Of course the day I take a potshot at Wired for being
behind the curve would be the day they have a bunch of interesting
stories, like these two that I swiped from Bluesnews. The first
details the Army's continuing focus on the development of new solar
panels as they work to incorporate flexible panels into tents and
clothing. And apparently soldiers often leave depleted battery packs
in the field, rather than humping them back to base, so it wouldn't
hurt to get some a little less pollutety in their packs, or
maybe teach them to clean up after themselves. And pick up those
depleted uranium shells you left all over the desert, too, you lazy
little pukes.
The second story is a good old-fashioned scare piece, filled with
stories of high-tech cars almost killing their occupants as
accelerators and braking systems go haywire. It reminds me of that old
science fiction yarn where the gas attendants swap ghost stories of an
automatic car that travels the highways, shuttling its trapped
occupants inside from one gas station to the next, their dead faces
pressed up against the glass. Read - Solar to Keep Army on the Go [Wired] Read - Teched-Out Cars Bug Drivers [Wired]
Mourning Pilgrims Pitch Tents in Rome Streets (Reuters)
Mourning Pilgrims Pitch Tents in Rome Streets (Reuters)04/04/2005 04:31 PM Reuters - Pilgrims spilled out of packed trains and
buses and camped on church steps in Rome on Monday as they
tried to push through to the Vatican to pay their respects to
the late Pope John Paul II.
Texting classes for over 50s
Texting classes for over 50s07/23/2004 08:12 AM Lessons in sending mobile phone text messages are held for a group of
over 50s in Glasgow.
Texting to help SA HIV patients
Texting to help SA HIV patients04/13/2005 05:46 AM Mobile phone text messaging in South Africa is used to help HIV
patients with the complicated process of taking drugs.
Texting teens use SMS for help
Texting teens use SMS for help09/08/2004 05:29 AM Talking to youngsters in the language of text could increase their
access to services.
Texting without the hassle
Texting without the hassle09/04/2004 03:21 AM The launch of Z-text by NTS Telecom bridges the gap between email and
mobile to mobile texting. [PRWEB Sep 4, 2004]
"Setting a world speed record for the one skill that we hope will
become obsolete in the very near future, James Trusler has emerged as
the world’s fastest text messager, tapping out, 'The
razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are
the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they
seldom attack a human' on his cellphone in a mere 67 seconds, shaving
nearly a minute off of the previous record. [Via TechDirt]" [Engadget]
World Record Texting05/06/2004 12:55 PM
It's amazing the sort of stuff they keep track of for world records
these days. However, for the "thumb generation" there's a new
standard to aspire to. Already considered the world's fastest text
message writer, James Trusler, has set a new world
record for speed texting on his mobile phone by tapping out "The
razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are
the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they
seldom attack a human." in 67 seconds. The article doesn't get into
the (oh so important) details like what type of phone he used and
whether it had helpful software like T9 to make texting faster. Of
course, how do you judge such records when the technology is always
changing? Is it fair to compare someone texting on a regular keypad
against someone using a full Treo keyboard? What about the new DigitWireless phones with
letter keys spaced between the number keys? There are going to be a
lot of sub-categories for this record set.
World texting record
World texting record06/29/2004 05:48 AM A Singaporean woman has set a world record for mobile-phone texting,
keying in the benchmark phrase (below) in 43.24 seconds, without the
benefit of any predictive text utilities.
The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus
are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they
seldom attack a human.
"In just two decades, the mobile phone has become the
fastest-selling, most loved - and hated - consumer product. Britain is
the world's most mature mobile market, with more mobiles per head of
population and higher bills than any other country. Almost all adults
now have at least one mobile phone, one in two teenagers has a 'moby'
and a new British firm, Communic8, has just launched MyMo, a simple
phone for four- to eight-year-olds. Some 23 billion texts have been
sent this year and more than 20 billion calls made. The total value of
this electronic white noise is £15 billion....
Perhaps the biggest change mobiles have wrought is in the language
of communication we all use. Textsperanto - the amalgam of abbreviated
words, acronyms and coded punctuation that teenagers developed so that
they can fit more words into their space-limited SMS messages - was
designed to be impenetrable to adults but most of us have a grasp of
it now. When a pupil at a Scottish secondary school handed in an essay
entirely written 'in txt', her teacher gave her a 'C+ 4 e4t'....
For the refuseniks, however, the battle against the tiny power
tools is about to get a lot tougher. Twenty years after Ernie Wise
first pressed the green 'call send' button on a brick-sized Motorola
handset, the latest tiny, third-generation - 3G - phones are about to
hit the market. Today, thousands of teenagers and adults are poring
over geeky phone manuals, configuring their new handsets so that they
can surf the internet, download real-time TV and video clips, take
photographs, make video calls and play MP3 music files." [The Guardian, via textually.org]
I had to call Sprint today to find out why I haven't been able to
access any data services at home on my Treo for the last 10 days or
so. The new recording that you hear - first thing - is a message
noting that activations may take up to 24 hours because so many people
are revving up their new phones.
