Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Abbey at VALA 2010
VALA 2010, the big Australasian bi-annual conference has just started in the brand new Melbourne Convention Centre. The old one is next door, mothballed and silent, while the new one blushes in red paint and carpet. It reminds me of the Seoul convention centre without the basement city of shops.
Hatton Hotel
Melbourne is putting on a brilliant show. The weather is perfect - albeit a hot 35C. I arrived yesterday. I'm staying at the Hatton. Definitly worth your attention - boutique hotel in South Yarra - a tram ride to the arts precinct and Federation Square.
Abbey
The video above comes from the opening showcase. Great messages. Will be interesting to hear what the conference audience thinks about them. And, crucially, whose job it is to make them happen?
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Friday, 5 February 2010
State of Victoria in Australia goes Creative Commons by default
Have just received a welcome Friday afternoon note from Jessica Coates of the Australian Creative Commons, who notes in a downright chirpy summary that :
The Victorian Government has become the first Australian government to commit to using Creative Commons as the default licensing system for its public sector information.
The commitment is part of the Government's response to its Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee’s Inquiry into Improving Access to Victorian Public Sector Information and Data, which recommended that the Victorian Government adopt a “hybrid public sector information licensing model comprising Creative Commons and a tailored suite of licences for restricted materials.”
Specifically, the response (which is under CC BY-NC-ND) states at p.8 that:
The Victorian Government endorses the committee’s overarching recommendation that the default position for the management of PSI should be open access. The Victorian Government further commits to the development of a whole-of-government Information Management Framework (IMF) whereby PSI is made available under Creative Commons licensing by default with a tailored suite of licences for restricted materials.
As far as we are aware, this is the strongest commitment to Creative Commons implementation made by any Australian government.
While there have been a number of excellent CC-friendly recommendations coming out of recent government inquiries - notably the Government 2.0 and Venturous Australia reports - these are yet to be officially adopted.
And while there are some excellent implementation projects - the Victorian Government specifically mentions the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Queensland’s Government Information Licensing Framework - these are still limited to individual agencies..."
Source - CC Australia
In from the Cold - orphan works in digital collections
In From The Cold
The Collections Trust and the Strategic Content Alliance from the UK have published 'In From The Cold' - a report into the impact of 'orphan works' on public service delivery. Though focused on the UK, it is of real interest to the rest of the sector, specailly down here in Australasia. So what's the fuss?
Orphan works - or works still in copyright but with no known rights holder on record - are one of the banes of any collection institution - library, or indeed publishers. And as is know, it is one of the key issues which will eventually make or break the Google Book deal.
Scale of problem startling
As to scale of the problem - I was startled to learn via various Twitter posts that accompanied the report's launch, that fully 40% of the national collections in the UK are orphan works! And as Nick Poole from the Collections Trust in a Twitter post has it, all too often , 'orphans aren't born, they're made through poor documentation practice'
I have no idea what the New Zealand or Australian figures are, but I suspect they are no better.
The effect of the problem
Turning to the effect - the report is clear - " access to over 50 million items held in trust by publicly funded agencies such as libraries, museums, archives and universities are being prevented from being available online due to current copyright laws"
This means that millions of so-called ‘orphan works' - photographs, recordings, texts and other ephemera from the last 100 years - risk becoming invisible because rights holders are not known or easy to trace.
In From The Cold report (PDF)
Thursday, 4 February 2010
IT after Three- with Jim Mora, NZ National Radio
Cabbages and kings with Jim Mora
I had my first session of the year on the radio with Jim Mora at National Radio. The audio is above - its around 22 minutes. We covered a lot of ground. Herewith the running order and the links. These should also appear on the Radio New Zealand web site in due course. If you want a clean audio file, try these, Ogg Vorbis MP3, or go here.
