DemoCampVancouver01...
by Jame (business | social software | technology)
Thanks guys for inviting me out to Vancouver's inaugural DemoCamp. Some very interesting people, and many interesting ideas.
(Before I forget... Workspace is looking very nice... great view! Thanks Bill for hosting.)
Four interesting demonstrations:
1. Gaboogie
Conference calls are frustrating. The folks at Gaboogie want to change that with an "easy as pie" approach to scheduling and managing calls. Some key features:
- (Almost) No Touch Participation. There are no conference bridges to call or PIN to remember. The system actually calls participants (at multiple numbers if necessary) at the allocated time and puts them into conference.
- Uses OpenID. It would be nice if more services followed suit and leveraged this emerging (dare I say) "standard". Regardless this has been mapped by Sxipper if you want to go that route, or even <gasp> entering in your own information and (remembering) your own password.
- Dropped Calls. If a participant drops the call (presumably on a mobile phone), the participant can simply dial back the Gaboogie number that called her, and it will automatically discern which conference call she was participating in. (Still no PIN required).
- Per Line Volume Adjustment. I didn't know I needed this until now! Through the simple web-based administration console you can actually adjust the volume level of individual participants. Everyone has experience with "Loud Mouth Larry", or "Soft-and-Sweet Sally" (is that gender bias?) ... so I guess Goboogie is also the great equalizer for meetings and collaboration...
- Private Discussion. Participants can "raise their hand" during a call to ask a question that the organizer can take "offline" into a private chat.
These guys are hard at work, but some of the "use cases" that could complicate this rather uncomplicated service might include:
- Dialing into a PBX or Attendant. The problem of dialing a participant that is on the other side of a PBX, receptionist or even speech recognition system (see Microsoft's as an example ... this type of thing WILL BE the standard). What if the receptionist can't raise the participant, or the participant is on another call... how intuitive is the "snooze" feature?
- Integration to other Services. Can we integrate this with other extensible software-as-a-service organizations (e.g. Salesforce.com)? How about integration with Google Calendar? I understand they are looking at integrating with Campfire (from 37 Signals)
- Integration to other Applications. Can I integrate this with Microsoft Outlook/Exchange (still the predominant productivity tool for the enterprise)? How about common CRM systems?
2. Kelvin Tools for Urban Living.
Not what I'd expect for your conventional DemoCamp, but a very entertaining demonstration. Essentially a hand tool for the urban warrior. Founder Kevin Royes has developed a Swiss Army Knife for every day living. (See graphical representation here).
This all-in-one tool contains an Audi/VW Key-style screwdriver (this is what I mean), with an LED flashlight, extra long tape measure, a hammering surface, a level and a few other interesting features.
Kevin claims the strength of the tool comes from the Titanium/Kryptonite alloy he is also working on patenting... :)
3. Incen.TV
The "world's first" peer-to-peer investing marketplace similar I suspect in concept to Prosper.com, Zopa and even the more philanthropic Kiva.org, though not focused on debt instruments, but rather equity instruments.
The flash demo was flashy with an energetic soundtrack, but apart from the inspirational quotes I still wasn't clear on the how, the where, the who, ... it could be just me though.
4. Sxipper
I've known of Sxipper for a while and have been using it for a few months. Frankly it was one of the compelling reasons that drove me back to Firefox (again) from Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The concept is simple: "Forget your passwords!"
Basically Sxipper attempts to replace the need to remember, secure and administrate the numerous web sites, their respective login/password information and other sundry tasks (registration, etc.). It also "dumbs down" OpenID so that any one can take advantages of its benefits.
A great service, that I can see expanding in a few areas (that would help me):
- Proxy Service for Public Terminals. Though Sxipper doesn't store your personas (or related data) on a server, it would be nice that I could "opt-in" to this type of service. That way, when I'm using a library terminal to check an account all of my persona information (especially passwords) get inserted at the proxy so that it never rises on the public terminal or in the session.
- Multi-device Support. It would be great if personas could by synchronized between devices, or even on the Sxipper.com servers (see above).
... another innovation in the Identity 2.0 space by Dick and his team at Sxip.com.
Anyway, thanks Bryght (Kris, Boris and Roland), Workspace and all the others that helped organize this ... I'm looking forward to DemoCamp Vancouver02!
(Photo courtesy Tod Maffin via Flickr)
I upload to Flickr a bunch of photos from my trip to Halong Bay. Went with http://www.halongbay-vietnam.com on a luxury private junk cruise, which I recommend. It's about 3 hours drive from Hanoi. We started in the morning, had lunch on the boat, then chugged out to a big cave; then to a mountain we could climb; then anchored for the night. Chugged around in the morning and then back to Halong Harbor after lunch. Drove back to Hanoi, got back about dinnertime.
We had a small-ish and very compatible group. Several braved the cold water, and I took pictures, so the Flickr set is selected in part for the people who were in that group. After being on my own most of my time in Viet Nam, it was nice to (1) turn over the logistics to a guide and (2) hang out with other tourists, many of whom had travelled extensively in Viet Nam and/or SE Asia.
Weather was overcast and drizzly, but that's not bad for Halong Bay. Talked to some people I ran into in Hoi An for whom the visibility in Halong Bay had been so restricted that they couldn't see much.
thx for coming out bro. hope you present next time. :)
Halong Bay is a body of water of approximately 1,500 square kilometres in north Vietnam with a 120 kilometre coastline, in the Gulf of Tonkin near the border with China, and 170 kilometres east of Hanoi. "Vinh Ha Long" — Halong Bay — means "Bay of the Descending Dragon" in the Vietnamese language. Ha means "descending" and Long means "dragon" in Sino-Vietnamese.
The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Hang Dau Go (Wooden stakes Cave) is the largest grotto in the Halong area. French tourists visited in the late 19th century, and named the cave Grotte des Merveilles. Its three large chambers contain large numerous stalactites and stalagmites (as well as 19th century French graffiti). There are two bigger islands, Tuan Chau and Cat Ba, that have permanent inhabitants. Both of them have tourist facilities, including hotels and beaches. There are a number of wonderful beaches on the smaller islands. Some of the islands support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of interpretation of their unusual shapes: such names include Voi Islet (elephant), Ga Choi Islet (fighting cock), and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given names. Birds and animals including bantams, antelopes, monkeys, and iguanas also live on some of the islands.
The bay was World Heritage listed by UNESCO at the 18th meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages of UNESCO (in Thailand on December 17th, 1994)...
To read more, please go to http://www.cruiseshalongbay.com