September 2007
«« Digital smiley turns 25!
Twenty-five years ago, Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman says he was the first to use three keystrokes - a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis - as a horizontal "smiley face" in a computer message.
Language experts say the smiley face and other emotional icons, known as emoticons, have given people a concise way in email and other electronic messages of expressing sentiments that otherwise would be difficult to detect.
Fahlman posted the emoticon in a message to an online electronic bulletin board on September 19, 1982, during a discussion about the limits of online humour. "I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-)," wrote Fahlman. "Read it sideways."
Fahlman's smileys spread from his campus to other universities, then businesses and eventually around the world as the internet gained popularity.
«« Australians spending $5 billion on gadgets
It is expected that Australians will spend twice as much this year on digital technology as they did four years ago.
The latest Canon Digital Lifestyle Index, conducted by GfK Marketing, shows spending for the first half of 2007 exceeded $2 billion.
The index predicts this will hit $5 billion by the end of the year, as Christmas spending and end-of-year sales stimulate further buying. The big sales winner in 2007 has been flat panel TVs, which account for more than half of all spending.
«« Charging up before you fly
Across the US, airports are trying to bring energy more conveniently to millions of travelers who rely on a plethora of battery-powered devices.
In a year of unprecedented airline delays and cancellations, free, easy electrical access helps make terminal time more productive and less stressful.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport installed new kiosks a few weeks ago with four seating areas equipped with a small desk and an electrical outlet. In addition, the kiosks have Ethernet plugs that tap into the facility's free Internet connection. The need is particularly important at airports like DFW, which handles 60 million passengers annually, over 80 percent of them gadget-toting business travelers.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is a business magnet and home to dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including American Airlines, J.C. Penney Co. and RadioShack Corp.
«« Microsoft loses antitrust case
A top European court has handed Microsoft a surprise defeat in its epic antitrust battles, backing the European Commission's 2004 record fine of 497 million euros (690 million US dollars) on the software giant.
The European Court of First Instance, the EU's second highest tribunal confirmed the Commission's 2004 antitrust finding that Microsoft had used its ubiquitous Windows personal computer operating system to crush rivals in other linked markets, such as media players.
"Microsoft cannot abuse its Windows monopoly to exclude competitors in other markets," EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said.
«« Australians one connected lot - study
The vast majority of Australians have both a fixed landline and mobile phone*, and Internet access.
According to new research released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, 90 per cent of Australians have both mobile and fixed line phones, and 80 per cent have Internet access (mostly through broadband).
The report examines consumer attitudes towards the take up and use of telecommunications services in Australia.
"While Australians depend highly on telecommunications services, that reliance is significantly influenced by socio-economic factors, with age and having children particularly shaping attitudes towards uptake of mobile phones and broadband Internet,'' the report says.
Parents believe broadband is important to aid their childrens' schooling, and mobile phones were a useful safety aid.
"The research also shows that Australians are becoming increasingly aware of new and emerging telecommunication services.
"Thirty per cent of mobile phone users reported having a 3G mobile phone, while 81 per cent of Internet users were aware of a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, with 21 per cent of them having used one.''
Regardless of socio-economic background or locality, Australians are generally well connected.
Usage varies according to age, occupation, income and perceptions of cost and benefits. Age, in particulare, influences attitudes towards mobile telephony and broadband internet.
Many older respondents were more likely to rely on their landline telephone and less likely to have an internet connection or a mobile phone; they did not see the benefit of these services or perceived cost as a barrier.' Younger Australians expressed strong dependence on these services.
* CLICK HERE to find out how you can be paid on your own and other people's telephone bills, month after month, year after year.
«« Parents back in control
An Australian company is about to release what it says is a world-first software suite, enabling parents to completely control their children's mobile phone usage.
Meg Dennis, co-founder of Leopard Labs, which developed most of the suite, said it would help keep phone bills in check, prevent cyber bullying and ensure children were not exposed to adult content.
The software, loaded on to the phone and managed over the web, lets users filter inappropriate websites, control all SMS and MMS messaging and block expensive premium SMS numbers.
Effectively, parents could use it to control what sites their kids looked at on their mobile phones, what messages they received and the people they contacted.
«« We're hooked on the web
Surfing the net has become an obsession for many Americans with the majority of US adults feeling they cannot go for a week without going online and one in three giving up friends and sex for the web.
A survey asked 1,011 American adults how long they would feel OK without going on the web, to which 15 per cent said just a day or less, 21 per cent said a couple of days and another 19 per cent said a few days.
Only a fifth of those who took part in an online survey conducted by advertising agency JWT between September 7 and 11 said they could go for a week.
"People told us how anxious, isolated and bored they felt when they are forced off line," said Ann Mack, director of trend spotting at JWT, which conducted the survey to see how technology was changing people's behaviour. "They felt disconnected from the world, from their friends and family," she told Reuters.
The poll found the use of mobile phones and the internet were becoming more and more an essential part of life with 48 per cent of respondents agreeing they felt something important was missing without internet access.
More than a quarter of respondents - or 28 per cent - admitted spending less time socialising face-to-face with peers because of the amount of time they spend online.
It also found that 20 per cent said they spend less time having sex because they are online.
Mobile phones won out over television in a question asking which device people couldn't go without but the Internet trumped all, regarded as the most necessary.
