2005 October

Via today's Broadband Reports comes word of an atomic bomb: “Comedy Central unveiled details on its new broadband network Motherload on Tuesday in New York. Motherload, which goes live on Nov. 1, will consist of five video-based channels featuring a mix of clips from Comedy Central's programming as well as original content produced specifically for the broadband network.”
They struck the motherload in more ways than one, my friends. The Internet is everywhere, broadband is no longer for the lunatic fringe, and we're already operating within an on-demand lifestyle. I'm sure other networks will be slow to follow suit, but they WILL follow with FULL length programming with HIGH production value (what separates the wheat from the chaff) and NO RESTRICTIONS. MSN Video certainly sucks less than it once did, but it's not half as important as this Motherload announcement. It's a Mother, indeed – and another huge blow to the existing cable programming infrastructure.

Read more on Comedy Central: Motherload is Nothing to Laugh At…

Go ahead and read Skype flaws open computers to attack:

Skype Technologies updated its popular Skype Internet telephony software on Tuesday to fix a pair of security bugs. The most serious flaw could allow an attacker to commandeer a user's PC. That flaw, which is similar to a bug Skype fixed last year, affects only Skype for Windows. An attacker could exploit the flaw by crafting a special link and enticing a user to click on it. The flaw could also be exploited when importing user information from a malformed electronic business card, or VCARD, Skype said in an advisory.

I got one word for ya: DUH! Skype already boasts how many millions of users (of which, I am one). How many more users will it sew together when eBay starts actively pushing it forward? The malware writers are going to have a field day with this one (trojans, worms, and virii – oh my). Skype trounced the competition because it was based on a P2P archetecture and infrastructure. It's greatest strength will also prove to be its greatest weakness. Favored child or not, Skype may very well become the “Internet Explorer” of the IM world. I personally don't run Skype unless I need to – largely because (to my knowledge) Skype uses Internet bandwidth even when I'm not inside of a call (which is a feature, not a bug).

Read more on Skype: World's Next Virus Vector…

I'm happy that VideoEgg and TypePad are getting along now. My question to VideoEgg is simple: have you truly talked with other vendors about easy integration with their services? According to the PC World article (with its obligatory links to Engadget and Slashdot in the sidebar), “…[VideoEgg] says it's working on making it available elsewhere, too.” I'm currently using AudioBlog and it does an admirable job at enabling push-button media content publishing – but Ponzi's still lost within its structure. We're using BlogWare as our platform, and it's currently a closed ecosystem (meaning, you currently can't develop anything for it). I hope you weren't just giving us lip service by saying that further partnerships were forthcoming. “Mac version coming soon!” doesn't mean anything to anybody anymore.

Read more on VideoEgg on Face…

I love Microsoft as much as the next guy, but I don't think many folks realize that they're much more than a search engine these days. In taking on publishers and authors, circumventing control, they're foisting tremendous responsibilities upon a traditional ecosystem that's just not ready to move forward. Let's just say that Microsoft wins this battle, and can make any bit of printed text searchable – who wins and who loses? Ultimately, Microsoft would themselves become the ONLY publisher on the planet. The originating publishers would become marginalized, with the search engine making one appear the same as another – making content king, not the marketing plan behind it.
And who in their right mind would dare go against Microsoft? The mindshare is much too powerful to question. The issue is all about control. The publishing industry controls the writers, much like the music industry controls the musicians, much like the television industry controls the shows, much like the motion picture industry controls the… whatever. It's all about control – and just how much control are we willing to give Microsoft?
Er, Google… I meant to say Google. Or did I?

Read more on Microsoft Takes On Publishing Industry…

Is it okay to be scared now? There's a new Google app that's set to be unleashed soon. Google Base? “Google Base is Google's database into which you can add all types of content. We'll host your content and make it searchable online for free.” This is either really good, or really bad – depending on how you look at it. As a Google shareholder, I'm sure this is good news (now your company is worth more than God). But my spidey senses are tingling. The very thing we feared Microsoft would try to do with the Internet, Google is doing. Do you understand what's happening – truly?
We're potentially giving the Internet to Google, people. With great power comes great responsibility. I just hope that someone does not set us up the bomb.

