In the Paper again, this time a city wide one
This was unexpected but Sarah set this up about a week ago and I knew nothing about it till Sarah text me earlier today. Shes been having a hard time recently and I really want to thank her for doing this and holding things together. I know we will end up being long term friends through-out.
So yeah a work paper yesterday, city wide today, national tomorrow? Well funny enough I'm having a interview with a national paper tomorrow about the Edinburgh TV Un-Festival. But seriously you won't see me tomorrow in anything, hopefully
Is Design really seedy?
Blackbelt Jones wrote this great post about Seedcamp and the lack of design involvement.
From the Seedcamp about pages:
“There will be a diverse mentor network of serial entrepreneurs, corporates, venture capitalists, recruiters, marketing specialists, lawyers and accountants that will help the selected teams put together the foundations of a viable business.”
How about designers?
Technology plays alone are starting to lose their distinctiveness in many of the more-crowded areas of the marketplace.
Great service and interaction design are on the rise as strategic differentiators for products as diverse as the iPhone and Facebook.
He's right, The only thing desiresable about the iphone is the interface, the technology is under powered or frankly from 2005. Thankfully its not all bad.
The line between hackers and interaction designers is blurring as they start small businesses that are starting to make waves in the big business press.
As I mentioned, my experience of HackDay Europe was that
“It really does seem that the hacker crowd in London/Europe at least is crossing over more and more with the interaction design crowd, and a new school of developers is coming through who are starting to become excellent interaction designers – who really know their medium and have empathy with users.”
This reminds me of my made up position name while at Ravensbourne, Designer/Developer. At the time I design was far too form based while development was far too programming based. Web designer meant you created HTML pages, Information designer meant you didn't actually touch any data or apis and Interaction designer meant you were too focused on art, hanging out in Hoxton and convince your clients they were always wrong. Things have changed for the better. The grey area between design and development
has been intersected by a 3rd force the hacker. So now you get pursuits like hardware hacking, alternative reality games, product user interface hacking. The fact is that its not about the titles, its about what vision you have in your head and how much effort your willing to put in to it.
Business-wise I think we have yet to see what affect the greying of design, development and hacking will have on startup culture.
To the BBC Ariel and beyond
I'm not the kind of guy to ring my own bell (I bet you liked that one Adam) but finally backstage made the Ariel newspaper. Ariel is the newspaper/magazine which is published every week about whats going on inside the BBC. Its really for internal use only, but you can get it pretty much everywhere now. Anyway the point is that its read by tens of thousands of BBC staff from across the board.
Well finally Backstage made it in, from the work at Hack day to the innovative work we do with the backstage community daily. Its finally made its way into the mainstream. We've become the media darlings of BBC Research and Innovation. But never fear, I'm throwing Cluetrains out when needed and will not be spending time with press unless its necessary (*big smile*).
I hoping when my parents see this, they might understand a little more about what I do at work.
You can zoom in closer on this picture to read what the article actually says. Where's my OCR application gone… No need Leeky worte it out in the comments. So here's the full text.
Not so much a department, more a state of mind. That's how Ian Forrester and Matthew Cashmore describe their innovation award-winning backstage.bbc.co.uk. This self-styled 'comedy duo' may be tucked away on the fifth floor of the Broadcast Centre in W12, but their influence on the corporation's online future surely stretches to infinity and beyond!
“Historically people wanting to develop internet applications independently for the BBC didn't know how to talk to or how to access a server on which they could demonstrate their work”, says Forrester. “So our job has been to break down the old barriers and build up new relationships.”
Backstage.bbc.co.uk is a prime example of the BBC's commitment to the growing open source community.
“Our motto is 'Use our stuff to build your stuff'”, chuckles Cashmore. A genial Welshman with a list of website and podcasting innovations to his credit, he claims his first foray into coding came when he created a Dungeons and Dragons dice throwing programme on a Commodore 64 while still a schoolboy in the late 1980s.
Forrester and Cashmore were also British brains behind the Hack Day event which took place at Alexandra Palace in June. Here the BBC joined forces with US-based service provided Yahoo and invited 500 of EUrope's top 'hackers' to take advantage of existing public data and previously unavailable API (application programming interface) codes to deisgn brand new products to enhance or expand the BBC's existing online offer.
“Some of the things these guys mashed together in just 24 hours, especially regarding the interface between mobile phones and computers, were really thrilling”, says Cashmore. “We hope to bring the best of them forward in the very near future.”
Backstage.bbc.co.uk also used Hack Day to launch the new Wild West rapid development server for which the pair received their innovation award two months ago.
