2008-03-29
Dan Solove on Reputation
Clifford Thomson sent me a link to a talk Dan Solove gave at Google on his new book The Future of Reputation. I interviewed Dan on Technometria a while back about his earlier book The Digital Person. Dan's a very interesting speaker and raises important issues in his books and in this video. This is well worth watching if you're interested in the intersection of privacy and reputation in the Internet age. Tags: itconversations reputation identity video privacy
Clifford Thomson sent me a link to a talk Dan Solove gave at Google on his new book The Future of Reputation. I interviewed Dan on Technometria a while back about his earlier book The Digital Person. Dan's a very interesting speaker and raises important issues in his books and in this video. This is well worth watching if you're interested in the intersection of privacy and reputation in the Internet age. Tags: itconversations reputation identity video privacy
[04:51 | Phil Windley]
Update Your RSS Feed URL for IT Conversations!
One of the consequences of IT Conversations leaving Gigavox Media and returning to the Conversations Network fold is that eventually we needed to remove 'gigavox' from the feed name. Unfortunately, Feedburner will only forward a feed for 30 days and many RSS readers don't seem process permanent redirects well (change the URL permanently, not just follow it). As a result, you might not be seeing updated IT Conversations shows in your favorite podcatcher. So, take a few minutes and make...
One of the consequences of IT Conversations leaving Gigavox Media and returning to the Conversations Network fold is that eventually we needed to remove 'gigavox' from the feed name. Unfortunately, Feedburner will only forward a feed for 30 days and many RSS readers don't seem process permanent redirects well (change the URL permanently, not just follow it). As a result, you might not be seeing updated IT Conversations shows in your favorite podcatcher. So, take a few minutes and make...
[04:06 | Phil Windley]
2008-03-27
Cluster computing, with large data, for the classroom
This week’s Perspectives is a two-parter: an interview and companion screencast on the topic of cluster computing in the classroom. The interview is with Kyril Faenov, the General Manager of the Windows HPC (high performance computing) unit, and the screencast is with Rich Ciapala, a program manager for Microsoft HPC++ Labs. The project demonstrated in the screencast, and discussed in the interview, is called CompFin Lab. It’s a system that enables professors to in turn enable their students to run...
This week’s Perspectives is a two-parter: an interview and companion screencast on the topic of cluster computing in the classroom. The interview is with Kyril Faenov, the General Manager of the Windows HPC (high performance computing) unit, and the screencast is with Rich Ciapala, a program manager for Microsoft HPC++ Labs. The project demonstrated in the screencast, and discussed in the interview, is called CompFin Lab. It’s a system that enables professors to in turn enable their students to run...
[13:24 | Jon Udell]
Slideshows on IT Conversations!
Yesterday I posted Jane McGonigal's talk from ETech 2007 on creating alternate realities. This is the first show on IT Conversations that features our new slideshow tool for playing audio sync'd with the slides. For some talks this can make a real difference in the quality since they rely on the visuals so much. In the past we've sometimes not published good content because it relied too much on the slides. No more! Check it out and let us know...
Yesterday I posted Jane McGonigal's talk from ETech 2007 on creating alternate realities. This is the first show on IT Conversations that features our new slideshow tool for playing audio sync'd with the slides. For some talks this can make a real difference in the quality since they rely on the visuals so much. In the past we've sometimes not published good content because it relied too much on the slides. No more! Check it out and let us know...
[02:26 | Phil Windley]
2008-03-26
Revisiting the InfoWorld metadata explorer
A while ago I wrote an alternative search and navigation interface to InfoWorld.com. The search is broken now because the underlying engine switched from Ultraseek to Google, and nobody has updated the search wrapper. But the navigation piece still works, and while it does, I want to invite some commentary because I’m thinking of doing something similar for another project. In this model the navigation is metadata-driven, and supports views like: InfoWorld stories tagged ‘Silverlight’ InfoWorld news stories tagged ‘Silverlight’...
A while ago I wrote an alternative search and navigation interface to InfoWorld.com. The search is broken now because the underlying engine switched from Ultraseek to Google, and nobody has updated the search wrapper. But the navigation piece still works, and while it does, I want to invite some commentary because I’m thinking of doing something similar for another project. In this model the navigation is metadata-driven, and supports views like: InfoWorld stories tagged ‘Silverlight’ InfoWorld news stories tagged ‘Silverlight’...
