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An overview of what is going on in the funkstation and its neighbourhood.
October 11, 2004
Why we love Wikis [category Ideas]
As Bastian pointed out earlier this week, we've used wikis extensively in the past. Wikis turned out to be the first collaborative tool that actually improved the way we work together. Not when we were spread around the globe, but when we were sitting altogether in one room. In fact we achieve best results when being in the same room and working together online and offline at the same time. Since wikis can be edited very fast and by multiple people at the same time, we keep online records of our face-to-face discussions in real-time and with minimal efforts. Wikis contain not only results but also reflect developments and progresses of our work sessions. Due to their associative structure, they’re capable of presenting topics that cannot be appropriately described in a linear way. Let's say wikis present information more the way we’re thinking. Therefore it is easy to frequently switch between face-to-face discussions and collaborative online working, since the structures are similar.
Wikis can be used in a variety of ways. However it has turned out, that the benefit of a wiki is dependent on physical proximity. The more we communicated face-to-face the higher the benefit of the wiki was.
However wikis are still in its infancy. Their further development is something we look forward to. 'We claim to develop a Web-based product that will take emerging wiki technology to a new level', says a new Palo Alto start-up called JotSpot. They have just received $5.2 million venture capital from the valley to realize their mission. Unfortunately their 'quest to turn an open-source wiki into an application product.' (Article) is less agreeable.
When developing wikis, something one has to keep in mind is that wikis might be so useful, because they are so simple. Here are some very basic features we would like wikis to have:
- A truly WYSIWYG wiki (the separation between edit and view mode takes too much time and is impractical)
- Personalized views on the content of the wiki that enables a user to instantly see what has changed and what is new.
- Simple interfaces to other programs based on open standards (e.g. personalized RSS feeds)
- Easy integration of all type of files
- Visual counterpart to the sometimes complex associative structure of the wiki.
- Open source code
October 06, 2004
Pillow fights [category General]
(via smartmobs) A pillow fight flash mob is scheduled to take place tomorrow 17.40 outside St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Rule no.3 will be very useful to prevent any escalation.
1 Come with pillow hidden in plastic carrier bag.
2 At exact given time, pull pillow from bag and fight.
3 Do not fight anyone without pillow in hand.
Actually this is not the first pillow fight flash mob. Julie, our correspondant from France, performs her one-girl-pillow-fight flashmobs since many years. Unfortunately she regularly ignores rule no.3
October 05, 2004
Startschuss für FLEX [category Tech]
Jetzt geht's los: Es gibt endlich eine Non-Commercial/Non-Institutional License für Macromedia FLEX!
Bald wird's echt krachen: Sicherlich wird es am Anfang eine Unmenge an feature-überfüllten Webanwendungen geben; danach wird das Netz aber endlich schön. Die Funkstation freut sich schon drauf!
Managing your thoughts [category Tech]
Funkstation has been using wikis for quite a while. They supported our work in many different ways (learning, communicating, managing projects and more).
Here's a very(!) interesting wiki mutation which we might use for a little project in the near future: TiddlyWiki. (It is mostly implemented in JavaScript and can be set up in no time on any server.)
September 21, 2004
The statistics of Plazes [category General]
Tim has written a program that parses the Plazes website and now offers statistics. An interesting thing to see is, how the number of new users correlates with the mention of Plazes by well-known weblogs.
I appreciate Plazes policies very much. They pay attention to privacy issues, but do not try to build a closed system, that is independent. They offer data via RSS and encourage people to build tools on top of their service.
September 08, 2004
complexity vs. simplicity [category Personal]
When switching on the Garmin gps device etrex, you have to choose one of two options. Either you can see a sophisticated matrix of fast changing numbers that indicate the initial setup phase or you can see this. I've chosen the runner. In case you are wondering, I've never seen him taking a rest.
August 23, 2004
blogplan [category geo]
Die Funkstation ist nun auch über das kölner Liniennetz zu finden.