1, Webstock
15th - 19th Feburary
http://www.webstock.org.nz/
New Zealand web conference - recognised as the best conference in New Zealand for web - web design - and web projects . They bring in 25 of the best speakers on web in the world. Hugely popular with the NZ web digerati.
Onyas
Also features the first year of the Onyas - NZ Web Awards
http://www.onyas.org.nz/
2. Buddy Press
http://buddypress.org/
New addition to WordPress - the open source blogging tool which also has a mile of independent developers and designers contributing new tools, designs and services to the common pool of 'plugins' to the main build. Some of which you pay for.
Buddy Press gives groups a tool to make multiple blogs. Very good tool for organisations - and community groups. Needs a bit of know how to set up but not too much. So find a teenager who still knows everything. I have a mind to create a site and play with the idea of offering people a place to keep a Reading Journal.
Buddy Press
http://buddypress.org/
WordPress [includes links to developer/design community]
http://wordpress.org/
3. Library Thing
http://www.librarything.com
Library Thing is a great place to share your library collection - like a virtual book shelf. Then you can see what other people have on their shelves - share ideas etc.
Legacy Library
This week saw the first New Zealand contribution to this part of Librarything which lets people/institutions make a digital library of historical figures. Librarything blog says:
" Legacy Library, that of Pei te Hurinui Jones (1898-1976). Jones joins Alfred Deakin (the second Prime Minister of Australia) in our Antipodean Legacies collection. Mr. Jones was a leading Māori scholar and translator (he's known for translating three volumes of Māori chants and song-poetry into English, and three Shakespeare plays into Māori). You can read a more complete biographical sketch on his profile page. ..."
Library Thing Blog - the story plus links to collection
http://www.librarything.com/blog/2010/02/our-first-new- zealand-legacy-library.php
Books from the Library of Charles Brasch
Note: The University of Otago Library did a lovely exhibition last year featuring the library of Charles Brasch. It would be good to see Brasch's library become one of the legacy libraries on Library Thing.
See the original online exhibition
http://library.otago.ac.nz/exhibitions/brasch/index.html
4. Britain Loves Wikipedia
http://britainloveswikipedia.org/
Great project that involves 20 UK Museums and Wikipedia.
Running for whole of February 2010
Involves the likes of Victoria and Albert and the Preston Grange Museum which is in Prestonpans, my home town.
People go to the Museum - take photographs of their favorite things - or at least the ones which it is okay to photograph - and then post them to Wikipedia.
Great example of crowd sourcing. Similar idea in the USA called Wikipedia loves Art was hugely popular.
Links5. Digital Literacy
Britain Loves Wikipedia
http://britainloveswikipedia.org/
Wikipedia Loves Art
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Loves_Art
NZCS report
Report from New Zealand Computer Society claims that "A computer-savvy New Zealand could increase workforce productivity by $1.7 billion per year "
NZ Herald story, here
APNK
The session mentions the APNK - Aotearoa Peoples Network Kaharoa, a couple of times - especially as a place to extend digital literacy.
http://www.aotearoapeoplesnetwork.org/
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Chrome OS Tablet Concept Vid
Smoke?
Is this real? No idea. But definitively interesting. Chrome feels like Google's long term game plan.
Monday, 1 February 2010
National Library Australia Newspaper Project in D-Lib via Roy Tennant/Current Cities
It is the Auckland Anniversary holiday here, and I am not supposed to be anywhere near a keyboard - work/life balance and all that - but I can't help but give a shout out to Roy Tennant/Current Citites for picking up on the excellent paper in D-Lib from Rose Holley at the National Library Australia on the success of crowd sourcing at the Australian Newspapers project. The inimitable Mr Tennant, has this to say:
Holley, Rose. "[17]Tagging Full Text Searchable Articles: An Overview of Social Tagging Activity in Historic Australian Newspapers
August 2008 -- August 2009" [18]D-Lib Magazine 16(1/2)(January/February 2010 http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january10/holley/ 01holley.html.
