I found very interesting post on Tom Barrett's "ICT in my Classroom" blog about how Twitter is used as an educational tool.

Tom's post also describes where Twitter is positioned among other communications tools. Twitter is not a synchronous or an asynchronous communication system. It is rather both at once depending how channel's followers use it.

He makes a nice metaphoric comparison between Twitter and a flowing torrent where people can just stand by it and observes the flow. Some prefers to jump into while others simply do not pay much attention to the  stream.

Personally I am amazed to see how many different ways Twitter is used today. There are, indeed, lots of individuals (you and me) but also some politicians (Clinton, Obama, UK Prime Minister), Public Services (LA fire department, AmCross), Airlines, News agencies, etc.. which are increasingly using it, but not necessarily to interact with others but to broadcast content or information.

Is any company using Twitter for internal use only ? 

Tags: 2008, air, airlines, art, ATT, blog, ces, communication, downing, ia, ict, im, iso, lan, nomadcom.net, paris, post, prime minister, public, services, twit, Twitter, uk, wp

It is impressive to see the quantity of bad news that reached Microsoft's headquarters this week.

Motivation may not be at its highest level in Redmond.

• Only 60 millions licenses (sic!) of Windows Vista have been sold. It is rather low considering that includes OEM and Corporate agreements (companies getting Vista licenses as part of their contract, but with no short-term plan to deploy it).

• Yahoo announced the acquisition of Zimbra, an open source server and client software for messaging and collaboration (email, group calendaring, contacts, and web document management and authoring).
• Google welcomed "Presentation", a new addition to the Google Docs & Spreadsheets family which has now all elements to compete with MS Office.
• IBM released the beta version of Symphony, a web-based open source office suite, based on the open document format (ODF).
• International Standard Organization (ISO) rejected Microsoft Office 2007 file format, called Office Open XML (OOXML), to be recognized as an ISO standard. Critics said the format was flawed and laden with MS-specific features.
• SCO group, a Microsoft ally to seize parts of the Linux market, took step of filing for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Last but not least

Microsoft lost its appeal before the European Court of First Instance regarding 2004 European Commission act that found MS abusing of its near-monopoly position. Final  Microsoft's bill in fines (689 millon USD) and penalties could reach about 2.8 billions USD.

Don't worry Bill, on Monday starts another week!  

Tags: 2007, agreement, api, appeal, art, blog, europe, google, ia, ibm, im, International, iso, IT World, lan, language, law, LED, Management, microsoft, nomadcom.net, odf, pet, press, release, sco, space, symphony, term, vista, web, windows, windows vista, wp, www, yahoo

The Sony A700 DSLR microsite was briefly available on Sony UK website earlier this week. Yesterday, Sony officially announced the A-700 in a press release.

New A-700 specs are the following :  

• 12.4 megapixel CMOS sensor
• BIONZ image processor
• 11 point autofocus system
• ISO 6400
• 5fps (for 17 shots in RAW mode)
• 1/8000th shutter speed
• 3 inch LCD screen (with 921,000 pixels)
• Optional battery grip
• Wireless Flash support
• Both MemoryStick and CompactFlash cards supported
• Size: 142 x 105 x 80 mm
• Weight: 690g
• Price Tag: : 1400€ body only, 1500€ with lens 18-70mm, 2120€ with lens Zeiss 18-80 mm

3 new DT lenses will be available:

• 16-105mm F3.5-5.6
• 18-250mm F3.5-6.3
• 55-200mm f4-5.6

Availabilty : 16th of November in Japan

Sources : Photography Blog, Virus Photo.
Check the A-700 Hands-on preview on DPreview  

Additional pictures on Engadget site.
More information later this week with the official Sony launch.

Tags: 2007, A700, api, ATT, blog, camera, card, ces, CTU, digital, DSLR, DSLR A700, flash, fon, gap, HP, ia, ict, im, iso, japan, lan, launch, memory, new release, nomadcom.net, pda, photo, Photography, picture, press, project, raw, release, review, screen, sony, space, uk, update, web, website, wireless, wp, www

Nokia has identified that in very rare cases, Nokia branded batteries BL-5C manufactured by Matsushita (Panasonic) between December 2005 and November 2006, could potentially experience over heating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge.

This advisory applies only to the 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006 and not BL-5C produced by other contractors (300 millions unit produced)

According Nokia press statement, there have been approximately 100 incidents of over heating reported globally and to date no serious injuries or property damage have been reported (serious incidents already occurred in 2005). Nevertheless, Nokia and Matsushita offer to replace any BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory.

Mobile phone concerned are the following ones:

Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60

but it also applies on batteries sold separately.  

Complete public advisory and battery identification number check are available on Nokia site.