UPDATE (bas):
Die Funkstation ist jetzt auch in Hamburg installiert.
August 15, 2004
Forerunner Live Data Feed [category Tech]
Ohhhh, I just found out that Garmin's Forerunner 201 is more than just a stand-alone trainings-aid for geeks: Combined with e.g. CompeGPS's Software Land you can use it as GPS mouse and display the current GPS-data on your laptop. GPS-powered wardrivers, let me join you!
August 13, 2004
July 13, 2004
Happy Birthday Agent Zapf [category General]
Bastian ein treuer Fan von 24 erhielt gestern seinen ersten Auftrag als Agent Zapf (a.k.a. Bastian Zapf). Um 17:00 Uhr wurde eine SMS aus dem CTU-Headquater (a.k.a. Funkstation) an ihn gesendet, die ihn aufforderte seinen Briefkasten zu prüfen. Dort fand er einen Briefumschlag, der eine Speicherkarte und einen Autoschlüssel enthielt. Auf der Speicherkarte befand sich eine aufgezeichnete Nachricht von Jack Bauer (Leiter des CTU-Headquaters), der Agent Zapf anwies mit seinem GPS-Gerät schnellstmöglich die Geokoordinaten N 48.04791° | E 8.18819° aufzusuchen. An den angegebenen Koordinaten stand ein Auto bereit, das er mit Hilfe des Schlüssels aus dem Briefumschlag öffnen konnte. Im Auto befand sich neben der üblichen Agentenausrüstung, Regenmantel und dunkle Sonnenbrille, auch ein PDA. Dieser enthielt eine Bilderfolge, die Agent Zapf nun Bild für Bild zum nächsten Kontrollpunkt führte. Der Kontrollpunkt befand sich etwas außerhalb der Stadt nahe eines Waldes. Dort war in einem Betonrohr in der Mitte eines kleinen Sumpfgebietes ein weitere Nachricht versteckt, die Agent Zapf aufforderte umgehend zum Zapf-House zurückzukehren, wo die Vorbereitungen für seinen Geburtstag bereits in vollem Gange waren. Happy Birthday Bastian!
July 12, 2004
Villa Trauma [category Personal]
Die Villa aus King Suckerman ist als Adresse schon lange im Internet und endlich geht die Geschichte weiter: Matthias a.k.a. Herr Schmidt schreibt sein Leben auf.
Lust auf Lesen: villatrauma.de
July 05, 2004
Plazes [category General]
Last week several gmail-invitations arrived, this afternoon the Funkstation received invitations to test Plazes. So let's give it a whirl.
"Plazes is a new, revolutionary service on the crossroads of annoted real world space and social interaction on a location aware basis."
After a quick review it looks like a clean and promising service. Plazes will go public in a couple of weeks, screenshots are available here. Of course, we will keep you up-to-date.
July 04, 2004
Jump jump, Jimmy. [category Personal]
A couple of minutes ago there was a guy running on the soccer field with a shirt that said: jimmyjump.com.
He jumped into the goal of the Greeks. It's the final EM game.
What was that about?
July 03, 2004
Fantastic Radio Boombastic [category General]
We're linked at Boombastic Radio. We don't know who did that or why, but every single member of the Funkstation is a 24/7 Boombastic Radio fanatic.
To all the boombastic DJs, keep on playing that funky music!
June 25, 2004
Chadeux, Schadöh, Schade ... [category Personal]
... said our French correspondent Julie from Mexico City after the Germans lost agains the Czech Republic. C'est égal, Frankreich jetzt auch.
Funkstation merchandising [category General]
This wonderful funk-station.com decal can double the value of basically anything where a decal can be stuck on.
More Funkstation mechandising products will be out in stores soon.
