter employees are now tweeting en-masse about the funnyman's visit to Twitter's San Francisco offices this morning he's even doing a bit of stand-up. His recent embrace of social media has been working out pretty well, and likely helped him land a new late night show on TBS.

We're not surprised he's at Twitter HQ. Conan is in town this week for his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" tour.

In proper Twitter fashion, here are some Twitter pics, courtesy of TwitPic, Yfrog and Twitter's employees:

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Tags: coco, conan, conan o'brien, late night, TBS, the tonight show, tonight show, twitter

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Overdrive Media Console iPhone Application Feedback

2010-04-21T19:01:00.003-05:00

I just installed the Overdrive Media Console iPhone Application on my iPod Touch and it installed beautifully. When I launched the application I thought I could browse for titles within the console, but you must first find a library that has Overdrive and then browse/search for titles on their customized Overdrive website. Luckily, I knew the URL to where my library's Overdrive website is hosted because the console doesn't provide an easy-to-find "Find my Library" link in their help pages. Once you find your library's Overdrive website and then some titles, you are asked to login to access your cart.

I browsed for iPod-compatible titles and found a few; however, I received an "Unexpected Error" regarding formats when trying to add the titles to my cart. I went back to browsing only MP3 titles and found one that seemed interesting. This time it worked like a charm! I was able to download sections of the book and it played flawlessly.

I would give this app four out of five stars. It isn't a huge deal, but it would be nice if you could search for and download titles within the application similar to Stanza and other apps. Also, I know the app is for eAudiobooks only, but Overdrive also includes EPUB, PDF, and other formats and it would be nice if those formats were supported too. All in all, this is a wonderful app!

Zuckerberg: “We Are Building A Web Where The Default Is Social” (Source: Tech Crunch)

2010-04-21T15:24:00.001-05:00

Today at Facebook's F8 conference), Mark Zuckerberg laid out his plan to turn the Web into "instantly social experiences." The building blocks to this super-social Web are Facebook's new Open Graph and Social Plugins, which include new "like" buttons everywhere on sites outside Facebook.com, auto-login capabilities for those sites without clicking on Facebook Connect, and even a Facebook social bar which includes several of these plugins plus Facebook chat (goodbye, Meebo).

We've reported on all of these new features before, but today Zuckerberg put them into context: "we are building a Web where the default is social." How is Facebook doing this? First and foremost, Facebook has redesigned its Graph API for developers so that not only can they see the social connections between people, but they can also see and create the connections people have with their interests—things, places, brands, and other sites. Zuckerberg calls it the Open Graph (as opposed to the Social Graph). It is really an Interest Graph.

Facebook wants to developers to create subsets of the Open Graph around interests and things. Yelp might create one around restaurants, Pandora might create one around music, Netflix around movies. Add some "like" buttons and anytime someone likes a restaurant, song, or movie anywhere on the Web with a Facebook like button, that information will flow back into the Open Graph. So that Yelp will know what restaurants you and your friends have liked elsewhere and take that into consideration when giving you recommendations, or Pandora with music, and so on. (Yelp and Pandora are real examples, Netflix isn't).

Facebook is taking some of the information that pops up in people's realtime streams and baking it into the Web. "The stream is ephemeral," says Zuckerberg. "It is there for a few hours and then it mostly floats away. Services don't understand the semantic connections between you and that restaurant." But now Facebook can. Instead of the Web being defined only by hyperlinks (to the benefit of search engines like Google), Facebook wants it to be defined by social connections, likes and dislikes, interests that are coded and machine-readable. "Our goal is to use the open graph so people can have instantly social experiences wherever they go," he says.

Add this open graph to plug-ins like activity stream and recommendation stream widgets Websites can put on their sites. And to remove the friction of interacting with this Open Graph even further, no login is even required. Instant socialization and instant personalization of every site on the Web is the goal. Imagine coming to TechCrunch and seeing every story your Facebook friends have "liked" or going to Amazon.com and seeing the same thing for products. (Again, these are hypothetical examples for now, but why not?). The Open Graph is hugely ambitious. Just wait until Facebook plugs in targeted advertising.

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Free Concert Tonight in the Library! 'Jazz in the Stacks' with the Helios Jazz Orchestra

2010-04-20T06:34:00.001-05:00

Come join us at the library and celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month!

The Helios Jazz Orchestra, directed by David Manson, presents an evening of big band jazz at the West St. Petersburg Community Library @ St. Petersburg College tonight (Tuesday, April 20th) at 7:30 PM. The 20-piece professional jazz big band will perform Swing, Pop, Latin, Bebop and will feature jazz vocalists Rita Wilson ...and Joseph Ephraim. This free concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the EMIT series.

St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, 6605 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg (727) 341.7177

A video of last year's performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3GJyahilL8&feature=related

Last.fm Tracks Its 40 Billionth Song (Source: Mashable)

2010-04-19T15:39:00.000-05:00

Music recommendation, tracking and streaming service Last.fm has "scrobbled" 40 billion tracks since it launched in 2002.

The service gathers data from other music services and applications including iTunes, Xbox Live and Winamp to make a record of every song you listen to. The process is called scrobbling. On average, 800 songs are scrobbled every second on Last.fm.

The scrobbled songs are displayed on your Last.fm profile, which you can share with friends. The site also uses the songs you've listened to to make listening and friend recommendations.

Last.fm streams music from many major labels in custom radio stations based on the parameters you define and your past listening history, just like Pandora. After several years of success with that model (it currently claims 7.9 million monthly unique visitors) the site was purchased by CBS in 2007 for $280 million.

CBS says that the most popular artists on the service include The Killers, Coldplay, Muse and Oasis, providing some insight into the site's cultural community. In fact, Lady Gaga is the only pop artist who appears in the top 20.

Growing for seven steady years as a pillar in musical experience is an impressive achievement for a company that lives on the ever-changing web. Maybe someday we'll hear that Last.fm has reached 40 billion streams, not just scrobbles. We'll see!
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Tags: coldplay, Lady Gaga, Last.FM, muse, music streaming, oasis, the killers

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Computers in Libraries 2010 Conference - Time to Process.

2010-04-14T08:11:00.000-05:00

This is my first morning where I didn't have to spend time fine-tuning a presentation and could actually try to begin processing all the information I have gathered while attending other sessions. Processing and reflecting, to me, are the most important components of information fluency.

This year's theme, Information Fluency: Information for Life, strikes a harmonious chord with me on many levels. On an emotional level, watching my three year old develop intellectually has truly opened my eyes as to what I think is most important in life -- discovery, understanding, and sharing! I try to emphasize the discovery process, understand and use content that is encapsulated in any format, and to be able to ethically and clearly share information and ideas. On an academic level, I see my students, patrons, colleagues, and myself skimming a deepening and more chaotic information stream and we aren't, in many cases, truly reflecting and/or processing it all. We don't need to process it all -- just become better filters. I am working diligently to teach information fluency skills so that everyone I am in contact with (including myself) can "read between the lines" and become more informed and become better filters. Everyone benefits!

Well, the keynote is beginning and I will return to this blog later and share my favorite things that I learned from CIL 2010.

Playing with Wiffiti!

2010-04-11T22:29:00.001-05:00

HOW TO: Create Free Music Playlists Online (Source: Mashable)

2010-04-11T11:58:00.000-05:00

Sharing music can be as much fun as listening to it. There are a large number of legal services online that allow you to share songs with friends, but some require paid accounts and software downloads, while others suffer from restricted geographic availability.

So, in the spirit of mixtapes from years gone by here we've hand-picked and tested three personalized streaming music services that will let you easily create a playlist online and, better still, share it with friends, wherever in the world they might be.

Try out the services we've listed below and let us know which you like the most. Oh, and be sure to link to the playlists you create in the comments so we can have a listen.
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1. Mixtape.me
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Creating a Playlist

Mixtape.me is really easy both to get started with and get using. Signing up requires creating a username, entering an email address and password and once you've deciphered a Captcha, you're good to go.

Finding content for your list is likewise just as easy. Simply enter a term song name or artist in the search box. MixTape.me's songs are added by users, as well as generated from the millions of songs indexed by MP3 search engine SeeqPod and SkreemR.

When the list of results comes up you can either hit up the song to start it playing, or drag and drop into a playlist which you can create by clicking the "+" sign next to playlists on the left hand side of the screen. To add more songs you just need to carry out more searches.

While your list is auto-saved as you go along, it can just as easily be edited. Once you've created your list you get the option to add a picture as well as the ability to add a description, should you feel it needs it.

