AndroidGuys mix it up with GTalk web app

Oh for god’s sake. I wouldn’t have to write so much about the iPhone if people would stop being clueless about it. AndroidGuys have a rant about the web-client version of Google Talk that was released a couple of days ago. A few days ago, Google released the official Google Talk app for the iPhone … Continue reading “AndroidGuys mix it up with GTalk web app”

Oh for god’s sake.

I wouldn’t have to write so much about the iPhone if people would stop being clueless about it.

AndroidGuys have a rant about the web-client version of Google Talk that was released a couple of days ago.

A few days ago, Google released the official Google Talk app for the iPhone and it’s not exactly what you would expect. The problem I found with it was that in order to receive instant messages, the application needs to be open in your Safari browser. Otherwise, your status will be changed to “unavailable” when you head off to another browser window or app, only to have your Google Talk session restarted when you return.

They claim it’s a limitation of the iPhone SDK that the web browser page needs to be open on your device in order to start working. It’s actually more a limitation of being a web app – of running in the Safari sandbox. It can’t take advantage of the new Push service that Apple is releasing later this month for all iPhone users.

Why can’t people take into account that leaving a network application open completely bollocks your battery life. We can see this already with the difference between ‘standby’ and ‘talk time’. The difference is that IP network usage is considered talk-time and the iPhone does well in that regard with 5 hours of network access. For a device that might be with you all day, 5 hours ain’t a lot especially when all you’re doing is waiting for people to message you.

Seriously, who wants their chat program set up so that the only time you can talk with friends is if both people have the exact same websites up on their phones at the exact same time?

The same sort of idiot who thinks a web client of any sort is the best solution for a mobile device?

The rant finishes off with some pipe dreams about running an XMPP based service with built in Skype/GTalk VoIP which will undoubtedly get a zillion hours of battery life using just the charging provided by plugging your mobly into a lemon for an hour.



All the hype in the world isn’t going to turn Android into the jesusPhone just as a hack version of Android installed onto a Nokia N810 isn’t going to prove that it’s a workable product. Let’s see what Android will actually deliver when they deliver it. I guarantee I’ll buy one of them and see what the fuss is all about. By the time decent handsets are shipping, Apple should be about due for another iPhone revision.

We’ll also see if Google release a native version of GTalk complete with the Push service when the App Store comes online and the Push service is available. If they do, kudos due. If not, then it’s incredibly disingenuous of them. Do no evil. Sure. Easy to say when your money is based on advertising.

Being paid to be wrong must be easier…

…than being paid to be right. Al Sacco writes for ITBusiness.ca Apple made some progress on the iPhone security/management front, but it has a looooooong way to go before truly satisfying enterprise concerns – or becoming a suitable alternative to BlackBerry or Windows Mobile, for that matter. This is the thing about being a pundit. … Continue reading “Being paid to be wrong must be easier…”

…than being paid to be right.

Al Sacco writes for ITBusiness.ca

Apple made some progress on the iPhone security/management front, but it has a looooooong way to go before truly satisfying enterprise concerns – or becoming a suitable alternative to BlackBerry or Windows Mobile, for that matter.

This is the thing about being a pundit.

  • If you throw your support behind something and it succeeds, no-one really cares.
  • If you throw your support behind something and it fails, you never live it down.
  • If you ridicule something in the face of conflicting evidence, you don’t win or lose.

Therefore, for a pundit, it’s safer to just be blindly sceptical. You don’t need to watch Keynotes, read specifications, talk to the company, do any research or actually admit you’re wrong. It’s a perfect job for the journalist who can’t talk with authority on anything.

The company really didn’t mention anything about how administrators will remotely troubleshoot and resolve individual iPhone users’ hardware or software issues. And who will iPhone administrators call for support when they encounter an Exchange issue they can’t solve on their own?

This shows a fundamental lack of understanding of how technology works – Al is obviously an end user and not actually involved in IT support. You escalate to vendors where required. If I have an iPhone or a BlackBerry and it runs into an Exchange sync problem, I can pretty quickly decide who to call. If the problem is connectivity, call the carrier after testing on WiFi. If the problem is software based, call the vendor. Try a different handset with the same account details. This is IT Support 101 and it’s no secret.

