Download Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gifDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comen-usCopyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Interview: Michael Dalesandro, CEO "Where I've Been"http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/29/interview-michael-dalesandro-ceo-where-ive-been/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/29/interview-michael-dalesandro-ceo-where-ive-been/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/29/interview-michael-dalesandro-ceo-where-ive-been/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Where I've Been
The "social networking" space is chock-full of applications, plug-ins and other bits and pieces designed to hopefully enhance the user's experience online and potentially in their real lives as well. Unfortunately, some of these applications or plug-ins are often uninspired and do little, if anything, to accomplish this goal.

Sometimes, however, an application or plug-in is able to provide user's with useful services and a forum to express themselves. Case in point, "Where I've Been," an application and a stand-alone website which can actually enhance the user's experience by providing useful tools such as travel-related tips, interactive maps and a forum to showcase and discuss where they've traveled to.

At the helm of "Where I've Been" is CEO Michael Dalesandro who, in a short time, has managed to transform "Where I've Been" from its humble beginnings into a very successful application in use by millions of users each day. Recently, I sat down with with him to discuss "Where I've Been," what it does and where its going.

CHRIS ULLRICH: Michael, thanks for taking the time to talk with me.

MICHAEL DALESANDRO: Not a problem.

CU: How and when did you first get involved with "Where I've been"?

MD: Craig Ulliott was working for Blueye.com as a developer when he brought me the concept for "Where I've Been." He wrote the application and then it launched on Facebook first. That's where it all started.

CU: For someone unfamiliar with "Where I've been", can you describe it?

MD: "Where I've Been" is a simple way for people to connect and express themselves primarily through their travel experiences. It allows the user to highlight their travels graphically and show what places, cities, countries they've been to.

The can share where they have been, where have lived and where they want to go with friends, family and others.

CU: How does "Where I've been" benefit the user? Why should someone use it?

Continue reading Interview: Michael Dalesandro, CEO "Where I've Been"

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>applicationsfacebookmyspacesocialtraveltweet-thisChris Ullrich2008-04-29T20:00:00+00:00Comcast shuts down Winerhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/16/comcast-shuts-down-winer/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/16/comcast-shuts-down-winer/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/16/comcast-shuts-down-winer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Thanks to the recent BitTorrent debacle, Comcast has been far from Comcastic for many of its customers. Throttling customers for using technologies they deem too data intensive is pretty nasty, and the company has had to acquiesce and change its practices, but what happens when they disconnect your service (and threaten to keep you shut-down for 12-months) for "excessive usage" -- yet refuse to issue that threat in writing or tell you what "excessive usage" really means?

Well, that is exactly the situation Dave Winer, tech analyst, pioneer and RSS God, has found himself in. Comcast has restored his service, but still says they will shut him down for up to 12 months if he doesn't alter his usage patterns. The kicker? They won't tell him what level he needs to adjust his usage patterns to in order to stay compliant.

Can they do this? Especially without issuing the warning in writing? And what exactly defines, "excessive" in Comcast's terms? Many of us here at Download Squad use Comcast and we DO love to download, so this issue bothers us both on principle and for practicality. Although Comcast has been more receptive via their @Comcastcares Twitter account than they were via phone, this whole situation makes us very, very uncomfortable.

We spoke to Dave earlier today (the podcast of our conversation is here) and this is what he had to say:

"I thought it was an outage and they said I had to call a special number and that I had been disconnected as a matter of policy."

Continue reading Comcast shuts down Winer

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>broadbandcable modemCableModemcomcastcomcasticdave winerDaveWinerdenial of serviceDenialOfServicetweet-thisChristina Warren2008-04-16T16:30:00+00:00DLS Interview: openSUSE's new Community Manager, Joe Brockmeierhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/02/04/dls-interview-opensuses-new-community-manager-joe-brockmeier/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/02/04/dls-interview-opensuses-new-community-manager-joe-brockmeier/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/02/04/dls-interview-opensuses-new-community-manager-joe-brockmeier/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Joe Today, Novell announced that Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier is taking the reins as openSUSE's Community Manager. Those familiar with the open source world might recognize Joe from his work with various Linux and free software publications.

