Edited D2D Symposium Intro

Here's the intro video seqyence for the Dummies to Delight presentation. A snapshot into where the group started from wrt technology!

Embedding Podcasts

Now Podomatic provides the ability to embed podcasts (using their player) into any web page by copying & pasting a few lines of html! Cool!

To create your embedded Podomatic player, go to
http://www.podOmatic.com/podcast/embed/yourusername

Java on Cell Phones

The Java ME market: "This is an article about Sys-Con's Integral Java product, that combines support for CLDC and CDC in one implementation, but what caught my eye was this (I haven't verified whether it's actually true):

Java, in the form of the Java 2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME), has become a prerequisite for all future mobile handsets for at least the next seven to nine years. Not only will the core applications needed for the user experience be created in Java, it will also serve as the basis for the lucrative downloadable application market - the Java segment of which is currently projected to exceed $15 billion by 2008.



and this:

By mid-2006, the installed base of Java enabled handsets will cross the billion-unit mark, with over 35 vendors already offering upwards of 600 different Java-enabled handset models"

(Via Abiro - Mobile News.)

socialmeter.com

Metering Social Bookmarking Services: "SocialMeter looked interesting- enter a URL and it pulls some stats from major services like del.icio.us, Digg, Furl, Google, Yahoo, technorati for how many times the URL has been bookmarked. It returns a total hit count, and you can click each service to yank up its results."

(Via CogDogBlog.)

http://www.socialmeter.com

Mojungle Tutorial

Watch the YouTube video demo here.: "mojungle is as easy as it gets, but I have a lot of dumb friends. So Andrew and I created this video to help our friends navigate the mojungle. Send this video to all of your friends."

(Via http://blog.mojungle.com/index.php/2006/08/19/mojungle-video/.)

Dummies2Delight Photos

Dummies2Delight

Aug 17, 2006 - 4 Photos

Dummies2Delight Thom

Introductory session at Cafe Kreem for Dummies to Delight 2006

Pictures - AOL Mobile

Pictures - AOL Mobile: "AOL® Pictures You’ve Got Pictures® Service
AOL Pictures is a new service that turns your web-enabled phone into a photo album so you can share and enjoy your online pictures, anytime, anywhere. You can view your favorite pictures, show them to your friends, and even download them for use as mobile phone screen savers or wallpapers*.

Accessing AOL Pictures
You will need a web-enabled phone with a WAP2 browser and wireless data plan to access the AOL Pictures service. Most phones sold within the last few years have a WAP2 browser. You may want to verify with your mobile phone carrier that your phone is WAP2 compatible, and that web access is enabled.
How to Get AOL Pictures
You can access AOL Pictures via the AOL Mobile Portal by entering the URL http://mobile.aol.com "

(Via .)

Mobile AIM - AOL Mobile

AIM on a mobile phone just got a whole lot easier!

Find Mobile AIM - AOL Mobile: "Most cellular phones provide multiple ways to use the Mobile AIM service.
Depending on your wireless carrier%u2019s capabilities, there are three different methods to access the Mobile AIM service.Start now! Use the Mobile Dashboard on the right to find out exactly how you can access the Mobile AIM service on your particular carrier and phone model.

1. The Mobile AIM service through text messaging
Easy to setup, now you can elect to have your IMs forwarded to your phone as text messages. Click here to learn more.

2. The Mobile AIM service through mobile web browser
Many wireless carriers provide access to the Mobile AIM service using the phone's mobile web browser. Click here to learn more.

3. The Mobile AIM service through software
Mobile AIM software provides the greatest functionality on your phone. Click to learn more about Installed or Downloadable Mobile AIM."

(Via AIM.)