".. Holley reports on the experience of the Australian Newspaper project with regards to user tagging. The project also includes the ability to correct OCR'd text, but this article focuses on the tagging aspect.
The article includes a great deal of data on user tagging over a 15-month period, as well as interesting insights into how users tag full text collections. Of particular interest to me was when the National Library of Australia did not impose any tagging rules or guidelines "they clearly developed their own unwritten rules."
In summary, Holley writes, "The experience of the National Library of Australia shows that tagging is a good thing, users want it, and it adds more information to data. It costs little to nothing and is relatively easy to implement; therefore, more libraries and archives should just implement it across their entire collections."
Highly recommended for anyone interested in tagging, or indeed any type of user-contributed content. - [19]RT ..."
Friday, 29 January 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
The iPad - details still coming in
iPad launches
The detail on the iPad is still still coming in, especially around NZ availability. However, there will be two versions - one with wifi - the other with wifi plus 3G. These are the NZ prices from the press release. As to availability, I am still checking.
My two questions
My two questions are all around the eBook function and the accompanying new Bookstore. and that's will I be able to download and play e-books from say the NZETC, NZ Electronic Text Centre, who already use the ePub format without having to go near the Apple Bookstore.
And secondly, when the likes of the 1000 NZ ebooks project goes live, again will I be able to buy and perhaps borrow from a public library ePub versions of the same and play them on my iPad?
In short how open is this puppy?
When available in NZ
Global launch including New Zealand is late March for the wifi version, and sometime in April, 2010 for the wifi/3G version. Latter restricted to USA and selected countries. Is NZ in there. No idea at this stage.
NZ prices to hand
wifi onlyThese prices based on US prices converted to NZ dollars at todays rate. This will change. So please don't sue me if this isnt the price in the shop when they arrive..
16GB $708
32GB $848
64Gb $989
3G plus wifi version
16 GB $890
32GB $1032
64GB $1173
Newspapers
Still nothing to hand on the fabled deals that are being cooked for magazine and newspaper content. But this is a changing space.
Jim Mora NZ National Radio
Just had a call asking if I would come on The Panel with Jim Mora and guests on his Afternoon Show on National Radio to talk about the iPad. Nothing like the prospect of not knowing what you are talking about to get you doing your homework!
Update
Kelly Gregor from NBR has written an excellent round up of the pros and cons of the iRad for New Zealand, including noting that:
- no iBookstore for New Zealand yet - and no word when it will have access
- no deals struck with local mobile telcos todate
- no newspaper / magazine publishing deals
- no flash player on the device
- no camera
Apart from all that s/he seems quite impressed:-) See here
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Te Ara - Encyclopedia of NZ has new look and revised IA
Te Ara - Encyclopedia of NZ
Te Ara - the seminal online encyclopedia of NZ, and one of my favorite reference tools, has a nice new look which includes a tweak to their information architecture. This gives them a lot more options in bringing features and topical content to the fore. In short, a definite move to a more useful editorial policy. Other improvements are explained on their blog, here.
I think it looks lovely!
On the blog, they are keen to point out that their theme/keyword based search/browse tool - they call it the browser- is still to hand. You just have to click the option and 'it jauntily slides down'
White gloves under manners
Jaunty it may be - I just like the notion that it is is finally under manners. I always thought it was such a pushy - in your face - little bugger and I hated the way it took up so much real estate while acting like some kind of 'move along' entrance commissionaire with epaulets and white gloves.
Chrystie Hill - Community: its the new content.
It's two weeks to go until the bi-annual Australasian library conference, VALA, in Melbourne. I'm looking forward to it. Melbourne is a great city, and VALA a great place to meet and mingle with a whole bunch of Australasian colleagues and contacts.
Library conferences can be strange affairs - a curious mixture of the future in action and the present in denial.
This video from TEDx Columbus by OCLC librarian Chrystie Hill is currently trending on the library Twitter-sphere. You can see why.
