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Slightly-less-broad band
Since the "broad" in broadband was reclassified to include anything upwards of 128Kbps, not just the standard download speed of 512Kbps, companies have been vying to offer various alternative strains for those who don't want to fork out £20 to £30 a month. The Holy Grail has been the £15/month users who remain on Anytime dial-up contracts and two contenders have recently almost made those obsolete, with Tiscali offering a 150Kbps service for £15.99 and Gio Internet's 256Kbps for £16.95. Metronet's full broadband £11.75 service remains, although this is contingent on how much data you download.
LCD: Low Costs Disappearing
If you haven't upgraded to cheaper-running LCD screens yet, bargain time may be running out. Factory costs of low-end screens have increased and will ripple through to consumers. The cause is partly a surge in notebook PCs but also in mid-size flat-panel TVs which soak up a large portion of LCD manufacturing output. Source: Digitimes.
Instant network storage
Iomega and 3Jtech have released disc drives that can be IP addressed on a network connection or via a USB port. Intended as plug-n-go Network Attached Storage devices, they are designed to add extra storage capacity quickly to small networks and come in capacities starting at 120 GigaBytes.
Intranet and Portal seminar
ICS Solutions Ltd are hosting a free seminar on Microsoft's intranet and portal tools, namely SharePoint Portal Server, Content Management Server and Visual Studio .NET. Aimed at IT decision-makers, it takes place at Microsoft's Thames Valley Park campus in Reading on 28th January. More details
A knight in virtual armour
Someone up there in the musty towers where New Year Honours are secretly divined and bestowed has finally discovered the existence of something called The Web. "And it seems to have been invented by one of our chaps too!", you can hear them declaim. "Perhaps this web-footed fellow should go on the list." Arise Sir Tim Berners-Lee - and not a decade too soon. More.
XP security clamp down
Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows XP, includes many enhancements suitable for small networked groups. Most notably on the security front the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) will be finally turned on by default, making XP PCs better protected from the outset. Also featured are automatic configuration of wierless and peer-to-peer networking. Currently in beta testing, XP's SP2 is due out in April.
Details.
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1. Content Management: the charity sector experience
A new Infoworks survey of not-for-profit sector organisations who decided to switch their web sites to a Content Management System (CMS) reveals the pleasures and pains of the process. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Imagine running just one email account for your organisation. All incoming and outgoing messages are handed to a single person responsible for shaping their content and keeping the email system running. Sounds ridiculous? That's just about where we are now with the web site management for a typical organisation! Until now, the so-called webmaster fulfilled this central rôle, to the exclusion of hands-on content editing by all others - unless they had acquired the media and technical skills, as well as the trust to keep a site viable. Low-cost CMSIn recent years, sophisticated applications for managing web content on a user-by-user basis have appeared, mostly written by larger companies, but the expense of such packages, both on the installation and training fronts, meant that only commercial enterprises with huge sites could justify the payback.The last few months have seen the beginnings of more modestly-priced programs, which is why Content Management Systems (CMS) are becoming the hot issue in the voluntary and charity sector. What's so great about CMS?Very broadly, content management allows many people - rather than just one - to add or edit text and pictures on a web site without wrecking the whole structure. Some management systems even allow content to be submitted for review in the contributor/editor style hierarchy common among media publishers.The main features you can expect to find are:
What is Content?The type of content you are likely to be publishing could be:News, articles, unstructured text and pictures, contacts, events 
The charity sector experienceInfoworks, who provide solutions for web sites, databases and intranet applications, surveyed six organisations of varying sizes in the not-for-profit sector to discover their experiences with implementing a web CMS.Let's see how they got on. Why go for CMS?Starting with the absolute basics, it was useful to record why these organisations chose to go down the route of what was, after all, a brand new concept for most of them. Among the reasons quoted were:
The TechnologiesTwo main technologies divide the CMS marketplace, each of them basically being a mechanism that allows a database (typically one that holds your content) to interact with a web site, thus rendering pages that are dynamic (changeable) as opposed to static ones that are just written like a document and left on the site.