Opera Mini Thoughts

I have been impressed with Opera mini running on my Palm TX and my SonyEricsson T630 phone. It appears other people have been as well - here's a quote from http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com/

"Overall, Opera Mini 2 worked ok on my Palm Tungsten T3. The browser obviously is different from Web Pro and Blazer, as it doesnt even attempt to recreate the original page layout - this reduces data transfer volume and makes browsing hell fast(almost as fast as on my desktop). 5way control works really well too - no need to use the stylus when surfing! If you are on a GPRS contract, look at this free browser - it could save you money!"

Wii

The Nintendo Wii looks like a really fun take on the game consoles! Certainly far more interactive than the XBox360 or the future PS3.
Video montage here.

SONY MyLo

The new SONY MyLo WiFi communicator is an interesting WMD. It's main advantage over the PSP is the inclusion of a slide-out keyboard for way faster text entry!. Still, I'm not sure that it has enough features to capture a large market share - the prob with WiFi only wireless is limited connectivity - a 3G smartphone wins on connectivity, and there's no Bluetooth to connect via a cellphone. There is USB2, but it appears to be oriented to file synchronizing with a PC, and with only Memory Stick storage, its not going to replace a full iPod for your music & video library. Web browsing is via a 320x240 screen using Opera - so the same web experience as a Palm or PPC device. Would have been nice to have a PSP or Nokia 770 resolution screen :-( . I guess they are targeting an alternative 'cellphone' market (small enough to pocket & not look silly when holding it to your ear!). They've also missed the Blog & RSS integration - maybe in an update?... One to watch for possibilities...

Large Flash/video overview here.

"Speaking of unholy abominations, Sony decided to take some design tips from their own PSP, functionality from the OQO, usage scenarios from Nokia's 770 (and a wee dash dash of inspiration from Ixi's OGO), and mash it up all together into a single device: the mylo. The name refers to "my life online," ahem, which we assume probably has a little something to do with the Sony's old school MYLO / My Life Online, a wireless service Sony launched launched at PC Expo 2001 "to offer mobile users an original and personalized way to access information and entertainment content for work and play." (Yeah, that's specific.) This blast from the past now takes shape as a $350 WiFi-centric handheld features a slide-up 2.4-inch screen, VoIP capabilities via Skype, web access, media playback capabilities, 1GB flash, and a Memory Stick slot" http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/08/sony-launches-mylo/

MyTunesRSS

I'm impressed! A free platform independent app for streaming iTunes libraries across a network or the internet to any device that supports RSS feeds! I got it working without a problem streaming iTunes from my Powerbook to my PSP. The only 'hard' bit was turning off the software firewall on port 8080 to allow the streaming traffic thru.

http://www.codewave.de/products/mytunesrss/

" MyTunesRSS is an application for accessing your iTunes library from any computer connected through a network. You can browse and search your library with any browser, use existing playlists or create new ones. From all this data you can create RSS feeds or M3U playlists in your browser and use them with appropriate programs. So you can play your iTunes tracks on today's clients like the Playstation Portable.

MyTunesRSS is a GUI for configuring and starting a server and a web application. When the server is running, you can access the web application with a browser. The web application is password protected, so only you can access it.

You can browse your library by album or artist and you can search for tracks. Besides the exisiting iTunes playlists you can create new ones from the browser. You can create RSS feeds or M3U playlists from any album, tracks of an artist or a playlist. You can also simply download tracks, e.g. for getting them on your Playstation Portable without a USB link. Applications like VLC for example can also get streams from videos in your library.

Since MyTunesRSS is pure Java, you can run it on any platform supporting Java 1.5 and iTunes.

You can download MyTunesRSS for free and use it as long as you wish."

SMS Post

Letmeparty.com test?The last SMS post I sent disappeared into the ether - so just testing settings again to make sure this post gets thru!

Java Emulator & development for Sony Ericsson cellphones

http://developer.sonyericsson.com/site/global/docstools/java/p_java.jsp

Available as free download, the SDK runs in WinXP only, although there is a Mac version of NetBeans (haven't got it working with the SE emulation yet).

