Justin Papermaster
Justin is an Austin, TX local, but attends college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Justin will be starting his Junior year in the Fall, and is majoring in Economics and Psychology. Currently he is a business innovation intern at nGenera.
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August 13th, 2008, 12:53pm
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An article on CNN.com last week tells about a 25 year old teacher from the Netherlands who identified a whole new class of celestial objects. The amazing thing is that she has no formal training in astronomy or astrophysics. She is simply a member of the large online stargazing community called Galaxy Zoo. Anyone can join this community.
The site gives users instructions on how to identify objects and then lets the community go wild. Members are given access to high-resolution photos of outer-space. Everyone is then allowed to identify the objects, and if enough members concur the classification is accepted. The format is similar to Wikipedia.
This site is a great example of the power of open source communities. There are literally endless amounts of celestial objects to be identified. With the help of everyday people, scientists are able to chart the night’s skies with speed and accuracy that was never before possible.
If you are looking for a new hobby check out Galaxy Zoo, and you can become an astronomer without ever leaving your living room.
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August 6th, 2008, 06:01pm
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If your dog doesn’t already have a Doggyspace account it may be missing out. This site was launched in mid July and already has a big following. According to the site “Doggyspace is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who love dogs. People use Doggyspace to keep up with friends, upload funny dog videos, and to give their dogs their own cyber place.”
It’s a novel idea… A place for dogs and their owners to connect and interact. I checked out the site, and to be honest it seemed very sparse. I’m a dog lover and I’m not opposed to getting JD (best dog ever) his own page, but the site didn’t seem to offer much. There are very few features or networking tools to speak of. There are a few pics and videos: They were all about as exciting as Tylenol PM.
The idea isn’t bad but it is likely that they are just trying to capitalize off the success Myspace and Facebook have achieved.
Take a look at the site and let me know what you think. Does your best pal spike need his own page?
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July 31st, 2008, 01:02pm
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Last month, Jude Fiorillo wrote about a new video game called Spore. Spore was created by EA and is unique because it lets gamers participate in the design process of the game. Users get to create their own detailed characters from scratch. As mentioned in Jude’s blog, this feature was pre-released to give gamers a sneak peak of the game and to get some early feedback. In addition to creating new characters, users are encouraged to share their new creations via YouTube.
An article on CNN.com today announced some recent developments in this story. There has been widespread participation in the game’s pre-release. This comes with an interesting twist though: Along with the normal characters created and shared on YouTube, many people have created pornographic characters also known as “sporn”. For a more detailed (and vulgar) description of the “sporn,” see the CNN article. YouTube and EA have already removed most of the pornographic content from YouTube. This was achieved with the help of the YouTube community, which has the ability to flag content that they feel is inappropriate.
Whenever users are given the freedom to create what ever they want, it is clear that they will do just that. This is always a risk when initiating an open source project. Luckily an open source community is just that: a community. Community members monitor the content, and keep the environment enjoyable for all. This is why Wikipedia and YouTube have been so successful. Administrators are necessary to have the final say in what content stays and what goes, but it is largely a community affair, which is nice to see.
It is upsetting that a few perverted minds have tried to ruin the fun for all, but it is great to see the greater open source community triumph over the few social deviants.
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July 23rd, 2008, 03:09pm
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A CNN article yesterday announced that MySpace will now be cooperating with OpenID. OpenID is a service that allows you to sign in to a variety of web accounts with one user name, password, and registration. Wordpress, AOL, Yahoo, and Google are just a few examples of participating websites. I haven’t used OpenID yet, but it seems like a great service. I am always forgetting the different user names and passwords I have created for different sites. I try to use the same or similar information at every site, but there are always some sites that have to be difficult by forcing weird syntax for your login credentials. OpenID eliminates all of that confusion. Another great benefit is that you don’t need to fill out new registration information when joining participating sites.
This service is a great example of the collaboration which is taking place between rival internet companies. MySpace also collaborates with Ebay and Yahoo by allowing users to have one set of profile information that is shared by all 3 sites. These companies consider each other to be competitors, yet they are working together to create an easier, more efficient customer experience.
This is refreshing to see, and I for one would be happy to never fill out another pesky website registration ever again!
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July 15th, 2008, 02:38pm
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An article on CNN.com explains the growing trend of web 2.0 usage in Congress. Leading the way is Rep. John Culberson of Texas. He uses twitter.com, qik.com, and utterz.com to reach his constituents. Culberson’s goal is to “Shine sunlight in every dark corner of the Congress, to make the Congress and the government as transparent as humanly possible.” Culberson isn’t alone. Many members of congress and politicians from all areas of the government have been utilizing the amazing networking potential of web 2.0 applications. I’m sure you have all seen or at least heard of McCain and Obama’s use of Youtube for the presidential election. Use of web 2.0 sites has allowed politicians to communicate more effectively with their constituents. Online videos and blogs have proven far more effective and cost efficient than billboards and bumper stickers.