Qualitative paybackSo what did respondents rate as the 'business benefits' once their content management systems were in place and staff were getting accustomed?The more web-centric of the organisations - espoused by one respondent's view that "The website is the organisation" - found that those originally responsible for web updates had a lot more time to themselves, in varying degrees, and shrugged off the mantle of 'update slave', although it's not clear that the impact of this new freedom rippled through to the consciousness of their colleagues!
With some apparent relief, one group found the whole exercise much easier than they had expected and were delighted to become more efficient at keeping their supporters up-to-date too. Without exception, all of them found the experience "liberating". A paradigm shift typical of that experienced by those new to CMS is indicated by the quote "We used to have it [web site updating] all on one PC. Now it's secure and we can go anywhere and edit." On the flip-side, 5 of the 6 surveyed found they were unable to update some aspects of their site design over which they had control before. This partly inevitable side-effect is a consequence of a move to "separating content from control" but that doesn't mean it's never fixable. The old methods of site design can still be combined with CMS as long designers have the experience to realise the impact of their alterations on the total site structure, especially when it comes to 'tinkering' with fundamentals like navigation.
Others complained about the loss of being able to give a direct address for links and unpleasant new encounters with frames! However, web page frames are no longer considered good design practice, so steer clear of them if you can. Would they do it all again?Infoworks polled the representatives of each organisation for that 'executive summary' - the part that makes newcomers either go for it or stay away.
A resounding 6 out of 6 said "Yes"! Nevertheless, those asked chimed in with a raft of helpful tips:
How to make it happenThe stages in bringing CMS into an organisation are laid out (extensively) below and are not dissimilar to other software projects, like a new database for example. However, smaller charities with simpler web sites will only need to a shorter time on elements like development and population.
Key points are to be clear on are which elements the CMS supplier is responsible for and which elements you, the customer, will put in. After all, it is not like a first go at designing a web site, where a supplier may generate the whole thing for you. Related articlesWeb Content Management explained - a 3-part series:Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 -IB- Acknowledgements:
Stuart Lunn, Kate Mansell, Lawrence Griffiths - Infoworks This article is copyright Infoworks©2003 |
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2. Co-Op gets windows, clients get extras
Co-Operative Systems upgrades to windows. New enlightenment heralds new initiatives. | |||||||||||
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Likely to be the joke of the month so we thought we'd get in ahead of the rest of you!
So feel free to make all those jokes about working in the dark, we've already cracked them! The move to our new 'windows-enabled' building (see it here) will make for a spacier, lighter environment and accommodate the gentle growth in size of the company (and probably us desk-bound individuals too!) over the years.
To herald the change in premises, we have already started 3 new proactive initiatives to benefit customers :
-IB-
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In response we are launching a major push this year to improve overall organisational IT system security and robustness for all our clients. This will include better protection from spam, viruses and hacking, together with timely remote control for service pack implementation and product upgrades. We are also putting in place better protection for PCs at homes, since these are increasingly becoming an extension to the main organisational infrastructure. If you think you would benefit from this, do | ^ Back to contents ^ | |||||
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3. Appeals to get animated
How long before you can employ a virtual 3D action hero (or whatever you fancy) to spearhead your funding appeal? Pie in the sky or just around the corner? Tony Weeks explains. | |||||
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Machinima - Animated Films Shot LiveFilmmakers are licking their lips in anticipation, actors are looking over their shoulders nervously, but what is causing such excitement in the film industry at the moment? It's a new technology called "Machinima" and it's going to be the next big thing!Machini-what??
