Just setting up my ScribeFire account wizard - yet again.
Username: mikese <the first part of my spaces.live url?
Password: <that secret code in email publish options>

This week we have a chat with Mark Pesce, which is interesting because he spoke at an event in our home town of Adelaide, and we were kind of involved via Twitter.  Take a listen.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

Thanks to Dave's persistence our most recent episode of the extraordinary everydaylives show is up.
This one provides some interesting insight to a world I know very little about (except the fear and ignorance the mainstream media would have me know). Lots of connections in this episode. Including one with Shel Israel (which is kind of ironic).

Enjoy

Fang - Mike Seyfang

Anyone feel like playing detective?


I'm guessing the pranksters who blew up my (second) letterbox wont be able to resist posting some form of pictures / audio / video. I'd love to find it and link to it here. I'm also curious to find out about other letterbox bombing activities out there - and what type of device did the deed to mine.

HERE are some clues I have tracked down this arvo, would love any more hints / ideas / information.
http://del.icio.us/mseyfang/letterbox



Fang - Mike Seyfang

Get along to one of his shows, and buy the CD!
Mandy and I will be at the Town Hall on Wed 23rd April if you would like to join us.



Fang - Mike Seyfang

Heard something scary and inspiring at a free public lecture on Climate Change last night.
I'm hoping the talk will be podcast at the climate2030 site soon.
Until then I'm paraphrasing (poorly from a feint memory with no notes).

• The 'solution' talked up in local newspapers/radio was actually the signing of an 'M.O.U.' by the Prime Minister and all State Premiers, based on a plan that cannot work under at least two reasonably likely scenarios
• In July 2008 the final 'deal' will be signed
• Professor Mike Young argues that an agile water trading model based on shares (where the environment and river itself are 'traders') is a better way to manage the system in both prosperity and tough times
• There is an opportunity to influence the final 'deal', soon to be signed - through conversations and public voice
• If YOU think Professor Young's plan is a good one you should talk about it - soon

I have had the good fortune to hear Professor Young talk about his plan on several occasions and I think I am beginning to get it. One thing I am sure of is that both his heart and brain are in the right place, having been inspired by such great champions as the late Peter Cullen.

So, when the talk is available online - get it, listen to it and start conversations.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

p.s. If you are interested in more detailed information you can subscribe to a regular 'water droplet' newsletter via email.

A little birdy just let me in on the best kept secret in town - there are podcasts from this year's womadelaide from radio adelaide.
Most artists are covered - both interviews and 5-10 mins from their performance.
They sound great (but the RSS aint quite the full deal - only first 10 items, lets see if we can help em fix that).

Fang - Mike Seyfang

technorati tags:seyfang, mikeseyfang

Fascinating chat with Biff from NAKED.
A private (social) messaging platform enabling NAKED conversations with REAL Friends.
Check it out - it will challenge your thinking on social networks.
(it inverted mine)

Fang - Mike Seyfang

http://extraordinary.thepodcastnetwork.com/2008/04/04/extraordinary-everyday-lives-045-get-naked-with-biff/

As reported in years past, I felt truly alone and un-supported when first confronted by 'hour out meetings' in a large Microsoft Exchange project. Each year I feel a little bit better as other people feel the pain. Annual updates like these are part of my therapy.

This year I was delighted to discover the complex framework sitting behind this seemingly benign announcement from Microsoft.

Important Announcement:
Be ready by March 30th for the new daylight saving calendar    
This year daylight saving is ending one week later in all states except WA, QLD and NT. The change will affect Personal Computers, Servers running Microsoft® Windows®, Mobile Devices running Windows Mobile®, as well as Microsoft® Office Outlook® calendars. By having Automatic Updates activated on your Windows PC, your computer will take care of changing the time automatically. Click here before March 30 to make sure you're ready.

Clicking there resulted in these buried treasures:

• If you have a complex environment (for example, two or more servers) you are advised to engage a suitably qualified IT professional to carry out the update!!
• Click here to update this computer. For information on updating your Windows mobile phone, click here and Microsoft Small Business Server 2003, click here.
• A 'SIX STEP' wizard including this little gem 'print your calendar for the periods 30th March 2008 to 6th April 2008 and 5th October 2008 to 26th October 2008 before you download and install the Time Zone update'

And to think I busted my guts trying to convince various Product Managers to work together and find a way to put this 'variable' information in some central place (ie the internet) rather than bury it in hidden areas of every single device / operating system combination. What were Daniel and I thinking - what a pain in the ...?


Fang - Mike Seyfang

I knew the ants were onto something...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigmergy

Bloody hot in fact.
Dusty too!



Fang - Mike Seyfang

Last night I heard my mum and dad use the term 'night cart' for the first time (that I can recall).  I know about 'long drops' (can recall the smell of one from a friend's beach shack).

Bugger all in wikipedia, so a quick 'google' and here is what comes up:


Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

   Night cart, a cart used to remove the contents of privies
      by night

night cart
In the days before flush toilets, the sanitary cans were emptied periodically by local council employees. Their conveyance was known euphemistically as a "night cart".

Fang - Mike Seyfang

Got a real sense of history through my RSS reader this morning - my dad uploaded a shot of my second car to flickr.  Wow, this brings back memories:



hereford
Originally uploaded by fangsenior

When I say second car, I mean the second vehicle that mum let me drive before I reached legal driving age.  (The first was an earlier / smaller model Austin that I thrashed around the paddocks from age 8).  This austin hereford was a well posh vehicle previously owned by grandpa Vic.  It featured leather trim (can still smell it) and as mum would say 'way too much power'.

