Whatever happened to the paperless office? The PC and Internet was supposed to save millions of trees but office workers are using more paper than ever. A joint project between Xerox Research Center of Canada and Palo Alto Research Center, however, may have a solution with ink that “disappears” from paper after 16 hours. This means a lot of paper, including the 21% of documents that are printed and thrown into recycling bins on the same day were printed, can be used over and over. In theory, it's a fascinating technology given many people print documents because reading them on a computer screen is less than user-friendly. Currently in prototype, the process uses no toner and produces a low-resolution document on specially-coated paper. Who knows if this technology will ever appear at an office near given we've been hearing about this kind of thing for years. For example, whatever happened to plastic paper that Xerox worked on for years, and that E Ink is trying develop now?
UofT to Roll Out Free Anti-Censorship Tool
The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab will make free software available later this week that will help people deal with Web censorship issues in countries where access is restricted or limited. A downloadable tool, called psiphon, can transform anyone's personal computer into encrypted servers (or access points) that can access blocked sites and associated Web pages. People who want to access these sites connect to a psiphon server or psiphonode by logging in through an encrypted connection and using it as a proxy. The user does not have to install any software on their machine. The technology was created by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies, as part of an Open Society Institute-funded project. The psiphone Web site is here – with free downloads available on Dec. 1. A New York Times story on the psiphon software can be found here.
Update: A comment (see below) raised an interesting point that the UoT is trying to fight Web censorship while a group of Canadian ISPs and Cybertip.ca introduced a plan last week to block Web access (specifically child pornography). If anything, it makes for a fascinating discussion on the right approach, who gets to do it and why.
Can Satellite-Radio Survive the iPod?
Michael Urlocker, who writes the OnDisruption blog, has a column in today's National Post looking at whether satellite-radio can survive the growing popularity of the iPod in the mobile music battle. One fact that jumps out is that 70% of 2007's U.S. car models will have built-in iPod connectors, which will give the 67 million iPod owners another way to enjoy their devices. Urlocker, a former telecom analyst, suggests XM and Sirius must implement some “tough measures” to compete such as pursuing lower growth targets so they can become profitable, and “looking for marginalized customers who don't want or can't afford iPods”. When it comes to the challenges facing satellite-radio, Mike and I are perfectly aligned.
Wow, Silicon Valley/Web 2.0 is Percolating!
If you're looking for a lite read on a Sunday afternoon, the Guardian has a gushy story about all the cool things happening in Silicon Valley these days, which seems to have been researched by a reporter who spent a long time hanging out with aspiring entrepreneurs at a coffee shop called Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco. The best quote in the story comes from Rubyred Labs co-founder Jonathan Grubb, who proclaims 'The coffee shop has replaced the garage for internet start-ups. ” I'm not sure whether this statement talks more to the coffee shop culture that has flourished in North America over the past few years, or the new no-frills, no-cost operating environment that start-ups have embraced.
The Dangers of User-Generated Content
Two seemingly unrelated developments this week in the world of user-generated content: Gather.com raises $10-million from a group of investors including Hearst Corp., McGraw-Hill and Pilot House Ventures to expand its citizen journalism business; and Michael Richards (aka Kramer) launches himself into a profanity-laced racist rant after someone heckled him during a stand-up comedy routine.
What the two developments have in common is they both involve user-generated content. Gather.com publishes it; Richards was thrust into the media spotlight because someone used a cell phone to record a video of his outburst. It has come to the point where everyone is becoming a journalist and nothing is private any more. It explains why “off the blog” may become a common disclaimer during personal and professional conversations – kind of like what CFOs dutifully read the Safe Harbour rules before a conference call.
At a time when traditional media under are siege, we're in the midst of a publishing renaissance/revolution where anyone can create and distribute whatever they want. It has spawned blogs, podcasts, video blogs, wikis, photo albums (Flickr, et al) and video libraries (YouTube, etc.).
But at what point does user-generated content cross the line? How much user-generated content does the world really need? And how does user-generated content get filtered for quality – if that's an issue at all? Don't get me wrong, user-generated content is wonderful and has changed how we produce, distribute and share information but I wonder there's a limit on how much content needs to be product and how much of this content can be consumed.
As well, how will the nature of user-generated content change as next-generation players such as blog networks become more established, while traditional media players, who have been on their heels in recent years, start to re-load strategically and get a strong foothold. Will major brands dominant the user-generated content landscape – leaving less room for the independents (including individuals)? Will the emergence of dominant players be good for user-generated content with the establishment of quality standards? It's all the unanswered questions that makes this phenomenon so fascinating.
Update: Some more thoughts on user-generated content and social networks (specifically about Digg.com) can found on Tech Beat.
Hey, We're Talking Tech
After a brief one-week hiatus (did you miss us?), Kevin Restivo and I are back with another Talking Tech podcast. Obviously, the story of the week was the launch of the Nintendo Wii, which had people lining up in the middle of the night outside stores for the “privilege of buying one – a supply-demand phenomena I have a difficult time getting a handle on. Speaking of supply and demand, Google shares cracked through $500, and with people like Jim Cramer frothing at the mouth, is it only a matter of time before $750 starts to loom on the horizon? (Motley Fool has a column looking at whether it's time to buy, sell or hold) Kevin and I also get into the wireless market in the wake of a two-part feature run by the Globe & Mail, which looked at Canada's lucrative market where the players are filling their boots amid a rational pricing environment and limited competition (can anyone oligopoly?). Finally, we touch upon the steady growth in the popularity of podcasts – according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project study more than 17 million people downloaded a podcast in the six months ended Aug. 30, compared with 10 million in the previous six month period. Obviously, Talking Tech must be a factor in this growth…:)…if only!!
