Technology Newsletter
20 June 2008

Welcome

Is there such a thing as too much information? Apparently so, as we take a look at the recently formed Information Overload Research Group, an organisation with some very powerful members.

The latest version of Firefox was released this week, setting a record for the largest number of downloads in a single day. We also address rumours of IBM going open-source.

The small British seaside town of Bournemouth has been making headlines again this week, with gatecrashers using Google Earth to find swimming pools to sneak into. Local university students have also created an art technology exhibit that celebrates snail-mail–and we mean snail-mail literally.

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Hazel Butters, CEO - Prompt Communications

Technology News

Firefox 3 jumps into record books

By Dave Wilby

Tuesday 17 June, dubbed Firefox 3 Day, saw the launch of the latest version of Mozilla's popular web browser. Users had been encouraged to help establish a new world record for most downloads in one day. Despite many of Mozilla servers reportedly going offline for the first hour of the day, more than eight million users managed to grab a copy of the browser during the first 24 hours after launch.

US users accounted for 2.6 million downloads, while nearly 300,000 UK fans followed suit. Mozilla had wanted to exceed the 1.6 million downloads Firefox 2.0 had achieved in October 2006. Net Applications, which tracked the download figures, believes Firefox 3.0 reached a peak of 4.3% of the browser community market share during its opening day, and now claims all versions of Firefox in the wild combined could top 20% share by the end of next month.

The launch wasn't without its glitches however. As well as the dreaded server outage, many users were unhappy with the new predictive address bar, nicknamed 'Awesome Bar' and have been busy downloading a fix to revert back to 'Old Bar'. Predictably the controversial Tipping Point Zero Day Initiative, which has been exposed in the past for paying researchers to find fault with new software, also reported Firefox 3's first vulnerability within hours of launch.

Whoa! That's too much information

By Dave Wilby

Some of the world's most powerful technology companies have come together to combat the growing issue of information overload on our desktops and in our pockets. The Information Overload Research Group (IORG), boasting Microsoft, Google, IBM and Intel among its members, is a non-profit organisation created to research and spread awareness of the wasted time and effort resulting from overflowing messaging inboxes and other forms of 'information pollution'.

The problem may originate with technology, but is exacerbated by poor management of messaging tools and bad judgement by the users sending, replying to and forwarding communications. The situation is even spawning its own terms for various information overload symptoms, including 'email apnoea' and 'email bankruptcy'. RescueTime, a company that analyses computer use, told Times Online that the average information worker checks email more than 50 times and visits more than 40 websites a day.

The IORG is planning its inaugural meeting in New York next month. I wonder if it will be sending Outlook Calendar reminders?

US Media News

By Oliver Greaves

Greg Ip is leaving The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) next month. Ip worked at the WSJ as a Federal Reserve reporter. Ip told Reuters on Tuesday that he will be joining the Economist as the US economics editor. In an e-mailed statement, Ip wrote: "This is an extraordinary opportunity for me to expand my horizons, to learn a more analytical and critical style of writing, to serve a rapidly growing and discerning readership worldwide, and to work with a remarkable group of journalists and editors who share my passion for economics."

Scott Hillis is moving from Reuters to Microsoft on June 20. Hillis has signed on to be a speechwriter for the Microsoft Xbox team. Hillis previously covered video games and other such topics. No replacement has been named by Reuters as of yet, but it says this coverage will be split amongst other staff members until a permanent replacement can be found.

The Navigator tells us that after ten years at Forbes Daniel Lyons is leaving to become the technology journalist for Newsweek. Lyons is the person behind the Fake Steve Jobs blog, the inspiration for Lyons's 2007 book Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs published under the pseudonym Fake Steve Jobs.

UK Media News

By Oliver Greaves

According to the Press Gazette, Daisy McAndrew has been appointed the new economics editor by ITV News. McAndrew is returning from maternity leave. Before promotion Daisy worked as ITV News' chief political correspondent. Before joining ITV, Daisy worked for BBC's Daily Politics Show, and also hosted a show on LBC radio.