“Wild West is somewhere outside existing BBC servers where anybody with an interesting idea can try it out and we can qucikly and cheapily assess whether it's worth supporting”, says Forrester.
meta-technorati-tags=bbc, backstage, bbcbackstage, ariel, article, cluetrain
You can’t stop the beat…
Ok when I first started watching this I was thinking oh no I didn't know it was a musical. But before long the story line had kicked in and it came clear that the whole thing was a comment on segregation in the early 60's. Yes I know its a remake but its a very good remake and dare I say it, prefer it to the 1988 original. Not only that but how amazing is the lead actress Nikki Blonsky…
Anyway this was perfectly timed after a couple of things which have happened recently.
First up the internet discussion about geek women which exploded on the Girl Geekdom blog (also blogged myself). I made the comment at the end that,
if the environment and people are inherently corrupt how do you reverse that? The answer isn't simple and its something most people hate but most people have never faced such corruption.
Some people have asked me what did I mean. Well …. if you switch corruption for racism or sexism you get the general idea.
Back to Hairspray a second, although its classed as watery fun the idea of dancing together really has reminiscing of the early days of hardcore when house music brought people together. Which leads nicely on to yesterday.
I went out yesterday to the make your mark connectors event. First time and I met some very interesting people. But one sticks out more that everyone else. Rebecca a self described Feminist. Yes imagine the kind of discussions we had with me being a self described Geek. (Yes we did talk about the Woman Geek stuff) After most people left there were 3 of us and we decided to go and have a dance. The music was slightly progressive house but was certainly danceable. Well what surprised me was Rebecca's freeness
of movement.
When dancing in normal bars and non dance clubs I can tend to be quite a normal or average dancer because I tend to work up a sweat very quickly and usually don't want to attract too much attention to myself. Rebecca didn't seem to have any of this in mind and to be honest I started to wonder what had happened to me over the last few years which made me adopt this boring average dancing?
I love dancing, watching it on Hairspray (although very different type) and seeing Rebecca dancing really brought it back.
So I'll be hitting the clubs more that monthly again now. I'm also going to check out some of those clubs I've heard about but never been to like the End and the Cross.
CC Salon talk from July
Last week I attended my first CC Salon. Had a great time but the highlight of the night was the discussion started or hosted by Paula LeDieu. I filmed most of the round table discussion which I thought was great. Its quite long and the audio is sometimes quite low but generally its audiable.
Part one is here and Part two follows a couple of minutes afterwards.
The Gender Un-balance of Web 2.0
So Maz really has shaken the gender teapot. First the post Me Tarzan. You Jane, then Geeks can be Chic(K)s.
Some quotes,
Add to this my return from a recent visit to the San Francisco to the O’Reilly Web 2.0 Expo where I was struck by the uniformity of the male technology enthusiasts – As one of the few females in attendance, I stuck out like a PC at a Mac convention, so much so that another woman with whom I met remarked how few ‘skirts there were amongst all the suits’. Well that’s certainly one way to put it!
It does sadden me to think that amongst my daily little foray into the Web 2.0 world, there is little realisation, nor concern about such a gender imbalance. It seems ironic that where we are very savvy at collectively contributing and sharing information there is a lack of attention about the formation of such user knowledge, shares and application creation.
Maybe the way the world is Tarzan build tools; Jane gets to use them…
Perhaps the Web 3.0 jungle will bring with it a more egalitarian gender balance?
Yep there's certainly no real argument there. Some of the comments are also interesting, including this one which points out that there more women in the less programming led fields. Human computing, interaction and even xml seem to be fields where woman are more common that straight programming.
But whats really interesting is…
It seems that gender is not the only issue here, but also the geek image. You are only allowed into The Club if you possess an in-depth knowledge of coding and more structural aspects of web development. Ok so here my own level of ‘geek ability’ does rather fall short. I do, do HTML (when forced), Javascript, Flash and so on… but hell Web 2.0 fluidity makes this less of an ‘essential’ special power – especially as I am not by ‘trade’ a web developer. However, there are
important assumptions that are being made about the types of knowledge one should (and can) possess and the association of such abilities along gendered lines.Case in note, one of the biggest issues that a (female) friend of mine has come across is that people assume that she is not a web developer. No, not that she is not capable, but simply that she does not fit the ‘image’, that that particular role calls forth. Now where’s the equality in that?
The Geek image is certainly something which I've touched on before but I've never thought about how the poor geek image is affecting women.
I'm going to avoid the current comments about special treatment just to say if the environment and people are inherently corrupt how do you reverse that? The answer isn't simple and its something most people hate but most people have never faced such corruption.
Windows Home Server add-ons in the near future?
