In the default list mode, RIL presents a simple ordered list of headlines with the most recently added item appearing at the top. Each row is wide and tall enough to display the source website and a full headline and can be easily selected by the user with a short tap. Easily selected icons populating a top row allow the user to switch views, but for most article reading, the List view is more than adequate and more advanced functions don’t clutter the view.

That said, more advanced features such as article tagging are readily accessible. Swiping the article headline reveals another set of icons that facilitate tagging, categorization for Digest viewing, changing stories to “read” status, and more. For more casual browsing, the Digest view arranges articles in a two-column grid featuring column-wide images, headlines, and sub-leads. With each of these views, the user has numerous ways of navigating thru a document collection.

Lots of smaller touches are also addressed in RIL including:

• Rotation lock to prevent the display from switching from landscape to portrait or vice versa;
• One touch-control to lower brightness (for reading in low light conditions, i.e., in bed);
• Progress bars and animations that provide user feedback during time-consuming actions like article sync;
• Auto-login for password protected sites like WSJ and NYT; and
• Reformatting of multi-page articles as one page, eliminating additional load times.

A lot of this complexity lives under the hood and need not be provisioned or used without loss of core functionality. Updates to the app occur infrequently, but when they do, significant features make it worthwhile.

Image via Wikipedia

The Bad: Skype (Mac OSX Client)

My least favorite aspect of the Skype client involves chat notifications. When a user receives an incoming chat, a greyed out number appears in the Chat/Call Log pane of the main window next to a small silhouette icon. This “update” provides the only link to the appropriate chat window. Clicking or highlighting the name of the contact in the main Skype window provides no link or functionality for displaying the live chat or responding in kind. A dialogue bubble next to the contact’s name likewise takes one to an archive of conversations but no live chat window. Another smaller window entitled Online Contacts similarly provides no way of directly communicating with a Contact; clicking on a contact name there only reopens the main window. All of this has the effect of confusing the user when a chat message is received, recreating the experience of looking for a phone when it’s ringing. Pleasant? Not so much.

Luckily, answering or initiating a phone call is slightly more intuitive–this view takes over the entire window regardless of whether the call is accepted or rejected. The red- and green-colored phone icons with the contact’s image thumbnail provide much clearer direction but rows of smaller icons are less obvious. Resizing buttons that restore parts of the original window are available but easy to overlook.

In recent months, numerous upgrades have been pushed to users of Skype’s Mac OSX client. Sadly, while these pushes have been frequent (and time-consuming since they require a restart), no visible improvements have appeared in the UI. In fact, nothing of significance seems to have changed at all since there are no notes or comments accompanying each upgrade.

Often when initiating a Skype call, I’ve encountered audio issues with my mic or someone else’s mic. (I’ve learned to turn off the webcam to avoid bandwidth and other issues.) What follows is a frantic settings check that usually requires a dive into the System and Skype prefs as well as a restart of the Skype client. If there were a way to visibly indicate a live audio connection from a user, much confusion would be avoided. Likewise, level checks or settings that conformed with the last session would be greatly helpful. Given the number of IM clients out there (Y!, AIM, ICQ, Meebo, Facebook, etc.), it’s odd that Skype has chosen its own conventions, behaviors, and cluttered interface.

Related articles

• Improving usability: links (marketing.yell.com)
• User experience of online content (marketing.yell.com)
• Lifehacker Faceoff: The Best Digital Digests on iPad and iPhone [Lifehacker Faceoff] (lifehacker.com)

Much has already been said of Netflix‘s handling (some say bungling) of its recent announcement to split its DVD and streaming businesses. Time will tell whether segmenting its audience will lead to faster adoption and growth of its online offerings. My own account is on hiatus while I decide whether I want or need a Qwikster envelope arriving in my mailbox every few days. For streaming titles, Hulu and Amazon are more than adequate, although, between my son and I, we’ll have to see who blinks first from Yo Gabba Gabba deprivation.)