June 24, 2004
80 Stunden Fußball-Horror im ORF [category Personal]
Visuelle Vergewaltigung bei der Fußball-Analyse im ORF.
speedy delivery [category Personal]
I've got an invitation to gmail (thank you actioncontents), so let's have a look. Although there are quite a lot privacy issues in regard to google parsing your emails, most people don't seem to worry about this. Visit gmailswap.com and see people willing to give all they have in exchange for an account.
June 20, 2004
Hör zu! [category Personal]
Wie kommt man von einer Insel, nachdem man bei einem Unfall in einem Labor sein Augenlicht verloren hat? Endlich mal ein Computerspiel, das garantiert nicht für visuelle Reizüberflutung sorgt: Maitipi Escape
Theoretisch könnte man immer Sonntags dank XXL über's Telefon gemeinsam spielen.
WWJD - What Would (Steve) Jobs Do? [category Personal]
Viel Zeit bleibt uns nicht mehr ("midnight EST on the 21st"), aber vielleicht haben wir ja eine Killer-Idee, um das AirPort Express-Teil bei Engadget abzuholen.
Los!
June 19, 2004
Update Thunderbird & Firefox [category Tech]
Achtung Funkstürmer,
wenn ihr das neuste Update für Thunderbird und Firefox ausführt, verliert ihr 1. alle Extentions (ab der neuen Version ist dieses Problem behoben) und 2. geht das CSS-Edit Plugin noch nicht für die neue Version (!).
June 14, 2004
Assessoirs for Digital Nomads [category General]
I am absolutely fascinated by these minimalistic domiciles. They are constructed on the roofs of existing architecture and can be transported by helicopter when one moves to the next city. It allows us to live in different cities and in the next moment to be located in the same spot. This is how we intend living: Loft Cube
June 10, 2004
http://www.nokiashorts.co.uk/ [category Personal]
Auch in diesem Jahr veranstaltet Nokia einen Kurzfilmwettbewerb. Zugelassen sind Filme bis zu einer Länge von 15 Sekunden. Sind wir dabei?
June 03, 2004
Quote of the Day [category Personal]
"mobile phones are small and getting smaller. Humans are not." This issue of Newsweek's Next Frontiers looks at the next generation of cell phones that will be so advanced they could become your next PC.
June 02, 2004
How to hurt yourself with GPS [category Ideas]
OK. Let's combine a few things:- Lufthansa offers WLAN on planes. It's called FlyNet®. Until now, on two flights you can surf the web in the air.
- There are missiles which use GPS (e.g. the AGM-84E)
- Now: There is GPS for your notebook - and it is cheap!
May 26, 2004
Librophilo lebt [category General]
Jungs, woher kommen all die Leute bei Librophilo.de? Bisher sind es heute schon 230 Uniques und 11 neue Kurzzusammenfassungen!
Wirklich schön, dass die Sache langsam ins Rollen kommt.
May 22, 2004
Local Wiki [category Personal]
Kennt Jemand ein Wiki das lokal auf dem Rechner (Windows) läuft, ohne das man gleich einen Webserver installieren muss?
glasklar [category Personal]
"Verboten ist jedoch die Bildung einer Implementierungsbeziehung von Schnittstelle zu Schnittstelle. Dies wäre auch konzeptionell unmöglich, da eine schnittstellenimplementierende Schnittstelle ihrer Implementierungsverpflichtung nicht nachkommen könnte, da sie keine Instanz bilden kann." (UML2 glasklar)
Wie schön, bei so viel Struktur geht es einem gleich besser.