How the iPhone integrates with your internal services is going to depend on a few things. The main one is if you actually hired decent web application developers. If your web app only works with Internet Explorer or your stupid entrenched IT department only supports IE6 and FF2 (yeah, you know who you are) then no, the iPhone is not a good fit. To be honest, you should fire your IT department. And if you are the IT department, shame on you.

Having spent the bulk of a year working on Windows and having to deal with IT services which only work on IE6 (not even on Firefox), I’m thoroughly tired of poorly built web applications. I was recently shown a web site which worked with IE6, worked poorly with Firefox and didn’t work at all with Safari. Considering the standards-compliance of those web browsers it’s like the web application developers created a site designed to frustrate – it was all ordered so that it would work worse the more standards-compliant your web browser was? And they got paid for this work?

It’s not about whether the iPhone will be great or not. It’s about the attitude of journalists who see it as a safe bet to junk something before it appears because there’s no recourse. Welcome to junk journalism.

Locations Services Developers shying away?

Elizabeth Woyke from Forbes writes: Developers of location-based services should be clamoring to make applications for Apple’s 3G iPhone, which features built-in global positioning system technology–but they’re not. Yes, they are. The objection is: ITunes also presents billing challenges for developers, which typically charge users a monthly or daily access fee for mapping services. The … Continue reading “Locations Services Developers shying away?”

Elizabeth Woyke from Forbes writes:

Developers of location-based services should be clamoring to make applications for Apple’s 3G iPhone, which features built-in global positioning system technology–but they’re not.

Yes, they are.

The objection is:

ITunes also presents billing challenges for developers, which typically charge users a monthly or daily access fee for mapping services. The firms say their billing system keeps users’ data current and helps underwrite the expense of constantly updating maps. Developers say the company has discussed only two billing options so far: free distribution or a one-time fee. This has left Networks In Motion, which charges $9.99 a month or $2.99 a day for its maps and turn-by-turn directions, cooling its heels.

Oh dry your eyes. What’s stopping you from providing data over the Internet for caching using a username/password or certificate to access? Nothing.

TomTom is looking at the iPhone so they’re not seeing an issue. Yes, their pre-PR says they are looking at the device but that’s what every sensible company says before they have a working model for an application.

Another comparison is made to Garmin who have Blackberry and Palm versions of their software but apparently not the iPhone. That would be because the Palm and Blackberry devices have been out for an age and the iPhone SDK is still in beta.

Even applications from smaller firms are running into problems with the iPhone. New York-based Citysense says its mapping application, which tracks night-life activity, works best when it’s constantly running on users’ phones.

That said – Citysense are actually producing a version. Funny that. I fail to see how this seriously enables the end user. Are people that shallow that they want to see where the herd is going?

Oh. They are. Fair enough.

Syntax Error

Pretty much summed up my lunchtime coding session. XCode seems preternaturally sensitive to hidden control characters so tonight I’m going to have to retype all of the code in my project all over again. I checked it line by line and every { was followed by a corresponding }. Frustrating but part of the learning … Continue reading “Syntax Error”

Pretty much summed up my lunchtime coding session.

XCode seems preternaturally sensitive to hidden control characters so tonight I’m going to have to retype all of the code in my project all over again. I checked it line by line and every { was followed by a corresponding }.

Frustrating but part of the learning process I reckon.

Humans and computers: fundamentally incompatible

John Griffin writes on Macintouch: “Just a word of caution: I set up my email address for sending and receiving .me emails. When I had finished and found that it was not working properly, I erased the .me account and kept the .mac account. Bad move! All my .mac email evaporated!” Here’s something to remember. … Continue reading “Humans and computers: fundamentally incompatible”

John Griffin writes on Macintouch:

“Just a word of caution: I set up my email address for sending and receiving .me emails. When I had finished and found that it was not working properly, I erased the .me account and kept the .mac account. Bad move! All my .mac email evaporated!”

Here’s something to remember. Your .Mac and your me.com addresses are exactly the same account. Just the name changes. If you delete the mail in one, it depletes the other. It’s the same. Your mail does not evaporate. You deleted it.

This is why humans and computers should be kept separate.

To my friends in the United States…

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. You know what, even in spite of this, we’d still take you guys back. Only kidding! Enjoy the … Continue reading “To my friends in the United States…”

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

You know what, even in spite of this, we’d still take you guys back.

