Thursday, January 29, 2009

Car Wrecks, Qik, And SIP in Pensacola, Florida


Time 5:50 PM, Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009. I'm reading Facebook statuses of hundreds of friends, laughing, being educated, and/or feeling empathetic. Michael's driving us to run the Emerald Coast Racing Team workout.

Boom! Airbag, smack! My progressive eyeglasses crushed... Michael's saying he's okay. I can't see to get to Qik to stream this shenanigan.




We open the doors of our Chevy Tracker (which doesn't look totalled but later we find out it is). We huddle in the ditch. I take pictures of anything I can and change my Facebook status to "Michael and i just got into abig car accident. A guy coming out of a bar hit us. We.re both bleeding but able to stand outside the car. i.m shaking."

I forget about Qik. We didn't catch on video a very peculiar situation that I will not discuss online. Hindsight. Michael's mid section is pretty banged up. My head, oh my big head.

Steve Fair shows up after he sees my Facebook status. Then Steve Cayona shows up, same reason, with Michael's insurance papers. Bless you both. I sit on the ground and read my Facebook friends' words of encouragement on my wall while hugging Michael close and crying silently.

Next day, the neck, shoulders, head, and right eye are throbbing. Can't see to work on my computer. Progessive lenses shot.

Steve Cayona, my Super Technologies' colleague, calls and says, "Quit feeling sorry for yourself. You and I are going to the ITGulfcoast meeting. Why would you want to miss John R. Bartoszewicz, Managing Partner of Business Communications & Data (BCD), discuss Sessions Initiated Protocol (SIP) in little old Redneck Riviera Pensacola, Florida?"

Watch some on Qik starting with http://qik.com/video/934968 and 3 more videos* after. (It's a bit sloppy because I just can't see that well. I'm feeling very sloppy.) He mentions that Cox Communications will be providing SIP soon. (Cox and Super Technologies, Inc. are sponsors of ITGulfcoast.)

John also mentions the fact that his company will be using an IP PBX hosted by Commpartners (who btw, are the ones who manage http://www.voip-info.org. We spent some time with them at PTC in 2007. John explains SIP so well and so simply.

You make me proud of Northwest Florida, John.

I'm going to work now with my face as close to the Dell as possible. See you at the Super Bowl party on Sunday in Miami and most of all ITEXPO East / 4G Wireless Evolution / Digium | Asterisk World, all 12,000 or more of you. Get your passes here at www.itexpo.com now.

* I'll get the Qik videos titled, etc. soon.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Need 14 Laptops for One Week: Linking Arms' Telethon in Pensacola

See more details about the Linkingarms.org Telethon in Pensacola, FL at http://blogs.didx.net/2009/01/open-source-folks-help-linking-arms.html.

We'll be at Jan 28, 2009 ITGULFCOAST meeting to give more information and gather help. Meet with us there at 11:30 AM at the Pensacola Junior College Downtown Campus. Please register for this meeting if you plan to attend here --> http://www.itgulfcoast.org/Events/ITGULFCOAST-Jan--Meeting.aspx.

ITEXPO East 2009 Numbers More Than 20% over 2008

Economic crisis? What crisis?

Even with the current "economic slowdown," ITEXPO East / Digium | Asterisk World / 4G Wireless Evolution, its registration numbers is up 20% over 2008. Sign up to meet up with the movers and shakers from all over the world in beautiful Miami Beach, Florida set for Feb. 2-4, 2009 at www.itexpo.com. Registration available now!

We're excited to offer our DIDXchange and its media channel as a supporting organization sponsor. See you there.

... browse some of our team's other blogs at http://blogs.didx.net and http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/. You're welcome to comment, contribute, and collaborate any time.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Free Chat, Calls and IM on Orkut with Nimbuzz? Cool

See it here at the Nimbuzz blog at http://blog.nimbuzz.com/2009/01/12/free-calls-chat-and-messaging-with-nimbuzz-on-orkut/.

