DigIn! Media

CES 2012: Augmented Reality Steps into Toys

by Limor Schafman

Toys and games for kids have become that much more exciting now that interactivity and augmented reality are joining the fore of how children can play and learn.  

There were three examples at CES that are worth noting.  First, during the Microsoft keynote by Steve Ballmer, the Kinect was showcased through a partnership with Sesame Workshop in creating Kinect Sesame Street TV.  Microsoft is taking current TV programming and turning them into interactive experiences - partially streaming video; partially interactive video game - all with the intention of keeping children engaged while learning. (Note: thank you to GameSpot for this video).  In the video you will see the learning component, coupled with the interactive participation of voice and gesture enabled through the Kinect with Sesame Street characters reacting to viewer actions and responding immediately depending on what the viewer - shall we call them now players/actors/active learners do.

         

Internet Blackout Day Protesting SOPA/PIPA

by Limor Schafman

Fraud v. Freedom - this is the context of the protest black out day you may have noticed taking place across United States based websites.  Visit Google's search browser with its black swath across its name and you will have a good visual of their sentiments.  

The issues presented by the legislation under dispute need to be addressed - fraud, security, copyright infringement.    But is legislation the proper way?  And should the legislation be so broad?  Should the Internet be subject to censorship?  Should we have our freedom of expression curtailed and subject to a central authority of review and power?  The furor around SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)/PIPA (Protect IP Act) is largely around the over-reaching implications of the proposed bills.  

The Washington Post has put together some explanations of the two bills and the surrounding controversey, which are worth looking at.

For the actual text on the bills so you can form your own conclusions, see:

SOPA - HR 3261

PIPA - S 968

I welcome your thoughts and comments - should Congress get involved in Internet oversight?  Why?  Why not?  And if so, to what objective, extent and best way to implement.  

Limor

IPv6 & Security: Do Your Planning Now

I caught up with Dale Geesey, COO of Auspex Technologies at the IGovernment conference on IPv6.  He has been working with and training others in IPv6 for many years and knows what it takes to implement this new Internet protocol and how it can be used.  

As with every corporation or government entity, security is key so Dale and I discussed what IPv6 really has to offer.  You'll need to watch the video to learn more, but know that the bottom line is that v6 can be an asset, but advance planning, preparation and implementation are the crucial to effective protection using this new protocol.

 

US Dept of Veteran Affairs Sees IPv6 as a Continuity of Service Enabler

At the IGovernment IPv6 conference I can't tell you how excited I was to see Steven Pirzchalski of the US Department of Veteran Affairs show pictures of IPv6 enabled products which were not servers - they were actual hospital equipment using IPv6 for connectivity and tracking.  Who would have thought?!  Well, I'm glad someone is thinking about how to take IPv6 out of the realm of the black box and into the world of useful applications.

That is exactly what Steven and I discuss here - how using IPv6 allows for services to be given to veterans, in a way that brings higher quality of service to them and at less cost to the Department.  Continuity between the healthcare services provide by veteran hospitals and the veterans themselves - the end to end point connectivity - is the value IPv6 brings to such applications as sleep disorder monitoring and care.  

 

A Look at How Bechtel Implemented IPv6

At the IGovernment IPv6 Conference, I had the pleasure of speaking with Fred Whettling of Bechtel.  He brings his expertise as well as a visionary view to that company.  They have used his skills to great effect - by which I mean, they listened to him where other companies would have ignored his views.  

The result is that since 2005, Bechtel has been slowly and steadily rolling out IPv6 throughout its corporate infrastructure.  In this video interview, Fred shares with us the process they used, some of the issues encountered and their solutions, and how to manage change between development, Q&A ad production.

 

John Curran of ARIN Speaks on IPv6 at Digital Government Institute Conference and CES 2010

CES has begun and we are very excited to have our panel on IPv6 this coming Friday at 1:30pm at LVCC South Hall S225. We are part of the Issues and Attitudes track which perfectly describes our session.

To give you a taste of the topic, watch this interview I did with John Curran, CEO & President of ARIN who discusses the reducing numbers of IPv4 address and why it is vitally important to prepare for v6 now. This was taped a the Digital Government Institute conference (9/17/09).

