It’s been a few years since I wrote about Google Voice. For the uninitiated, Google Voice is the voice service previously known as Grand Central. It has been in beta (i.e., invitation only) status for almost three years. But as of yesterday, it has been opened up to any US resident. The announcement can be seen here.
What does this mean? It means that Google is finally playing for keeps. They have not taken this step until now because they wanted to work with the various telco providers. But Google’s success with Android has forced their hand. Since every Android phone can benefit from the service, it was bundled with the phone itself.
But now it is unbundled. But what is it? Simply put, Google Voice is the one phone number that you will always have. A Google Voice number can be associated with any number of additional phone numbers (e.g., home, office, mobile). When someone calls this one number, the call can be forwarded to any (or all) of a list of pre-established phone numbers. In short, it is a personal ACD/PBX.
OK, that sounds more dramatic than it actually is. But this is the domain name for your phone. For web services, you can have a domain name point to any specific IP address (or computer host) that you want. So when people reference that name, it will go to the “right” physical IP address. Basically, Google Voice can be the “DNS” for your voice call infrastructure.
And it does far more than routing. It provides a comprehensive voice mail system. You can store messages. And you can hear the messages on your phones – or on your computer. And you can forward these calls to contacts in your email and IM address book.
But wait! There’s more. Google Voice will also transcribe your calls into text. For me, this is one of the most exciting things that is now available. Speech-to-text is now mature enough that it can be used in routine communications. This is a tremendous boon to the hearing-impaired. And it is a boon to anyone that can skim written words faster than someone can speak them. For example, if you get a call from me, you can see the words and skip to the end. Yes, you’ll miss all the colorful illustrations and historical background for your simple request. But you can get to the point faster. I am sure that there are dozens of people (and examples) that come to your mind. But the important point is that communications will become faster. And it will become easier to separate the wheat from the chaff.
And as part of the roll-out, options for calling “off-network” phone numbers will emerge. Like Skype, you can use this kind of technology to speak to your grandmother who only uses the public switched telephone network (PSTN). So Google may even be able to turn a modest prophet for these kinds of calls. [Note: Google has to be careful lest they be accused of trying to strangle competitors like Skype.]
So let’s try and summarize all of this. Is Google Voice something that you want? Absolutely. Should you pay for it? That would depend upon your needs. I know that I already pay for a home phone that is now completely obsolete. If Google supports local number portability, I will immediately abandon my local service and convert everything to Google Voice. Indeed, the only reason I keep the old number is that some people only know that legacy number. Once I can transport that number, I’ll cancel the local phone bundle I have with Time Warner Cable.
But would I pay for it now? Maybe yes, maybe no. I’ll have to live on the service for 30-60 days before I answer whether I would pay for it. But right now, it is free of charge. How can Google do this? Because they plan to monetize advertising around the service. And they may even charge if you want multiple or commercial-grade services. But for now, it is free. And it is worth every penny that someone else is paying.
-Roo
Month: June 2010
To Amazon: Sharing is Social
I just finished reading Adrian Kingsley-Hughes’ recent post about the recent e-reader price wars. His basic premise is that Amazon and B&N have already lost to the Apple juggernaut. I really disagree with Adrian. While his logic is fine, I really think that his conclusion is erroneous – or at lest premature. The real question is not when will Amazon leave the device market but whether Amazon and B&N can position e-ink readers as something unique and different from the iPad.
I don’t know if price can be the only thing that creates a different product/market. I think that something else may be required. Can software (e.g., the Kindle 2.5.2 firmware) be that extra something that is needed? I’m not sure. I love the new firmware. But an honest review is that the current software alone cannot be the sole differentiator. But Amazon is hitting the right notes.
In my world view, books are not a solitary experience. They are the lynchpins of a social phenomenon. The book was the means by which medieval culture was transformed into the culture of the Renaissance – and the advances of the Enlightenment. Wherever there is oppression, books have provided relief – and focus. Indeed, books have been the means of unleashing the hidden potential within many people.
And the written word has always been a pivotal part of the faith experience. In Jewish and Christian Scriptures, God “spoke” the world into existence. And in the Gospels, we are told that Jesus Christ is “the Word” of God. Setting aside the mystical elements of this, it is clear that the spoken and written word are pivotal to the core experience of faith. Indeed, words are the defining elements of modern man.
