Month: November 2005

Notes for 11/20/2005

Traveling really does a number on your schedule and routines, which
meant that I didn’t end up posting any notes last week. That’s okay
though, it’s probably good to have a break from the norm once in a
while! And the Expo went very well for us too.

  • I’ll never learn my lesson. I did a 10-page paper, a programming
    assignment, and a presentation all at the last minute on Thursday and
    Friday. Fortunately, I think they all turned out quite well!
  • Some data has started showing up in my Google Analytics
    account now, but I haven’t had the time to look at it in any detail.
    I’ll have to check it out this week and see how good or useful it is.
  • Does anyone know where I can buy Diet Coke with Splenda? Is it even
    available in Canada? I read about it in Business 2.0 this month, but I
    haven’t noticed it anywhere. The press release only mentions the US.
  • I went to see Derailed tonight with Megan, and I quite enjoyed it. Totally didn’t see the twist coming.
  • There’s lots of really cool podcasting stuff happening right now. Check my list of links for more!
  • My interview with CJSR
    last week for Humanities 101 went okay. They had some scheduling
    issues, so I was the very last five minutes of the show, though they
    did say they’d like to have me back. Haven’t heard anything to that end
    though.
  • I hate when cops (or any emergency vehicles for that matter) put
    their lights on just to go through a red light. I saw one do it the
    other day and couldn’t help but feel smug when I got to go through the
    next light and he got stuck behind a bunch of sheep.
  • I also have a beef with Destiny’s Child right now. I really like
    that new song “Check on it”, but it’s on the #1’s album (with two other
    new songs), not the Destiny Fulfilled album which didn’t come out that
    long ago really. Is it so hard to put the three new songs on the NEW
    album? I think putting new songs on a greatest hits album is stupid. If
    you’ve already bought all of an artists’ albums, don’t you feel ripped
    off when they put a new song on the greatest hits just so you’ll have
    to buy it too? I mean good marketing move, but shitty deal for fans. I
    guess Destiny’s Child is no more so they don’t really care anyway.
  • My xmas/birthday present for this year is the Xbox 360
    (thanks M&D!) and I get to pick it up early. Best Buy in Edmonton
    doesn’t open until 8 AM on Tuesday for the Xbox 360 launch, so I guess
    I am not lining up at midnight like I planned! If you want to join me
    early in the morning though, let me know!

UPDATE: I found out over beers at the PowerPlant from Megan
that Futureshop is open at midnight tonight (and I just called to
confirm), so I am back to lining up tonight! Same price as Best Buy
too. Being the same company, you’d think they would have their hours
more in line!

China and the US

Post ImageMost of the articles I read about China (and to a lesser extent India) are pretty much the same thing. It’s almost as if there’s a cookie-cutter formula for these stories so that no one really has to write anything new. And the article I came across in the New York Times today was no different, except for one paragraph:

If finding a way out of Iraq is an immediate problem for Mr. Bush, then dealing with China’s increasingly assertive tone on economic and military issues, and with Mr. Hu’s quiet resistance to Washington’s calls for political liberalization, is a challenge that will last far beyond his presidency.

If you had to sum up relations between the United States and China in a single sentence, that would be it right now. The next president of the US will have to worry about Iraq no doubt, but I suspect China will be higher up on the list of priorities than it is now.

Read: New York Times

Google Analytics Very Slow!

Post ImageI’m not exactly sure when Google released their new Analytics service, but it was recently. Apart from being the cleanest looking of all the various Google offerings, it looks like one of the most useful services too. Who doesn’t want to know more information on their website traffic? Here’s what Analytics is all about:

Google Analytics tells you everything you want to know about how your visitors found you and how they interact with your site. You’ll be able to focus your marketing resources on campaigns and initiatives that deliver ROI, and improve your site to convert more visitors.

Unfortunately, I haven’t really been able to evaluate the service! I added their tracking code two days ago, and my account still says waiting for data. A quick blog search reveals that lots of people have encountered the same problem. How long is it supposed to take?

