Bradford Robotic Telescope and eyeOS

Well, while I wait for my switch to Tele2 from Telefonica, I have discovered some things in the Internet world. One of them is the Bradford Robotic Telescope. A fully automated installation in the Teide Observatory that gives support to students all around the world in order to explore the night sky. Beside its scientific and pedagogic interest it has a page where the webcams that are in the observatory continuously show the state of its surroundings. One of the cams gives a night vision of the Teide from Izaña, the mount where the Teide observatory is set on. Each day they generate a video with the pictures taken. The one from Yesterday night is quite breathtaking because some high altitude clouds. Just have a look to it and enjoy!



The other thing I recently discovered, well actually rediscovered as I heard about them a year a half ago, is eyeOS. A web OS system founded by a Catalan guy that can be downloaded and set up on any Apache-PHP5 enabled machine. I installed mine and am evaluating it... my next step is to access from the Internet and my mobile phone while on the go!!!

Google Chrome (or Chromium)

Recently has been released the Google Chrome, the new google application that is going to give them the control of the world. Just kidding, this new web browser is quite awesome. I downloaded it 10 minutes after it was made available and start working with it. 

The first thing I missed where my delicious plugin that I use frequently on Firefox, but this has been easily solved. Just with some Bookmarklets (small pieces of javascript code bookmarkable) I already have the buttons. Now just need to configure the keyboard shortcuts.

The second thing I missed was Portability. I actually use the portable version in all my Windows computers, on Linux the regular one suffices, because I am able to sandbox everything to a directory: No registry, no hidden folders... As Google Chrome source has been released also as Open Source with a BSD license, tons of developers are workin on this. Actually, the day after the publication of the browser, the first version of Chrome Portable was made available. And it rocks! I am at present using it and I guess is going to replace my Firefox Portable implementations in a brief time... 

The only thing that scared me was the Google Terms of use that you have to accept before using the Google Chrome executable... but thanks to Chromium and the BSD license you can get rid of it easily!

The social Enterprise

Before the Magic Black Box appears... a very good article on the Social Software applied to the Enterprise.

Excerpt:

"The discussion eventually brought us to an even broader question: Why should enterprises go social, and what are the compelling reasons for adoption? On the surface there are immediate benefits, but from experience we know that consumer technologies do not directly map into the enterprise. In this post, we explore the reasons for the social enterprise, look at what social technologies fit and raise various concerns related to adoption."

"As a rule, what is good for individuals is not good for companies and the other way around. This is because both are selfish and it is the tension between the two that drives capitalism. The same is true for technologies; consumer products have not traditionally been needed by companies, with the exception of communication tools."

"Apple, for instance, is known to be very secretive about its plans. Does it give them a competetive edge? Likely yes. How does the introduction of blogging and open social tools to the enterprise impact that? More leaks are likely to occur. Information has an amazing tendency to find its way forward through the human network. The challenge then, is to define a set of policies and rules that ensure that nothing classified gets out. This is not simple."

"New social tools can enable companies to be more agile and self-organizing. The have a chance to break down the walls of complex, ineffective hierarchies and to empower employees to get things done. These tools are simple, fun, engaging, and inspirational. Bringing fresh winds of change to the stale corporate mentality is a good thing and should be welcomed."

WIPO Python document retriever

Working on the sources for my MSc. Thesis I started to have a look to the patent finder of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). As it is the world database and the topic I am covering is quite globalised I think that it is the best IPR database to do the analysis. I need to do such an analysis of several searches on the Wipo database and I have not close the terms of the final search I have to do. So, I have to perform previous searches, analyze the number of records per year, applicant... and then decide if the terms are OK.

The point is that the way the records are retrieved is not useful enough. Thus I have written a Python script that retrieves the records that match the terms of search and stores them in a delimiter separated file. This file can be imported in a calc sheet and analyzed with the usual tools, or even exported to any database format to do advanced treatment of the information.

I put it in online under a Creative Commons license, as usual. I will update the code uploaded if I make further developments.