I checked it out, and I think they got me on this greeting: "Deixe seus amigos te ligarem de graça direto do seu perfil do Orkut! - Your friends love you! Let them call you for free!"

;-)

Nimbuzz also works on your cell phone. No kidding.

Interview with Perry Ismangil re:SIPit and Other Cool Topics

BTW, first, I'll be meeting 1000s of my best friends in the unified and converged IP communications and everything in between or that supports any of those at WWW.ITEXPO.COM Feb 2-4, 2009 in Miami Beach, FL. Sign up as soon as you can to join us in fun, real business networking and sharing of brilliant minds and movers and shakers in our industry. Perry is one of them! He's also in my Facebook and Linkedin networks. Lucky me.

For those who believe they are lost in the world of open source and converged and unified communications, and the relation among different acronyms, technologies, platforms, softwares, and protocols...

I interviewed several industry experts and leaders to bring simplicity and understanding. Today's highlighted guru is Perry Ismangil. He will never say he is an expert, but he is.

1. How would you categorize the following terms: PJSIP, SIPit, OpenSer, Asterisk, FreeSwitch, SofaSwitch:

Answer: First a note that OpenSER has now forked (see
http://blog.pjsip.org/2008/08/04/openser-project-is-dead-welcome-to-kamailio-and-opensips/)

PJSIP, OpenSIPS, Kamailio, Asterisk, FreeSwitch, SofaSwitch are all part of the IP communications ecosystem:

- PJSIP will be typically implemented on the client side while OpenSIPS, Kamailio, Asterisk, FreeSwitch, SofaSwitch will be server
side.

- PJSIP implements many protocols needed to participate in IP communications, such as SIP, SDP, RTP and NAT Traversal (including STUN, TURN, and ICE).

- Technically you don't need any servers if you know the direct destinatination, a client can call another client

- But of course in the real world you need a globally recognized 'id' or 'number'. And also interfaces to other communications systems such as the 'legacy' telephone network.

- SER, OpenSIPS, Kamailio is classed as 'SIP Proxy' and provides many functions including registration.

- Asterisk, FreeSwitch, SofaSwitch is the equivalent of PBX in the analog world. They are so called IP-PBX.

- SIPit (SIP Interoperability Test) is where all the SIP development community (some of software above attends) meet up and try to interconnect and interoperate to each other. It is a twice yearly event. So far we've been to the last three SIPit across three continents: China, USA, and France. The next one will be in Japan.

2. The completeness of ... http://www.pjsip.org/links.htm

Answer: I can't claim it is complete, but I guess it's a fair representation of
what's out there. Although that probably needs updating now, we haven't looked to much for recent stuff.

3. Tell us about your path to where you are now in business geekery. ;-)

Answer: I started as a university lecturer but very soon, with a University friend, was also co-founding one the first open source business in Indonesia, building Linux-based products. I was purely the tech guy back then. However I recall I already had 'marketing' ideas, such as the original company name was shortened to be more catchy.

Then I moved to the UK, and became a full time 'corporate software developer', where you're part of a huge team. That was fun, because it was a 100% Microsoft shop, so I learned a lot, especially on being a software toolsmith.

Then I met another friend from University days, this time it was the other way around. He got the product, it was open source, and was looking for a biz guy. So it was onto my 2nd open source startup. I had to ramp up very quickly on the basics of biz, like accounting, sales, and marketing. Luckily the open source project is a good lead generation tool so I can learn on the job.

Also because I have been on the Internet for a long time, it was quite natural for me to learn marketing and sales on the Internet, as a result I went straight to doing Internet marketing and closing sales over email -- two of the hottest thing at the moment!

The biz is now run 100% on hosted web apps (see http://l.teluu.com/bizviaweb for what I currently use).

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Got a Favorite VoIP Service?

