Broadband and Me

SAT-Nav applications to proliferate

Very interesting story regarding the future launch of the Gallileo satellite navigation system - BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Sat-nav looks to smart ideas

Analysts believe the value of the Galileo-enhanced business - equipment and services - could be worth well in excess of 10 billion euros a year by 2020, as sat-nav functionality wheedles its way into every corner of modern life...

and this telling littel snippet:

Small companies... must wake up now because in four years, they will have to move their businesses in a new direction for Galileo - Christian Stammel, Galileo Masters

It covers an excellent synopsis of what it will mean for the consumer and what possible applications there will be for small and medium size businesses.

Election Not Boring

I stand corrected - from the BBC's election blog, Mark Mardell informs me I am being lazy with my suggestion that the election is boring.

We have a PM used to being the golden boy, tarnished by an unpopular war, used to treating his party with disdain, finding he needs them and making a deal with his rival.

We have an opposition party still struggling to find its way back to power, energised by a new and clever campaign making immigration an election issue for the first time in 20 years.

We have a third party taking votes from the ruling party, threatening uncertain results all over the country.

The political situation isn't boring. And while I'm not one of those who thinks the electorate will be enthused if you go over housing policy in great detail, there are enough policy difference to capture interest. What's boring ?

Good points. Although I know where I stand on the issues I do find it relatively interesting that there appears to be little discussion about the election in my circles - except my father in law telling me how he had great delight in baiting the Labour canvasser who rang him up, over Pensions...

I've only been visisted by one candidate but as I know and support him its not really that valid. Not one of the other candidates have been around and I doubt they will now. Strange thing is despite this being a national election you are voting for a local representative and yet I couldn't even begin to tell you what the main issues are locally. (I could guess but I don't have a feel from others). Despite Aldershot being a target seat for the Lib Dems, I don't expect anything too exciting to happen here but if the Tory vote collapses (highly unlikely) then anything it could.

I wonder how the average soldier feels about the Iraq war?

Listening to Live Aid DVDs

LIVE AID

The day music changed the world? Maybe... I was 14 when Live Aid was broadcast. I havn't had time to listen / watch the DVDs that I got at Christmas until now, but the experience is still amazing. So many performances were simply electric that day. Particularly U2, Queen and many more.

It made me think that we couldn't possibly have anything like this today but I couldn't really put my finger on why exactly, becuase in some ways Live Aid made cause related music and adopting a political position as a musican more acceptable. Perhaps its that there doesn't seem to be the kind of musicans that could pull this kind of 'show' off. Perhaps having been done, its been done and that the populus demands innovation? Even when its political and charitable?

Perhaps it also explains why the UK general election is the most boring I've ever known - has anyone noticed anything interesting said by politicans in the campaign at all? Certainly nothing about International aid and fair trade...

Still if it didn't change the world its musical legacy was something. And it certainly changed Bob Geldorf's career.

(P.S. Ozzie Osbourne was also relatively awake too - he just about remembered the words to Paranoid)

Now upgraded

Upgraded to MT 3.16 and Blacklist 2.2 - looking good so far. Hopefully make some more tweaks to the blog and the site in the next few weeks.

Movement and Thought

Thinking about Johnnie's comment on my post yesterday, as I walked along the brook bank today.

As always it made me think about my feelings from another angle. I certainly do find being unemployed frustrating, and mostly because I want to be doing something , to be energetic and achieve, help others.

My main issue then is channeling energy in a way that takes me towards a goal, ideally at present, employment!


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Sent from my Treo

MIT Loves Open Source Marketing

James notes that MIT Loves Open Source Marketing

The whole idea of applying Open source to marketing especially in terms of co-creation seems to be a very infectious meme. Question that interests me most is will it really be a paradigm shift in terms of marketing, product development and advertising that some people (perhaps James included) are predicting?

Stillness and Authenticity

In catching up with Evelyn's Crossroads Dispatches, I found a recent post about Niching Authenticity. Sounds interesting and as usual with Evelyn's writing it grabs you (well it grabs me anyway) and that's exactly what she means in terms of niching i.e. getting under your skin - in through the crack in the armour.

It is difficult (but immensely rewarding) work to stay open. To write and speak and act from the heart. It's not necessarily relevatory writing. I don't need to know your social security number or your girlfriend's quirks or what your nightmare last night was about. What is required is staying still when you want to bolt and then writing from that stillness.

I wish I could do it more often but I end up putting barriers in the way of expressing myself, but I'll have a go now....

I HATE BEING UNEMPLOYED!!!!! I am fed up. Its my job to get a job but I have to admit to not liking it. I despartely want to find something that will pay me a decent income and ieally something that will provide fulfillment. Its not easy and I am too self-deprecating sometimes so that I self-edit jobs out of the equation that I should apply to. I have had a few good interviews but no pay off as yet. One thing currently out there that I have fingers crossed for as its working for a company that I would love to work for (although I'm not optimistic about my chances).

One advantage of being unemployed with some cash reserves has been the ability to go and spend sometime with my children doing their weekly things, like swimming lessons. My older son's face when i was there watching him was thrilling and made me remember why it is I do this work thing i.e. to provide for them and keep opportunities open for them.