One angle explored in this Marketplace story from Steven Henn describes the restrictions of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) and how the business split may allow Netflix a safe(r) harbor to release its Facebook app to users registered in the US. Blockbuster got kneecapped by the law back in 2007 with the launch of its MovieClique app on Facebook. Since then, DVD purveyors have steered clear of the sharing features on Facebook.

Online social viewing platforms may yet become the new multiplex, courtesy of Netflix and Facebook. Clearly, the thought of competitors (like Hulu) claiming that prize pushed Netflix Chief Reid Hastings to move aggressively on initiatives with Facebook and probably the Qwikster split as well. Will movie consumption follow the music model and evolve largely free of privacy concerns? Will Facebook’s sharing features and popularity evolve to a degree where regulation seems quaint and outdated? Something tells me the VPPA’s role will wax, not wane. Certainly, the same privacy concerns that led to the VPPA are still with us, albeit tempered by the active oversharers Facebook so eagerly cultivates. The future of movie watching and discovery on the social graph is still largely unwritten and I would be surprised if lawmakers released their hold on its future.

Related articles

• Netflix’s Launch of Qwikster: A Good Reminder for Developing Effective Messaging (communiquepr.com)
• Netflix Plan to Spin off DVD Business as ‘Qwikster’ Sparks Furious Backlash (techland.time.com)
• Facebook, Netflix Push Congress on Social Integration, Video Privacy (fastcompany.com)

Excerpts from the site descriptions:

• Freebase.com – “Freebase is an open, Creative Commons licensed repository of structured data of almost 22 million entities. Ways to use Freebase: (i) Use Freebase’s IDs to uniquely identify entities anywhere on the web; (ii) query Freebase’s data using MQL; and (iii) build applications using our API or Acre, our hosted development platform. Freebase is also a community of thousands of data-lovers, working together to improve Freebase’s data.”
• Sindice.com – “Sindice is a platform to build applications on top of [web] data. Sindice collects Web Data in many ways, following existing web standards, and offers Search and Querying across this data, updated live every few minutes. Specialized APIs , and tools are also available.”
• Kasabi.com – “Kasabi is a new web application that aims to support organisations in the publishing and monetization of data on the web. The benefits of ready access to high quality data sets to support the creation of innovative new web and mobile applications is well-documented, and there is growing demand from developers for new data sources. Kasabi provides an environment that leverages semantic web technology to provide a unique marketplace that supports the publishing, licensing, and re-use of datasets. Through the power of technologies like RDF, SPARQL and Linked Data, Kasabi provides a rich set of options for organisations wishing to explore new business models around data, as well as empowering the community to remix and share data in many different ways.”
• Datamarket.com – “DataMarket‘s unique data portal – DataMarket.com – provides access to thousands of data sets holding hundreds of millions of facts and figures from a wide range of public and private data providers including the United Nations, the World Bank, Eurostat and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The portal allows all this data to be searched, visualized, compared and downloaded in a single place in a standard, unified manner.”
• Factual.com – “Factual, Inc. is an open data platform for application developers that leverages large scale aggregation and community exchange. For example, you will find datasets for millions of U.S. and International local businesses and points of interest, as well as datasets on entertainment, health, and education. Factual’s hosted data comes from our community of users, developers and partners, and from our powerful data mining tools. The result is a rich, constantly improving, transparent data ecosystem, made up of what we like to call ‘living’ data. We provide a suite of simple data APIs and tools for developers to build web and mobile applications. In some cases, developers who create applications with our data may even get paid for crowdsourced data from their users.”
• Junar.com – “Junar is a community-based website, in which users share the data they extract from the web. With this ‘Wikipedia-collaborative’ approach, Junar’s users will benefit from having access to a huge and diverse catalog of data.”