Instead of being talked at, she offers her audience a view of the library of the future from one of their own - it's not about the technology - or the institution - it's all about the people.
- He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!
- What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people! source
Friday, 22 January 2010
History of the World in 100 Objects and Tales from Te Papa - two approaches to museums as broadcasters
Galleries and museums as internet publishers and broadcasters
Back in July, 2009, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, and Sir Nicholas Serota of the Tate made some real waves in both the gallery, museum and broadcasting world by suggesting that the future role of the public museum and art gallery would be as online publishers and broadcasters.
Despite the slightly forgotten fact that the remark was made as a response to a question from the clearly impatient Bamber Gasgoigne who wanted to know just when they were going to start talking about the elephant in the room - online - both Neil MacGregor and Sir Nicholas definitely took the moral high ground as clear thinking visionaries who knew what was what in their respective domains. Go here - and scroll down to July 2009 - for the video of the session from the LSE.
However, since then the notion of gallery and museum as broadcaster doesn't seem to have made much practical headway.
Two examples
At least, until now. Two examples - one from the UK - one from nearer home here in New Zealand, offer some interesting examples of the process in action - and while they are at it - a useful benchmark to the potential different styles of approach.
History of the World in 100 objects
The first example - see the image above - is a co-production between the British Museum and the BBC. Written and presented by Neil MacGregor himself, who also choose the objects.
The scale of the project, as well as the reach of the intent to cover as many online touch points is impressive. Thus the core of the broadcasting end of the project is a series of 15 minute radio spots, web presence - and a series of spinoff activities - both in the museum and back on the BBC.
The web site/s
Over on the BBC web site - the 100 Objects web site offers a podcast and archive to the programmes, a write up of each object from the British Museum collection - a series of photographs of the same, [zoom-able and tagged with labels] plus a set of contextual maps showing both the objects provenance and its place in the world.
There is also a blog, plus a bunch of other tools - including a widget and RSS to the series. I've embedded the widget to the side of this blog as an example.
So far - this Friday - they have got to the fourth of 100 programmes. And it will take to the end of the year to tell the whole tale - nothing less than the history of humanity in 100 objects.
On the British Museum web site there is an equally impressive parallel world of the objects and the activities that they have put together to support the project. They also have their own online touch points.
Multiple touch points
I like this project. I especially like the idea that the broadcaster - in this case the BBC - and the institution, the British Museum - have used different tools and spaces to bring to the front their different ways of considering the objects as a broadcast series, and as a collection with its own pedagogical methodology.
It also gives each party a chance to showcase their core activities/competencies - in the one - bringing the context of the museum to the objects, and in the other showing how good radio needs its own methodology and skill set.
In short, if galleries and museums want to be broadcasters, then they need to work with the best to find out just what's involved!
Other museums - other collections
The project has also gone out to other regional UK museums and got them to play the 100 object game by putting up examples from their own collections. See for example this beaker from my home area, in East Lothian, here.
And of course, who would doubt it - there is the obligatory BBC nod to crowd sourcing asking people to upload their own objects and so join in the dance. Curiously, try as I might to engage with this, there is something about the BBC crowd sourcing experience to date - perhaps it's the language they use - that always reminds me of a plumy voice asking people to write their answers on a postcard in their best writing. But I digress.
The pulse of the project
The project is a fantastic effort from all parties. And the amount of work involved from all departments is phenomenal. I also think Neil MacGregor deserves a big round of applause for writing and presenting the programmes. You can hear his commitment - and indeed his scholarship, and it will probably do more to enhance his notion of a world museum than any amount of papers and journal articles.
All that said, it's going to be interesting to see how the project keeps up the energy - whether it be through in house events and programmes, or the ongoing work on the different web spaces.
Curiously, its the broadcasting end of the project that makes me think the energy will endure.
