Podzinger indexes thousands of audio recordings and creates an index that you can search. Watchlists are available, so it is possible to subscribe to a particular term and see who is talking about it.

Even if the system is not perfect (listen to Cory Doctorow speak about LIFT and you will notice some differences between the audio and the text, nobody was called “receivers Sterling” as far as I remember) it is a major step.

The Podcastosphere just started to make sense. (via)

With only a few developers and in only three months, Virtual Network managed to roll out their own blogging platform.

Virtual Network’s […] small team of developers put together in three months a new blogging platform for the firm’s popular web sites, Romandie.com, musique.com and jeu.com. […]

This is not very good news for pure-play blog publishing startups. If it is this easy for a web savvy startup to roll its own […] blog platform (based on open the pblogs open source software distribution), the future for pure-play blog publishing platforms, such as Wordpress, Kaywa, Six Apart, Bloggers.it, Overblog, or any of the others that are active in the region, is going to be more limited […] than the hype suggests.

Link (thx Marco)

That is a consequence open-source has had on this market: you aren’t protected by technology anymore, as any competent person can replicate what you do in a few days (the good news: you can also replicate what your competition does in a snap).

Web companies are more and more like Nike or Sony. They sell the same core product/service than their competitors. Unable to gain an edge in that area, they focus on creating relationships with their customers via a set of values (or a cool design). Is branding becoming the key success factor in technology?

Related news: SixApart raises 12 millions

A recent study claims that despite the fact we have only a 50% chance of correctly understanding the tone of an email message, we think we got it right 90% of the time. The consequences? Flame wars!

Obviously the richness of human communication (irony, teasing, sarcasm, etc..) can NOT be adequately transmitted via emails, but the problem is much bigger than I thought.

Wired News: The Secret Cause of Flame Wars

According to recent research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, I’ve only a 50-50 chance of ascertaining the tone of any e-mail message. The study also shows that people think they’ve correctly interpreted the tone of e-mails they receive 90 percent of the time.

Remember this next time you get mad over a message.

One recurring disagreement I had with journalists over LIFT06 was the fact that they conceive the conference as a gathering FOR specialists of new technologies, while I think it is a mainstream event. Everybody IS concerned, not just geeks and engineers!

Next time I am arguing on the matter I will use this quote from Bruce Sterling that summaries it all.

You may not be interested in the digital rights war, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the luxury of sitting on the sidelines. Because the other side is very, very interested in you.

Link

On dirait qu’IBM n’a pas encore dit son dernier mot dans la guerre des processeurs haute performance. Est-ce que cela signifie qu’Apple a fait le mauvais choix?

IBM Unveils High-End Chip

Power6 is expected to run between 4 and 5 gigahertz. Intel Corp.’s Itanium 2 server processor today tops out at 1.66 gigahertz. The Pentium 4 for desktops currently reaches speeds of 3.8 gigahertz.

“Despite the speeds, it will have a lower power density than in some chips found in today’s desktops,”

(via René Berger)

IBM has new high end chips coming out, and it seems these babies need less power. Does that mean apple made the wrong choice going with Intel?

IBM Unveils High-End Chip

Power6 is expected to run between 4 and 5 gigahertz. Intel Corp.’s Itanium 2 server processor today tops out at 1.66 gigahertz. The Pentium 4 for desktops currently reaches speeds of 3.8 gigahertz.

“Despite the speeds, it will have a lower power density than in some chips found in today’s desktops,”

(via René Berger)

Le FT consacre un article au remarquable travail de Euan Semple’s remarquable � la BBC. Incroyable comme faire confiance aux gens et leur donner des outils flexibles et efficaces peut bénéficier � une organisation (est-ce vraiment une surprise…), et ça n’a même pas besoin d’être cher et compliqué � maintenir pour marcher.

Cet article soulève quelques points fondamentaux:
• les technologies de l’information n’ont pas besoin d’être chères pour être efficaces.
• si une organisation ne donne pas les bons outils � ses collaborateurs, ceux-ci iront de toute façon les chercher � l’extérieur.
• faire confiance et valoriser les collaborateurs est une démarche bénéfique.
• c’est de moins en moins les organisations qui dictent leur loi aux collaborateurs, et de plus en plus les collaborateurs qui attendent de l’organisation qu’elle leur fournisse les bons outils pour faire leur travail.

Au détour de l’article, deux citations mémorables:

“So much of business has been about treating people like children,” […]
“I’m solving problems most companies don’t even know they have,”

Tellement vrai. Je suis bien content que Euan vienne parler � LIFT, je crois qu’on a vu juste en invitant quelqu’un comme lui.

Financial Times: Encouraging information sharing

The FT talks about Euan Semple’s remarkable job at the BBC. Amazing what empowering staffers with flexible and effective tools can do for an organisation, and it doesn’t even have to be expensive or complicated.

The article makes some pretty fundamental points:
• IT does NOT have to be expensive to be effective
• If you don’t give the right tools to people inside the organisation they will find something that answers their need outside of it
• Organisations can greatly benefit from trusting and empowering their people
• it’s less and less organisation dictating the way the staff has to work, more and more the staff dictating what the organisation should provide them to do their work

Euan also came up with two memorable quotes:

“So much of business has been about treating people like children,” […]
“I’m solving problems most companies don’t even know they have,”

True, true. Happy to have him on board for LIFT.

Financial Times: Encouraging information sharing

Is it a serious war on the horizon?

The register: Google to ‘launch own PC’

Google is planning to provide an own-brand Windows-less PC and sell the low-cost system through a partnership with retail giant Wal-Mart. The machine and/or the sales deal could be announced as early as this coming Friday. […]

Crucially, the rig is said to be based on Google’s own operating system – most likely Linux in Google clothing – rather than Windows.

The idea of a low-cost, consumer-oriented information processing system isn’t unattractive, but it’s been tried before and largely failed. […] sooner or later the support calls start flooding in and the cost of helping non-technical buyers install new software and updates start mounting.

We will not get bored in 2006. Now what camp will Intel choose if that happens? Are they in the Google box (if it exists) and pursuing the diversification they started with Apple? Let’s wait for Friday.

Franchement je n’ai rien appris de nouveau mais pour une fois que le JDN parle de la Suisse. Je ne suis pas sûr qu’ils aient bien fait leur travail sur ce coup l� : aucun avis d’un collaborateur des gros consultants ni aucun Suisse Allemand. C’est un peu léger.

La Suisse : un marché informatique très fragmenté

Capgemini, SQLI, Micropole-Univers, Business & Decision… Depuis déj� plusieurs années, les SSII françaises s’attaquent au marché helvétique, en optant notamment pour la croissance externe.