So there is more to e-readers than just the device. There is a powerful and almost mystical connection to the words themselves. Despite the thoughts of Mr. Kingsley-Hughes to the contrary, it’s not just about the device. There is a market for the social aspects of the written word.
But Amazon did not hit it out of the park with their most recent firmware offering. The social experience does not just mean Twitter and Facebook posts about passagse found in books. It means sharing. And Amazon has to step up and create a means of sharing a book with friends, family and community. From my perspective, I want to be able to “give” a book to a friend. And when they are done with that book, they can return it – or lend it to someone else.
And Amazon needs to extend its commenting/highlighting system. I would really love to be able to attach audible annotations to a passage. Scribbling in the margin is fine. But I want to leave a note to myself and/or the next person that I share the book with. So it would be great to see a small condenser mic included in the next Kindle revision.
And Amazon really needs to change its ads. The current crop is cute – but unnerving. And the ads do not make me want to buy more books.
The Amazon ads need to be a lot more focused. Tell me why I want your platform. And then show how people use it in new and innovative ways. Show people using a Kindle for day-to-day tasks: Dad’s novel, Mom’s cookbook, the college kid’s Physics book, the newspaper on the bus, etc.
-Roo
Portable…and Secure
A few weeks ago, I wrote about PortableApps and their application portability framework. With a sufficiently large USB thumb drive, it is possible to store most (if not all) of your day-to-day applications. And if those apps are “portable” (i.e., they do not store anything on the local machine), then you have the start of an even more secure system. And as I’ve begun to use this portable device as the hub of my applications and my data, the need for strong security practices is also increasing.
So what have I done to make my portable environment more secure?
- I’ve implemented a “traveler configuration’ of Truecrypt on my primary USB device. This allows me to store important and private files in a secure/encrypted container. This container has a lot of important files – including a private key that I need for identifying myself when I use remote access services.
- I have installed Putty Portable so that I can access my main systems from any remote computer that I might access. Note: In order to authenticate to my home systems, I must mount the Truecrypt container that holds the private key that is required to access those systems.
- I use a secure, VNC-based system that requires multi-factor authentication.
- I’ve deployed portable browsers onto my USB drive. I use these portable instances to ensure that private browsing data is never available on the local systems that I visit.
- I use tools like Toucan to sync my portable device to my central system. This ensures that I have a copy of key files (like certs and private keys) – just in case.
Are these steps wholly sufficient? Hardly. Do theses steps provide me a small measure of assurance when I go portable? Maybe. But I am glad that more and more tools are becoming available all the time. I just can’t wait until I can implement self-destruct technologies to remotely disable a USB device. That technology does exist for the most expensive USB drives. But I can’t wait until it becomes available for the average user.
-Roo
I Am Because You Are I Am
I Am – The Waiting
Walking out alone
The night fits like a stone inside a boot heel
Hot and cold winds blow
And no one’s here to know the way that I feel
The corner I once knew brings me in to view again
So I could stay out late, find new bones to break
But then I’d be dragging home admitting
I am because You are I am
I recognize clearly I see
I am because You are I am
I am in You and You are in me
Spent too many days
Devising many ways
Trying to escape you
Played too many roles
Dug too many holes
Just big enough to fall in to
And I could linger here,
Hoping to disappear in excuses
Come morning’s shining face
I’d be crawling to the place I call home
Where first you cut me loose and
I am because You are I am
I recognize clearly I see
I am because You are I am
I am in You and You are in me
I am because You are I am
I recognize clearly I see
I am because You are I am
I am in You and You are in me
The places that I’ve carried You,
I wouldn’t take a dog
Stop and calmly think of that
Tear this church down to it’s cornerstone
And build it up again, build me up again.
I am because You are I am
I recognize clearly I see
I am because You are I am
I am in You and You are in me
© 1999 Sparrow
Dear Lord,
Please allow these words to communicate just how inadequate I am and just how fully sufficient You are. May I be reminded of these simple facts as I go out into the world this week. May my meager words and deeds give avenue for your Spirit to work in the hearts of everyone I meet this week.
