Archive for July 3rd, 2009
Backstage Pass- Howard Rheingold
by Sky on Jul.03, 2009, under Traveling Geeks, Videos
Howard Rheingold, who I’ve known casually for a few years, is one of my heroes. Not only does he write well, about current social media topics (Smart Mobs) but he is an artist at heart and like me a child of the 1960s. Though Howard paints (and wears painted) shoes and gardens and does a lot of work from his idyllic Mill Valley (CA) location.
Howard will be a speaker at some of the events we’re visiting, but he’s a listener too, so dear UK native, be sure to get together with him and let him know what’s happening in London and Cambridge.
Backstage Pass- Tom Foremski
by Sky on Jul.03, 2009, under Traveling Geeks, Videos
Tom Foremski is the Silicon Valley Watcher. We met up at Green’s in Fort Mason, San Francisco, to get phones working and try out some tiny Internet-enabled portable devices. Here’s what Tom is looking forward to learning on the London trip.
Why is this a short post? Well, I have to go catch the BART (train) to the airport in a few minutes. Thank goodness for fast Internet connections.
Reaching Theoretical Broadband Link Speeds (in the US)
by Sky on Jul.03, 2009, under Our networked world, TG2009, Technology and geeky stuff, The Quantified Self, Traveling Geeks
I’ve just spent 48 hours “beating myself up” over the Comcast (cable) high-speed Internet system here in San Francisco. I say beating myself up because I was so convinced the problem was Comcast that I spent hours on the phone with them, but ultimately most of the problems were in my own network. [Not all, but most.]
In US cities, the license to install and operate cable television networks is a city-granted monopoly. When cable TV was first being installed, each city opened a bidding process, and cable operators bid to be granted the franchise to install and operate the cable system in that particular city. If they won it, they then had exclusive rights. So in San Francisco, we have telephones provided by AT&T (which originally was Pacific Bell Telephone Company) and we have cable TV provided by ComCast (only – no other provider). Satellite TV lies outside this structure and is available everywhere on a competitive basis, but that’s a different issue.
Comcast also delivers Internet connectivity (and telephone service) via their cables. And that’s the rub. (continue reading…)
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Welcome!
I hope you'll enjoy this mix of topics stemming from my ongoing experiences in the world of online communication. Oh, and sometimes the inspiration comes from face-to-face communications too. Many are sparked by my work as Chief Technology Officer of The Dalai Lama Foundation. Current Features —
CyberSpark.net — Cyber-defense for free speech and human rights onlineMany Paths to Peace — Explore the many ways compassionate peacemakers are working to make this a better world. (Video interviews)
Traveling Geeks — The fun continues! The geeks traveled to London and Cambridge in July, and to Paris in December — and the conversation continues long after the trip has finished. Join us.