Sharing Options

There are a few options for you here. You can share with "Friends" on Mixtape.me, you can auto-generate an email with a link to the list, you can get a shortened URL (for example in this instance "http://mixtape.me/p/14398) and you can tweet the list which creates the following message on Twitter: "Have a listen to my mashlist playlist on MixTape.me: http://mixtape.me/p/14398."

In addition, you can embed the playlist using HTML. Here's one we made earlier:

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2. 8tracks
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Creating a Playlist

Like the now closed down (and due to reopen as a band resource) Muxtape service, 8tracks lets you upload your own music to the site, which you can then save as a streaming playlist to share with others.

Signing up is simple, and allows you to chose your own personalized URL. To create your playlist, simply select at least eight tracks, no more than two of which are from the same artist or album, making sure you meet the conditions of 8track's licensing agreement.

Getting MPS and AAC tracks on the site works on a simple browse to upload basis (which took a little time, but certainly not off-putting) after which you can name your playlist, enhance the auto generated description and add up to five tags, as well as illustrate it nicely with a pic.

Sharing Options

While the playlist's URL can be directly shared (http://8tracks.com/amymaeelliott/amymaeelliott-s-april-2010-mix), a simple "share" button offers a short cut to tweet the list with a shortened URL (http://8tracks.com/mixes/105018) as well as post it to Facebook and StumbleUpon.

Finally, there's also the option to embed the playlist by copy and pasting some HTML code. Here's our effort:

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3. Grooveshark
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Creating a Playlist

To use Grooveshark you have to sign up for an account which is another simple username, password, etc, type affair, after which you can start makin' music.

Search works via a keyword basis via a search box. If you click to play a song, Grooveshark brings up a neat row of thumbnails showing the song's title, the artist and album art at the bottom of the screen and, although you can drag and drop to create a playlist the more usual way, you can also turn your little selection of recently listened to thumbnail songs into a playlist too, which is quite a nice touch.

While we were seriously impressed with the music we found to be available through Grooveshark, if you can't find a track you want, or want to add your own home-made music, you can upload music files from your computer to your account on the site, although this can take up to 24 hours.

Sharing Options

Grooveshark generates a direct URL for your list, which appears as follows for our creation: http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Mashlist/27397447 and also offers the option to email it out from within the site.

More advanced options include the ability to export the playlist to a Grooveshark widget, with the choice to mirror the changes in the online playlist. Rather than being stuck with whatever design the site offers for its widget, there are vast customization options.

As well as scroll through a list of designs to chose from, you can change the color scheme, the size (great option, Grooveshark guys!) all of which is previewed live so you can see your changes. Here's our customized widget:

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More tech resources from Mashable:

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- 10 Must-See Google Street View Sightings
- 5 Must-See Google Easter Eggs
- 10 Fantastic Websites for Spotify Fans
- 5 Free Ways to Identify that Song Stuck in Your Head
- Top 10 Modern Gadgets with Retro Styling [PICS]

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, eAlisa
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Reviews: 8tracks, Facebook, Grooveshark, StumbleUpon, Twitter, iStockphoto

Tags: 8tracks, grooveshark, how to, List, Lists, mixtape.me, music, playlists

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Nintendo and Google Making a Search Game for Wii (Source: Mashable)

2010-04-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

(Sounds like a fun game -- especially for librarians. I wish I could get my hands on this game before my Wii/Augmented Reality "Talking Tech" presentation next Saturday.)

This just in from the "Strange Bedfellows" department: apparently Nintendo has enlisted the help of Google to create a Wii game where players compete to guess the most popular search terms.

The game, entitled Ando Kensaku, will be out in Japan on April 29 and won't likely see much of a release elsewhere given its quirkiness. The screenshot above gives you an idea of the cutesy avatar style of the title, featuring 14 mini-games where several players can choose from a multiple choice search term spread.

Who knew SEO could be fodder for a casual Wii game? Anyone else have a hankering for a special Web Nerd U.S. Edition of this thing?
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Tags: Ando Kensaku, games, Google, Nintendo, Search, SEO, video games, Wii

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Google Continues To Embrace QR Codes, Integrates Them Into Its URL Shortener (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-04-07T15:36:00.000-05:00

Last December, Google joined the myriad other companies that offer link shortening services with the launch of Goo.gl, the official Google URL Shortener. Today, it's gotten a nifty new feature: add ".qr" to the end of any shortened link, and Google will generate a QR code for it. For example, the link http://goo.gl/SJhz would become http://goo.gl/SJhz.qr. The new trick was tweeted about earlier today by Google's chief spam fighter Matt Cutts.

Google has made it clear that it's a big proponent of QR codes, despite the fact that few people in the United States have used them (I've never felt compelled to use one myself, but they're huge in Japan). QR codes are currently the only effective way to link to an app on Android Market, and Google has mailed QR code stickers to thousands of local businesses across the country (it lets customers quickly look the business up on Google's business directory). Facebook is also experimenting with QR codes for its location services.

For those looking to try out the new feature, the Goo.gl homepage still says that the service is "currently available for Google products and not for broader consumer use", but it's plenty easy to start using it yourself. It's officially available through Google Toolbar and FeedBurner, and you can also find various bookmarklets and browser extensions that let you generate a Goo.gl link.

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Cacoo Lets Multiple Users Create Designs Collaboratively And In Real-time (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-04-06T20:31:00.001-05:00

(I can't wait to test this in CGS 1060. I already have activity ideas for Cacoo!)

Most people still use traditional applications like Powerpoint or Visio for creating diagrams or charting software, which isn't always a simple task (especially if the designs are complicated or need to look pretty). There's no shortage of easy-to-use online diagramming and design applications addressing the need, but a tool called Cacoo tries to stand out from the pack with some unique features.

Developed by Japan-based Nulab, the Flash application is entirely browser-based, free and available in English (and Japanese). Cacoo features a library of icons users can drag and drop to create site maps, wireframes, flow charts, network diagrams, mind maps, UML diagrams, and more. Much like similar tools, Cacoo users can align the design elements to each other, resize, flip and skew them, create their own components from existing ones, upload images to include in the diagrams, and more.

Here's a sample mind map created with Cacoo (click to enlarge):

But Cacoo's main selling point is that it allows multiple users to create and edit designs collaboratively and in real-time. Once invited via email, collaborators can view, edit and chat about diagrams while they're being created. The designs can be exported (as PNGs only at this point) or shared on the web, for example on blogs or wikis. Any changes you make in the original under Cacoo will be reflected in the embedded item automatically and in real-time, which means uploading them again isn't necessary.

The application was showcased to a broader audience for the first time during TechCrunch Japan's TokyoCamp demo event that took place few weeks ago. Cacoo competes with similar design tools like Creately, Balsamiq Mockups, Gliffy, Adobe Fireworks or mockingbird. Maker Nulab is currently working on a number of functional enhancements, next to preparing a diagram store for distributing stencils and templates later this year.

More screenshots (click to enlarge):

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Netflix Streaming App Coming to iPad (Source: Mashable)

2010-04-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

From day one, the iPad was not only a device for reading e-books and magazines, but also for enjoying video content - despite the fact that it doesn't support the ubiquitous Flash. Now, Netflix is one of the first to fulfill this promise with a Netflix streaming app for the iPad.

Details are scarce, but a blurb that leaked today pretty much sums it up:

Get Netflix on your iPad. Just download this free app and you can instantly watch TV shows movies streaming from Netflix.
• Watch as often as you want
• It's part of your unlimited Netflix membership
• Resume watching where you left off on your TV or computer
• Browse movies and manage your Queue right from your iPad
Not a Netflix member? Join today and get a 2-week free trial.

A Hulu app for iPad is also on the way, rumors say. Together with Netflix, it will probably satisfy the TV/video streaming needs of most users, and as the actual launch date approaches, the last pieces of the iPad content puzzle are finally coming together.

Tags: ipad, netflix, streaming, tv, video

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Kleiner Perkins’ Doubles Down The iFund To $200 Million For the iPad. (I want to "touch the future" too!) (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-03-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

Today at the Rosewood Sandhill Hotel in Menlo Park, CA, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers hosted an event surrounding a "mobile content revolution." The famous venture capital firm was tight-lipped about what this event would actually be about, but the speculation leading up to the event was that it may involve Apple's new iPad, which is being launched in the U.S. on Saturday. Sure enough, it was.

Kleiner Perkins today announced the doubling (or "doubling down" as partner John Doerr put it) of its iFund to $200 million. Initially, this includes more than a dozen iPad applications due in May from portfolio companies. In March of 2008 as Apple was unveiling its iPhone SDK, Kleiner Perkins unveiled the first iFund, a $100 million fund to spur iPhone app development.

iFund portfolio companies at the event included Booyah, Cooliris, GOGII, InMobi, ngmoco, Pinger, Shazam, shopkick, and Zynga. In total, there are 14 ventures in the iFund now, 3 of which are in stealth mode. "They're kicking ass," Doerr notes.

