New Media Consortium RSS

Its all about Time(line)...

Keene Haywood — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:40:09 -0700

We live in a world of increasing randomness and attention deficit but every now and then, it sure helps to see things in a clear, linear fashion. Take timelines for instance. Its great to know when something happened way back when. This is particularly great for educators, and specifically educators who deal with subjects that are closely tied to history, geology and anything involving some dates. But you know, its just not easy to make a digital timeline that looks good and really conveys what you want to illustrate. Sure, you can pull out your ActionScript manuals and throw together a fancy Flash timeline animation, but who has time for that? Well, someone (Bee Docs actually) has decided to build a nice little app for the Mac. Its called of all things Timeline. Its Mac only and the latest version (v.2.x) only runs on Leopard. Its not rock bottom cheap at $40 but if you need to make timelines quickly and have them look nice it might be worth the money. The developer has a blog for the application and is open to new features and ways to improve it. Check it out... that is if you have time... :)

Keene

Mac

iPhone, iTunes...what's in (or not in) a name..

Keene Haywood — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:49:33 -0700

Sometimes a product name just fits. Like the iMac for instance. Yes, that works. But lets take a closer look at iTunes and iPhone. If there are two product names that do not work it is these two. Everyone is throwing around the name iPhone like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread (which it is by the way), but has anyone stopped to really think about the name? The iPhone's phone features are about number five down the list of what the device is really best at, which is the web. (These take up the first three slots, then maps). Yes, the iPhone is a very nice phone. Visual voicemail is great. Love how the phone numbers on websites can be touched and you can call from the browser. Great! But the iPhone is so much more and the platform promises so much more. I think the iTouch is much better as product name. So while iPhone is catchy (and I like it), it misses the mark a little in terms of what the iPhone really is about. Maybe they could call it the iDon'tKnowWhattoCallit. But then again that makes package labeling sort of awkward.

And then there is iTunes. If there is a product that has expanded well beyond its name, its iTunes, the venerable music jukebox software that is rapidly becoming a personal media browser. How long will it be called iTunes? Hmmm.... I am open to taking bets. It might never change, but one thing for sure is that the way we use iTunes and what it does goes far beyond audio these days.

Just some observations. What do you think?

Keene

iphone

What will the next iphone look like...

Keene Haywood — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:46:09 -0700

It probably will look pretty much like the current iPhone but imagine for a moment if Apple decided to put an HDMI port on the device! Just plug it into your HDMI compatible flat panel (I know everyone does not have one yet) and be able to view your iPhone's content on the big screen! I can imagine down the road that the iphone will be powerful enough that you can just dock it at home and use a larger monitor and keyboard with it and then pull the plug and head out the door with it. It might be awhile before we see solid state drives come down in price and up in capacity to equal traditional hard drive storage, but it will happen and when it does, mobile computing will really get interesting. Also, it would help if battery technology could somehow keep up with Moore's Law. Otherwise, we will get Photoshop on the iPhone that drains your battery after you apply your ten favorite filters.

The other thing to keep in mind is that iPhone runs Mac OS X. Yeah duh, right? Well, it’s the full kernel and all, tweaked for the iPhone. Its not a sub-set of the Mac OS X, its not some new OS, its Mac OS X. Why is this a big deal? Well developers can develop their apps for the iPhone and without too much work re-do the app for as a desktop application (not being a hard core programmer, I may be wrong so please correct me, but I understand this is the case). This is much more attractive than having to deal with a mobile only OS like the Symbian OS or MS-Windows Mobile which is NOT Windows XP or Vista by any stretch. And then you are locked to mobile devices only for app development. I know, everything is going mobile, but at the end of the day, I like to have a big screen to look at and I don't want to think about running Final Cut Pro on an iPhone.

Keene

iphone

NetNewsWire - an RSS reader done right!

Keene Haywood — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:19:58 -0700

There are more Mac applications on the market now than probably ever before. The field is getting very crowded. You can find an Mac app for just about any use these days. Many of them have a slick Leopard interface and take advantage of things like CoverFlow and QuickLook. All good. There is one application that really stands out and its not published by any of the 800 pound gorillas (Microsoft, Apple or Adobe for starters). Rather its put out by the extremely talented Brett Simmons. The app is called NetNewsWire and it is a full featured RSS aggregator and reader distributed by NewsGator. It does just about everything one could hope for AND its free! (It used to cost $30 and was worth every penny). That's right, all you need is a $1000 Mac and NetNewsWire is free. Just download it and go. I won't go into all the details about the features that make this app great, so go download it now and give it a try. The good folks at NewsGator are continuing to develop this with Brett and they allow you to sync your RSS feeds between computers using their servers (or your .mac account). The app has an active community and Brett readily listens tp suggestions from users.

If I had to start ranking general use Mac apps that are indispensable, NetNewsWire is one. For anyone who seriously surfs the web on a Mac, you just have to use this app. It is wonderful!

