Saturday, February 24, 2007
Podcast it!!!!!!!!!
Session 7
The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the name of Apple's portable music player, the iPod, and broadcast; a pod refers to a container of some sort and the idea of broadcasting to a container or pod correctly describe smart brain behind that nomenclature.
But what does it mean and of what value is it? do I look baffled….I indeed am…..till I read up a bit more and become more well versed with the idea. Lets get technical and see what our ever green friend the Wikipedia has to say:
“A podcast is a media file which is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. Like 'radio', it can mean both the content and the method of syndication. The latter may also be termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster”
Hmm…that seems to make a lot of sense. So now I know what a podcast is, its something like a media file.But then wat differentiates it. Confused again? Not really, this time round I have the answer to that question. Its a media file that can be used on portable media players. Its useful to a user as it accords to the user a platform to broadcast at a cheap cost. This garnishes this technology with not only an overwhelming customer response but a unique and fresh business appeal.
Podcasting is an automatic mechanism whereby multimedia computer files are transferred from a server to a client, which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files. In general, these files contain audio or video, but also could be images, text, PDF, or any file type.So how does podcasting really work? Podcasting automatically transfers multimedia computer files from a server to a client, which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files. In general, these files contain audio or video, but also could be images, text, PDF, or any file type.
Individuals love to have things which they can claim as “my own”…..well podcasting catered to that as people used it to distribute their own "radio shows".
But there are some other uses I can think of for instance distribution of school lessons. Maybe NTU could switch to this, an added value to the video recording that is already existent. If a student is absent, she can download the podcast of the recorded lesson. Teachers can record book talks, vocabulary or foreign language lessons, international pen pal letters (podcast pals!), music performance, interviews, debates. Podcasting can be a publishing tool for student oral presentations. Video podcasts can be used in all these ways as well. ….time to adopt new technologies don’t you think….after all we are Nanayang “Technlogical university”…..our podcast could replace edventure as well….
Where else have I seen podcasting….hmm now that I think of it…when I took a tour of the Lourve in Paris, I took an official radio tour of the museum and now that I think of the underlying technology which had elicited an “aweome!” from me, was nothing more than a podcast. Experience and knowledge are inseparable!
The other applications that I can think of are conference meeting alerts and updates and security alerts by policemen. In fact our much loved wikipedia uses the Pediaphon project provides dynamically generated podcasts of all English and German language Wikipedia articles.(yes wikipedia gave me this information).
Hmm...I think I could incorporate podcasting into my business proposal. My interface could providean option whereby a user could request for a podcast or a media file which would give them detailed commentary on any aspect say the tourism of a place. Voila! podcasting could make escort communicative. A talking e-traveler mate, what more could you want in a foreign country?
Thursday, February 8, 2007
My introduction to BM362
Week 4 :
This was my first class, a follow up of the meeting with the professor on the previous day. I won say that I wasn’t apprehensive but I was more expectant in what I would be learning.
Well when you are introduced to a class through your first presentation ever it can create both a positive as well as a negative impression. Fortunately for me it proved to be the former. The class commenced with a discussion on the case assignment of developing a mobile network at Jurong Bird park for assisiting non-english speaking visitors. An interesting task I must say though I mst admit my technical knowledge did do me in fair stead. I presented my idea on a single power point slide and recommended having 3 servers in the entire park, a registration by vistors with their preferred language. After this, the visitors could just visit any bird in the park, type in its id and retrieve a detailed voice commentary or a short text based information tag on it. My idea was inspired by what I had seen in the Lourve in Paris where you could borrow such devices and use them to give yourself a guided tour of the museum. My suggestion was critiqued and we moved to the next group. Before I forget to mention it, my group was also formed that day and I was teamed up with Minh Nhat.
The next group had an extremely innovative idea of what they called the “bird buddy”. I was quite impressed I must say for they had a complete business model and technological model identified. This bird buddy was like a toy that would not only assist you in the language you bought it but could be bought later to serve a souvenir. The technology of pre-recording the commentary was cheap and simple. I liked the name the best. If I were to be a non-english speaking tourist, I would definitely buy a bird buddy. Their targeted segment were children and revenue. Smart, I must say.
