December 11, 2004
IPTV
Recent research has shown that people are giving up the old-fashioned passive television for the internet, but does that mean the TV is doomed?
Probably not according to Frank Rose on Wired.com. When we have enough bandwidth, IPTV (TV on demand over the internet) will be available.
www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/start.html?pg=7
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 10, 2004
Video feeds
Following the success of RSS and Atom newsfeeds (of text), and podcasting (audio feeds for the iPod), there are now experimental video feeds.
This introduces, logically enough, the possibility of receiving television feeds in the same way that we get newspaper feeds.
www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,65925,00.html/wn_ascii
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 29, 2004
WiFi in libraries
The British Library now has 802.11 WiFi, wireless internet access. WiFi has been around since 1999, so the British Library is hardly blazing any trails, but this is progress of a kind.
Previously library users had to leave and go to a nearby internet cafe if they wish to google or send email. Now they can stay at their desks working with internet as well as library resources.
The British Library are making ridiculous charges: GBP 4.50 for an hour, or 35 for a monthly pass for using wireless. In fact wireless is very cheap to install. One wireless access point costing about GBP 50 has a range of about 150 feet and can be used by up to 50 computers.
I visited the Callander library yesterday. I think they had three PCs with internet access. They were all being used and there was a booking list. Apparently many local people are coming in to the library when they are having problems connecting at home. The library should get WiFi and encourage people to bring laptops in. This will be ten or twenty times cheaper than buying a new computer and enable many more people to use their internet connection.
We need WiFi in all public libraries - and many other public areas!
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4020241.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 26, 2004
Newsprint on the way out
New studies in America suggest that the shift from reading newsprint to reading online is happening faster than anticipated, especially in the 18 to 34 demographic.
The Online Publishers Association found that this age group were “more apt to log on to the internet (46 percent) than watch TV (35 percent), read a book (7 percent), turn on a radio (3 percent), read a newspaper (also 3 percent) or flip through a magazine (less than 1 percent)”.
www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65813,00.html/wn_ascii
Posted by Simon Holledge at 05:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 12, 2004
Sorry Everybody website
When it comes to people to people communication, only the internet really hits the mark:
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2004
Weblogs in Local Democracy Week 2004
Three Warwickshire councillors, one Labour, one Liberal Democrat, and one Conservative, have been keeping blogs as part of Local Democracy Week (18-24 October), which is focused on people aged 26 and under:
www.warwickshire.gov.uk/ldw2004
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 22, 2004
Internet politics in the USA
Bush and Kerry have each answered 12 questions put to them by the Computing Technology Industry Association. Their responses vary obviously, but both men are positive about the net.
Would any leading politician (or party) in Britain would be capable of answering these questions?
www.comptia.org/pressroom/election_2004.aspx
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 16, 2004
Broadband over powerlines (BPL)
Scottish Hydro Electric (Scottish and Southern Energy Group) are offering broadband over powerlines (BPL) at competitive rates. According to an email received from the company, they are operating in Crieff and Stonehaven. Campbeltown is also covered, but by satellite (whether local powerlines are used is not clear).
In America government bodies are now encouraging BPL, especially in areas where implementing DSL or cable broadband is not economic. They expect BPL to take off as a technology there within the next 5 years.
www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65350,00.html/wn_ascii
Posted by Simon Holledge at 02:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 15, 2004
RSS advertizing?
RSS newsfeeds have been a big success recently - so now people are thinking about how to include advertizing in the feeds! Whether that’s a good thing may be doubted, but it elicited a great quote from Jason Calacanis, the founder of Weblogs, who is supporting the idea:
“Visiting the website is dating; getting a daily email is going steady - but subscribing to an RSS feed, well, that is like getting married to a news source. It’s really the highest commitment you can make.”
www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65347,00.html/wn_ascii
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 08, 2004
Online political advertizing
Following on from the US election debates, the Democrats have bought a substantial amount of online advertizing to capitalize on Kerry’s successful performance.
Meanwhile the Labour Party has been learning from the Democrats. They are now running banner ads - on the Guardian website.
www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65223-2,00.html?tw=wnstorypage_next1
mindtest.typepad.com/cwr/2004/10/spinningthede.html
www.perfect.co.uk/2004/09/labour-banner-ad
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 01, 2004
Digital divide SNP-style III: Computer literacy for politicians
What are the skills that politicians need to keep in touch with the world and be effective communicators? Here is my provisional list:
- The ability to type
- The ability to write and save a simple text on a computer
- The ability to make a simple spreadsheet on a computer
- The ability to take a photograph and upload it to a server
- The ability to receive and reply to an email
- The ability to use an online search engine
- The ability to make a multimedia presentation
- The ability to make a blog to communicate with constituents
- The ability to create a personal website
- The ability to create a relational or spatial (geographical information system) database to analyze a (social, political or economic) problem
All these skills, with the possible exception of the first and last, are easy enough to pick up - a bit like learning to use new household appliances!
