Bend in the Weather

We all enjoy a good holiday. Getting the time to take one always seems to be the problem for me however. I think I may have just found the answer...

If you're like me you grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney at 6:30pm every Sunday. Here we marveled at cartoons of Mickey, Goofy and other great Disney characters. (So much so, many the hostnames on my home network are now named after Disney characters! ).

It also introduced us to classic 'childrens' movies like Herbie, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland.

It's probably the dream of every child to visit the magical place of Disneyland or DisneyWorld.

With the help of Google you can now explore DisneyLand without leaving your chair!
Google has produced a 3D interactive representation of Disneyland inside Google Earth.

If you've got Google Earth installed try the following:

1. Once Google Earth loads, search for "Disney World".
2. Click on the golden Disney Mickey Ears - This will load an information window.
3. In the info window click on Show Disney World in 3D.

The 3D world contains over 1,500 3D models and will let you explore right through the park. The models are highly detailed and a sight to behold!

It's nearly as good as being there!
Just think - no more queues for rides, no long-haul flight getting there, and the park is now open 24 hours for you.

Have fun exploring!

On Tuesday, Internode announced that they are now mirroring Sourceforge.

This is fantastic news for all OSS lovers down here in Australia.

Whilst we have had the up and down again service from Optus for some time, it's great to have an alternative. (Having said that - I don't see Optus being offered on Sourceforge any more? Has Optus mirroring disappeared again?)

Even better, customers of Internode will actually get those downloads for free now. (Whilst I don't download Gb's of data each month of Sourceforge, I do grab things regularly off it! -- and every little bit helps.) More importantly, having a speedy mirror to grab code off is what counts.

It's great to see Internode -- a company that uses a lot of OSS software in their service delivery give back to the community that makes it happen.

Their range of free mirrored content is quite appealing. They run their own download mirror site and for a Linux lover there is a huge selection of distros, and updates mirrored. Even better it supports rsync so you can grab your updates quickly and easily! Add to it, now Sourceforge and MajorGeeks (for Windows software lovers). I regularly make use of their free streaming radio content. They have stuff also for gamers (who's got the time ?! ) as well as some other content. You can take a peep here.

The Sourceforge content is hosted here: http://internode.dl.sourceforge.net/ but you'll need to use the Sourceforge website to pick a download, then select Adelaide, Australia from the list of download options. (The direct link to the Internode mirror isn't browsable).


After reviewing this post, it does sound like an advert for Internode!
Having said that, I've used a bunch of ISPs over the years, and I haven't been happier than I am now with Internode.

The service is always faultless, 13-NODE (Tech support) is answered always promptly by someone who actually understands technical details (and not a messenger service for a tech team).
I've even had technical staff diagnose and fix routing issues whilst I've been on the phone with them!

So if you're in the market for a new ISP, give them a go. Sure, they aren't the cheapest ISP going around, but they are probably the best technical ISP and have some real added bonuses for OSS fans.

Tip: For those that do wish to sign up with Internode, one way to pickup an ongoing discount of 15% is to register as a SAGE-AU member. Get the benefits of being a SAGE-AU member -- and cheaper Internet access. (You will need a valid SAGE-AU membership number to be entitled to the discount).
For me, the cost of the SAGE-AU membership is less than the discount.. so I come out ahead!

Recently Jeremy Visser blogged about his frustrations that the http:// URI being dropped off addresses.

To be honest, I don't see it as a big problem.

Like it or not the Joe Six-Pack uses the following apps in this order:

1. Web Browser
2. Email Client
3. IM Client

Other items like an IRC client, FTP client or even Gopher or SSH Client are few and far between (Joe Six-Pack that is)

It's not merely web site addresses that have suffered that fate. Take a look at this random string:

user1@host1.com

Is that an SMTP address or the credentials to an SSH server? Could it even be an IM user?
Most people would read it as an Email address.... and most would probably be right.

Context has much to do with addressing.. .we all don't run around writing out mailto:user@host1.com everytime we wish to write down an email address.

Whilst it's fine for completeness, it's unnecessary.

I also note that many sites advertise as www.myhost.com. Notice the www aspect? That's an indication that it's a website address. Much like ftp.somesite.com indicates an FTP site, and mail.host.com or smtp.host.com indicates SMTP.

It is becoming popular to drop the www hostname aspect and just refer to a website via it's domain name (ie: host.com).