The next group that presented spoke about incorporating the Bluetooth technology and about having pre-recorded guided tours. So all in all we reached a consensus in building a Bluetooth based network at JBP and our revenue would be earned by typing up with the weakest service provider in Singapore say M1. The tourists would register with M1 and use it even after leaving the park, a definite value proposition for them. We discussed the possibility of having guided tours which would ensure that the tourists cover most of the attractions and also make it in time for most of the shows that take place in the park. To sum up the initiation stage would consist of awareness, registration procedures and payment. The entry stage of a guided tour and the like. The completion stage of returning equipment like the bird buddy or FM based radios and the retirement stage of leaving the park with the equipment which could be used in other tourist attractions if we could have a tie up with the Singapore Tourist board. What a flow of ideas! Maybe this is what collective intelligence is all about. Great minds may think alike but the perspectives are always unique, which unravel a whole bunch of new thoughts.
Having finished this, we discussed all about business models where we identified revenue generation as the top line component of a business model. The cost structure which speaks about the cost involved in maintenance of a product, the infrastructure as well as the services provided are important as the profit generated is really he difference between the revenue and the cost. He idea of different types of pricing such as fixed as well as spot pricing is very interesting where our pricing strategies may be metered, subscribed, commissioned or subsidized. There was a mention of the consumer to consumer, the business to business as well as the M-commerce models. We spoke of vertical marketplaces and different business strategies such as differentiation, cost leadership etc.
Differentiation made the most sense to me, as I personally believe that if you offer something that the others do not, there is a definite value offer involved in that. At the end of the day a definite focus is required, a differentiation and cost advantage to suit different market segments.
This was not quite the end, as the next 15 minutes revealed to us what we were to do in the following weeks. An elevator pitch business proposal with the theme tourism on the go that was not only informative but also introduced an element of play was on the agenda. Flash? Video recording ?.........not that I was competent in either but this project excited me as it gave me the opportunity to learn.
So there we were at the end of three productive hours, I was happy I had learned new things and was up to the challenge of learning new software for the coming week left me quite excited.
This was my first class, a follow up of the meeting with the professor on the previous day. I won say that I wasn’t apprehensive but I was more expectant in what I would be learning.
Well when you are introduced to a class through your first presentation ever it can create both a positive as well as a negative impression. Fortunately for me it proved to be the former. The class commenced with a discussion on the case assignment of developing a mobile network at Jurong Bird park for assisiting non-english speaking visitors. An interesting task I must say though I mst admit my technical knowledge did do me in fair stead. I presented my idea on a single power point slide and recommended having 3 servers in the entire park, a registration by vistors with their preferred language. After this, the visitors could just visit any bird in the park, type in its id and retrieve a detailed voice commentary or a short text based information tag on it. My idea was inspired by what I had seen in the Lourve in Paris where you could borrow such devices and use them to give yourself a guided tour of the museum. My suggestion was critiqued and we moved to the next group. Before I forget to mention it, my group was also formed that day and I was teamed up with Minh Nhat.
The next group had an extremely innovative idea of what they called the “bird buddy”. I was quite impressed I must say for they had a complete business model and technological model identified. This bird buddy was like a toy that would not only assist you in the language you bought it but could be bought later to serve a souvenir. The technology of pre-recording the commentary was cheap and simple. I liked the name the best. If I were to be a non-english speaking tourist, I would definitely buy a bird buddy. Their targeted segment were children and revenue. Smart, I must say.
The next group that presented spoke about incorporating the Bluetooth technology and about having pre-recorded guided tours. So all in all we reached a consensus in building a Bluetooth based network at JBP and our revenue would be earned by typing up with the weakest service provider in Singapore say M1. The tourists would register with M1 and use it even after leaving the park, a definite value proposition for them. We discussed the possibility of having guided tours which would ensure that the tourists cover most of the attractions and also make it in time for most of the shows that take place in the park. To sum up the initiation stage would consist of awareness, registration procedures and payment. The entry stage of a guided tour and the like. The completion stage of returning equipment like the bird buddy or FM based radios and the retirement stage of leaving the park with the equipment which could be used in other tourist attractions if we could have a tie up with the Singapore Tourist board. What a flow of ideas! Maybe this is what collective intelligence is all about. Great minds may think alike but the perspectives are always unique, which unravel a whole bunch of new thoughts.
