the avantgarde of new media

Al Jessup of Beckley, West Virginia, has 12 cheap satellite dishes stuck to his house, which pull in over 5,000 free-to-air channels from satellites all over the sky. He is retired, and delights in odd and foreign programming. (via Paul Keller)

Let it snow

On friday 25th november 2005, the netherlands were hit by a surprisingly intensive snowfall and rainstorm in the south and east of the country, resulting in one of the biggest traffic jams, an estimated 800km plus numerous accidents, road blocks and even power cuts, due to broken tree branches. Schiphol airport also reported massive delays and cancelled flights as it was only able to use a single runway.

From our point of view: Valentina and me left Rotterdam at about 12.00am for Hengelow and we entered the snow zone, a reported 30cm+ snowfall right after Utrecht, which kept on getting whiter and stormier by the km. Our first unprogrammed stop happened about 3km before Apeldoorn, due to our train colliding with a car's hanger, noone harmed, but a stop for nearly 2 hours till it was cleaned up. Yet just about on the next crossing ahead, a stuck truck stopped our journey again, not moving back nor forth blocking the rails. Another half an hour later and after receiving information that already 6 lines are down due to branches, etc. the traindriver finally decides to drive back to the previous town due to the truck not moving, resulting in a rebellious traveller pulling the emergency break. Another painful half an hour later, we finally get going but the truck was finally pulled away and we arrive at Apeldorn at last. 17.00 and being 2 hours late for our meeting, we had cancelled an hour ago and decide to go back to Rotterdam. Yet again, lucky lucky, just as we arrive, trains are getting cancelled and chaos reports come spilling in no trains, no busses and no cars(taxis) whatsoever. Whilst waiting at the train station, power failure is experienced. Lights uncontrollably go out and on again, kids start crying and comments flying.
Hours later all hotels booked out, the town hall is turned into a crisis center, broodjes and koffie is handed out. People are slowy filling up the waiting hall, I count about 100 in the end. Mobiles are used, credits are running out.
24:00, the city managed to get us a space at the local army barrack's gym. We arrive, split up in Buben and Maedchens, the guys toilets manage to experience a 2cm high water puddle, due to melting snow as we all hope.
Slowly matresses arrive along with duvets and pillows, simple but warm. As far as I can tell from the men's department, it wasn't as smelly as I expected and we had few snorers, yet the light in the gym seemed to be motion-triggered or timebased, resulting in another switch-on and occasional additional stranded guests till about a good 4:00 am.
Somehow we managed to organize a car to the train station at 7am, skipping the city-planned 9am mass-transit, trains were running, we catch a train to rotterdam after 5 minutes and Valentina reaches Schiphol in time(to my knowledge).

Only winner Rob, who couldn't make it to the meeting on friday, he must have know this to happen cause he is dutch!

How fragile physical networks can be...


Help for stranded travellers article (dutch)

The Internet of Dings

I wanna tag more (and I wanna blog more, too), I am always intrigued how new technological phenomena and trends result in us spending more time with non-living things, instead of increasing, not even enhancing, the time we spend with the "happy" and "beautiful" people. It is, even more disturbing that most of the "big projects" don't quite work either as intended or at all.

So these days I am getting myself a product. Nicely wrapped up, I come home and first of all I might give my eBay counterpart a good recommendation in case I bought it there, I can then register myself, or better the product, at the personal account page on the internet, which might lead to more enetering addresses and consumer profiling next time I check there. I might blog the cool new thing if I have a trendy blog or big-brother blog, I might blog and tag it at relevant other news and discussion sites. Now I could look at all the accessories I might want for my new thing, or actually download the latest conncetion software and slowly get my laptop, mobile, car and my undies connected to this thing, which is clever because otherwise, if I do this after I started using my new product, I might have to reboot or update my logs and lists on my new product or even install a new OS as the old version doesn't support all what I want to do (or in Sony's case it's bizarrly the new version that let's you do less on the PSP how future is that?)
So I finally wanna be all over my new product and show it to friends and introduce them to the new terms this product is using, so I actually have to talk about something. But wait, I have to create this new ID, log it in somewhere and maybe or not sync it to that other network of I don't know.
Two weeks later, I might be able to use and even enjoy my new product.
Maybe I should have bought that bottle of nice red wine I saw instead, some of my friends, including me the nice social glue that alcohol is and even my doctor says one bottle a day keeps the birdflu away.
Now can someone really tell me what the future of connectivity should consist of? If someone says bubble, I pinch you!

no photoshoplifting

BroC writes:

Hi Rob,

I work since 8 years in a graphic studio on weekly free local papers with fifteen other graphic designers.

We scan a lot of pictures each week, from a lot of origins, often already printed, stuffed, reduced and all use thinkable and unthinkable. We must invest generally very bad documents and make them usable in the advertisements. For this work we use Macintosh computers with OS X and different professional software as Adobe Photoshop and Quark XPress. Just one people has always an OS 9 and use and old machine efficient at its level.

This Friday 25 November, G. scans a sad picture of 50 euros Bank note. It was already printed and manipulated, including 3 logotypes of the advertiser. After scan, G. erase dots of the offset weft and to clear and correct colors and clearness. She save the file on our server and give all material to a designer to set advertisement. Designer desires to integrate the money picture with a background and opens the file in Photoshop CS.

