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How woodworking and gadget design connect in the internet of things (video)

Stacey Higginbotham — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:31:06 +0000

Will the smartphone really be the only device you use to connect to the world around you? Or will objects like the Nike Fuelband, the TeleSound speaker or the Kindle also have a place in your device pantheon? Dave Merrill, the CEO of Sifteo (see disclosure) who spoke at the GigaOM internet of things meetup last week, thinks the “giant slab of glass” represented by the smartphone will be crucial, but it won’t be our only device.

For many of us this might be an obvious realization, even though the smartphone has mooted gizmos like digital recorders, personal navigation systems, music players, guitar tuners and even books. Yet Merrill attempts to define what kinds of characteristics our future devices must have to retain our attention (and get us to shell out the big bucks to buy them). Like the many specialty tools used by carpenters, our future gadgets will evolve to fill specialized needs and will connect us to what we are manipulating — digital bits. Watch the video below.

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If you liked this talk, check out the others here or here, or come to our next Internet of Things meetup in Boulder, Colo. next week.

Disclosure: Sifteo is backed by True Ventures. True Ventures is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

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The future of the internet is avatars and connected services (video)

Stacey Higginbotham — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:18:57 +0000

There is no single internet of things, just a series of connected services and avatars, the physical hardware that connect to those services. This is what Mike Kuniavsky, a principal in the Innovation Services Group at PARC, explained as his vision for the internet of things in a talk last week at the GigaOM internet of things meetup.

The audio in this video is fuzzy, but Kuniavsky is worth listening to, from his definition of the internet of things to his vision for how we are going to have to change our thinking about software development in order to program it. At 19 minutes the video is the perfect length for watching during a lunch break. Check it out.

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If you missed it, here is yesterday’s video from the same event: Video: Why you shouldn’t care about securing the Internet of things just yet

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Like the internet of things? Come to GigaOM’s San Francisco meetup

Stacey Higginbotham — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:16:14 +0000

Updated: We had such demand for the event, that we changed the location for the meetup from our offices to the Tagged offices. We updated the story to reflect the change.

At GigaOM we’re excited about the internet of things and the future of connected devices. Most of us have tried tracking our health, our sleep, our electricity usage — and even have penned wish lists for our dream devices and services. Which is why we’re taking it to the next level with a meetup at the Tagged offices at 848 Battery St on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

We’ll have Dave Merrill, the CEO of Sifteo (see disclosure) and a toy entrepreneur; Hugo Fiennes, the CEO and Founder of Electric Imp; and Mike Kuniavsky, the head of innovation services at PARC at the event — plus a chance for you to pitch your idea to the audience. So sign up if you want to spend a few hours with people who not only are participating in today’s connected-device revolution but are also making sure it evolves.

The internet of things get plenty of hype but is less-well understood in terms of the real opportunity. And as money flows into the sector, we’re going to see a lot of disillusionment on the consumer side if things like interoperability and high-quality services don’t emerge to meet the hype. Luckily, like the internet itself, there’s plenty of room for multiple “killer apps” for the internet of things, which means there’s plenty of room for innovation and the growth of big businesses. So come to the event. Maybe you’ll meet the founder of the next eBay, Amazon or Facebook.

Disclosure: Sifteo is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

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Only Two More Weeks Until Cord Cutters Day!

Janko Roettgers — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:49:52 +0000

Some people believe that cord cutting isn’t real, that people would never give up on the $100 pay TV bill. We’d like to prove them wrong with the first ever Cord Cutters Day, happening on April 26th with meetups in cities all across the U.S. and beyond. Here’s the deal:

GigaOM is hosting official Cord Cutters meetups on April 26th in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Toronto. And we teamed up with Meetup.com to give viewers of the show, readers of this blog and other fellow cord cutters a chance to participate with meetups in their own.

Honestly, we didn’t quite know what to expect when we posted the first invitation to Cord Cutters Day late last month. But two weeks later, we already have a dozen meetups, with community members organizing their own events in cities like Washington D.C., New York, San Diego, Atlanta and even Lima, Peru. Check the widget embedded on the right or our Meetup.com page to see whether there’s already an event in your community.

Can’t find anything close by? Don’t worry, it’s not too late to organize your own: Simply enter the name of your town in the search box of our Meetup.com page, click on “Count me in,” and you’re registered to attend. Once you’ve RSVP’d, it’s time to step up and get active by picking a location and promoting your event. Check out our original announcement post for a more detailed description of these steps, and feel free to email (cordcutters (at) gigaom.com) if you get stuck at any point.