This also works and seems to be a defacto now instead of www. (Hey it's 4 less chars to type!).
I find if you give the average person any random Internet string.. it's normally typed into a browser first these days. So dropping the http:// makes sense. (particularly from a marketing/advertising viewpoint -- you can have a larger font for your actual address not the protocol!).

High speed Internet is not a luxury in the modern life anymore. It is becoming a mandatory requirement for business, education and the delivery of entertainment/information to households.

Only this week the Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced a tender bid process to "enable world-class, high-speed broadband for all Australians". This $4.7 billion dollar deal is expected to deliver FFTN access across the country to some 98% of the population.

The week prior Conroy laid the boots into the ill-fated WiMax based OPEL deal that was setup under the Liberal regime. The dumping of the $958 million wireless deal is likely to see that money moved into the FTTN deal.

I don't disagree with the dumping of the WiMax deal, as questions about it's reported effectiveness have been raised globally.

The $4.7b National Broadband Network tender is expected to deliver minimum download speeds of 12Mbps (no talk of upstream data rates) to 98% of Australian homes and businesses and should be rolled out and made operational progressively over five years using FTTN or FTTP technology.

Is this FTTx deal going to cut it?

Strangely enough, this isn't some quirky artist title.

<rant>
I am indeed being flooded by postcards from Telstra. 

What makes matters worse is that they are for BigPond's NextG product.

Let's make it clear:

1. I don't use them for my Internet connectivity.
2. I don't use them for my mobile phones.
3. I don't eat green eggs and ham.
4. I only have 2 land-lines (that I have to -- to get ADSL services).

Riddle me this... why am I subjected to their gorilla marketing campaigns?

What's worse, this form of 'marketing' appears like a legit postcard that one of your friends would send.  (Though there are tell-tale signs for those who look closely enough.

I suspect this campaign is hitting many people and will arrive in batches.  I haven't seen others comment on it, so I suspect I'm in the first 'batch'.  (Lucky me!)

For those wanting to know what dodgy marketing from Telstra looks like... here's the front/back of each of the postcards.  Feel free to click on them for an enlarged view.

Early this morning I blogged in relation to the OLPC and my own thoughts on solutions for Labors Digital Education Revolution policy.

Russell Coker picked up my thoughts and wrote an interesting article regarding Laptop vs Book Weight and made some good points.

To continue the discussion in the Blogsphere (man I hate that phrase!), I thought I would answer some of his questions, and clarify some of my initial comments.

What OS does the  ClassMate PC ship with?
The Intel Classmate PC by default ships with Microsoft Windows XP.  Close inspection of the images on their website suggests so.  The Interactive Manual also clearly demonstrates a Windows based OS.  As such, the default shipping system does not meet my own requirements -- without the removal of pre-installed operating system and software.

What age bracket does the ClassMate PC suit?
I did state in my article to mention that "The Classmate PC looks like more of a rival to the XO laptop more than anything." and whilst not clearly stating it; I see it more focused on primary school children then actual high school students.  As such it fails the Digital Education Revolution policy (Years 9-12).
As Russell correctly points out it is 'designed for primary students (ages 5-14)'.  It is also important to note that Intel have also have left the OLPC project.  They are now squarely focusing on the promoting the Classmate over the XO laptop.

What computer candidates for high school children then?
I pointed to the fact of the Everex Cloudbook and Asus EeePC as two possible candidates.  In addition it appears that others are about to hit the market in the next few months including a model from MSI as confirmed.

I do agree with Russell that whilst the EeePC is probably the front runner (with a SSD over a traditional HDD), though the screen size (7") is far too small.  I would add that the keyboard would also be annoying for any length of time.  WithUpdate: potentially 6 hours a day working on this beast, it's likely to be light enough for students to throw across a class-room in frustration.

I am also of the belief that Tablet PCs could also be reworked into a small form factor and low price (sub $500-$600AUD).   It  allows students to either elect to use a keyboard or a pen-based solution if preferred.  In addition, drawing diagrams on a tablet is much easier. TabletPC screens generally are larger as well, making it suitable for viewing for long periods.

 There is some partial Linux support for Tablet computing, but traditional Linux applications are likely to require linking to the correct libraries to provide support for native 'writing'.  It seems Toshiba are also thinking along the same lines about a Tablet PC rework.  TabletKiosk shows it can be done, and use OpenSuSE as an option on their range of Tablets.

Russell's main point that the he disagrees with my statement "A traditional notebook is far too heavy for high-school kids to lug around".   In the adventurous mode that is Russell; he went digging through his old school books, and a set of scales to prove that current high-school text books are indeed heavier.