Broadcasters, especially the likes of the BBC, have both the skill set and the track record to understand that programming over time and distance needs a lot of planning, and that new energy, and new directions, need to be injected at different parts of the project cycle.
It will be interesting to see how that works in this instance. In the meantime, I definitely recommend a visit to both the BBC site - and the British Museum.
Tales from Te Papa
My other example, Tales from Te Papa, is a co-production between TVNZ6 - a local public service digital channel here in New Zealand and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa , aka Te Papa.
The series of mini-documentaries showcase some of the objects in the museum, and is presented by Simon Morton and Riria Hoter.
The emphasis is again on story - and the belief that each of the objects has something to say about the culture and history of New Zealand as well as offering touch points to science and exploration.
Apart from their enthusiasm for the task [albeit a little overwhelming at times] the presenters have done a great job in bringing out the talent and commitment of the curators and researchers to the objects.
There are 50 reports from an albatross from the storm that sank the Wahine, art from Colin McCahon, early dental clinic chairs, and deep sea fish.
Hei Tiki worn by Te Paea Hinerangi
The example given above is the story of a Hei Tiki worn by Te Paea Hinerangi a famous guide from Rotorua. The story concerns how she saw a ghostly canoe on Lake Tarawera prior to the eruption of Mt Tarawera, which not only destroyed people and their homes, it also caused the destruction of the famous Pink and White Terraces. See the entry at Te Ara for more on all this, here
Again, I like the energy behind this project. For sure, its different to the BBC - British Museum project - much more instant and episodic, without the slow roll of the long reach of history that characterises the 100 Object project to date.
Moreover, there is lot more to be said - and discussed - on how the two projects explore the idea of a museum and its contemporary place in the world. The British Museum, especially the voice of the director stamps real authority on the project - whereas the Te Papa project seems more intent on grabbing the attention of the viewer and making sure that are given a few cultural vitamins.
It would be good to see, or hear of other examples of the broadcasting gene in action the better to explore this continuum?
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Project Ushahidi - social media and crowd sourcing in Haiti
Project Usahidi in Haiti
See BBC report for full report on Project Usahidi, a crowd sourcing solution build and maintained by volunteers across three continents whereby local peole txt message situation reports to a central server, which maps the reports, adds in other news, stories, and includes updates from other social media tools like Twitter etc.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Apple to host event January 27, tablet expected
January 27 confirmed as Apple briefing day for latest creation
The rumours abound that the Apple announcement on the tablet/slate is just round the corner, with some press and analysts having been invited to a press launch on January 27th.
The reports sight the usual suspect - the Apple tablet/slate, with this story Reuters covering the ground succinctly. And thanks to EJC for the heads-up on the Reuters story.
"Apple Inc will host a special event on January 27 where it is widely expected to unveil its tablet computer, as the company looks to extend its hot hand into a brand new product category. The event next week is shaping up as Apple's most eagerly anticipated product launch since the iPhone three years ago.
The company has never acknowledged the existence of the tablet, but rumors and speculation have been building for months. Although few details about the tablet are known for certain, the device is said to resemble a large version of the iPhone, with a roughly 10-inch touchscreen.Why this interests me.
Analysts say such a device would try to bridge the gap between smart phones and laptops, allowing users to stream video, surf the Web and play games while on the go. Cost estimates on the tablet - which analysts expect to begin shipping in March or April - run upwards of USD 1,000.
Tablet computers have never managed to catch on with consumers, and industry watchers say Apple will have to offer a compelling reason to buy such a device.
If consumers do gravitate to the tablet, it could also propel Apple into the digital book market popularized by Amazon.com's Kindle e-reader, analysts say. (Reuters)"
Source - EJC - here
Apart from being a confirmed Mac guy [a comparatively recent conversion I might add] this development interests me hugely for a bunch of reasons. For this post I'll restrict myself to three.
First I'm intrigued by the proposed size and form factor. It feels like I will at last have a tool in my bag that genuinely gives me the internet ready to hand.
