Mashup on iPad

OK, so tested Google, Bing, Yahoo, ESRI, Openlayers and MapServer mashups on the iPad, and much like on the iPhone, the slippy drag-and-droll interface doesn’t work. Except for one mashup. Take a guess?

Related:
* . . . → Read More: Mashup on iPad

Webinar Series: TECH 101 – Mashups For Planning

TECH 101 – Mashups For Planning
View more presentations from gisblog.

Mobile Webinar

Related:
* Mash-ups as Planning Tools
* GISP and AICP
* Technology Division of the American Planning Association (APA) Webinar Series – TECH 101: Mashups for Planning
* APA Technology Division: Education
* APA Technology Division Webinar . . . → Read More: Webinar Series: TECH 101 – Mashups For Planning

Taking Wolfram|Alpha on an Alpha Run

Wolfram|Alpha is an Answer Engine for the scientifically-minded, as opposed to a Search Engine: It takes your query, implied or otherwise, that critical step further by selecting from its list of matches, the one objective description, image etc, and lays them out in context. Not that Google never attempts definitive answers [chord], but when it does, . . . → Read More: Taking Wolfram|Alpha on an Alpha Run

b2evolution 2 wordpress

Well, I have switched from b2evolution to WordPress CMS. And thanks to Apache’s mod_rewrite, I was able to keep all my old links intact. Here’s how:

### wordpress:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
# basic:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /gistools/discuss/weblogs/blogs/
# file:
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
# dir:
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /gistools/discuss/weblogs/blogs/index.php [L]
# [R] Redirect [L] Last rule
# post:
Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} title=([^&]+)
RewriteRule ^index\.php /gistools/discuss/weblogs/blogs/%1\.html? [r=301,nc]
# archive – monthly:

http://www.spatiallink.org/gistools/discuss/weblogs/blogs/pi.php?m=200807

RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} . . . → Read More: b2evolution 2 wordpress

Follow Up [2]: Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell

Quotes from the recent Net Neutrality Hearings:

David L. Cohen, Vice-President, Comcast- ‘…on a “very limited basis” Comcast was delaying traffic in limited areas when there is heavy traffic.’”Don’t let the rhetoric of some of the critics scare you- there is nothing wrong with network management. Every network is managed.”

Tim Wu, Professor, Columbia Law School- “I have . . . → Read More: Follow Up [2]: Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell

2008

I started the year with this ‘Time Management‘ video by Randy Pausch. You may know him from ‘The Last Lecture‘. His introduction is by Gabe- my website mentor at UVA Computer Science Web Team. A must-watch if you haven’t already.

– π

Related:
• 2007
• The Legacy of . . . → Read More: 2008

Follow Up [1]: The Power of Ten

• Medium Maximization: “A medium, for example, points or money, is a token people receive as the immediate reward of their effort. It has no value in and of itself, but it can be traded for a desired outcome. Experiments demonstrate that, when people are faced with options entailing different outcomes, the presence of a medium . . . → Read More: Follow Up [1]: The Power of Ten

The Power of Ten

1,000 CONTACTS > 100 VISITORS > 10 SIGN-UPS > 1 ACTIVE USER

– π

Related:
• “It is claimed that a satisfied customer tells an average of three people about a product or service he/she likes, and eleven people about a product or service which he/she did not like [Silverman, George. Secrets of Word Of Mouth Marketing. 2001]. Viral . . . → Read More: The Power of Ten

Follow Up [1]: Never the Twain Shall Meet

• What if Gmail Had Been Designed by Microsoft?
• If Microsoft packaged the iPod…

Related:
• Never the Twain . . . → Read More: Follow Up [1]: Never the Twain Shall Meet

Mobile Browsers

As the Google-backed Open Handset Alliance takes shape, I have been testing dominant WAP browsers on my 2-year old touchscreen PocketPC. This resulting post should narrow down the choices for those who follow:

• Deep Fish by Microsoft appears to be the most promising of the lot. Unfortunately, it is in a strict testing phase and no . . . → Read More: Mobile Browsers

A Tale of Two Languages

Try this page to compare Ruby‘s and Python‘s language elegance side-by-side. Spoiler Warning: There is a winner!