"It is taking away from offline activities, among them having sex, socialising face-to-face, watching TV and reading newspapers and magazines. It cuts into that share," said Mack. "I don't suppose their partners are too pleased about it."
Mack said a clear trend to emerge from the survey was the increasing need for mobility with people no longer satisfied with just broadband access from home and wanting hand-held devices like iPhones and BlackBerrys.
"This is how they communicate, entertain and live."
«« Tokelau cashing in
An atoll in the South Pacific has come up with a novel way of making money via its domain name .TK.
Tokelau may only have 1,500 inhabitants and be a two-day boat trip from its nearest neighbour but selling its .TK domain is reaping benefits.
The Dutch entrepreneur who bought the address now offers a free domain name service in return for targeted ads. The deal has allowed Tokelau to add 10% to its GDP as well as gain PCs and net access for residents.
«« Virtual worlds opened up to the blind
Online virtual worlds could soon be accessible to blind people thanks to research by students at IBM in Ireland.
The company said that it is keen to ensure that blind people are not excluded from an environment that sighted people will take for granted. The students have designed an audio equivalent of the virtual world using 3D sound to create a sense of space.
For their work the Irish team decided to use the Active Worlds online environment rather than the more popular Second Life (which has almost 9.5m accounts) because it allowed them more flexibility. Active Worlds is a collection of user-made virtual worlds that people can visit via a web browser plug-in. When the user comes into the world, the items are described as well as their positions.
IBM believes that virtual worlds are going to be the next big evolution of the web and if this happens. Some estimates predict that 80% of active internet users will be using a virtual world in four years' time.
«« Google sponsors race to the moon
Internet search giant Google has offered $US30 million in prize money for companies to land a robot camera to roam on the moon and send back high-resolution snaps and data.
Google launched Google Moon, a page on its site with images mapping out stretches of the orb's pock-marked surface. They are compiled from photographs taken by previous moon missions including the historic first landing by the Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong and crew in 1969.
The site is aimed at encouraging companies interested in the challenge, giving them visuals of the moon "so the teams can scout locations" for a robot camera, Google joked in a blog announcing the competition, launched jointly with the X Prize Foundation which promotes technological innovation.
It offers a $US20 million top prize for a vehicle that can move around automatically and transmit data back to Earth and a second prize of five million for a stationary device that sends data.
A $US5 million bonus is offered for a robot vehicle that discovers ice or water, that can travel further than five kilometers or captures images of space vehicles abandoned there from old missions.
The prizes are offered until December 31, 2012, after which a lowered grand prize of $US12 million can be won, the company said.
Google's challenge recalls rewards for earlier achievements in flight, such as the $US25,000 paid to Charles Lindbergh who in 1927 became the first person to fly across the Atlantic.
"It has been many decades since we explored the moon from the lunar surface, and it could be another six to eight years before any government returns," the foundation said in a statement.
"We hope to usher in an era of commercial exploration and development, in which small companies, groups of individuals and universities can build, launch and explore the moon and beyond."
The prize is counting on just a handful of competitors for what the foundation describes as "a global private race to the moon."
It hopes private companies can develop simpler spacecraft than the heavy duty equipment used by big space agencies such as NASA, which plans another moon landing by 2020.
Several major entrepreneurs have shown an interest in space travel and rockets, such as the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, and Virgin boss Richard Branson who aspires to run a space tourism agency.
«« 10 useful websites worth visiting
> Find the lyrics to that song you love
Over 300,000 free song lyrics for you to browse.
> Cheapskates
Creative, simple, cheapskate ways to save money on your day to day living expenses and gain control of your money, giving you the best value for every cent that you spend.
> Freecycle your unwanted stuff
Freecycle is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.
> Music and Wine together
Rochford Winery in the Yarra Valley consists of a large cellar door, winery, restaurant, cafe and widespread grounds, famous for outdoor concerts all year round.
> Australians experiencing other cultures
Antipodeans Abroad specialises in educational travel programs for young Australians which take them to the heart of the local people and their culture.
> Using the Law of Attraction in your everyday life
Michael Losier's book gives you a simple guide to attracting what you want in life, instead of what you don't.
> Stats on everything!
A massive central data source and a handy way to graphically and statistically compare nations.
> Deep Purple online store
A great nostalgic visit for older rockers!
> Piners Loft Holiday House, Tasmania
Overlooking magnificent Macquarie Harbour and Strahan, Piners Loft is the ideal base from which to explore the wild beauty of Tasmania's West Coast.
> Kan Tong and the art of asian cooking
Recipes using Kan Tong sauces, cooking advice and competitions.
«« Latest Munatha-designed websites now online
Impact 21 - educating the business world on the importance of developing emotional intelligence.
www.impact21.com.au
Oakleaf Timber Flooring - unique wide timber floorboards produce a stunning result.
www.oakleaf.com.au
Law of Attraction Book by Michael Losier.
www.lawofattractionbook.com.au
Australian Association of Consultant Physicians - peak body.
www.aus-physicians.com.au
Pipeteck Plumbing Specialists - drainage and blocking specialists.
www.pipeteck.com.au
Vogue Care Respite Services - short term care or a break for carers.
www.voguecare.com.au
> back to top
|