A long time open source advocate, Joe began using Linux in 1996, after purchasing a set of Slackware CDs at a local store. He says, "...I was blown away by the concept of 'free as in beer' software. The idea that you could share software, and even modify it and distribute it, was (and is) extremely exciting to me.

"I also find the community aspect of Linux and free and open source software particularly compelling. I love the fact that people around the world can come together and build useful tools, and then make those tools available for anyone to use. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be part of that community."

We recently got the chance to talk with Joe about Linux, Novell, and the direction openSUSE (and open source) is headed.

Continue reading DLS Interview: openSUSE's new Community Manager, Joe Brockmeier

Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>community managerCommunityManagerinterviewJoe BrockmeierJoeBrockmeierLinuxmanagement changeManagementChangeNovellopen sourceOpenSourceopenSUSEZonkerKristin Shoemaker2008-02-04T10:00:00+00:00DLS Interview: OpenDNS Founder and CEO David Ulevitchhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/01/15/dls-interview-opendns-founder-and-ceo-david-ulevitch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/01/15/dls-interview-opendns-founder-and-ceo-david-ulevitch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/01/15/dls-interview-opendns-founder-and-ceo-david-ulevitch/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

We are long-time fans of the free DNS-lookup service OpenDNS, which serves as a replacement for your ISP's DNS. We recently got a chance to ask the founder and CEO of OpenDNS, David Ulevitch, for a quick history of OpenDNS and for an update on the service.

DLS: What got you involved in DNS?

David: When I was a freshman at Wash U. in St. Louis, I started becoming more active online. I went to buy a domain name and in the process, learned of the need for a solid, reliable DNS service. I was already running my own server, so I took the obvious next step and wrote my own DNS management software. The need became even more obvious when word about my software got around and several people wanted to use it. The software eventually became a service, EveryDNS.net, that's still operating today.

Continue reading DLS Interview: OpenDNS Founder and CEO David Ulevitch

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>david ulevitchDavidUlevitchdnsinterviewTodd Ritter2008-01-15T10:00:00+00:00Emoze to launch pro and enterprise push emailhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/07/emoze-to-launch-pro-and-enterprise-push-email/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/07/emoze-to-launch-pro-and-enterprise-push-email/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/07/emoze-to-launch-pro-and-enterprise-push-email/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Emoze
For the past year emoze has been offering a free push email service that essentially lets you turn almost any cellphone with a data plan into a BlackBerry-like mobile email device. Users just install a small application on their mobile device and sign up for a free account. Then you can set up emoze to push email to your phone every time a new message comes in. Emoze can be configured to work with Gmail, Outlook, or Lotus Notes.

The service is pretty cool. But the business model has been a beet baffling, and we've been wondering how emoze planned to make money. It turns out that the company will be launching two subscription services within the next week or so.

The first is a "pro" version which will cost less than $20 a year and allow you set up multiple accounts and receive larger email attachments. The second is an "enterprise" version which is aimed at businesses who can't afford to deploy BlackBerry technology.

We caught up with emoze chairman Naftali Shani last night and asked him about push technology and emoze's long term goals.


powered by ODEO

The only thing that would make us happier would be to see emoze add support for webmail services beside Gmail.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>BlackBerryemozepushpush-emailBrad Linder2007-11-07T15:02:00+00:00Vuze extends its online video monetization platform - DLS Interviewhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/10/08/vuze-extends-its-online-video-monetization-platform/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/10/08/vuze-extends-its-online-video-monetization-platform/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/10/08/vuze-extends-its-online-video-monetization-platform/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Vuze
Azureus is opening up its Vuze online video platform to third party video producers. Or rather, the company is expanding its already-open platform, making it easier for pretty much anyone to upload a video and make money off of it. Up until now, you've been able to add videos, but you couldn't insert ads or charge for downloads unless you signed a content deal with Vuze.

Azureus launched Vuze in January, and Gilles BianRosa tells us that since then, the video client has been downloaded and installed 10 million times. Vuze has also partnered with between 60 and 70 major content companies to distribute content. Those companies include CBS, Showtime, and the BBC.

