This is funny because its classic case of desigining a black magic product thats scans all the databases in the world in-place using its adaptable plugin modules that enables it to extract hidden terrorist messages from your mum\’s recipe spreadsheet in her Documents folder and correlate with credit card spending in Indonesia, via the included plugin module that sits atop of the VISA global credit card database. My favourite line in the pitch is…. and I guarantee that I\’m not taking it out of context: because its distributed, its totally secure Nuts! As someone working for a company...

I found myself drawn into Stewart Brand’s presentation on environmentalism and urbanisation… He makes some really interesting points on how the environmental- or eco-movement will change over the next couple of decades. The movement will change from a grassroots “nice-to-do” group of Western Industrialised tree-huggers and idealists to a global phenomenon of not just romanticised activisim but cold-hard-fact-based politicking. This change will be brought on by two things. Firstly the internet will enable global organised communication to even the remotest parts. Secondly,...

John C. Dvorak writes in his column today: Every single person working in the media today who experienced the dot-com bubble in 1999 to 2000 believes that we are going through the exact same process and can expect the exact same results—a bust. It’s déjà vu all over again. And since this moment in time is only the beginning of the cycle, the best nuttiness has yet to emerge. Nevertheless, this is not to say that a lot of nuttiness hasn’t already happened. I can only partially agree him… Yes, the same copycat, cookie-cutter business models exist. Yes, each startup is some form of...

I’m launching an IT Conference Taxonomy. Its a simple one. Easy to follow and looks like this…. Conference –> IT Conference ——-> Web 2.0 Conference (people use MacBook’s and blog during sessions) ——-> Enterprisey Conference (people fall asleep in sessions and check their Windows laptop and/or Blackberry during breaks) Yesterday I was at an Enterprisey Conference. As the taxonomy develops I think I’ll release it under a creative commons license for the public good. ...

Welcome Ijonas (*sound of group clapping*). Ok so I admit I was vehemently opposed to the very idea of a Blackberry, six months ago. Then I got one and started to see the plus-side of the device. These days I positively rave about the damn thing. Although I’m not the type to constantly check for messages, which is I think the definition of a crackberry user and their addiction. I must say the whole experience is pretty slick. This week I spent two days at a conference in London and decided to leave my MacBook Pro at home. Instead opting to use my laptop bag as a shirt-carrying utensil. The...

Wow. Kirsty gave a Polar CS300 for my birthday. Its a cycle computer / heart rate monitor. It measures the speed and distance that you travel on a bicycle, as well as your heart rate, calories burnt, and a whole host of other things. Alongside the CS300, Polar provide a personal trainer website, which allows you to setup a training programme after providing it with some vital stats (age, weight, height, fitness, goals, etc.). The whole site is very easy to use and follows the design ethic of CS300, i.e. being very slick. Polar provides a WebLink SW software utility that transfers the statistics...