Tags: 2007, arc, ATT, batteries, BL 5C, blog, CTU, explosion, global, ia, im, iso, lan, Matsushita, mobile, Mobile Communications, mobile phone, nokia, nomadcom.net, overheat, phone, phones, press, public, recall, space, wp, www, XP

When I saw this list on Bruno Giussani's "Blog over IP" post about Internet prices in Europe I could not resist to add some prices for Internet broadband access in Asia.

I did not add prices paid in most countries of Pacific rim but what they pay in Sweden for a monthly  broadband connection is equivalent to what they pay per minute in Kiribati or Cook islands for a noisy dial-up 14.4 kbps.   

Price comparison for consumer broadband in Europe (average monthly price per 1Mbps, from The Telegraph/MoneySupermarket):

1. Sweden GBP 0.32 (EUR 0.48)
2. France GBP 0.83 (EUR 1.23)
3. Finland GBP 1.41
4. Italy GBP 1.71
5. Norway GBP 2.05
6. Holland GBP 2.19
7. Denmark GBP 2.50 (EUR 3.7)
8. Iceland GBP 2.54
9. Germany GBP 2.64 (EUR 3.9)
10. Austria GBP 3.04
11. Belgium GBP 3.40
12. UK GBP 5.60 (EUR 8.3)
13. Portugal GBP 5.84
14. Spain GBP 6.33
15. Poland GBP 6.60
16. Ireland GBP 7.02
17. Luxembourg GBP 9.39
18. Switzerland GBP 11.03 (EUR 16.8)
19. Czech Republic GBP 12.25
20. Greece GBP 16.86
21. Hungary GBP 24.48
22. Slovakia GBP 25.48 (EUR 37.8)
23. Turkey GBP 58.82 (EUR 87.3)

Spectacular differences. Some of the them can be explained by technical reasons (fiber optic vs copper wires etc), some by the overall living costs in a given country. Most of the high prices however are tied to lack of  competition and of innovation in a specific market.

On this part of the World, the gap is definitively lots wider:

1. South Korea KRW 300 (EUR 0.25)
2. Japan JPY 400 (EUR 0.51)
3. China CNY 175 (EUR 17)
4. Singapore SGD 43 (EUR 21)
5. Thailand (BKK) THB 952 (EUR 22.27)
6. Sri Lanka LKR 4500 (EUR 30)
7. Philippines PHP 1995 (EUR 32)
8. Australia AUD 53 (EUR 33.25)
9. Pakistan PKR  4800 (EUR  59)
10. Malaysia MYR 300 (EUR 65)
11. India INR 3600 (EUR 65)
12. Myanmar USD 260 (EUR 192)
13. Fiji FJD 560 (EUR 260)
14. Indonesia USD 2440 (EUR 1800)

nota: On prices above there is no details about the carrier (ADSL, Wireless Local Loop, Fiber, Wimax, etc..) nor specifications about monthly download limits which are usually ridiculous low for a xDSL subscriber (e.g 2 GB) and still applicable in most countries (particularly on the second part of the list).

Internet for everyone at an affordable price is still far from reality.

Tags: 2007, 24, access, art, asia, blog, cable, ces, connection, europe, explain, gap, HP, ia, im, internet, iso, japan, lan, LG, list, MIT, money, myanmar, nomadcom.net, paris, pet, Philippines, post, public, space, switzerland, Telecommunications, Thailand, uk, wireless, world, wp, www, XP

Is the Thomas Edison 1881 invention, one of the most successful invention of the 19th Century, will disappear soon due to its high consumption ? 

Today the World starts to wake up and governments finally show some concern about our ever growing power consumption and all its side effects. This may indicate that time has come for the incandescent bulb to retire. It exists, for many years now, some economical lighting alternatives (fluorescent ) to the incandescent bulb but most of them were not really welcome into our living areas (living room, bed room, etc..) due to the livid bluer color and their acquisition cost.

Then the LED (light-emitting diode) finally jumped out of electronics equipments and started to invade the streets (traffic lights, flashlights, bicycle, etc..). They may replace soon all incandescent and halogen bulbs we still have at home. Brasil and Venezuela have started the phasing out of incandescent lightning and Australia wants to get totally rid of them by 2010.

During "LED EXPO and FPD KOREA 2007" MK Electronics presented its LED lighting 'Lumi-Forta' which can present more 512 colors via remote controller.

In comparison with other bulbs the LED, once its price will be reduce, have lots of advantages

                               Incandescent     Fluorescent     LED 

Lifetime               ~3'000 hrs         ~10'000 hrs     >30'000 hrs
Input Power         60-100 W          20-50 W          7 W      
Temperature        60°C                 45°C               38°C
Color Change        n/a                   n/a                up to 512 pattern
Bright Control       external             n/a                10 steps
Main Issue           Input Power        Recycling        Unit price

Sources : Mkhunics, Ubergizmo, Wikipedia

Tags: 2007, art, ATT, blog, bulb, ces, consumption, Coup de Coeur, economical, electricity, flash, fluorescent, fon, global warming, Great Ideas, ia, im, incandescent, iso, lan, LED, light, lightning, Lumi Forta, MIT, MK Electronics, nomadcom.net, Our World, paris, power, space, traffic, world, wp, www, XP

A Swiss man, was convicted on 29th of March for 10 years in Prison on charge of insulting His Majesty the King by vandalizing His portraits during a drunken spree. 