Secondly I have high hopes that we are entering the promised land of a readable e-book/ e-journal - e-zine device, with in-line links onto other sources. Also, and again there are a myriad of smart phones et al which claim the same territory, I'm expecting a device which brings to life the promise of the always on network - or as others call it - network nearness .
Thirdly, I'm interested in how far it will extend the innovation framework which the iTouch/iPhone application world has opened up.
Platform or net-book
All of this will of course depend on what is announced on the 27th January. Will it be a platform offer, or a response to the net-book, mini pc world of Asus et al ?
By the platform offer, I mean will it be a bigger iPhone/iTouch with all the applications being provided by Apple, with third party contributions centrally controlled through the Apple store. And by extension, will there be changes to this model to encompass a myriad of applications and services based around paid subscription content.
By net- book I mean will the new device be an independent web device which can go anywhere - install anything - and be essentially on open web device, which, like the current open web, is a platform for all our imaginations as opposed to what comes from the likes of Steve Jobs, Rupert Murdoch, or JStor.
Web - and/or 3G
And then we have the network issue - whose network will the device connect to - open wifi spots or locked in mobile plans from local 3G carriers, with the content also packed onto the closed "mobile deck', where again subscription based services will be the norm as opposed to the current exception.
Naturally, none of the above is trying to say that on 27th January, Steve Jobs will confirm himself as the 21st successor to Ming the Merciless, by at a stroke defining the content/service layer of of the always on internet in your bag.
But the 27th Jnauary is going to define something - if nothing else - the size of of the Apple share price on the January 28th.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
1000 Great New Zealand ebooks project a reality in 2010.
2010 - the e- book year?
I've just left a useful summary on Stuff of the NZ 1000 e-book project being organised by Martin Taylor, et al at the NZ Digital Publishing Forum.
This group, which came out of the Copyright Council, the BPANZ, Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Authors Society, offers training and networking opportunities for local publishers who want to understand and participate in the options around e-books.
Started last year, they are making a lot of sense around how to grow both the e-book market in New Zealand, as well as make sure that NZ titles become visible elsewhere, especially in the new markets and platforms that many commentators believe will proliferate this year.
The 1000 e-book Project
This year their flagship project is the 1000 e-book project which they hope to launch either in May or June. The presentation above is from the first digital publishing forum held last year in Auckland.
I remember it as a curious mixture of traditional publishers and digital advocates, with the former often struggling to understand both the logic and the language of the latter. 'Tis to be hoped that the coming convergence of purpose and profit will help close this gap this year.
Saturday, 16 January 2010
The potential price for Google - China Internet population hits 384 million
Google and China
Give the extraordinary interest shown in the news that Google is threatening to leave the Peoples Republic of China as a result of perceived security attacks on their services and servers, especially email, I thought it might be useful as context, to quote the EJC summary of a Reuters story on the growing size of the local internet community in China. See Google blog for their explanation of their potential intent, here.
China's position as the world's largest online community
"China's population of Internet users jumped by nearly a third to 384 million at the end of last year, an official report showed on Friday, days after Google threatened to retreat from the expanding market.
The report from the state China Internet Network Information Center (www.cnnic.net.cn) underscored the growing scope of the Internet in the country, which Google said it may quit because of censorship and hacking.
Throughout 2009, the number of Chinese Internet users grew by 86 million --more than the total population of Germany - or a rise of 28.9 percent compared to the end of 2008. The survey, based on a count of residents who said they used the Internet in the past six months, found 29 percent of China's 1.3 billion people are now net users.
The numbers establish China's position as the world's largest online community, more than the entire population of the United States.
With China's expanding 3G mobile network, more than 120 million people used mobile Internet applications, said the Chinese-language report. The number of people using the Internet to book travel, bank and carry out other commerce grew by 68 percent year-on-year. " (Reuters)
Quote - Source - EJC
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