Also, make sure to follow Cord Cutters on Twitter to keep up with news about Cord Cutters Day – we’ll have a number of give-aways to announce in the coming days. And please tag all your tweets about the event with the hash tag #CordCuttersDay. Let’s get the word out and come together on April 26 to celebrate life without pay TV!

In the mean time, feel free to check out the latest episode of our weekly web series Cord Cutters below:

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NewTeeVee Seattle Meetup Next Monday!

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:00:21 +0000

Liz and I will be in Seattle next week, and we’re hoping you can come out and have a drink with us at the first-ever NewTeeVee Seattle Meetup. Here are details:

When: Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
Where: Black Bottle (must be 21 or older)

To RSVP (not necessary, but it’s nice to know who’s joining us), visit our Facebook event page.

There’s a ton of web video talent up in the Northwest, and we’re excited to finally be up that way to shake hands and share a beverage. See you next Monday!

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NTV Meetup LA Was En Fuego

Chris Albrecht — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:15:20 +0000

The only thing hotter than the NewTeeVee LA meetup last night was an actual wildfire that broke out near the Getty. But neither natural disaster nor the most horrific traffic this reporter has ever experienced could keep people from this party. We had so many people pack the Cat n’ the Fiddle that management moved us to our own private room.

Thanks to everyone who came out last night. It was a great mix of familiar and new faces. We love LA, and we love the new media folks down here. Enjoy these pics from the event.

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SCHED*: Simple Social Scheduling

Imran Ali — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:00:11 +0000

It’s been said that the apps that break out at Austin’s South by Southwest festival are those that help festival-goers navigate and orient themselves within the sprawl of parties, panel sessions and gigs.

The 2007 edition of SXSW was Twitter’s big moment, the tipping point for the now iconic service. The following year, many thought that SCHED*, a web-based event calendar and agenda builder, would be the breakout service of 2008 — the “new Twitter.”

Though such expectations were inflated by the media, SCHED* provided useful personalized schedules that have endured through two editions of the festival. The latest edition of the app now includes mobile support, iPhone compatibility, and the ability to integrate with iCal and Google Calendar.

As the organizer of a “proto-SXSW” here in the U.K. — LSx 2009, the second Leeds Web Festival — I figured this was a great opportunity to put SCHED* through its paces with the somewhat smaller schedule of events for LSx. Also, it’d be a useful trial run for a fuller deployment in 2010, when LSx will likely merge with the Live At Leeds music festival.

Here’s how things work:

Upon making an inquiry via the SCHED* web site, I was put in touch with the company’s business development people to collate our requirements and also to discuss which plans and pricing would be most appropriate for LSx. At this stage, SCHED* simply needs to understand the demographics, audience size and dates. The company offers Basic, Premium and Premium Plus plans, ranging from $399 to $850, depending on features rather than usage. The company was generous enough to let us experiment with the app using a nonprofit discounted plan.
Once the invoice is settled, you need to provide a logo, official conference/festival name, URL of the official site, your chosen SCHED* subdomain (http://lsx.sched.org), event location and the beginning and end dates.
Once your new site is live, it’s administered and updated in batches using a SCHED*-supplied offline Excel spreadsheet or online Google Spreadsheet. It initially seems an odd choice to utilize a spreadsheet interface to administer your SCHED* site, but the complexity of venues, events and categories would likely not work well at all in a web-based HTML form.

It’s unfair to compare SCHED* to Twitter as a SxSW breakout service — Twitter is a consumer app, whereas SCHED is really intended for festival and conference organizers. However, I found SCHED* to be competitively priced — compared with Crowdvine and Expectnation — and it certainly adds value to the audience of a conference or festival. What’s perhaps even more valuable for organizers is the level of direct support and account handling that the company provides, something that’s lacking in most of the self-service web services around today. Well done for great service, SCHED*.

If you are involved in organizing meetups, BarCamps, work events and other gatherings, SCHED*’s a powerful tool for organizers and attendees alike.

What tool do you use for scheduling your events?

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Where Is Your Community?

Dawn Foster — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:00:37 +0000

As a freelance consultant, I spend my days in front of a computer occasionally shifting around the house to the couch, kitchen table, or porch when I need a change of scenery from my home office. I have a kitchen instead of a lunch room, a phone instead of a conference room, and no water cooler in sight. While the solitary web worker life can get lonely occasionally, most of us have found ways to engage with communities of our peers in less traditional ways outside of an office.

There have been many posts about engaging with coworkers and clients via Twitter, IM, Facebook, and other social networking sites. Those are a great first step to keep in touch with real people throughout the day, but what about those times when you just need to get out of the house?