Related articles

• Drupal 7 and the Semantic Web: RDFa and vocabularies (cruncht.com)
• Featured Dataset: Foodista ” kasabi (kasabi.com)
• Kasabi Helps Take Data as a Service to A New Level (programmableweb.com)
• Sindice LTD Established + his 12 billion triples SPARQL endpoint (sindice.com)
• Google Gets Semantic (informationweek.com)

Some of the coolest data mashups including Propublica’s Tools & Data blog, BBC’s Datablog, Trulia’s crime map, and the Bay Citizen‘s bike accident app show off powerful mapping tools well within the grasp of data hacks and hackers regardless of coding ability. The following visualization powered by datasf.org and Google’s Fusion Tables shows just how easy it is to mashup facts with locations using Google’s geocoding engine.

We start with an interesting dataset from DataSF that captures shot locations and other film facts from movie releases compiled by the SF Film Commission. A glance at the data reveals a few issues to address and clean up. A simple CONCATENATE operator to append “San Francisco, CA” to sparse address information is all that’s needed for Google to situate each record. Thereafter, you can upload the full table (including movie titles, actors, and facts) and plot it on a Google Map using fusion tables. (The actual steps, import and visualize, are pretty self-explanatory. Start off here: http://www.google.com/fusiontables/Home.)

The real fun comes with the numerous display and filtering options available. (See http://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?dsrcid=1151606.) After visualizing the full dataset, goto the View > Filter options and limit the display to specific actors, a single movie, or a release year date range. Integrate the results with data from additional tables, say a MUNI bus route map, and roll your own Star Map for publication on your website. The possibilities are endless.

Thanks to the Bay Citizen (specifically, @tinio for the Fusion Table demo), SF Hacks Hackers, and DataSF for the weekend of #datasf presentations and knowledge sharing.

Related articles

• Google Refine Gets Fusion Tables Import and More (readwriteweb.com)
• Geo APIs Summer Learning Series: Managing and visualizing your location based data with Fusion Tables (googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com)
• Fusing Film Facts with Google Maps (geoffnet.com)

Image by el frijole via Flickr

Right before Thanksgiving, I finally put the call into Comcast and killed my cable television subscription. While I was offered the obligatory six mos. of extended discounts, I maintained my resolve and arranged to return my DVR, remotes and DTV boxes, and reclaim roughly $110 in monthly billing.

Almost two months later, the absence of a DVR full of HD programming (mostly sporting events and old movies aired on TCM) has not gone unnoticed. That said, services are evolving quickly, and online video sources are fast filling the void.

What follows is a brief overview of alternative services I’ve explored to get my broadcast content fix. As much as possible, I’ve tried to maintain the 10-foot, couch potato experience without adding any dedicated cord-cutting hardware — everything in my setup serves multiple uses. For the services/hardware listed, I’ve assigned ratings (1 to 5, poor to great) in 3 areas: Content Access, Convenience, Value. (I’ve left off over the air offerings due to various location-specific factors affecting availability/quality.)

Content Distributors/Services

Plex. Essentially a content browser similar to the open source XBMC app for Windows, Plex runs on Apple OSX devices, most notably the MacMini, and integrates with the Apple Remote for easy viewing of ripped DVDs (VIDEO_TS folders), music, photos, streaming video, and just about any content you can otherwise view on your desktop (via 3rd party plug-ins of which there are many). An iPad/iPhone app brings the experience to your mobile device over 3G or WiFi. Given the desktop-centric setup, Plex does require more than average installation effort, but rewards you with flexibility and control.

Content: 5 | Convenience: 2 | Value: 5

Netflix. The gold standard for subscription-based on-demand video streaming. Available on too many devices to count, Netflix works like your cable service, hassle-free albeit barebones (still waiting for closed captioning). That said, I’ve exhausted much of what I really want to see under my Instant queue and rely on the service mostly for accessing childrens DVDs (à la Thomas the Tank Engine.) Given the 30-day hold on new material, Netflix does a decent job of exposing older titles of interest to serious movie lovers.