We recently had the chance to ask BianRosa a few questions about Vuze, online video distribution, and the company's new open monetization platform.

Download Squad: Tell us a little more about Vuze.

Gilles BianRosa: Our users are in five countries, mostly Northern America and Western Europe. We use Azureus' backbone to distribute music, movies, and games.

You have a lot of companies that are launching new services, but not many of them have an actual user base that's engaged. We've had 2 million new installations of the client in September alone. And everything's growing. We are seeing our users engaging significantly around Sci Fi, anime, sports, music videos, so we are learning a lot from that.

We are seeing a lot of media companies looking for new ways to reach this audience, and it's an audience that we've known for a long time because they were using Azureus. And we think that it's creating a company where large companies as well as small companies from the media space can engage directly and learn from the way this generation is about to consume long form and short form entertainment.

Continue reading Vuze extends its online video monetization platform - DLS Interview

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>azureusBitTorrentonline-videougcuser-generated-contentvuzeBrad Linder2007-10-08T17:15:00+00:00Preview of Nero 8 - DLS Interviewhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/27/preview-of-nero-8-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/27/preview-of-nero-8-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/27/preview-of-nero-8-dls-interview/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Nero 8 is due out next week, although if you look around, you might be able to find a download link today. The latest version of Nero's popular CD/DVD burning suite includes support for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD videos, uploading videos to websites including YouTube, and MySpace, and a new disc recovery tool that lets you salvage data from corrupted CDs and DVDs.

Probably the most striking thing about Nero 8 is how clean and simple the user interface is when compared with Nero 7. We caught up with Nero technical director Craig Campbell at ShowStoppers in New York, and he told us that the company has put a lot of work into improving the interface. But there are also some improvements under the hood. Campbell says Nero 8 loads faster, and is optimized for dual-core and quad-core processors.

A full version of Nero 8 will set you back $100 if you buy it in a box, $80 if you download it from Nero's website, or $60 if you're upgrading from Nero 7.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>blu-raycd-burningdvd-burninghd-dvdneroBrad Linder2007-09-27T11:00:00+00:00ZoneAlarm ForceField protects your browsing session - DLS Interviewhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/27/zonealarm-forcefield-protects-your-browsing-session/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/27/zonealarm-forcefield-protects-your-browsing-session/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/27/zonealarm-forcefield-protects-your-browsing-session/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


ZoneAlarm has launched a public beta of a new security tool that basically puts your web browser into a sandbox. Visit sites you know are unsafe, check your bank statements on a computer that you know is infected with viruses and spyware.

We caught up with ZoneAlarm Director of Consumer Product Management John Gable at ShowStoppers in New York, and he told us a bit about the new product. ZoneAlarm ForceField sets up a "virtualized surfing" system, that prevents your PC from downloading malicious code from the web. It also prevents keylogging, blocks spyware, and scans downloads. There's also a private browsing feature that immediately erases all details of your browsing session once you shut down the browser.

ZoneAlarm ForceField is free while in beta, but will cost $30 when it's officially launched next year. The program works with Internet Explorer and Firefox (but not Opera), and is Windows only.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>anti-virusbrowserfirefoxforcefieldinternet-explorersandboxspywaretrojanviruszonealarmBrad Linder2007-09-27T07:00:00+00:00Expand your desktop space with 360desktop - DLS interviewhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/24/expand-your-desktop-space-with-360desktop-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/24/expand-your-desktop-space-with-360desktop-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/24/expand-your-desktop-space-with-360desktop-dls-interview/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Ever wish your PC desktop was just a little bit bigger? Need more space for program shortcuts, documents, and temporary files? There are a number of ways to virtually increase the size of your desktop by creating multiple virtual desktops. Microsoft has a free power toy that lets you toggle between up to 4 desktops. Dexpot is a freeware program that lets you have up to 20. And virtual desktops are built into many Linux distributions.

But what if you don't want a separate desktop? You just need one, but you'd like it to b wider than say, your 17-inch monitor. That's where 360desktop comes in.