[09:31 | Jon Udell]
2008-03-25
True Grassroots Politics
I just got back from my precinct caucus meeting (Republican) where I was elected by my friends and neighbors as precinct Vice Chair for the coming two years. I was conducting the meeting as Chair. I love caucus meetings. This is true grassroots politics. Everyone asking question, voting for delegates to the state and county conventions, paper ballots. There's some good discussion and great participation. I'm always shocked at how few people, relatively speaking, attend. We had a better turn...
I just got back from my precinct caucus meeting (Republican) where I was elected by my friends and neighbors as precinct Vice Chair for the coming two years. I was conducting the meeting as Chair. I love caucus meetings. This is true grassroots politics. Everyone asking question, voting for delegates to the state and county conventions, paper ballots. There's some good discussion and great participation. I'm always shocked at how few people, relatively speaking, attend. We had a better turn...
[17:51 | Phil Windley]
Rediscovering LibraryThing
To prepare for an interview with Tim Spalding, the founder and lead developer of LibraryThing, I re-registered with LibraryThing, spent some quality time with the service, and was wildly impressed. At one point in the interview, Tim asked me how I, Mr. LibraryLookup, as likely a person as there is to use and appreciate LibraryThing, could have gone so long without hooking up with it. I think part of the answer is hidden in the first paragraph: I had to...
To prepare for an interview with Tim Spalding, the founder and lead developer of LibraryThing, I re-registered with LibraryThing, spent some quality time with the service, and was wildly impressed. At one point in the interview, Tim asked me how I, Mr. LibraryLookup, as likely a person as there is to use and appreciate LibraryThing, could have gone so long without hooking up with it. I think part of the answer is hidden in the first paragraph: I had to...
[09:28 | Jon Udell]
CTO Breakfast Thursday
The CTO Breakfast will be held this Thursday, March 27 at 8am in the Novell Cafeteria (Building G). Anyone interested in high-tech and product development is welcome. The discussion is free-form, so feel free to bring some topics to discuss. Here is a list of upcoming meetings: Apr 17 (Thursday) May 30 (Friday) June 27 (Friday) Please get them on your calendar! Tags: utah events cto breakfast
The CTO Breakfast will be held this Thursday, March 27 at 8am in the Novell Cafeteria (Building G). Anyone interested in high-tech and product development is welcome. The discussion is free-form, so feel free to bring some topics to discuss. Here is a list of upcoming meetings: Apr 17 (Thursday) May 30 (Friday) June 27 (Friday) Please get them on your calendar! Tags: utah events cto breakfast
[06:02 | Phil Windley]
Utah Holds Caucuses Tonight: Change Congress
Utah will hold caucus meetings tonight for the purpose of selecting delegates to the county and state conventions. Your voice is amplified many times over by being part of the process that decides who's on the ballot rather than just selecting from a few candidates in November. The caucus meeting with be with people in your neighborhood--probably people you know. You can find out what precinct you live in by clicking here. Then you can visit the Republican or Democratic...
Utah will hold caucus meetings tonight for the purpose of selecting delegates to the county and state conventions. Your voice is amplified many times over by being part of the process that decides who's on the ballot rather than just selecting from a few candidates in November. The caucus meeting with be with people in your neighborhood--probably people you know. You can find out what precinct you live in by clicking here. Then you can visit the Republican or Democratic...
[02:15 | Phil Windley]
2008-03-24
A conversation with Carl Malamud about access to public information
This week’s ITConversations show is a chat with Carl Malamud, whose exploits I’ve followed ever since he launched podcasting a decade ahead of schedule with a project called Internet Talk Radio. Since then, Carl’s mainly known for his tireless crusade to release troves of public information to the Net: SEC filings, patents, Congressional video, historical photographs, and most recently, U.S. case law. One of the questions I wanted to explore with Carl is also raised here by John Montgomery: Popfly,...
This week’s ITConversations show is a chat with Carl Malamud, whose exploits I’ve followed ever since he launched podcasting a decade ahead of schedule with a project called Internet Talk Radio. Since then, Carl’s mainly known for his tireless crusade to release troves of public information to the Net: SEC filings, patents, Congressional video, historical photographs, and most recently, U.S. case law. One of the questions I wanted to explore with Carl is also raised here by John Montgomery: Popfly,...