Content: 4 | Convenience: 5 | Value: 3

Hulu (non-premium). My go-to source for recent tv shows (mostly ABC dramas/NBC sitcoms, cable programming not so much). I used to spend considerable time here watching old series like Arrested Development but since they implemented their paywall and pruned back older episodes, I’ve had to seek out other sources. The interface works well albeit a bit ad-interruptive. Clicker.tv, YouTube, and Google search fill in the gaps.

Content: 2 | Convenience: 4 | Value: 4

XBOX Live Gold. Subscribe for as little as $5/mo. and get access to ESPN3 (assuming you have an affiliated internet service provider) and get your sports fix (everything from MLB to EPL, as well as tennis, and golf, live and on demand). While the online offering is free and available via a web browser or Plex, navigating the XBOX Live app is far more user friendly, from the UI to the performance. The Netflix in HD app is an added bonus (although, if you can live without sports, you might be better off foregoing XBOX and buying a Roku HD box for free access to Netflix (with an account) and Amazon VOD). Amazon VOD access is notably absent from the XBOX platform, presumably leaving Zune as the sole provider of pay as you go content. I’ve avoided Zune offerings due mainly to expense and the lack of interoperability with my iPod/iPad.

Content: 4 | Convenience: 4 | Value: 2

Amazon VOD. Fast and broad access to movie and tv content at iTunes prices or less (frequent promos codes available via Twitter) made Amazon VOD an instant contender for my viewing dollars. That said, I’m limited to watching their content via Plex or a web browser, not ideal. If you don’t own a Roku box, the tv viewing options are a bit thin and less than couch-potato friendly. (If you do own one, I’m curious to hear any experiences — I’m hearing mixed reviews.) Amazon Prime offers an intriguing entry into the subscription-based viewing plans, but I have yet to sample it to venture comparisons.

Content: 5 | Convenience: 2 | Value: 3

CinemaNow/VUDU. Both of these services are delivered via the firmware on my LG Blu-ray player. As pay-as-you-go services, they’re perfectly serviceable although the limited offerings, cluttered interfaces, and the risk of losing any content you purchase from them should they go belly up gives me pause.

Content: 3 | Convenience: 3 | Value: 2

iTunes. Great content library, integrates well with iOS devices (if you don’t mind file management and feeding the storage beast). Not so great, living room integration outside the Apple ecosystem, i.e., viewing on an HD set absent an Apple TV or a MacMini.

Content: 4 | Convenience: 2 | Value: 2

Hardware Platforms

MacMini. The sleek form factor makes this an obvious candidate for the living room setup. Unfortunately, I’ve found far too many uses for this machine beyond being a glorified set-top box. Thus, it’s migrated onto a desk with a 20-inch monitor. Paired with a set of speakers, the viewing is more than adequate albeit a bit more labor intensive to power on and play than the living room tv. Price tag is a bit high, especially if you opt for a network storage device. (Apple charges an arm and a leg for pre-installed high capacity hard drives — you’ll void your warranty cracking open your MacMini.)

Content: 5 | Convenience: 2 | Value: 3

XBOX 360. Another pricy set-top box option, however, XBOX Live is as good as it gets in terms of navigating your home network from your couch. If you’re running a Media Center PC, the XBOX acts as a decent Tivo-like playback device. Accessing music and video files over the network is equally seamless.

Content: 4 | Convenience: 4 | Value: 3

LG BD390. As a Blu-ray player, the BD390 works more than adequately, minimizing load times and accessing special Blu-ray disc features. The WiFi access and the network access features make this much more than a simple disc player, allowing one access to DivX-encoded and mpg video. Netflix, VUDU, and CinemaNow offerings, all in HD, make it simple to bring your high-quality content to any TV/stereo combo.