360desktop launches in private beta today. The application takes a new approach toward virtual desktops., Rather than toggling between desktops, 360desktop lets you expand your existing workspace past the edge of your monitor. You can either hover your mouse near the edge of the screen or use a pull-down navigation panel, which results in much quicker and smoother scrolling.

The program takes a panoramic photo and lets you treat it as an extended background. True to 360Destkop's name, your desktop is treated as a big circle. Scroll far enough and you'll wind up right back where you started.




Continue reading Expand your desktop space with 360desktop - DLS interview

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>360desktopdemodesktopevan-jonesvirtual-desktopwidgetsBrad Linder2007-09-24T07:00:00+00:00DLS Interview: Free Software Foundation's Peter Brownhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/08/15/dls-interview-free-software-foundations-peter-brown/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/08/15/dls-interview-free-software-foundations-peter-brown/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/08/15/dls-interview-free-software-foundations-peter-brown/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,



As we mentioned on Monday, the Free Software Foundation's Defective by Design campaign against DRM paid the U.K. a visit yesterday with protests outside the BBC's London and Manchester locations against the use of Microsoft DRM technology in their highly debated iPlayer software.

The BBC iPlayer has been in development for a number of years now, costing the BBC public £130 million (nearly $260 million) to date. The use of Microsoft's DRM technology has been highly contentious, especially with the appointment of Erik Huggers (previously director of Microsoft's Windows Digital Media division whose technology the BBC now employs in their iPlayer software) as controller of the BBC's future media and technology group which is managing the iPlayer project.

The BBC is a publicly funded body, governed by the BBC Trust who protect, amongst other things, open access and independence form corporate influence. The BBC has been told to make the player platform independent, however Mac and Linux users are likely to be out in the cold for some time.

Download Squad decided to visit the protest and spoke to Peter Brown, Executive Director of the Free Software Foundation, about the reasoning behind the protests and what the campaigns hopes for the future. We've made the interview available either as a text transcript after the break, or via the Download Squad podcast feed.

Download the Podcast
 Podcast Links

Gallery: Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures

Outside BBC TV CentrePeter Brown, Executive Director of the Free Software Foundation

Continue reading DLS Interview: Free Software Foundation's Peter Brown

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>BBCBBC iPlayerdrmfossfree and open source softwareFreeAndOpenSourceSoftwarevideo on demandVideoOnDemandNik Fletcher2007-08-15T14:30:00+00:00Picnik's Mike Harrington talks (non-photo)shop - DLS Interviewhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/13/picniks-mike-harrington-talks-non-photo-shop-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/13/picniks-mike-harrington-talks-non-photo-shop-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/13/picniks-mike-harrington-talks-non-photo-shop-dls-interview/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

picnik
We caught up with Picnik Co-Founder Mike Harrington at last night's Digital Life press preview and asked him a few questions about the online photo editor.

Get this widget | Share | Track details

In a nutshell, Picnik is an online image editing program. It won't do everything that Photoshop does, but it has many features that are missing from other online applications. Because it's flash based, image editing takes place in real time. You don't have to send a message to a server and wait for a reply. Of course, if your browser crashes, you may lose your work, but backups are saved online. And since Picnik is web-based, you can start working on one computer and finish on another.

Picnik is completely free while in beta. When it officially launches, there will be two tiers: a free service for basic image editing, and a premium version with more features for $20/year.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>photoshoppicnikBrad Linder2007-07-13T17:00:00+00:00CircleUp answers your questions - DLS interviewhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/13/circleup-answers-your-questions-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/13/circleup-answers-your-questions-dls-interview/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/13/circleup-answers-your-questions-dls-interview/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

CircleUp
If you need to find out what your spouse wants for dinner, a quick phone call or email will suffice. But if you need to know what's the best place to hold a campaign rally in a city you've never been to, you might want to ask a few hundred or thousand people on your mailing list. But managing the results could be a full time job.

That's where CircleUp comes in. CircleUp provides the tools to ask a large group of people a question over email or instant messenger, and to manage the answers in an easy to digest way. We caught up with CircleUp chief marketing officer Tom Kuhr at the Digital Life press preview last night, and he explained how it works.