[08:12 | Jon Udell]
Parallels and OS X Instability
Lately, I've had a very rocky relationship with my Mac Book Pro. One of the things that attracted me to OS X was its stability. Over the past several months (before and after Leopard) my MBP has had trouble with sleeping, waking, and weird, inexplicable freezing. Often when the machine woke up, it would the screen would be black and never come back. The machine would freeze at odd times and nothing would unstick it. I couldn't even log in...
Lately, I've had a very rocky relationship with my Mac Book Pro. One of the things that attracted me to OS X was its stability. Over the past several months (before and after Leopard) my MBP has had trouble with sleeping, waking, and weird, inexplicable freezing. Often when the machine woke up, it would the screen would be black and never come back. The machine would freeze at odd times and nothing would unstick it. I couldn't even log in...
[08:10 | Phil Windley]
Broken Finger
No, that's not my X-Ray. I don't have a copy of mine to post yet, but I do have a swelling broken finger as the result of a difficult to start pressure washer. Oh, and I have Vicodin too. Now here's the funny part. It's not fixed yet. The x-ray revealed an "interesting" break. That's not my description. The physician's assistant who read them actually said that a few times. So I'm scheduled to see an orthopaedic specialist at...
No, that's not my X-Ray. I don't have a copy of mine to post yet, but I do have a swelling broken finger as the result of a difficult to start pressure washer. Oh, and I have Vicodin too. Now here's the funny part. It's not fixed yet. The x-ray revealed an "interesting" break. That's not my description. The physician's assistant who read them actually said that a few times. So I'm scheduled to see an orthopaedic specialist at...
[01:06 | Jeremy Zawodny]
2008-03-21
Perspectives: Understanding CardSpace with Vittorio Bertocci
The second installment of Perspectives is up, with Vittorio Bertocci, author of Understanding Windows CardSpace. This interview was recorded a few months ago, and has been waiting for the Perspectives site to launch. In January I excerpted the part about omnidirectional identity, a difficult phrase that I continue to struggle with. Maybe a better one is Internet persona: the social mask that you project when you self-publish online, and to which reputation attaches. Whatever we call this phenomenon, its Laws...
The second installment of Perspectives is up, with Vittorio Bertocci, author of Understanding Windows CardSpace. This interview was recorded a few months ago, and has been waiting for the Perspectives site to launch. In January I excerpted the part about omnidirectional identity, a difficult phrase that I continue to struggle with. Maybe a better one is Internet persona: the social mask that you project when you self-publish online, and to which reputation attaches. Whatever we call this phenomenon, its Laws...
[07:55 | Jon Udell]
2008-03-20
Asking as a Substitute for Thinking
Reading the comments to Patterns for email as work conversation, I came across a comment that hit on something I see all too often (and am certainly guilty of myself): I’m definitely trying to get people used to the idea that I may only answer e-mails during two periods a day, but that if they have something quick, I’m available via IM. The issue really revolves around that I need some uninterrupted/uninterruptible chunks of time during the day or...
Reading the comments to Patterns for email as work conversation, I came across a comment that hit on something I see all too often (and am certainly guilty of myself): I’m definitely trying to get people used to the idea that I may only answer e-mails during two periods a day, but that if they have something quick, I’m available via IM. The issue really revolves around that I need some uninterrupted/uninterruptible chunks of time during the day or...
[17:36 | Jeremy Zawodny]
A close call: photos lost, then found
While reviewing a white paper by a colleague on the subject of personal digital archives, I realized that I hadn’t followed through on a plan to consolidate a few different caches of digital photos from various digicam and computer eras. So of course, when I went looking, things weren’t exactly the way I remembered. One particular batch was missing, and there were some anxious moments while I booted up dormant computers and mounted shelved disks. In the end I found...
While reviewing a white paper by a colleague on the subject of personal digital archives, I realized that I hadn’t followed through on a plan to consolidate a few different caches of digital photos from various digicam and computer eras. So of course, when I went looking, things weren’t exactly the way I remembered. One particular batch was missing, and there were some anxious moments while I booted up dormant computers and mounted shelved disks. In the end I found...
