Rob's Blog - July 2005

BBC Promotes Mobile Barcodes

Pointing your cameraphone at a barcode in Japan and being taken automatically to a website is common place, but over here in the UK we don't have an equivilent of Japan's QR code.

This could be about to change as the BBC has teamed up with HP to produce a series of barcoded walks that can be accessed via a cameraphone for it's new TV series Coast.

Coast Mobile allows the software to be downloaded to a series 60 handset by texting "COAST TRIAL" to 81010. That provides a link to http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile/coast/download/index.wml. You could always just download the CodeReader.SIS directly.

The software is a limited free verison of HP's Glass from the Active Print project.

The Active Print site allows you to create barcodes to use on Glass.

Here are the ones for RobertPrice.co.uk as a QR code and a Datamatrix.

The barcodes on the BBC's version only work for their site. However, downloading Glass means all barcodes work. I suspect the BBC ones check for a BBC URL.

It's great to see the BBC promoting this sort of thing. We are lagging so far behind Japan doing things like this, it's just crazy. In the end it needs to come down to the operators licensing this, or a similar techology such as Semacode and installing it on handsets by default. The risk for the operators is that users will then go off portal and reduce their revenue. However, surely the pure usefulness of this will mean operators will recoup losses from increased data traffic.

This can only help but drive the growth of the "mobile" internet.

Security Alert In Winsley Street

We've got a security alert over the road from the office and the police have closed the road outside.

Here's a view from the window before we had to close all the blinds.

Looks like it will be a late lunch today.

Binge Drinking

Cripes!

It appears that having only two cans of Strongbow cider wil turn me into a binge drinker.

I decided to treat myself to a can on the train journey home, and noticed that on the side it advertises it has 2.6 units of alcohol. It also has the uk limits for comparison which are 3 for women and 4 for men. Drinking two will push me over the responsible drinkers limit.

Decisions, decisions!

P.s. As an aside, it's always a good idea to hold onto the can and not put it on the tables provided on Southern's Electrostar trains as the journey is so rocky it's thrown off. I would be surprised if the next train derailment is between East croydon and Haywards Heath judging by how rough the journey was between those stations.

Do Not Leave The Building

It seems we're not allowed outside.

In London, But OK

It looks like there have been more attacks in London on a bus, and at 3 tube stations.

Although I'm working close to Warren Street, I'm fine.

We've been told to stay in the office and not leave.

South Downs In The Morning

This is the view from my train window.

Here i'm looking out at the South Downs towards the Long Man of Wilmington.

It's lovely countryside.

UK Mobile Service Crackdown

UK mobile operators fed up with the operators such as Jamster are imposing greater regulation on mobile content services.

The new regulations force a new layer of transparency on all companies running mobile subscriptions and marketing.

All messages coming from a shortcode must start with 'free msg'.

There will also be prescriptive wording for all advertising and messages describing what consumers have joined and how to opt out. TV ads (like the Crazy Frog) will have to carry wording next to the shortcode in at least 50% of the shortcode font or 30pixels.

Finally, WAP Push messages are being regulated for the first time. Opt out instructions must now be at the top of every message.

The services currently offered are believed to be damaging to the reputation of the industry. ICSTIS is investigating Crazy Frog promoter Jamster, which could also see service provider Mblox fined 100,000 UKP and barred from operating.

Empty Tube

After the horrors of yesterday, the Victoria Line in London is unusually empty.

London 7th July 2005

It's eerie walking through London trying to get home today.

As Liverpool Street is obviously shut following the terrorist bombings, i decided to try going to Eastbourne from Victoria instead.

Buckingham Palace is partially sealed off, and armed soldiers in combat gear are patrolling instead of the usual dress sentries standing outside.

As buses are suspended, the bus station at Victoria was deserted. It was also strange seeing Oxford Street without a single bus running down it.

Trains are a nightmare. I'm on a special Brighton service as very few trains are running. There are no tubes or buses running so it's very busy.

Strangely, despite all the trains being messed up, the public information board cheerfully informs us there are no reported problems today, and tries to sell us balloon rides, gay pride and Party in the Park tickets.

I'm In London, But OK

Just so you all know, I'm in central London, but safe.

Looks like I'll be stuck here as the entire transport system has shut down here after todays terrorist attacks.

It's a good job I didn't come via Liverpool Street today!

Mobile Su Doku

I'm getting really into Lost in Code's free mobile java su doku game.

The game has 70 unique boards to play and works really well on my Nokia 7610. The only problem seems to be when I quit it throws a Null Pointer Exception error. Probably just bit of over zealous cleanup code, and it certainly doesn't affect the game play.

One tip, on the Nokia 7610, press the green call button once the game has loaded, and you can use the arrow keys to navigate the board and enter the numbers using the numeric keypad.

Well done to David at Lost in Code for such a great freebie!

New Kiss100.com Website

After months of work, the new Kiss100.com website has finally gone live.

We've tried to build it using XHTML and CSS for the majority of the design, but due to the limitations of the platform we've built it on, third party ads and tracking code, it unfortunately doesn't always validate. It's damn close however, and a lot better than the previous site. It's got to be a step in the right direction.

Anyway, it looks excellent and a lot more fun than before.

Live 8 Traffic Jam?

Buses are queueing as far as the eye can see down Oxford Street. The Live 8 concert at Hyde Park at the end of the road is probably to blame.