I could have saved him the pain...  they are indeed heavier. 

However, I'll stress again that my personal belief is that a traditional notebook is far too heavy for high-school kids to lug around.

Let me clarify this point.

1. Text books (those awful paper form) are currently required.  Adding another 1-1.5kgs (weight of a notebook) to a schools bag in unnecessary.
2. Parents are already concerned with the weight of school bags already, adding extra kilograms to the bag won't go well with them and is likely to be met with resistance.
3. The Victorian government has already published details on concerns of the weight of school bags.  Some interesting statistics come out of a study undertaken by the Australian Spine journal:
• The weight of the average backpack is heavier, proportionally, than the legal load-bearing limit for adults.
• 79.1 per cent of children say their backpacks feel heavy.
• 65.7 per cent report feeling fatigued by the weight of their backpack.
• 46.1 per cent report back pain caused by their backpack.
The site  goes on to state:
• The backpack should weigh less than 10 per cent of your child’s body weight – for example, a child of 40kg should carry less than 4kg in their backpack. Ideally, the child in this example should only carry around 2–3kg of books.
4. I agree with Russell's idea of using digital text books and ensuring the children only carry the notebook.  However I do see situations where this will be hard to enforce:
   • Book publishers are unlikely to be swayed into a digital age for distribution, as much as other publishers in the entertainment industry (movies and music spring to mind)  have been dragged kicking and screaming.
   • Whilst Creative Commons licensing would be the nirvana; I could only see this working if a 'redemption' process works.   ie: Each student registers with the school the texts they are using (based on the enrollment of a course), this could be then billed to the students family and the revenue collected is given to the publisher).
   • Another process would be to have Book publishers provide their text books via USB Keys.  A student places an order in a central location, and a USB Key is shipped to them; with all their classes loaded on.  This form is however likely to require some form of DRM; which many (including myself) will be opposed to.
     
   • The most secure approach would be centralization of text-books.  A school intranet or a government based education server that requires authentication is utilized that records the student accessing which book.  A semester bill is then generated.  Internet access is almost mandatory for each child, and if not available at home the local library or school premises could be used to access the text.  This is probably my preferred method.
     
5. Using the argument, 'it was fine for me when I went through school' some 20 years ago, doesn't hold any water.   When I went to school, corporal punishment was still in place!  Things change over time, new research and practices also come to light.  Little work had been undertaken (around 1988) in relation to lifting loads of children at that time.  Much has changed.   Remember, Linux wasn't even an itch in Linus' pants 20 years ago.

I think the discussion and response from Russell is healthy.  I appreciate Russell's input and he does raise some of the questions that will need to be addressed.  Hopefully more people feel prompted to express their opinions and insights.  The FOSS community is wide and diverse; many of these hurdles can be addressed and a superior and less expensive solution is likely to be found.   Whilst traditional system vendors will only look at the opportunity to increase revenue, those in the FOSS community are likely to focus on the end-user experience.

The current focus by the Federal government also helps narrow down the desired solution for high-school students.  It is a perfect time to introduce our next generation of adults on the virtues of OSS.  These students will take that experience into the workplace of the future.   This will assist in a wider adoption of OSS solutions not only in the workplace but in homes around the nation.

Placing computers in the hands of our students and replacing legacy paper-based text books will address two areas in one swoop.  That surely is a Digital Education Revolution and one that both doctors, parents and students will be grateful to take a load off their backs!

Update: Steve Walsh correctly identifies that the ClassMate PC does indeed ship with a Linux variant. I admit, I also missed that myself! As such the ClassMate PC is also suitable for an alternative to the XO Laptop.

Recently I penned about the OLPC and Labour's Digital Education Revolution policy.

After some consideration the following day I drew the conclusion that the OLPC XO is better suited to primary school children than that of secondary children.

Jeff and Pia Waugh both contacted me with exactly the same sentiments. 

In fact, Pia informed me that work was underway in relation to trailling the OPLCs in Australian primary schools.  A website has been setup (content still coming!) and a mailing list is available.

Those interested in being involved should join the mailing list.

Those in high school some of the latest sub notebooks are more appropriate such as:

• Asus Eee PC
• Intel Classmate PC
• Everex CloudBook

With the focus from the Federal government on secondary schools for computers in Year 9-12... these little machines might be perfect for high-school kiddies.   The CloudBook or the Eee PC are probably the choice machines at present.  The Classmate PC looks like more of a rival to the XO laptop more than anything.

