Commanding Chaos for Coworking, Open Source and Creative Communities

September 2005 Posts

Google Blog Search brings the Blogoshpere to the World

Wed, 09/14/2005 - 18:09 -- rprice
On September 14th, Google launched blogsearch.google.com, a service that searches only results within Web logs, commonly known as blogs. Blogs are just one of the new amateur publishing techniques that have been born in the second decade of the World Wide Web. Blogs allow their owners to write down their thoughts on current events, share their poetry with others, or simply record what is going on in their life at the moment. Blogging also comes with the ability for readers of a blog to post a response to posts, making each article like a miniature bulletin board. One of the most convenient features of blogs are feeds which allow anyone to see the latest information on a blog without having to visit the web page itself.

It is primarily through these feeds that Google Blog Search discovers most of the articles in the known world of blogging, nicknamed the Blogoshpere. Feeds in XML-based formats such as RSS and Atom allow for aggregation services like Ping-O-Matic, as well as home-based feed readers like Firefox Live Bookmarks to be notified whenever a new post is published. Blog readers are then free to read a summary of the post straight from the feed, or follow a URL directly to the blog to read the post from its original source. Google Blog Search paruses millions of feeds every day to allow users of the service to search the world of blogging from a well-known source: Google.

Even though Google does offer its own blogging service through the infinitely popular Blogger, results are not restricted in any way, as long as the posts are broadcast with feeds, Google may be able to find it.

Because Google is so well-known—arguably the most successful search engine of all time—I suspect people will only catch on to reading famous blogs in an even bigger way from now on.

Posted from WashingtonPost.com (September 14, 2005):

Google could do for blogs what Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes is doing for podcasts... those who are still learning to navigate the Web, [will likely] turn to Google or Yahoo or one of the other search engine sites that have become household names.

I'll admit that while I had heard the word "Podcast" used several times last year, I barely knew what it meant until it was offered as a part of iTunes. Now you couldn't keep me from subscribing to at least one new Podcast every week, just to see what is being offered. With tens of thousands of choices amongst Podcast and even more Blogs, the possibilities are limitless.

That's why blog search is so important. How would the Harry Potter fans find each other? Or the readers of Popular Science? Sure, there are forums, but forums are not for everyone. I myself find it difficult to keep up with even a few forum threads. More often than not, I keep a mental list of good forums in my Bookmarks, and rely on Google Search to bring me the rest of the relevant forum posts I need. After finding a needed tip or script, I might not return to that forum again. HOWEVER, if I were to go searching for news on a story of interest, say... Google Blog Search, and found a well-written, informative, maybe witty blog offering, I might just add that to my RSS reader and come back next time I see something interesting in the title.

By the way, if you want to subscribe to my blog, and you use the Firefox browser, click that little orange icon in the bottom right of your window.
Firefox Live Bookmark Icon That's how live bookmarking is done.

Just for example, the search does work. Type in a search for 'Ryan Price', and at least for right now you get a link to several posts containing the words 'Ryan' and/or 'Price', as well as a link to a related blog. The blog happens to belong to my Alberta, Canada counterpart, who also happens to be a web designer.

Now, go and check it out: Google Blog Search.

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Blu-ray DVD shall overcome

Tue, 09/13/2005 - 20:37 -- rprice
Posted from BusinessWeek online (September 14, 2005):

In late August, Toshiba admitted that talks to unify next-gen DVD formats had ceased. "It is regrettable but unavoidable that two formats will remain (on the market),"

I never had much faith in that unification.

Shortly thereafter, the news spread that Toshiba was pushing back its HD DVD launch into 2006 -- the Japanese firm had planned to introduce the first HD DVD players during the fourth quarter of this year. The delay was all that skeptics needed in order to pronounce HD DVD dead, and it apparently was the perfect ammo for Sony to use against the rival format.

I think these quotes really sum up the whole story quite nicely, but here is the low-down:
Sony and Toshiba are starting one of these classic ‘Beta vs. VHS’ battles over the next generation DVD platform. Sony’s Blu-ray is the Beta, with larger storage capacity, but it happens to be more expensive for manufacturers. Toshiba’s selling point is that companies won’t have to re-tool their factories because HD DVD uses the same type of laser as conventional DVD writers.

I am actually pretty shocked that neither company is trying to release anything for 4th Quarter and the holiday shopping kick. That would really solidify what Steve Jobs said in January about 2005 being “The year of HD”. We already have HDTV broadcasts, new video codecs like H.264, HD PVRs, HD pro-sumer and consumer-level video cameras, not to mention these HDTV sets everyone has been buying for the last umpteen years, waiting patiently to see the pores on Bon Jovi’s face in stunning detail.

As far as I can tell, this year is going to go down as “The year HD almost broke into the mainstream”. The same could be said of Toshiba and HD DVD.

Everyone remembers the beginning of the current video game console cycle, and how many people bought a PlayStation 2 because it doubled as a DVD player, and a few people bought it as a cheap and trusted alternative to the overpriced DVD players for sale at the time. With PlayStation 3 set to release during 2nd Quarter of next year, by the time it’s trendy to get a High-Def DVD player, the PS3 will be on the shelves and the Sony fanboys will be rushing out to get one.

According to a claim by Bejamin Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:
Posted from HomeMediaRetailing.com online (September 6, 2005):

“I think in 12 months it’s all going to be clear: the combination of Blu-ray and PlayStation 3 machines is going to overwhelm any HD DVD presence and all studios will have to support Blu-ray,” said Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

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Welcome to Beer Blog

Fri, 09/09/2005 - 15:36 -- rprice

Welcome welcome welcome to the world of BEER! Beer Blog is a place to discuss and learn about beers both good and bad from around the world. If you are a friend of hops and barley, you have come to the right address!

My friends and I are part of a local beer enthusiast’s club, and we have this blog to share our beer experiences with you.

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