The software refuses to open the file and alerts :
This software cannot permit unauthorized treatment of bank notes pictures.
To obtain informations on Internet about these restrictions of copy and distribution of bank notes pictures, clic on Information button underneath or join following adress: www.rulesforuse.org

Scanner, similarly cannot open again its own file with Adobe Photoshop, no more than other designer on their computer. The picture of 50 euros Bank note is now locked to all access.

We arrive to import it in the advertisement but impossible to work directly on it and to modify it again.
Also printing seems no more authorized.

After some research, we discover that effectively Adobe Photoshop CS and CS2 include a detection process of bank note using and prevent it.

Finally we back down the file in Photoshop 7 in OS 9 which soft opens the file currently.

But that is not all. Even after modification on the file and to save as, no way to open it in Photoshop CS and CS2. The stop follows the file and its copies and alterations.

So, we finally find a way of production for the advertisement and following to research information about the restriction of use of bank notes pictures.

Here we are links to 'official' site of CDS, the position of Adobe about its use and also a site discussing this use.
http://www.rulesforuse.org/
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cds.html
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,61890,00.html

Best thoughts
BroC

--
Get off the internet, I'll see you in the streets.
Quitte ton clavier, nous nous rencontrerons en rue.

The world of the future depends on what each one of us chooses to do today.
Le monde de demain dépend de ce que chacun de nous choisi de faire aujourd'hui.

Sure, do You want more stupid conversation?

Mirjam Struppek opens her I Chat and:

Today I opened my I chat and suddenly there were two uninvited members:
SoppingBuddy and MovieFone....

That's what the robots answer:

was soll das, wer bist du?

ShoppingBuddy is built and maintained by a company called InfiniteAgent. At
InfiniteAgent we do track the different requests that are made and the
answers that we are sending back to you so that we can make sure the robot
is working properly. Type more.

privacy anytime

ShoppingBuddy is built and maintained by a company called InfiniteAgent. At
InfiniteAgent we do track the different requests that are made and the
answers that we are sending back to you so that we can make sure the robot
is working properly. Type more.

More

Other than your screen name we have no other personal information that is
directly related to you. Type more.

More

The other information that we do have is just the plain text of questions.
comments and searches [what people type] and the different things that the
bot has responded with. We use this information in an aggregated, anonymous
form to make sure things are running smoothly. And we make sure that the
folks at AOL know what people are asking for too. Type more.


......


At one point they will use these data connected to the location of the
hotspots and build new movietheatres where especially many people ask for
movieinfos......


and:

More?

Yes!


Sure, do You want more stupid conversation?


Hey Whats that! Who are you!

Hello again. ;-)

OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec...

I didn't find any good matches 4 U but may I ask you a question?

?

Still wondering what to get for someone special?

May I ask YOU a question?

Then try How to Give a Favorite Gift from GAP for some ideas that will make
your gift even more special.

What do you really want from me, I did not invite you to my list?

Mm hm. OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec... didn't find any
specific products. Try searching again or type M for the Main Menu. Also try
gap.com.

gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap
gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap

I didn't find what you were searching for in the GAP HOLIDAY FAVORITES.
Would you like me to search AOL Shopping?

Y - Yes
N - No

For more GAP gift suggestions go to gap.com.

fuck off

OK, no problem. You will NOT be alerted. You can come back any time and
opt-in.

Now, type, M to go back to the Main Menu.

bye

bye
Come back any time -- I never sleep and am here to help you shop.

So now it is official

To be released mid-November 2005

"ITU Internet Reports 2005: The Internet of Things
is the seventh in the series of "ITU Internet Reports" originally launched in 1997 by the International Telecommunication Union. For previous titles in the series see ITU Internet Reports 2004: The Portable Internet , ITU Internet Reports 2003: Birth of Broadband, and ITU Internet Reports 2002: Internet for a Mobile Generation.

Written by a team of analysts from the Strategy and Policy Unit (SPU) of the ITU, the report takes a look at the next step in "always on" communications, in which new technologies like RFID and smart computing promise a world of networked and interconnected devices that provide relevant content and information whatever the location of the user. Everything from tires to toothbrushes will be in communications range, heralding the dawn of a new era, one in which today’s Internet (of data and people) gives way to tomorrow’s Internet of Things.

We are heading towards what can be termed a “ubiquitous network society”, one in which networks and networked devices are omnipresent. Early forms of ubiquitous information and communication networks are already visible in the widespread use of mobile phones today: there were over 1.8 billion mobile phones in circulation by the end of 2004, and the number is set to surpass 2 billion by the end of 2005. Mobile data applications such as SMS, i-mode and Vodafone Live! have brought Internet-like services to the pockets of many mobile phone users. But what if much more was connected to a network: a fridge, a car, a cup of tea?"

the conceptual counterpart to M2M : "wellbeing"

Everyone seems to be so concerned with our wellbeing all of a sudden:

Mirjam Struppek sends me:

HUMANWARE

"In this research project, we consider "future values" to be a well-being life, so we explore a different type of ubiquitous services based on our images of "future values". We came up with a new service concept called "inspiration-induced ubiquitous services." Unlike the conventional approach to providing ubiquitous services which focus on assistance from the outside, the inspiration-induced ubiquitous services work on the inner self of individuals and thus encourage individuals to act in certain ways."