Get this widget | Share | Track details

CircleUp is currently in public beta, with a final release expected sometime this fall. It's a free service, that will be supported by advertising.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>circleupdigital lifeDigitalLifequestionssurveysBrad Linder2007-07-13T12:00:00+00:00Interview with Adobe AIR Evangelist Ryan Stewarthttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/09/interview-with-adobe-air-evangelist-ryan-stewart/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/09/interview-with-adobe-air-evangelist-ryan-stewart/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/09/interview-with-adobe-air-evangelist-ryan-stewart/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Adobe AIR Evangelist Ryan StewartRyan Stewart, Evangelist for Adobe's Integrated Runtime project (AIR), takes a few minutes to tell us what all the fuss is about. Ryan taking part in Adobe's live cross-country bus tour to promote AIR. The tour kicks July 10th at the Elysian Brewing Company in downtown Seattle.

DS: Can you briefly describe Adobe AIR?

Ryan: Adobe AIR is a cross-platform runtime that allows you to build desktop applications with web technologies. It runs on top of your operating system so that developers can build applications in AIR that take advantage of OS features without having to develop the application for a specific operating system. And instead of needing to learn desktop languages like C or Coco, you can take Ajax or Flash and build desktop apps with them.

DS: Why should consumers and average computers users be excited about Adobe AIR?

Ryan: I think the biggest reason that users should be excited is because they'll have a lot more applications to choose from. Web apps have become all the rage and part of the reason is that they're easy to build and people can jump in quickly. We wanted to capture some of that with AIR and bring it to the desktop. Hopefully users will see more apps like the Pownce desktop client, Finetune and Tweetr.

DS: Can you give an example of how an Adobe AIR application could use a web service and a person¹s computer hard drive to build something that isn¹t possible with the web alone?

Ryan: Being able to read and write to the hard drive gives you a lot of storage options and also lets you hook into parts of native applications. For instance the Finetune desktop client looks at your iTunes.xml file and figures out which artists you might like. It then allows you to listen to a radio station based on those artists. With AIR you can also associate files with your application, so you can create your own new file format or write a viewer for other file types.

DS: What is the coolest AIR application you¹ve seen so far?

Ryan: I really like the way Finetune integrates with their website, but I just got to check out Pownce, Kevin Rose's new project, and their desktop client is pretty cool. For pure silliness Dryerfox is classic. There are a ton of AIR applications at AirApps.net and ApolloHunter.com for people to try.

DS: What type of services or assists can Adobe AIR applications connect to?

Continue reading Interview with Adobe AIR Evangelist Ryan Stewart

Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>adobe airAdobeAirajaxdreamweaverflashIan Smith2007-07-09T15:00:00+00:00Interview with Facebook Senior Platform Managerhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/02/interview-with-facebook-senior-platform-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/02/interview-with-facebook-senior-platform-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/02/interview-with-facebook-senior-platform-manager/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Facebook Apps - The InterviewDave Morin, Senior Platform Manager at Facebook, takes a moment out of his busy day to answers our questions regarding apps, the developer platform, and why everyone should be excited about the future of Facebook.

DS: Can you briefly describe the Facebook Platform?

Dave: Facebook Platform is a development system that enables companies and developers to build applications for the Facebook website, where all of Facebook's nearly 29 million active users can interact with them. Facebook Platform offers deep integration into the Facebook website, distribution through the social graph and an opportunity to build a business.

DS: Why should average Facebook users be excited about Facebook apps and the Facebook Platform?

Dave: With Facebook Platform, users gain the ability to define their experience on Facebook by choosing applications that are useful and relevant to them. Now that they have access to a virtually limitless set of applications from outside developers, users have an unprecedented amount of choice. They can share information and communicate with their trusted connections in ways that would never have been possible before Facebook opened its platform.

DS: How quickly has the Facebook community adopted these new apps?

Dave: Since Facebook Platform launched on May 24, 2007, Facebook has grown from 24 million users to over 28 million users. Over 50% of our users have added at least one application.

DS: In what ways can an application spread through Facebook?