Don't be shy. Add the info and your review on my Facebook status. Just click on my Facebook badge in the upper right-hand corner of this post and find my status, and add your comments, criticism and praise. Bring it on, but tell the truth!


... browse some of our team's other blogs at http://blogs.didx.net and http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/. You're welcome to comment, contribute, and collaborate any time.

VoiceXML vs VoicePHP

I stole this interesting comparison/contrast between VoiceXML and VoicePHP from Yusuf Motiwala's Facebook status. (Hope he doesn't mind!)

http://is.gd/eBvV & http://is.gd/eBwc

What do you think?

And btw, two conferences approaching fast that are must attend are ITEXPO / 4G Wireless Evolution / Digium | Asterisk World conference in Miami Beach, Florida Feb. 2=4, 2009 and 17th Annual Convergence India in New Delhi, India March 18- 20, 2009. More global information technology and IP communications events are listed at http://www.didx.net/events and http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/did-ddi/.

(... browse some of our team's other blogs at http://blogs.didx.net and http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/. You're welcome to comment, contribute, and collaborate any time.)

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Running Marathons and High-Powered WiFi, Best Friends

Michael and I were discussing the Pensacola Marathon that we are helping to measure via calibrated bicycle. The race is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2009 at 6:30 AM. One problem for races is the slow process of data entry and availability of scoring and timing and upload of photos and videos. So, I turned to Brough Turner's Next Wave Redux Internet Telephony magazine column post, NextGen WIFI and Wireless Disruption.

"Now 802.11y defines how new high-powered WiFi devices can operate in the US in the 3650-3700 MHz band (at ranges up to 5 km!)."

My husband and I immediately discuss why marathons and high-powered WiFi should be best friends, and I want to share that conversation with you.

Traditionally, scoring and timing of a marathon is done this way. Place the computer system in a van or trailer and data is entered offline. More recently, some race results are being uploaded near real time, but again the server is in the van or trailer itself, subject to damage and loss and elements in the open and on the drive to the race site.

If a race or even just some of the splits are situated within the 5Km range of the WiFI, think of the opportunities! Leverage of GPS. Real-time upload of scoring, timing, photos, videos and more. And... with something as cool and tiny as a PDA, Asus Netbook Eee or HP Mini-Note, or even a cell phone.

You're right, Brough. It's a game-changer.

VoIP デッドオアアライブ, Dead or Alive with Sheryl Breuker

Whether it's Hajimemashite, Konichiwa, or Sayonara to VoIP... check out...

VoIP デッドオアアライブ, Dead or Alive ~ Sheryl Breuker and Ken Camp "help people in technology find their passions, reach their goals, and soar to the stars." On January 5, 2009 Monday at (GMT -08:00), be a part of the CALLiFLOWER free conference call and conversation hosted by Sheryl Breuker. VoIP, Dead of Alive.

This call will address what I think are tough questions, ones that we need to ask and answer truthfully... and it might help when the air gets hot and stuffy, that Robin Williams pay a visit to lighten things up a bit.

1. Do you truly and honestly believe VoIP is a vital, growing technology that's of any interest to customers?

2. In ten words or less, what do you think the single hottest niche segment within the unified communications space is for 2009? Depending how many they get, they may discuss these in more detail, because Sheryl thinks this is where the meat of the conversation we're circling around lies.

3. In ten words or less, what do you think is the single most talked about but unlikely to drive real change and innovation technology in 2009? Where do you think time, effort and money are being wasted?

4. What one company or service do you think will take the industry by storm in 2009?

5. What one spectacular flameout do you think is coming in the industry in 2009?

Add yourself to the debate, conversation, discussion ... here ... http://apps.new.facebook.com/calliflower/conf/show/43921.

I want to write more, but my husband, Paul Epstein and I have to go measure the Pensacola Marathon race course before the roads get busy. It's a dangerous job but someone's got to do it. I'm the driver. They are the bikers.

(I originally placed this on http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/, but it appears that it's not accepting the katakana characters.