The growing use of web 2.0 has also led to a growing concern by many. The House Franking Commission, which regulates the uses of taxpayers’ money for communicating with constituents, has considered restricting use of sites like youtube and qik. The concern of inappropriate usage of taxpayers’ money is legitimate, but I for one think that we need more transparency in the government. Web 2.0 sites provide a very cost efficient means of creating this transparency through increased communication.
Culberson is on the right track and I hope the Franking Commission doesn’t thwart his positive efforts. In response to this concern Culberson said, “They will not stop me. They can no more regulate the Internet than they can regulate the wind.”
I don’t know if his gunslinger mentality is right… but I like it
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July 9th, 2008, 03:02pm
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An article on ZDnet comments about Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston yesterday. Microsoft executives explain that they will launch a 300 million dollar ad campaign to help clean Vista’s “tarnished” image. They also mentioned that many improvements have been made over the past two years (and will continue being made) to constantly improve Vista. They believe that this combined with increased customer support will result in a “worry free” vista experience.
Just a thought… but instead of spending millions on an ad campaign to change peoples’ minds, they could listen to everyone’s complaints and spend those millions on improving Vista. People are generally very unhappy with their Vista experience. The “updates” have done little to quell customer’s frustrations. It won’t help to just “put makeup on the pig.” Instead real changes need to be made. Microsoft should take a lesson from Dell. When customer satisfaction began to slip, they created Dell Ideastorm.
Dell Ideastorm is a site entirely dedicated to interacting with their customers. Dell uses this site to gather customer feedback and suggestions about their products. Then they take this information and directly incorporate it into product design. The initiative has been extremely successful. If Microsoft would just listen to their customer’s complaints more carefully, they could solve the problems and create a more successful product. If they would just collaborate with customers everyone would be a lot happier.
Call me crazy… this seems like a more productive and efficient use of funds than a $300 mil ad, but I don’t know. The ads might be pretty sweet.
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July 2nd, 2008, 01:02pm
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An article on ZDNet announces that the Openmoko Neo Freerunner will debut in markets July 4th. This new phone will run a linux based operating system and is entirely open source. It will include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3 axis motion sensors. The one thing missing is a camera. It will cost $399 and can be purchased directly from Openmoko.
This is a big step forward in the cell phone industry. Big cell companies like AT&T and Sprint can no longer dictate what applications you can run or how big a dent they will make in your pocket book. Now if you want your phone to do something, you can just design it yourself. The operating system is entirely open source. This means that with a little programming knowledge, you can make your cell phone… beep when it is lost; detect air quality; help you practice your golf swing (this is feasible with the motions sensors on phone). The possibilities are endless. Big cell companies beware: This is the future.
What will you create with your open source phone?
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June 26th, 2008, 05:15pm
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A report in the LA Times and on ZDNet.com explains that Chrysler will offer Wi-Fi service via their UConnect web service in many of next year’s Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep models. The system will cost around $500 plus a $30 dollar monthly fee. The price tag is a little steep but may be worth it to get download speeds of up to 800 kb per second while driving 70 Mph down the highway.
Usually I regard greater internet connectivity as unambiguously good progress towards more efficiency and productivity, but this raises my eyebrows a bit. Chrysler explains that the service is only for passengers or for the driver when the vehicle isn’t moving, but I think we all know that the temptation will be too great for many. The horror stories about drivers distracted while talking/ texting on cell phones or fiddling with GPS units are enough to make me sick. These accidents happen while being distracted by a mere cell phone. Imagine what could happen if people are distracted by work, Ebay, Facebook, and Youtube. Read More »
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June 19th, 2008, 05:40pm
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Within hours of the release of the Firefox 3.0 web browser, a vulnerability was found in the code that puts all PC users of Firefox at severe risk. The press release from TippingPoint’s DVLabs is sparse in detail for security reasons, but it does explain that the vulnerability could enable “an attacker to execute arbitrary code.”The good news is that an unnamed researcher did find the problem and sell it to TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative. TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative is currently working on a patch to correct the problem, which it will then sell to Mozilla. The Zero Day Initiative is an open call for researchers to find potentially devastating program vulnerabilities. TippingPoint will then pay the researchers for their discovery and develop a solution to the problem.
This situation is open source collaboration at its finest. Mozilla made the source to Firefox open source. This allows them to harness the researching power of thousands without employing any of them. In addition they don’t even need to employ full time programmers to fix the problem. TippingPoint programmers find a solution to the problem and sell Firefox only what they need. The researchers are also happy because they are compensated for any discoveries that they find. Every one is a winner.
Many people believe that it is impossible to make a profit using open source, but this is clear evidence that the belief isn’t true. TippingPoint and Mozilla are utilizing open source to achieve greater profitability than would be possible using traditional business methods. In addition, they are able to create a safer, higher quality product. The benefits of open source are undeniable, and you can expect more companies to utilize this power in the near future.