I find the following overheard conversation to be pretty
typical:
"College Girl: Yeah, I called mom and dad
and left a message on their machine. I've been calling their cell
phones too but they never pick up. They just don't understand.
(pause....) Yeah, they don't get it -- cell phones are supposed to be
carried around with them." [CamWorld]
The World's Tiniest Violin Texting You
The World's Tiniest Violin Texting You04/09/2004 03:55 PM JOEL JOHNSON -- The AP wire has a touching story about a woman who
convinced a thief to return her car via text messages. He left the
vehicle in an abandoned lot, but still made off with her son's mobile
(which is how she contacted him in the first place)...
New Year's texting breaks record
New Year's texting breaks record01/05/2005 11:52 AM A record 133m text message were set on New Year's Eve, bringing the
total for 2004 to over 25bn.
Good And Bad Reasons For Texting Behind The Wheel
Good And Bad Reasons For Texting Behind The Wheel08/02/2004 06:16 AM Ever wanted to communicate with a driver in another car? There are
plenty of legitimate reasons why you might. They could have a faulty
light, you may have accidentally scratched their car while parking
(and are honest enough to admit it) or they may be double-parked and
blocking you. Textuall
y points out a new service (which sounds very familiar) in
Malaysia that would let someone send a text message to the
owner of another car, simply by knowing their license plate. You
send a text message to a specific number with the plate number in the
message, and the service matches it up and forwards the message -- but
only if (and it's quite an "only if") the other car owner has
registered with the same service. Of course, while there may be good
reasons for this service, it's likely many might want to use it for
less than friendly reasons as well, such as stalking or yelling at a
bad driver. Of course, the biggest reason this might be a bad idea is
suggested in differen
t Textually post: an increasing number of fatal car accidents from
idiots texting while driving.
Texting passion sets new record
Texting passion sets new record07/23/2004 06:07 AM Britons' continue their love affair with text messaging, making it
another record month for June.
Germans addicted to texting (Reuters)
Germans addicted to texting (Reuters)07/09/2004 12:10 PM Reuters - Growing numbers of Germans are becoming addicted to
text-messaging, a
German doctor has warned, estimating there are some 380,000 sufferers
nationwide.
EducationGuardian.co.uk | News crumb | Texting 'is no bar to literacy'
education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1378951,00.ht
ml track this
site | 3 links
Kids Understand The Difference Between Texting And Writing
Kids Understand The Difference Between Texting And Writing12/24/2004 12:18 PM For years, now, we've been hearing horror stories about how kids who
are growing up learning "txt spk" on instant messenger programs and
via phone SMS messages are hurting their ability to write proper
English. There was never actually any evidence of this --
other than some anecdotal horror stories. Also, as we pointed out,
there's nothing wrong with understanding txt abbreviations as long as
the person knows
what is appropriate at the right time. It's like knowing two
different languages -- which most parents and teachers consider to be
a good thing. Thus, the focus shouldn't be on freaking out
about kids learning to tap away in abbreviated format, but in making
sure they know what's appropriate for what venues. Supporting this
theory is a new study suggesting that kids who text have comparable writing skills to those who
don't. The study was quite small, and the methodology could clearly
be questioned -- but it is some initial evidence that kids are smart
enough to understand when text talk is appropriate and when it's not.
Much more interesting, though, was the finding that those who used
messaging regularly also wrote more concisely. While the article
suggests this is a downside, being able to write concisely is a useful
talent. If text messaging helps people better organize their thoughts
this way, perhaps it's a benefit.
Fixed-line texting is the next big thing, says report
Philippine telcos lead world in texting profits (AFP)
Philippine telcos lead world in texting profits (AFP)09/21/2004 02:43 AM AFP - Philippine carriers Smart Communications and Globe Telecom lead
telcos worldwide in reaping revenues from cellular data transfers,
according to a report in Business World.
BT brings texting to fixed-line phones with Text launch
SF Chronicle: Death Star' trader admits manipulating California
market. The Enron Corp. energy trader who devised the notorious
"Death Star'' scheme to bill California for fictitious electricity
pleaded guilty in a San Francisco court to a federal fraud charge and
admitted plotting to manipulate the market during the state's energy
crisis.
Who else should be indicted? An e-mail
correspondent this morning points to one of the worst offenders in
this scandal: the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, where inaction in the face of utter sleaze
is a way of life.
Instead of helping California and the other states that got screwed by
the bandits at Enron and other energy companies, FERC has consistently
stiffed the victims, offering a tidbit here and there but essentially
doing nothing serious.
FERC keeps insisting that it's on the case. We'll need some actual
evidence one of these days.