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 28, 2004
US Democrat blogs and action committees
Interesting news of Democrat blogs in the States. Markos Moulitsas’s popular DailyKos.com blog now receives 350-400,000 visits every day, while ActBlue.com enables individuals to form their own political action committees (PAC) to raise funds and support candidates.
www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/markosmoulitsas/story/0,15139,1314558,00.html?gusrc=rss
www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65082,00.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Digital divide SNP-style II: Beyond the soapbox
What communication skills are needed by politicians in the first decade of the 21st century? The ability to stand on a soapbox with confidence and talk out of the top of one’s head - or something more than that?
Soapbox skills are important for the leader of a political party in a country where most people still sit passively in front of the television for the best part of their lives, but for most of the rest of the party access to information and command of detail are more to the point.
In the great British tradition of getting other people to do the work, the SNP outsources technical help. The SNP website is created by a company called Heehaw Multimedia. Many MSP websites are apparently done by outsiders. Multimedia presentations, if there are any, are probably also paid for rather than created by the speakers themselves.
There are several problems with this, not least the fact that the SNP doesn’t have any money. Also party leaders are also failing to acquire the skills necessary for directing their own staff. We wouldn’t put people who can’t read and write in charge of libraries, so why should we have computer illiterates in charge of parliamentary and constituency offices?
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 18, 2004
Crawford on saving BT call boxes
Bruce Crawford is objecting to BT ‘closing’ 1,000 of their 6,000 public telephone boxes in Scotland.
I wasn’t aware they were still being used. I thought attempts to save the old red boxes were purely archaeological. Even if the boxes are still occasionally used, wouldn’t it be better to concentrate on putting in modern communications systems?
BT is now a privatized telecom and like similar companies it is oriented towards making a profit rather than providing a service. Britain is still relatively backward as a result of the government allowing the interests of BT to overrule those of technological progress - a case of entrusting a highwayman with building the roads. Wouldn’t it be better to leave BT out of the picture now?
American communities, particularly in remote areas, have their own communications projects, whether based on wire, cable, fibre, wireless, satellite or power-line transmission. Scotland should do the same thing? No town or village should be left off the net. Whatever legal obstacles exist should be challenged and removed.
Compared to other infrastructure projects such as modernizing the railways and building roads, modern communications are cheap, quick and easy to implement. They are also arguably far more important.
www.snp.org/html/news/printerfriendly.php?newsID=2438
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3663636.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2004
Digital Divide SNP-Style I: Websites
The internet doesn’t feature much in SNP plans and it’s easy to see why. Most of the party leaders are not interested. It’s indicative that only half the SNP representatives at Holyrood, Westminster and Brussels have their own websites (list below).
The reason for an MSP/MEP/MP having a website is to provide accessible public information about the member’s activities, including contact details. It’s not the only way of making information available but - unlike most of the others - it’s not ephemeral. It’s always there, always available. It’s a minimum presence on the net. It isn’t interactive. It doesn’t invite discussion like a weblog (a more ambitious undertaking) but it doesn’t need much maintenance.
The Scottish Parliament website gives some (standardized) pages to MSPs. That’s fine except that they are limited to a set formula with no distinction between members of different parties, and the interface is under the control of civil servants who (now anyway) have problems configuring it.
Those who have their own website (16):
Cunningham, Roseanna MSP, Ewing, Annabelle MSP, Ewing, Fergus MSP, Fabiani, Linda MSP, Grahame, Christine MSP, Hudghton, Ian MEP Hyslop, Fiona MSP, Lochhead, Richard MSP, MacAskill, Kenny MSP, Morgan, Alasdair MSP, Robertson, Angus MP Robison, Shona MSP, Sturgeon, Nicola MSP, Weir, Mike MP White, Sandra MSP, Wishart, Peter MP
Those who don’t have their own website (16):
Adam, Brian MSP, Crawford, Bruce MSP, Ewing, Margaret MSP, Gibson, Rob MSP, Ingram, Adam MSP, Marwick, Tricia MSP, Mather, Jim MSP, Matheson, Michael MSP, Maxwell, Stewart MSP, McFee, Bruce MSP, Neil, Alex MSP, Salmond, Alex MP Smith, Alyn MEP Stevenson, Steward MSP, Swinney, John MSP, Welsh, Andrew MSP
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 11, 2004
Welcome Halliburton!
