Wikipedia, Meet Knol
July 28, 2008
Seven months after Google began testing a service called Knol, a Wikipedia competitor, the company on Wednesday finally introduced it.
The search expert Danny Sullivan aptly describes Knol as “Like Wikipedia, With Moderation.” Articles on various topics are penned by individuals, and in many cases, experts — not collectively by the anonymous masses. Knol authors can choose to benefit from the “wisdom of the crowds” by letting others edit or supplement their articles. But those changes make it into Knol entries only with the author’s permission.
Knol, which, by the way, is short for knowledge, is making some people uneasy because it further transforms Google from a search engine that helps people find content into a site that helps people create and publish content.
Wikipedia, Meet Knol – Bits – Technology – New York Times Blog
Receive your boarding pass on your mobile device
July 25, 2008
NEW! As of July 10 you can now receive your Electronic Boarding Pass on your Apple iPhone or iPhone3G when you do a Web Check-In.
Now, when you use Web Check-in online at aircanada.com, you can choose to receive an electronic boarding pass on your cell phone or PDA (personal digital assistant such as Blackberrry or Treo) on select flights*.
It’s easy. The next time you check in online from any computer, you’ll be asked to enter the number of the mobile device where you’d like your boarding pass to be sent. Just enter your mobile number to receive two messages directly on your cell phone or PDA, enabling you to pass through security and board your flight…paper free!
Don’t have access to a computer? You can check-in directly from your mobile device using our mobile check-in service at mobile.aircanada.com. Remember to visit a baggage drop off point prior to security screening if you have any baggage to check.
Still prefer a printed boarding pass? Just select that option when you check in online, or visit an airport kiosk to print a back-up copy of your boarding pass if ever you need one.
Very cool! It looks something like this (censored):
I suppose they would just scan it like any normal barcode.
Smaller PCs Cause Worry for Industry
July 20, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — The personal computer industry is poised to sell tens of millions of small, energy-efficient Internet-centric devices. Curiously, some of the biggest companies in the business consider this bad news.
In a tale of sales success breeding resentment, computer companies are wary of the new breed of computers because their low price could threaten PC makers’ already thin profit margins.
The new computers, often called netbooks, have scant onboard memory. They use energy-sipping computer chips. They are intended largely for surfing Web sites and checking e-mail. The price is small too, with some selling for as little as $300.
Smaller PCs Cause Worry for Industry – NYTimes.com.
I don’t understand how this is at all bad for Intel (or Microsoft). Intel’s highly anticipated Atom processor, which just started shipping recently, is powering most of these netbooks. Either that, or it’s Celeron chip (a win-win either way). It isn’t surprising that Intel’s stock (INTC) has performed quite well recently. It was one of the few tech stocks not in the red during Friday’s tech selloff and up +7% for the week (hint, hint). Furthermore, most use these netbooks as a second laptop. If anything, it is adding to Intel’s revenue. In the same vain, it allows Microsoft to sell more Windows licenses.
Related: The Mini-Laptop Changing the Game (the more likely scenario).
Student ‘Twitters’ his way out of Egyptian jail
July 17, 2008
(CNN) — James Karl Buck helped free himself from an Egyptian jail with a one-word blog post from his cell phone.
James Karl Buck sent a message using Twitter which helped get him out of an Egyptian jail.
Buck, a graduate student from the University of California-Berkeley, was in Mahalla, Egypt, covering an anti-government protest when he and his translator, Mohammed Maree, were arrested April 10.
On his way to the police station, Buck took out his cell phone and sent a message to his friends and contacts using the micro-blogging site Twitter.
The message only had one word. “Arrested.”
Within seconds, colleagues in the United States and his blogger-friends in Egypt — the same ones who had taught him the tool only a week earlier — were alerted that he was being held.
Twitter is a social-networking blog site that allows users to send status updates, or “tweets,” from cell phones, instant messaging services and Facebook in less than 140 characters.
Student ‘Twitters’ his way out of Egyptian jail – CNN.com.
The story is from a couple months ago but I just stumbled onto it today.
Let me know if you use Twitter. I need more Twitter friends in case something like this happens to me in Europe!
Would you pay $1 a day to do this on your phone..
July 14, 2008
- Browse the internet anywhere, anytime
- Read the news, check Facebook, chat on MSN
- Send and receive emails instantly
- Check stocks and make trades on the go
- Check the weather report
- Get directions using Google Maps
- Lookup any phone number or address using Google
- Stream music and video
- Update your blog…
What’s in a name?
July 3, 2008
globeandmail.com: What’s in a name?
All you need is $100,000 to be master of your own domain
The plan was foolproof.
It started fermenting in our heads after a radical online shakeup was announced this week. As of next year, it seems, we’re going to be freed of the shackles of .com, .net, .org, and their cronies. To date, every Internet address has had to end in such “top-level domains,” be they generic like .com, or country-specific domains like Canada’s .ca. Under the new rules, however, every top-level domain under the sun will be up for grabs.