A traditional notebook is far too heavy for high-school kids to lug around, and a sub notebook is light (normally under 1kg) and could be even loaded up with school text books to save on back strain.

I'm hoping that the government advisors undertaking the tender process look at such items and just don't become 'deer eyed' in front of the glare of glitzy sales-pitches from traditional laptop makers.

Running a Linux based OS also makes sense for teenagers, as it severely limits the ability for the machine to become infected by worms, trojans and viruses.  These traditionally target Windows operating systems, and become docile on a Linux based machine.  Whilst I would still recommend an AV scanner on the machines, the impact and damage these nasties can take is severally limited; thus reducing the overhead in support costs keeping them clean.

Plenty of food for thought...

I found it refreshing to see at the last Federal election that the Australian Federal Labor Party had policy on providing each and every secondary student in Years 9-12 with their own computer.

The Digital Education Revolution was a major piece of government policy that saw the party win in a landslide in 2007.

The policy goes on to state:

• $1bn over 4 years to be spent.
• The National Secondary School Computer Fund will provide upto $1m for schools to provide new and upgraded ICT equipment.
• $100m to be spent on high speed FTTP provisioning to schools.
  
• Training of school teachers in the effective use of ICT to assist student learning
• Development of web-portals for parents to participate in their child's education.

This will mean a complete transformation of many schools, and bringing them in line with 21^st century teaching practices.

Whilst this all does sound appealing, in it's present form I can see Microsoft and their solution providers clammering on the software/operating system space to bleed the government dry of the funds.

I think this is a perfect location where the OLPC could see the amount invested into such a scheme.  The use of XO Laptops are perfectly suited for the classroom, and even more so in remote rural areas.

Take into consideration the requirements for most students:

• Ability to write documents  (Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.)  The traditional 'Office' application
• Ability to communication with fellow student (Collaboration works)
• Ability to send Email
• Ability to browse the Web
• Ability to use digital content (Audio/Video/Graphics)
• Ability to undertake course material in a digital age

These are areas where the XO Laptop shines.  It's not a general computer, but one specifically built for students in mind.

The $1m AUD could therefore be used to ensure ALL children in high-school (Years 7 - 12) are provided with a laptop, and thus ensure to double the reach of the initiative.

OSS software in the school would be seen as something that could greatly enhance to dollar spend and provide a rich and full learning experience for the student, assist the teacher in providing the appropriate tools.

If the average laptop is say $1200AUD, it is likely that they can replace one such laptop with 4 OLPCs.  If a traditional laptop requires say $300 worth of software (Operating System, Office, Utilities, etc), this further increases the value of the OLPC as the software required is built into the laptop, thus avoiding any additional expense.

So comparing functionality and cost -- it's likely 1 traditional laptop could be replaced with 5 OLPCs.

The OLPC is rugged and made for demanding students, add to it that it's easily repairable, ensuring ongoing costs are minimized.

I would expect that money saved with laptop rollouts could be used to further enhance the OSS stack and provide a full OSS stack in the school.

• OpenLDAP authentication servers
  
• Samba file servers
• OSS Webmail solution (something like Zimbra that allows students/parents/teachers the ability to access it outside school hours).
• Linux based firewalls protecting the school infrastructure.
• Web-servers based on LAMP.
• The use of an ECM like Alfresco for ease of content management.
• Collaboration servers such as Jabber.
  

The XO Laptop was on display and handed out to many of the conference attendees at the recent LCA08.   Many people marveled at it's simplicity and pure beauty.   (I'm sure it's something Intel and AMD will pour over for months to come!)

If people from Linux Australia are interested in putting together a submission to the Federal government on such a proposal I'm happy to donate my time.

I see investing in the future education of our children paramount to moving Australia into the digital age, and the use of OSS ensures they get the best start possible! 

I feel this is one area the OSS community can make a massive contribution to computing in Australia that is likely to touch nearly every Australia family.  Whilst deploying OSS solutions will also ensure it's familiarity is likely to rise to unseen levels in this country.  Adopting OSS principles at an early age with students is likely to ensure that the next generation of Australians are very OSS savvy and will continue the great work their previous generation have commenced.

If you're interested, please contact me.

We all love taking the piss outta Telstra.

Though they do make the job easy on us...

These two YouTube videos sum it up well.


Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/v/Py6kF7761Eg


Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/v/Vfz7yTqF6aE