Here is a sample of what you would get if you execute:

C> wiposearchretrieve.py "Smartcard"

Query Params|Record Id.|Patent Code|Publication Date|Description|International Class|Application Number|Applicant Name|url|Abstract
SIM+Card|1|WO 2008/052205|02.05.2008|COMBINED ALGORITHMIC AND EDITORIAL-REVIEWED MOBILE CONTENT SEARCH RESULTS|G06Q 10/00|PCT/US2007/082754|JUMP TAP, INC.|http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/fetch.jsp?LANG=ENG&DBSELECT=PCT&SERVER_TYPE=19-10&SORT=41236014-KEY&TYPE_FIELD=256&IDB=0&IDOC=1451431&C=10&ELEMENT_SET=BASICHTML-ENG&RESULT=1&TOTAL=3280&START=1&DISP=500&FORM=SEP-0/HITNUM,B-ENG,DP,MC,AN,PA,ABSUM-ENG&SEARCH_IA=US2007082754&QUERY=%22SIM+Card%22|In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for reviewing mobile content to determine relevance such that presenting the reviewed content to a mobile communication facility may be based at least in part on the relevance. The reviewed content may be subject to an algorithmic review, an editorial review, or a combined algorithmic- editorial review. The reviewed content may be blacklisted and prevented from being presented, whitelisted and permitted to be presented to the mobile communication facility, or given a relevance score based at least in part on appropriateness of content. Portions of the reviewed content may be removed or replaced with appropriate content prior to presentation to the user.
SIM+Card|2|WO 2008/052100|02.05.2008|PORTABLE MULTIFUNCTION DEVICE, METHOD, AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR ADJUSTING AN INSERTION POINT MARKER|G06F 3/048|PCT/US2007/082486|APPLE INC.|http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/fetch.jsp?LANG=ENG&DBSELECT=PCT&SERVER_TYPE=19-10&SORT=41236014-KEY&TYPE_FIELD=256&IDB=0&IDOC=1451325&C=10&ELEMENT_SET=BASICHTML-ENG&RESULT=2&TOTAL=3280&START=1&DISP=500&FORM=SEP-0/HITNUM,B-ENG,DP,MC,AN,PA,ABSUM-ENG&SEARCH_IA=US2007082486&QUERY=%22SIM+Card%22|In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method is performed at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display. The method includes: displaying graphics and an insertion marker at a first location in the graphics on the touch screen display; detecting a finger contact with the touch screen display; and in response to the detected finger contact, expanding the insertion marker from a first size to a second size on the touch screen display and expanding a portion of the graphics on the touch screen display from an original size to an expanded size. The method further includes detecting movement of the finger contact on the touch screen display and moving the expanded insertion marker in accordance with the detecte...
SIM+Card|3|WO 2008/051718|02.05.2008|METHOD, SYSTEM, AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR MAKING CONFERENCE CALLS|H04M 1/247|PCT/US2007/080971|APPLE INC.|http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/fetch.jsp?LANG=ENG&DBSELECT=PCT&SERVER_TYPE=19-10&SORT=41236014-KEY&TYPE_FIELD=256&IDB=0&IDOC=1450639&C=10&ELEMENT_SET=BASICHTML-ENG&RESULT=3&TOTAL=3280&START=1&DISP=500&FORM=SEP-0/HITNUM,B-ENG,DP,MC,AN,PA,ABSUM-ENG&SEARCH_IA=US2007080971&QUERY=%22SIM+Card%22|A user interface for handling multiple calls includes displaying an image associated with a first party on a first call and an image associated with a second party on a second call. When one call is active and the other call is on hold, the image associated with the party that is on the active call is visually highlighted to make it more visually prominent relative to the other image. When both calls are joined into a conference call, both images are displayed adjacent to each other and neither is visually highlighted relative to the other.
...
...

Sources of information

It is interesting to see how hard is to get the right sources for developing a rigorous work on any subject. Let's say that sources are half of the final result. Of course, the effort is not half, just like buying good bricks is not half of the effort of building a house, but a bad election of bricks would have dramatic consequences in the final result.

In my work regarding the knowledge production on the SIM technology, I have found some databases that would help in the retrieving of records related with the research. I have mainly found in the UPC library page. I have also checked in the UB and UOC library, as I have remote access for this libraries only, and almost them all are accessible from them.

Additionally I have started using del.icio.us, the fantastic online bookmarks manager. I am not a fan of bookmarks thus the elementary possibilities provided by firefox sufficed my needs, but now that I have to look for interesting and locatable sources in the Internet, it is a very powerful tool.

One of the problem of creating a knowledge database is the format. First I started with MSWord, the I switched to BibTex, and finally I did it in Excel. I will combine the use of Excel with Python scripts to be able to convert between this format and the others... let's see how it works ;-)

Bicing4Mobile, again

Some time ago I posted on the born of bicing4mobile. Basically was a lightweight way to check the status of a Bicing station while on the go, for instance from a mobile phone. It has some limitations, I have found problems in stations above Id # 103. Anyhow I plan to solve them.
Notwithstanding, as I already posted, the source code of the Bicing4Mobile is Open, so Its highly welcomed any help in expanding and improving it. Do not hesitate to contact me (pedro "at" domocat "dot" com) if any doubt arise.
The source code if formed by two files. I have uploaded them with a txt extension to be viewable for the browser and not interpreted as a php page. The first one, with the list of all the stations, and the second one that shows the information of the station referenced.

