Now that Gnomedex 5.0 is officially over, it’s time to move on to the “next big thing” in the “buzz-o-sphere.” DaveW is dropping the hint that tomorrow is the “big day” for the iTunes 4.9 announcement. In addition to RSS 2.0 w/enclosures, Dave thinks that Apple will be announcing some big content deals as well. This would make sense. And since none of us heard Adam talk about his discussions with Sir Steve (at least, not on the record), I am guessing that Adam has something brewing on this one (and not just Senseo).
Of course, I am always concerned if/when Apple gets engaged with content developers. I would hate to see the Apple sheen rubbed off simply because some content creator got a little off-color with their content. For example, there are a lot of folks who love Dawn and Drew. But there are a lot of folks who don’t like Dawn and Drew. Or let’s pick a more universally unsettling character: Howard Stern. I support Howard’s right to say whatever he wants to say. But I wouldn’t necessarily buy products from companies that endorse him – or his message. And I am not alone.
My point is not to denigrate Howard or Dawn and Drew (or any other content provider). Rather, I hope that Apple can steer clear of the politics surrounding certain content providers. Apple’s image is based upon innovative and cool stuff – not edgy or offensive content. Don’t get me wrong. If Apple wants to get further into the content business, good luck to them. I just hope they don’t miss their core mission: building cool products that I can use.
-CyclingRoo-
Category: Technology
Sysadmins Held Responsible in Australia
I got in the office this morning and checked my morning news feeds. I found an article at ZDNet Australia that really piqued my interest. Apparently, the federal court has overturned a lower court ruling and is holding a couple of sysadmins (from Swiftel) liable for infringing music found on their servers.
This is outrageous! Or is it. Let’s forget about the **AA and our visceral hatred of the position they hold. Now let’s consider this. If a theft ring was running shop out of an apartment complex, would we feel bad that the landlords were held responsible for the tenants storing stolen goods? And what if the landloards had been told by the government that the theft ring was in operation on their property?
Or how about this one… Are we incensed when members of a corporate board are held responsible for the illicit acts of their subordinates? Can and should the board be held responsible? In the United States, the Sarbanes-Oxley bill indeed holds execuitves personally liable for their corporations.
Alright. Those are extreme examples. And I do not mean to equate these sysadmins with derelict landloards or inefficient (and/or negligent) corporate officers. But you do have to ask the question whether it is appropriate to hold folks criminally liable for acts committed under their “watch.”
I don’t know the particulars of this case, but I do know that our nation routinely holds those in authority responsible for the actions of people under their purview. And just as importantly, if these sysadmins did receive appropriate notification of the alleged copyright infringements, then they really should have taken some kind of action to protect the rights of the copyright holder as well as those of the alleged infringers.
I guess the real question should be the following: what kind of notification did the sysadmins actually receive? At the same time, what kind of “protection” do the site tenants deserve? Back to our analogy, should the landlord have the right to enter the site and “censor” items in the tenants residence? If so, under whose authority can or should they act? Should they act on a simple claim from the neighbors? Or do they have an obligation to protect their tenants until the tenants are proven guilty?
Hmmm. Interesting questions. But these questions should not in any way impair the free use of distribution software itself. Just because something can be abused does not give the government to forebear all uses. Think of it. Web traffic can convey illicit content. Does that mean that http is “bad” and must be controlled? Of course not. In our society, we must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. And just because one automobile owner is convicted of vehicular manslaughter does not give the government the right to ban all use of automobiles because they might be used in some future homicide.
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: BitTorrent
Thank You, Podfather!
If you read my last post, you know that I’m listening to a replay of Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code. And this episode is quite an epiphany for me. So many thoughts are coalescing. Many things may emerge from the fog that is my meandering stream of consciousness.
But as I mused and listened, I caught Adam saying something important.
“I think it is time to make a corner turn on P2P, particularly for podcasting. So, until something else comes along that we all agree makes sense, I fully intend to implement BitTorrent and support it – and I hope you all do too.”