Having finished this, we discussed all about business models where we identified revenue generation as the top line component of a business model. The cost structure which speaks about the cost involved in maintenance of a product, the infrastructure as well as the services provided are important as the profit generated is really he difference between the revenue and the cost. He idea of different types of pricing such as fixed as well as spot pricing is very interesting where our pricing strategies may be metered, subscribed, commissioned or subsidized. There was a mention of the consumer to consumer, the business to business as well as the M-commerce models. We spoke of vertical marketplaces and different business strategies such as differentiation, cost leadership etc.
Differentiation made the most sense to me, as I personally believe that if you offer something that the others do not, there is a definite value offer involved in that. At the end of the day a definite focus is required, a differentiation and cost advantage to suit different market segments.
This was not quite the end, as the next 15 minutes revealed to us what we were to do in the following weeks. An elevator pitch business proposal with the theme tourism on the go that was not only informative but also introduced an element of play was on the agenda. Flash? Video recording ?.........not that I was competent in either but this project excited me as it gave me the opportunity to learn.
So there we were at the end of three productive hours, I was happy I had learned new things and was up to the challenge of learning new software for the coming week left me quite excited.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
First Impressions may not be the last………
Time to act fast........
1st February, 2007
You know you are not of to a good start. But that doesn’t mean you runaway and give up on what you have been assigned to do. Situations and issues may baffle you. If I may beg to exaggerate, you may also, even if just for a split second, question your approach to life and your commitment to your work and tasks.
You may be wondering what all this has to do with BM362. A strange way to start my blog, I know but what I refer to is my experience with the course where, lets after joining late and missing my first two sessions, I knew I was in a tight spot and when I walked up with a grim determined expression to my third session, well owing to certain mysterious forces or my lack of acquaintance with the south spine, I couldn’t locate the designated venue. So, there goes the grim face and in comes the irritation and frustration. I need to get to my class not just because I am a dedicated student but because its essential after having missed two sessions already.
An hour and a half pass, you try to locate your destination in vain and finally return to your room half crestfallen half angry. But alls not lost. There is hope still.
This is when I wrote to Professor Lee and I must admit I was some hat apprehensive of his reply. He called for a meeting on the following Thursday.3:45 PM on Thursday, finds me knowing at S3-B1-51, not knowing what to expect when the door opens. This meeting may decide the future of my knowledge of mobile and electronics commerce. A “come in”, an offer to be seated and a cup of tea and 10 minutes into the conversation I know its not as bad as I thought. Hard work hurts no one and that’s all that this situation calls for.
A few thoughts are discussed. My perception of collective intelligence and the Web 2.0 paradigm. I start with bookish knowledge, based n what I’ve read up and within a short span of 5 minutes, I am aware that my perception, my thoughts and views and a creative outlook is the need of the hour. What is collective intelligence? How is it useful? How is it useful to a corporate? I think collective intelligence is “thinking together”. Its really about how different people have different ideas and perceptions and when hey communicate these and brainstorm together, new innovative ideas are born. A magician may pick a bird out of thin air, but this magical as it may seem, is not really magical. Its about coherence and effective communication, about giving an order to a genius. Then we discuss an interesting case which introduces me more o the idea. Being a computer engineer, chip design and programs is the language I speak. So we discuss the design the computer chips. A chip of low power consumption may may designed but that may not be cost effective. A cost effective design may be energy intensive. So, a chip designed with a specific aim in mind may not suit another purpose. Being innovative is to be able to integrate all these into aims and enhance more than one attribute. To do so, it is essential that there is a free flow of ideas and that you are aware of what is going on and this is where the Web 2 paradigm comes. It may not always be possible for people to be present at the same place to discuss ideas and sometimes we may get ideas from the thoughts of those who may not be in close proximity to us and to achieve this, we must have a discussion board and a communicative platform for the free exchange of perceptions. It is very much like Amazon.com where one may post a book review on what one has read.
A wise decision can only be made when you are aware of what is going on around you and when your knowledge is not limited. It is necessary for us to broaden our mental horizons and the very base of our analytical skills. Even a simple fisherman must decide which market to sell his fish to and in order to get the best deal he should be aware of his competitors, his standing with regard to other fisherman, he running price of the fish and the price that he must state to sell all his fish.
Besides this adaptation and change is essential. Technology is advancing at a fast rate today and sometimes we just can’t keep pace. But it is up to each individual to take an initiative and be more technologically savvy. All these thoughts integrate ino the key concepts of the web 2.0 paradigm.
