Back from Budapest

Spent the last week in Budapest and survived the riots on their national day, the 15th of March 2007. Was at a VoIP conference, boring people with my presentation and listening to some interesting ones and some less interesting ones.

How did technology impact on me with this visit? For one thing, I battled to get a decent connection at the hotel, and when I managed to connect through our VPN back to the office, Microsoft Exchange drove me demented trying to get my email. Arrgghhhh!!!!! *Sulk*

AND, to heap insult upon insult, they charged HUF125 (around 50 Euro cent) per MINUTE! When Microsoft Exchange acts up, it dents your pocket quickly....

Anyhow, I missed all the exciting Irish sport over the last weekend. Ireland (never realised they played cricket) drew against Zimbabwe, then went on to BEAT Pakistan. Then, to top it all, the Pakistani coach, Bob Woolmer dies of a heart attack following the loss. Incredible.

To make matters worse, after a dismal outing the last Saturday against Scotland, the Irish team have a great game against Italy, and it looks as if they will win the Six Nations cup, finally after 22 years. But, dear France snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the last minutes of the game against Scotland, and, once again, they carry away the laurels of the Six Nations. Anyhow it is amazing how the Internet enables you to get information, even when you miss the action on live TV, because it is not available where you are. You can of course use a Slingbox to move your TV via your broadband to where you are, provided you a) own one (I do), b) it is connected (it is not - I still have to run a cable to my TV from my broadband connection) and c) it is switched on (can't, it isn't connected). The alternative is to get the updates via the web! Neither cricket nor rugby is very big in Hungary, but, technology can bridge the gap! Would previously have had to wait for the next day's newspapers (remember the old media?...).

Updated my podcasts last night, and was listening to the Twit show no 91 (skipped 90, will have to catch up). The interesting thing that came up was this discussion about Twitter. They had mentioned it before, but I had assumed it had to do with the TWiT show. Today I was enlightened. It is not. It is a site which allows people to link to each other and send updates of what they are up to via SMS or IM, but has an open API (Application Programmable Interface) allowing other web services to interface with it. Apparently Jabber (the Power of Presence - great slogan huh? :-)), an Enterprise Instant Messaging (EIM) application (download client here) can. With Twitter you allow people to become 'friends' and if they pester you, you can 'unfriend' them. One person mentioned that he had asked on the Twit show if anyone wanted to meet up at a show for dinner. Apparently 30 Twitters responded and they had a ball. This is a curious twist on community/social networking. Maybe someone that is a Twitter can post some comment on the reasons why and how? Leo, the chief TWiT, stated he had 58 'friends', but one of the guests had over 1,000! For some people this becomes nearly life consuming. The debate focused around how Twitter was the seemingly most useless program on the face of it, but grows because 'all my friends have it' so it expands its circle of friends! Amazing what the web gets up to!

The TWiT's also briefly mentioned Telcos and Joost in the podcast. Given that I am with a wireless broadband Telco (Irish Broadband), and speak at various conferences in Europe about VoIP. WiMAX and Wireless broadband, one of the questions that has been keeping my braincells active, has been about IPTV, the so called triple play. I could understand why cable operators moved into the broadband and telephony space, but could not understand the need for Telcos to move into IPTV. Video on Demand (VoD), yes, but IPTV? What is becoming clearer to me is that the whole triple play and IPTV debate is becoming more and more irrelevant. Web 2.0 is making it so for the younger generation through services such as YouTube, Blinx.tv, and now Joost etc. WebTV exists and is growing, is delivered via broadband, and has a rapidly growing user base. Why bother with traditional TV via IP? It makes limited sense, and does not justify the additional cost. WebTV and Web 2.0 is where it is at for the current generation.

Saw another interesting site on CNet today for closed family networks. Virtual fun with Famster. It is a video on CNet's site, showing you what Famster is all about. I think I am going to get our extended family (I have a daughter in South Africa, a brother in Texas and another in Vancouver island, Canada, and I'm in Dublin, Ireland) to connect on Famster. So, I will give you an update on that later again!

Anyhow, back in the saddle. Started this last night, finished it this morning, so time to do some useful work again! For those that missed the daily weather update - it is freezing bloody cold here in Ireland, after walking around in my short sleeves in Budapest last week. Grrr.... Well, it is supposed to improve. At least it is sunshine outside, and warm in the office!