I am sure that Adam never saw my recent post. But Adam gets it. I can’t wait for the BT DSC.
-CyclingRoo-
Gnomedex 5.0 – Timeshifted
There are moments when the importance of events become clear. This morning is one of those momemnts. I’ve been listening to Adam Curry and the Daily Source Code since January of this year. And I’ve been listening to Gnomedex (courtesy of Chris Pirillo’s feed) every day of this week – except yesterday. I had to work at Arrowhead Staadium last night. We were doing the last fundraiser for my daughter’s AAU basketball team. So I missed Adam’s closing keynote. I was bummed. But my kids and their success are far more important than even the most monumental of technical achievements.
Well, I got up this morning and what did I find? DSC 200 captured Adam’s keynote. So I was able to hear the keynote even though I couldn’t catch Chris’ feed in real-time. Now that’s the value of podcasting. I can catch the important news/content w/o sacrificing the other more important things. I can have my cake and eat it too.
So as I’m listening to Adam kick off DSC 200 with a Sgt. Peppers mashup, I realized that I needed to stop the stream so that I could formulate a couple of the preceding sentences. And now that I look at what I’ve written, I need to clean up some of the punctuation – and spelling. So I’ve paused the recording and I’m typing away.
This is so reminiscent of what Adam does on his Source Code podcasts. You’ll hear his phone ring. He’ll tell the audience to wait a few minutes. Then in one second, he is back to talking. Obviously, Adam has stopped recording, had an hour-long coversation with someone else (or spent an intimate moment with his wife) and then he’s picked up where he left off. So broadcasts can be shifted in time at both ends. Both in production and in replay. Now this is the real value of podcasting.
But audio misses one important element: video. We don’t get to see what’s going on. Usually, that’s not very important to me. I’m legally blind (not totally blind). So whenever I go to conferences, I listen rather than watch. So I have attended Gnomedex in the same way that I would attend any other conference; I’ve heard everything I would normally hear.
But I have missed one key thing: Scoble is dancing to the mashup. Now that’s gotta be a vision. Umm, maybe it’s better that I didn’t see this! 😉
-CyclingRoo-
So Adam, Will You Use BitTorrent?
“Podcasting is the salvation of BitTorrent.”
What a great thing to hear from the “Gilmor Gang” panel discussion at Gnomedex 2005. Dave Winer challenged Adam Curry to use BitTorrent to solve his bnadwidth issues. Adam responded that he does not want to become the “poster child” for a technology that is viewed as bad or illegal. While I understand Adam’s concerns, I love the challenge he received from the rest of the panel. Dave Winer reminded Adam that his use was completely legal and non-infringing. Consequently, he asked Adam to accept the same challenge that Adam made to Steve Jobs.
So who wants to bet on whether Adam will use BitTorrent as a distribution option for The Daily Source Code?
-CyclingRoo-
Microsoft Extends RSS Under Creative Commons
Wow! I’m listening to Chris Pirillo’s audio stream from Gnomedex. I am hearing some really great stuff. Microsoft’s Dean Hachamovitch showed IE 7. And he also discussed Microsoft overall engagement in RSS. As of 12:00 PST, Microsoft will be posting (on their website) a number of proposed extensions to the RSS specification. And Microsoft is releasing these “extensions” under a Creative Commons Attribution license. This is fabulous! Of course, we need to start seeing Microsoft products with RSS enablement. And we will need to see who endorses and adopts Microsoft’s extensions. But by releasing these extensions under a Creative Commons Attribution License, Microsoft has taken a huge first step in “inviting” everyone else to participate.
During Q&A, it was clear that some audience participants were not terribly happy with Microsoft. But I think much of their concern is historical rather than real. One of the audience members asked which “community process” would be used to enhance and extend these RSS extensions. Scoble jumped in and offered a Channel 9 wiki as the means to start the dialog. What impresses me with this is the fact that Microsoft was discussing and working _with_ the audience in real-time.