Having discussed all this, the minutes hand is pointing towards a six, signaling that it is time for me to take my leave and allow my kind host to proceed to his discussion. Not having a group I decide to work on the next day’s assignment on my own. The class the next day is to be my formal introduction to the class. Why not take the initiative and do some work so that I can understand what is going on and integrate myself into the class? I leave with almost a half smile on my face with the anticipation of what I am to face in the class tomorrow. I daresay I was looking forward to it and to his course.I am like a free word. I love o express my ideas and to have intellectual discussions and this course was promising to give me platform to do so.
1st February, 2007
You know you are not of to a good start. But that doesn’t mean you runaway and give up on what you have been assigned to do. Situations and issues may baffle you. If I may beg to exaggerate, you may also, even if just for a split second, question your approach to life and your commitment to your work and tasks.
You may be wondering what all this has to do with BM362. A strange way to start my blog, I know but what I refer to is my experience with the course where, lets after joining late and missing my first two sessions, I knew I was in a tight spot and when I walked up with a grim determined expression to my third session, well owing to certain mysterious forces or my lack of acquaintance with the south spine, I couldn’t locate the designated venue. So, there goes the grim face and in comes the irritation and frustration. I need to get to my class not just because I am a dedicated student but because its essential after having missed two sessions already.
An hour and a half pass, you try to locate your destination in vain and finally return to your room half crestfallen half angry. But alls not lost. There is hope still.
This is when I wrote to Professor Lee and I must admit I was some hat apprehensive of his reply. He called for a meeting on the following Thursday.3:45 PM on Thursday, finds me knowing at S3-B1-51, not knowing what to expect when the door opens. This meeting may decide the future of my knowledge of mobile and electronics commerce. A “come in”, an offer to be seated and a cup of tea and 10 minutes into the conversation I know its not as bad as I thought. Hard work hurts no one and that’s all that this situation calls for.
A few thoughts are discussed. My perception of collective intelligence and the Web 2.0 paradigm. I start with bookish knowledge, based n what I’ve read up and within a short span of 5 minutes, I am aware that my perception, my thoughts and views and a creative outlook is the need of the hour. What is collective intelligence? How is it useful? How is it useful to a corporate? I think collective intelligence is “thinking together”. Its really about how different people have different ideas and perceptions and when hey communicate these and brainstorm together, new innovative ideas are born. A magician may pick a bird out of thin air, but this magical as it may seem, is not really magical. Its about coherence and effective communication, about giving an order to a genius. Then we discuss an interesting case which introduces me more o the idea. Being a computer engineer, chip design and programs is the language I speak. So we discuss the design the computer chips. A chip of low power consumption may may designed but that may not be cost effective. A cost effective design may be energy intensive. So, a chip designed with a specific aim in mind may not suit another purpose. Being innovative is to be able to integrate all these into aims and enhance more than one attribute. To do so, it is essential that there is a free flow of ideas and that you are aware of what is going on and this is where the Web 2 paradigm comes. It may not always be possible for people to be present at the same place to discuss ideas and sometimes we may get ideas from the thoughts of those who may not be in close proximity to us and to achieve this, we must have a discussion board and a communicative platform for the free exchange of perceptions. It is very much like Amazon.com where one may post a book review on what one has read.
A wise decision can only be made when you are aware of what is going on around you and when your knowledge is not limited. It is necessary for us to broaden our mental horizons and the very base of our analytical skills. Even a simple fisherman must decide which market to sell his fish to and in order to get the best deal he should be aware of his competitors, his standing with regard to other fisherman, he running price of the fish and the price that he must state to sell all his fish.
Besides this adaptation and change is essential. Technology is advancing at a fast rate today and sometimes we just can’t keep pace. But it is up to each individual to take an initiative and be more technologically savvy. All these thoughts integrate ino the key concepts of the web 2.0 paradigm.
Having discussed all this, the minutes hand is pointing towards a six, signaling that it is time for me to take my leave and allow my kind host to proceed to his discussion. Not having a group I decide to work on the next day’s assignment on my own. The class the next day is to be my formal introduction to the class. Why not take the initiative and do some work so that I can understand what is going on and integrate myself into the class? I leave with almost a half smile on my face with the anticipation of what I am to face in the class tomorrow. I daresay I was looking forward to it and to his course.I am like a free word. I love o express my ideas and to have intellectual discussions and this course was promising to give me platform to do so.
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