August 2008

You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2008.

Links for 15 August 2008 through 16 August 2008

17 August 2008 in Daily Links by del.icio.us | 2 comments

Stilgherrian’s links for 15 August 2008 through 16 August 2008:

iUSBCam | Ecamm Network: Software to make a USB camera work with Mac OS X as a webcam, not just Firewire cameras or the built-in iSight. I haven’t tried it yet.
Down for everyone or just me?: Sick of people asking you whether some website is “down” for you as well? Point them here.
CNN: Is Obama the Anti-Christ? | YouTube: A CNN compilation of US news reports speculating that US presidential candidate Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ. The proof? That there are 900,000 Google search results for “obama anti-christ”. And this makes it 900,001. Idiots.
Oz-IA/2008: Australia’s Information Architecture conference, to be held in Sydney on the weekend of 20-21 September. I’ve been invited to go and do some live stuff. Should I?
What’s Behind the iPhone 3G Glitches | BusinessWeek: A discussion of possible causes behind complaints of dropped calls and choppy Internet connections… and of course Apple’s usual denial of any problem and no further comment.
The Unclutterer Workspaces Pool | Flickr: A group pool of folks showing off their elegantly uncluttered workspaces. My desk cannot appear here.

Book cover marketing FAIL?

15 August 2008 in Marketing by Stilgherrian | 11 comments

I saw these books sitting in a shop window the other day and the first thing I did was laugh. Why? Well, seeing the four lined up like this seemed like a list of clichés.

Photo of book covers

Germaine Greer On Rage? Well, yes, she does get more than a little grumpy, wink wink, eh? (Although as someone asked me, “Greer on Rage? What would she guest program?”) David Malouf On Experience? Yeah, he’s getting a bit long in the tooth, sure… and need I mention the probable subject of Blanche d’Alpuget’s longing in On Longing?

Yeah, time for another nudge-nudge wink-wink there too.

Now Mark Pesce tells me that Greer’s book is written in the context of the NT Intervention — something worth getting angry about. “A cogent book about rage,” he says. “Perhaps an important one. Time will tell.”

Sure, he’s a fan. Greer is an important public intellectual, though, and today’s First Dog on the Moon cartoon explains very well why everyone hates Germaine Greer. But for me the line-up of little pastel covers and the gift-set option tells me this is for people who want to look like they’re intellectuals.

If Greer’s book is indeed important, then it needs to be more than a fetish for someone’s mantlepiece, along with that unread (and unreadable) hardback of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. And maybe that means more descriptive covers?

Links for 11 August 2008 through 12 August 2008

13 August 2008 in Daily Links by del.icio.us | No comments

Stilgherrian’s links for 11 August 2008 through 12 August 2008, polished with a smooth cloth:

Why Twitter Hasn’t Failed: The Power Of Audience | TechCrunch: An essay discussing why Twitter users stayed with the service through its severe reliability problems.
Why we should be afraid of Google Streetview | APC: Richard Chirgwin’s opinion piece on Google Street View and why many people react with fear. He concentrates on the emotional reaction, not the logic — something which certainly needs to be taken into account.
Don’t Fear Twitter | Nieman Reports: How using Twitter for moment-by-moment observation can help build a community of readers for longer articles.
Make Internet TV : Shoot, Edit, Publish and Promote Your Videos: “This guide has step-by-step instructions for shooting, editing, and publishing online videos.” I reckon this is an excellent overview.

Finally, “The Shave”

10 August 2008 in Film, Personal by Stilgherrian | 11 comments

Yes, it’s finally complete! Our short film, The Shave. Enjoy. It runs for 3 minutes 35 seconds.

If the embedded video doesn’t work for you, try here.

We decided on the desaturated look rather than going all the way to black and white — though you can see that version in Stilgherrian Live Alpha episode 8.

For those interested in the technicals, it was shot using the built-in iSight camera on my MacBook Pro. We sat the computer on books piled on a milk crate sitting on the kitchen table, and used desk lamps for lighting. We recorded it using Apple’s Photo Booth software. ’Pong edited it using iMovie. Whaddyareckon?

Links for 10 August 2008

10 August 2008 in Daily Links by del.icio.us | 1 comment

Here are the web links I’ve found for 10 August 2008, posted automatically with cheese and onions.

Newspapers that Twitter: July numbers | graphic designr: Statistics on how (American) newspapers are using Twitter.
Why You Should Never Talk to the Police | Schneier on Security: Links to a 30-minute video presentation by Professor James Duane of the Regent University School of Law explaining why — in a criminal matter — you should never, ever, ever talk to the police. It doesn’t matter if you’re guilty or innocent, it isn’t possible for anything you say to help you. Also links to a video of Virginia Beach Police Department Officer George Bruch, who basically says that Duane is right.
Over 400 forms used by the National Security Agency | The Memory Hole: Obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, blank copies of (supposedly) most of the forms used by the US National Security Agency.
George Orwell Diaries | The Orwell Prize: George Orwell started his diaries in August 1938. They’re now being published as a blog, each entry posted exactly 70 years after it was originally written.
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today | David Byrne & Brian Eno: Byrne & Eno’s first musical collaboration in 30 years. On single available free now, album available for free streaming or buy-to-download or physically on 18 August. A world tour follows.