So I'm still having problems getting my XP laptop to back up to the home server but while looking around I found a load of ideas for what could be added to Windows Home Server to improve its experience even further. I got a few of my own but heres a few I found while looking around.
- Memory Stick Backups – A service that will run on my desktop or laptop and automatically back up my USB memory stick whenever I plug it in. Each memory stick should be backed up to the same location on the server no matter which computer I plug it in to.
- Download Manager – Automatically hand off regular downloads from Internet Explorer to be downloaded and stored on my home server.
- User Account Sync – Automatically create user accounts on client PCs for each Windows Home Server user account. Automatically update passwords.
- Favorites Sync – Sync my favorites to a folder on WHS. (I know I can do this with foldershare. Add-in would be much better.) Also include Desktop Sync, My Documents Sync, etc.
- Activesync backups – How cool would it be if Activesync backups were also included in backups but as another machine.
- Bit Torrent client/server with TVRSS – Someones got add this one day soon, I mean imagine utorrent or azureus which both can be run headless or from the web, inside of home server. Also imagine being able to make any file or folder a torrent to share with friends and family.
- Podcast client – Same as the bit torrent one really but just RSS.
- Notifications – I would like to see notifications via email, im and other means.
- VPN – VPN tunnel between two or more home servers, so you can maybe sync up with off-site backup or a friends server.
- Rar support – Yes I could install Winrar but I don't want to and its about time windows generally supported rar like it supports zip.
- Webdav – Ideally it all shares would have the option of being a webdav share too. People are hacking this already using IIS.
- DAAP – Someones got to hack this into the home server at some point. I've already noticed people asking for itunes support on the windows home server forum.
- XBSP – No where near essential but support for the xbox media centre streaming protocal would be nice too.
- Zeroconf – Yes universal plug and play is ok but we need some zeroconf/bonjour/mdns to hook up to things like mac products and some of the devices you can now get.
Finally got the Wiimote working with my laptop
After weeks of messing around with many different configurations, tonight (1am) I got it working, thanks to this great forum.
I'm using a Wavelinker bluetooth USB dongle with the IVT Corporation BlueSoleil drivers on my Dell XPS M1210. I have to turn off my internal Bluetooth because it seem to not work with BlueSoleil drivers. The thing which seemed to make all the difference was this ordering.
- Open GlovePie
- Open BlueSoleil
- Press 1+2. Wait for “* Connected” to pop up in the lower righthand corner of your screen.
- Run your script.
I found that GlovePie with no Bluetooth Fix or Auto Bluetooth Connect worked for me. GlovePie when opened would launch BlueSoleil for me and within a few seconds I was up and running. I used the script Wiimote identifier to work out if the Wiimote was connected or not. Once it was connected I can then run a more exotic script like the Mouse Control Script.
I've uploading a video I shot, so others can learn how to do the same.
Redbull Air Race from a distance
Yep I went along and watched from outside the Anchor and Hope Pub about 2 kilometers down river towards the east. I saved myself about 60 pounds and grabbed some decent shots using a 12x optical zoom camera and tripod. Christiano was correct, its certainly more thrilling in person that the TV programme could ever show, and even from 2km away, you couldn't help but get a little excited.
The only thing which was missing was commentary of what was going on, so maybe next year I think I'll be less cheap and go and buy tickets well in advanced. More pictures
here. Adams pictures are much better but are from the day of qualifying on Saturday.
Can the rest of us have our planet back?
Cutting edge comedy from the BBC's Now Show. Found via Richard Sambrook's blog.
If you missed Marcus Brigstocke's comic rant against the Abrahamic faiths on The Now Show, you can find it here. It's seven minutes in total – but the first three are inspired. Strangely not as many complaints as one might have anticipated – that's the benefit of being even handed I guess….
The New Particls Sidebar
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When I first saw the particls sidebar I though oh great another sidebar to go on top of my Yahoo widgets and Pigeon sidebars, I'll stick to the scrolling ticker which I actually like. But I have to admit I'm starting to use the sidebar more and more. So who knows maybe I might switch over one day. Anyway its another good reason why you should try out Particls.
meta-technorati-tags=particls, sidebar, rss, aggregation, relevence
New developments in the field of TV sharing
So recently I've written off Tioti (Tape if off the internet.com) in favour of the up and coming sharetv.org. Well after a chat with the creator of Tioti Paul, it seems there was lots going on in the background which were just not public. But before that, shareTV hasn't been sitting still either.