Content: 3 | Convenience: 4 | Value: 3

Related articles

• Cord Cutters Survival Stories: A Box for Everyone (gigaom.com)
• Which streaming media device is right for you? (news.cnet.com)
• The search for the perfect media centre (elliotjaystocks.com)
• Cord Cutters Survival Stories: Going All-Apple (gigaom.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Every year, the Knight Foundation funds a handful of projects trying to advance the practice of journalism using technology. This year is no different with almost 700 applicants submitting ideas in 4 categories: mobile, sustainability, authenticity, and community. Having spent the past few months investigating various areas of the mobile landscape, I shared a few of my findings with the news team at KALW Crosscurrents, a daily radio program airing on NPR affiliate KALW 91.7. Those discussions eventually led to the idea of a mobile web app pilot leveraging KALW’s strengths in regional news and media education with the flexibility and accessibility of mobile platforms. Of course, building an app can cost a lot of coin, which is where the Knight Foundation comes in. You can view and comment on the grant proposal we submitted here:

KALW Mobilize Me

Your thoughts and participation are most welcome. We’ll know in January if our application makes it past the first screen.

Image via Wikipedia

A recurring topic in semantic web circles involves the amount of linked data proliferating across the web and how major players are using the data.

To sum up, there are a variety of linked data formats (thin to fat) covering various subject areas in use by numerous websites/analysis tools. Most recently, RDFa (a thin format that’s been called CSS for semantics) has been gaining popularity. Google supports RDFa, maintains RDFa guidelines for publishers, and exposes rich data snippets derived from RDFa via search and other apps. By some reports, adding RDFa tags can boost inbound traffic as much as 30% (see this article on Best Buy).

There are still lots of unsettled areas — agreeing on uniform vocabularies for topics (think cross-browser CSS tag support), navigating the confusing array of namespaces housing these vocabularies. Still, big players are moving forward, and sites such as Freebase (owned by Google) are becoming “switchboards” extracting entities/namespaces across various resources, “disambiguating” them, and incorporating them into their structured open source database.

For publishers, structured data goes beyond basic SEO and could become more significant as sites such as Facebook mine such data to recommend articles to users.

Cover of Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Literary expression like Karl Marlantes’ novel, Matterhorn, and shows such as The Wire by David Simon share a common heritage—story-telling that approaches realism so closely you may find yourself searching Wikipedia for historical accounts. In the case of Matterhorn, the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan add even greater gravity. As a former Marine, Marlantes provides depth to themes of leadership and brotherhood among soldiers who harbor very different agendas and allegiances. Ultimately, what the reader learns seems less about fighting an unknown enemy and more about struggling with inner frailties and strengths. Highly recommended.

I know my Squeezebox dial will be bouncing back and froth between KEXP, KUT, NPR, and KCMP – The Current. On my short list of shows to catch: Broken Bells (Wed on NPR), Frightened Rabbit (Thu on KEXP), and Surfer Blood (Thu on NPR).

Hard to believe it’s been 4 years since my trip down to Austin for the madness. Ahh, the memories.

Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa

Cover of Three Shadows

A father’s struggle to save his son from the fates takes him on an extraordinary journey. Cyril Pedrosa shows off artistic chops polished in the mines of animated film production (among his credits, Hercules and the Hunchback of Notre Dame) and takes full flight in this memoriam to a loved one.

Stitches by David Small

The New Yorker artist and childrens book illustrator stirs up a cauldron of childhood memories and comes to terms with the powerful, often terrible, circumstances that made him the artist he is today.

Tonoharu by Lars Martinson

Cover of Tonoharu: Part One

A beautifully rendered debut by Xeric-award winning graphic novelist, Lars Martinson, tells the story of a lonely, depressed expat teaching English in Japan. I look forward to the second in this series — the look of which reminds me of Chris Ware‘s precise drawing style.

The Killer by Matz, Luc Jacamon

Cover of The Killer Volume 1 (v. 1)

Unlike the above, The Killer (“Le Tueur”) treads on more rarefied ground — an introspective examination of life as an assassin. Originally written in French, the story unfolds slowly but drips with menace and suspense. David Fincher is apparently bringing this to the big screen.

Related articles

• Tonoharu Part Two: Excellent graphic novel about an English teacher in Japan (boingboing.net)