[11:13 | Jon Udell]
Visualizing Workflow and Transparent Systems
I thoroughly enjoyed Jon Udell's interview with Ward Cunningham on IT Conversations. They talk a lot about Ward's efforts at the Eclipse Foundation to build transparent workflow systems. That is, as Jon puts it: But what if you could find out, before pressing the Save button, what's going on in that black box? And what if your way of finding out wasn't by reading bogus documentation, but instead by probing the system itself using its own test framework? From Ward...
I thoroughly enjoyed Jon Udell's interview with Ward Cunningham on IT Conversations. They talk a lot about Ward's efforts at the Eclipse Foundation to build transparent workflow systems. That is, as Jon puts it: But what if you could find out, before pressing the Save button, what's going on in that black box? And what if your way of finding out wasn't by reading bogus documentation, but instead by probing the system itself using its own test framework? From Ward...
[03:49 | Phil Windley]
2008-03-19
Yahoo + Microsoft = Web Mail Dominance
I just ran across this graphic in Dave McClure's Flickr photostream and realized that I never considered what combining HotMail (that name still makes me giggle a bit) and Yahoo! Mail under the same company would mean. "Web Mail Dominance" kind of jumped to mind. Granted, I know nothing of the relative growth rates of the services included in that graphic, but even if Gmail does somehow come to rule the world one day, there's going to be a long...
I just ran across this graphic in Dave McClure's Flickr photostream and realized that I never considered what combining HotMail (that name still makes me giggle a bit) and Yahoo! Mail under the same company would mean. "Web Mail Dominance" kind of jumped to mind. Granted, I know nothing of the relative growth rates of the services included in that graphic, but even if Gmail does somehow come to rule the world one day, there's going to be a long...
[15:25 | Jeremy Zawodny]
2008-03-18
When the LazyWeb gets too lazy
I’m running a couple of services that make automatic use of Amazon wishlists, and today I noticed that the current version of the API is going away: 503 - Service Unavailable ECS3 is currently unavailable due to a planned outage in preparation for the complete shutdown of ECS3 on March 31, 2008. After March 31, 2008, we will no longer accept Amazon ECS 3.0 requests. Please upgrade to the Amazon Associates Web Service (previously called Amazon E-Commerce Web Service 4.0)...
I’m running a couple of services that make automatic use of Amazon wishlists, and today I noticed that the current version of the API is going away: 503 - Service Unavailable ECS3 is currently unavailable due to a planned outage in preparation for the complete shutdown of ECS3 on March 31, 2008. After March 31, 2008, we will no longer accept Amazon ECS 3.0 requests. Please upgrade to the Amazon Associates Web Service (previously called Amazon E-Commerce Web Service 4.0)...
[17:52 | Jon Udell]
Why Electronic Employment Verification Is a Bad Idea
When Americans (led by Lou Dobbs) scream "do something about illegal immigration" at the top of their lungs, you know we're going to get saddled with a bunch of awful ideas. One of those is Electronic Employment Verification, or EEV. EEV is a plan to create a big federal database of everyone eligible to work. Before a potential employer could give you a job, you'd have to be "cleared to work" by the Feds. Even worse, it will just be...
When Americans (led by Lou Dobbs) scream "do something about illegal immigration" at the top of their lungs, you know we're going to get saddled with a bunch of awful ideas. One of those is Electronic Employment Verification, or EEV. EEV is a plan to create a big federal database of everyone eligible to work. Before a potential employer could give you a job, you'd have to be "cleared to work" by the Feds. Even worse, it will just be...
[14:50 | Phil Windley]
A conversation with Ward Cunningham about visible workings and aboutus.org
This week on ITConversations I have a two-part interview with Ward Cunningham. In part one, we explore his implementation of Brian Marick’s visible workings idea, which combines software testing with business process transparency. This is one of those transformative ideas that will not, at first, seem interesting and important to most people. And maybe it never will. But then again, Ward has a track record. The wiki idea didn’t at first seem interesting and important to most people either, and...
This week on ITConversations I have a two-part interview with Ward Cunningham. In part one, we explore his implementation of Brian Marick’s visible workings idea, which combines software testing with business process transparency. This is one of those transformative ideas that will not, at first, seem interesting and important to most people. And maybe it never will. But then again, Ward has a track record. The wiki idea didn’t at first seem interesting and important to most people either, and...