Keene

iPhone + Google Maps = close to perfection (almost)

Keene Haywood — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:16:07 -0700

The Google maps application on the iPhone is one of the best default apps on the device for now. I just works and it has worked very well since day one. It got better when cell signal triangulation was implemented in a software update allowing users to get a rough estimate of their location with fairly accurate results but still not GPS accuracy. A dedicated GPS chip in the iPhone and iTouch would be ideal and it may be coming in new models down the road. Additionally, the maps application has gotten a little bit of polish by enabling users to see the hybrid map view (both streets and satellite data), drop location pins and overlay traffic flow data. The drop pin feature allows one to add bookmarks of places that can then be used over and over again which is nice and now I have a few of these. The recent map searches is also a nice feature. However...!

The one problem is that you can't share these bookmarked pins. You cannot email them, you cannot sync them to your browser, they are stuck in the terra incognita of your iphone. If the sharing of location bookmarks could be implemented, imagine the possibilities! Not only could one share locations, but one could also use the iPhone as a geo-location data gathering device which could be very handy for education, research and just plain old showing people what you've found.

Maybe there is a way to do this, but so far, I have not found it. Perhaps the SDK will allow for some hooks into maps for more functionality?

Keene

iphone

Penn Mashup Awards 2008

Anu Vedantham — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:50:42 -0700

Video Mashup Contest 2008 Winners

The annual Mashup Contest at the University of Pennsylvania celebrates student creativity with video and multimedia. It is sponsored by Penn Libraries, the Cinema Studies Program, and College Houses and Academic Services. The 2008 Video Mashup Contest award ceremony was held on April 17, 2008, with a press release issued in early May. First place went to "The Society Serialist or How to Kill Five Bennett Birds with One Stone" by Emilie Froh, a film she describes as, "An homage to Pablo Ferro's trailer from 1964 for Dr. Strangelove using the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice". Second place went to "My Bike in C Minor" by Vince Levy, a film he describes as, "A remix of 'Bicycle Race' by the band Be Your Own Pet. I wanted their music video to be like a bike ride through cinema." Third place went to "Titanic Trailer Remix" by Andy M. Cao, a film he describes as, "A trailer using Titanic clips that portray Jack as a serial killer going after Kate." All the entries are viewable online. For more information, please email Anu Vedantham at vedantha@upenn.edu

Opening and Exhibition of FIT Student Photography Work - in Second Life

Beth Harris — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:28:41 -0700

Opening - Please Join Us!

Fashion Institute of Technology: BFA PHOTOGRAPHY 2008

FIRST EXHIBITION IN SECOND LIFE

Opening: Monday, May 12, 1-3 EST

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/FITSUNY/170/223/25/

The Fashion Institute of Technology is pleased to announce the first Second Life exhibit of student work by the graduating class of the BFA of Photography and the Digital Image program. The exhibit features photography and video from twelve emerging artists emphasizing methods and processes of traditional and digital media.

he exhibition is a culmination of individual yearlong theses projects expressing a wide variety of themes and concepts. Showcased works include: a documentary film on virtual worlds and online gaming; found imagery projected onto nostalgic spaces and materials; long exposure nighttime equine portraits; and experimental collages dealing with surrealism and the feminine form.

The exhibition will take place from May 13-31 in the "FIT SUNY, Teaching 2" region of the NMC Island "Teaching 2." An opening reception will take place on Monday, May 12 from 1-3 EST.

For further information please visit www.fitbfaphoto.com

The Fashion Institute of Technology:

W.27 Street between 7^th and 8^th ave. New York City 10001-5992
School of Art and Design, Dean: Joanne Arbuckle
Photography Department, Chairperson: Deborah Klesenski

"Storytelling in Virtual Environments" in SL - New speaker added!

anaventura — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:54:08 -0700

As announced here before, on Saturday May 17 at 10 AM PDT the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) is proposing a reflection on storytelling in virtual environments in the form of a panel in Second Life. This will be part of the celebration of the International Day for Sharing Life Stories which will have happened the day before, May 16.

We added one person to our excellent line-up of speakers: Dale Jarvis, storyteller, folklorist and performer will be in-world - and in Canada in RL. Other speakers logging in from Spain, China, New Zealand and the US, and covering areas from multimedia journalism to virtual performance.

Joe Lambert (Director, Center for Digital Storytelling) and Ana Boa-Ventura (PhD Candidate, University of Texas at Austin) will be moderating.

Come join us!

****************************
Panel in Second Life | Storytelling in virtual environments

Date: May 17, 2008
Time: 10:00 AM PDT (Check www.worldtimezone.com for local times)
Location: Second Life Campus of the Center for Digital Storytelling (@ “Teaching 2’ - NMC Campus)
SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teaching%202/209/109/23

Interpreting Contemporary Ballet

NMC Tester — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:43:19 -0700

Interpreting Contemporary Ballet makes use of the Pachyderm software to present to viewers a foundation for looking at dance. Inside, you will find a collection of expert commentary video clips and interviews with dancers, critics, choreographers, and more. You will catch a glimpse at what it takes to create a ballet in regards to the technical and emotional aspects. This is a great way to get an understanding of a classic art form and how it has progressed to a contemporary state.

