Feeling the chill school closure plotted globally by Ushahidi

Those lovely Ushahidi type have used there technology to plot school closure http://myschoolclosures.com/ushahidi/#   


If you havent heard me rant of about Ushahidi watch the video and more importantly visit the website http://www.ushahidi.com/

Watch the Video.

visualisation filtering are the next big thing linked with contextualisation and geolocation but what what would I know.

Dom Joly "Me and my mobile" Programme radio 4

Great programme talk anbout the relationship with people and the development of the mobile phone. Nice  piece http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00w6ljy
I hope non uk readers can listen to it via the link.

21st century conference with 20th century Wifi

I am thinking of starting a directory or maybe twitter campaign of venues for conference that say they have wifi but its not up to scratch . Its so disappointing and distracting when a venue say it has wifi and then you turn up and

• its not free
  
• it wont let you all sign in ( wifi for 1 or 2 delegates not all) 
• its f lackey either slow or throws you off with no explanation

Anyone fancy joining campaign for decent WiFI at conferences !  

facebook for free

Facebook going for world domination if they havent already . While attending a great event "Mobile technology and Social Change, A view from the Global South": Arranged and hosted by Cambridge NetSquared Meetup Group ,Net2Camb co-hosted by the  Humanitarian Centre
I discovered 0.facebook.com never heard of it that because if your in europe you cant access it . But in Africa nad elsewhere its free on mobile devices ie you don't pay for data/connection costs . Interesting and not sure how I feel about it. I cant fathom if its paid for by networks ( I think so) or facebook .

Bet youve heard of it but it was news to me question is it differrent to mobile facebook site http://m.facebook.com

Mobile for development or ICT4D

I attended Mobile technology and Social Change: in Cambridge last night A view from the Global South http://www.meetup.com/Net2Camb/calendar/15018978/   Ken Banks  of Frontline SMS http://www.frontlinesms.com/   was the main speaker Ken has his own blog at http://www.kiwanja.net  in my opinion one of those global good guys but a real pragmatist. He shared many thoughts but the one that struck a chord is if you going to build something for use in developing countries ( tech or non tech I think these principles apply  . Ken Absolutely brilliant insight ! I think a modified version also could be applied for education technology applications but thats my own personal opinion.

• must be obvious to plug together
• if you have to buy stuff it has to be available locally
• Pegging the price or free
• go forth and multiply
• the connection community choose technology that works maybe not the internet
• connect your communities with no filters
• multidisciplinary approach
• thinking appropriately choose what works
• collaboration not comtetion between NGO's
• engage entertain connect
• dont lose sight of the bigger picture 

Met loads of very interesting people all trying to make a difference of which I will blog more later. 

Txt messaging will never catch on !

I had great pleasure presenting at #letstalkabouttxt7 in Leeds on Tuesday thought I would share presentation . Now its not just about education its the whole SMS phenomena . 160 characters can carry a lot especially with emerging use of short urls to smart phones

Txt messaging will never catch on !

View more presentations from andyjb.

bity.ly get serious with QR codes and bundles

Now this is seriously brilliant . Url shortening service bit.ly have recently launched a QR service
http://mashable.com/2010/10/13/bit-ly-qr-codes/

Its now gone a launched bundles a way to store a load of urls in one place and provide on short url to access them
 http://blog.bit.ly/post/1584931022/introducing-bit-ly-bundles

The education uses are obvious sharing links to sessions course etc and for presenters sharing links related to a presentation just got a whole lots easier yippee!!

Normal Service will not be resumed long live the Sunday service

Well the Graham Brown Martin a character described by tech commentator Bob Harrison as "a bit of a Marmite character tasty but only if thinly spread" has done it again.
Digital agitator ,digital irritant creative spark what ever you call him has shook things up again with Ap(p)tly named Sunday service (let us play).



With Jason Bradbury's Dot.Robot Show for a start it is hardly likely to be lame . Chuck in a dash Experiences, Futures & Apps
A chance to get hands-on with some of the latest tech and meet with creators and manufacturers such as Nintendo, Apple, Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft Xbox, Made In Me, Texas Instruments and Promethean plus the   Learners Y Factor Final with Jason Bradbury
With young people showing how there using tech above and below the education radar .

Bloody H*ll the list goes one There's an App for That!, Edu punk and a teachmeet .

The phrase never on A Sunday has well and trully been smashed .
Plus its free registration and details  http://www.learningwithoutfrontiers.com/sunday-service-ldn/#reg
Having worked with Graham at the first festival day really pleased to see it brought to another level.

Sophos anti virus for MAC home edition free

Now I know MACS dont suffer with viruses ( NOT true) but if your sensible this might be owrth dont loading. Apple fans dont leave yourselves wide open to attack . Nice hhome version is free to well done Sophos !

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/free-mac-anti-virus/download/

Mr Trinder take a bow QR code links

qr code leading to this post

Thanks to my Glasgow correspondent ( alongside me we run the cynics column) John Trinder for providing some great links for those finding interest in QR codes (where have you been for the last four years). Yes they are going to be big yes even the Americans get them ( only joking) and the Japanese have been using them actively for years .

If Coca Cola use them in a promotion campaign they must be pretty mainstream

more qr generators

http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/



For business card stuff

http://mobilecodes.nokia.com/create.jsp?terms=accepted



and big list of em

http://2d-code.co.uk/qr-code-generators/

Yep there useful no there not the be all and end all . if you want to get some ideas do qr codes Japan or similar as a web search you will find a novel range of uses a lot around marketing of course .