Perhaps then my ideal job would be working from home with the flexibility to continue to spend time with them, however I'm not sure how I could make that happen. Which is probably why I am frustrated with the whole unemployment thing.

I can hear my son shouting and screaming in delight, playing downstairs while I search for jobs on the web. My daughter is practising her recorder (quite well as it happens - I'm very pleased) and the sun is treaming in through the window in between the rain clouds. It could well be a metephor for how I feel.

In my head I want to know the answer - I want someone to tell me the answer while at the same time knowing that the only answer will come from me, from within, to drive a solution. I'm not a victim. I am me and I will get out of the hole. (Wasn't that a Jesus and Mary Chain song, In a hole?)

A number of books I have read talk about the primacy of action - the need not to think but to do, to make things happen. Sounds great. I'm all for making things happen. The only question is 'What?'

Some thunder is rumbling in the distance. Or maybe its a plane landing at the airfield.

Feeling that this is a bit incoherent, even for a stream of consciousness.

Answers on a (e)postcard to contact[at]betaroad.com please.

Wimax by next year - 3Gs doom?

BBC NEWS | Technology | Intel reveals Wimax wireless chip

Intel innovates yet again and comes up with an integral Wimax chip (Still early stages but nevertheless something to keep technologists interested) and talk of a launch of a commercial product (in conjunctyion with network providers like BT) sometime in 2006. Via BBC (link above)

Wimax is seen as a method of extending broadband reach to whole cities, rural areas and countries with low net use.

It is also seen by some analysts as a potential competitor to mobile phone networks, although such a clash is still some way off.

Intel and other Wimax supporters will be hoping that the release of a chip will do for the technology what Centrino chips did for the spread of wi-fi.

The implementation of wi-fi-ready chips inside laptops by Intel helped propel the rapid growth of wi-fi networks around the world.

Sean Maloney, head of Intel's mobility unit, said many trials were under way, but the actual deployment of mobile Wimax would not start this year.

"You'll probably see things at the back end of 2006, you'll probably see some... trials earlier than that," he told the Reuters news agency.

Exciting stuff because despite this being 18 months away, the people now looking at ubiquitous computing applications start to come into their own. Wimax has got to be the competition to mobile networks and must push down the price of Broadband on the move.

Ultimately I could be stood in London and call up info on where to go for lunch, what play to see, guidebooks on the area, purchase a history to read at home and buy some souvenirs. I could also post my thoughts of the area, the restaurant, the museum and my photos. Technically I wouldn't need to carry anything as it could all be delivered to my home. That's obviously a consumer perspective, from a business perspective I could receive realtime business information while presenting to clients without having to use their network, or go an work in the park becuase the offie is too stifling. In fact I could be an etailer on the street, showing my wares off by laptop and distributing them via post (hey its an idea security needs to be worked out)

I'm a little bit excited by Wimax - lets hope that there is open competition in the UK access marketplace though - another BT monopoly could be disasterous.

Coke gets it wrong.

A story that caught my interest from the Cool News email from reveries.com (on my treo so limited quotes and links)

A hardware store famous for a hand painted Coke advert sold small shots for 5cents. Coke changes its policy on what to provide to vendors and makes it imposible for store to meet its promise. Of course Pepsi jumps in meets the store's need and manages to secure a cold cabinet for other drinks as well. Worst of all the famous old coke ad now has pepsi right up next to it...

With every purchase counting in the over saturated soft drinks market coke (and Pepsi) needs to realise that it can't throw its weight around in the same way it used to because while this type of thing must happen everyday, now it can be across the world in minutes. One thing missing from the piece was any customer reaction - wonder how they felt?

Hola!

After being abducted by aliens (well my family who sometimes feel alien) I find myself in the beautiful surroundings of Nerja on the Costa del Sol. I've been here several times before but not since the introduction of the Euro and the cost of things have changed quite significantly (being more expensive). Interesting that it is probably just as costly to live here now as the south of England, which is quite a shock.

The benefits of Spain or at least Andalucia are the pace of life, the weather (if you like sun) and the people. Everything is so much slower, less worry and what appears to be genuine warmth towards others. I am talking generally of course but it has held true over about ten years of visits. While I appreciate that almost everyone I interact with here is part of a service sector compare to the Uk- in Nerja people are often versed in at least 3 if not more languages, try to help ignorant foreigners (i.e. me) with Spanish language and culture and are very welcoming to children. In the UK most people can just cope with English, dislike children and dare I say it dislike anyone foreign (they certainly couldn't help with translation).

Is there a point? Well I guess two key areas that the English (if not the rest of Britain) need to focus on are increasing the language ability of its workforce and developing the customer service element especially when dealing with those not of our own background or having English as a first language.

And I think an element of both aspects is about an change in the way the 1nglish view the world. An acceptance of lack of control and have a sense of alternate points of view. Of course some relaxation couldn't hurt either. Intereted in people's views on this as it links into some aspects of branding and psychology that I'm thinking about.