In fact, the iFund companies have produced apps that have seen 100 million total downloads, Doerr notes. And those companies are expected to pull in some $100 million in revenues this year. Four of the companies are already profitable, partner Matt Murphy notes. The problem is that with the success, the iFund is out of money — Kleiner Perkins actually raised an additional $330 million to pump into these companies outside of the initial iFund investment. And there's this new device coming out

"On the eve of the iPad, the iFund is out of money," Doerr said. Hence, the doubling of the fund.

There are over 20 applications for the iPad currently in development under the iFund. 11 of those will launch on Saturday with the iPad itself. Doerr seems particularly excited about one of the stealth ones (which he wouldn't talk about specifically) that rolling out in 5 weeks, that will be iPad-only.

Below, find my live notes (paraphrased):

John Doerr: Just 15 years ago in 1994 there was no Internet. There was no browser. Steve Jobs had left Apple he was working on Toy Story and NeXT. That year I saw Mosiac, the first web browser. It was magic. The rest of the 90s was a great experience. All those companies came around. Silicon Valley was a Florence of the

"It feels like Deja Vu all over again. Twice in a lifetime."

A tsumani of cellphones have swept the world - now 3 billion have them. Including people in far reaches of Africa. There are 75 times more cellphones in Kenya than PCs. In 4 years there will be 32 million cell phones there. Everyone is going to have the Internet and a cell phone in their pockets.

A few years ago Steve Jobs rocked the world with the iPhone. "If you can't invent the future, the next best way is to fund it."

Think back to March 6, 2008, the iFund was a little risky. There was no iPhone 3G. We now have 14 ventures in the iFund, 3 are stealth. 8 of them are here today. They're kicking ass.

There are 100 million downloads, and there will be over $100 million in revenues from these companies this year. We've raised $330 million raised for them. But on the eve of the iPad, the iFund is out of money. To quote Bill Campbell, "You've gotta have the fucking money." So we're doubling down the iFund to $200 million.

This Saturday the iPad arrives, we believe it's going to rule the world. I've held it, caressed it. It feels like you're touching the future (Doerr stole that from me).

We're going into a brave new world. From the old world of Windows interfaces to touch. The swoosh of liquidity. The iPad is direct, it's natural. WYTIWis what you touch, is what is.

Ron Okamoto, VP developer relations, Apple:

Two year's ago, John went out on a limb. Now it's a tree. WIth the iPad, this is going to be big. We have 100,000 developers making over 150,000 apps that have been downloaded 3 billion times. That's in just 24 months. With the iPad, it's going to be even bigger.

You've gotta have a cool name to be funded by Kleiner (laughs). We've seen what developers are working on so far, it's fantastic. In a few days, you'll see it too.

Doerr back on stage

100,000 flowers blooming. The tablet is where all these dreams are going to come true. This is going to start a third Renaissance in software. This will be a new interconnected, interactive world. This future will transform all fields (healthcare, etc). Over the next decade 3 times better battires in 10 times better powered chips. You'll have a terabyte of local fast storage soon.

I've always been awed by entrepreneurs. Let's talk to the guys working in the iFund.

Bing Gordon, Kleiner Perkins

I have no prepared remarks. Twas the night before iPad - nothing was stirring, except the whole family trying to throw away their mouse. I'm going to make a prediction. Many centuries ago the writing body language. 50 years ago, the typewriter body language. Then the iPhone body language. Now the iPad body language.

Greg Woock, CEO Pinger

I've been with a lot of companies, nothing has been as successful as with the iPhone. We have paid apps and free apps. Many different business models - in app adds, in app purchases. We've done 13 titles, 10 have been in the top 100. Largely because we use our apps to sell other apps. If you're not in the top 100 apps, it's hard to be seen. We're profitable - in a year, really in 9 months!

So the iPad: The strongest thing I can saw is that my daughter immediately knew she wanted one. We're making Doodle Buddy for the iPad. The most fun you can have with your hand (rather than your finger (with the iPhone).

Keith Lee, Booyah

When we saw the iPhone, we knew we had to leave our jobs at Blizzard. Camera, GPS, this was huge for new experiences. 4 months ago we launched MyTown. It's the most popular location-based social game. It's realworld Monopoly. We've been able to hit 1.6 million registered users. 130,000 new users a week. We've always been in the top 50 of the charts. People spending 70 million a day (per user) in our game. We have 4 million daily check-ins.

Alex Musil, Shazam

We are in over 200 countries, we have 50 million users, we're getting 750,000 new users added every week. There are 2 million tags a day. Over 50 million downloads on the iPhone. Had a top 50 ranking since we've been live in the App Store. And we'll be on the iPad as well. It's not just going to be a big iPhone app, it's a new experience. You'll see it on Saturday.

Neil Young, ngmoco

We believed the iPhone could revolutionize mobile gaming, and the iFund backed us early. We've have over 30,000,000 downloads of our software. We've had 15 top 10 (total) apps. We Rule is huge now. We run the plus network, over 20,000,000 downloads of those games. Every single day users play over 20 million minutes of ngmoco games.

The iPad will revolutionize gaming in the home. The iPad radically reshapes the way you interact with software. We'll have 7 applications available at the launch of the iPad. All built specifically for the iPad. And yes, We Rule is coming to the iPad.

Zack Norman, GOGII

textPlus is a next generation messaging platform. It blows up the relationship between the telephone and text messaging. 15 million messages a day. 2 billion messages since our launch. Our users are using 65 minutes a day on average. 5.5 million users.

But the iPad will change everything - because it's not a phone. It's more like the iPod touch. The use cases have yet to be written and imagines. Text is a voice of a generation - other generations are coming with them. I think this new device will be huge for text messaging (again, without the phone part).

Bing Gordon back

Zynga and Cooliris and Shopkick are also here to answer questions. We'll do Q&A in a minutes. Gordon reading a poem about the iPhone (yes, really).

Q&A Time

Q: How many companies in the iFund are profitable? Is the iPad a bigger opportunity than the iPhone?

A (Matt Murphy from overseas): 4 companies right now are profitable, we're not disclosing which ones. Cash-flow profitable for sure.

The panel is split as to weather they'll raise app prices for the iPad. Some will stay free, some won't raise prices.

A (Neil Young): It's early days for the iPad, there are 75 million iPhone (and iPod touch) devices out there. The iPad will engage users for more time than the iPhone we think. I think living room gaming is going to have some competition from the iPad. Same with desktop gaming.

A (Bing Gordon): I think the iPad market will be bigger than apps on the iPhone.

Q: Could the iPad be bigger than the iPhone?

A (John Doerr): I don't know. I don't know what apps are going to be built, but let me tell you about some I think about. I think every doctor and nurse will use an iPad. I don't think we can anticipate the great new uses.

Q: Is there a bigger business opportunity for tablet computing in general?

A (Bing Gordon): The money from the iFund can be used for development on other platforms too.

Q: What percent of revenue will be from iPhone or iPad?

A (from the panel): It's going to be most of it. The iTunes aspect is key, it's a great infrastructure. Most of us are still a drop in the bucket in terms of how big we can grow. Apple has an incredible lead in the space right now. Calling the iPad a tablet is kind of like calling the iPhone a cellphone it's so much more.

Q: 2 years from now what percent of usages is on the iPhone?

A (Cooliris): We only have an app on the iPhone

A (Shopkick): Same with CauseWorld, majority is iPhone.

A (Zynga): Big and growing.

Q: What as the biggest surprise for developing on iPad?

A (from the panel): The first iteration of the SDK was really complete, which was great. The iPad is not a big iPod touch that misses the point. When you're playing with it, you forget you're using something. You no longer think about the interactions you're doing, you just do. You have to touch it to understand. Mobile software is built around, when you got a second, you use it. But the iPad is more of a lean-back experience. It's clearly not a bigger iPod touch. The device is magic. It will change the way normal human beings feel about computing.

Q: So how long until the first non-iPhone killer apps?

A: Insider 6 months I think you'll see the first of those. If you wanted to build the killer app for the Xbox 360, it would take you two years. For the iPhone and iPad, it can happen so quickly.

A (from Doerr): Within 5 weeks one of the stealth ventures is going to roll out an app that's iPad-only. And quickly we'll see education apps which will transform things.

Q: What about Apple's closed platform versus the Android open platform?

A (Doerr): There are two different philosphies. The iPhone got there first, but each will make the other better. I don't know which is going to win.

Q: Is there something in stealth with healthcare?

A: No comment.

Q: Will there be many new ideas for healthcare?

A: I can't wait to see what we get.

Gordon: So thank you for coming over. That's a wrap.