Only kidding! Enjoy the fireworks and BBQ guys! Miss you all…

Wise Fools

Which do you hold more faith in? The wisdom of crowds? Mob stupidity? I think a lot of credit has been placed in the Wisdom of Crowds, often undeservedly. The most unobvious but visible examples of it are in telephone polling (for Big Brother or other reality shows) or in ‘Ask the Audience’ in some … Continue reading “Wise Fools”

Which do you hold more faith in?

The wisdom of crowds?

Mob stupidity?

I think a lot of credit has been placed in the Wisdom of Crowds, often undeservedly. The most unobvious but visible examples of it are in telephone polling (for Big Brother or other reality shows) or in ‘Ask the Audience’ in some quiz shows on television. They depend on a certain level of general knowledge or certain memes being represented and in the former certainly are ultimately swayed by the portrayal of individuals by manipulative editing of the source material and post-production manipulation of crowd opinions by the traditional media.

The problem with crowds is in the manipulation by meme. Memes spread quickly through a crowd and their adoption is viral among online crowds (like Twitter clouds or mailing lists). I have come to respect the virtues of the Wise Fool instead.

While the Fool may not be learned, he may be earnest.
While the Fool may not respect tradition, he may see innovation
While the Fool may mock others, he may be honest.
While the Fool may be frivolous, he may have passion.
While the Fool may be simple, he may have vision
Because he is a Fool, he has freedom.

Fight or Flight?

Wikipedia: The fight-or-flight response, also called the fright, fight or flight response, hyperarousal or the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1915. His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. This response was later recognized … Continue reading “Fight or Flight?”

Wikipedia:

The fight-or-flight response, also called the fright, fight or flight response, hyperarousal or the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1915. His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. This response was later recognized as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms.

I think I first became aware of the Acute Stress Response when I was in my early teens. Being aware of your moods is something that comes later with kids – certainly the ability or perhaps the desire to control them is something that must be developed or learned. Some children may be naturally placid, some may be more prone to expression. In my experience, stress manifested with blushing, butterflies in my stomach and a sore neck. It was obvious to me that I had a physiological need to do something but the rational mind was preventing this. It is this ‘rationality’ that distinguishes us from animals but there is also an argument that it is not always an advantage and that allowing emotion to be expressed without fear of retribution is something we should aspire to especially considering the results that logic and rationality (very masculine concepts) have garnered for us.

Different people respond to stress differently.

In current times, these responses persist, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviors. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television viewing (Friedman & Silver 2007).

Fight!
I’ve witnessed the fight response in real life – and though thankfully these days it’s uncommon to see physical aggression on the street – it’s altogether too common to see the results of domestic aggression ‘hidden’ by make-up, glasses and bravado.

Some people argue (and cannot be swayed), others are destructive in action or emotion ( passive aggressive behavior).

Flight!
Conflict avoidance isn’t always the solution though it is more socially acceptable response to acute stress. Ignoring the problem (again a passive aggressive behaviour) or procrastinating while the issue is present are not constructive ways to deal with the issue.

It’s interesting (to me) that television (and presumably shopping, the Internet, playing games and immersion in social networks) are a flight response.

Fight/Flight evolved as a physiological response to environmental pressure. In terms of physiology, humans have not changed in thousands of years yet even within the last two hundred years we have gone from being a tool-using species relying on beasts of burden with an extremely local reach to technology users, reliant on external manufactured portable power with a global reach. Our environmental pressures have also changed to the extent that our failure/success is more dependent on the actions of others rather than our own merit. Livelihoods and homes can be lost due to bad decisions in the housing market, jobs lost due to a change in consumer opinion, fortunes made on the speculation of future markets and we’ve, for the most part, reduced our reliance on one human year of effort being suitable to support one human family.

Our society and culture has out-evolved our physiology. What should be the modern response to Acute Stress?

Coworking Microsupport

Microfinance see Microcredit. –noun the lending of very small amounts of money at low interest, esp. to a start-up company or self-employed person. The problem with Microfinance and Microcredit is that, at the end of the day, someone ends up owing someone else money. And that’s a shaky way to get started in anything. The … Continue reading “Coworking Microsupport”

Microfinance

see Microcredit. –noun
the lending of very small amounts of money at low interest, esp. to a start-up company or self-employed person.

The problem with Microfinance and Microcredit is that, at the end of the day, someone ends up owing someone else money. And that’s a shaky way to get started in anything.

The concept of Microfinance for small businesses in return for equity in the business has already been successfully applied via Paul Graham’s Ycombinator.