Dave: The main way that applications would spread on Facebook is virally. For instance, if users adds an application to their Facebook account, it could display on their Mini-Feed, generate a story in News Feed, or their friend could see it simply by viewing their profile pages. Users can also reference the Applications Directory to browse applications of interest. Developers are also permitted to purchase sponsored stories about their application which will then show up on News Feed.

DS: What type of applications have been successful so far?

Continue reading Interview with Facebook Senior Platform Manager

Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>Ian Smith2007-07-02T11:00:00+00:00Jim Buckmaster Q&A: Why Craigslist banned listpichttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/08/jim-buckmeister-qanda-why-craigslist-banned-listpic/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/08/jim-buckmeister-qanda-why-craigslist-banned-listpic/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/08/jim-buckmeister-qanda-why-craigslist-banned-listpic/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Listpic
Yesterday Craigslist blocked listpic, a website that lets you browse classifieds on Craigslist through a graphical interface. In other words, you could browse by photos instead of text-based links -- a feature we've since learned Craiglist may be adding to its own site (read below).

While it was pretty clear that listpic was violating Craiglist's terms of service, the site was awfully useful, and many users said they found themselves spending a lot more time browsing classifieds because of it. Listpic founder Ryan Sit has been engaged in a back and forth with Craigslist founder Craig Newmark in the user forums.

We wanted to get to the bottom of the issues, so we shot out an email to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster. Here are his responses:

Continue reading Jim Buckmaster Q&A: Why Craigslist banned listpic

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>classifiedscraig newmarkcraiglistCraigNewmarklistpicBrad Linder2007-06-08T14:39:00+00:00Interview: BarCamp Portland organizer Dawn Fosterhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/06/interview-barcamp-portland-organizer-dawn-foster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/06/interview-barcamp-portland-organizer-dawn-foster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/06/interview-barcamp-portland-organizer-dawn-foster/#commentsFiled under: , ,

BarCamp PortlandLast month in Portland, Oregon, approximately 250 people convened on Cubespace, a co-working space, for BarCamp Portland 1. BarCamp, if you aren't familiar, is an unconference - an Open and free event whose content and direction is decided by its participants. It's a great way for people to come together in the spirit of community to share knowledge, talk about technology (generally related to Web apps and Open Source), and generally geek out. Started two years ago in Palo Alto by Andy Smith, Chris Messina, Eris Stassi, Matt Mullenweg, Ryan King and Tantek Çelik (among others), it has grown quickly to an international scale. To date there have been BarCamps in Amsterdam, Austin, Shanghai, Milwaukee, Paris, San Francisco, Chennai, London, and many, many more places.

Dawn FosterOne of BarCamp Portland's organizers, and artisan of all things community, Dawn Foster, took a moment to answer some questions relating to BarCamp Portland and the BarCamp phenom in general. Read on!

DLS: What inspired you to take up organizing BarCamp Portland?

Dawn Foster: Last year, I was lucky enough to be invited to FooCamp, which is a yearly invite-only O'Reilly event that was the model for BarCamp. Spending the weekend having discussions with some very smart people from across the technology industry was an amazing experience, and I wanted to replicate that experience here in Portland. We have a great tech scene in Portland with so many users group meetings, but very little cross pollination between groups. I wanted to create a monthly meeting that brought a diverse group of techies together for networking and discussions about a variety of technologies. As I was talking to people about this idea, I learned that Raven Zachary was starting to plan BarCamp Portland. The two ideas were so similar that Raven and I decided to merge them into a monthly BarCamp Meetup that we would use to plan the BarCamp Portland event.

Continue reading Interview: BarCamp Portland organizer Dawn Foster

Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>andy smithbarcampbarcampportlandchris messinadawn fostereris stassifoocampmatt mullenwegoreillyraven zacharyryan kingtantek celikChris Brentano2007-06-06T08:45:00+00:00A chat with NYTimes Columnist David Poguehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/11/a-chat-with-nytimes-columnist-david-pogue/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/11/a-chat-with-nytimes-columnist-david-pogue/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/11/a-chat-with-nytimes-columnist-david-pogue/#commentsFiled under: ,



We caught up with one of our favorite tech columnists, David Pogue, the distinguished and irreverent NY Times personal technology guru, as well as author of the Missing Manual series, and not as well known, Emmy winning CBS News correspondent.

