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Web 2.0 in Full Effect

Technology Raises Stakes for Steelband Enterprises

 

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All this hardware and cable clutter
is now much ‘less’ for many

New York - Again When Steel Talks found itself at two technology expos.  This time we were in New York in the Jacob Javits Center for the Web 2.0 Expo and the Interop Expo.  As we have said before, technology impacts on every aspect of our lives whether you choose to participate or not.  Anything you do not know, you will pay for - dearly.  So, in this regard, When Steel Talks (WST) simply has no intention of letting the folks on the WST network fall off the wagon, bring up the rear or join the “not ready for prime time players steel orchestra.”

 

  Things We Liked

What we saw at the Web 2.0 Expo will have immediate and far reaching impact, with even greater implications in the future.  All of the technologies showcased are available right now, and being implemented and used by leading companies and organizations all over the world.

Web 2.0 is based on the principle that less is more - the power of less. The objective is to provide the user with a greater experience on the web by providing less clutter and confusion.  Web 2.0 is not really a change in codes or standards, as it is more a change in attitude and approach on how the internet can best serve the users.

Moreover, with Web 2.0 the user is no longer just retrieving data and information - he or she is now having an interactive relationship through the applications executed solely through the computer browser.

With lots of products and information - there were a few that stood out for WST, as having potential for the steelpan music industry and franchises.  These were products that we believe will increase your productivity - enhance your creativity, and/or are capable of protecting your genius.  In addition, and most importantly they can increase your earning power and marketability. 

LifeSize


LifeSize across the way

Moving across the exhibit floor checking the different presentations and products I noticed four people seated, spanning three HD monitors, facing us in one particular booth that was located about 25 to 30 feet away.  I could have sworn the eyes of the people on the monitor were following us - or so I believed.
 

“Nah,” I said to myself, “that can’t be happening.”  Then I saw what I believed was the wave of a hand by one of them, to us.  I asked the other WST colleague with me - “can they see us?”  She said, emphatically “no - that’s just folks on a screen - (like TV images).”  As we were about to move off, not totally convinced and to make sure there was not a ‘ghost in the machine,’ I raised two fingers while looking directly at the man in the middle.  To my surprise he raised two fingers.  I turned to my colleague and asked - did you see that?  She in turn was still not totally convinced - so I raised three fingers -  and the man raised three fingers and waved for us to come into the booth area.


LifeSize staff in Texas, interacting live at Jacob Javits

Not only could he and his three colleagues see us - they could hear us and talk back to us as well, in real time with crystal clear CD audio and HD video.  Furthermore, they were interacting with us at the Jacob Javits Center in New York from their home base in Texas, USA.

Now here is the catch: this was all being done over an internet line with a very affordable, easy-to-use HD video communication system.  No dedicated, super bandwidth connection necessary, and no ultra expensive video technology in play.  The company’s name is LifeSize.

Imagine the great Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, champion arranger for the famed Phase Two Pan Groove conducting an intense panorama practice on a hot Summer night with New York’s Moods Pan Groove at their Brooklyn panyard.  Mr. Sharpe is giving new music tonight and is viewing and listening to every nuance of the players’ performance.  All of a sudden, the master arranger taps the side of the pan, brings the orchestra to a halt, and yells out to a player in the back on a four-pan - by name - and says “your phrasing is wrong - who showed you that?”  The slightly embarrassed player is relieved when he looks up and sees that Boogsie is looking at him with a big smile.  Everyone laughs and the orchestra begins again.  Well, ordinarily, this would be the normal course of the practice.  However there is one thing different here - Boogsie is not in New York, he is in Phase Two’s pan yard back in his native Trinidad and Tobago, and conducting Moods Pan Groove’s panorama practice in their Brooklyn, New York panyard, real time - via LifeSize’s technology.

WST gives this flexible, affordable, easy-to-use HD video communications system two thumbs up.  You will get true HD video quality - 720p30 - at only 1Mbps over any internet connection.  The possibilities for education and income opportunities for the steelpan community - locally, nationally and internationally - through this technology, are mind-boggling. 

This ability has been around and used in corporate and industry environments for years but in a nutshell, the crucial difference - is its availability in HD, with CD quality audio (so you won’t miss a thing - think Skype on steroids!) - and in turn these formats’ accessibility, affordability and understandability - for the ordinary consumer, and more compact business enterprises.

Opera


Thomas Ford of Opera

One of the other technologies WST found intriguing was the Opera Software booth. Opera Software develops the Opera web browser, a high-quality, multi-platform product for a wide range of platforms, operating systems and embedded Internet products - including Mac, PC and Linux computers, mobile phones and PDAs, game consoles, and other devices like the Nintendo Wii, DS, Sony Mylo, and more.

