Monthly Archives: September 2008

Has the Web Standards & Web Accessibility Movement Lost Its Mojo?

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Was just reminiscing…  Remember the good old days when it’d be just so much fun to sit around and talk about things like Web standards or Microformats or Web accessibility?

It seems like back in the day every week there was some new article in A List Apart or Digital Web Magazine that just blew your mind.  I remember when the thought of getting something published in A List Apart was talked about like you were getting something published in the Harvard Law Review or the American Journal of Medicine.

I used to eagerly download the speaker audio from all the Web developer conferences (An Event Apart, Web Directions South, @Media) because these titans of industry would unlock the solution to some type of major development problem that I had been having for months.

I remember when I’d go into Barnes & Noble and I’d dart for the Web Development section because there was sure to be some kind of new book by one of these titans of industry.  I can’t remember the last time I got excited about a new Web development book.

I remember when being appointed to a Web Standards Project task force was considered “making it.”

It really seems like all the excitement around things like Web standards, Web accessibility, microformats, and such has stopped completely.  Granted I’m in a bit of a differnet line of work now but I still stay pretty tuned into that scene.

Is this good? Have we achieved success?  Is the world accessible and standards compliant… or have we just become incredibly complacent?

With the innovations in things like HTML 5 and WCAG 2.0, can the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) reinvigorate the whole web development standards movement?

I don’t think we’ve achieved complete success.  I think there is still a lot of work to do.  But how does Web standards get its sexy back?

Current TV to Mash Together Twitter with the Presidential Debates

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Current TV and Twitter are doing something really cool for the Presidential debates. Current TV is going to overlay people’s Twitter comments on-top of the live feed.

Today Current TV announced their plan to Hack the Debate with an innovative new way to make television interactive. “As Twitter users tweet throughout the course of the live broadcasts, Current and Twitter will collect comments regarding the debate and layer the individual messages over the debate feed.” Why stop at the web and mobile when we can create a new features for democracy?

So… this year,  do something different. Don’t watch the presidential debates on the major networks.  Watch it on Current.

Rad Content + Shareability = Recipe for Virality

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Over the weekend, we saw something really neat.  Saturday Night Live did an amazingly funny skit about Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.  They made it available online in a Flash player that was widgetized and made shareable through Clearspring’s Launchpad widget platform.  With all this, what do you get?  You get what CNN has called a “a global Internet sensation.”

JamLegend – Rock out with this game that’s Guitar Hero meets Scrabulous

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Music is definitely a major part of my life. Whether it’s bobbing my head with my headphones plugged into my iPhone or when I’m at a concert and dancing to the band jamming out, I’m wanting to feel it and understand it. There is something human… honest about the emotion that expressed in music. You want to feel that emotion and connect with the music

While I’ve never played the game Guitar Hero, I understand the idea and how it allows me to sit in the shoes of the guitarist and feel what they feel.

JamLegend is a game that was created by my friends Andrew, Arjun, and Ryan. It takes the notion of Guitar Hero, you playing with the song, and brings it to your computer in a free and very accessible/fun way. It allows me to connect to the music.

In the game, you’ll see the notes flying down the screen and then you have play along using the number keys and the guitar frets and the enter key as the strumming.  You can play it by yourself or you can play against your friends.

I’ll admit at first I was very skeptical but then they gave me an invite and I started playing. Friday night at the airport on my way back to DC the time flew by because I was rocking out playing JamLegend the entire time.  I was/am hooked.

The current music library is limited to about 20+ songs but I’m confident more will come soon.  Right now it’s just independent artists… I’m kind of hoping that they just stick with independent artists. If you check out their Web site, bands can actually work with them to get their music signed up.

Getting your music into this game seems like it’d be a boon for a band.  The game is going to be a HUGE success and right now you have the possibility of getting in on the ground floor and getting maximum exposure.  Plus when I was done playing the different songs I was thinking to myself, “I should buy this album.”

So… check out JamLegend. Request to get into the private beta or be really nice to me and ask me for one of my few invites.  I know you’ll love it and connect with music in an renewed way.

Time To Rally Together Again for the Victims of Hurricane Ike

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(Photo by Alex-S)

I can’t imagine waking up one morning and finding out that you have to leave your home and head for safety. I can’t imagine leaving my home and not knowing if anything would be there when I return. I can’t imagine the prospect of then actually having to come home to utter devastation.

These are all the feelings and realties of those which have been affected the last few days by Hurricane Ike.
It was a 600 mile wide storm with 100+ mile per hour winds that ripped through portions of Texas and Louisiana.

In the era before the Web, it’d seem that’d it be easier to shrug of that portion of the USA as so far away. But now we’re connected in a way like never before. We can hear the stories, see the photos, and the feel with those effected like never before.

This connectedness has turned us into a new community… a global neighborhood. It reminds us that while we may live in different parts of the country or the world and live different ways that we’re ultimately very similar. We’re all God’s creation.

So… We must all stand together and “love your neighbor as your self.”

Just as you’d go out of your way to help your neighbor who lived down the street from you. It’s important to do what we can do help and lift up our global neighbors.

So… pray for them… give.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) to Restart the Give 1 Get 1 Program on November 17th via Amazon.com

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If you’re a long time reader of this blog, you know that I’m a HUGE supporter of what the folks at One Laptop per Child are doing.  Previously they had done a program where you could get a XO laptop and give one to a child in the developing world for $400.

Well, OLPC is restarting the Give 1 Get 1 program on November 17th through Amazon.com.

Last week a One Laptop Per Child official leaked that Amazon.com will be taking the orders for the company’s upcoming Give 1 Get 1 program. Through OLPC’s second annual Give 1, Get 1 program the XO laptop will be made available to U.S. and Canadian consumers, but only if they buy one to donate to a developing nation.

OLPC Founder Nicholas Negroponte confirmed that Amazon.com will offer the XO laptop starting on the Give 1, Get 1 launch on November 17. According to Negroponte the laptops will retail for $399.

Hear Me Demo Clearspring’s Widget Platform Launchpad at Startup SF Tomorrow

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Tomorrow, I’m demoing Clearspring’s widget platform Launchpad at Startup SF.  If you’re in San Francisco, would love to see you there.

On September 10th, I’ll be at StartUp SF demoing Clearspring’s widget platform Launchpad. Its from 6-9pm at 8th Floor Cafe of Orrick, Herrinton & Sutcliffe (@ 405 Howard St in San Francisco). It costs $10 online in advance / $20 at the door.

Apple iPhone Data Network Still Spotty 12 Hours Later

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So… as many of you experienced this morning, it seems as if data network that is used by the Apple iPhone went down this morning.  It’s nearly 12 hours later and it still seems incredibly spotty to me.  Sometimes it will works and sometimes it won’t.

Does Apple really want the iPhone to be a credible enterprise device?  This kind of stuff can’t happen.  I can understand a couple of hours but most of the day??

I’m starting to depend on the iPhone as a way for me to do work.  It’s part of my life.  When it doesn’t work, I feel shut off.

When Blackberry service goes down,  Washington DC starts to look like a scene from a Left Behind movie.

Joe Corbett’s Video Reports from New Orleans Amidst Hurricane Gustav

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Peter Corbett‘s brother Joe is down in New Orleans where he decided to shelter in place during Hurricane Gustav.  They still have power and Internet access.  So… He’s been posting video updates on YouTube.

Here’s 6am:

Here’s 7am:

Here’s 8am:

Please keep Joe Corbett and all the folks still in New Orleans in your prayers.  I can’t even imagine what they’re going through.