Gosh, this whole “community thing” might actually work. Let’s all drop the “Borg” talk and move on. If our industry can allow IBM to become a principal open source provider, then we can certainly allow Microsoft the opportunity to join in community processes to extend RSS. Let’s think of the industry as a neighborhood. Just because the folks on the corner didn’t participate in last year’s BBQ doesn’t mean we shouldn’t invite them to the party this year.. After all, Microsoft will be able to bring a lot of good stuff to this year’s event. 😉
I’m psyched. This just confirms some of the wonderful things that I heard at the Technology Summit back in the spring.
-CyclingRoo-
The Microsoft Imprimatur
As we have all been suspecting, Microsoft is going to unleash a whole lot of things at Gnomedex. Yesterday, Microsoft released a new beta of its AntiSpyware software. I’ve installed it on all of my Windows systems. And it seems to be working great. But more software and more news will be upon us shortly. Robert has hinted that an “across-the-board” sweep of RSS and tagging functionality will be announced today.
I, for one, can’t wait. Many of you will quibble with Microsoft on matters of technical merit. And those quibbles might becomes anguished wails when it comes to Microsoft’s aggressiveness (usually at the expense of others). But few would argue with one simple fact: when Microosft gets on board with a particular technology, then that technology has received the virtual papal imprimatur. Up until now, Microsoft has been tacitly involved in both RSS and tagging. Microsoft has sat by while Apple has stormed many beaches (or will shortly with iTunes 4.9). With today’s announcments from Microsoft, I expect a whole lote of “cool tech” will become part of the mainstream.
Of course, much of my speculation is dependent upon the means by which these features will be distributed. If Microsoft offers RSS and tagging features as purchasable upgrades to exisitng products, then it will take the next PC purchase cycle (i.e., the next couple of years) to make these features ubiquitous. But if these features are integrated into existing versions (via service packs???) and available via Windows Update, then these capabilities will become ubiquitous in a very short time.
So the gauntlet is now thrown down. Which big company can bring cool new features to the forefront faster. WIll Microsoft bring RSS and tagging to the masses first or will Apple bring podcasting to the masses first. This should be an interesting lesson in channel management.
-CyclingRoo-
New Technorati Look
It’s official. The public beta of the new Technorati is now over; Technorati has been updated with a totally new look and feel. In his announcement, David Sifry notes that this “… has been primarily a user interface refresh and facelift.”
And what’s my opinion on the changes? Well, I like the facelift. The front page seems more inviting – especially with the goofy superhero motif. 😉 Of course, I’ll have to play with some of the new functionality to really make an informed assessment. But it does look like searching other tag-centric services (like Flikr, furl, and del.icio.us) has been improved.
And Technorati now supports watchlists. This is not a new thing for me as I get some of this functionality from my RSS reader (Sage). In addition to the functionality from Sage, I am really loving 24eyes. The 24eyes dashboard gives me a great “heads-up” view of the daily news. And it’s a hosted web site that I can access anywhere on any browser on any platform. So the new Technorati watchlist functionality is not immediately needed by this user. But for those who don’t have an RSS reader, the Technorati functionality should meet most of your needs.
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: Technorati
Sage 1.3.4 Released
The folks on the Sage project have finally released a version of their RSS reader that is compatible with Firefox Deer Park Alpha 1. The new version (1.3.4) can be obtained here.
-CyclingRoo-
Pass the Musical Baton
I got a great reply from Kari concerning my recent “Music that Matters” post. And it seems that Kari and her friends have been playing a game called “Pass the (Musical) Baton.” Each person who “has the baton” must post answers to some basic musical questions. And then they must “pass the baton” to someone else
Well, I haven’t gotten the baton, yet. But I will post my answers, nonetheless.
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Amount of music on your computer?
2,454 songs, 6:16:28:38 total time, 9.09GB (as reported by iTunes)
Currently listening to?
Grown Backwards, David Byrne: This is an excellent (if offbeat) album. It carries a lot of the traditional eclectic feel of the Talking Heads. But it is a much more mature album with a much more adult and introverted feel.
