Draft story on BETT : vanishing UK presence at global event

Last year I did a draft of a story intended for OhmyNews. This year
OhmyNews no longer has a live English language version. But there is a
blog about citizen journalism so maybe some of this can be connected.

BETT is at Olympia next week, Wed 12th to Sat 15th .

Starting with what will not be there, easiest to identify as online
only. Apple don't do shows. Covent Garden for the largest nearby
store. Is this the end for the desktop? Will we just have consumer
devices with all the servers on a pay-per-view site? Let us hope there
are some options. Last year there was a stand for Apple dealers who
did offer some support but I am not yet sure where it is.

The BBC will not be there. This follows pressure from the Guardian and
other publishers who objected to the competition. I think this is a
real shame and a damage to the UK brand. The BBC do understand
technology. it is not just the licence fee that gives them an
advantage. By the way the Guardian stand seems smaller than previously
from the floorplan. In the case of local news they objected to the BBC
plans then cancelled their own. More later on UK institutions at BETT.

I can't find the Open Source Village. Last year this was on the ground
floor but it may be back on the software gallery. Later posts on this
blog will link to any new info about this or related websites. They
usually display an official one laptop-per-child. This concept now
takes many forms.

Moving on to what will be there, Moodle is well represented. Synergy
Learning on stand N2 had the most detail last year. Lancaster
University Network Services on stand P26 are mostly about the network
though Moodle and other open source is supported.

Universities are part of the scene, this is a general education show.
The Institute of Education has a stand (W 46) for Technology Enhanced
Learning. First time they have had a stand, so should be interesting.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is expected to introduce
several new mobile devices and TV screens with web links. Most of the
companies will have a stand at BETT so more on this as news arrives
from Vegas. Most of it may not actually appear in the shops in quite
the same way as promoted. This blog will also cover Exeter retail as
an example.

BETT is the only UK occasion with a complete range of Adobe software.
Stand K40. (Also V47 in balcony, not sure why) I hope to get some help
with Premiere Elements. I am gradually I am getting used to the Flash
ideas. What is the use of a book without video? The question may be
asked sometime this month.

There is no BECTA stand as BECTA has been closed down as part of UK
policy. It looks as if there is not much from other UK government. The
Houses of Parlaiment (J5) seems to be a general promotion rather that
having an idea about UK policy. The Norwegian Centre for ICT Education
is not far away and may have as much to contribute.

The most interesting policy stand looks like being the Media
Development Authority of Singapore (D101) well away from what was once
thougt of as the policy area. But they seem to have ideas about
creative industry and a web future.

Guess so far is that BETT will work well as a London show but not
feature much from UK government so the result will be that people
working in the UK will later be checking websites from other places.
Not sure if this will still be my view after an actual visit. Cannot
find the archives for example, BFI etc. The Cameron Clegg cuts are
having an effect.

Timequake - Kilgore Trout statement from Nov 11th 2010

I have found my copy of Timequake to check but I am finding some gaps
in my memory. The clambake was in 2001. It was 2010 was when Kilgore
Trout stated "There's work to do" and so on. Apparently his play was
copyrighted but I think I can quote four words. Precise date November
11th.

I think a Timequake is still a good way to make sense of a blog. I
still need to study the original plot structure, Not sure how it
works. My Timequake would be from 2000 to 2010.

Something Happened - it was an ebook 2010

Sunday paper so far, the news is about last year. As reported by
Robert Crum, Gail Rebuck has stated that Random House found an 800%
increase in year-on-year e-book sales.  It was a "tipping point" in
digital publishing. Crum accepts this as a possibility, given the
stats for USA, 200% up on 2009. $1000m is a viable system.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/02/robert-mccrum-digital-books-downm...

However much of this is downmarket for Crum. The New York Times finds
that romantic fiction is a major growth area and it is suggested that
"the e-reader is the electronic equivalent of the brown paper
wrapper":

Strangely there is no mention of academic journals, an area where
digital publishing has been strong for some time. Often protected for
digital rights the journals are only read by academics, but literary
criticism might cross over. Apparently not so far to the Sunday
papers.

I welcome the idea that there has been a definitive event. Most of the
writing about digital content assumes there is some point in the
future we might have to think about later. This applies to most
implications from digital technology. At the ESRC meeting about
Changing Forms of Organisation in 2007 Will Hutton seemed to suggest
that styles of leadership had to change because of developments in the
knowledge economy. However others seemed to think it was too early to
tell.

http://www.inter-logics.net/CFO/default.aspx

The ebook idea has been around for ages. I thought about it as part of
a Timequake as in the Kurt Vonnegut novel about a decade that is
repeated. Not sure of the dates on this. According to the Wikipedia,
the Timequake was between 1991 and 2001. There is also a "clambake", a
celebration of Kilgore Trout. It seemed a long way off then but I
think this also happened in 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timequake

More on Timequake when I find the paper again, it is somewhere in the
house. Meanwhile this blog clearly has to move around in time and
space. What happened in 2010 is not that clear yet. London publishers
look forward to the Book Fair but may just need to reflect on what has
already happened in New York and other places.

