Cool free software

Yesterday I discovered a very nice open source program for creating and editing SVG (scalable vector graphic) files. It does that kind of shape and path based graphics stuff that programs like Adobe Illustrator do, although I'm sure its far less fancy, but watch out! Given time I wouldn't be surprised if Inkscape becomes to Illustrator as GIMP is to Photoshop. The good news is that Inkscape has a very good Windows version so, Windows junkie that I am (trust me, I'm begining to wonder "Why?") I can use it without booting up my Ubuntu virtual machine.

T-Mobile pushes HotSpot plan on disgruntled users

Over on PhoneScoop and Howard Forums T-Mobile users are fuming over their recent change to data plans available. As I and many others have found out, you can no longer get unlimited Internet access from a T-Mobile phone for $19.99 - it is now called "Total Internet", costs $29.99 and includes bundled T-Mobile WiFi HotSpot access. Of course those already on the old $19.99 plan are grandfathered in and will milk it for all its worth, but the rest of us, anxious to try out new phones and software like Google's very cool Google Local for Mobile on their existing data capable phones (most are) now have to fork over an extra $10 a month for the pleasure.

Of course if we'd never know any better $30 a month might not seem that bad - but compared to other carriers, notably Sprint and Cingular, T-Mobile's slower and much less extensive GPRS/EDGE data network doesn't match up dollar for dollar, so we expect a lower price. Upping the price and bundling a WiFi service most users probably wont ever use is just rubbing salt into the wounds and making T-Mobile less and less attractive to serious data users.

My theory is that T-Mobile is actually making a desperate attempt to bolster their HotSpot user numbers before their sell of the operation to a third party. What better way to do that than to rope in every data plan user as a HotSpot subscriber and in the mean time rake in an extra $120 a year from them? Multiply that by a few hundred thousand users (which they could easily achieve) and that might even make their HotSpot operation look like an attractive proposition to a potential buyer. The reality is most of those users don't and probably never will use a T-Mobile HotSpot and at the first opportunity to ditch the option will do so.

The Internet is dead - long live the Internet!

Does Alternet's article The End of the Internet may sound like scaremongering but to me its legitimate cause for concern and protesting in the streets. Just who's money paid for the research that created the single network protocol in use across the world now? Do you have any doubt that if it hadn't come out of publicly funded efforts and unfettered growth without explicit commercial restrictions, that there ever would have been one network protocol? No, we'd probably all be working with dozens, if not hundreds of proprietary protocols backed by a plethora of self-interested commercial entities - just like we have for instant messaging, streaming media and the like.

I think it sounds like the #1 reason why the Bells and Cable companies should be taken out of the loop via removing their last mile monopoly. Its probably precisely why they are trying so hard to stop non-commercial last mile solutions that wouldn't give a rats-a$$ about tracking and prioritizing traffic. Once you get to the backbones surely there are more than enough backbone carriers who just don't want to get into that grey area of spying on end users and are doing quite well enough shoveling bits wholesale.

I also disagree that Google and others would necessarily just cut a deal. All signs are that they are very busy plotting to do their own thing for the last mile for an end-run around the telcos wherever and whenever possible. Of course I have no delusions about Google's motives - they want to sell advertising - but I still think they are slightly less evil than the telcos and cable companies.

Finally a thought - maybe its time for the return of UUCP with a 21st century flavor - layered over dial-up, DSL, Cable, WiFi, WCDMA, etc. whatever works, and call it Internet III. An entire renegade protocol and network layered over whatever communications network there is. Make it peer to peer (remember UUCP was effectively the original peer-to-peer network), mesh, or whatever works to get the packets through the commercial barriers. Initially it will have limitations, it will be slower, it will face adversity but eventually it will rise about the ashes of Internet I.

Internet I was designed to survive a nuclear war, but frequently, thanks to commercialization can't even withstand a backhoe cutting a single link. Internet II was designed to be super fast but is restricted to academia. Internet III will be designed to just get the packets through - unfettered, unfiltered, unmonitored, unregulated, unstoppable.

The Internet is dead - long live the Internet!

Get rich quick - Google your stock!

It seems that with everyone talking up the alleged Google acquisition of Napster (of course they would deny it!) Napster stock went through the roof, climbing as much as 50%. The effect was not unlike someone's website being hit by a link from Slashdot - instant fame and good times - so long as your site stays up.

This comes fortuitously after Napster announced lack luster earnings of $100,000 and some staff layoffs. Which leads me to wonder if someone just engineered this "Googling" of their own stock to make good of a bad situation.

Regardless, when there is a 6,000 pound Gorilla on the loose with tens of billions of stock equity in its pocket there is always going to be good sport made of guessing who the next acquisition will be.

Here's my guess...

Since Google's Orkut social networking site has been under wraps for so long maybe it has actually turned out to be just as unimpressive as gmail, Google Groups and Google Video turned out to be. Maybe they should get an established player like Tribes who has a compatible web platform (Java) but needs fast servers, advertising tie ins for income, decent Blogger like editing and syndication, and Google Chat for communicating.

Google if you want to prove me wrong just send an Orkut invite my way and I'll be more than happy to have to retract my statement. Yes I know my email address isn't on this site but guys, I have Google Ads, it isn't going to be hard for you to figure out where to send it. Besides I interviewed with you last year so I'm sure you've already read this blog, know my name, phone number and social security number (oops, maybe that is why I didn't get the job!).

In the mean time I'm happy to speculate that Google Tribes could be the next big thing for them to start work on.