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YouTube’s New Streamlined ‘Watch’ Page Boosts Engagement By 7% (Source: TechCrunch)

2010-03-31T15:48:00.001-05:00

This morning, we broke the news that YouTube would be rolling out its new, streamlined Watch page to all users. The aptly named page is the all-important portion of the site where you actually watch videos (it also features comments, ratings, and related videos). At an event at YouTube headquarters this morning, three of the key people involved with the launch — Senior Product Manager Shiva Rajaraman, UI designer Julian Fumar, and engineer Igor Kofman — walked us through some of the changes in the new design, the logic behind them, and some of the early results they've seen.

We first saw the new Watch page in January, when the site started allowing users to opt-in to it. To test the new design, YouTube also rolled it out to around 10% of its users. Among those users, YouTube says that it has see a rise in engagement (which includes actions like ratings and leaving comments) by 7%, and an increase in the number of videos watched by 6%. Those may not sound like huge numbers, but given that this is the world's most popular video site, that translates into a lot of extra views.

So what changed? In short, everything is much cleaner. The YouTube team said that in 2009 the site added more features than they had in the two previous years combined, and things were getting cluttered. So they've decided to prune the hedges.

As we detailed when the redesign first become available, the new site has streamlined the page header to place a much greater emphasis on search. It has also abandoned YouTube's long-standing five star rating system in favor of a binary thumbs up/thumbs down system (a change that YouTube has discussed for months).

Less obvious changes: the more info' button, which used to be a bizarrely small link nestled under the video description, is now positioned directly under the video, with a much larger clickable area. The video uploader's screenname is now more prominently featured above the video, as is the Subscribe' button (there will be an opportunity for YouTube partners to brand this area). The related videos listing, which makes up the page's right column, will now be more consistently positioned. And you can now access the site's detailed viewing statistics simply by clicking on the viewcount (these used to be tucked under a 'stats' menu).

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RjDj Now Lets You Create Your Own Trippy, Reactive Music For iPhone And iPad (Source: Tech Crunch)

2010-03-30T21:52:00.001-05:00

http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/30/rjdj-now-lets-you-create-your-own-trippy-reactive-music-for-iphone-and-ipad/
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RT @Twuoted: "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." ~ Albert Einstein #Quote - Thx 2 @cjethmalani

2010-03-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

From: @cmairn
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RT @Twuoted: I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. ~ Albert Einstein #Quote - Thx 2 @cjethmalani http://myloc.me/5r7fr

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feedtrace

2010-03-27T17:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.feedtrace.tv/
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15 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

2010-03-27T17:18:00.002-05:00

(Source: http://mashable.com/2010/03/27/social-media-resources-recap-2/)

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Netflix via Wii Is Almost Here

2010-03-26T10:42:00.000-05:00

Netflix has announced that it's entered the final stages for the rollout of Netflix for the Wii. Starting in the next few days, several lucky customers are going to get the new Netflix via Wii to so that Netflix can gather final feedback.

The announcement, from Netflix Vice President of Marketing Jessie Becker, is short but sweet: Starting today, Netflix is sending out instant streaming discs to some Netflix members. Their feedback on the experience will help the company fine-tune the experience. After that, Netflix via Wii will be part of the Netflix unlimited plan ($8.99 per month).

We first learned about Netflix for the Wii in January. The move makes sense; the PS3 and XBox 360 already have Netflix streaming, and the Wii is the best selling current-generation console in the U.S.

Wii owners, will you be using Netflix via Wii? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: netflix, Nintendo, streaming, streaming video, Wii

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Reimagining The Magazine Cover For The iPad

2010-03-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Print publishers are in a tizzy over Apple's new iPad because they hope to finally be able to charge for their digital editions. But in order to get people to pay for their magazine and newspaper apps, they are going to have to offer something different that readers cannot get at the newsstand or on the open Web. We've already seen plenty of prototypes from magazine publishers which include interactive graphics, photo slide shows, and embedded videos.

But what should a magazine cover look like on the iPad? After all, the cover is still the gateway to the magazine. Theoretically, it will still be the first page people see, giving them hints of what's inside and enticing them to dive into the issue. One way these covers could change is that instead of simply repurposing the static photographs from the print edition, the background image itself could be some sort of video loop. Jesse Rosten, a photographer in California, created the video mockup below of what a cover of Sunset Magazine might look like on the iPad (see video below).

The video shows ocean waves gently lapping a beach as the title of the magazine and other typographical elements appear on the page almost like movie credits. He points out that these kinds of videos will have to be shot in a vertical orientation rather than a horizontal landscape one. This is just a mockup Rosten came up with on his own, but the designers of these new magazine apps should take note. The only way people are going to pay for these apps is if they create new experiences for readers.

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Perseus Signs an EBooks Deal for the iPad

2010-03-24T19:20:00.004-05:00

"Perseus Books Group, a large independent publisher that also distributes works from 330 other smaller presses including Grove Atlantic, Harvard Business School Press, Zagat and City Lights Books, signed a deal last week with Apple, following five of the six biggest publishers that have already signed agreements with Apple."

"With Apple’s iPad coming on the scene, Amazon is fighting to keep as much of its market lead as possible."

"Like the five other publishers who have already signed with Apple, Perseus will set consumer prices and Apple will serve as an agent, taking a 30 percent commission on each sale. E-book versions of most newly released adult general fiction and nonfiction will cost $12.99 to $14.99. All publishers whose books are distributed by Perseus will be allowed to opt in to the deal."

"Several of the larger publishers are seeking to renegotiate agreements with Amazon and other e-book retailers to mirror the deals with Apple. But Amazon has only agreed to those terms so far with one publisher, Macmillan, and is still in talks with the other big four, as well as other independent publishers. Amazon has told smaller presses that it does not want to enter into so-called “agency” agreements with them. These publishers fear that if they sign deals with Apple, Amazon will discontinue selling their books, as it did briefly during a dispute with Macmillan."

Google Bookmarks Adds Lists So You Can Share Even More Links (Time to incorporate all Google's apps to Wave!)

2010-03-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

Google is trying in so many ways to catch up on the sharing front. It wants you to share more links through Google properties such as Gmail, Google Reader, Google News, and Google Buzz. Today, it is adding a new sharing feature to Google Bookmarks. You can now organize bookmarks into lists and share those lists.

For instance, I created this list of stories about Google's new approach to China (or is it a retreat?). It is a public list. People can follow the list, in case I add more links, or copy the list to their own bookmarks. The list is shareable via email or as a link. The list's creator can move items up and down the list or create new sections. It is a pretty basic way to group links together, but seems like it could come in handy.

To be honest, I almost completely forgot about Google Bookmarks. In fact, the last time I used it before today was in 2005. But it is integrated into the Google Toolbar and actually gets a lot of usage.

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Wix Raises $10 Million For Flash Website And Widget Builder

2010-03-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

Startup Wix, which allows users to build flash websites and widgets, has just raised $10 million in Series C funding from Benchmark Capital existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Mangrove Capital Partners participating. This round of founding brings Wix's total funding to $20 million. You can read our initial review of Wix here.

Founded in 2006, Wix provides a simple mechanism for anyone to create Flash-based websites and widgets without losing SEO juice. Users can customize their Wix websites with a drag and drop editing tool and pretty templates, making the site user-friendly for users who may not be tech savvy. The funding will be used for further product development.

The site makes its money from a freemium model where users pay for extra customization and design features. And Wix is partnering with other design and image sites to include compelling features for website building. For example, Wix has partnered with stock image site Fotolia to give users access to the site's 5 million images. Wix is growing and currently has 3.5 million free users with 400,000 new users joining per month. The site faces competition from Weebly Sprout, Yola, and others.

Here's an example of a website created using Wix.

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14 websites to make you a more intelligent person

2010-03-23T06:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.thesimplerlife.net/2009/12/14/14-links-to-make-you-a-more-intelligent-persons/
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Scientists Successfully Embed Silicon Chips Inside Human Cells

2010-03-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Imagine being able to engineer "immortal controllable synthetic beings with genetic kill-switches." Read more at: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-03/scientists-embed-silicon-chips-inside-human-cells

DEMO: Mobile Startup Roundup

2010-03-22T15:27:00.000-05:00

VentureBeat's Spring 2010 DEMO conference is kicking off this week. Out of the 65 companies that are launching products and services this week, there are a number of mobile-related startups in the mix. Interestingly, there are several startups that are launching simple iPhone and mobile app creation services. Among the more compelling ideas are Flinc's realtime ridesharing app and Zerista's Ning-like platform for mobile apps. Here's a roundup of 8 startups with mobile applications and services launching at DEMO.