Y Combinator does seed funding for startups. Seed funding is the earliest stage of venture funding. It pays your expenses while you’re getting started.
We make small investments (rarely more than $20,000) in return for small stakes in the companies we fund (usually 2-10%).
What happens at Y Combinator? The most important thing we do is work with startups on their ideas. We’re hackers ourselves, and we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to make things people want. So we can usually see fairly quickly the direction in which a small idea should be expanded, or the point at which to begin attacking a large but vague one.

This seems to me to be a different slant on the pre-Bubble concept of ‘code for pizza’. I knew a couple of smart guys back pre-2000 who worked full time for companies in return for pizza and promises while in receipt of unemployment benefit – they were doing the right thing after all – making a real concerted effort to get off the unemployment line by trying to be employable. None of them are gazillionaires right now (which shows the benefits of contracts over promises).

While Northern Ireland has had the concept of the incubator for years (the first one I visited was the Fujitsu/University of Ulster funded incubator where I met the guys who were ‘Osarius’ who have now all moved on to bigger and better things), it was definitely in a larger scale. There were desks, offices, stationery. That’s not the sector I’m interested in.

With the work being done for the co-working space in Northern Ireland, it is my intent to fund a desk or two and provide some desktop computers (intel iMacs) in order to foster some idea of Microsupport for potential startup companies. It’s not about funding their pizza or foozball lifestyles because people who want to get things done will find a way – this is operational expenditure. The hard part for this sector is the capital expenditure. By providing up to date hardware and taking advantage of the bountiful free time that ‘young people’ have, I think there could be an excellent environment created in the co-working space to foster new and cool innovations coming out of Belfast. David Rice wrote that the co-working initiative is designed to espouse this single concept:

Bringing silicon valley thinking to Belfast by creating a cutting edge work space for digital and creative workers.

It’s my aim that one of the rooms in the upstairs be allocated to ‘incubation’ for a few potential movers and shakers out there who need that extra bit of support to get started. I don’t care whether they want to become movie makers, software engineers, web developers or digital artists – as long as they don’t just sit around surfing the web, it’s got to be better than nothing. I’ve not really talked about this with David, Andy or anyone else central to CoworkingBelfast so they may throw their hands up and tell me to piss off – but this is the concept. Most of the individuals involved in CoWorking Belfast are young men who probably would have loved to have a co-working space available to them especially with some up to date hardware starting up.

What would Co-Working Belfast get out of it? Another raison d’etre. Karma. Kudos. Reputation. And the feeling of doing the right thing. Maybe if they’re a success they’ll help fund the next iteration of CoWorking Belfast or whatever the new fad of the day is.

There are other similar methods of support out there which have a similar model but are not the same and therefore I think this brings a certain uniqueness. For example, Google’s Summer of Code provides a $5000 stipend for student developers for summer (around 3 months) of work on open source projects. Google funds around 400 students each summer this way (putting the bill at around $2 million) but then they are Google and have infinite money. There are also business incubation services in Northern Ireland available through InvestNI but the pitch is for the slightly later stage when the individuals know what they’re doing and need the incubation from hatchling to maturity.

To extend the metaphor, I’m talking about supporting the egg itself – until the egg cracks. It’s never been easier to start up a business and become the next Twitter, Youtube, Big Word Project or 37Signals and it is these kinds of business that we should be fostering. I think that the people involved in starting the co-working space in Belfast are best qualified to determine who uses the ‘hatchery’.

The co-working space itself won’t make Belfast like Silicon Valley by it’s presence, but by it’s vision.

Careers

I have an interview next week which includes a presentation on how I would tackle the first year of the job’s responsibilities. Without knowing the role in and out, it’s hard to guess what these would be so I’ve contented myself for the last couple of nights to reading and re-reading the brief of the … Continue reading “Careers”

I have an interview next week which includes a presentation on how I would tackle the first year of the job’s responsibilities. Without knowing the role in and out, it’s hard to guess what these would be so I’ve contented myself for the last couple of nights to reading and re-reading the brief of the organisation as a whole.

A few years ago I applied to join the Police. One of the categories was a roleplay where you had to see how you handled a domestic abuse situation. How is someone who hasn’t been trained as a police officer meant to know how to deal with a domestic violence situation appropriately as a police officer?

Without the benefit of experience, how do you work out how to do something you need experience to know?