A film produced using Machinima is an animated film, however it has a twist, it uses graphical techniques originally meant for computer games to produce its visuals - oh, and it's shot live! By combining the techniques used in filmmaking, the flexibility of animation and the technology of 3D game engines, Machinima is becoming a very beneficial way to make movies. Animation shot live, how is that possible?Have you ever played or seen people playing a computer game over a network. Each person in the game uses their PC to control one character in the game, usually running about trying to shoot all other characters in the game. Each person is logged into a server that creates instant calculations so that everyone playing can see all the other characters in real-time in the game environment. Machinima uses this technique, but instead of shooting each other, the characters are actors in the scene, and the server is the camera, recording everything that happens in the game environment.So there's not much range in the type of film you can make if the characters are all gun-crazed maniacs or monsters?Not true.In games such as the type mentioned above, the characters are divided into simple geometry, with a head, body, arms and legs. Each of these sections has a different texture over it, making the characters look individual. So, one character has a green suit on, with a face with brown hair, and another character has a red suit on with blonde hair. They look different, but use the same model. Now instead of covering your model with armour etc, like in the games, you can use game editors to create men in suits, or women in skirts (or the other way round!) - whatever characters you need in your film. The same can be done with the game environment. Editors can be used to change the texture of the walls, ceilings and floors. So instead of castle walls in the background, you can have office blocks or houses, all depends on what textures you use. This sounds like too much effort, why not just stick with traditional animation??Machinima films are very cost efficient and time efficient.Due to the fact that it is shot live in real-time, it's much faster to produce than a traditional animated movie. A one minute Machinima scene can be shot in real-time with all characters in the scene at once, but with an animation each characters has to be drawn with thousands of frames, and then placed together into the same scene. Just a half-hour cartoon can take up-to 9 months to create. This time saved alone can save up to 40% of costs. But Hollywood films are shot live too. What are the benefits of Machinima over this method?Machinima films can be produced by anyone with a home PC and an imagination. Hollywood films need millions to make, and even the "low-budget" movies need thousands to make, due to paying the actors, hiring the props, creating the sets and producing the special effects. But with Machinima it's a virtual world. Actors, sets and props are simply created on a computer.Another major benefit of Machinima over traditional filmmaking is that with Machinima, anything in the shot can be edited after the scene has been created. Characters can be added, camera angles can be adjusted and animation can be fine-tuned. With traditional techniques, an entire cast and crew would have to be called back in order to shoot scenes again. OK, but you've probably got to spend big on software to create such movies right?It all depends on your reasons for making a Machinima movie.If you are looking to create a movie that you will want to sell to other people, or charge people to watch then, yes, you have to purchase the right software. Director and MotionBuilder are a couple of suggested products, however you'd be looking at a few thousand pounds for these. So unless you are serious about making the movie then you may want to look at a few cheaper options. Most Machinima movies are made using games, with their equivalent editors. Typical games to use are Unreal Tournament and Half-Life. They both come with tools you will need to make basic films, and cost less than £50 to buy for your PC. Bet you never thought you'd be putting in a budget for games software! So we can produce Pixar quality animation in half the time and a fraction of the cost?Well not quite yet, but then Pixar are an Oscar winning animation company who are always raising the level of animation.Machinima is still in the early stages of its life, so there are limits to the quality and detail of your movies. However, with the advances in computer hardware these days, Machinima is likely to get much closer in the coming years. Check out the Thin Ice example highlighted here; this 60-second clip is only about 2MB in size. So a 30-second mini-feature starts being an email-able possibility. Machinima is unlikely ever to completely replace traditional methods of making movies, whether Animation or Hollywood style, so actors can breathe easy, however it is very likely to become a medium of its own. What's more, the personal appeal of such a medium would make it highly attractive in terms of getting involvement from your audience, be they funders, supporters, donors, subscribers or trustees. RatingDefinitely a technology worth keeping an eye on.Contacts
-IB- Tony Weeks |
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4. E-appeal: getting personal with your audience
Fundraising and campaigning in the future could soon move into the cyber age. | ||
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Personal appealImagine being able to talk one-to-one to your supporters and donors - individually and visually.If your intended recipient accepts the video or audio stream you've linked them to, you'll have their immediate and undivided attention. More than you can say about most appeal and campaign mailshots.
