Oblomovka

2003-01-22»

As a result of my previous lifestyle as dramatist, impresario and monologuist, I have a wide array of glamourous and alluring British celebrity colleagues. But by some quirk of circumstance that I cannot fathom, the stars who I truly bonded with were not the type who hung out at top London nightspots and graced the front covers of GQ and the Evening Standard Magazine. They were the ones who sat at home of an evening, playing Everquest and downloading pornography. So, for instance, while I have worked many times with my marvellous beautiful and generous co-host Sara Cox, the closest we ever became, as friends, was when she got the director to ask me to stop staring at her during a "shoot". On the other hand, Richard Herring was always very close, frequently calling me up to fix his computer and clarify more abstruse details of Star Trek chronology. A true friend, and never one to be put off by a little friendly staring.

Anyway, Richard Herring has a new and very funny blog. Another thing we have in common! I must email him or something. He'll remember me, I'm sure of it.

2003-01-19»

If you're stuck for anything to do tomorrow (Monday) evening, may I suggest stumbling toward the Silicon Valley World Internet Center in Palo Alto, CA for around seven? I'm speaking to the Software Development Forum's International SIG entitled "Divergence: How European and American tech markets are growing apart and what kind of headache that gives me in the morning.". I'm writing the presentation now, and if I don't start editing soon, it'll be about Roombas, Warblogs, 802.11b, Wired UK,"Moore Or Less's" Law, First Tuesday, Opera, Bulgaria, Googlism, and the Sunnyvale Corn Palace. $15 if you're not an SDForum member or a student, but don't worry - I won't see a penny of it.

2003-01-15»

On this sad day, at least somebody knows how to follow the instructions and stole that book.

Apple's done a sterling job popularising and now extending wireless use among computer users recently. But they've had a long history of doing the same thing. Back in 1995, when precious few people were considering the topic, they were lobbying the FCC to set aside some unlicensed space for data comms. Here's a report from the EFF newsletter of the time:

Apple's petition states:

"The NII Band would promote the full deployment of a National Information Infrastructure ("NII"), extending the effective reach of the NII by making possible high-bandwidth access and interaction throughout a limited geographic area -- where mobility is key -- both on a peer-to-peer, ad hoc basis and through wireless local area networks. Moreover, it would provide for unlicensed, wireless, wide area "community networks" connecting communities, schools, and other groups underserved by existing and proposed telecommunications offerings.

(The irony is that the frequency that Apple successfully lobbied for is, I believe, the same frequency that 802.11a now lives within. And 802.11a is the standard that Apple has pretty much killed by supporting the speed-bumped 802.11g in its Airport Extreme. Turned out that 2.4Ghz was good enough.)