Dilemma of civilized man; body mobilized, but danger obscure

- page 161

While on holidays I finished Phillip K Dick’s book, The Man in the High Castle, a story of how the world might look if the Allies lost the war. Like all great science fiction, this is a biting commentary on our own culture. Well worth a read.

My initial reaction to the teasers for 3.0 was excitement. My understanding of the opening up of the accessory port to developers would allow for fun innovation. I was wrong.

The dream I had was to be able to connect my iPhone, via USB, to my camera(s). This would allow my phone to act as a remote control, and as an external screen for photos & video. The gPhoto libraries looked like they could provide a starting point.

What is actually provided doesn’t allow for straight USB connectivity.

The External Accessory support requires a validated accessory, with appropriate hardware protocols, to work. You also need to be a member of two programs, iPhone Developer and the Made for iPod program.

I can’t see Canon or Nikon releasing cameras with iPod dock connectors or protocols.

This doesn’t leave many options. One is to build a hardware device that is USB in one end and a custom protocol out the other. This gets tricky fast as the hardware device needs to figure out the camera support. And I really liked the idea of a simple cable connection being all that is required.

The second option still has some merit: WiFi. There are a few downsides. Firstly, you need a camera that supports WiFi or an expensive adaptor. This limits the audience for the app. Secondly, you need a wireless network available and to also manage pairing between your iPhone and your camera. This starts to be more equipment than desirable.

If you have a laptop lying around, onOne software released such an iPhone app.

• On the flight, I get to watch lectures on iPhone development from Stanford, along with talks from a conference in California.
• Catch up with family and friends in Singapore, as a result of sharing my location on Facebook.
• Photos I took of Singapore are instantly shared with other friends and family around the world.
• I keep in touch with my girlfriend back home using free telephony via the internet (thanks Skype).
• A friend at work recommends a book to me, and I order it from America to arrive at my Melbourne office, along with some other recommended books to read.
• Reviews, freely published on the internet, guide me through a tricky lens purchase. Global warranty allows me to haggle in Singapore’s Chinatown for a lower price than back home.
• Hear about a new album by Fat Freddy’s Drop, a New Zealand band, on Twitter on my phone, purchase the album and instantly(ish) download via wireless internet
• My camera (5D2) gets updated with new features today, via the internet, making it more video capable.
• Subscriptions via NetNewsWire and Tweetie on the iPhone guide me through the bankruptcy  intricacies as two 20th Century car companies fall apart.
• I can share this with you, as publishing is freely available.

Thinking back only a few decades, most of this would seem science fiction. I’m looking forward to the next few!

ps. I still hold out hope for personal flying devices in my lifetime.

Yesterday, Monday 18th May, an earthquake measuring 5 on the richter scale struck California.

I first heard about the quake from John Grey (@jg_rat), the editor of couriermail.com.au. He posted the following:

RT @bartman6: FLASH: Quake hits LA http://bit.ly/jtA6M

The Courier Mail site published a small teaser with a few paragraphs of text and a map of the areas affected. The site also included a reference to this content at the top of their homepage.

As the story unfolded, the article was expanded to include more information.

The article was the first mention in Australian press of the earthquake. John’s team beat the other major news sites, including ABC.com.au, SMH.com.au and even their parent site, news.com.au. At the time of posting, even CNN had not updated their site with news of the earthquake.

I asked John why his team got the news out so early:

@jg_rat: @gmwils The answer is Twitter. And a fast, smart, connected news team.

LA Times was also quick to respond to the story. Their first post, in addition to their own copy, included a link to a Twitter search for earthquake.

Twitter is adding a lot of value to the breaking news gathering and publishing processes.

After being overly busy with work, a weekend in Melbourne allowed for relaxing travel. Michelle and I went down to Sorrento to visit a friend for high tea.

Lots and lots of cakes, some beautiful sandwiches and then more cakes. All mixed in with a wide variety of tea. Conversations were diverse and drifted between deep and idyllic.

A wonderful way to unwind.

It was also a good opportunity to play more with my new camera. I am really pleased with the results. The colors out of camera are more inspiring than from my old camera.

There are a few more on my Flickr page.