[08:18 | Jon Udell]
Dreams from My Father: My Attempts to Know Obama
I just finished reading Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance over the weekend. Like many I'm intrigued with Barack Obama and would like to understand him better. I feel like reading the book certainly helped in that quest, but I can't say that it made more--or less--inclined to vote for him. First, ignoring politics, this is a great book. I enjoyed it thoroughly, sometimes forgetting that what I was reading was autobiography because the story was...
I just finished reading Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance over the weekend. Like many I'm intrigued with Barack Obama and would like to understand him better. I feel like reading the book certainly helped in that quest, but I can't say that it made more--or less--inclined to vote for him. First, ignoring politics, this is a great book. I enjoyed it thoroughly, sometimes forgetting that what I was reading was autobiography because the story was...
[04:08 | Phil Windley]
2008-03-17
FeedBurner Implementation Note
Just a quick heads up to anyone who cares (probably only a few of you), as mentioned last night, I've implemented FeedBurner for my blog's main RSS feed on a trial basis. For most of you, that means virtually nothing changes. At worst, you may see the last 10-20 entries appear as "new" or "changed" in whatever RSS reader you use. And for most of you that's either Google Reader or Bloglines (based on the stats I have already). If...
Just a quick heads up to anyone who cares (probably only a few of you), as mentioned last night, I've implemented FeedBurner for my blog's main RSS feed on a trial basis. For most of you, that means virtually nothing changes. At worst, you may see the last 10-20 entries appear as "new" or "changed" in whatever RSS reader you use. And for most of you that's either Google Reader or Bloglines (based on the stats I have already). If...
[16:44 | Jeremy Zawodny]
In New York City for the Business of APIs Conference
I tried to post this late last night but my laptop managed to freeze up on me. Gotta love this modern technology, no? And this morning the hotel Wifi is still down and my EVDO card is struggling to keep up with me. And there's some crazy jackhammer work going on outside that's been driving me nuts all morning too. Yay! Anyway, I'm in New York City today for the Business of API's Conference at the Yale Club, which...
I tried to post this late last night but my laptop managed to freeze up on me. Gotta love this modern technology, no? And this morning the hotel Wifi is still down and my EVDO card is struggling to keep up with me. And there's some crazy jackhammer work going on outside that's been driving me nuts all morning too. Yay! Anyway, I'm in New York City today for the Business of API's Conference at the Yale Club, which...
[09:58 | Jeremy Zawodny]
2008-03-14
Openness is not a Poison Pill at Yahoo!
Mary Jo Foley asks Could Yahoo’s ‘openness’ be another anti-Microsoft poison pill? Yahoo traditionally has been and continues to be a big open-source backer. It runs its datacenters on open-source software (something Microsoft officials have said they don’t intend to rip and replace immediately — while avoiding saying never). But over the past couple of weeks, Yahoo has really been banging its “we’re more open than ever” drum.” Yahoo announced in mid-February that it had implemented what it believed to...
Mary Jo Foley asks Could Yahoo’s ‘openness’ be another anti-Microsoft poison pill? Yahoo traditionally has been and continues to be a big open-source backer. It runs its datacenters on open-source software (something Microsoft officials have said they don’t intend to rip and replace immediately — while avoiding saying never). But over the past couple of weeks, Yahoo has really been banging its “we’re more open than ever” drum.” Yahoo announced in mid-February that it had implemented what it believed to...
[18:50 | Jeremy Zawodny]
Missing the cluetrain
I wasn’t going to post this humorous anecdote but Mike Caulfield reminded me that it’s too funny not to share. After musing about a subscription service for running shoes, I walked in my local store, bought a new pair, and invited them to notify me in three months. Hilarity ensued. He: We’re not really set up to do that. Me: You could email me. He: Yeah, but then we’d have to keep some kind of customer database on the computer....
I wasn’t going to post this humorous anecdote but Mike Caulfield reminded me that it’s too funny not to share. After musing about a subscription service for running shoes, I walked in my local store, bought a new pair, and invited them to notify me in three months. Hilarity ensued. He: We’re not really set up to do that. Me: You could email me. He: Yeah, but then we’d have to keep some kind of customer database on the computer....
[11:21 | Jon Udell]