View the acutal pachyderm presentaion for Interpreting Comtemporary Ballet

University of Lugano Offers TEC-CH Online Program in Cultural Heritage

Alan Levine — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:25:26 -0700

The University of Lugano is launching a new distance learning program, TEC-CH Online (Online Diploma of Advanced Studies in Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage).

The programmer offers to practitioners and/or graduates in the Cultural Heritage field a solid background in communication enhanced by the use of modern information technologies. TEC-CH Online us based upon the experience of the Master in Science TEC-CH (on-site programme started in Lugano in 2004) and will be launched in the Fall of 2008.

The University is offering prospective participants an opportunity to sample the courses with a free trial. This Pre-opening offer includes 6 selected courses that run between April and July 2008.

All participants to the pre-opening offer will receive a certificate upon the successful completion of one or more courses. Those interested to continue and register to the full TEC-CH Online programme will be recognized the credits for the courses completed in the pre-opening phase.

For more information, see http://www.tec-ch-online.unisi.ch/pages/pre_opening.html or contact Ms. Amalia Sabiescue

Second Life simulcast: Achieving energy security through sound public policy

paulhyde — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:38 -0700

Event Series: Global Agenda 2008 - International Politics of Climate Change
Title of Event: Achieving Energy Security Through Sound Public Policy

Guest Speaker: John Hofmeirster - President, Shell Oil
Date: Wednesday May 7, 2008
Time: 4:30 slt
Location: University of Delaware, stadium entrance (138, 226, 29)
or http://slurl.com/secondlife/University%20of%20Delaware/221/215/33

Event Information:
Staving off global warming depends on reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. But those emissions come, in large part, from the transportation sector of the industrial world’s economy, and from manufacturing and production industries which rely on petroleum products for fuel.

Oil producers and the auto industry have been reluctant to shift away from oil-based products, and the energy industry is among the world’s most profitable. How can we reconcile the high demand for petroleum in the industrial world with the need to reduce carbon emissions? Can the United States have a sound energy policy to sustain its economy without threatening the very lives of people in less developed countries who could be hurt by climate change? The President of Shell Oil Company is a spokesman for the energy industry on these and related questions.

John Hofmeister is the next guest in the University of Delaware’s Global Agenda speaker series called “Boiling Point: international politics of climate change.” Wednesday, May 7 at 4:30pm slt.

Web Site(s):
http://www.udel.edu/global/

Podcast of previous Global Agenda speakers
http://www.ums.udel.edu/podcast/

2007 NMC Summer Conference Video

Alan Levine — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:02:52 -0700

If you are still deciding if you should attend the 2008 NMC Summer Conference June 11-14 in Princeton, New Jersey, then take a look at the video from the 2007 NMC Summer Conference held in Indianapolis.

In this 11 minute video, conference participants give you in their own words, a taste of the conference experience. All registered participants at the conference get their own copy of a DVD which not only contains this video, but copies of all the keynote presentations, and more content.

NMC CEO Larry Johnson Metanomics Interview

Alan Levine — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:40:54 -0700

On Friday April 25, NMC CEO Larry Johnson was a guest interviewee for the Metanomics series, the weekly live show that takes place in, and is broadcast live from Second Life.

As part of an event atClever Zebra's vBusiness Expo, in this interview, Metanomics host Robert Bloomfield asked Larry about the NMC's Virtual worlds programs and then discussed more on Larry's recent experience testifying before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the US Congress.

You can also find an audio recording of this interview plus soon a transcript, at http://metanomics.net/larry-johnson

University of the Pacific Opens Second Life Campus

Jim Phillips — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:51:14 -0700

Join us on at 1:00 PM PT on Wednesday, May 6, for the opening of the new Second Life campus for the University of the Pacific. Meet at U Pacific (166,141,22) under the iconic replica of Burns Tower.

"U Pacific" is a based on the real campus area around Burns Tower. For those at the university, you can meet at Pacific Theater for a live demonstration and virtual ribbon cutting of the Pacific campus. Elizabeth Griego will officiate the ceremony. For all attendees, a virtual dance party with live DJ will follow.

NMC Welcomes New Members - Joined in April 2008!

Nancy Reeves — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:41:38 -0700

NMC welcomes the following new members who joined in April 2008!

Ningxia Polytechnic and TV University (China)
http://www.nxtvu.edu.cn/
Savannah College of Art and Design
http://www.nmc.org/organization/savannah-college-art-and-design
University of Maryland
http://www.nmc.org/organization/university-maryland