-Lorin
Social Music: Socially-Allowable Sharing?
For anyone’s who has read more than one of my blog posts, my next statement won’t be a surprise: I truly love music. I love all kinds of music. And music has always been a social experience for me. And whether you believe that we were created by an all-powerful God or you believe that we were fashioned through fortune and natural selection, rythmn and music have always been a part of the humanity experience.
Music is a means of communicating messages of all kinds. Music is in commercials. Music is in pageantry. Music is in exaltations of faith. Music is in calm moments of reflection. And while music can stir emotions even in solitary settings, its most powerful manifestations are found when the composer/performer is communicating emotions to the audience.
And ever since there was “technology” to harness, music has been present. And today is no different. Whether access to music is dampened by concert ticket prices, concert hall construction, the requirements for expensive instruments or even the existence of digital rights management, there are those people who seek to control access to music. Some control music in order to generate income for themselves. Some control music in order to control the emotions and the actions of others.
But as the technology wheel spins ever faster, it is increasingly harder to erect frameworks of control. And it is becoming increasingly easier to scale any such barriers that are erected. Indeed, music is becoming more plentiful and it is becoming more accessible. AND I LOVE IT EVEN MORE.
So before I wander off into even deeper philosophical weeds, let me get to the point. In the past few days, I’ve run across new modes of music sharing.
As most folks know, I use many music players. But my favorite players are Songbird and iTunes. I also use many tagging and metadata tools. And I also use many sharing tools. I have used Last.fm for years. And I used to be very active on Blip.fm. I have fiddled and played with iLike (in Facebook) for almost as long. I’ve used Pandora for over a year.
I buy most of my music via Amazon. And now that I use Songbird more frequently, I’ve bought a few songs via 7Digital. Nevertheless, I’ve been known to purchase a few tracks from the iTunes music store. And now my youngest daughter just got me turned on to a new streaming source (i.e., Grooveshark).
So here are my big questions:
- What is Facebook planning to do with music?
- Is iLike the Facebook music play or is Facebook going to do something else?
- Is Facebook’s music approach going to be just another means of using me as a market data point or as a sales target?
- Just how much music sharing is enough? [This one is a tough thing to answer as the answer varies from person to person.] But how much musical “attention” data is too much?
- How are new sharing tools (e.g., Grooveshark) going to monetize their services?
And if those aren’t enough questions to ponder, I have a few more question for my brothers and sisters in Christ:
- How will the Christian community exploit all this new technology?
- How can we demonstrate a moral context for file sharing.
- And how can we ensure that the music we create and share affirms the Gospel message?
We really need to remember musicians like Keith Green. He had the world as his musical oyster – so to speak. But he gave up massive financial gain when he realized that the gifts and talents he could use to generate money were not given to him for that purpose. God gave him the words and the music as a means of communicating the Gospel. Therefore, he turned his back on “success” and “fame” and chose the life of a prophet and a pastor. May God bless us with men who share Keith’s heart for the world – and his wisdom for the role of music in that world.
-Roo
Saturday: Sabbath or Siesta?
It’s been a rather peculiar week. It’s been full of work and “vacation” time: work at home, work from home, worry for those not at home and all sorts of stuff in between.
I started the week by burying myself in a few matters at the office. While I’m between a couple of large projects, I thought that I’d catch up on a few miscellaneous matters that have fallen between the cracks. Specifically, I was asked by the messaging team to pull together some better application monitoring protocols for our instant messaging system. Two years ago, I deployed a Jabber-based system for about three thousand folks across the country. And we’ve done some pretty rudimentary monit0ring of the system since then. Currently we measure the basics: processor utilization, hard drive utilization and task monitoring. But we’ve always needed some real application monitoring.
So last Friday, I decided to invest some time in some Perl-based app monitoring. Lo and behold, I was able to find some Perl libraries that were perfect for what I needed. Specifically, I found the Net::XMPP libraries over at Sourceforge. These libraries were perfect for developing a connection, session and messaging monitoring framework I desired.