May 10, 2004
Web-democracy [category Projects]
http://www.powerprotest.org
The internet as technological basis for democratic processes - this idea has often been thought, still it was not realized too often. We at Funkstation imagine a solution where users can easily join and initiate petitions and protests. Such a solution should integrate identifying mechanisms, so that double entries of users can be prevented. Funkstation has implemented the basic idea. Due to lack of resources it turned out to be a bit simpler than the 'vision'. You can find that platform at powerprotest.org
DEUTSCHE VERSION:
Das Internet als technologische Grundlage für demokratische Prozesse - diese Idee ist oft gedacht und selten angewandt worden. Wir von der Funkstation stellen uns eine Lösung vor, bei der sich Nutzer einfach Petitionen und Protesten anschließen können. Die Eintragungen sollten mittels überprüfbarer Identifizierungs-Mechanismen erfolgen, damit doppelte Eintragungen ausgeschlossen werden können. Eine - ressourcenbedingt - etwas einfachere Umsetzung findet sich auf powerprotest.org
E-Mail Trends [category Ideas]
"What was you're e-mail again?" - There's probably nobody out there who hasn't been asked this question. Most e-mail addresses are quite ugly and can't be remembered. Here's our suggestion for a brand new way:
Often you just use your name, but what can you do, when you have a domain like firstnamelastname.com? firstname@firstnamelastname.com seems to be a little awkward.
Many people started to use frases instead of names to make themselves remembered (e.g. talktome@firstnamelastname.com). But there's too many frases and it's just not funny any more.
We developed an easy and - at the moment - very unique way to stick up in the unbelivably huge amount of e-mail addresses. Besides that, aethetically speaking, it is almost symmetrical and thus very beautiful: ed.mrutskunf@funk-station.com
April 29, 2004
Librophilo [category Projects]
http://www.librophilo.de
Wie würden Sie ihr Lieblingsbuch mit nur 25 Wörtern beschreiben?
Librophilo ist eine ständig wachsende Sammlung an knappesten Buchbeschreibungen. Die Sammlung ist dabei in sändiger Bewegung. Jeder Besucher kann Zusammenfassungen schreiben, jeder kann Texte überarbeiten. hier geht es zu Librophilo.
ENGLISH VERSION:
How would would you describe your favourite book in only 25 words?
Librophilo is a growing collection of extremly short book reviews.
The project is based on collaboration. Everyone can write reviews and everyone can revise texts. Start Librophilo.
Der letzte Satz [category Projects]
http://www.funk-station.com/DerLetzteSatz
Am letzten Satz eines Buches haben sich bereits die größten Geister die Zähne ausgebissen. "Der letzte Satz" ist eine ständig wachsende Liste dieser kleinen Schätze. Nehmen sie ein beliebiges Buch aus ihrem Regal und fügen sie den letzten Satz des Buches der Liste hinzu. Das Projekt DerLetzteSatz finden sie hier. (Der letzte Satz ist eine Erweiterung des Projekts Librophilo)
ENGLISH VERSION:
The last sentence is always the hardest. This project is a growing collection of last sentences. Take a book, go to the last page and add the last sentence to the list (Sorry, this project is in German)
April 28, 2004
funk~station's Funksturm [category Projects]
We were scattered around the globe. To keep each other up to date, each of us was blogging:
Herr Schmidt from Furtwangen, Simeon and Richard from Mexico City, Bernhard from San Francisco, and Bas from Tampere.
It'll take a while till you read through all of them. Even if you don't have the patience to read every single page, it's definitely worth a little visit.
This was funk~station's first project in public.
April 27, 2004
April 24, 2004
Funkstation GEO [category geo]
Es gibt nun eine neue Kategorie GEO.
Einträge in dieser Kategorie können mit Standort (inkl. Längen und Breitengrad) versehen werden. Der Eintrag soll anschliessend automatisch in der Geo-Ansicht des Blogs auftauchen.
April 20, 2004
sublines [category Tech]
"Our Mission is to stress."
"Ohne Tilde gehen wir nie aus dem Haus."
please continue..
Home Sweet Home [category General]
Uhh, how great: We moved in!
Finlly we move from 127.0.0.1 on Richard's notebook to http://www.funk-station.com/funkstation. I hope this blog feels good and happy in this place.
Still, we have to clean up a little, get some neat furniture and buy some fresh wallpaper.
funk~station up and running [category Tech]
system status: up.
system status: running.
done.