Read more on Insert "All Your Base" Reference Here…

I promised myself I wasn't going to jump into this silly debate, but I just can't help it anymore. Is “Web 2.0″ real or not? That argument is endless, mindless, and pointless. The name, in and of itself, is quite contrived. Someone needed to put a label on what was happening (or about to happen) to wrap a conference around it. That's where the discussion over the term began, and that's where it should end. What we're in the middle of is not a version update – it's a renaissance, and that's what it should be called (if anything):

Read more on "Web 2.0" Doesn't Mean Anything Yet…

A friend of mine just sent me this message… and it looks like one of those places that needs to stop existing.

Here is one of the “tools” being used to create a hell of a mess out there. Can they do this legally, I think they can. They are providing a “gun” it's up to the user to shoot it or not. Pretty sucky. Nasty little tool here, its one of the ways spammers can create 1000's of posts to 1000's of different spam blogs at blogger instantly all from this webform.You give it a list of urls and some keywords, and it scrapes post content from the list of urls and automatically takes the relevant keywords and links them back to YOUR site.So you not only get the keyword link backs, but you get credit for the content others create, all automatically…

Read more on Hey Google – Take These Guys Down?…

When they're in trouble, Mommy calls 'em by their full name – which apparently includes *MY* last name and not hers. When you hear “Wicket Pirillo,” you know he's in trouble.

I think each of them has gone on long enough without middle names, so we're hunting for suitable ones. Passively, however – not actively. There are far more important things to do than to sit around the house and come up with full names for our dogs.

Read more on Wicket and Pixie Need Middle Names…

Chris and several other well known bloggers found themselves inundated with spam in search feeds for terms like ‘Lockergnome’ and ‘Pirillo’ over the weekend of October 15-16, 2005. Each afflicted person independently blogged about their frustration, pointing to the source of blog spam as Google’s Blogspot. Chris talks about the issue and Google’s quick response in the first part of this segment. The second half of the hour, Chris talks to Ed Bott about the new Microsoft subscription security service slated for Windows Vista and the new features of the ‘Emerald’ release of Windows Media Center Edition.

Read more on Blogspot, Windows Media Center and Ed Bott…

Bent User? Every part of his (or her) review of Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5231 was spot on. Scary, because I had noted many of the same things in my experience – though I'm waiting to give Vista another shake when Beta 2 is out. As Pat notes:

Read more on Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5231…

Okay, this isn't really a secret, but man – Ponzi stumbled into an amazing place for wallpapers the other week without even knowing it. It's that Threadless place she's been raving about. Take a look at any of the individual t-shirt pages on Threadless.com and scroll to the bottom. On most of 'em, you'll find a clean GIF image that can be padded to your desktop resolution in any given image editor. For example, what Vader fan wouldn't want this image tiled or offset? C'mon, don't be a Vader hater. There are dozens of other creative images for you to toy with. I've crafted a few wallpapers for my dual monitor setup at home, but I can't really repurpose them without permission. So, I'm just pointing you their direction – buy a few t-shirts like I have, and then make a few wallpapers for your boring ol' desktop while you wait. This image will get a few stares if you put it on your laptop tonight.

Read more on World's Coolest Desktop Wallpapers…

OH MY GOD… has anybody in the DOJ ever tried to use software created by a hardware vendor?!

Microsoft has been trying to find ways to make portable music players that run its software compete better in a market dominated by Apple Computer's iPod player and companion iTunes software. Under the program Microsoft had proposed, device makers that included a CD with Windows Media Player and other software would have had to agree not to include any other software, including rival media players.

