Inside View from Ireland

Learned from My Seat Pocket

WHILE TRAPPED in a waiting room or strapped into a seat, I flip through printed pages more than I realise. Today I learned that people will cut their electricity usage if told that their neighbours use less than they do. [1]

A photo from my brother proves honeysuckle climbs and twists clockwise while morning glories on a trellis at home wind counter-clockwise.

I make more than double the number of searches Google users make each month. ComScore says the average person seeks 55.

When I'm stressed, I use the backspace key less. [2]

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1. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol 34, p 913.

2. Lisa Vizer explains why in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2009.07.005).

Sent mail2blog using Nokia E90 AT&T Typepad service from JFK Airport.

x_ref125mw #journal

Qik Meeting Point Notes

I TELL VISITORS that the Financial Times is an essential part of the European information diet and so I spent my last hour in Europe this month reading the FT Weekender while making a short Qik clip about some items worth sharing. There are two eco-aware items I'd like to discuss with Tom Raftery. One about consumer behaviour in Germany [1] and another about the hopeless goal of constructing new homes to a zero net carbon standard. [2] There's a culture item about Twitter [3] and quality writing in this week's New Scientist [4] to keep me riveted to the departure lounge as I prepare for an Atlantic crossing.

Packing for States

I REALLY NEED a checklist when packing for trips outside of Ireland because I always forget a power adapter. I don't have many US adapters and have never tried the all-in-one big brick adapter as part of my luggage. This may be the last trip I take to the USA with my Nokia E90 since the N97 is doing everything possible to make itself my preferred handset. I'll be in New York and Pennsylvania to help my elderly mother learn how to walk on her own again. I've got several audiobooks to keep me busy on Amtrak journeys and a series of screen captures saved to my phone to see if check-in desks recognise the scan codes they issued when I booked travel reservations online. I'm also carrying a terabyte of student learning materials, with a goal of finishing several Acrobat collections of college lecture notes for incoming classes. I think I'll share a few thoughts about my portable office during the next few days.

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Photo of an Aer Lingus bird snapped with my Nokia E90 at Shannon.

x_ref125mw #travel

Lodgenet Access Cross-Check

ONE REASON WE stay in the Affinia Manhattan is because we can run several devices simultaneously on its LodgeNet wireless internet access service. Lodgenet costs us $11.95 per day and its all over the hotel. At night, you can find people sitting on the carpet in the lobby with their netbooks (or European iPhones), using the connectivity to post photos or check email. I use it upstairs for video uploads, iTunes purchases, Online Meeting Rooms sessions, and sync services to Mozy, Ovi, and Dropbox. This is a robust business class wireless service, one that the hotel should consider emphasizing as a competitive advantage for returning visitors. I's stood outside the front door, running Qik on my Nokia E90 at left, tethered to the hotel's Lodgenet service. It's one of the reasons I return to Affinia Manhattan.

x_ref125mw #travel

Learning from the Blinking Red

WHILE CHECKING OUT a gaggle of teenagers with several expensive pieces of recording equipment, I noticed the red light was blinking on my old reliable Fujifilm S7000 camera. That's an unusual error to see--it's happened once in my usage. It normally means something just happened wrong. No worries--I fired up Migo and started to resurrect all the deleted or corrupt images on the XD card. But I discovered Migo can't rescue something that hasn't been saved. So for all the young people poking around the camera tossing images from this week's rain-coated work--it's a wash-out and we'll try again in September.

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Camera tossers.

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N97 Test Shoot

THE NOKIA ACADEMY dropped a Nokia N97 onto my desk and right after its unboxing, I discovered Mike Kiely swiped the phone for "low light testing". I know he has the N97 somewhere because I spotted this video in his Flickr photostream. Because I have to leave the country, I won't carry the phone to NYC and beyond. Instead, I'll just watch Mike's photos to see if the N97 can perform in low-light conditions.

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x_ref125mw #technology

First Hour with Nokia N97

PEOPLE USE THEIR PHONES in different ways so when I got a N97 handset from the Nokia Academy, I thought it might be worthwhile to track what I did with it in the first hour because I could use the phone right out of the box. It took nearly 10 minutes for the N97 to transfer contacts from my E90 to the N97, along with bookmarks, photos, audio, and video clips. All that happened via Bluetooth with no other conduit. It worked without SIMs. Watching that transfer process occur with a simple set of Bluetooth handshakes on two phones running with battery power was a welcome introduction to a new handset. I have a lot of little things I want to do with the N97, gaining inspiration from other reviewers at The Really Mobile Project and Test Freaks. After the 10 minute Bluetooth data transfer, I started tapping around the phone's screen, refusing to open the owner's manual. I discovered some interesting things.

Watching Young People in Pastures

ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING activities I enjoy involves learning technology from young people. Currently, 22 teens from the Tipperary Regional Youth Services are sharing how they use their cameraphones to connect with each other. Some have high-end gear in their pockets and they are documenting the making of a scary film they've written and practised during summer workshops. The best part about this project involves young people who do not want a part facing the camera. They want to make the film, hold the fishpole mic, snap digital photos and create a buzz on Facebook about the group's efforts. Today's memorable moments involved occasions I did not document. Three horses scared some of the teens out of their shoes during the 12-second video linked to the image at left. Six cows galloped with intent at 12 of us as we mounted a gate. Three lads attacked a threatening tree with a spade while an eco-aware teen admonished them. "You need to plant three trees to replace that one." "What are you talking about? It was just an ivy tree." The admonishment will work and the film crew will record the planting. Today, it's back to testing the SD camera, harvesting clips from before, and setting up a production work process.

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Sent mail2blog using O2-Typepad service on my Nokia E90 in the Dualla woods behind Cashel FC, County Tipperary, Ireland.

Bonus Link: Photoset

#tossers

Dangling Dongles

UPDATED 17 AUG: George Hook takes to the air with this idea and expands on traveling light with dongles, Boingo and Maxroam. Audio snippet below [18 MB MP3 file].

WHILE PACKING FOR an overseas trip, I'm ticking off a few pieces of technology that will ensure I can dangle my dongle to best effect. I'm starting with my O2 dongle (shown working while dangling at left) because I know that works wherever there's a mobile phone signal. I'm taking an extra three metres of USB cable because that will ensure I can dangle my dongle outside, in the direction of a cell phone tower. I also have a Maxroam SIM because I'm keen to test that option inside my O2 dongle. I've also checked my Nokia E90's Boingo application--it works and that's great news for walking the streets of Philadelphia, New York and Washington, DC. The best news about all this gear is it's a small footprint, raises no eyebrows at airport security checkpoints, and it's lightweight.

The Right Hook on Technology

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Direct link to MP3: http://www.insideview.ie/files/righthook_090817.mp3

x_ref125mw #travel

Short Sunday News Clip

ON THE FRONT PAGE of most Irish Sunday newspapers runs stories about serious financial pressure facing the government of Ireland and the leaks describing the cuts to essential services sure to come. Inside the paper sit a strong assortment of technology and innovation found in Ireland along with some interesting news that gets longer treatment on Qik.com/topgold.