Well-known Harvard anthropologist Wade Davis makes strides on trying to preserve ancient and tribal cultures and ways that have survived into the 21st century. Much like preserving the ocean, Yellowstone, or ANWR in Alaska, Davis suggests the concept of the "ethnosphere" so that our children might one day actually get to learn about ancient cultures that have survived thousands of years to this day.

Davis team's up with photographer Alex Chadwick in this first part of the project to document the camel caravans of the Sahara along salt trading lines with common cultural heritage running back thousands of years.

Link:
http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/2003/may/mali/index.html

Apple showing us that good products and innovation are achievable, by delivering a potential solution to the music industry quagmire. Not sure about you but I'd buy that for a dollar, um I mean 99¢

At second glance this brings me back to an earlier post in regards to web design and structured information. The new Apple music service takes this new approach by offering the music listings and purchasing of songs straight from the standalone app-iTunes. No browsing clunky HTML/standard browser interfaces, etc. No waiting for page refreshes, etc. Just quick access to the information.

Link:
http://www.apple.com/music/store/

I've seen more of these on the road these days. Very cool, about 52mpg on the freeway, cleaner burning, only about 20K, and a $2,000 tax write-off to boot.

Link:
http://www.toyota.com/html/shop/vehicles/prius/

I have posted more photos from Alaska:

http://www.uedesignlab.com/Alaska_slideshow/FrameSet.htm

I've been out of town lately up in the great white north. Be back in town next week. Valdez and the Chugach mountains are unbelievable; an honest-to-goodness magical *experience* the guys at Alaska Backcountry Adventures (ABA) are highly recommended!!

Weblogs are going Googling.

Google, which runs the Web's premier search site, has purchased Pyra Labs, a San Francisco company that created some of the earliest technology for writing weblogs, the increasingly popular personal and opinion journals.

Some startups are still making it.

Link:
http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/archives/000802.shtml#000802

A loss... (excerpts from NYTimes article)

In an interview with MountainZone.com, Kelly once talked about his love of the backcountry.

"There's just a feeling you get from certain things you do in life that just kind of feel pure and independent of what's actually, physically, going on,'' he said.

"Craig Kelly embodied the sole of snowboarding,'' Annett said. ``He rode for himself because of the true love of the sport. He found pleasure in soul riding, going into the backcountry.''

Links:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/21/1042911380845.html
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1043268338785_135///?hub=TopStories
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-Canada-Avalanche-Snowboarder-Killed.html

I came upon mention of iCommune from Todd Dominey today. The powerful use of this shareware struck me, more than the fact that Apple is trying to throw up a roadblock.

Essentially this app let's you stream music directly into iTunes from any mac with an internet connection. By accessing a structured song list of an iTunes playlist someone in San Francisco could play their friend's music in Atlanta as if the music was on their own computer in SF. I believe this piece of shareware has been removed from the iCommune site, but if you look around on limewire you might find a copy.

This got me thinking about the suite of other OS X applications like Watson, Sherlock, and Netnewswire. These apps are unique by offering a different approach to browsing the Web. Instead of heading to unique web sites users can view structure information within a self-contained application. This is general information like News, Movies, Stocks, Phone Numbers, Flights, etc.

To riff on a recent topic mentioned by Alex Wright, these apps make web sites look like custom typeset pieces, or "decorated directories". An application like Sherlock or Watson lets users focus on the task of information retrieval and quickly and consistently find results, like movie listings:

This could be a glimpse of things to come. Web site design is not going away, but good treatment of structured information will be crucial to create online services and experiences that last.

Links:
http://whatdoiknow.org/archives/000693.php
http://www.icommune.net/
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/internet_utilities/watson.html (Watson)
http://ranchero.com/software/netnewswire/ (Netnewswire)

I have added search functionality for the weblog, as well as made my personal site HTML 4 Transitional, compliant.

Happy Holidays!

http://www.uedesignlab.com/

Adam of v-2.org points out that it has taken a mere month and one week for the topic of "moblogging" (or mobile web logging) to hit mainstream media. The UK-based Guardian has picked up on the topic with an article by Jane Perrone.

>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/webwatch/story/0,12455,858719,00.html

Personally, I think the quick uptake can be attributed to the critical mass (acclaim) that web logs have already acquired. Mobile web logs are another form of web logs, but with more immediate and ubiquitous implications. There are both mundane and earth-shattering implications of use with these devices and logs. Earth-shattering implications arise with addition of (seemingly fadish) phone cameras providing users a ubiquitous capture and publishing device whereever they go.

