Category: Science & Technology

All science and technology related topics, excluding internet and science fiction

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YouTube leads video revolution

I’ve been advocating that local internet companies aggressively promote community-driven only video solutions like YouTube and the many other copycats.

YouTube has within 15 months become quite a phenomenom. Certain reports credit 25million hits per day. People are sharing links and bringing in more people to watch the short video clips (videttes?). There is very little marketing involved, but instead the community does all the marketing themselves.

The challenge for local internet companies is to constantly keep a keen eye on internet trends and move quickly with a solution that meets the online consumer needs.

The internet has always been a community driven phenomena. We need to leverage on this and bring forth one of our own phenomena.

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The Human Genome Project completed

I read on the web that the final chapter of the Human Genome Project has been published.

The international Human Genome Project – often described as the “book of life” – was launched with the aim of finding and detailing the genes in our cells that drive all the body’s biochemical reactions.

Scientists envisage using this information to diagnose illnesses and to develop new medical therapies.

The benefits of having what is effectively an encyclopedia of the human blueprint is the possibility of finding cures and prevention for illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases etc.

The completion of HGP marks a new chapter in mankind’s medical progress. The project took about 20 years involving a web of scientists around the world to catalog the human DNA.

Keep an eye out for developments on the medical front.

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Internet TV gaining momentum

It was previously reported that some hollywood studios are following the example of the adult studios in putting their contents on the internet for sale and burning onto DVD. The subject of online content is gaining momentum as the availability of broadband access becomes more commonplace.

Initially, I understand that these studios are offering their content on a purchase basis which allows the user to download and burn onto DVD – once only, or something like that.

Now, Fox is planning to upload its TV reruns on the internet. They have signed revenue sharing agreements with 187 stations to allow reruns to be made available online. The article has been placed on digg.com.

What is key, though is this:

Walt Disney Co.’s ABC television network announcement earlier this week that it will offer some of its most popular shows, including “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” for free on an advertising-supported Web service.

Free man! And the possibility of watching the whole series in one go!

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OSX on intel machines

I’ve been an Apple fan since the mid 80s and the days of the Apple II.

To me the Apple II revolutionised the personal computing world and made it possible for the home user to do things that previously only certain corporate specialists would do… and in addition to this, it allowed home users to do creative things, play games etc.

Talking about games, I remember spending hours playing Lode Runner… how nostalgic.

Soon Apple came up with the equally revolutionary Macintosh with its mouse and graphical user interface (GUI). In one fell swoop it made the rival IBM-based PCs look positively old hat. All this was communicated during the Super Bowl with the now legendary Ridley Scott directed advert based on “1984”.

Ever since then, Apple has been a mega cool brand in the technology world. The loss of Steve Jobs during a board room tussle lost Apple a bit of that luster, but Steve Jobs remained visionary and went on to build NeXT and then Pixar before returning to Apple.

Now Apple is back on top of the cool stakes with the mega cool OSX and the iPod.

Since the OSX came out there has been many people who try to make Windows XP look like an OSX. Unfortunately, Apple clamped down on this, but that did not kill the admiration for the OSX.

Of late, there have been news that Apple will be producing an OSX for Intel. This news… or rumour more likely has been gathering a lot of steam. Many WinTel users including me are closet fans of the Mac and OSX… and the rumour of the OSX coming to Intel is just simply too good to miss.

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