Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
April 10, 2008

Adobe Media Player Launches, A Buggy But Promising App for Desktop Video
The Adobe media player is now available for download. Personally, I thought YouTube worked just fine. But the player, of course, is mostly about locked-down commercial video. "The player is capable of on-demand streaming, live streaming, progressive download, and protected download-and-play right now." Michael Calore, Wired, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Video, YouTube] [Comment]

MicroContent Map
You are invited to compare the Microcontent Map with the various PLE diagrams that have been created over the years (see my presentation from a few days ago). It's the same concept, this time expressed in terms of data formats. Arnaud Leene, Microcontent Musings, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

Why I Deleted My Twitter Account
You could sort of see this post coming after this post in which cartoon blogger Hugh Macleod landed a book deal. "Back in 2004, my blogging buddies and I knew we were onto a good thing. Something powerful and creative and earth-changing. But that's not the main reason we liked it. We liked it because we enjoyed it, because it was interesting, because of the smart, passionate, fun people we were starting to hang out with. A decade from now, maybe blogs as we know them won't even exist. Maybe they'll call them something else. Do I care? Not really... Ten years from now, these people will still be around, geeking out on the internet ." Hugh macleod, Gaping Void, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Twitter, Books, Web Logs] [Comment]

Gartner: Windows Collapsing Under Its Own Weight; Radical Change Needed
I totally agree with the gist of the report. "Windows should create versions for specific uses. These modules would be able to swapped out depending on the customer.... Windows needs to be replaced, lock-in needs to end and product schedules need to be more predictable." Of course, agreeing with the gist of the report basically also means the ends of the Windows era. Oh well... Larry Dignan, ZD Net, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Microsoft] [Comment]

Wii Becomes Home of Online Video
The Wii is becoming a web application that streams videos from the BBC. Why Nintendo? "If you want to get on the PlayStation or Xbox, they want control of the look, the feel and the experience; they want it done within their shop, and their shop only." Go Beeb go! Darren Waters, BBC News, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Wii, Video, Experience] [Comment]

What'S Emerging?
Interesting liust of things that are emergent. For example, "Shifts in company culture, including towards more openness and more innovation." And "Definitions and terminology, including definitions of web 2.0, enterprise 2.0." I'm not saying I necessarily endorse these as examples - I'm thinking about them. But they are great discussion-starters. Ray Sims, Sims Learning Connections, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

The Truth According To Wikipedia
Interesting video about Wikipedia and Web 2.0. The video has clips of Larry Sanger, Tim O'Reilly, Jimmy Wales, Andrew Keen, and others - and hence, is full of sound-bites. The thing about this form - the video documentary - is that there is no really way (or requirement) to substantiate perspectives with argumentation and evidence. So I found it a bit loose - O'Reilly (as one commenter notes) still claiming to have invented web 2.0, Keen making statements unchallenged. Oh, and let's not forget all the 'hippie' remarks. And what I wondered most was how these guys managed to get a 48 minute video onto YouTube when I am blocked if I try to upload anything longer than ten minutes. But for all that, the video is still worth watching. IJsbrand van Veelen, VPROinternational, on YouTube, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Web 2.0, Video, Wikipedia, YouTube] [Comment]

Top 100 Tools for Learning Spring 2008
As widely reported elsewhere, "The Top 100 Tools for Learning Spring 2008 list has now been finalised from the contributions of 155 learning professionals from education, workplace learning and continuing professional development." Jane Hart, Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Online Learning] [Comment]

Can Schools Teach Leadership? If so, Why Don't They? If Not, Are Schools Doomed?
The whole concept of teaching 'leadership' is, in my opinion, flawed. We should rather be focusing on teaching people how to be self-reliant, proactive, empowered and creative. I know that some people equate these things with 'leadership' - but the concept of leadership has at its heart to do with having legions, workers, acolytes or followers, which is not part of what I would be teaching people. Clark Aldrich, Style Guide for Serious Games and Simulations, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Schools, Leadership] [Comment]

DimDim
It has been some time coming, but open-source web conferencing tool DimDim is now publicly available. It's still a beta, and some really desirable features - like desktop sharing and meeting recording - aren't available. But what it does - like Power Point slide show sharing (5 meg limit) and whiteboard, it seems to do well, albeit with a couple second latency. Considering the price of the competition, this free alternative is definitely worth a look. Various Authors, Website, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Conferencing] [Comment]

3D Printer to Churn Out Copies of Itself
I guess it was inevitable. I've seen 3D printers a number of times now, including at the NRC offices in Ottawa and at CFB Gagetown here in New Brunswick. As the story indicates, they work by laying down layers of filler material joined with an adhesive or a laser. The electronic circuitry is created using a squirt tube. The printers that copy themselves still need to be assembled and still need computer chips. Celeste Biever, New Scientist, April 10, 2008 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

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