Visiarc: Visiarc has developed a technology that helps bring the experience of viewing documents on a desktop to a mobile phone. The startup's software aims to revolutionize the large email attachments on mobile phones, by streaming large attachments to your phone.

AppWhirl: AppWhirl, which allows anyone to create personalized iPhone apps, is launching a new, simple app creation technology that allows users to create apps with a stream of realtime news and updates. The customized apps can aggregate a Twitter stream, a YouTube Channel, a Flickr image stream, Facebook status updates and more.

Mmatcher: Mmatcher aims to bring location-aware, classified ads to mobile phones. A mobile ad network for classified ads, Mmatcher aims to bring buyers and sellers together and promises spam-free, realtime and personal matched classified ads to be delivered to mobile phones. The startup matches buyers and sellers using location as a key factor.

Zerista: Zerista, which is like a Ning for mobile apps, helps create mobile apps for small, social communities. Zerista will turn a group, club, team or organization into a mobile community by letting users create a simple mobile application a group can use from a smartphone or computer. The apps allow for a centralized location for group activities and schedules, and even incorporates social media and check-in technologies.

AppVoyage: AppVoyage's software helps developers publish apps to multiple app stores, and helps build mobile advertising campaigns. AppVoyage is rolling out AppBox, which uses a self-service, simple drag and drop technology to build mobile apps and advertising campaigns.

Flinc: Flinc is launching a mobile application that allows people to match up with each other for rides based on their location. Called dynamic ridesharing, the applications will keep track of traffic in real time, will connect users with open seats in cars within their network, let them send requests to be picked up, and coordinates messaging between drivers and pick-ups.

Phone Halo: Phone Halo wants to prevent the annoying and sometimes costly problem of losing and misplacing your phone, keys, wallet, and other valuables. Phone Halo attaches a small Bluetooth device to keys, purse, or other valuable with a software running on the phone to track the distance between the phone and device. When the two become separated, both ring and alert you. The app is only available for Android and Blackberry devices for now.

Zosh: Zosh aims to eliminate the need for fax machines. An iPhone app allows you to take documents and sign them or write on them via your iPhone. You can then email the signed documents to anyone.

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Collaboration Platform Socialwok Now Integrates With Facebook, Twitter And Buzz

2010-03-22T15:23:00.000-05:00

Socialwok, a product that ads a social layer to Gmail and other Google products, was just integrated as a partner in Google's recently launched Google Apps Marketplace. At last year's TechCrunch50 conference, Socialwok made a big splash, winning the award for best demopit startup and launching its enterprise-friendly, FriendFeed-like layer for Google Apps. The web-based application was praised for launching a social network that wrapped around the very unsocial Google Apps. And the startup just launched a gadget to allow users access all the features of Socialwok without leaving Gmail. Today, Socialwok is becoming more than just a collaboration platform; the startup is integrating with Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, and RSS feeds to allow users to tap into their outside social networks within Socialwok.

Socialwok is now a full-fledged Twitter client and allows users to Tweet directly from its platform, as well as track a brand or keywords on Twitter from within the application. Additionally, users can monitor and track updates on a Facebook page. Socialwok is also allowing users to import RSS feeds and share it within a company's Socialwok account. And Socialwok is integrated with Google Buzz, and allows users to tap into their Buzz streams from within the platform and share content in Buzz from within Socialwok.

With the addition of social networking functionality, Socialwok is becoming more than just a collaboration platform. In fact, the application is developing into a full-fledged social CRM, taking on Salesforce's Chatter, Jive, Socialcast and a host of other enterprise friendly social networks. CEO Ming Yong tells me that after the startup's launch on the Google Apps marketplace last week, Socialwok signed up over 4000 businesses to its service. Prior to the launch on the marketplace, 6,000 domains and tens of thousands of users were using Socialwok.

Socialwok, which employs a freemium model, has steadily been adding features and improvements to its application, including releasing a new version of its HTML 5 mobile version for Android and iPhone browsers. And in the process of developing an innovative application, startup managed to catch Google's eye. In addition to joining as a pilot partner on the Google App Marketplace, Socialwok was chosen as one of the showcase companies for AppEngine technology at this year's Google IO Developer Sandbox (Socialwok is powered by Google App Engine). And the startup wrote a blog post on Google's Enterprise Blog about Socialwok.

We've continuously written that if Google doesn't buy the startup, they should at least heavily promoting what they're doing. And it appears that Google has taken the latter route. For now. There's no doubt that Socialwok could face the same fate as Google Docs killer and collaboration platform Etherpad or Microsoft Word collaboration plug-in Docverse.

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YouTube - The Future of Publishing - created by DK (UK)

2010-03-22T12:19:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weq_sHxghcg&feature=youtu.be
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An augmented reality windshield from GM

2010-03-20T14:38:00.004-05:00

Source: ZDNet

"Over the past ten years, General Motors has poured over $11 million into aresearch partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, and there are signs that the relationship is bearing fruit."

"The human/machine interface department at GM has developed a working heads-up display that turns an ordinary windshield into an augmented reality information dashboard."

"The “enhanced vision system” can help drivers by highlighting landmarks, obstacles and road signs on the windshield in real-time to improve safety and navigation– it even brings GPS functions right into the dashboard by outlining the exact building you’re going to."

"According to Technology Review, to turn the entire windshield into a display, GM used a special type of glass coated with red-emitting and blue-emitting phosphors–a clear synthetic material that glows when it is excited by ultraviolet light. The phosphor display is then activated by tiny, ultraviolet lasers bouncing off mirrors bundled near the windshield. Three cameras mounted on the dashboard track the driver’s head and eyes to determine where she is looking."

"To sense what is in front of the car, the system uses a variety of sensors, including night vision, navigation systems, and cameras to gather relevant data. Then, ultraviolet lasers project corresponding images onto the windshield surface."

"GM says the new HUD windshield, which so far has only been tested in simulations, wouldn’t be incorporated into cars until around 2018. By then, other sensor technologies in the car will likely be adapted into the system and could help reduce costs."

"The AR windshield was developed with partners from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California. View the video below to see it in action:

Tweet from: @EvertonBlair

2010-03-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

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Tweak your Ubuntu with Ubuntu Tweak http://bit.ly/cI8Otu

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Botanical Illustrations for the Digital Age (Wired)

2010-03-19T06:02:00.002-05:00

From: @cmairn
Sent: Mar 19, 2010 7:01a

"Machines have an organic side, while plants have a mechanical side." -- Macoto Murayama, artist.

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i-Got-Control IRB1 dongle gives your iPhone / iPod touch universal remote functionality

2010-03-18T17:48:00.000-05:00

No need to spot clean your spectacles, and no need to brush the cobwebs out of your dome -- you really are seeing yet another IR dongle for Apple's dear iLineup. Hot on the heels of New Potato's FLPR, ThinkFlood's RedEye mini and Power A's solution comes this: an all-too-similar way to convert your iPod touch, iPhone or forthcoming iPad into a universal remote. Functionality wise, there's really nothing here that the other guys don't provide, though the beefed-up database of over 40,000 IR codes should make setting up your system a breeze. Users simply plug this into their dock connector, download the free application from the App Store and then dial up whatever components they have; once loaded, the IR beamer should do the rest, nixing the need to keep those 40 remotes around. It's expected to start shipping any day now for $69.95.

i-Got-Control IRB1 dongle gives your iPhone / iPod touch universal remote functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WSJ: Apple still 'racing' to complete iPad content deals before launch

2010-03-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

The iPad launch may finally be right around the corner, but it looks like Apple might still have some considerable work cut out for itself before the big day. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is still negotiating with various media companies in an effort to drop the price on TV shows offered on the device, and it's even reportedly put some potential deals with newspaper, magazine and textbook publishers on the backburner as it focuses on other content. That word comes from the usual, unnamed "people with the matter," who go on to say that it's proven to be difficult to convince potential content partners of the advantages of working with Apple on the iPad versus the possible threats to their current sources of revenue.

It's hardly all bad news for the magical device though, as some other people familiar with the matter say that Apple has already sold "hundreds of thousands" of iPads. For its part, Apple is naturally staying mum on both counts.

WSJ: Apple still 'racing' to complete iPad content deals before launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Soon, There’ll Be More Mobile Web Users In China Than People In The United States

2010-03-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

Not an easy thing to conceptualize indeed, but according to eMarketer there will be more mobile Internet users in China than the entire population of the US by the end of this year.

For your reference, the 2010 estimate of the size of the United States population stands at roughly 310 million people according to Wikipedia, so that's a whole lot of people browsing the Web from their phones right there.