After you first install the tracking code, it generally takes 24 hours for report data to appear in your account. Google Analytics generally updates your reports every 24 hours.

Well I’m clearly past that 24 hours, and I’m still waiting. I just hope the data is up to date once it starts showing up. More later.

Read: Google Analytics

Podcasting Links

Post ImagePreparing for and traveling to the Portable Media Expo last week meant that I fell behind on my usual tracking of what’s happening with podcasting (well aside from what I learned about at the expo itself). So I’ve been slowly catching up lately. Here are some of the highlights from my del.icio.us feed:

As I come across new items, I’ll of course add them to my feed.

Read: Podcasting Links

The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists

Post ImageBusinessWeek has once again come up with their annual list of the 50 most generous philanthropists, and for the first time in a while, Bill and Melinda Gates do not top the list! They were unseated this year by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty. From the Drudge Report:

The Moores, like a growing number of big givers, take a businesslike approach to philanthropy. Rather than throwing money at problems, they try to ensure the most productive use of their dollars by funding projects they believe can produce “significant and measurable” results. This desire for accountability is one of the most important themes in this year’s top 50 individual donors list.

The complete list and associated articles will be available in the November 28th issue of BusinessWeek which hits newstands on Monday. Looking at the top 26 on the Drudge Report page, I see that seven of them are technology-related like Microsoft, Intel, and eBay. Some of the other companies represented include Home Depot, Wal-Mart, CNN, and Bloomberg. It’s interesting to juxtapose this list with the Forbes ranking of the wealthiest people in the world. Some individuals are on both, while others are quite notably absent. I guess philanthropy isn’t for everyone though.

Read: BusinessWeek

Hand-crank powered laptop

Post ImageThere are some very creative and serious efforts underway to bridge the so-called “digital divide.” One such effort is a hand-cranked laptop developed at MIT that will hopefully be available to schoolchildren in poorer countries a year from now:

In principle, the project seems simple: Design a laptop with built-in wireless and minimal power consumption, find manufacturers willing to build it for about $100, convince governments to buy it in quantities of at least 1 million as an initial order, and give it to schoolchildren to keep as their own property. (The goal is tens of millions produced and distributed within two years.)

But negotiating with governments has proved to be strenuous–Negroponte called it “very hard”–and the price quotes to build the machine remain closer to $110 than $100. “We’re not even going to promise they’re $100,” he said. “They may be $115. What we’re promising is that the price will float down.”

There are other concerns that must be overcome as well, such as the desire to resell the laptops. I hope it works out though, because it’s a very interesting project that would likely make a real difference. There are roughly six governments that have shown great interest thus far, including Brazil and Thailand.

Read: CNET News.com

Interview with CJSR tomorrow

Post ImageTomorrow afternoon sometime between 5:30 PM and 6:00 PM MST I’ll be doing a live interview on CJSR, which you can find on your FM dial at 88.5 or online at their website. I’ll be answering questions and talking about Humanities 101, the non-profit started by my friends Sharon and May to help promote and make post-secondary-style education available for people in Edmonton’s inner-city. I joined the group a little over a year ago, and have quite enjoyed it! I really think we’re doing something great for the city, and I hope we can continue to do so.

While we have had much success thus far, we want to improve and move things forward, so we’re holding a “Town Hall” event at the University on Monday to brainstorm and share ideas. If you’re interested in attending, please email us. Or if you’re unsure, listen tomorrow as I try to explain why it’s a good idea for you to come! We’re always looking for volunteers, instructors, and feedback from interested individuals and organizations.

As an aside, I realize that our website is very simplistic at the moment – it’s on my todo list! Hopefully we’ll have something much better up there soon.

Read: CJSR

Ready to Rock the Launch!

Post ImageToday was Edmonton’s turn to host the Launch Event 2005, Microsoft’s big push around the release of Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005 and BizTalk Server 2006. The completely booked event took place all day today at SilverCity in West Edmonton Mall with TechNet leading the morning sessions and MSDN taking over in the afternoon. All in all I’d say that things went very well!

