Two men who understand the Web’s use and future: Osama & Rupert
As I watch about the WiBro networks launch in Korea on Ariang TV; I think to the odd couple but both Rupert Murdoch and Osama Bin Laden seem to be preaching thier message on the web and using this tool of communication to their advantage in ways most that ‘people’ don’t get it yet in Mainstream Media or in Government.
Take Bin Laden - from the start of this conflict people in his corner have been able using the web and old mules literally. - he’s even ploughing his new releases using the web -“New Bin Laden Audio Tape: Osama Speaks on the Death of Zarqawi -ABC News”
ABC Newsblogs site is already pre-plugging his releases.
I mean Al qaeda operatives from here in Asia to the middle east are using web enabled cell phones and browsers to keep in touch - at least reports say - using simple web based 'E-groups' and web groups to communicate using email accounts, forums, chat rooms ICQ and popular sites like friendster and myspace.
Ironically on a tool ‘the internet’ invented by the US Military scientists at first in WW2 to communicate and link early computers - to develop the first atom bomb the first networked computers were used.
Later on used by scientists with wider vision similar in form to reach the moon- it later developed into the old BBS system - now we have all that we have and information superhighways - broadband TV -
‘Nichecasting’ and spot narrow casting for those of us who use video as a tool.
A good article on the web base of media reading between the lines of a long article- though its not a geek speaking- it’s media mogul ‘ Rupert murdoch s’ and preaching about the the new web- funny for me when considering as a stringer or contributor to that #1 network he owns - I once got scolded for emailing things about new technology! ways to report the news from the field using new technology. The email -ironically was from a guy who left the ‘Foreign Desk’ ands now runs the Fox News news website! He's a cool dude- but - its one of those ironies of technology and movement in corporations.
Putting it context he didn’t want to bothered by ‘technology emails or software tips” onsidering how much news was flowing onto his email. It was clutter to him. Funny! to think about now really thank God I never erase an email! It after reading the boss's view as it were- will now go into my ‘priceless someday’ email collection - along with my email from a VP at CNN rejecting a story Idea I had way - way in 1996-1997 about ‘Oplan Bojinka…’ one of the pre-9-11 hijacking plots hatched by early days al qaeda. ‘No Technology emails’ - I almost want to laugh when I think about it.
Anyhow- Wired Magazine - on Murdoch’s views- it is an eye opener - but also shows the lack of understanding for 3G and 3.5G networks or new developments like Wibro - wireless broadband - to a guy who ought to looking more closely at it.
An example - cited in Murdoch’s P-O-V about it he does "Not see a guy watching a movie on a cell phone sitting on beach…" ok yeah true- but perhaps he’s not yet- considering he owns one of the worlds largest movie studios and content libraries and is trying to get broadband WFIMax nets set up across the USA - and perhaps it should be explained to him in other parts of the newscorp world.
He forgets - one little thing- more and more web use and browsing from cell phones - smart phones - in networks of fifty to 100 million users, like say in China or India - where a popular movie or even a simple as song’s ring tone downloaded can mean at a dollar a pop an entirely new way to distribute content.
Most new phones now have SD or MMC card with a capacity for 2 gigs on a small plastic memory card. A typical software based movie player using MP4 can store a movie in less 2 MB - meaning - on one phone on Mpeg 40 at high quality - on one memory card 10 movies! New MPEG 4 compression and Flash 8 video technology allows even five times less memory used when having this - so- news, movies, sports, etc. could be sold-sent-played back later- best of it all with things like flash or some cell phone based things is since it passes through phone networks. Murdoch perhaps does not see the potentail yet- but he and others in the movie biz ought to look at it that way.
Imagine for example if our own studios here in manila would allow someone to send buy and sell movies on cell phones - movies you could play back later on your PC - or news or sports events. Imagine if say smart and or globe- bought the rights to this weekends Pacman fight- and you could download or stream watch it live? Imagine interactive gaming (ie betting -gambling w/ sports ) at the same time. Wow!
Now piracy and cell phone based entertainment - like say - Passing on the movies that becomes a hassle some may say. But new tech like Flash 8 allows authors to put expiration dates that could be writen onto films making it secure from pirates by storing it on flash video over MP4.
In Korea for example TV’s sold have built in SD card readers and simple software to play phone based movies or photo’s.
Meaning beyond the phone- a person say on the way home from school or work get a sms about a movie and poof- they download it on the cell- instant payment because it goes on a phone bill. they get home and share it with the family.
Likewise- like something your local cable provider isn’t offering- hook up the phone and tune in from Cell based TV nets what you cant get on TV- so the phone becomes a gateway- and the small screen - now hooked up by say USB or bluetooth to a TV or PC is now a gateway for the new signal.
Or the subscriber saves movies or content to SD card- getting home they play it back on the LCD TV cum home PC entertainment system. they can burn it once to a DVD or transfer it another card. and add it to thier collection.
Yowsa baby! a popular little tool allows people on their lunch hour to watch that show they fell asleep on or browse in peace on high speed nets on - line via gprs or hrssd 3G networks ON the phones.
But as media moguls view the web and comunications networks for profits.
Others like OBL - view it as thier tool to reach hundreds of millions when blocked to terrstial networks or broadcasts. they can send pass on and make thier messages spread all over the wotld in a few hours after they upload to the web at large.
On Osama-
[]… A new Osama bin Laden audio is expected to be released within three days. On the tape, bin Laden will talk about the death of Abu Musab Zarqawi. More details to come….[] ABC News the blotter
So imagine that - ABC News plugging a upcoming release! that just shows how tech and technology have even entered the realm of cyber-plugging terror.
So from Billionare media moguls to extremist rebels the web is taking new forms and shapes to spread information - one line in the wired artcle on Rupert’s view does make a lot of sense - describing the web itself.
[]… ” To find something comparable, you have to go back 500 years to the printing press, the birth of mass media – which, incidentally, is what really destroyed the old world of kings and aristocracies. Technology is shifting power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now it’s the people who are taking control.” And he’s smiling.” …[] Wired
So as one can see it is inserting to view the entire spectrum for capitalist to rebel to extremist the web both good and bad parts of it has been taking on shapes many of its original inventors never imagined. Oh and yes- in some ways Osama and Rupert both are on thier space online!
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