Oliver Thylmann of infoSync foresees the day when millions own mobiles with integral cameras, and "journalists will almost never be the first on the scene anymore" - they will be beaten to it by keen mobloggers sending pictures to their sites. (from Guardian article)

This can be seen already with users on Hiptop nation reporting realtime on the New York city transit strike.

>> http://hiptop.bedope.com/index.php?FILTER=zyrr@gznvy.pbz&GIMME_ENTRY=2037

Some of the Devices

T-Mobile Sidekick - a handy gizmo that boasts email, web surfing, SMS and AOL Instant Messaging.

>> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000078VYT/ref=ase_bedope/103-6734736-6216607

Nokia 3390 phone from Voicestream with AOL instant messenger.

>> http://www.cnet.com/wireless/0-1923403-8-7798446-1.html

General Motors is looking at introducing two world firsts with their latest prototype -- an environmentally-friendly hydrogen fuelled car that allows drivers to change the chassis design according to their mood.

And because just one wire connects the chassis, which contains all the electrical controls, to the car body, substitute body designs can be swapped whenever the driver feels like a change.

Interior shot, no-pedals or steering wheel.

Hy-wire is not scheduled for release until 2010, but it will be introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show on September 26.

Article Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/09/19/hywire.cars.glb/

Google Search

In the Northwest corner of Puerto Rico lies one of the best stretches of surfing in the Caribbean — indeed in all of the Atlantic. The small village of Rincon area boasts several world class waves, including Trés Palmas. Rincon also supports pristine reefs, sandy beaches and is a haven for humpback whales and sea turtles.

Terry Gibson-surfermag, Chad Nelson-surfrider, and notably Leon Richter-surfrider show us how community involvement can help build/design a better place to live.

Check it:
http://www.surfermag.com/features/oneworld/prmarinereserve/

Given the dearth of any interesting on the web, I keep returning to the International Herald Tribune. Great journalism, as well as cool interface for reading and presenting articles online.

Anywho, interesting article about: Two critical mutations appeared approximately 200,000 years ago in a gene linked to language, then swept through the population at roughly the same time anatomically modern humans began to dominate the planet, according to new research.

Who knows maybe we'll all be doing shots of FOXP2 soon, spawning a whole new crop of Clinton's.

Word:
http://www.iht.com/articles/67765.html

http://www.boringweb.com/

To see how information technology can be diffused into everyday objects and settings, and to see how this can lead to new ways of supporting and enhancing people's lives that go above and beyond what is possible with the computer today.

Specifically, the initiative looks at how to make ‘information artefacts’ based on new software and hardware architectures that are integrated into everyday objects.
It looks at how collections of artefacts can act together, so as to produce new behaviour and new functionality.
It investigates the new approaches for designing for collections of artefacts in everyday settings, and how to ensure that people’s experience in these new environments is coherent and engaging.

Link:
http://www.disappearingcomputer.org/mission.html

Social swarming involves sharing your life with others in real time. It means pulsing to the rhythm of life with one's posse. It means a nonstop emotional connection to one's swarm.

It's a sign of commitment, when you turn off the phone," ... "When somebody turns off their cell phone for you, it's true love."

Link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23395-2002Jul30.html

http://ftrain.com/google_takes_all.html

Anthropologist and general brainiac concerned with how users interact with technology.

Link:
http://www.darrouzet-nardi.net/bonnie/
Her contact map
http://www.izix.com/pro/lightweight/contactmap.php

having read about this a little while back, it finally hit me. warchalking as a concept is pretty cool on many levels.

"warchalking" started out in london recently. it is derived from concept of a hobo language in 30s used by hobos to let them know where free food was available. in this modern case, it is free networking we're talking about. piggy-backing off of wi-fi and other types of home, business and other wireless networks. basically people mark spots on the street where you can find network access nodes with a laptop or a handheld.

remarkable thing is this one guy, matt jones thought of the idea and started talking about it on his blog, since then it has spread rapidly, NYtimes and ZDNet contacted him. funny, b/c tech companies have been touting wireless networks so long, but it takes some guy (or real people) to actually figure out how to put this technology to use.

matt's blog:

http://www.blackbeltjones.com/warchalking/

ZD article:

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2118000,00.html

Wired:

http://wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,53638,00.html

Great article from June 22 economist on ad hoc networks and other 4G technologies.

Link:
http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1176136

Keep an Eye on this program. http://bid.berkeley.edu/index.html
Professor Sack

Also see description of John Canny's work at: http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/labnotes/0502/bid.html

and his web page: http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/labnotes/0502/bid.html