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PDABuzz.com - Monday, December 23

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PDABuzz.com - Monday,December 23 2002
Handspring and TechSoup are teaming up to bring an unbeatable offer to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Staff, board members, and volunteers of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations can receive a Treo 180 for free when they sign up for a T-Mobile Internet (GPRS) service plan and mail in a $150 rebate.TechSoup, a free nonprofit Web site created by CompuMentor empowers nonprofits to succeed in the Digital Age by providing timely and targeted technology information and resources. TechSoup provides other nonprofits with the tech know-how they need to more efficiently and effectively achieve their missions. Through its online technology store DiscounTech, TechSoup also offers access to affordable tech products and services just for nonprofits. TechSoup partners with high-level tech organizations such as CNET and with other leading nonprofits such as NPower.

AOL Instant Messaging Patent Issue...

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As AOL pursues its patent on instant messaging, people all over the Net are assembling examples of "prior art" -- instant-messaging-like systems that long predated AOL's. Rafe Colburn recalls one from a company he once worked for. Brian Dear writes in to point out that the PLATO system had IM functionality back in 1973. [Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment] I remember using PLATO at Indiana University in 1979 or 1980. Black screen with orange text...

Creative Commons...

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Creative Commons On December 16, 2002, Creative Commons released version 1.0 of its Licensing Project, and the first release of content under its Founders' Copyright. These are the first two projects in a series that Creative Commons will launch, all designed to help expand the amount of intellectual work, whether owned or free, available for creative re-use.The Licensing Project will build licenses that will help you tell others that your works are free for copying and other uses but only on certain conditions. You're probably familiar with the phrase "All rights reserved" and the little © that goes along with it. Creative Commons wants to help copyright holders send a different message: "Some rights reserved" and our "CC Creative Commons" logo.

Lawrence Lessig is associated with this group. Bill Walle and I saw him speak at the O'Reilly Emerging Technologies Conference last spring and this idea was introduced at the conference.

New York Times Magazine: Pedal-Powered

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New York Times Magazine: Pedal-Powered Internet Picture this: A remote farmer in the dirt-poor country of Laos wants to check some e-mail. So he goes to the only computer in his village. (It's bolted to the floor of a public building, to prevent theft.) He brings a friend along -- not to Web-surf with him, but to pedal a bicycle-driven generator that powers the computer. When they've cranked out enough juice, they can log onto the Web, using a jury-rigged set of wireless antennae. It's a clunky system made out of spare parts, but when it goes live next year, it will become the newest way to hook up the developing world: the pedal-powered Internet.

New York Times: Philadelphia School's

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New York Times: Philadelphia School's Woes Defeat Veteran PrincipalFresh from the suburbs and brimming with idealism, Dr. Solkov was chosen by Edison to welcome reporters, television crews, politicians and officials to Morton McMichael Elementary School as the district began the experiment that everyone hoped would turn the troubled Philadelphia school system around. "This is the model that will work," she told reporters, who were focused on her students' poverty and their dismal math and reading scores. But last week she told her staff she was resigning. Sad tale of a veteran principal and her attempts to turn around a Philadelphia elementary school. Portland is noway near as bad as this, but we seem to be on that kind of track...

VoiceXML

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Tellme. Studio Tellme Studio is a powerful suite of Web-based VoiceXML development tools and community resources that enable you to build, test, and publish your own Internet-powered, voice-enabled applications on the Tellme Network. Interesting idea... think of a school district offering professional development opportunities. What if the could offer a simple phone interface for listing course availability?

Thermal Imaging Unit

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fire station imageToday I went on a field trip with my son's class to the Portland Fire Bureau. The kids had a great time. Here the officer is demonstrating a thermal imaging unit. Allows them to see in the dark and in smoke filled rooms.