"Sony Ericsson SDK 2.2.4 for the Java(TM) ME Platform (73.5 MB) June
26, 2006
This suite of Java ME tools supports Java MIDP 1.0, MIDP 2.0, Java 3D API incl. Javadoc
for the Sony Ericsson handsets. The SDK supports Java Micro3D (Mascot Capsule Ver 3
and JSR 184) emulation and includes all the necessary tools to support On Device
Debugging for your applications."

After installing the app (need to download the Java runtime for WinXP first), choose a phone model from the list, and then you can load Java apps (need both the .jad and .jar files for the app to be recognised). The SDK then becomes a way of presenting Cellphone apps to an audience. Supports my old SE T630!

Next I'm hoping to upgrade to either an M600 or K610. The M600 uses Symbian, and should let me run the LapLink remote software for presentations on MacOSX! (laplink for Symbian uses a Java app).

GOOGLE PICASA

Google has updated its free image editing software Picasa to provide online image hosting features at http://picasaweb.google.com, similar to www.flickr.com.

Now you can not only upload photos to Blogger.com from Picasa, but also create a full-blown online image library as well. Picasaweb supports RSS and viewer comments. Its also available for Mac via a downloadable image uploader app for Mac OSX, or plugin for iPhoto (very similar to the Flickr for iPhoto script that's been around fro sometime).

You need a GMail account to signup for picasaweb. Googles now allowing GMail signups via cellphone codes.

Picasa - one of the best PC apps I've seen recently!

View my Picasaweb at http://picasaweb.google.com/thomcochrane/

Smart Mobs: Blackboard wins patent on e-learning

Smart Mobs: Blackboard wins patent on e-learning: "Blackboard wins patent on e-learning
Always-On Panopticon...or Cooperation Amplifier, Technologies of Cooperation
August 02, 2006

by Howard Rheingold

Stephen Downes, a widely followed and respected blogger who writes about educational technology issues, has posted a long and comprehensive review of the outrageous action taken by Blackboard, a company that sells (rather shoddy in my opinion) proprietary course management software. One of the reasons I consider the Blackboard software shoddy is the message-board module, which positively repels usage. Now, their patents might threaten the growing development of open source courseware. Blackboard's actions are shameful, greedy, bogus, and have the potential for retarding the development of online learning throughout the world -- especially among those who don't have the money to pay outrageous licensing fees.

As I commented earlier today, it was like poking a stick into an anthill. The Blackboard patent and subsequent action has prompted a furious reaction, one they must have anticipated (which is probably at least part of the reason for waiting from January 17, when the patent, to July 26, to make the announcement).

'In addition, patents corresponding with the U.S. patent have been issued in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and are pending in the European Union, China, Japan, Canada, India, Israel, Mexico, South Korea, Hong Kong and Brazil.'

To say that the reaction was negative would be to understate the matter considerably. Donald Clark writes, 'I'd start selling Blackboard stock NOW!' Leonard Low writes, 'Blackboard's claim of patent is both outrageous and repugnant.' Dave Cormier writes, 'In the span of a couple of weeks the educational landscape we've all come to know and care about has taken an awful beating. It seems that DOPA is taking away our open ed-web and blackweb is taking away our walled gardens.' John P. Mayer writes, 'How can you access the 'full power of the Internet' [as Blackboard says] if you are dealing with litigation fears and limitations of choice as a result?' Wesley Fryer exclaims 'Crazy!' and asks, 'Were the people in the US Patent Office really thinking clearly when they have this supposed 'patent' to Blackboard?'"

(Via http://www.smartmobs.com.)

mobileGlu | your mobile glue

mobileGlu | your mobile glue: "Do you ever wish you had access to your life on the web when you were on the move ?

mobileGlu brings together your life online into one place on your mobile:

mobileGlu will pull the data from your life online and optimise it for your mobile device automatically
mobileGlu will allow you to post to your online services from your mobile
mobileGlu currently supports del.icio.us, Flickr, moblogUK, upcoming.org, Blogger, and RSS feeds with more being added as time goes on"

(Via .)