The top level domains will reportedly cost upward of $100,000, one of those funny numbers that’s either two years’ salary or pocket change, depending on where you find yourself. Someone with the wherewithal will be able to buy the .dog domain, and then rent out subdomains to anyone wanting to put up their poodle site in style. Someone else could snap up the .camera domain, and hive off chunks of it to camera makers and photography sites alike.
Companies will spend millions snapping up domains for their own trademarks. Pornographers will deploy the genius for clever names that’s become the hallmark of their profession (besides the porn). And opportunists will pounce.
Hmm, interesting. I posted a story on this a week ago, but I didn’t realize you could actually buy outright the entire top level domain. When you consider that some domains have sold for a few million dollars each (vodka.com anyone?), $100,000 doesn’t look too bad.
I want .lyndon so I can use lyndon@lyndon.lyndon as my new email address. vain? maybe. pure genius? damn right! I wish my name was shorter though, oh like my three letter named friend (you know who you are).
Internet body approves domain name big bang
June 26, 2008
AFP: Internet body approves domain name big bang
PARIS (AFP) — Web regulators Thursday voted to allow the creation of thousands of new domain names, from .paris to .Pepsi, in one of the biggest shake-ups in Internet history, a French web official said.
The overhaul is expected to radically change the way users navigate the Internet and has major implications for businesses and consumers worldwide.
Currently all web addresses fall under one of some 250 top-level domain names: .country or .territory domains, and generic ones such as .com, .net and .org, .gov, and .edu.
Under the new system, the web’s 1.3 billion users would be able from 2009 to buy an unlimited number of generic addresses based on common words, brands or company names, cities or proper names.
Broad product groups such as .bank or .car are also likely contenders, while the pornography industry is angling for the creation of a .xxx domain for adult sites.
Cities could benefit too from this liberalisation, with the German capital hoping for .berlin or New York for .nyc.
And everyone will still want a .com domain.
France to ban illegal downloaders from using the internet under three-strikes rule – Times Online
Anyone who persists in illicit downloading of music or films will be barred from broadband access under a controversial new law that makes France a pioneer in combating internet piracy.
“There is no reason that the internet should be a lawless zone,” President Sarkozy told his Cabinet yesterday as it endorsed the “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” scheme that from next January will hit illegal downloaders where it hurts.
Under a cross-industry agreement, internet service providers (ISPs) must cut off access for up to a year for third-time offenders.
They’re going to have a really hard time enforcing this one.
Mozilla Ready to Launch Firefox 3 into Browser Wars
June 16, 2008
Mozilla Ready to Launch Firefox 3 into Browser Wars – Yahoo! News
Just more than 10 years ago, Mozilla threw its open-source code into the public domain. Today, its browser — Firefox — is preparing to launch its third major release in hopes of continuing to eat away at Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Firefox already has more than 18 percent of the global market, according to Net Applications. With the release of Firefox 3, Mozilla could see a boost in downloads and market share. Microsoft’s next version of Internet Explorer won’t come to market until later this year.
On June 17, Mozilla will release Firefox 3. After more than 34 months of active development and the contributions of thousands of people, Firefox 3 will be downloadable free from the Mozilla Web site. Mozilla is promising this is the best browser — period.
Tomorrow is “Download Day” when Mozilla is attempting to set the record for the most software downloads in a 24h period.
Charging by the Byte to Curb Internet Traffic
June 15, 2008
Charging by the Byte to Curb Internet Traffic – NYTimes.com
Some people use the Internet simply to check e-mail and look up phone numbers. Others are online all day, downloading big video and music files.
For years, both kinds of Web surfers have paid the same price for access. But now three of the country’s largest Internet service providers are threatening to clamp down on their most active subscribers by placing monthly limits on their online activity.
Internet metering is a throwback to the days of dial-up service, but at a time when video and interactive games are becoming popular, the experiments could have huge implications for the future of the Web.
Millions of people are moving online to watch movies and television shows, play multiplayer video games and talk over videoconference with family and friends. And media companies are trying to get people to spend more time online: the Disneys and NBCs of the world keep adding television shows and movies to their Web sites, giving consumers convenient entertainment that soaks up a lot of bandwidth.
Moreover, companies with physical storefronts, like Blockbuster, are moving toward digital delivery of entertainment. And new distributors of online content — think YouTube — are relying on an open data spigot to make their business plans work.
Critics of the bandwidth limits say that metering and capping network use could hold back the inevitable convergence of television, computers and the Internet.
There are usually caps on most “unlimited” Internet plans, but usually around 40-100GB per month – which is more than enough for almost everyone. Although I do know at least a few people who go well over 100GB (I think I know what they’re downloading…). As for setting a 5GB cap, I think it’s reasonable for certain people, but the providers need to make sure that they price such a plan lower and not just increase the price of their regular plan.
At UBC, those staying at the residences can use up to 15GB per day (effectively 450GB a month) and there are still many who exceed that. This doesn’t even include internal transfers such as using p2p software DC++ (if you live in any sort of college dorm, you will know what this is!). We don’t charge them for going over, we just throttle the speed of their connection to curb their usage until they’re below their daily quota.