Stand and Delivr another useful QR code genrating service

The home page is a bit minimalist but with dropdown in entry box to deliver QR codes for

• Urls
• Youtube video's
• Flickr images
• Google Maps
• Text

cant be bad and you can drag delivr to your browser bookmarks folders to deliver QR codes on the fly.

Mobile User Experience scholarships

eminder for students & early-stage startups on the list that applications for MEX Scholarships close on Thursday, 21st October at 23:00 London time:

http://pmn.co.uk/mex/scholarships09m.shtml
Well how about this chance to pitch for free place Mobile User Experience (MEX) 2010 worth a cool £1499.


Each MEX Scholar receives a full participant pass (usually £1499) to attend MEX on 30 Nov - 01 Dec in London. The MEX Scholarships are there to help people rich in ideas, but low on budget, to take part at MEX and share their thoughts on making better mobile experiences. details on the scholarship can be found at
http://pmn.co.uk/mex/scholarships09m.shtml important closing date is Thursday 21October at 23.00 London time.


The 8th international MEX is entitled '6 pathways to the mobile UX horizon' and brings together 100 people from across mobile, media & design to actively create new ideas for enhancing the mobile user experience. The full agenda is here:

http://pmn.co.uk/mex/agenda10m.shtml

Global Mobile Awards 2011 Categories | GSMA

Best mobile learing innovation some of my readers better put themselves forward and suprise M health gets a mention

Global Mobile Awards 2011 Categories | GSMA:

This is a big deal and not some tinpot awards go on have a look.

The whole category list is worth a look at.

8ta Telekom South Africa become fourth mobile network in SA

Telekom South Africa has 4.3 million fixed line users but saw voice traffic fall by 9.3%.
Its now launched a mobile offering  8ta’s call charges will be about 60 percent lower than the
average rates South African mobile-phone users now pay, . Customers will earn free air time by receiving calls, and
50 free text messages for the rest of the day after sending at
least five messages.

 “We are targeting as many users as possible,” he said,
adding Telkom wants users to talk more on the phone. South
Africa has an average of 90 minutes of monthly use per client,
compared with 160 minutes in Chile and 190 minutes in Turkey,
countries with similar levels of gross domestic product per
capita, he said. What's good is now there are four mobile providers in South Africa as oppossed to three . The Mobile market is still a bit of a wild west but as alongside the likes of Kenya shows real signs of maturing.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-15/telkom-s-8ta-service-aims-for-15-of-south-africa-s-mobile-phone-market.html

US teens quadrupler mobile use of data and texting well suffice it to say its popular

US teen are sending and receiving 3,339 texts a month . Six an hour when there awake and remembers mobiles are banned in lot of US schools .

The growth in data use in specific groups is very notable. Much of this
boost is led by males, who are more gadget-savvy and consume 75 MB of data,
versus 17 MB in Q2 last year. Teen females use about 53 MB of data, compared to
11 MB a year ago.

link to report http://www.cellular-news.com/story/45912.php?s=h

Water think about it Blog action day

Well today is blog action day http://blogactionday.change.org/ this years theme is water heres my thoughts.

 Weve all the seen the amazing scenes of Chilean miners being rescued this week . But the most thought provoking was little 500ml water bottle being fed down the supply tube to the miners to keep them alive .

Clean safe water in one of the driest places on earth the Atacama desert contrast with recent flooding in Pakistan with millions of people surround by billions of litres of flood water and it all being unsafe to drink . So when you clean your teeth have a drink just think .
Providing safe water isnt a luxury lets make it a right.

http://www.wateraid.org/uk/

watch some the videos to why you should get involved
http://www.wateraid.org/uk/about_us/video/default.asp

Plus if you do one thing just read this blog post from Neil Winton and pupils at Perth Academy where he teaches . Great example of young people helping other congratulations to the pupils and especially the pupils that pitched the idea read the great story.

http://nwinton.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/blog-action-day-water/

well cybertechure mirror

Well Neil commented on my display technologies pieces last week why a mirror . Agreed but someone's looking at it see the cybertechure mirror .

Cybertecture Mirror

That damm texting Mlarcky just keeps growing story from US

Look at the graphic note the demographic and contrast with your experience if your non US based. Read original piece from Wall Street Journal .

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703673604575550201949192336.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_0

History of the world 100th object revealed

OK its a solar cell charging array and a lamp but a mobiles in there to. Not everyone choice but interesting one none the less.

I quote from the site

It has allowed millions of people to meet and study outside daylight hours in developing countries - and was less dangerous than kerosene lamps.

It could also point the way towards a more sustainable source of power for the future.

Including the mobile phone was "a bit of cheat", he said, but the charger "also gave the mobile phone to the world".

"These mobile phones are changing the world - giving the poor in the world access to money.

"It is the credit card in large parts of Africa and South Asia, it can be bought in any market in Africa," he said.

The mobile and mobile power supply from solar or other means does change the world.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11531338

The irony of mobile telecoms companies usurping the banks in parts of the world as way of moving money around in the aftermath of the global banking crisis is not lost on me .

Oh and by the way Apple ,Android fans its a Nokia!

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ahistoryoftheworld/2010/10/100th-object-contenders-2.shtml

Interesting choice of objects

DK of Mediasnackers talking about social media

Well I have seen DK for a while but the media snackers brand is one of truest to its brands of those working with social media. Working with Stakeholders and more importantly young stakeholders in the world of social

Great video for you to watch but also to show others who aren't convinced great delivery DK and strong message get on with it social media isn't a fad !!