SkypeOut Goes Free

Skype has just announced free calls to all landlines and mobile phones within the US and Canada. This is promotion goes until December 31, 2006.

One wonders how Skype, now part of eBay is going to make any money and how others will react to this news. You still need a PC or PDA with WiFi to access the network, but new devices such as Polycom's Communicator and numerous USB handsets make things a whole lot easier. Add in Skype's conferencing features, call forwarding, voice messaging, Skypecasts, and buddy lists and you have a whole lot of communications capabilities in one spot.

Now you just have to fight with your ISP to allow unfettered access to Skype. Reports are coming in from all over Canada and the USA that users are being restricted or totally locked out of Skype access. My message to the ISPs -> get over it.

Flood maps show impact of rising ocean levels

An interesting site is available that shows the impact of various increases in the sea level. Flood Maps is a mashup of Google maps and elevation data from NASA. It lets you adjust the amount of increase in the sea level.

Here's the view of a 2 meter rise in the Vancouver area.

Airlines Try Smarter Boarding

Do you dread the airline boarding routine where passengers wait to be called to board in an orderly manner, yet inside the plane there are still multiple passenger interference points.

Wired News: Airlines Try Smarter Boarding reports on the analysis and implementation of various boarding systems that can reduce the interference among passengers and reduce turnaround time at the gate. With names such as reverse pyramid, "Wilma" and "rotating zone" these systems try to reduce the time it takes to get everyone onto the plane, bags stowed and underway.

Check out the graphic which has a visual animation of the various systems.

Gone in 20 Minutes: using laptops to steal cars

Leftlane News reports that all is not well in the world of high-tech gadgetary in cars. It looks like thieves are using laptops to crack the wireless code that controls the keyless entry systems for cars.

I'm glad my car still uses a good old key.

Better late than never

It looks like Gartner group is being taken to task again for finally coming up with their statements on something that was so obvious to all.
Whatever you do, get on the bandwagon makes reference to the large amounts of money spent by large enterprises on their research.

VeriSign to acquire Kontiki

CNET reports that VeriSign to acquire Kontiki. This is good news for the online content distribution ecosystem. I've used Kontiki in the past and it has very robust architecture that can be used to reduce bandwidth costs both inside enterprise networks and for B2C secure content distribution.

Microsoft to 'host' Linux virtually

Microsoft is finally accepting the reality that enterprises want to use Linux within their IT environment. CNET reports that Microsoft to 'host' Linux virtually.

It's better to share in the pie and control how the pie is divided, than losing all the business to . We'll have to wait and see what performance degradation comes with Windows being the host OS.

At last - Self destructing storage devices

For those who need to take highly secure information with them, the new Kington Self-Destruct Privacy Flash Drive could be the ticket. After 25 failed passwords the USB drive "melts" the data.

This can be great for stopping unauthorized access, but, what if someone slips it into there pocked and does the 25 invalid attempts on purpose. There goes your data!

The Torn-Up Credit Card Application

Rob at Cockeyed.com tested the safeguards credit card companies have against identify theft and fraudulent card applications. The Torn-Up Credit Card Application is a step by step account of how all the warning signs were ignored on a credit card application.

For some more fun and interesting times, check out the other areas on his site.

Tablets in School

The Show on 10, a new Microsoft initiative reports on a private school in Seattle where every student has a Tablet PC. Tablets in School is one of the latest videos from this up-beat daily program.

I think this is a great idea. The challenge for business will be to be ready to allow these students to make use of all the technologies they have been exposed to when they enter the workforce.

New blog for the Witzke family

I've started a new blog for our family. This way I devote this one to items of technology.

Thoughts on UMPC - Origami

It looks like the hype machine got carried away again. The announcements at the Intel Developer Forum and Cebit did not give us the iPod killer that people expected. The information from Microsoft's Ultra-Mobile PC site provides a little bit of information. Microsoft's channel 9 has a great interview with Otto Berkes, the architect behind the Ultra-Mobile PC.

Engadget has a number of pictures and articles on the UMPC.

The UMPC will be playing catchup to OQO 01+ mini-tablet PC and the Nokia 770 Linux-based tablet. Battery life will be an issue for all of them.

RIM Blackberry Settlement

Glad to see that RIM and NTP have settled. Although I live in Canada, the repercussions of a shutdown would have been felt here. All of RIM's business would have been impacted.

Now RIM can get on with improving their technology to meet the challenge from Microsoft.

It's No Fun If Your Dead

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) has launched its spring Road Safety & Loss Prevention campaign aimed directly at high school students. Using dark humor, www.nofunbeingdead.com talks directly to youth about the consequences of drinking and driving. With grad parties and warmer weather, our teens are put into situations that demand they make choices. The site includes audio segments from "Ask Death Radio Show".

Support your teen and let them know about this website and that "It's No Fun if Your Dead".

There are prizes for youth who are residents of British Columbia.

Virtual NYC - Google Maps Mashup

Do you want to take a walk down a favourite route in New York City? This Google Maps mashup lets you take a walking tour with photos of the street-life and information on the buildings and establishments you pass.

Virtual NYC has about 12 different routes ranging from Wall Street to Columbus Circle and Central Park.

The Segway creator's next entrepreneurial spin

Dean Kamen is at it again. Business 2.0 has an article on the Segway creator's next project Segway creator's next entrepreneurial spin. This is another great example of what really needs to be done to improve life for a large portion of the world's population. Clean water can help reduce the distruction that preventable deseases have in many parts of the world.

Interview with Bill Gates

Channel9 has a geat interview with Bill Gates. Seventeen Minutes With Bill is a casual interview with Microsoft's blogger Dave Scoble.

Topics include what he does online, prioritization of time and using computing technology to help fight diseases in the third-world. He also talks about how important math is for students. Whether it is a plumber calculating the flow through a piping system or a rock climber calculating the weight and motion when using a set of ropes, math is used in everyday activities.

Sunshine in Vancouver

We are having some glorious weather. It had been cloudy and raining for so long. I can already see the spring bulbs coming out.

Wireless and sensors in our day to day life

ZDNet has a story on how wireless technologies are becoming part of our everyday lives. Wireless to organize, or even save lives talks about sensors that can help save your life.

Digital Photography Podcast

We bought our first mid-range digital camera a year ago and I've never been really happy with the image quality and ability to control how the image is being captured. I came across Tips from the Top Floor, a podcast and website that covers a multitude of topics in digital photography. It has been helpful for me as I transition from my Cannon SLR.

The podcast covers basic and advanced topics, has short tutorials on using Photoshop features and has regular interviews with photography professionals. The sound-seeing tours are also quite interesting. The website has a very active forum, with lots of memembers willing to help out. The weekly assignment is a big favourite.

Protopage - AJAX Homepage

Protopage is one of a number of AJAX home pages. Protopages are fully dynamic, with no fixed layout. You can have multiple pages, both private and public. This is a product under development with new widgets being added every couple of weeks.

Signup for free and try it out.

We Share Your Pain - Video

Does Microsoft truely share your pain? Check out this training video from Microsoft TechEd

Where is the innovation at RIM?

This is interesting reading about RIM. What does RIM need to do to save the Blackberry.

Is RIM losing its edge? by ZDNet's David Berlind -- There was a time, around three years ago, if you wanted to takeway my Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry from me, you would have had to pry it from my dead hands, or, as reality would have it, shut down my service. I know many other people who felt and still feel the same way. Today, [...]

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