The basic programming took about two hours. Of course, getting this stuff put into production took the most time as I needed to get the simple script past the relevant guard dogs in the process. But by the middle of the week, I had everything put in place and we are now using some fairly nice system monitoring for the Jabber application. And it was so very nice to take something off the list of “things o do” that I had previously deferred.
By the middle of the week, it was time to switch gears. Dana was heading off to SoCal to talk to a collegiate basketball coach about completing her basketball career at yet another school. But someone needed to watch Jayden (my grand-daughter). So it was my turn in the barrel. I took off the last few days of the week so that I could watch Jayden while Dana was out of town.
And I had a wonderful time with her. We talked and learned animal noises together. And she truly terrorized our meek and unsuspecting dogs. While I was quite tired by the end of the week, I can honestly say that I had a a lot of fun.
But no day was complete without some investment in technology. On Wednesday, I got a chance to finally upgrade my Kindle to the latest firmware: i.e., v2.5.2. And I really like all of the new features. I was so excited to tell Cindy about all the cool new social media capabilities. But while I was probably boring her beyond belief, she suddenly lit up with excitement. Indeed, she was like a kid pulling on my arm. She let me know that she had screwed up my Kindle order last December. And as a result, she had an extra Kindle that she had forgotten to send back to Amazon. So she wanted me to configure it for her own use.
So Thursday was dedicated to Jayden… and to preparing Cindy’s Kindle for its first use. Strangely enough, she has a global Kindle while I have a US Kindle. So I had to do a little different firmware prep. But it was all fairly simple. Within a few hours, she was all configured and ready to go. So far, she loves the device. And I wouldn’t ever consider trading one of these for the vaunted Apple iPad. The Kindle is a purpose-built machine that is a fantastic e-book reader. I’d much prefer to have this device than any tablet PC that can’t make up its mind what it wants to be when it grows up.
By the end of Thursday, I had gotten my tech fix and I had given my wife a new toy to play with. Success was mine; muhaha.
And Friday found me doing a few more tech projects. But on this day, it was a few things I didn’t expect. I had seen all the hoopla regarding the latest WordPress release. And while I really don’t currently need to run in MU mode, I’m so very glad that this upgrade was finally available. I did a little research and then flung myself headlong into the upgrade. [FYI, it’s not much of a fling/plunge as the upgrade is tremendously simple to implement. And it is well worth the few minutes it will take to get it done. Btw, I’m typing this post into the new v3 WordPress site I run at home.]
But after that brief technical respite, it was time to re-focus on family matters. My eldest daughter and her fiancé came by for the day/evening. And my two younger daughters were coming home: one from the west coast and one from the east coast.
So now it’s Saturday. And it is the Sabbath for many people. Cindy is off at one of her classes for grad school. Dana and Jayden are in Pittsburg, Kansas. Meredith and Josh are throwing a going away potluck – and it looks like it’s going to rain. Adam is somewhere in Oklahoma – feeding his inner caveman. But even amidst this daspora, I’m not alone. I’m here with Bailey and the dogs.
I spent a few minutes this morning upgrading my router’s firmware. And I’ve even been introduced to Grooveshark. I am so excited that there are still so many things to learn. Everyday, there are new and fascinating things that can tickle my technical fancy. And Bailey showed me Grooveshark this morning. It’s a very cool music streaming and sharing site that is really trying to honor the intellectual property concerns of musicians and the music industry. So I started listening to some cool new worship music.
So it’s a rainy Saturday morning. At this very moment, I’m listening to Keith Green, I’m typing this post and I’m talking with my youngest daughter Bailey. She is an amazing young woman. She is so intensely focused on the most important love affair of her life; she is investing her time and her energy into developing her love affair with her Savior. Right now, it is the most important thing to her. And that is so appropriate. In the words of Keith Green, my daughter is “bananas for Jesus.” She reminds me of the kind of excitement that I had when finished my second year at college. I pray that I can truly be challenged by the headlong intensity that she now demonstrates.
So as Saturday continues its headlong plunge towards Sunday, I’m finally starting to slow down myself. It’s been so busy this week. Dare I think of a siesta? Lord, please touch every member of my family this day. And please help me to be the kind of husband and the kind of father that my family needs. And please help me to be the kind of man that you have called me to be.
-Roo