Oh yes, and note the 'pre-teen bogan' modifications to Vic's pride-n-joy:
- the bonnet hand painted black (to reduce glare)
- the black strip at the top of the windscreen (with levis stickers)
- the 'repco' sticker on the drivers quarter window (coolest sticker available back then)


Fang - Mike Seyfang

Check out Jacob's youtube for a peek at a draft of a possibly upcoming VAF Octavio promotional video.

Look for the one called 'Music for 5 Octavios'.



Technorati Tags: vaf octavio

This week, Laurel was driving the show and introduced us to Ajay - who is doing cool stuff with geospatial technology for museums (and others) concerned with biodiversity.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

Check out the funky podcasts one of my kids and his mate have created as part of their christmas holiday work. 

mediablog.wholesalemeatenterprises.com

Their creativity and sense of fun never ceases to amaze me. 
Fang - Mike Seyfang

Recently spotted this little promotional video mashup by Jacob.
Sweet.

I've been working over Christmas, so why haven't I posted much?  Here are three reasons:

1. Been booting of an dedicated HDD to run FinalCut Pro - no network drivers installed
2. Twitter is where I think out loud, blog posts have become (way too) formal
3. The various mobile devices from which I can blog require too much technical feckery each time I try to use them.  Losing interest fast.  The laptop wins.

Furthermore, I am going to be offline for most of the next two weeks.
See ya after that.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

Stick a fork in its arse, turn it over - its done.


Fang - Mike Seyfang

technorati tags:seyfang, mikeseyfang

Thanks Mr Winer (via Doc).

'Really simple' pictures for your Mac desktop!

It's all about pictures...

Pictures from your Flickr contacts...

High-def pics from professional photographers around the world...

Your family and business associates...

All ready for your new Mac Mini and high-def TV.

But wait, there's more!

More features of FlickrFan...

1. Every night, backup your new Flickr photos on your local computer.

2. Use a convenient drop folder on local network to upload pics automatically to Flickr. Sub-folders for tags.

3. Share pictures with friends with your own RSS 2.0 feed with picture enclosures.

4. Post pictures to Twitter by checking a box. It's easy and fast!

5. Every hour new pictures are automatically downloaded into your screen saver folder and appear on the Events page.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

technorati tags:seyfang, mikeseyfang

The podcast Dave, Kent and I host exists to explore the interesting stuff that happens a the intersection of Technology and Human Desire.  The podcast leads us to all sorts of interesting connections with extraordinary people living ordinary every day lives.  Last episode was a great example, hooking up with folk from the (ACS) American Cancer Society (who Dave met in Second Life).

Listen to the show (and read the show notes) for the human side.



On the technology side it turns out that recording the audio and chat transcript from meetings in Second Life could be of great value to organisations like the ACS.  Second Life and the intertubes are great for fecking with geography by bringing people from all round the world together but international timezones can be a hassle.  This is where recorded audio, txt and images and the magic of RSS combine to shift time (as well as space).

This was our second podcast recorded from inside Second Life.  Somebody even made me an avatar that looks like a giant microphone! - seated on the red cushion in middle of rug.  I had some last minute resource hassles on one of my computers which caused it to stop 'hearing' the audio I wanted to record.  A quick swap of machines at the last minute got us through but left me with a rather tricky experience hearing myself with a long delay and having to chase audio levels all over the place.  The simplest method is to have a dedicated avatar on a second computer sitting in the middle of a group and listening - attach an .mp3 recorder to the headphone jack of that machine and record.


Fang - Mike Seyfang

Yesterday afternoon, Mandy and I were given the VIP treatment at the Promethian for the official launch of his new DVD.  This dual DVD 'Building Musical Bridges Between Cultures' is another local treasure featuring 90 minutes of performance AND 15 guitar lessons.  The performance disk really captures the essence of the earlier show at the singing gallery - something that only a handful of locals will ever be able to experience in the flesh.  I am going to try and work my way through those lessons and report my progress back to you folk here.

Chris gave his all for the rather intimate gathering and was extremely generous with his time for both audience and with other musicians.  Lets return the favour and get behind this new venture, by purchasing and promoting this great DVD.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

SWEET - found this upcoming event via this fantastic nanotech blog:

Presenter: Dr Kamal Hossain, Director of Research and International Cooperation, NPL, UK

Date: 11th December 2007  18th December 2007 (Rescheduled)

Time: 5pm GMT, 9am Second Life time (Pacific Time)

Location: Second Life – NanoLands Auditorium on Nanotechnology Island
Hope to see you there.
Fang - Mike Seyfang

technorati tags:seyfang, mikeseyfang

Join us this Sunday afternoon for Chris Finnen's public DVD Launch at the Promethean (Grote St).
Call John - 0885 555510 - to book.
Tell yer friends, numbrs are down.

http://www.chrisfinnen.com/CFTourDates_css.html

Fang - Mike Seyfang

technorati tags:seyfang, mikeseyfang

If you are going to the slide guitar show at Elder park tonight, drop me an SMS when you get there. I've had a fantastic week at the festival this week, with several later than 3am finishes. The hilight so far was Weds night, where my tip off that Chris Finnen and Vernon Reid would jam with Jeff Lang turned out to be correct. They were also joined by Bob Brosman and Luck Oceans for that extra slice of treat.

If you are anywhere near Adelaide this week do yourself a favour and get along.

technorati tags:seyfang, mikeseyfang