Simon Hammond Blog

Fate seemed to be egging Bodder (the new name for Bodtracker) along yesterday.

Google started it by releasing  a couple of useful bits.  Google Search for Nokia was supposed to be a shortcut to the Google mobile search page but happened to also include a significant browser upgrade which made it easier to navigate pages with lots of links with a virtual pointer.  On top of this, they released an extension to Map API which makes it a doddle to generate static map images without scripting.  Very useful for embedding within mobile pages!

In Selly Oak, opposite the landmark Selly Sausage, there was a raid on the security van loading the cash machine.  I just missed it by about 10 minutes judging by the stream of police cars that streaked past whilst I was waiting for the bus.  When I got down there I took some pics on the mobile and used them in some on-the-spot Bodder reportage.  I also tried tweeting it via SMS but it didn’t seem to get through, reinforcing my impression of unreliability for this aspect of Twitter.

Hot desking at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre (EIC) seems to be working out pretty well.  I can still access my university staff account on the wireless network via my laptop so I’m nicely set-up with a proper work environment.  This helps me stay focussed with the added bonus of being able to hobnob with some of the SPEED sparks.  Hoping I can enjoy their hospitality a while longer and maybe get some feedback on the evolving Bodder model.

Tags: Uncategorized by si
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The second Birmingham Bloggers meetup was last night and it was a very different beast to the last one.

I got there early with the idea of wearing my ol’ blue Blogger hoodie might be useful for physically tagging our end of the pub.  It’s also becoming nicely vintage, harking back from an era when blogging was brave, fresh-faced and no-one had heard of comment spam.

The meeting seems to have roughly doubled to about 20 from last time, including some big-time bloggers.  I guess the growth was down to a combination of a more central location (the Dragon Inn) plus the word getting out.  At this size it naturally relaxed into several small but mingling groups, more like a party than a debate.  The cheap Wetherspoons beer reinforced this convivial atmosphere which I saw Jon trying to capture on his mobile, perhaps for later vlogging.

Talked to lots of interesting and friendly bloggers, although not as many as I would have liked.  One month seems like an awful long time for the next meet.

Tags: unfiled by si
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I could try and pretend that I’m linking to the Skins Blog as a case study in the unexpected consequences of a mediocre blog elevated to undue prominence on a hugely-regarded media platform.

Actually, it’s because it’s the funniest thing I’ve read this week. Not because of the original post which is is so-so. Skim through it to get enough of the flavour and then head down to the comments where the boy is sliced, diced and marinated overnight.

There’s an editor at the Guardian right now who has just given over their day to editing the comments so that they are merely hilariously abusive. Other comments are either calling nepotism by connecting the kid to a Guardian travel writer or boiling down his claim to be a Skins co-writer to a 10 minute Myspace clip. A friend who gallantly steps in gets equally acerbic treatment.

The result of this nepotism-meets-open-commenting experiment is the formation of some kind of distributed Charlie Brooker, a Sandman of cynicism. It’s awesome.

Thanks to Jon via del.icio.us/bounder for the early tip-off

Tags: funny by si
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So Microsoft puts in an offer for Yahoo hoping to morph into a megazord and crush the mighty Google, hilariously portrayed as a terrible leviathan. Words like ‘juggernaut’, ‘dominance’ and ‘weight’ abound. Because, you know, if they could just get bigger then they could kind of sit on Google until it submits. Rather like the slow kid in the playground whom nobody troubles because they happen to loom over most of the teachers.

True, size has its benefits. Economies of scale and all that are advantages that are readily appreciated whilst sitting in a Wetherspoons. Having said that, there was a time when Google was just a tiddler unsuccessfully pitching their minimalistic search box to Yahoo. It got big because it was that much better at doing what people needed.

Likewise Flickr, spawned from some online game company out in Vancouver, was able to turn photo sharing from pain-in-the-arse to fun and reaped huge rewards. Del.icio.us started out as a hobby project from a financial systems developer scratching his own itch before becoming the bookmarking habit for millions. Both were bought by Yahoo! who seemed not to be able to crack these innovations by itself.

The thought of Flickr and del.icio.us (can we just call it Delicious from now on?) may now fall under the banner of Microsoft is somewhat depressing. Can they be trusted not to screw it up? Some think not. Flickr still suffers from the obligation to use Yahoo Maps rather than the superior ones from Google. It’s irrational but the day I am asked to sign in to Flickr with an MSN account is the day I start bulk uploading to Picasaweb.

Tags: rant, web by si
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