There are so many new technologies and features in the three products that cramming them all into a one day event is impossible. I think the speakers (both from MSDN and TechNet but particularly from MSDN) did an excellent job of sharing just enough. It wasn’t fluff, but it wasn’t over-your-head crazy either. Over the next few months there will be many more events around these technologies so that developers and IT professionals can dive in a little deeper. Fortunately, everyone received complimentary software today too, so there’s no excuse not to get your feet wet if you attended!

Edmonton is only stop #3 on the ten city tour, so I wish the MSDN and TechNet teams luck as they continue their trek across Canada. I know the snow last night probably wasn’t the warmest welcome we could have given them, but that’s what you get for hosting an event in Edmonton in November!

I took a one picture today, which you can see in my Flickr stream – lots of developers! There are more pictures and info up on Sasha’s blog too. For members of the Edmonton .NET Wizards, or for anyone who’s interested in joining, please share your feedback on the wiki!

Read: MSDN Canada

Another Reason Why Apple Sucks

Post ImageThere are many reasons to love Apple, and yet many more to hate them too. An article I came across today falls into the latter category (and actually, I noticed this at the Portable Media Expo over the weekend):

iPodder Lemon was a free application distributed under the General Public License, or GPL, that allows users to manage their podcasts–audio and video programs downloaded from the Internet to an MP3 player.

The application’s developers say Apple’s legal team asked the open-source group to drop the name of the software because it suggested a connection to the company’s flagship iPod device. The developers have changed the name of the product to Juice.

What is happening here? Apple is not protecting their intellectual property. I don’t believe the average user would confuse the iPod with iPodder Lemon. I also think that iPodder Lemon probably contributed to some sales of the iPod, in fact helping Apple. What’s happening here is that Apple is using their big-company muscle to try and own the idea of “podcasting” in the minds of consumers. Anything related to the iPod, they seem to want to control.

There is a fine line between protecting your trademarks and brands, and bullying applications, devices and services that are part of your ecosystem. I think Apple crossed the line this time! In any case, Juice will continue to be a great application I’m sure, despite the name change setback.

Read: CNET News.com

California Trip Recap

Our trip this past weekend to California was definitely what I would call a “business trip” as we didn’t have much time to do anything vacation-like. After the expo was finished on Saturday, Dickson and I drove into Hollywood and Beverly Hills for some sightseeing. The drive also meant more time on the busy and very fast freeways! Actually, I think the reason they seem so fast is the cement walls on either side, the large number of lanes, and the incredible number of vehicles.

The houses in Beverly Hills were quite amazing! We also drove down Rodeo Drive, and saw some of the fancy stores like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Lots of fancy cars too. Sunset Blvd was very busy, making it almost impossible to change lanes without cutting someone off! For a late dinner we went to IHOP and had, what else, breakfast! The pancakes were very good, I must admit, though very filling. We didn’t have too much time though, as we had to return the rental car, which meant some fast driving on I-10 to get back to Ontario.

As for the conference/expo, it was great! We definitely had one of the most simplistic booths, but that’s okay. We were there to talk with people, both to learn and share, so a flashy booth wasn’t required. We met a lot of great people, and learned about lots of new projects. Exciting! We definitely want to something more for next year, but we’ve got almost a year to plan it.

Traveling home was long! Fortunately we met Dave Slusher and rode with him to Denver. We chatted about quite a few things, it was great! We also departed Denver at the same time, although in different locations, so we hung out til boarding. Thanks Dave!

In Calgary we stopped at Earls for lunch and then at Krispy Kreme to pickup some donuts. No trip to Calgary is complete without getting one of the hot, fresh original glazed donuts while waiting in line to buy four dozen! Finally we were on our way home. I realize now that I actually did a lot of driving over the weekend, and it just tired me out. Fortunately I slept longer than a few hours last night 🙂

For my pictures of our trip and the Expo, click here. Dickson will have more posted soon too, so check out his blog.