The Eleventh Hour, Jars of Clay: I can’t hear enough of this album. I have loved Jars of Clay since their original, self-titled album. And in many ways, they’ve never paralleled the original work. “Flood” is still one of my favorite songs of all times. This album is a wonderfully sonic and literary album. Every song speaks to a part of this middle-aged man.
Blue Belly Sky, The Waiting: This was one of The Waiting’s very first albums. It was re-released in the late nineties to much fanfare. I particularly love “Staring at a Bird.”
I listen to all sorts of other songs, every day. And in addition to these albums/artists, I swap in the occasional podcast. My current (and favorite) podcasts include: I.C.M. Raw, Rachel’s Choice, Lifespring, Evil Genius Chronicles and Earthcore (a podcast novel).
Five songs that mean a lot to you?
The Waiting – Too Many Miles: This song speaks to every “tired” Christian who has no energy left to avoid the Almighty God. Instead of running from God’s presence, the song urges the listener to do anything in order to stay with Him.
Keith Green – Love Broke Through: This song was released shortly after I became a Christian. Throughout my college years, this song reminded me of what God did for me and just how wonderful He is. I cannot listen to this song without returning into His presence. Keith Green wrote songs that were difficult to listen to. While they were wonderful musically, they always challenged you to be more “real” in your walk with Christ (and through the world). Keith’s words have always been able to stir my spirit to greater devotion – and earnest repentance.
Five Iron Frenzy – Dandelions: This is a tear-jerker for me. It speaks to how I see myself. I am a child with nothing of value to offer to my God. Yet He looks at my paltry offerings and He is thrilled with them. And this song is a constant reminder of how I should receive the offerings that my four children lay at my feet. I pray that I can show how truly thrilled I am with everything they give to me.
PfR – Pray for Rain: My spirit rises whenever I hear the opening guitar-work of this song. I need God to pour out His rain onto my arid soul!
Jars of Clay – The Eleventh Hour: It’s never too late to turn (or return) to God. This song heralds our willingness to allow God to fundamentally transform us – before it’s too late!
Top five albums?
For Him Who Has Ears to Hear, Keith Green: This was one of the first Keith Green albums I ever bought. After wasting a year at college, this album provoked me to seek Christ’s purpose for my life. Dear God, please let me turn to you every time I hear Keith’s simple message.
The Eleventh Hour, Jars of Clay: This album is so rich with praise and thoughtful reflection. It is sonically superior to any “commercial” album you have ever heard. And the vocals are provacative in every way. I become lost in rapture every time I listen to this album.
The Waiting, The Waiting: This album contains song after song of unbridled joy. God’s love is “Never Dim.” And we can raise our “Hands in the Air” as we accept God’s judgement and His mercy. I love this band. And while I may like some of the songs from their other albums a little more, I feel that this is one of the best rock/praise albums I have ever heard.
Caedmon’s Call, Caedmon’s Call: This is one of the most amazing acoustic albums of all time. Every song is delivered crisply and candidly by this Austin-based band. They proclaim God’s simple message with tight harmonies and even tighter guitar-work. While I generally prefer heavy bass and driving percussion, this album delivers a message that reaches my spirit.
The Late Great PfR, PfR: I really wanted to avoid a “Best of” collection. But I couldn’t select just one album from PfrR. I just wish that Joel could add some of the tracks from his latest album. Fortunately, I can build my own mix with “Amsterdam” included.
Last album bought?
X&Y, Coldplay: OK. I’m one of the suckers that bought this album. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good album. But it sounds so much like Parachutes and Rush of Blood. There is nothing new to provoke the soul. It deserves a few more listens before I give a definitive review. But right now, it’s not getting a lot of “rotations” on my playlist.
Recent discoveries?
I’ve been out of the pop music scene for a while. So I missed David Byrne’s “world music” albums. I’m enjoying these very much. After a college-life filled with the Talking Heads, it’s great to hear David is still making experimental (and good) music.
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And I pass the baton to Rick.
-CyclingRoo-