With technologies like digital audio and video (see Machinima) becoming accessible, such campaigns - once considered lavish - come within your grasp.
Who's watching?Smartphones and PDAs took the notion of 'pervasive computing' further than any other technology last year, but it's the display screen component of those gadgets that made them attractive to consumers, piling more and detail into a small but readable space. You only have to look around any street at the number necks craned over mobile phone displays to see how absorbing they've become.
Going organic So wherever your visual appeals are headed, you can bet your viewers will be watching more avidly and more often. Clipped speechIf the visual, animated end of the spectrum sounds like it's a long time coming yet (maybe), then consider what you can do with an audio-only approach. The explosion of digital music take-up, especially the MP3 format, in 2003 has made both the devices and the recording software more universal. Software that creates, cleans up and mixes music and words like that available from Magix eases the audio process hugely, and if it's just speech you're dealing with, then the MP3 format can be compressed down to around a quarter of the file size of that required by decent music quality.With newer formats like MP3 Pro and Sony's Atrac compressing audio clips into ever smaller file sizes it becomes feasible to send wrapped up verbal appeals to your audience or, more efficiently, hyperlink them to an audio stream from your web site. Your soundtrack could include background music, interviews or feedback from campaigners in the field. Thus an email to your supporters carrying a 30-second sound clip attachment might only be 50 KiloBytes in size - smaller than many digital still photos - and perhaps more compelling as a call to action traditional text. ContactsA Concise History of MP3, Ken Davies-IB-
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5. Warranties: the rise and fall of the machines
Are standard computer warranties worthless? | ||
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Old for oldToo many times times we have heard stories of people calling in their PC support only to find a replaced hard disc or whatever gets them right back to the point at which they bought the machine - working, but virtually empty! And since just about the first most people do is install some new applications like Microsoft Office, that's of limited help.This old-style insurance is often bundled as standard with a machine but doesn't get you actually working again, so you still have to spend more cash or time putting it back together. More worryingly, it appears that some companies may not honour guarantees to replace parts if they can't get hold of them, or even provide alternative kit. New for oldAt Co-Operative Systems, we don't just replace the hardware and restore from the original CD, but try to take you back where you were working just before it all went wrong.Supporting the user, not just the hardwareOur (insurance) policy is thus get you, the user, up and running again, and our recent calculations on support contracts suggest the cost of this is somewhere between the amount you would spend on a daily newspaper to a weekly newspaper.A real bargain! This is the kind of backup that organisations - and increasingly those working from home - need. A typical scenario is that a PC has been loaded or upgraded with a new suite of office software - applications like word processing and spreadsheets - that are crucial for everyday use, and that are not covered by a traditional computer warranty because they were added later. The nature of a PC (remember it stands for "Personal Computer"?) is such that, with very few exceptions, we all modify them within a few hours of opening the box, effectively mutating them into bespoke systems. While only a minority of users are equipped with the skills and time to repair or re-install their 'bespoke' setups, a full support service provides the only route to putting them back on the computing rails. ContactsFind out more about :
-IB-
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6. Top New Year resolutions
A few low-cost suggestions to start the new year with a fitter IT system. | ||
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-IB-
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7. Passwords - soft target, simple solution
How to use passwords securely without making it tortuous. | ||
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The days of being soft on passwords - like "password" etc are over - as are easily guessable ones, eg first name, surname, hubby's name and so on. Easy passwords make you vulnerable to remote hacking as networks are increasingly permanently connected to the internet via 'Always-On' broadband.
The better ones contain capital letters and/or numbers and are at least 7 characters long.
But the real trick is drumming up you favourite themes (books, films, games) as aid-memoir to make those hack-proof codes easy to remember. Read our guides for simple solutions: ContactsLearn more about passwords and security.-IB-
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8. Clicks of the Trade - Resend an email
--- Quick tips for happier clicks! --- | |||
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-IB-
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