Presence Management 2.0 - A must read

Thanks to Andy for pointing out Alec's latest writing on the state and future of presence on the desktop/phone/net.. I have no less than 15-20 ways to be reached, and managing all these identities is just a nightmare. Quite frankly I just stop using some really great applications, for the sole reason I can't manage them.

There has been some great debate floating around the blogosphere on this, I am sure it will continue after the holidays.

Alec's Post on Presence.

Skype Worm complete FUD

There are several reports of a firm called Websense reporting on a Skype based worm. This is complete and utter nonsense, and I understand that as I write this they have already pulled the threat from there catalog.

Skype, much like Windows built in firewall, forces users to make a decision on whether or not to allow a program to access the Skype API. If you didn't install an application that is supposed to work with Skype there is no way to 'hijack' the IM channel in Skype.

Venice Project Screenshots

Thanks to Matt @ PeerImpact (very cool btw) for sending me the link to the Venice Project Screenshots.


The more I play with TVP, the more I like it. It appears to stream media across the p2p network, and I was asked what video compression they are using and do content providers have to re-encode to there format. Those are good questions, hopefully someone can point me to the answers.

The Channel list is a GUI overlay on the desktop.
















You can chat with other people watching the same content as you, which is just uber cool.















You can skip forward and back through content, just like you are watching from a PVR.
















The only bugs I have found thus far, is that it doesn't support my second monitor. I can drag the player to my other monitor, but it doesn't play there. I am sure that is a low priority but would be a nice feature to be enabled.

Pearl Photo of Big Ben

I snapped these last week whilst in London. Not bad for a Pearl Photo..

The Venice Project - An early X-mas Present

Wow, I am impressed. I just installed my first beta of 'the Venice project' (TVP) and I have to admit, as soon as I ran it for the first time I heard the click in my head. The last time I heard that click, was about 3 years ago when I installed this oddly named little VoIP app., called Skype, which essentially led me to quit my job, start a software and distribution company and start traveling the world.

The Venice project is a secure P2P video application, sort of. It is more than video, it is interactive TV, on demand, customizable and dead simple to use. The creators have a pedigree of success and I think this one is going to be as popular as its creators other projects.

What separates the Venice project from the likes of Sightspeed and YouTube? = easy - CONTENT. Within seconds of installing TVP, I was watching an amazing Green Day concert in London and saw a recorded performance of 'American Idiot' which just rocked, followed by (fellow Canuckette) Sarah Mclachlan solo on piano, and then I indulged in a few episodes of the World Poker Tour. Content is king, there is lots more to see and I can't wait to dig around and see the rest.

The application itself appears to use a ton of OpenSource code, lots of familiar libraries in the directory that make a Mozilla Dev. house like us get really excited for the opportunity to create some killer mashups.

I will post up some Screenshots as soon as I find them on the site, they ask you don't post SS's of content as they aren't the owners of most of it, but do have some agreements in place with some content providers.

Advertising now in the Skype Client

I installed the public release version of Skype 3.0 today and I was surprised to see advertising in the client a la' MSN messenger. It is only an ad for the Skype Store, but just having it there opens the door to some pretty sweet marketing space on the desktop of 150 million PC's...

It appears in the notifications pane, and can be disabled in options by un-ticking show promotions , should you not want to receive it in the future, which is a nice option.

Video Answering Machine from Apple, but not with Skype

via Gizmodo -

Apple's latest preview of OS X 10.5 had a little bonus over the usual glitch fix. Inside iChat was a new preference pane, called Answering, a feature that lets you record a video away message with your iSight.

Also Macrumors.com is claiming that this will be linked to the rumored iPhone Call Ahead feature. Interesting.– Brian Lam

This is a really simple yet innovative feature from Apple - Hopefully Skype will follow suit and provide a badly needed update to its antiquated VM solution soon.

Virtual Cocktail Party, Blog Tag - I am it

Alec, tagged me with reference to Jeff Pulver's experiment in Blog Tag.

So as the game goes, 5 things that aren't widely known about me...

1. I am a sci-fi buff, and one of the few people that actually own a laser disc of Dune.
2. In Grade 12 I had a main chute failure in my first (and last) sky dive.
3. I am an avid angler, and enjoy fishing all over Ontario for all species of fish, both on frozen and unfrozen water.
4. I am a member of the CSIA and teach skiing on my downtime in the winter.
5. I contracted some form of Cholera on a trip to Africa last year.

In keeping with good Blog Tag etiquette, I hereby tag - Jaanus Kase, Jim Courtney, Kevin Delaney, Tom Keating, and Hans Blauw.

Sunrocket makes no 'sense' - update, fixed!

Alec has been covering his exchange with the Sunrocket 'automatons' aka CSR's in his never ending attempt to cancel his service.

You can follow the thread here.

I find it very interesting how Alec references his VoIP blog and his readership, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. I don't think it is a matter of them ignoring the fact he is a blogger, I think it is related to the fact that the low lever CSR he is talking to and the respective manager, haven't a clue what blogging is, or social media for that matter.

My readership is about 2% of Alec's but I am blogging the story, and others will to. This horrible service that Alec is being subjected to; can and I think will, have a very real impact on Sunrocket, and they haven't a clue.

NB - Literally within 24 hours of I am sure what a deluge of posts (never checked Technorati) the folks at Sunrocket called Alec to allow him to cancel his service without hassel. The PR guy (who must have had a small coronary) made good on their policy of 'hassle free cancellation' - so a happy ending. Social media is an amazing tool for PR, but is a double edged sword, markets are conversations, its not easy for a lot of companies to learn and benefit from it.

Skype used in Nigeria money scam spam..

This was in my gmail account this AM, usually gmail scrubs all this crap out - but this slipped through. It was addressed specifically to me from someone I thought I knew so I scanned it. What I found funny was the con artist/underbelly of a snake that sent it to me; claims to have got my email from skype.com.

Hello ,
GOD bless you, well my name is sandra jones i have am single and i have faced alots of problems here,though i live in UK,Scotland,i was been invited here in west africa nigeria by someon i believe that he could be the whole world to me without knowing that he is a killer,he got me into an hotel here in nigeria and rubbed be,he took all i have ever worked for in life and all my juelries and money including my credit card i have nobody to count on now i ony have an uncle who brought me up in the UK ,i tried getting to him but there was no responce at all,all he does it to get drunk and he is a drug adict too...he does not care,i heard he has gone to japan and never a contact from him up till now,i am owning some bills for the hotel that i lodged in here in nigeria,and they will never release my passport or my return ticket tilli get the bills paid,i really need a man that will help me out of all this mess and will take me as his loving lady,.....all the money that am owning now is $2,650usd to be paid before i get out of here ot before they can realease my passport to me,i pray that GOD will guide and protect you towards by helping me out in my problems....dont be surprise of where i got your email from,its form the skype.com this is the information that you will send the money to and pls include your address and phone number so that i can get to you as soon as i get out of this mess..
the hotel manager's information...... when i was trying to reach out to who is going to get me out of this mess.....the hotel manager will be the one to recieve the money via wetern union money transfer...

recievers name.............Adio olusegun soji
city................................Abeokuta
state..............................Ogun state
country.........................Nigeria.
zipcode.........................23439
adress........................>....No 17 onikoko street ibara abeokuta ogun state..

GOD bless you as you are hoping or thinking to help me in my situations that i have been facing in here for soo long.....i will be here waiting and looking out ony mail to read and hare from you now or sooner..till then GOD bess and protect you in all ways of life and livings.......

sandra hopes for help.....