Month: November 2006

YouTube Inc., the popular online video sharing site, said on Wednesday it hopes to launch a service for wireless devices within a year.
Chad Hurley, YouTube chief executive and co-founder, told an advertising conference that offering video services on mobile phones was a key opportunity for the company.

I’ve been hoping for a Toshiba Giga-beat but the new Microsoft Zune will be released November 14 with a 30 GB player going for $249. That’s a little more high priced than the Creative Labs Zen Jukebox I bought a few years back with 40 GB for $249, but this one does video, pictures and has wi-fi sharing capability.
Awesome. Take a look at what capatalism and competition does for Mp3 players. Apple may finally have some real competition with Microsoft pushing the product.
Click here to watch a review of the product from CNET.

CNET has a new report giving the low down or skinny on solar power.
What used to cost $15 a watt is now $3 a watt and developers are hoping to get the price down to $1.50 a watt within the next $10 years. At that point in time it will be a very competitive alternative to traditional power sources. And hopefully by that point in time I’ll be selling electricity back to the grid with my own solar panels.
Watch the video here.

For those looking to get into journalism, E-Media Tidbits has information on a new study that reveals what skills online newsrooms are looking for.

The Online News Association has released a study of job skills needed in online newsrooms. The research was conducted a little less than a year ago by C. Max Magee during his master’s degree studies at the Medill School of Journalism, where I teach. More than 400 people working in online news, from big companies to blogs, filled out the survey. Managers were asked about skills they were looking for in a job candidate; content producers were asked what skills they use most in their job.
The report is a pretty easy read (10 pages in PDF, about half of which is charts). A few of the key findings:

The most important skills/qualities in online newsrooms are not related to technology or the Web. They are things like attention to detail, news judgment, grammar and style, multitasking skills, communication skills and ability to work under time pressure.

Less than half the producers and managers said reporting original stories was part of the job expectations for online newsrooms.

HTML, Photoshop, use of a content management system and Web usability are the most important tools and technologies for online newsroom workers.

The Muslims in Nigeria have quickly replaced Sultan Mohammadu Maccido who was killed in a plane crash Sunday morning.
From the BBC:

Nigeria gets new Islamic leader
The new Sultan served as a peacekeeper in Sierra Leone
A new Sultan of Sokoto, the spiritual leader of Nigeria’s 70m Muslims, has been announced.
Colonel Muhammadu Sada Abubakar, 53, is the brother of Sultan Mohammadu Maccido, who was killed in a plane crash on Sunday, along with 95 others.
Col Abubakar had been serving as Nigeria’s military attache to Pakistan.
Like all sultans, Col Abubakar is descended from Uthman Dan Fodio, who led a 19th Century jihad to spread Islam across northern Nigeria.

I find the last statement very interesting. Pray for Nigeria. Pray for peace between the Christians and Muslims and pray that God’s love will be shown to all.

From the BBC:

UK oil worker seized off Nigeria
Attacks on foreign workers are common in the oil-producing region
A Briton has been kidnapped from an oil ship off the Nigerian coast, company sources said.
The Foreign Office is investigating claims militants seized two expatriate oil workers – from the US and Britain – during an armed raid.
A spokesman for Petroleum Geo-Services, based in Norway, has confirmed two of its workers have been taken.
Another unnamed official said they were taken from the southern coast by gunmen, who sped away in boats.