I'm torn. I'm really, truly torn. On one hand, the Windows Media Player is far from freakin' fantastic. On the other hand, everything else for portable Windows Media devices really, truly sucks. No, I'm serious – it's bad. Bad and sad. Bad, sad, and utterly maddening.
Microsoft *MUST* take control of this situation if they're ever to come close to competing head-to-head (or hand-to-hand) with the iPod. As it stands, every single Windows Media Device (PlaysForAlmostSure or not) is downright pathetic. Not just pathetic – laughable. Apple controls the process from end-to-end, and that's why it's such a fantastic non-sucky experience for most folks. Microsoft, on the other hand, lets the vendors decide what's best. OH MY GOD!!! Wake up, people!
If you have a much better, cleaner, faster, meaner, more awesome piece of media management software, I've yet to see it. The most frustrating part of operating in the world of Windows is having to deal with all these craptastic vendors who think their stuff is awesome. Ever *TRY* to use Creative software before? OH MY GOD!!!
Here's what you do, Microsoft – you take it all in-house again. And before anybody starts shaking their finger at such a “monopolistic” move, remind them who has the lion's share of the portable media device market today. You're *ALL* getting your asses handed to you right now, and the only way to shake things up is to provide fair competition in the marketplace. In this case, I believe it's imperative that Microsoft set the quality bar for others who develop for Windows platforms.
Apple's winning this game for a reason, and it ain't because they're the cheapest option in town. Sex sells, Microsoft – so why are you hanging out with all the unsexy people? No other vendor will create an iPod killer because they will never own the complete experience – like you could do, easily (and in my opinion, justifiably). Or just wait for another partner to change their business model.
Don't underestimate Apple; they're moving hella quicker than Redmond these days. Front Row isn't close to an MCE competitor today, but it won't take much to tweak it to deliciousness. Pretty soon, I expect Apple to start selling computers that are “iPod-compatible.” Watch it happen, folks. This isn't about surfing the Web anymore – it's about having a lifestyle that doesn't require you to think or reprogram. The days of the blinking 12:00 are long gone, but it's obvious Microsoft and its vendors don't know that yet.

Read more on DOJ Screws Over iPod Competition…

Web 2.0 is a term bandied about by every company with an elevator pitch hoping to score venture funds. Depending on who you ask, the definition is a moving target. Tim O’Reilly does a great job of clarifying what his vision of the term means in a recent post on Web 2.0. One place where Web 2.0 is a daily conversation is TechCrunch, a weblog dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing every newly launched web 2.0 business, product and service. Chris recently talked with Mike Arrington of TechCrunch about emergent Web 2.0 trends and recent developments with Google’s spam problem.

Read more on Mike Arrington of TechCrunch on Web 2.0…

Don't ask me where I picked up that phrase – I can't remember. The new version of IconWorkshop is out, and it's just as good as it always has been – replacing Microangelo as my default icon editor several years ago. Naturally, this new release sports a handful of bug fixes and assorted whatnots. In a couple of minutes, I had assembled a rather sweet-lookin' 3D icon with their new objects feature – which is supremely simple to use. Three drag & drops later, and I had created a much cleaner version of the current µTorrent icon (subsequently, sending it on to the program's author for possible integration in future releases). Here's what caught my attention about this release: support for the new Windows Vista icon format…

Read more on IconWorkshop 6.0: Slicker than Snot…

According to TechCrunch, Flock is launching today – apparently at BarCamp (happily sponsored by gada.be). What I find most interesting about Flock is that the default search options (a) do not include gada.be yet; and (b) are all included on the default results page of gada.be (save the Google search). It's relatively easy to add gada.be in there, and hopefully we'll have rolled out enough new features in the near future that we can be included by default in a future build. Regardless, congrats to the team. It'll be interesting to see if Opera ups the ante at some point in the near future, as it seems they're doing their best to reclaim space on the desktop again. IE? Not holding my breath. Maxthon, maybe?

Read more on Birds of a Feather do… what?…