To get you started:
Ruby – string.method ["String".reverse or "String".length]
Python – string[slice] or function(string) ["String"[::-1] or len(“String”)]

–π

Related:
• Python Interpreter
• ASP
• Cold Fusion
• JSP
• Perl [ActivePerl]
• [ActivePython]
• PHP
• Tcl [ActiveTcl]
• A Tale of . . . → Read More: A Tale of Two Languages

Follow Up [1]: Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell

Bush Official Goes Nuclear in Net Neut Row. The Register. 2007

Related:
• Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell
• Network Neutrality
• Network Neutrality in . . . → Read More: Follow Up [1]: Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell

Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell

–π

Related:
• [my comment]
The Coming Internet Traffic Jam: “…argument on government legislation. It is a false argument that some proponents of non-neutrality wish to spread. Surely, in this age of war-profiteers turning in record-breaking quarters, loose monopolies of mergers and bundles, debatable price gouging etc, it is a little naive to want to believe that all the . . . → Read More: Debating Net Neutrality: A Nutshell

2006

Here are four “events” from 2006 that I consider as evolutionary milestones of our burgeoning SIS industry:

• E2- ESRI finally catches up to GE. Almost
• Virtual Earth- Microsoft adds the ability to add and save shapes, and browser-based GE-esque 3D views
• GE- Google gulps SketchUp and consolidates GE’s usergroups by jumping head-first in collaborations
• Spatial Web . . . → Read More: 2006

Follow Up [2]: Top 10 Technology Trends for 2006 ["comment"]

According to TheStree.com, American Online recently bought Truveo. Note that this was predicted by Technology . . . → Read More: Follow Up [2]: Top 10 Technology Trends for 2006 ["comment"]

Follow Up [1]: Top 10 Technology Trends for 2006 ["comment"]

More crystal ball gazing:

• A tough year ahead for Sony ["fate deserved, although XBox would probably hurt more"]
• AJAX cleans up the Web ["impressive"]
• Cracks appear in Apple’s iTunes shiny armor ["would take more, but also refer to hymn"]
• Telco companies get ensnared in a domestic eavesdropping scandal ["a very tight-rope"]
• A video search company is . . . → Read More: Follow Up [1]: Top 10 Technology Trends for 2006 ["comment"]

Top 10 Technology Trends for 2006 ["comment"]

1. First there were WiFi hotspots, then hot zones ["even more so"]
2. Cell phones do everything ["right-on"]
3. Internet phone calls become more popular now that major Web companies are making it easier ["about time"]
4. The [MS] Office moves to the Web. Documents, e-mail and spreadsheets move off your desktop computer to the Web ["about time"]
5. Stem-cell . . . → Read More: Top 10 Technology Trends for 2006 ["comment"]

Follow Up [1]: Memorandum Excerpt, Alleged

“Building a Better Boom

… The Internet is exciting again, and once again folks are rushing in. In some categories – like search or social networking, for example – there are scores of start-ups vying for pretty much the same market, and it’s certain that, just like last time, most of them will fail.

But regardless of all . . . → Read More: Follow Up [1]: Memorandum Excerpt, Alleged

Memorandum Excerpt, Alleged: Internet Software Services

From: Bill Gates
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:56 PM
To: Executive Staff and Direct Reports; Distinguished Engineers
Subject: Internet Software Services

“… Ten years ago this December, I wrote a memo entitled The Internet Tidal Wave which described how the internet was going to forever change the landscape of computing… Five years ago we focused our strategy on .NET . . . → Read More: Memorandum Excerpt, Alleged: Internet Software Services

Links

It’s time to move these to del.icio.us:

• http://labs.google.com/ Google’s showcase
• http://next.yahoo.com/ Yahoo’s showcase
• http://research.microsoft.com/ Microsoft Research

• http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/googlemaps/ks_gm.cfm SDE+GMap
• http://traffic.poly9.com/ Traffic, weather and news glues for Google Maps

• http://opensource.nokia.com/ Nokia in opensource WAP

• http://www.webstyleguide.com/ Web style guide
• http://jibbering.com/faq/ comp.lang.javascript FAQ

• http://robin.sourceforge.net/ Browser-based desktop
• http://www.writely.com/ Browser-based word processor
• http://www.ktdms.com/ Document management system
• http://www.openfiler.org/ Browser-based network storage software . . . → Read More: Links

Never the Twain Shall Meet

On the eve of the launch of Virtual Earth, as Microsoft plays catch-up with Google‘s high-rate of innovation, here’s a transcript of some tete-a-tete:

[Sometime before 2000]
Bill Gates: Now that we are in the email business with Hotmail, we need to think of ways to fatten the bottom-line.
Steve Ballmer: Online marketing is the way to go Bill! . . . → Read More: Never the Twain Shall Meet

WIKI: Edit Lock Schema

Now that I would update the DFIRM WIKI more frequently, I added a lock this past weekend to prevent simultaneous editing. And after being hit by abuse through automated comments, basic verification was also added while still allowing relatively hassle-free editing.

At some point, I may submit these improvements back . . . → Read More: WIKI: Edit Lock Schema

Half-life of a Webpage

The primary objective of this blog is to mull over industry trends and abstract ideas relevant to the profession, not to regurgitate “operational details”. However, this post may bend that rule.

For those not in the know, a webpage does a lot of behind-the-scene work before it spits-out text on the screen. Here’s a summary of what . . . → Read More: Half-life of a Webpage