In addition, you can bookmark in your mobile browser the stationinfo pages in order to directly access to your favorite stations. Here you have a pair of examples of it: 1 & 2.

And now... Bicing4Mobile

Some time ago I published a google gadget that allowed users of this service of google to have updated information of the Bicing (Public bike renting service) station they choose. Some days ago, discussing with a friend at work, we started thinking in something similar but accessible from your mobile phone. We were thinking about geolocalization with the network cells, google maps API integration... the usual stuff when one starts to brainstorm ideas ;-)
I put my hands to work and today I can release the Bicing4Mobile page. It is not google based but PHP based. The iGoogle platform is very powerful but too heavy for the browser of a mobile handset. So I contracted a (free)hosting with PHP engine and started to work. I adapted the same code for the BicingGadget from Javascript to PHP and it was not very difficult. Like always the most of the effort went in debugging and testing activites. I attach to the post an screenshot of what you get once you connect to the page. Of course, it just shows the information of the Bicing station by my home. If anyone wants to expand it, feel free, like everything I post in the blog its licensed under Creative Commons.



The address, if you want to access to it is http://domocat.x10hosting.com/index.php. Enjoy it!

... and now, the RenfeGadget!

I've finally completed the two main ideas I had in order to improve my "just-out-bed" time. The first one, the BicinGadget was released some days ago. Now I'm running the RenfeGadget, a gadget that shows the commuter trains schedule between the city center and the place where I work. It can be tuned in order to include more stations (a combo-box would be excellent!) and time configurations, it's up to you to do so and send it back to me to put it in my web space to be available for everyone.
As it's developed now it shows the trains from Pça. Catalunya to Sant Joan Despí before the 12 p.m. and from Sant Joan Despí to Pça. Catalunya after this time. The schedules start from the present time to two hours later. As the BicinGadget it can be added from your iGoogle page: Click at "Add Stuff"-> "Add from URL" and put this address in the box. Once accepted the warning of "You're adding stuff not created by Google" it will appear in your page.

Enjoy it!

At last... BicinGadget!!

This weekend I gave a bit momentum to this project and I finished it late Sunday. It is available at http://www.domocat.com/bicingadget/bruc45.xml. If you want to see it just go to your iGoogle page, click at "Add Stuff"-> "Add from URL" and put this address in the box. Once accepted the warning of "You're adding stuff not created by Google" it will appear in your iGoogle page. In this screenshot you can see how it looks. I must say that it was easier than I thought and looks great for the effort invested!
However, the license of the publishing of the gadget is the usual Creative Commons on what I post in the blog.



Now I'm preparing the RenfeGadget!

Mobile Communication and Society

Today I've received the book I was looking from some months ago. It's a research essay on, as the title of this post says, Mobiles and Society. Linked with this topic there is an article I've been suggested to read in La Vanguardia and that is on Web 2.0, the recurrent topic of the last 4 or 5 years in the ICT industry. In a former post I babbled on the possibility for the Mobile Technology to converge (another buzz word) in a Mobile 2.0 paradigm. In that post I put the SMS technology as an incipient one seeming the possibilities of social participation and content generation of the users. A recent news talked about that the SMS technology was 8000% (1500? per MB!) more expensive that its correspondent over UMTS... and it continues to be used. Some factors influence this use. Of course, the fact that ALL the mobile terminals in the world that use the GSM technology implement this feature and the easy use in any terminal have promoted this. But even in the communication between people that know each other and have cheaper alternatives like IM, email and others, continue to use this 7bit alphabet, text based mean of communication. But what I see even more amazing is that mobile provider still see the SMS service as a value added one... strange humans, I say.

Mobile 2.0

Although talking about the Mobile World (That is, mainly about GSM) can make us think that we are far beyond the 3rd generation, from the internet point of view we are just in Mobile 1.0. Since the definition by O'Reilly of the term Web 2.o, some shy tries have been done in the direction of providing users with the social experience that means Web 2.0. For instance the GSMA has an entry in its website on user content. But, is it the only way to harness the collective intelligence, as O'Reilly says?
SMS, and the language it has originated, is a likely 2.0 experience. Is mainly social, the operator has the only duty of providing the service platform, has a lightweigh interface... and the content is user driven. Also the logo and ringtone business seems to be 2.0: Is mainly a social objective to make the phone look as we want to look and showing personal characteristics like status, uniqueness or kindliness. But out of these examples... what more? It would be interesting to read what Castells has to say about it but, personally, I think that in the near future we'll see a deep change in the way we see Mobile Network Operators (The Netscape of the Mobile 1.0 era) and the main actors in the Mobile arena.