The report, which you can purchase here, also says the number of mobile Internet users in China will grow fast to reach a staggering 957 million, and that the country will count approximately 1.3 billion mobile subscribers by 2014.

eMarketer points out that those mobile Internet users do not currently monetize as well as smaller mobile audiences in, say, the States, which means that mobile advertising spending levels in China are still low relative to the size of the mobile Web user base. Also, the company highlights another key trend in China, which is that mobile subscriber growth is actually slowing while mobile Internet user growth is accelerating.

More in this blog post (via Twitter).

(Photo credit: Flickr / lime*monkey / CC BY 2.0)

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Important changes to the OCLC NetLibrary Service and to the FirstSearch Service.

2010-03-18T07:27:00.000-05:00

OCLC and EBSCO Publishing have announced that EBSCO has acquired the NetLibrary Division. The purchase includes the NetLibrary eBook and eAudiobook platform as well as operations and infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado. As eBooks become mainstream components of a library's eContent collections, there is increasing value to libraries to be able to integrate eBook acquisitions and delivery with other electronic databases and eJournals. EBSCO will maintain and enhance the NetLibrary platform and will also work to integrate NetLibrary eBooks into the EBSCOhost platform. There will be no interruption in service to libraries.

We are also announcing an important change to our FirstSearch content services. OCLC is transitioning out of our role as reseller of vendor-owned content. Therefore we will transfer or discontinue sale of the vendor-owned databases on FirstSearch when subscriptions have ended. We will instead increase our focus for both FirstSearch and WorldCat.org on providing libraries with access to a rich set of library-owned content and increasing visibility and access to the full scope of a library's collection. We will work with libraries, publishers and other information providers to expand WorldCat.org as a comprehensive platform for eContent. As a part of this migration, EBSCO has acquired the rights to license a select number of vendor-owned databases that we currently offer on FirstSearch. Our long-term relationship with H.W. Wilson is also changing as we will work together to transition from reselling Wilson databases on FirstSearch to indexing Wilson databases in WorldCat Local over the coming months. There will be no interruption in service to libraries.

Please see our letter to members and news releases for more information.

The Worldwide Telescope Comes To Bing Maps

2010-03-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

If you can't tell your Belt of Orion from your Little Dipper, Microsoft is here to help. Today it added its WorldWide Telescope application to Bing Maps. The application let's you look up at the sky from a street view level in a map and see the stars and planets conveniently identified by red lines connecting them together.

Microsoft debuted its WorldWide Telescope application two years ago, and it's existed as a standalone desktop and Silverlight app. But now that it is part of Bing Maps, it should become more popular. (Inside Bing Maps, you first need to click on "Map Apps" and select WorldWide Telescope to enable it).

The app is not just for identifying constellations and planets. The menu on the left allows you to load up all sorts of data from sky surveys, the Hubble Telescope, and other astronomy data sources. The navigation isn't as fluid as it could be, but at least it gives you a point of orientation to make sense of the night sky. What Microsoft needs to do is bake this into its Bing iPhone app so that you can see the constellations identified through your camera viewfinder.

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Letterman Tries to Make Fun of Twitter on Top Ten List [VIDEO]

2010-03-16T21:45:00.001-05:00

First Letterman called Twitter a waste of time, and then he tried his hand at operating the microblogging site with his very own twitter machine. Last night, Letterman regaled audiences with a list he called, "Top Ten Signs You Spend Too Much Time on Twitter."

As folks who actually do spend waaaaay too much time on Twitter (and Facebook, and Foursquare, and various and sundry video humor sites, and just basically hiding from the nourishing rays of the sun), we've annotated his list below.

10. You miss your son's soccer game waiting for Lady Gaga to post what she had for lunch.

There's tons of mobile apps to rectify that issue, unless you're still rocking a Samsung Juke (which I totally was until about a month ago).

9. You answer the phone: "Twello?"

Who who would do that? Honestly, is this something people do?

8: You've spent millions developing iPhone waterproofing technology so you can Tweet in the shower.

Yeah, I think a bunch of people have beat you to that

7. You haven't touched your CB radio in months.

CBwha?

6. You ask yourself, "What would Jesus Tweet?"

Query: Answered.

5. You sleep tweet.

When Twitter is a rockin'

4. No number 4 writer on Twitter.

Obviously, said writer has not heard of @Anywhere.

3. You stopped paying attention to this list after the first 140 characters.

No, man, you had "Lady Gaga" in there, and that was totally a top trending topic last week.

2. Even Ashton Kutcher thinks you tweet too much.

Like Kutcher actually follows any of us common folk via Twitter. (BTW, I'm @Brenna_E if you wanna rectify that situation, dude please tell me more about daylight savings time while showering me with inspirational quotes.)

1. You walked in on the landscaper retweeting your wife.

Yeah. This one doesn't really make sense, but nice go at saucy, sexual innuendo.

Check out the Letterman vid below and let us know in the comments: What are the real top 10 signs you spend too much time on Twitter?

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Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter

Tags: david letterman, television, twitter, video

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Big Data Is Less About Size, And More About Freedom

2010-03-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

Editor's note: Big Data has been around for a long time between credit card transactions, phone call records and financial markets. Companies like AT&T, Visa, Bank of America, Ebay, Google, Amazon and more have massive databases they mine for competitive advantage. But lately, Big Data is finding its way to the smallest startups. The Web and cloud computing brings Big Data everywhere. But what exactly is pushing Big Data forward?

To answer that we brought in an expert, Bradford Cross. Bradford is the Co-Founder and Head of Research at FlightCaster. FlightCaster is backed by Y Combinator, Tandem Entrepreneurs and Sherpalo Ventures. The company analyzes large data sets to predict flight delays. Bradford is chair of the Dealing with Big Data track at Cloud Connect this week.

We are in a Renaissance for computer science, engineering, and learning from data right now. The scale of data and computations is an important issue, but the data age is less about the raw size of your data, and more about the cool stuff you can do with it. Now that there is so much data, it is time to unlock its value. Really neat things are happening already—like the way the people of the world can educate themselves on all manner of issues and topics, or the way data and computing serves as leverage in other scientific and technical endeavors. There will be lots of amazing stuff on the web, but innovation will come in other domains as well.

The recent big data trend is about the democratization of large data more than its growth. In articles like the Economist's recent piece on the data deluge, we hear about big data everywhere. We hear about what big data and the cloud mean for the enterprise, but they have had big data for a long time. eBay manages petabytes in its Teradata and Greenplum data warehouses. Sophisticated startups extracting value from big data is also nothing new—it has been happening at least since the days of Yahoo! and Google, and they have done it without the data warehousing folks.

Now focused early stage startups can get up and running faster than ever. Less technical analysts at companies like Facebook and Twitter can access massive amounts of data easily. Even individuals can undertake cool projects with big data, such as Pete Skomoroch of Data Wrangling did with trending topics for Wikipedia.
Why Now?

We do not have to build all our own hardware and software infrastructure anymore.

Pioneers such as Amazon have given us the cloud, where we have the capability to run very large server clusters at a low startup cost. Pioneers like Google have paved the way for open source projects like Hadoop and HBase, that are backed by big company contributors like Facebook.

The combination has paved the way for a new class of data driven startup like Aardvark (just acquired by Google) and Factual, it has reduced both cost and time to market for these startups, as we showed with Flightcaster. And, it has allowed startups that were not necessarily data driven to become more analytical as they evolved, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and many others.

So we have big data, the cloud, and open source facilitating new data-driven startups. I like to break this trend down from the technical perspective into three chunks; storing data, processing data, and learning from data. I define "learning from data" to mean data mining, AI, machine learning, statistics, and so on.
Supersize my data. Oh wait, I'll just have a Medium.

The first time I heard the "Medium Data" idea was from Christophe Bisciglia and Todd Lipcon at Cloudera. I think the concept is great. Companies do not have to be at Google scale to have data issues. Scalability issues occur with less than a terabyte of data. If a company works with relational databases and SQL, they can drown in complex data transformations and calculations that do not fit naturally into sequences of set operations. In that sense, the "big data" mantra is misguided at times. For instance, a GigaOm article about big data in the cloud states:

What is becoming increasingly clear is that Big Data is the future of IT. To that end, tackling Big Data will determine the winners and losers in the next wave of cloud computing innovation.

The big issue is not that everyone will suddenly operate at petabyte scale; a lot of folks do not have that much data.

The more important topics are the specifics of the storage and processing infrastructure and what approaches best suit each problem. How much data do you have and what are you trying to do with it? Do you need to do offline batch processing of huge amounts of data to compute statistics? Do you need all your data available online to back queries from a web application or a service API?

Once your data and its processing are large enough to require distributing the data and the work among machines across network boundaries, things get a lot harder. You have to deal with distributed computing and make tradeoffs like a real computer scientist.
Big Data & The Cloud: Viral Buzzwords 4.0!