Whither “Stilgherrian Live”?

09 August 2008 in Stilgherrian Live by Stilgherrian | 8 comments

With Thursday’s night’s episode the Alpha series of Stilgherrian Live came to an end. What next?

Across eight “proper” episodes, plus a couple of impromptu programs from a local pub and a hotel room in Canberra, I achieved my main aim. I proved that it’s possible to do a live video program on the Internet using equipment I can carry in a backpack.

I got a feel for how much pre-production is needed. I got inbound talkback calls working via Skype. And I was very pleased to sustain a regular live audience of 30-odd people. Thank you.

Recently, thanks to Qik, I was able to broadcast live video feeds from my Nokia N80 phone. They’re still viewable at qik.com/stilgherrian. However the “standard” 3G available in Australia meant the technical quality was pretty average. It really does need HSDPA, i.e. a new phone.

So, given that “we have the technology”, what sort of programs should I create?

Read the rest of this entry »

Links for 05 August 2008 through 08 August 2008

08 August 2008 in Daily Links by del.icio.us | No comments

Stilgherrian’s links for 05 August 2008 through 08 August 2008, covering all topics from Ma to Me:

NLA Australian Newspapers beta | National Library of Australia: The NLA is digitising its collection of out-of-copyright newspapers, some going back to 1803. Over 90,000 pages online so far. Searchable. OCR has been done, and you can correct any mistakes you find.
GroceryChoice site dismissed as “no help” to consumers | The Australian: The Australian government’s new GroceryChoice website is useless. Data only collected once a month, so it can’t take weekly specials into account.
The Z Curve and IT Investment | Digital Renderings: When should a business invest in new information technology? Move aggressively, assuming high costs and risks in the hope of gaining an outsized reward? Or hold back, waiting for technology to become better established, with lower costs and risks?
Twitter As News-wire | Twitter Blog: Twitter is increasingly being described as a personal news-wire. Here’s a couple of graphs showing how word of the LA an SF earthquakes spread in under 5 minutes.
Jay Rosen of NYU on the Ethic of the Link | YouTube: An excerpt from a Carnegie Council panel on 3 April 2008. Nice contextualisation of the newspaper business’ fear of the web. 4 min 21 sec.
Twitter on the front page of Liberation today | Holy Chic’s Weblog: Twitter makes the cover of French newspaper Liberation. Here’s an analysis in English.
Journalism is Dead: A new blog which purports to be the true diary of someone working at a newspaper. Looks real enough. Let’s hope he or she can continue being this funny.
Fake L.A. Times: Exactly what it says. Yes, yet another satirical news site.
The Ethics of Taking Vacations: “You owe it to yourself to recuperate, and you’ll do your job better if you take time off. Both are ethical issues.”

And episode 8 of Stilgherrian Live Alpha, the final in the Alpha series, is now online. This special edition (an hour!) included our short film The Shave.

07 August 2008 by Stilgherrian | No comments

Yes, episode 8 of Stilgherrian Live Alpha will be recorded tonight at 9.30pm Sydney time. See you then.

07 August 2008 by Stilgherrian | 3 comments

Crikey: Oh no, Google took a photo of my house!

06 August 2008 in Internet, Politics, Privacy by Stilgherrian | 4 comments

Crikey logo

[This article was first published in Crikey yesterday.]

This morning Australians woke to the news that Google’s Street View has taken photos of their street, their office, their school — their home! — and published them for all to see. Doubtless we’ll now see a flood of stories screeching “Invasion of privacy!” Hardly.

A picture taken on a public street isn’t “private”. A house is a visible, physical object that anyone can walk past and photograph. Its address is a known fact. Anyone can post pictures online with a description. Real estate agents do it all the time. All Google has done is photographed “everywhere” all at once, and given us the results.

Worried that knowledge of who lives in your house will become public? That data is already available — in the phone book, in most cases, or the electoral roll. If you’ve done any renovations recently, there’s probably even a floor plan of your house on your local council’s website.

Besides, when you use Street View, chances are the very first thing you’ll look up is your own home. Knowing this, Google can simply cross-match that with everything they already know about you: every Google search you’ve done, every link you’ve followed, every YouTube video you’ve watched — and, if a website uses the “free” Google Analytics or runs Google AdSense advertising, Google also knows about every such website you’ve ever visited. Congratulations, you just let them write your address across the top of their dossier!

And isn’t Google owned by the CIA anyway? Beware The Googling… ! [Insert maniacal laugh here.]

Read the rest of this entry »

« Older entries § Newer entries »