A special welcome to Vice-President Dick Cheney’s Halliburton Corporation, one of the major suppliers to the US Army in Iraq.
Most of the Skakagrall’s lurkers are Scottish, but we are delighted to welcome readers from across the pond. (Comment too if you like!) The CIA have also been monitoring a whisky distillery on Islay on suspicion of making weapons of mass destruction. No such excitement here, I’m afraid, though, come to think of it, the new Scottish Parliament is connected with a brewery. Does that count? . . . Well guys - have a great visit!
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 06, 2004
Voice over IP/emergency services over the internet
Ofcom’s consultation (see last entry) lasts until 15 November.
They are asking whether VoIP networks should be required to include access to 999 emergency numbers. VoIP phones can access ordinary numbers so this is a rather odd question anyway, but I wonder if anyone could seriously suggest that (largely) foreign networks should provide services that our own local police, ambulance and fire services are unwilling to provide themselves.
No emergency services in Britain are available over the net, as far as I know, despite the fact that the internet may be our only effective means of communications in a disaster or terrorist attack (e.g. the Kobe earthquake of 1995).
Posted by Simon Holledge at 03:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Voice over IP
You can call me for free on 1 747 668 2317. It won’t cost you anything. It won’t cost me anything. The call doesn’t come to my telephone. It comes to my computer. It’s called ‘voice over IP’ or VoIP. VoIP has been around for a few years, but is only now achieving the critical mass to allow it to take off.
The good news is that soon you won’t have to pay BT (or whoever) for your telephone - though you will have to pay someone for your internet connection. It’s part of the inevitable process in which the internet takes over from traditional media, broadcasting and telecommunications.
Ofcom has just recognized the existence of VoIP and released a consultation document:
www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/current/newvoice/newvoice_pes/
They have announced that VoIP numbers will have an ‘area code’ of 056, this is important as it will enable calls from ordinary telephones to VoIP. This is not possible at the moment unless the VoIP user buys an 0870 number.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 03:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 31, 2004
Microsoft and the SNP 2
I'm delighted to report that the SNP site now works with Safari on the Mac.
Russell Horn, the SNP ICT Executive, writes: "The SNP website was developed prior to Safari being launched by Apple. . . I have, however, now added some code that should now redirect any safari browser to the high resolution site."
Posted by Simon Holledge at 01:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 29, 2004
RSS feed for The Skakagrall
It's possible to keep up with The Skakagrall via an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed using a news reader. Setting this up is explained on: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3223484.stm?rss
The address for subscribing to The Skakagrall is: www.skakagrall.com/index.rdf. You can also subscribe to the BBC, newspaper sites and other blogs.
Incidentally, there is now an SNP news feed from The Scotsman on this page.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft and the SNP
The Skakagrall is Microsoft-free: made on a Mac, hosted on Linux, powered by Movable Type, so it's disappointing to have to use Microsoft Internet Explorer to see the official SNP website www.snp.org. It's not possible to view it (except in a text only version) on the much faster Apple Safari 1.2.3, and possibly other browsers as well.
I am all for the SNP favouring Microsoft if there something to be gained from it. The SNP is a poor party and Microsoft is a very rich company. Bill Gates could give every child in Scotland a computer without blinking. Has anyone asked him?
Posted by Simon Holledge at 02:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 18, 2004
Why blog?
On the internet, SNP stands for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism - something apparently in genetics! That's what you get if you search on Google. There is little Scottish SNP presence on the web.
However the net offers exciting opportunities. Unlike traditional media, there is no institutional bias against new ideas. The rapid transmission of new thinking is what it is all about. Costs are low (in the case of The Skakagrall about 30 pounds). No trees are cut down. Distribution is free. A particular blog may be popular or it may not, but either way it beats writing protest letters to apathetic local Labour MPs.
One isolated blog may make a contribution to the spread of information, but several or more blogs interlinked in a group, and combined with news feeds and press releases offer greater possibilities. Having set up this kind of 'smart' network, people are no longer dependent on newspaper and TV presentations.
This year, in the face of Republican-controlled television and newspapers, the grassroots organization of the US Democrats has been to a great extent internet-based: 35 bloggers were accredited to the Democratic Party convention in Boston.
Like the Democrats, the SNP has everything to gain from international media that owe nothing to London, its trashy, old-fashioned newspapers and its broadcasting!
Posted by Simon Holledge at 02:05 PM | Comments (2)