The cloud, and hosted services, present very interesting opportunities. One of the greatest is that people can leverage the a la carte economics of elastic computing to do things that were prohibitively expensive due to the requirements of building and maintaining their own hardware infrastructure. The interesting parts about the current cloud are its lack of entrance friction and elastic cost efficiency, the speed with which new entrants can set up, and the elastic capability to run 100 machine clusters for 1 hour if that is what is needed.

We started Flightcaster almost a year ago, and it is a good example of how startups can leverage cloud compute and storage resources, mix some open source like Hadoop with some data mining, and create interesting new technologies with relatively low capital upfront.

The cloud is not cheaper in general. Once people scale to a certain point, they move off the cloud onto dedicated hardware—not the other way around. That may change, and better hosted services may play a role in the transition, but that will take a while. In the meantime, the interesting part of the cloud is the use of elastic resources and the ability to get up and going quickly. The interesting part is the freedom it gives startups to try things they would never otherwise do.

Another notable thing about the cloud is the new architectures emerging as a result of economic and resource tradeoffs.

Storage of large amounts of data in the cloud is much cheaper with blobstores like Amazon S3 than it is to maintain an always-up cluster for a distributed datastore. If you do mostly offline batch processing and you do not need bulk storage to be online, then it is an attractive setup.
Storage and NoSQL

Taking another glimpse from the future of big data in the cloud.

A Big Data stackwill also need to emerge before cloud computing will be broadly embraced by the enterprise. In many ways, this cloud stack has already been implemented, albeit in primitive form, at large-scale Internet data centers, which quickly encountered the scaling limitations of traditional SQL databases as the volume of data exploded. Instead, high-performance, scalable/distributed, object-orientated data stores are being developed internally and implemented at scalelarge web properties have been building their own so-called "NoSQL" databases, also known as distributed, non-relational database systems (DNRDBMS).

There are several misguided points here. First, there is not going to be a big data or cloud stack. Distributed systems are about making trade offs and a move toward problem-specific solutions rather than one-size-fits-all stacks. Second, enterprises already have their solution—expensive data warehousing and consulting support. Will open source projects like Hadoop supported by people like Cloudera take a chunk of the business? Sure. But as I mentioned earlier, the most interesting part about big data and the cloud is not cheaper alternatives for the enterprise, it is the opportunities it facilitates for data-driven startups.

There is a lot of talk about the NoSQL movement. The big idea here is that distributed systems are hard, require tradeoffs, and sometimes we are better off with data storage and processing that are specific to what we are doing with the data. Sometimes even with a small amount of data on a single node, there are better alternatives to SQL queries and relational databases—time series data has long been a good example.
Processing and Hadoop: The Elephant In The Room

There is a broad range of needs for processing large amounts of data. These range from simple needs like calculations for log analysis that just need to occur at scale, to middle of the road needs like BI, to complex needs like scalable modern machine learning and retrieval systems.

There are a different approaches one can use to service specific needs. Again, we see the pattern of moving away from one-size-fits-all stacks, and toward building for your needs. That said, there are very generic abstractions like Map-Reduce that work well for a lot of use cases. Distributed systems are hard to get right, so when something like Hadoop gets a lot of momentum, it retains that momentum until alternatives have the time to mature enough to solve the hard problems with fault tolerance, performance, and so forth. Not everyone is Leonardo da Vinci, so people should not attempt to create these systems on their own unless they really know what they are doing. In that sense, the cloud and big data are facilitators of open source.

An important aspect of processing at scale is abstraction. Writing complex or even simple computations in raw Map-Reduce is verbose for programmers and intimidating for others who might want to play with the data. Abstractions over Map-Reduce like Pig and Hive make simple things easy, and abstractions like Cascading make hard things possible. The Map-Reduce paradigm, and Hadoop in particular, have been a big success. That said, Map-Reduce is not the only important piece of compute infrastructure. Message queues serve as the backbone of a lot of compute architectures - implementations of AMQP, such as rabbitmq, are a prime example. You can accomplish a lot with producers, consumers, and a messaging system. Distributed storage and processing systems can also be very tricky to configure and deploy, requiring a pretty deep understanding of the system - hence the business case for folks like Cloudera.
Learning from Big Data

Hal Varian, Google's Chief Economist, recently said,

The sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians… The ability to take data—to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualize it, to communicate it

Unfortunately for those of us working on these problems in real life, it is not so simple. The archetypal data-renaissance man is mathematician, statistician, computer scientist, machine learner, and engineer all rolled into one. There are opportunities where you can lack some of these skills and work with a team that supplements your weak points—a startup is not one of those.

Now that we can store so much data, it is attractive to do previously unimaginable things with it. We are sure to see cool applications in fields from the internet to biotechnology to nanotechnology and fundamental materials science research. Almost all advances in every field of science and technology are now heavily dependent upon data and computing. Machine learning is serving a fantastic role as a bridge between mathematical and statistical models and the worlds of AI, computer science, and software engineering. We are exploring applications in learning from text, social networks, data from scientific experiments, and any other data sources we can get our hands on.

The data renaissance does present some difficult issues. There are not many places one can recieve a good education on working on these problems at large scale. Scaling our modeling and optimization algorithms is hard. We need to figure out how to partition and parallelize, or sometimes trade speed and scale for approximately correct calculations. Another issue is that we are often using simplistic models, albeit with pretty good results in many cases. We would like to move toward a deeper approximation of real intelligence.

But the data renaissance is here. Be a part of it.

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Twitter’s New “At Anywhere” Platform Allows For Deeper Integration Into Third Party Sites

2010-03-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

During his keynote at SXSW this afternoon (live blog here), Twitter CEO Evan Williams just announced a new "At Anywhere" platform, which allows websites to more deeply integrate the service into their sites. The idea is to offer a more seamless experience to Twitter users navigating third party sites like the Huffington Post and the New York Times, giving them Twitter content without forcing them to jump off the page they're currently viewing. The details on the new platform are still scant, but this is Twitter's answer to Facebook Connect, which we reported on back in January.

Among the features:
When you browse a site that uses @anywhere, people and brands that have Twitter accounts will be highlighted with a hyperlink. Mousing over that hyperlink will show a small box (a "hovercard") containing their Twitter information, including their most recent tweet (in effect it means you don't have to click over to Twitter's homepage to see their Twitter profile)
Publishers will be able to more deeply integrate their own Twitter profiles, making them easier for their readers to follow' them
Sites will be able to implement @anywhere with a few lines of Javascript.
The new platform is launching with a number of major sites and services, including the New York Times, Huffington Post, Meebo, Amazon, Yahoo, Bing, and eBay.

It looks like the platform may eventually be hosted at Twitter.com/anywhere, which currently features a placeholder Twitter account that tweeted "Stay Tuned". Update This may actually be a Twitter account related to the platform — it just tweeted "If you're a javascript guru and want to help us build @anywhere and work with publishers @jointheflock".

From the Twitter blog:

We've developed a new set of frameworks for adding this Twitter experience anywhere on the web. Soon, sites many of us visit every day will be able to recreate these open, engaging interactions providing a new layer of value for visitors without sending them to Twitter.com. Our open technology platform is well known and Twitter APIs are already widely implemented but this is a different approach because we've created something incredibly simple. Rather than implementing APIs, site owners need only drop in a few lines of javascript. This new set of frameworks is called @anywhere.

When we're ready to launch, initial participating sites will include Amazon, AdAge, Bing, Citysearch, Digg, eBay, The Huffington Post, Meebo, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Salesforce.com, Yahoo!, and YouTube. Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo! home page—and that's just the beginning. Twitter has proven to be compelling in a variety of ways. With @anywhere, web site owners and operators will be able to offer visitors more value with less heavy lifting.

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4 Ways to Effectively Use Social Media as a Catalyst

2010-03-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

Chris Allison is a social media strategist at NeboWeb, where he helps clients make the most of the social web. You can follow him on Twitter as the voice behind @Neboweb.

As social media marketing becomes more widely practiced, the questions of the day are less frequently focused on the benefits of social media and more often focused on its implementation. Justifying social media to superiors is no longer the marketer's biggest challenge.

Instead, marketers are being challenged not on the potential benefits, of which there is ample evidence, but rather on how to get those benefits. Where to start?
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Social Media as a Catalyst
---------------

With this challenge in mind, it's vital to understand that social media is neither the end nor the beginning of any marketing effort. Rather, social media is a catalyst that works most effectively when it is finely woven into the fabric of a brand's other activity.

