Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
General
One requirement that services like PalTalk - VoIP that integrates directly with social networking sites, among others - raise is for more real-time interactivity actually embedded within web pages. Text chat has existed forever, but sometimes it's handy to be able to call or even videoconference with people;
I spent the (unexpectedly long) weekend on a small Cornish island nature reserve where my sister is assistant warden. Downtime is good, but now I'm very much back in action, with a long list of things to do and slightly more time to do it in. One change
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Sometimes it's easy to get despondent about bugs showing up in software you write. It's possible to spend so long on a project that it almost feels like one of your children; any perceived imperfection hits you at your core. We've been doing some
This is pretty neat - stick any URL at the end of gabbly.com/ and you get a personalised chatroom for that page. Click the link to chat on my weblog. Not quite sure what the business model is, but it's pretty neat. I think live chat scratches
http://lucafiligheddu.blogspot.com/2006/06/firefox-voip_114959011311941395.html From the browser-as-platform department: voice functionality built directly into Firefox.
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http://www.mosdeux.com/vitalsigns/ A short film told in American Sign Language. Amazing.
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Link The organizations announce availability of Microsoft Office add-in that enables easy access to Creative Commons copyright licenses. This is huge.
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http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/40483#623656 A fantastic answer to a question on Ask Metafilter about how to talk to "troubled" children, from a 13 year old. Rings very true and highlights important problems; definitely worth a read.
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http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/news/archives/Main/Is+it+all+over+for+bloggers.htm Alan Rusbridger, Editor of The Guardian, defends the ongoing value of newspapers in the face of competition from bloggers. Includes the full lecture in streaming video.
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Life is full of changes. Some of them are mundane (new haircut, new car); some of them are exciting (new job, new family). One of the most exciting things you can do is take something you love and transform it from the seed of an idea into something much bigger,
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Posted without comment, although it fits very well with the things Dave and I have been writing for the past month or so about how your data can be misused if you don't have control of your system: Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites.
The heat is almost stifling here in Oxford; all the windows are open and sun is streaming in through my window. I hope you're all having similar weather, although I also hope your offices have better ventilation than mine. Cory Doctorow Visits a Radio Shack is very funny