I’m lucky to live here in Portland where we have a large number of freelancers, consultants, telecommuters, and other remote workers. We frequently get together during the week for coworking sessions at coffee shops where we each work independently, but by meeting in groups, we have people to watch our computers when we go to the bathroom, share quick stories, or get feedback on a tough issue. There are a few coffee shops where my web worker friends regularly congregate, and I can almost guarantee that I’ll see someone I know wander in during my visit.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have something similar already, consider scheduling it. How about coffee shop Wednesday? Pick a few friends who are also busy and who know that the purpose of the day is work (not chatting), and then find a place with solid wireless and caffeinated beverages. I typically save up those tasks that don’t require extensive concentration (responding to email, proposals, contracts, etc.), since you might not do your best strategic recommendations with the distractions of a coffee shop.

Beer and Blog Geek Meetups

photo used with permission from Aaron Hockley.

I also rely on attending regular events where I can interact with people who have similar technology interests. In some cases, I attend events that already exist. Here in Portland, we have events like Beer and Blog, Portland Web Innovators, and many user groups. I also noticed a few gaps, which I filled by working with other people to help start new groups like the Online Community Manager Meetup and PDX GeekChix. Attending existing events and starting new ones is a great way to meet new people and increase your interactions with other human beings offline.

What do you do when you crave human interaction during the work day?

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How Much Do You Pay for Web Apps?

Aliza Sherman — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:00:04 +0000

Image via Wikipedia (LibSyn)

Before I fell asleep last night, I started thinking about what I’m spending on Web applications. I take advantage of the free levels of apps whenever I can, however, in some cases, I have to give in and pay for the services.

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t have buyer’s remorse, but I do think I need to get a firm grasp of what Web apps or SaaS’s I have on autopay on my business credit card because it is getting to be too easy to charge these things.

Here is the list of Web apps I’ve been paying for and why I pay for them:

Basecamp – $24/month – to keep track of communications and files with clients.
FreshBooks – $24/month – to manage client invoicing.
Typepad – $89.50/year for three blogs (about $7.45/month) – to develop three of my many blogs.
Constant Contact – $15/month – to send out my occasional e-newsletter.
Cafepress – $6.95/month – to sell Second Life swag.
LibSyn- $5/month – to host my Cybergrrl Oh podcast about Second Life.
SpinVox- $9.99/month – to convert my voicemail messages into texts and emails. (My service in the U.S. is actually through UReach.
MeetUp – $72/6 months ($12/month) – to host several Meetup groups.

Total Fees – $104.39 per month or $1,252.68 per year

I began thinking that I should pay more attention to these payments. If the app is really valuable to my business, maybe I should consider paying for a year’s subscription in advance. Often, an annual subscription is discounted so I could save some money.

Then again, it might just be negligible. CafePress, for example, comes out to be $5/month for an annual subscription which would save me $23 for the year. Well, the theory sounded good when I was thinking about it. Still, if I were to subscribe to many more apps and sites, maybe the savings would become more significant.

Sites like Freshbooks and Basecamp don’t offer an annual fee. They use a pay-as-you-go model without committing you to a long term contract. Freshbooks does offer a lump sum payment where you can opt to pay for a number of months in advance but without any discount.

What are you paying on a monthly basis for Web apps and sites? Which ones and what do they do for you?

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Send An Intervention to Help Unplug Your Friends

Scott Blitstein — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:00:49 +0000

We’ve talked a lot about managing a social network strategy, maintaining a work-life balance, and living in a blur of social media. The fact is though, that with the sheer number of services available to us, and our ability to be connected to them virtually everywhere, we may be relying on them a bit too much.

So I had to laugh when I saw Unplug Your Friends, a site which lets you send an intervention email to those you know who may be suffering from what they call Screen Addiction.

A fill in the blanks template lets you pick out the appropriate intervention terms and zips off an email alerting them about your concern, along with a link to an amusing “see the light” video.

Unplug Your Friends is brought to you by the folks over at Meetup, and it’s a clever bit of marketing. I love Meetup’s slogan of Use the Internet to get off the Internet!

As tongue in cheek as this all is, it is also a reminder that there are others around us that we can communicate with outside of Twitter. I know for certain that people say witty and interesting things in person as well.

Whether it is for convenience or a matter of comfort – we flock to our online communities, and we do connect there. But personal meetings and group interactions are important as well. Plan a Meetup, or a Tweetup, or join a bowling league. Take some time time to unplug, step away from your computer, and turn off messaging on your phone.

And invite your friends – even if you have to drag them away from their laptops kicking and screaming.

How do you unplug? Do you or your friends need an intervention?

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