Pleading guilty to five counts of lese majeste — the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign — for defacing several portraits of His Majesty with spray paint in the northern city of Chiang Mai, the court has reduced his sentence to 10 years.

He could have faced up to 75 years in prison as Lese Majeste is a serious crime in Thailand.

On Thursday 24th of April, the prosecutor announced that His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej has pardoned the Swiss man. As a result, he will be deported from Thailand after his release.

A good news for this 57 year old guy and a good gesture which will hopefully be followed by others, as the actual political turmoil has seriously damaged the international image of the Kingdom.

Happy Sonkran ! 

Sources: The Nation and BBC

 

Tags: 2007, 24, arc, asia, Bangkok, BBC, Bhumibol Adulyadej, blog, ces, convicted, crime, CTU, HP, ia, ict, im, International, iso, King, lan, lese majeste, new year, nomadcom.net, pardon, release, safe, Sonkran, space, swiss, Thailand, uk, wp, www

In the Quest for the "perfect" smartphone, I have just received my new HTC 620 which may replace my actual Dopod 818Pro (HTC Prophet).

Basic comparison

Communications

• Prophet : 4-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Wifi 802.11b/g, bluetooth, IrDa
• S620 : 4-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Wifi 802.11b/g, bluetooth

Size

• Prophet : 108x58x18.2mm, screen 2.8'' 320×240, 65000 colors
• S620 : 111.5×62.5×12.8mm, screen 2.4'' QVGA

Processor / Memory / Battery

• Prophet : TI OMAP 850 200 MHz, ROM/RAM 128/64 MB, SD Card slot, Battery 1200 mAh
• S620 : TI OMAP 850 200 MHz, ROM/RAM 128/64 MB, MicroSD slot, Battery 970 mAh. 

Input Method

• Prophet : Handwritten recognition on tactile screen
• S620 : full 37 keys QWERTY keyboard with backlight

Operating System

• Prophet : Windows Mobile 5.1.195 (build 1487.2.0.0)
• S620 : Windows Mobile 5.1.342 (build 15097.3.0.1) with Direct Push Technology. 

First feeling using S620 after 9 months with Prophet

• S620 is slightly lighter and thiner than Prophet  
• Wifi link establishment is lots faster than with Prophet
• S620 uses WM5 software for smartphone, while Prophet uses WM5 software for Pocket PC.
• S620 uses the same ActiveSync version but cannot synchronize files (perhaps to test again with a MicroSD card inserted).
• Typing method lots faster with keyboard than with handwritting recognition
• S620 does not have predictive text input.

More will  follow based on day-to-day experiences but fell free to participate with questions & experiences.

Tags: 24, 802.11, art, asia, ATT, blog, C720, card, ces, communication, CTU, dopod, europe, fon, free, Gadgets, gap, gsm, htc, ia, ict, im, iso, keyboard, lan, light, map, memory, mobile, Mobile Communications, nomadcom.net, paris, pda, phone, prophet, S620, screen, smartphone, space, technology, telecom, Telecommunications, wifi, windows, WM5, wp, www, XP

The spouses, girlfriends and companions of more than 100 gang members of the communes of Pereira decided to initiate a strike of " crossed legs " that implies absolute sexual abstinence to force them to disarm themselves, to subscribe peace accords and to let mistreat them.

Announcement was made by Julio Cesar Gomez, Metropolitan Security Advisory. He said the proposal is based on scientific studies and surveys with the involved ones of which concludes that the refusal to the intimate relations would be an effective way to force them to discard the violence as life form.

Source: Radio Caracol (in spanish)

In some other countries, could the opposite behavior solve or cool down some conflicts ?

 

Tags: blog, card, ces, ia, ict, im, iso, lan, nomadcom.net, Our World, security, space, survey, USA, wp, www

La Coupe du Monde de foot est terminée et c'est maintenant que cela devient intéressant et surtout bien plus amusant. Inspirés par la fameuse 109 ème minute, le soir même, 3 responsables de "La Plage Records ", une petite maison de production, ébauchent sur un coin de table ce qui va certainement devenir le tube de l'été. Donc après la Lambada et la Soca Dance, ça va désormais zouker avec le désormais fameux "Coup de Boule".

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Est-ce que cette fièvre arrivera jusque sur les bords du Chao Praya ? 

Source: La Tribune.fr & Reuters

Tags: blog, ia, im, iso, lan, nomadcom.net, Our World, pet, term, uk, USA, wp, www