Craig Charles and the rights on tree photos ; Jaime Leigh and BBC Radio Devon

Tree

A bit late I have sent in a Xmas tree photo to Craig Charles who has been working solidly through the holiday. When away from Exeter and Phonic, Radio 2 can be ok. When stuck on the M6 for example. But I only got round to sorting on the photo when I got back.

What I wonder about is the rights aspect once these photos are loaded onto the Radio 2 website. Presumably the BBC have some rights but there is nothing stated about this. Can i use other photos from the site in my own mashup for next year? Jaime Leigh recorded some seasonal music for BBC Radio Devon and I was going to suggest to people at Phonic that they played some as well. Another thing i never got round to but I may investigate for another time. If the BBC want us to send in photos they can use, why not offer BBC recordings for other programmes?

BBC Radio Devon do excellent sound recordings, a big help when casual video has not got the sound quite right. For example, Jaime Leigh has a gig this evening, new year's eve at The Dartmoor Halfway Inn, Newton Abbot starting at 9PM.


What if Radio Devon got the sound and left a selection online for a week or so? various bits of camera could be edited later. Assuming Jaime was asked first obviously.

2011 could be the time that things like this are sorted out. Not sure how it works but the technology is possible. 

The 'book' concept is changing

John Naughton has noted that the concept of a "book" is changing.
 
 
The iPad has the media attention for the use of video and animation. Print journalists seem to think that paid content models can continue in this sort of way.
 
Meanwhile Adobe makes more sense. I am still trying to work out what Acrobat X offers. Not sure who likes the content page as animation, the idea of a portfolio. But embedded video could work well when the file size issues are resolved. My test so far is over the limit for Adobe to store online and only has three pages.
 
Closing down now, but more next year as at BETT and Learning Tech. Olympia would work better with both shows at the same time. Total Olympia as a tech show for all ages.  

Wheelie Wild Show plays my Aretha request

(download)

This morning Chris Norton found a space to play my request - This Christmas by Aretha Franklin. Main reason is that she recently had an operation so thoughts are with her.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=163962408316

Another reason is that the CD has not been released in the UK. YouTube blocked on this one by WMG. Thing is, if they have the rights to block it, do they have the rights to release it? A lot of people would buy it if it was in the shops.

Snow at Exeter Castle, another Flickr illusion

Thinking about Cold Comfort at Spacex I remembered an earlier Photoshop occasion when I borrowed some ice from Boston.

At he time there was an Ice Rink but the image rights were held by the Express and Echo. After a few phone calls I never found someone to say yes but then again there was no definite no. Just the passing of time so it seemed easier to use Creative Commons and somewhere else.

Nowadays with Exeter as a centre for social media it might be the case that any news organisation would welcome sundry photos of any iconic image.

What to think? Links please. comment welcome.

Creative Commons photo edit for Animated Exeter 2011

I have found a still that could be used for Animated Exeter website 2011. i will do another talk around will's wonderful world of digital music Video. 

The original is on flickr wth Creative Commons licence.

zilog at demoscene presentation

pic by Enrique 'Ithaqua' Tromp

DATR, UPC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
# 2 november 2005

may change later.

 


 

#coldcomfort at #Spacex, photo mix in real space and online

Spacex features a snow themed sequence of sets till Dec 18th. They are not claiming image rights on the photos you take for yourself using their backdrop and costumes. I have also included the yurt, the snow projection, and the flask of hot chocolate.

</object>

The idea is to create gifts over the next week using the resources available. Has the spirit of DIY taken over in Exeter? I have also tried out some photoshop uses of the backdrop. It works ok but I think others could do better. So far Stripey has turned up to add some musicChris Norton has reported live for Phonic FM. And Stephen Bateman and Scott Gould from #likeminds have dropped by to advise on social media. The Spacex Facebook site is at Facebook / spacexgallery . Actually I made this up but Stripey is at Fuel on North Street this Saturday so might make it as far as Spacex. Chris Norton may mention Cold Comfort during the Wheely Wild show on Thursday morning. Sometime ago JD discussed the use of social media to expand the reach of galleries. Not sure how this will work out but worth following.

BETT / InfoLab 21 Next destination for imagined walk

Bett

It turns out that Lancaster University Network Services (LUNS) will have a stand at BETT in January. They are based at InfoLab 21 so things are fitting together a bit in reality or something like it. This blog is still intended to use the photos of Lancaster campus as a set to link in other events in time and place. But sometimes the overlap is more credible.

Stand P26 is on the balcony in the larger hall on the wall at the end nearest the railway station. It is at the end going towards the other hall. 

Products include Moodle so there may be information on other open source stands. This is a bit unclear at the moment.

BETT claims to be the largest educational technology show in the world. It is also the most comprehensive UK technology show of any kind. Most computer shows are now very niche. This will be a rare chance to compare e-books, laptops, netbooks etc from Sony, Samsung. etc. Adobe will present the full range of software.

Not many phones though and no Apple. So apps may have to be remembered from another event.