There has been a lot of change at Incisive Media recently. Douglas Woodburn has been promoted to the news editor of CRN. Woodburn was working as a senior reporter for eight months before being promoted. In his new role Woodburn is responsible for both online and print news content. Woodburn explained to journalism.co.uk: "My biggest challenge will be expanding our online content while maintaining the quality of news in the weekly hard copy."

Incisive Media has also promoted Tom Young to senior reporter at Computing, where he will now cover the public sector.

Tech Totals

By Zachariah N. Hofer-Shall

50
Number of times per day the average US worker checks their email

28%
The amount of the average US workday disrupted with non-critical emails

$650 billion
The amount lost annually in the US due email interruptions throughout the day

Source: New York Times

Mainstream media gets a little more social

By Zachariah Hofer-Shall

This week the New York Times launched 'TimesPeople', a browser add-on which enables a social voting service for online new stories. Right now you might be thinking "What the heck is a browser add-on which enables social voting for online news stories?" Well, allow me to explain.

The browser add-on is an application that installs in your browser (Firefox only). The add-on gives users the ability to comment, share and vote on different news stories as they browse the New York Times website.

So why is this interesting? Mainly because the New York Times, one of the most conventional sources of all mainstream media, is caving into the participatory web by giving readers the interactive functionality they've come to expect online. The communal aspects of sharing and voting inherent in the social web are becoming the standard online. TimesPeople proves is that mainstream media is no exception to this rapidly growing trend.

To make your news reading more social, visit the TimesPeople download site.

IBM DB2 goes open source...NOT!

By James Gerber

IBM could be considered the Fortune 500 company that most embraces open source, with its open products and support for the Eclipse Foundation. In a published report, an IBM company executive mused that a more significant open source move might become a necessity, and this led to rumours and speculation about the company open sourcing its DB2 database.

IBM has open sourced a lot of its technologies, but never when leading or threatening to lead a market. So, it was no surprise that IBM quickly responded to the rumours, making it clear that it has no plans to open source DB2. It's too bad, because IBM had the opportunity to prove that it really is committed to open source.

Just as IBM moved away from the mainframe years ago, it must now think about its next evolution. MySQL is doing very well in the database market using open source, so it could be an ideal opportunity for IBM to test drive the open source model. With the current drive towards service-based models, the company should reconsider its position on charging for proprietary software.

Snail Mail delivered in Bournemouth

By Ellie Turner

Bournemouth University is celebrating this week after creating an art and technology wonder around an everyday techy phrase. The BBC showcased the 'Real Snail Mail', an art installation opening in Los Angeles in August that features real life snails.

Bournemouth students fitted a number of the creatures with tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. The snails are then kept in a tank which contains a pair of electronic readers. When a snail passes the first reader, an email is attached to its RFID chip. When the second reader is reached, this message is sent to its target address. Delivery can be painfully slow, but of course it all depends on the snail.

The project's leaders believe that our culture is "obsessed with immediacy", and hope to show people that we should stop obsessing about things being done instantly and learn to be a little more patient. The snails have so far managed to send 14 emails. The fastest mollusc is Austin, a plucky snail that has already delivered ten messages.

Google Earth gatecrashers go for a dip

By Terrie Chilvers

Google Earth has spawned a new breed of gatecrashers with a penchant for pool parties. The Daily Mail Online reported that people are using Google Earth to locate houses with swimming pools, which then become the venue for parties organised on social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo.

In the latest incident sixteen people are said to have gatecrashed two pools near Bournemouth, with more than 500 invitations originally sent out to Facebook users. There are concerns that the craze might be spreading with comments left on Facebook suggesting that others might try similar stunts.

This comes in the wake of various incidents where social networking sites have been used to advertise private parties, which have then been gatecrashed by crowds of unruly teenagers. Just last month, the Daily Mail Online reported that a British family's £4.4m villa in Marbella had been trashed when hundreds crashed the Facebook–advertised party.

Website of the Week

With Duncan Heaney

The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard

The Story of Stuff is a fascinating presentation that takes a close look at what happens to the products we buy, from extraction, through sales, and ultimately to disposal. The 20-minute video animation is engagingly hosted by Annie Leonard, and reveals the connections between our stuff and a number of environmental and social issues. Whether it's information you already know, or a look at a side of production you don't often see, the Story of Stuff is interesting stuff.

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