Twitter for your ears

Michael Arrington has written a post about a new Dave Winer offering called TwitterGram. Winer, the father of blogging, has created a service that allows you to add small audio files (200 kb) to Twitter. The file can be uploaded from your PC/Mac or recorded from your cell phone, Twittergram puts it on a server, and then creates a post on Twitter that links to it. Not sure how this will be received by the tweeting public but who would have believed that Twitter would be the huge success that it is? Then again Dave often develops things, just because he can...

Starting over with free software

Mike Butcher of the Telegraph in the UK has written an interesting article about having to replace his dead notebook and making a conscious decision to use only open source software and free web based services. There are plenty of great applications listed here and, if you are like Mike and in need of upgrading / replacing or you are just cost conscious you should seriously consider the options here. For years analysts have said this day was coming, I think we are finally getting there with these web 2.0 apps.

iPhone hackathon

Only a week out of the box and developers and hackers alike are having a meetup in San Francisco for the first ever iPhone Dev Camp. Wired says that "IPhone Dev Camp is an open forum for developers to build, test and optimize web applications for Apple's handheld device." The idea is to dive into the device, share undocumented features, and come up with new hacks. It will be interesting to see what comes out the other end on Monday!

Time lapse lego movie

I'm not sure what is more impressive, the fact that these two young men took the time to build a Millenium Falcon out of lego, or the fact that they also took the time to make a time lapse movie out of the event. Bravo Paul and Greg!

Facebook not so popular in the work place

It seems as though many government agencies and businesses are turning a cold shoulder to Facebook, the social networking site that was originally open only to students but has recently opened up for all to use. The CBC has the scoop on blocked access in Manitoba.

The YouTube Election

Here is a very interesting story that the Globe and Mail is running regarding the affect that the Internet and YouTube in particular is having on the upcoming American Presidential election. Millions of viewers are tuning in to YouTube to view election related video, some authorized by the candidates and some not. The campaigners are definitely taking notice and trying to work the medium to their advantage. The last election showed the power of the Internet but bandwidth and social networking sites have come along way since then, it will be interesting to see how much impact technology will have.

You as a Simpson's character!

If you are a geek, and I assume you are if you are reading this, you probably are a Simpsons fan. This summer Homer and the rest of the Springfield inhabitants take their show to the big screen. In support of the movie Matt Groening and company have developed an interactive web site that, among other things, allows you to create your own Simpson's avatar. Many famous geeks and celebrities alike have been immortalized as Simpsons characters; Tony Blair, Sting, U2, Stephen Hawking, to mention a few. Know you too can create your own likeness... this is what the Great Big Geek would look like, or something similar.

Ring of Fire to cost Microsoft $1 billion, Xbox Elite for Japan and Jobs coming to Canada

Microsoft was busy on the announcement front yesterday. Firstly, the have admitted that the so called ring of fire problem with the Xbox 360 will cost them $1 billion to cover the cost of extended warranties that it is offering system owners who have experienced the problem, which is indicated by three red flashing lights on the console. Despite the problem Microsoft says the Xbox division will still make a profit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007. In other 360 news, Microsoft has announced an October launch date for the new Xbox 360 Elite. The console will go on sale first in Japan where it's predecessor's sales lag behind Sony and Nintendo. Finally, Microsoft is planning to open a software development center, likely in Vancouver, the move is to allow the company to hire talent from abroad who are having difficulties obtaining work visas to enter the US. BBC News story here.

Your weather update from Honda!

Honda Motor Co. has demonstrated an upgrade to it's on board navigation system that will be available later this year on Honda Fit models in Japan. The service will alert drivers of hazardous weather such as heavy rainfall and seismic events. The system is, at least partially, two-way in that it collects information from cars that are fitted with the device and is able to relate the data collected to road conditions. Honda says they will be able to alert cars, in the future, to road congestion and detours. There are no plans yet to deploy the technology outside of Japan. The CBC's website has the full story here.

Do you Tweet?

For some, blogging is a chore. A lot of people try it and quickly tire of it, or they want to try it but can't find the time in their busy schedule. There are however a number of new services such as Twitter or Jaiku that offer a quick solution to those wanting to keep their friends and followers informed but don't want to invest the time in blogging. Twitter for instance simply asks "What are you doing?" and provides 140 characters in which to respond. The site can be updated through a traditional web interface, via Instant Messenger (IM), or by texting a message on your cell phone (sms). I've had a Twitter account since March of this year, but have not been very good at keeping it up to date. Thankfully there are a number of Twitter applications that enhance the Twitter experience. As of today, thanks to Twitterfeed, my Twitter account will be updated daily with posts to this blog. Even if I don't tweet regularly, my Twitter followers will be able to see my recent blog posts, and to complete the circle if I tweet you'll be able to see it on this blog... scroll down the page, just above my links. I've found blogging a little easier to get into, but I also know of many people who have abandoned their blogs in favor of tweeting. Big media and celebrities alike are utilizing both, so if you've been debating the merits of blogging why not give tweeting a try?