We wanted to find out his personal views on a variety of matters and how he manages to produce so much material, including weekly product video reviews, a weekly print column, State of the Art (also provided as a podcast), daily posts to his blog, Pogue's Pages, his computer book series, the Missing Manual, etc.

Does he have a staff of ten or more people who REALLY do all the work? With all the tech products he reviews, what can't he live without? Who's the girl in the bikini in his video review? Does he like old people? In short, what's his mojo? Read on for our chat with David Pogue!

Continue reading A chat with NYTimes Columnist David Pogue

Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>david pogueDavidPogueMissing ManualMissingManualNew York TimesNewYorkTimespersonal technologyPersonalTechnologypodcastPogue's PagesPogue'sPagesState of the ArtStateOfTheArtDolores Parker2007-05-11T16:00:00+00:00Interview: The Google Earth / Holocaust Museum Crisis In Sudan projecthttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/02/interview-the-google-earth-holocaust-museum-crisis-in-sudan-p/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/02/interview-the-google-earth-holocaust-museum-crisis-in-sudan-p/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/02/interview-the-google-earth-holocaust-museum-crisis-in-sudan-p/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

For the vast majority of people throughout history war crimes and genocide have taken place in dark distant places. The crimes of genocide in Nazi Germany, Cambodia, Rwanda or the former Yugoslavia were served up through old media: news reports on the breakfast table, heart rending photographs in Time magazine or gripping reports with shaky camerawork on the nightly television news. Yet despite the media coverage of ongoing war crimes in locations like the Balkans or such tragedies often lack immediacy for many people when contrasted against the normality of daily life.

A new collaboration between Google Earth and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is seeking to address that distance by a new project to draw awareness to the ongoing genocide in the East African nation of Sudan. Called 'Crisis In Darfur' the project is designed to draw awareness to the ongoing human rights tragedy in that country by using the Web 2.0 functionality of the Google Earth program.

Since 2003 Arab militia groups called Janjaweed, which are backed by the Government of Sudan, have conducted a vicious campaign against African rebel groups in the Western Sudan region of Darfur. In an attempt to suppress the rebel groups, the Janjaweed have targeted innocent civilians on a massive scale, carrying out rape, murder and theft or destruction of property against the indigenous African population resulting in an estimated 300,000 deaths and 2.5 million refugees.

Continue reading Interview: The Google Earth / Holocaust Museum Crisis In Sudan project

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>AfricacrisisDarfurearthgooglegoogle earthGoogleEarthmuseumsudanGordon Finlayson2007-05-02T10:00:00+00:00Six ways Twitter can make moneyhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/25/six-ways-twitter-can-make-money/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/25/six-ways-twitter-can-make-money/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/25/six-ways-twitter-can-make-money/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A web 2.0-sized boatload of buzz has surrounded Twitter, the addictive service that allows its users to answer one simple question: what are you doing? The service has made appearances in everything from your friend's blog to the New York Times, and everyone seems jazzed about how fun tweeting is. While we're all having a good time, however, its creators, Obvious, keep hinting at how many practical uses they have up their sleeve for Twitter. Even though they haven't revealed any of their cards just yet, the rest of us are left wondering: how is such a seemingly frivolous service going to make money?

As a user who has taken the Twitter pill hook, line and sinker, I've been mulling this question for some time now. I came up with a few strategies, but then I figured: why not run them by the Twitter crew themselves? The least they could say was 'no comment,' but fortunately Evan Williams, one of Obvious and Twitter's founders, responded with a few of his own. Read on for my attempts at making Twitter some money (I'm waiting for my job offer Ev), as well as some choice words and ideas of his own from Evan.

Continue reading Six ways Twitter can make money

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>adsadsensebusinessmarketingmonetizemoneyrevenuesocialtwitterDavid Chartier2007-04-25T12:00:00+00:00