ShareTV has ramped up its social networking as suggested in a previous blog entry. Now you can edit your profile (which has got to be the first step in social networking), you can edit your name, add some details about yourself and add a avatar using yahoo avatars. I was wondering if sharetv would also suck or link to your yahoo profile but it doesn't seem like anything clever, yet!. There's also a couple of option titled check boxes.
- email me when someone adds me as a friend
- allow others users to contact me through email
The ShareTV blog came clean the other day with the title TV Social Network. In which he talks about all the elements described before.
I've been working a lot recently on making the site more of a social network for tv fans as this is something many have been asking for. New Features:
- you can now add friends to your profile
- you can edit your profile (avatar, about me, etc.)
- your avatar is used where ever you leave a comment including the forum
- you can now leave comments on other members page
- updated the points table
- you can see the top members
- almost finished with allowing users to vote on and add their favorite characters to their profile
Coming Soon:
- live chatrooms
- show reviews
- fun tv facts
- tv news
if anyone has any more ideas, let me know.
I've got some ideas but theres some good thoughts on the official ShareTV To-Do list. I would like to see a API, Microformats, Javascript badges which can be placed elsewhere. How about some facebook compatibility? APML export? So you can share your TV preferences. Anyway I'm full of ideas and its great the author has now made him self public.
Tape of the internet has certainly changed since I last looked at it. Paul invited me to a sneak preview of the newest version and I'm actually impressed. Everything is cleaner and more manageabe. I'm hoping to have a bigger play over the coming weeks. There is something major which Tioti has done which I can't say right now but I'm dying to try it out and see how well it works.
Both this web applications are coming at the TV pie from different directions but are starting to meet in the middle. The maturity of TV sharing is finally going somewhere.
Like to share a house with me? Here’s your chance
House share with 1 professional male Woolwich SE18
2 Bedroom terraced house. 10 min walk to Woolwich Arsenal Station (20 min to London Bridge/Waterloo/Charing Cross).
Sharing with professional male owner age 28, web designer/developer. Shared Lounge/Dining Room has large TV with Cinema system & Xbox. Bedroom has double bed and a Wardrobe. Property has a Garden, Patio and Parking space, Interior is modern decor. Wireless network through-out house and garden. Flat share would suit another internet/new media centric person.
Price includes all bills, council tax, fast broadband connection.
450 pounds every calendar month, room available from mid August
meta-technorati-tags=houseshare, house, flatmate, woolwich, london, home
Backstage in Edinburgh for TV Un-festival, 25th August
Following on from Hackday we've been planning something a little different at Backstage. This time we're getting involved in the Edinburgh TV festival and putting together a special event right out of the BarCamp book.
This year the MGEITF (Media Guardian International TV Festival) has spawned its own fringe event, the TV Un-Festival. This day-long event which takes place on Saturday 25 August will centre around the clash of the well established TV world and the constantly accelerating Internet world using the unusual un-conference format, where the cost of entry is participation.
The highlights from the TV Un-Festival will be presented at this special event, giving everyone a chance to speculate on the future of TV, online entertainment and cross platform narratives.
This year the TV Un-Festivial hosted by Backstage.bbc.co.uk and guided along by the fabulous Suw Charman, aims to explorer the clash with in a series of free formed sessions similar to BarCamp known as unconference style. Everyone will be able to participate by using one of the free 30 minute slots which will be available.
So between the lines, this event will take the essence of barcamp and un-conferences and put it in area which is usually about formal sessions and structure, the Edinburgh TV Festival. We're not using the same venue because that would be far too frantic. But we're not far from the other venue and people who come to the un-festival will have access to the festival on Saturday night and Sunday all day for free. Hows that for a great deal? The ticket for this years festival is over 400 pounds but the TV festival recognise they need more diversity in their audience and have put their money where their mouth's have been. This also easily covers the price of going to Edinburgh and checking into a hotel, which I know if bloody hard at this very moment. I also wish I'd told people a lot earlier but we need to get the correct sign off from everyone involved
So who will be there? is what I keep being asked. Well we have a list of names on the site but generally we have a selection of established names like the BBC, BT, etc. Then we have some more internet based startups like Blip.TV, Joost, etc. I then invited a load of dark net people like Ian Clarke who wrote Freenet and is currently working on Thoof. On a slight tangent we have the Hon brothers who work for Mind Candy and built Perplexcity. My thinking is that Cross platform narrative runs right through this un-festival and that's why I'm interested in getting the ARG people and Video game people also in the same room with more traditional online video people. Last but not least I'm really keen to get Videobloggers and TV hackers together in the same space too but this looks to difficult due to the total lack of cross over between each area. So anyway you can see its going to be a very diverse event.
If your interested and I really think you should be, Signup now and we'll see you in Edinburgh.