Digg gets ready to network
June 12, 2008
Zoe Margolis interviews Kevin Rose | Technology | The Guardian
Kevin Rose, the founder of the social bookmarking site Digg, plans to turn it into a social network – but remains elusive on making it pay
The social bookmarking site began in 2004 and offers a way for users to contribute and share news stories and items of interest with others; the most popular get the most “Diggs”, highlighted on the front page. It now gets 26 million unique visitors a month, with 3 million registered editors (people who submit, share and vote on, ie Digg, stories and links). That’s no mean feat for an idea dreamed up while its founder was showering one morning.
Why is it so popular? “People want to have a voice and a say in what is news,” Rose anwers. “We’ve levelled the playing field by accepting all other forms of content, whether it’s sources from CNN, the Guardian … it’s about seeing what the masses want to surface, which articles they are finding the most interesting, and oftentimes they unearth and promote stories to the front page that you wouldn’t find anywhere else; that would be buried on a traditional news site.”
Is Digg his main source of news then? “It is the distinct flavour of the community that gets me excited about going back to the front page. That’s not to mean that I don’t go off and surf my favourite tech blogs or Salon.com or whatever: I have a whole list of Google Reader RSS feeds that I go through – and if I find something interesting, I’ll submit it to Digg. That’s the beauty of it: I can share it back with the community. The democratic approach to news is a very valuable thing.” But, he adds: “We’re always going to be dependent on the quality of reporting of mainstream media.”
I love Digg and frequent the site often. I’ve been going there since it pretty much started back in 2004.
As for reading news, I also use Google Reader. It’s a web-based RSS reader that I can access from any computer as well as from my iPhone (they have an optimized version tailored just for the iPhone and it’s great). I have a long list of RSS feeds that I peruse regularly and I usually post whatever I find interesting on this site. It’s such a time saver compared to visiting each site individually. Google Reader + iPhone (and bloody expensive data plan) has increased my productivity immensely.
Apple, Apple, Apple!
June 9, 2008
Perhaps Apple’s worst kept secret, the Mac maker announced the iPhone 3G during its developer’s conference this morning. And more importantly, it’s going to be available in 70 countries (up from 6), including Canada! Notable features include:
- 3G high speed data capabilities
- GPS (including geotagging photos)
- Push email/calendar/contacts for Exchange and Mobile Me
- Support for third party applications
- Improved battery life – for talk, music, video, browser, etc
- Flush headphone jack and improved audio quality
- 8GB is $199 (!!!!!) and 16GB is $299 – original iPhone was $599 for 8GB
- Pretty much everything that needed improvement was improved
Computer Literacy Tests: Are You Human?
June 9, 2008
Computer Literacy Tests: Are You Human? – TIME
Every web surfer, in the course of his or her browsing, has been forced to stop and perform this weird little task: look at a picture of some wavy, ghostly, distorted letters and type them into a box. Sometimes you flub it and have to retype the letters, but otherwise you don’t think about it much. That string of letters has a name; it’s called a CAPTCHA. And it’s a test. By correctly transcribing it, you have proved to the computer that you are a human being.
This electronic hoop you have to jump through was invented in 2000 by a team of programmers at Carnegie Mellon University. Somebody at Yahoo! had gone to them, complaining that criminals were taking advantage of Yahoo! Mail–they were using software to automatically create thousands of e-mail accounts very quickly, then using those accounts to send out spam. The Carnegie Mellon team came back with the CAPTCHA. (It stands for “completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart”; no, the acronym doesn’t really fit.) The point of the CAPTCHA is that reading those swirly letters is something that computers aren’t very good at. If you can read them, you’re probably not a piece of software run by a spammer. Congratulations–you can have an e-mail account.
They didn’t mentioned RapidShare which uses the most insanely difficult CAPTCHA. They show you several letters, only four of which have an image of cat. Those are the letters who need to type in. Seriously, it must take humans on average of at least two times to type it in correctly. Suddenly, it takes 10 minutes to download a 1MB file! I bought their premium account recently because I couldn’t stand their CAPTCHA anymore. Maybe that was the whole point.
Google, WSJ, CNBC get real-time Nasdaq stock quotes on the Web | Tech news blog – CNET News.com
Real-time stock trading data aren’t easy to come by on the Internet, but Google, CNBC, Google, and The Wall Street Journal now can show real-time Nasdaq stock prices on their Web sites, the companies announced Monday.
Previously, the Nasdaq data had been available only with a 15-minute lag on the sites.
This is great news! It makes it a bit easier to keep track of investments. I’m personally a heavy user of Google Finance.
Dr. Internet will see you now
May 22, 2008
globeandmail.com: Dr. Internet will see you now
Google, pursuing its strategy of monetizing omniscience, has launched a product that will track every bit of your health information. Everyone together now: Yikes! Called Google Health, it seems destined to exacerbate the pent-up fears that underlie our increasing reliance on massive technology corporations.
But the scariest thing about Google Health is how useful it looks like it will be. It’s an oasis of sanity in the madness of health-care record-keeping that we know and loathe. But will its Googliness be enough to keep people away?
Following in the footsteps of other companies — including Microsoft, which launched a competing product called “HealthVault” — Google Health made its debut this week in the United States, though Canadians weren’t barred from signing up.
Here’s the Google Health.
lyndon. 