When putting together a puzzle, it helps to take a look at the big picture on the front of the box. Likewise, when putting together a social media strategy it's necessary to zoom out a little and examine how social media will fit into the context of your other business activities. Below are four pieces of the puzzle that brands can mesh with social media to maximize results.
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1. Cause Marketing
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The socialization of the web has made it evident that brands that want to succeed online must feel and act like humans, not like desperate, distant corporations. Accordingly, some social media marketers have taken on the role of teaching brands how to be human: don't say stupid things, don't feed the trolls, and don't dominate the conversation – pretty fundamental stuff that somehow got lost during the incorporation process.

However, guidelines for not screwing up aren't enough for brands to really benefit from social media. Until you bring something interesting to the table something that inspires passion, laughter, or curiosity nobody will care if you have a Twitter account.

One of the most effective, simple ways to get people to care about what you're doing is to do something worth caring about: get behind a cause. Brands have been benefiting from cause marketing for a long time, but the catalytic nature of social media has brought three additional benefits to the cause marketing table:
Access to increased publicity
The ability to be a vocal activist instead of a silent philanthropist by joining conversations
The ability to bring customers into the support process

Pepsi is one of the best examples of a brand that has recently seized the opportunity to leverage a mix of social media and cause marketing. Their Refresh Everything project incorporates votes from users to decide where Pepsi will donate their funds as well as a variety of other simple social media features: single sign-on, a Facebook Fan Page, and a blog.

By involving users with a voting process, Pepsi has effectively done three things. First, instead of just doing good themselves, they've helped their customers do good, which helps establish a very positive brand association. They have also created a situation that will compel users to share with their friends (in order to accrue votes for the cause of their choice). Finally, they have built a feedback mechanism that will ensure the causes they support are also the most popular among their customers (which is great PR).

Brands can benefit greatly from integrating social media with cause marketing, and they can learn a lot about how to get started from the tactics that Pepsi has used.

Disclosure: Pepsi sponsored Mashable's NextUp NYC: The Future Journalist event.
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2. The Offline World
---------------

Isolating the impact of social media to the web is an easy mistake to make. It seems natural enough to meet online goals with online activity, but the tangible world of physical objects, locations, and events can often provide a compelling medium to drive fans to engage with you online, or vice versa, you can use your social media efforts to drive activity to guerrilla marketing events like Red Bull's stash, or simply to brick and mortar stores.

Integrating your social media efforts with real products, store locations, or activities is an important way to acknowledge that you care about the complete customer experience, and that you're not just in the social media space because it's popular.

Some of the most successful campaigns, such as Burger King's Whopper Sacrifice, have been focused on driving the purchase of offline products. Similarly, customer support profiles like Comcast Cares would be much less successful if they didn't have the power to influence real offline change by working with customer support representatives that can help customers on location.

On the surface, social media may look like a simple set of social networks that people use to communicate, but when marketers look deeper they find that it presents a whole new venue for empowering all of their existing services, online as well as off.
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3. Media Coverage
---------------

Though citizen journalism and user generated content have proven to be extremely powerful (Iran's election crisis, Barack Obama's massive online get out the vote efforts, etc.), it is important to remember that brands can still benefit enormously from traditional media coverage.

When it comes to social media, or any marketing for that matter, brands must find ways to leverage all of their assets in the same direction. Just like the offline world can easily be used for online gain, so too can traditional media be leveraged in the new media space.

Amit Gupta, founder of several wonderful startups like Photojojo and Jelly, sheds some light on how his businesses have benefited from traditional coverage:

Mainstream press is harder to get, but still drives significant awareness, especially among everyday' people who aren't spending all day on the internet. And the names of old media carry
significant cache, enough to drive double-digit increases in conversion rates simple because of the credibility their names lend.

I exchanged e-mails with Amit and he was kind of enough to lend some extended insight on what to expect from traditional media. TV, web, and radio are all able to generate fast, measurable results. With these mediums, people are either interested, or they aren't. There are comparatively few lagging responses. Newspapers and magazines on the other hand, while carrying significant credibility, produce results that are harder to measure because their content is often read over days, weeks, or even months.

The ultimate success of a social media strategy depends on your ability to recognize problems and seize opportunities to solve them. When considering the needs of your campaign, whether it's brand equity or an immediate spike in interest, consider traditional media as another tool in your toolbox that could meet those needs. However, remember that part of your strategy should involve doing, saying, or making something interesting and worth talking about. If you don't do that, no amount of good press can save you.
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4. Technology
---------------

Lastly, your social media strategy is inherently paired with technology. Without technology, social media cannot exist. However, technology's role in creating a social media strategy often goes understated.

At SoCon10, a social media conference in Atlanta, Carol Kruse (head of interactive marketing at Coke) described the pain her team went through creating a Facebook application, only to find two months later that changes in Facebook's design would require Coke to restructure the application – a maintenance cost that hadn't been anticipated. Having a plan in place for making technological changes on the fly is an important ingredient in the fast-paced social media world.

But technology is more than just a potential cost that bloats social media campaigns; it's also the life that fuels them. Applications like the recently launched MySpace Fan Video are powered by collaboration between experienced creatives and programmers, not just one or the other. Thus, perhaps the most important synergy to be formed by any company delving into social media is one between their technology team, internal or external, and their marketing team driving the strategy.
---------------

Conclusion
---------------

Synergy is the name of the social media game. Whether you're coming from a small company or a well-known brand, starting as far back as possible, zooming out and staring at the big picture, is crucial to creating a strategy that makes sense.

These are four of the most important pieces to the social media puzzle. If you can think of more or have something to add to these listed, please leave a note in the comments.
---------------

More business resources from Mashable:
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- 5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Personal Brand Online
- 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence
- HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy
- HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry
- HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI
- HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, TommL
---------------
Reviews: Facebook, Iran , Mashable, Twitter, iStockphoto

Tags: cause marketing, List, Lists, mainstream media, MARKETING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, social media, technology

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FunMail’s FunTweet Visualizes Twitter Streams With Pretty Pictures

2010-03-12T15:31:00.000-05:00

We've written about FunMobility's nifty picture messaging app for the iPhone and Android, called FunMail, that allows users to blasts their text into the application, which then breaks down whatever the user typed for context and places fun graphics with your original text. Now, FunMobility has caught the Twitter bug and is launching FunTweet, a web service which turns any Twitter stream into visual messages that are related to the text.

Similar to FunMail, FunTweet will turn text in Tweets into a matching image. On FunTweet's site, you sign in with your Twitter credentials and the service will draw your Tweets from your Twitter homepage feed and display each tweet as a FunMail image on FunTweet. Users can also enter a @UserName, a HashTag or a Subject as well to the images. If you like the image FunTweet picked, you can publish the Tweet to your Twitter account. If you don't like the image, click "Try Again" and you can choose from other images. For example, if you tweet about writing a story or reading a book, then FunTweet will come up with images that match "story" - a book, a magazine, a typewriter, or a pen.

FunMobility is hoping FunTweet can be a display tool for parties, conferences and other gatherings where live stream messages may be projected. I find myself wishing I could include my own pictures into my FunTweets so I'm hoping the site will soon include that functionality.

FunMail for the iPhone has gained a bit of traction in a short amount of time with 100,000 downloads since its launch in November. So FunTweet could gain a loyal following a fun tool to spice up Tweets. TwitSig and SayTweet also allow you to make images from Tweets.

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Libraries Lead the E-Book Revolution « ResourceShelf

2010-03-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/11/libraries-lead-the-e-book-revolution/
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Barcodes: stickybits Is A Platform For Annotated Connected Objects | MobileBehavior

2010-03-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.mobilebehavior.com/2010/03/09/barcodes-stickybits-is-a-platform-for-annotated-connected-objects/?utm_source=MobileBehavior&utm_campaign=c7b80ef9de-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
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Barnes & Noble to Launch E-Reader App for iPad

2010-03-11T17:38:00.000-05:00

Continuing with a very source agnostic digital book strategy, Barnes Noble has announced it will soon be offering an e-reader app for the Apple iPad.

The app will be designed specifically for the iPad's tablet form factor, and will join BN's existing e-reader app family already available for Mac, PC, iPhone , iPod touch, and BlackBerry.

In other words, although the company is selling its own Nook e-reader device, it doesn't want to lock potential book customers into a single platform or device. The company says that the goal is "providing consumers any book, anytime, anywhere."

Like the other existing apps, the iPad app will give users access to the Barnes Noble e-bookstore with more than one million e-books, magazines and newspapers, plus access of course to its existing digital library. The company expects to officially launch the app around the same time the iPad will be available, which should be April 3 if the existing rumor has any truth to it.

As publishers continue to flock to the iPad, what's your current take on the e-reader versus tablet war that's brewing? Can the two form factors coexist, or will tablets like the iPad steal the thunder from e-readers?

Tags: barnes & noble, e-readers, ipad

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