Security, DRM, and Sony
When you install software, you understand some of the risks involved. The Sony DRM case feels different. If you want to listen to a music CD, should you be expected to know that this could result in security holes on your system? This week, O'Reilly's audio magazine program Distributing the Future looks at DRM, security, and the Sony case. You'll hear from an interview with Ben Laurie from the Apache Software Foundation and The Bunker Secure Hosting by Intel's Danese Cooper, from a keynote address by Cory Doctorow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and from O'Reilly book editor Andy Oram.
Review: M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 Pocket Digital Recorder
Barely larger than a first-gen iPod, this portable recorder lets you capture sound in 24-bit WAV format or compact MP3. But is the low price too good to be true? Accomplished recording engineer Mark Nelson MicroTracks a Hawaiian guitar festival to find out.
Tuning AJAX
AJAX is all the rage and it's being used for non-trivial applications. But do you know what's fast and what's slow in AJAX? Get ready to tune your AJAX apps.
User Groups Benefit from Safari
When O’Reilly developers needed someone to user-test the new Safari Affiliate Program, Stephen Henry from the North Coast Mac Users Group was the ideal choice. Situated 40 miles north of San Francisco, NCMUG has been active since the Mac first arrived in 1984. Henry created an excellent working example of how user groups can implement the Affiliate Program to benefit their members. Ed Stephenson brings you the details.
Ambient Findability
Thomas "Duffbert" Duff
Have you ever stopped to think about how "information" and the ability to find it has changed our lives? Ambient Findability by Peter Morville takes you down a thought-provoking path as to what it all means...
Contents: Lost and Found; A Brief History of Wayfinding; Information Interaction; Intertwingled; Push and Pull; The Sociosemantic Web; Inspired Decisions; Index
First off, this isn't a book along the lines of "follow these steps to increase your search engine ranking". In fact, if you're just looking for some quick hit suggestions on how to make your site easier to find, don't buy the book. It'd be a waste of your time. But if you're ready to really think about what "searching" means, read on. Morville examines how a number of trends have converged to make it possible to find out just about anything regardless of where you are and when you're looking for it. Wi-fi has made it possible to have search engine access outside the home or office. Google's massive indexing ability has allowed us to find things that would never be found otherwise. GPS, cell phones, and other technical marvels have made us locate-able regardless of where we (or the searcher) are. All this "ambient findability" changes who we are both as individuals and as a part of society. And with the continuing advance of smaller chips, more bandwidth, and integration of RFID into everyday products, this convergence of information exchange and interaction only promises to get deeper and more pervasive. As stated in the book... The future is already here, but it's just not evenly distributed yet...
I'm a little surprised I liked this book as much as I did. As I've stated in the past, I tend to avoid philosophical musings and gravitate towards practical "how do I" titles. But this one snared me. It's well written to begin with, and I think the subject matter was one that I was already interested in. It's the type of book that you should read slowly and think about as you go. When you understand how we've arrived at our current destination, it tends to make you have a greater appreciation for things we (or at least I) have taken for granted.
If you're ready for something that will make you think and ponder, Ambient Findability should make an appearance on your "need to read" list...
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