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March 2008 Archive

IDF 2008: The Shanghai Flow

posted by DL Byron on March 31, 2008

Experiencing one of those jet-lag time shifts, where the earth seems to pause on its axis for a moment, I thought “economic growth ain’t pretty.” Pro photographers must have a special Shanghai filter that lets light pass through and blocks the smog, because no matter who the architect is, however much shiny metal, glass orbs, or “Blade Runner” futuristic aesthetic the city offers, it’s still dirty, dingy, and gray. There’s a contrast between the words of hope, progress, hard-work, social-capitalism and “segregated, soulless, and exploitive.”

shanghai_urban.jpg

I wish a Seattle rain would wash the city, or in the words of the Joker, “this town needs an enema.” Getting ready for an urban ride on the streets of the Pudong, I wanted a Softer World where we could breathe easier.

We’ve got the mobile social to keep us in touch, pass the time, and we’re checking all the new tech from Intel. I’m looking for the flow I found in Beijing. There I came to understood it’s the will of the people.

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Trusting Twitter

posted by DL Byron on March 28, 2008

I was telling a colleague about Twitter the other day and he responded that his IT department was blocking it. That reminded me of how Instant Messenger was often being blocked when it first became popular, and undoubtedly other web apps, blogs, and sites are blocked now and monitored. Writing about the business of Web 2.0, David Pogue asks if you’re taking advantage of Web 2.0? Most companies are not, despite all the good reasons to do it. In the case of Twitter, where it may seem like the marginalia of the blogopshere (and most of it is), we’re using it at TDI as a backchannel to our business, watching the flow of blogging, clients, and our traveling associates. Business could Twitter conventions, sales meetings, and live from a client meeting … trusting twitter benefits our business, as does Web 2.0.

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This year I’ll lecture more about social media, being mobile, and what we’re calling the mobile social: a generation of users that are on the move, with social apps, and mobile devices. Next week we’re in Shanghai, doing just that, participating in the mobile social with Intel at the Intel Developer Forum and Blogging Shanghai with Bike Hugger.

2 years ago, I wrote a book about practical business blogging and now the same principals apply. You can trust Twitter and take advantage of Web 2.0, as long as your smart about it and do it your own way.

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Parabolic Boy

posted by DL Byron on March 27, 2008

A narrative and mediation in sound art starts tomorrow at Princeton. The festival is exploring how sound mediations effect meaning in our lives, and how artists are actively engaging narrative and mediation in their work. Download audio samples (zip).

Of interest to us, is we’ve been exploring soundscapes in our Huggacasts — rather primitive, but we’re splicing together the various sounds that shuffle as we ride and mix that with ambient road noise.

parabolicboy.jpg

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Dashboard Powerpoint

posted by DL Byron on March 27, 2008

Pam and I rented a truck recently and I spotted this Powerpoint port on the dash and was all, “WTF, Powerpoint in a truck?” Is that part of Microsft’s Sync OS or what? Like a contractor can drive to construction site, plug in his laptop, and watch a heads up display?

dashboard_powerpoint.jpg

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Twisted and Woven from Printtroll

posted by DL Byron on March 24, 2008

Connected with an old friend online today, via flickr, who knows how and it doesn’t matter. Was just good to see Rob the Roy online with his art.

Uploaded by printtroll

more from the dreeping photostream.

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Anticipating Atom Devices and the Mobile Social

posted by DL Byron on March 18, 2008

Having seen the prototype Gigabyte MID (mobile internet device) at the Bike Hugger BBQ during SXSW and with a flurry of announcements from Intel this week, we’re anticipating a show of Atom-enabled devices at IDF Shanghai. Podtech previews IDF in this video.

There’s a new generation of users that are socializing online and always on the move — the NY Times posted on how mobile iPhone users are earlier this week — we’re calling this demographic the mobile social and will blog more about that and what we find in Shanghai.

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Gigabyte MID Video

posted by DL Byron on March 14, 2008

Video of the Gigabyte MID we spotted at the Bike Hugger BBQ. That’s Bryan Rhoads from Intel and a couple of SXSW attendees.

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Voices That Matter -- Live! From SXSW with DL Byron

posted by DL Byron on March 12, 2008

In this interview, which took place at SXSW 2008, I talk with Michael Nolan about my book, how it came about, Bike Hugger, and our work with Intel, Boeing, and other companies. I also discuss the Intel Developer Forum and traveling to China.

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SXSW Sky

posted by DL Byron on March 11, 2008

Leaving Austin and SXSW the sky looked how I felt — colorful, moody, tired, and settling into the night, and some sleep.

Our Bike Hugger events exceeded expectations, I randomly met everyone I wanted to see, did a Voices that Matter podcast, and rode my bike some.

I was also reminded of this book I wrote once called Publish and Prosper: blogging for your business almost 2 years ago. That seemed like a very long time ago and much has changed, as I noted in this post about mobile devices. The social mobile web is here (for reals this time) and we’ll talk about that more in Shanghai next month.

sxsw_sky.jpg

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Atom-powered Mobile Internet Device

posted by DL Byron on March 10, 2008

EVERYONE has an iPhone at SXSW and there was one of these — an Atom-powered Mobile Internet Device — spotted at the Bike Hugger BBQ. I was curious about it, asked, and learned that it’s a Gigabyte prototye MID running Atom and Linux:

At breakfast the next day, I overhead someone say, “there are so many iPhones now, it’s not cool anymore — I should go retro with a Startac or one of those giant 70s phones.” Or a MID.

That got a round of laughs and I realized that the social-mobile web was upon us. Seeing that many people socializing, working, and using their phones and device was remarkable. We’ll see and learn more about Atom MIDs in Shanghai next month at the Intel Developer Forum and talk more about being social.

Almost a year ago, while in Beijing, we blogged a UMPC prototype.

from the dreeping set on Flickr.

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Candlelit IE8

posted by DL Byron on March 07, 2008

Looking back at my itinerary, it was rather stupid to do a back-to-back (who plans these things — oh I do!): Mix 08 & SXSW, but I’m en route to Austin and expect plenty of browser topics to discuss at the Bike Hugger BBQ. What I learned from Mix is that the new Mix 08-flavored MS is a better MS.

I’ve been around a long time, I think too long sometimes, and there’s def a new “new” going on. For example, this dude, CSS is his life. That’s ALL he does. I reconnected with Molly after what seemed like a very long time. She spent the last 3 years on IE 8. I also hung out with Chris Wilson and watched him Acid Test IE8.

Oh and Ballmer doing the Monkeyboy over web dev was amazing in itself.

At various candlelit parties arranged by Pete LePage, I asked, “so what drove the change on IE8, where’s this new standards thing coming from?” The response was, “standards is good business.”

ie_candelight.jpg

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Flotzam @Mix08

posted by DL Byron on March 05, 2008

I realized I’ve become a conference geek when I start observing an event’s production values. And Mix 08 has some of the best I’ve ever seen. MS is using Flotzam on a jumbotron showing thought cloud quotes from Twitter, Facebook, & Flickr like, “@ the keynote Ray Ozzie is talking about “links, tags, diggs, and discussion.”

Impressive and it’s all done with motion graphics.

from the dreeping set on Flickr.

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Mix 08

posted by DL Byron on March 03, 2008

vectormark.gif My 08 business travel starts with Mix 08 in Vegas and then right onto SXSW where the browser discussion will continue at the Bike Hugger BBQ where WaSP will hold their annual meeting.

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