At the booth they were dedicated to showcasing the Opera 10.10 browser for consumers and mobile devices like smart phones and BlackBerrys.  Opera has been one of the first companies to totally promote all the aspects of Web 2.0 from its inception.  They believe in a complete and enjoyable experience for the user on the internet through their browser on any device - and are totally browsers-based.  Mr. Thomas Ford of Opera took time to demonstrate for WST many of the features and details of Opera.

In addition Mr. Ford said Web 2.0 was both proof and vindication of what their company had already forecast from its inception - the web itself had now indeed won out as the platform - with many applications now being web-based and interactive.  In other words, everything is occurring in your web browser - “one widget across all platforms” according to Ford.

PanOnTheNet via the Opera browser

I have been using the browser for a few days now.  It is excellent. Everything is moving so much faster than Internet Explorer and Firefox.  The frustration look has left my face.  Maybe this was the way the internet experience was really meant to be.  Pages are loading quite quickly.  Hopefully, I will still be happy two weeks from now.  Hey, but for the moment, everything is copasetic. The greatest compliment one can give a browser is that of “I don’t realize it’s there!”  Loading pages, looking at videos, surfing doing my work without the browser getting in the way.  Moreover, features on PanOnTheNet seem to be working within the Opera 10.10 browser with no problems.

Opera is a free download that everyone can have.  Like we said earlier it works on the Windows, Mac and Linux platforms.  WST has not tested Opera on any mobile devices yet, but as soon as we do, we will let you in on the 411.  We are one second away from sending the order to our engineers to optimize our site for Opera.  When Steel Talks and Opera 10.10 seem to be a match made in web heaven. Check it out. You have nothing to lose but your internet woes.

Darby & Darby


Stephen W. Underwood

One of the other presenters we met at the expo that impressed us was the law firm of Darby & Darby, P.C. They specialize in intellectual property and Technology Law, with over 110 years in the business.  Patents, trademarks and copyrights have all gone through a series of changes and challenges like no time ever before because of the internet.  Regardless on which side of the fence you sit, the need for proper representation for creations has never been more important. Representing Darby and Darby were attorneys Jamie L. Wiegand and Stephen W. Underwood, with several business offices including one in New York.  Let’s face it - the rules are changing as we speak because of the advancements in technology. You must have someone who is up on its [technology] evolution for legal representation and protection for the fruits of your creativity. 

Jive Social Business Software

There were of course lots of social network web applications. Jive presented us with a full package. What Ning and Facebook are to individuals users - Jive Social Business Software (SBS) is to businesses. Very, very powerful stuff.

Imagine steelpan organizations, groups, schools, businesses and associations being able to collaborate, and learn from each other across the globe at the drop of a dime with the ability to easily manipulate rich text media - video, audio, graphics, animations and the like.

It would take much more time and space than we have to get into the details of the software - it is beyond the directive of this article; but let it suffice to say that SBS illustrates how business strategies, marketing and planning will take place in the future.  Why?  Because you just would not be able to compete with other businesses that have gone down this road.  The power of a collaborative SBS enabling businesses to strengthen their brands while providing the means to implement a unified social marketing strategy is awesome.  Jive was conceived with the web in mind: the power of the internet at your fingertips -as opposed to independent software programs which are machine-based.  Moreover it transforms how you work and address the marketplace.

Here are a few things we liked about Jive SBS:

  • You can view and comment on Microsoft Office documents without ever opening them

  • You can stay connected with your group through Jive Mobile allowing your IPhone or BlackBerry to interface with the ‘hive’

  • Jive SBS facilitates enterprise collaboration and communication.

There is a vast number of other things that deserve mention and attention, for example - cloud computing is here to stay.  Microsoft featured its recently-released Windows 7 platform, Sliverlight and Microsoft Expression package. 

Riverbed


Riverbed

Riverbed’s motto is ‘think fast’ - technologies which speed up performance across the web so that you are essentially using a WAN (wide area network) to get LAN - (local area network) like performances.  Riverbed demonstrated how their software could speed the transfer of files on the internet - up to 30X - to increase performance across the WAN.  This results in millions of dollars saved per year, a 60–95% cut in bandwidth usage - and significantly reduces IT cost.

WISP-Router


Scott Long, WISP-Router

WISP-Router, Inc. is responsible for and supplies base and peripheral hardware which allows for ISP setups - WiFi access points - within a select contained area, where there would not ordinarily be internet access.  This provides countless possibilities and solutions for remote locations - in business, education, entertainment and related applications.

Ironically, it was only this past weekend when there was a clear demonstration of Web 2.0 in action in its true spirit.  Northern Illinois University (NIU) Steelband gave their Fall concert.  It was broadcast via an interactive platform that, at its simplest level of operation, calls only for a video camera (camcorder, or even a cell phone!) and an internet connection - to reach and interact with a global audience in a matter of minutes.  And additionally, via a social widget - the Live Stream Box - Panfolks/viewers from all over the world were able to share their thoughts and make comments on the NIU concert in real time.

With Web 2.0 the future is now.

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