CogBlogged from ‘May, 2010’

Ooops. With great irony for being listed as a featured CoolIris enthusiast, and then prepping for MooseCamp session at the Northern Voice conference– I realized the way I had done these last year was now outmoded! This replaces what I wrote up last year… I was still using the old piclens javascript library, which did not run on Safari or Chrome, when it is now easier to do via embed code. I had not done one of these since September, so it was time to a brushup. For today’s session (at 1:15 local time iin Vancouver) I assembled a hasty demo, along with some basic templates anyone can use http://cogdogblog.com/stuff/nv10/cooliris/. I’m letting it out early ;-) This still involves hand coding an RSS file. Sure you can assemble a series of slides easily using a folder of images, but what I always want is to include both slides and videos, [...]

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Bachir It’s time! Let ‘em loose! Tomorrow I’m on my way to Vancouver for Northern Voice 2010, which, if I may state subtly, is the best fracking conference in the uni-verse. My first fest was 2006, and I’ve been there for 2008, 2009, and now, 2010 “the Post Olympiad” version. I’m excited to not only hang out with Bryan Alexander, but the Gothic One is the opening keynote! I urged him to bring is most intense stuff. Yeah, they’v spread the format to 2 full days, but Scott Leslie (you, Scott, there are so many variations of you in Google) protested and there is an Alt.Moose Camp going on ion the spaces between (kudos to the planners for opening that up). I’ll be doing a little how to moose camp session in there on creating a web preso in CoolIris. I’ll also be up [...]

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Justin Shearer On Saturday, unless my co-presenters have me kidnapped and dropped with cement shoes into False Creek, Brian Lamb, Chris Lott, and I are tossing out a Northern Voice 2010 session on I’m Not Dead Yet:.. Blogging Every few months some pundit posts something online stating that blogging is dead (invariably posted in a blog). The only thing truly dead is a statement that “X is dead”. Yes, blogging defined as publishing in blog software may be on a downslope, but blogging as the act of self publishing online has just diffused to more outlets from status messaging to YouTube dialogues. That said, there are deep problems with all the forms that are eclipsing blogs in the social media space. Blogging may yet emerge as the only hope in preserving what is best in human intellectual endeavor. Come debate us, and bring out [...]

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog I’ve been in New York City a few days, a city who’s lively pulse is fed by the incredible density of people crammed on a small island, so many languages, so many shapes, colors, that you cannot even parse it all. It may not be all peace, love, and harmony, but in the span of a city block, you can easily share the space with ones from 25 different countries, and at least, on the surface, they all respect each others right to be here. It’s just how it is. But it was shame, embarrassment, and anger I felt walking through two different protests on May Day, seeing the “Boycott Arizona signs”, one in Union Square, one down by the US courthouse, a building enshrined with the epitaphs of the basic human rights that (are supposed to) be our foundation. It was shame, [...]