"real time" entries

Four short links: 26 May 2010

Four short links: 26 May 2010

Reading Outlook in Open Source, Android Tablets, Websocket Editing, Jabber for Node.js

  1. PSTSDK — Apache-licensed code from Microsoft to read Outlook files. Covered by Microsoft’s Open Specification Promise not to assert related patents against users of this library.
  2. Cheap Android Tablet — not multitouch, but only $136. Good for hacking with in the meantime. (via Hacker News)
  3. Real-Time Collaborative Editing with Websockets, node.js, and Redis — uses Chrome’s websockets alternative to Comet and other long-polling web connections.
  4. XMPP Library for Node.js — I’m intrigued to see how quickly Node.js, the Javascript server environment, has taken off.

Preparing for the realtime web

How the shift to realtime will affect the web (and why info overload is overblown).

The stream of updates and links that powers the realtime web is giving static websites a run for their money. In this Q&A, "Building the Realtime User Experience" author Ted Roden discusses the impact of the realtime web on developers and users.

Blaise Aguera y Arcas' TED Talk on Augmented Maps

Blaise Aguera y Arcas (creator of PhotoSynth, founder of Seadragon and now Architect of Bing Maps) gave a talk at TED last week. In it he showed off some of the latest Bing Maps has to offer. He demoed the fluid zooming capabilities based on Blaise’s own Seadragon technology and the 3D capabilities provided by Silverlight. He also demoed how images and live video can be overlay Photosynth-style on top of the map (these were both made possible by the mapping application platform that was recently added to Bing Maps).

Four short links: 21 January 2010

Four short links: 21 January 2010

Wireless Hacks, Real Time Web, 3D Christmas, Mac Sync

  1. DD-WRT — replacement firmware for cheap wireless router boxes that add new functionality like wireless bridging and quality-of-service controls (so Skype doesn’t break up while you’re web-browsing). Not a new thing, but worth remembering that it exists.
  2. Brain Dump of Real Time Web and WebSocket — long primer on the different technology for real-time web apps. Conclusion is that there’s no silver bullet yet, so more development work is needed. (via TomC on Delicious)
  3. Data Decs — 3d-printing Christmas decorations based on social network data. My favourite is the blackletter 404. (via foe on Delicious)
  4. ZSync — open source syncing application that makes it easy for app writers to connect desktop apps and iPhone apps. (via Dave Wiskus)
Four short links: 11 December 2009

Four short links: 11 December 2009

Real Time Text, NoSQL Reading List, New data.gov, and a Breakdancing Robot

  1. Real Time Text Taskforce — standardising live typing ala EtherPad and Google Wave, for accessibility reasons.
  2. NoSQL Required Reading — papers and presentations to get up to speed in the theory and practice of scalable key-value data stores. (via Hacker News)
  3. It’s Official, data.gov 2.0 is Coming — pointer to the design and philosophy document for the next iteration of data.gov. Interesting to see so much activity on US open government happening now: open government directive and progress report were released, along with a request for ideas on open access to publicly-funded science research.
  4. Breakdancing Robot — we live in the future, and it is good. (via @hollowaynz)

What Would Jane Austen Have Twittered?

After the recent Web 2.0 Expo NY–a sprawling, week-long conference and exhibition–I ducked into the Morgan Library to catch “A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy.” A one-room show about an 18th century novelist seemed like the perfect antidote to a week of tech talk in the Death Star Javits Center. As I’d hoped, the Morgan focuses on a handful of objects from Austen’s life, and the commentary is thoughtful. I was surprised, though, to find myself thinking that had Twitter been around in Austen’s time (1775-1817), she would likely have been a fan.

Counting Unique Users in Real-time with Streaming Databases

As the web increasingly becomes real-time, marketers and publishers need analytic tools that can produce real-time reports. As an example, the basic task of calculating the number of unique users is typically done in batch mode (e.g. daily) and in many cases using a random sample from relevant log files. If unique user counts can be accurately computed in real-time, publishers and marketers can mount A/B tests or referral analysis to dynamically adjust their campaigns.

Abandon Stocks, Embrace Flows – A Conversation with John Hagel

This interview covers three “Big Shifts” that have dominated 2009 (1) The move to the real-time web, (2) the move from the information web to the Social Web and (3) the rise of mobile. Since John co-chairs Deloitte’s Center for the Edge I wanted to get his take on each in terms of its impact on larger organizations. This first video covers the Real-Time Web.

Pipelining and Real-time Analytics with MapReduce Online

Some organizations create their own real-time analysis tools, while others turn to specialized solutions. In a previous post, I highlighted SQL-based real-time analytic tools that can handle large amounts of data. I noted that other big data management systems such as MPP databases and MapReduce/Hadoop were too batch-oriented to deliver analysis in near real-time. At least for MapReduce/Hadoop systems things may have changed slightly. A group of researchers from UC Berkeley and Yahoo recently modified MapReduce to allow for pipelining between operators.

Four short links: 17 August 2009

Four short links: 17 August 2009

  1. How Twitter Works in Theory (Kevin Marks) — very nice summary about the conceptual properties of Twitter that let it work. Both Google and Twitter have little boxes for you to type into, but on Google you’re looking for information, and expecting a machine response, whereas on Twitter you’re declaring an emotion and expecting a human response. This is what leads to unintentionally ironic newspaper columns bemoaning public banality, because they miss that while you don’t care what random strangers feel about their lunch, you do if its your friend on holiday in Pompeii.
  2. Army To Test Wiki-Style Changes to The 7 ManualsIn early July the Army will conduct a 90-day online test using seven existing manuals that every soldier, from private to general officer, will have the opportunity to read and modify in a “wiki”-style environment. (via timoreilly on Twitter)
  3. MobWriteconverts forms and web applications into collaborative environments. Create a simple single-user system, add one line of JavaScript, and instantly get a collaborative system. (via Simon Willison)
  4. Open Data Standards Don’t Apply To The MilitaryIt’s that last particular point that should be the most disturbing to the administration. Apparently all geospatial data being developed and utilized by the USAFA would be unusable without a sole software vendor. This causes concern over broader interoperability with other agencies and organizations, access to important national information, and archivability and retrievability. Expose of the single-source “standard” vendor lockin in US military geosoftware and geodata. (via johnmscott on Twitter)