Cyber Crime: Be Scared...Very Very Scared

by Limor Schafman

Tomorrow begins the Nordic OSAC conference produced by the American Chamber of Commerce for Finland which I have the priviledge of moderating.  Cyber security, cyber crime and intellectual property experts from around the world will gather in Helsinki, Finland to share the latest stories and information about what is taking place in the world of cyber crime and the continuous battle to counter attacks taking place around the world.

If you think you or your company is immune, consider what Facebook, Twitter and LiveJournal encountered two weeks ago in which a particular professor in Russian was targeted, resulting in a massive attack on his pages which lead to the shut down of those services for several hours. Or think about the story I hear from a friend of mine who had an employee decide to take sabotage and hold hostage a company by writing in miriad back doors that he could activate at will if they didn't pay him the sums of money he was requesting.  Or consider the story of a colleague who discovered industrial espionage taking place in his company through a breach which allowed the hackers to access of the moment CAD drawings which lead to foreign companies competing with exactly the same products for less money.  Yes, these companies are small and midsized companies, like those owned by you and I. 

The one thing that is certain about these hacking attacks that manifest in numerous forms is that they will not stop.  So says Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer for F-Secure. They will continue to grow in sophistication as our sytems develop withthe lastest software and become increasingly integrated.  In anticipation of the Nordic OSAC conference, I interviewed Mr. Hypponen on DigIn! Radio.  He shared a chilling comment - we are now dealing cyber crime as an organized form of activity.  No longer is this the underworld of single person hackers out for a joy ride.  These are sophisticated businesses focused on making money. 

Mr. Hypponen went on to explain some of the lastest cyber crimes we have been seeing and to offer tips on how to protect yourself and your copany.  To listen to the full show, CLICK HERE.

Gary Arlen & Robert Raciti on Crash Course with Limor Schafman at NAB 2009

by Limor Schafman   

NAB Show 2009 has been an exciting one with lots of talk about 3D and MobileDTV. Limor Schafman, show host of on Crash Course TVMainstream.com, discussed the latest tech and market trends with Gary Arlen of Arlen Communications and Robert Raciti of GE Capital.  Streamed live off the NAB Show floor and now archived and available for viewing, the show covers conference highlights and what they mean for broadcasters and media producers going forward. 

Check out the show and please write to me comments here, and/or to me personally at limor@tvworldwide.com.

Cheers - Limor

Twitter - Conferences - Culture: Not Everyone is a Total Tweeter

by Limor Schafman

I was just at two conferences in the past week that really showed different cultural takes on Twitter.  The first was the We Media Conference which took place in Miami.  Granted, the conference was by and for people in the media industry.  Laptops were on laps at all times and fingers were a flying.  Eyes were on the screens more than on the speakers. TweetDeck was the browser of choice from my over the shoulder observations, and We Media scored #1 and #2 on the days of the conference in the Twitter rankings.

Next I flew to Tel Aviv for the ISOC-IL (Internet Society of Israel) Conference.  Cloud computing, video games, virtual worlds, IPv6, mobile web where some of the topics covered.  Clearly a country and audience that is highly tech savvy.  But what did I see?  Several (but not everyone) with laptops, and I was one of the few twittering about the conference - habits are hard to break. What was everyone else doing?  Shockingly, they were fully focused on the speakers, listening avidly and actively participating with their presence and attention in the session.  I have to tell you, the "feeling" of the conference sessions was completely different.  They felt grounded and focused, rather than the "there but not fully there" feeling I often get and have myself at conferences and gathering b/c I am tweeting or checking email or texting or...  Speaking to the organizers, they had a tweet local and tried to get attendees to do it, but the attendees were not interested. 

I don't know why this cultural difference exists?  Israelis are as much on Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn and MySpace as any Americans.  But the attention was different.

If you have clues as to why - would love to hear them.

Other notes on Twitter:  check out Julia Angwin's WSJ article on How to Twitter which is a good primer on using Twitter and loved the Jon Stewart Twitter Frenzy video.