Gateway will close its Sioux Falls, S.D., facility this
month, as part of its plan to return to profitability.
Here's a statistic for you: in the last four years, Gateway has
reduced their workforce by 91%, from 24,000 workers worldwide in 2000
to just 2,000 workers after this latest round of layoffs.
If you haven't already, go check out our new venture, Bryght.
What is Bryght? Bryght is all of the following:
1. "The Salesforce.com of community content" 2. Content
Management System + Community Blogging System + Email + DNS + Domain
Name Registration + much more (see our features page for more
details) 3. A hosted website service for communities, corporations,
organizations and individuals built using the open source Drupal
system.
What is the relationship between Bryght and StreamLine? None, other
than the fact that I work on both :-) !
Seriously, StreamLine continues to resell Blogware blogs to individuals
and Bryght is focused solely on hosted Drupal sites (with domains,
email and DNS as well).
Why Blogware blogs? Because Blogware is still the best individual
hosted blog service out there. Why Bryght? Because Bryght is the
best hosted website service for communities.
Too many Christmas lights?
Too many Christmas lights?12/10/2003 07:56 PM Is there such a thing as
too many Christmas lights? I love seeing lavish
displays of lights at Christmas time. Some folks like a few old-fashioned
Christmas lights and some like to deck the halls in a blaze of
glory (this one boasts 700,000 lights). And how
much does it cost to run a fabulous display?
Think Blinky Lights
Think Blinky Lights12/08/2003 03:38 PM It's that time of year I usually fire up xsnow on my sparc console
and stare at the swirling...
and those bright lights
and those bright lights04/01/2005 02:42 PM Just after 9 Wednesday morning, we said goodbye to Felix The Bear. He
left us peacefully and quietly, surrounded by...
Sun Lights Up U.K. Servers, Desktops12/08/2003 10:33 AM Systems vendor's low-cost office software line makes more headway
against rivals as the company signs Britain's Office of Government
Commerce to a five-year deal.
More Northern Lights photos
More Northern Lights photos12/30/2003 12:09 AM OK, I thought my pictures were pretty cool albeit a little dark and
grainy, but check out these photos over at Yahoo....
Campaigns rev up as soon as lights go down (USATODAY.com)
Campaigns rev up as soon as lights go down (USATODAY.com)09/03/2004 06:49 AM USATODAY.com - The general election campaign roared to life Thursday
night less than an hour after President Bush's acceptance speech here
at the Republican convention. Bush was to head for the crucial state
of Pennsylvania shortly after the balloons dropped in Madison Square
Garden, and Democrat John Kerry held a midnight rally in Ohio.
Lights in Plague Park
Lights in Plague Park12/02/2003 01:26 AM Plague Park has a rather unusual collection of lights hanging from a
tree. In the darkness they look like...
"Schubert claimed that lighting accounts
for 25 percent of U.S. electrical energy consumption. Since white LEDs
emit more light per dollar and generate less unwanted heat, they are
potentially a major energy saver." (see EE Times
link)
EV-DO lights up mobile data08/02/2004 08:00 AM The light at the end of the tunnel to 3G mobile data services in the
U.S. is getting brighter as technology that builds on Code Division
Multiple Access networks comes into view.
The Truth of Neon Lights
The Truth of Neon Lights12/02/2003 02:01 AM She's turning 30. And I mean, turning. Walking, one street fades like
a dawn fog and without a signpost or a lamplight she strides into
Next, and 24 hours - towards a café she isn't sure is really as
open...
Show lights up Paralympics
Show lights up Paralympics09/17/2004 06:21 PM The XII Paralympics begins in Athens, after a spectacular opening
ceremony.
Myriad hacks are
emerging for the PSP as eager tweakers have their way with the black
box. Add to the list the ability to control your home automation
system (and TiVo) wirelessly. Liquidice explains:
I now
have the ability to turn my lights on and off. [I] have full control
(Play, Stop, Pause, Menu) of my DVD player, TIVO, and High Def TV, all
wirelessly from my PSP. ... I put an image map on [some] graphics and
created some HTML pages which are hosted on my WACI NX server. The
links are crafted so that when the PSP highlights and clicks on a spot
on the image map, it instructs the WACI NX server to send an IR signal
to my A/V equipment or triggers it's relays to cut power on the
lights.
While he doesn't have step-by-step instructions,
he explains his methodologies pretty clearly, and mentions that an
official Sony web browser for the PSP will make things much
simpler.
(#gizmodo frequenter AMIB points out (with some
sass, it's noted) that the PSP isn't so spectacular in this feat
because all the heavy lifting is handled by the home automation web
server. A valid point, by way of saying any device or code that can
make a GET request to a web server can accomplish the same
thing.)
Myriad hacks are
emerging for the PSP as eager tweakers have their way with the black
box. Add to the list the ability to control your home automation
system (and TiVo) wirelessly. Liquidice explains: