After receiving an email from Simon Parrish about some research Tim Davies was doing for phD on early aid transparency initiatives, I decided it was time to recreate a space for the IDML Initiative – www.idminitative.org.   I had owned the domain name for quite some time but had done little with it.    Fortunately collecting the information for the site was fairly straightforward thanks to the great work done by the people at the Internet Archives with their way back machine tool.    As well, in those days, most sites were not database driven and so almost all of the materials were readily available.

The site also contains materials on CEFDA, INDIX, and Aida.   Over the coming months we will try to create a complete set materials on IDML, INDIX, CEFDA, and Aida.  If anyone is doing research in this area and is interested to help with maintaining and improving this site, please let me know.

Way back in 1998 I was involved in the International Development Markup Initiative (IDML).   Its amazing to take a look back at some of the things Bellanet was doing then to see them reappear.    When I first started at Bellanet we were working with a group called infoDev.   infoDev had just started as an organization and at that time IDRC was managing part of their project review process.   As well, Bellanet was asked to create their original website.   We also created a very labour intense display of all their development projects.   This was before online databases were really mainstream and everything was done using html.    It was interesting esp. since we worked with infoDev to put their pipeline of project proposals online.   The idea was to encourage groups with similar ideas to collaborate together.

We later created an online database of all their activities and soon realized this could be a powerful tool for organizations to use.   Within months we had created the African Activity Information Management System which later evolved into GKAims – Global Knowledge Activity Information Management System.   It was called Global Knowledge because at that time, the Global Knowledge Partnership didn’t exist and was still part of the World Bank and managed by infoDev’s director.    The idea was simple.   We would create a place for organizations to share their project information.  We would give them a login and password and they could change the look and feel of their page to match their organizations website look and feel.    I found a screen shot of it GK-Aims from the way back machine.   Sound familiar?   Take a look at AKVO.org now 14 years later.

Next Dgroups.   The humble beginning of Dgroups started when I first realized I could link our mailing manager – Lyris (using a foxpro database at the time) with a tool we had been using for GKaims called Cold Fusion (later to be bought by Macromedia).   I connected Cold Fusion to the Lyris Database and voila,  suddenly in a very rough way I could display mailing list messages on a website.    My colleague Kevin was a whiz with mailing lists managers and databases and figured out how to remove all the funny characters from the database from displaying on the screen, and we ended up with sites like the DML Initiative Website.   Eventually we realized we were on to something.   I think it was at that time that David Balson (Bellanet’s Director) started calling these pages, collaborative workspaces.   It was still really early days, but the demand increased  and increased.   At some point it became unmanageable technically to sustain all these one-off copies of code. As we started to update our systems, the code would break and each of those sites would need to be changed.   The workload was increasing without much payback for us.    Eventually we got smart and began to create one code base for all the workspaces.   Mark Faul played a huge role in that along with Shady Kanfi.    But still there was no Dgroups.   That was the last step, and at one point or another we realized that we needed to create the meta tool so people could create these spaces on their own.  A tool to create tools!    While all this was happening Bellanet was engaged in discussions with many partners, forming strategic alliances and partnerships.    And so starting with IICD and Bellanet through I think David Balson and Peter Ballantyne, the idea for the Dgroups Partnership was born.   Dgroups for Development Groups was simply a spin on Yahoo Groups.    Since then we have seen the emergence of Google Groups, grou.ps and so on.  Shady Kanfi really became the champion of Dgroups.    Lastly it was Sarah Kerr, who worked very hard to create the model for a Dgroups association as we eventually transitioned Dgroups to a neutral location.   From there groups like IICD, ICCO, Hivos and others played a significant role in creating and managing the Dgroups Foundation.

Lastly, DML.   DML stood for Development Markup Language.    I had been involved in some data sharing initiatives before that.  Most of it at that time was managed by librarians.   My director David Balson was very entrepreneurial and really keen to try new ideas that could lead to better development collaboration, so we ran with this idea of creating an XML dtd for sharing project/activity information.   It was based on CEFDA and some of the work of Idris.   They were excellent examples of early development collaboration around project/activity data.   What we wanted to do, was to build upon that effort but with technology like XML.    Fortunately the whole area of aid effectiveness was just heating up and the World Bank became very interested to build upon this work of DML-then later IDML – then later the IDML/Aida standard.    Now fast forward to 2012 and the area of open development data is perhaps one of the biggest trends in ICT4D at the moment.    The IATI standard, which my colleague David and I helped to create along with aidinfo and the input of many, built upon some of that early thinking when we created IDML.   Its interesting as well to see tools like the openaidregister.org for smaller NGOs.   This is exactly what we did for smaller NGOs with IDML so they could enter data into the Aida development gateway database.  Just ask Steven Davenport or Virgina Yee.

what’s old is new again.   /m

1. [Ted Talks] Ken Robinson (2006) – Do schools kill creativity?

I keep listening to this lecture every now and again. This one gets to me every time.  The story of the dancer is incredible and inspiring. Actually I discovered this one in 2007.  Its just too good not to include here.

2. Joel Spolsky – The Three Ingredients Of Great Products

This is a lecture during a Ruby on Rails conference.  It’s a fun presentation on software design – Joel believes the three ingredients are – making users happy, obsessing over aesthetics, and observing culture code.   Good to listen to even if you’re just trying to figure out how to make your next presentation more fun.  Highly entertaining.

3.  Le Web 08 Paris, France – Gillmore Gang Live

For those who have never heard the Gillmor gang, this is a show that started out as a phone call amongst friends in Silicon Valley who just happen to be some of more influential people in the industry. The gang includes people such as Robert Scoble, Michael Arrington (Techcrunch), Doc Searls (Clue Train Manifesto) etc.  The one key voice missing from this particular show was Jason Calacanis.  I love the format as much as the people and its a great example of bringing the corridor chat (complete is with wine – it is france after all)  to the stage and in a highly entertaining fashion.  Also see the podcast here – http://gillmorgang.techcrunch.com/

4. Juan Enriquez (2008)  PopCast

I caught this one recently c/o Heather Ford’s hblog.  He presents – 10 non-partisan financial commandments for the President elect Obama.   He also presents some pretty scary numbers.  Whether you believe him or not, he has a way of keeping your attention.  It looks like the world leaders including the president elect are not going to follow his advice in regards to spending.

5. Meeting the user input visionary, Doug Engelbart

I had the pleasure to meet Doug a few years ago.  We were in a small workshop together in San Francisco and I still remember him telling me not to be underestimate a users ability to deal with complexity.  I was arguing for simple design and systems.

If you’re not familiar with Doug Engelbart, you should be because many of his ideas are part of the fabric of the socia media we use today.   As well as inventing the mouse and co-inventing the concept of hypertext with Ted Nelson, Doug is known for what is called the ‘mother of all demos‘. Anyone in this socia media field should be thankful we had a Doug to push things forward.   Best of all, he’s still at it, now in his eighties.  A true visionary and innovator.

6. Ted Talk – Richard Branson: Life at 30,000 feet

This is a highly inspiring talk if you thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.    Putting this post together, I couldn’t help but watch this talk again.   I recently have created a new business (Groupsia International) and Richard’s words about how to best treat people as a business leader are very inspiring.  He says in his conversation at TED  -  ” I actually think the best way of actually becoming a successful business leader is dealing with people fairly and well.”

6.  6 ways mushrooms can save the world: Paul Stamets on TED.com

Paul explores new ways to think about energy and how mycelium can help manage our environment.   After watching this Ted Talk I became very interested in mushrooms around my house (as those on facebook will know) and bought a few of  Pauls’s books.  Like Paul, I too have had problems with carpenter ants.  I really look forward to seeing his environment friendly discoveries come on the market.

7. Environmental Challenges & Profit Opportunities – Stanford Discussions – Carter Roberts
President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund

A very interesting look at the interconnections between the environment, consumption, and business supply chains.

8. Elizabeth Churchill, “Place Matters: Social Encounters between the Physical and Digital” from the O’Reilly Etech conference.

I first listened to this one on It Conversations and then had a brief exchange with Elizabeth Churchhill who mentioned how visual her presentations tend to be.  I managed to find the video for it on blip.tv  For all those interested in online and offline communities and the connections between them, this is an excellent presentation and one of highest ranked IT conversations of 2008.

Recently I learned that the maintainer, Barry Warsaw, has been working on a new version known as mailman 3.0 - http://wiki.list.org/display/DEV/Mailman+3.0

This is an incredibly significant development because its being specifically designed to be integrated into content management systems like Plone, Drupal, Joomla, Moodle etc.  by storing mailman data into a real database layer.  As Barry states on the mailman 3.0 site :

“Many things that people have been wanting for years will be addressed, most notably a unified user database, true virtual domain support, and backing the Mailman data in a real database layer. From a development perspective, we will be adopting a very strict test-driven development model, utilizing modern Python technology and coding styles. The focus will be on providing core Mailman as a library for easy integration into other frameworks and sites, while continuing the tradition of providing a turnkey solution with all the necessary parts, making it even easier to download, install, and go.”

Moreover, once released, I see no reason why others can’t mashup this system further to build an open source google groups or  next generation twitter for groups similar to twingr.   

I’ve talked to members of the Drupal community who are interested to get involved.  It will be interesting to see where this goes once released.  In the mean time, I commend Barry Warsaw for taking on this very much volunteer project.

Last Friday Groupsia International became an officially incorporated organization in Canada.   Groupsia – pronounced

Groupsia is also part of the Bellanet Alliance of Social Entrepreneurs, an innovative international group of organizations based in Canada, Costa Rica, Nepal, and Uganda who have formed an alliance that builds on the work Bellanet started.

Groupsia will represent Bellanet in Canada, and along with the other partners, internationally.  Groupsia has an informal advisory group comprised of some of the original innovators of Bellanet including its founder and first director David Balson, Sam Lanfranco whom helped to conceptualize Bellanet and Lucie Lamoureux who has become known around the world for her continuing work on km4dev.   As well, John Vekar, who has a background in media, cultural funding and policy, is an informal advisor.

• Some of the great successes of people like Thomas Edison came from a continuous cycle of research coupled with practical real-world experiences (contracts) from people with a real problem;
• Success is often iterative. Rarely does a breakthrough idea just arrive after a night of contemplation;
• Be ready to change and adapt quickly.  Some of the entrepreneurs I’ve talked to in Ottawa started one company only to discover their niche in a completely different field. Shopify.com is great example of a company that started as two people wanting to create a snowboard company and ended up creating scalable online stores for businesses;
• Start. Perhaps this is the hardest part. Don’t expect to get everything perfect the first time around, but not starting might be more costly than waiting.

Second I’ve been exploring several social entrepreneurial business models. I am a firm believer in sustainable ways to implement development projects. Social entrepreneurs apply business knowledge in their projects to achieve a social change. What’s interesting here is a social entrepreneur can be either a for-profit or a not-for-profit incorporation. As discussed on the Skoll Foundations Social Edge site, there is clearly a gap for people who want behave both a sustainable business and a grant receiving not-for-profit. More and more organizations are creating a hybrid model that has both a not-for-profit and a for-profit side. There is some discussion of introducing a new model of incorporation in the United States for – for-benefit organizations -” driven by a social purpose, they are economically self-sustaining, and they seek to be socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible”

Bellanet was an organization based within IDRC for many years. It is now independent of IDRC and we are exploring Social Entrepreneurship models to work together as an international alliance of organizations. Bellanet is now known as the Bellanet Alliance of Social Entrepreneurs. Stay tuned.

Although WordPress.com is free, I decided to upgrade so that I could modify the CCS and take off the ads.  That said, its still cheaper for me to be using WordPress for what I need to do than to use Typepad, and it also doesn’t hurt that:

the DISO project is building plugins for it such as:

• Microformats like XFN, hCard, XOXO — wp-contactlist, wp-profiles
• OpenID — wp-contactlist, wp-openid-server
• OAuth

Recently I was at an excellent conference at CIGI ,in Waterloo Ontario, Canada. During these meetings there were presentations about various online platforms for group collaboration.   One presenter vowed that email is the killer app and that is why it needs to form the basis for any group discussion tool both today and 5 years from now.

I’ve read about 40 reviews of the Apple Macbook Air before and after purchasing my own Macbook Air. As someone who used to travel over 60 days/year, sometimes over a 100 days, the thought of a lightweight laptop to take with me was really appealing. But for me it wasn’t just about whether it was the lightest and fits in a sleeve or not, it was about whether it ran the Mac OSX operating system.

I’ve run Windows XP (thankfully never Vista), Linux in various flavours, and finally Mac OSX. They all have their + and – but for me the MAC OSX is king and so it was important that along with a lightweight machine, another key requirement was that is ran OSX.  In my case, I really never looked at any of the IBM or Acer machines.  It didn’t matter.  They don’t run OSX.  In my case the competition was with only Apple itself. ie. should I buy the Air, or the Macbook Pro or the plain Macbook.

Since the Macbook is relatively heavy and offers only nominal power increases, I ruled that one out right away. It was really down to Air or Pro. For the longest time I thought I should buy the Macbook Pro. Why not, its got more ports, way way more power, a bigger screen. Its lighter than the previous version of the Macbook Pro. It has firewire for video work, and now two great graphics card.

Two things make me decide to go with the Air. I have to admit, I never expected the Air to look and feel so light as compared to the Macbook Pro. It really is a case of seeing is understanding.

Second, I started to balance the above thoughts with my overall needs. 95% of the time, I do two things. I write (email/documents) and I surf the web. That’s not to say the other 5% isn’t important when I use it for video, photoshop etc., but its rare. If I made videos all the time and needed video when traveling then the choice would have been clear, but to be honest, I most often don’t edit video, and even more rarely when traveling.

So going back to basics, I wanted the lightest Mac that ran OSX and had a enough power for my needs. In that sense the choice was clear, so I bought the Mac Book Air.

In the first month, I must admit I thought for sure I was going to regret this decision (and I started to a bit .. see below) but I really never got into video.  Photoshop was never a problem for the odd time I used it either.

What I love is the weight. It is incredible. It is true, people will ask to see it when you’re on a plane and it is a beautiful machine with a incredibly crisp screen.

Now that’s the good part.. Here’s the less good part.

1. Overheating.   In my case at least, all stories about it overheating are true.  When it overheats, everything shuts down to the point that I could barely move the mouse, let alone try watching video or any other application that is processor intensive.  I had to take mine back to the store and call Apple support. I also installed all the updates from Apple.  None worked for me.   The only thing that fixed the problem was a program called coolbook.   It costs around 10USD, and it saved me from returning it completely.   This was completely frustrating, and luckily I’m technical enough to solve some of these problems.  That said, its now incredibly quiet and the fan never comes on, and it now never overheats.

2. The fan broke, and it started to make an incredibly loud noise.   Again, I called Apple and had to leave it in the shop for several days.  This again was completely frustrating, but its now fixed and all is well.

3. It is not a laptop that works well on a lap.  I’ve gotten used it now, but it is so true about it being so thin that the base literally jabs into your stomach if you’re lying on a couch.  I didn’t have this problem with my 12inch pro.  Second, the vents are all at the bottom, so again, it can easily overheat, and you might need to buy a stand for it.

In summary it has some issues you need to be aware of, but overall I love it.  I think the next generation macbook air will be the one watch and buy if you are thinking to buy one and can wait until next year.

Ref: Specs on my Macbook Air: 1.6 Mhz Macbook Air with HDD

I like Dot me because it is a fun top level domain. Its a bit different from dot com because some of the more interesting domains can be phrases rather than places, things etc. Since twistedpear.com was already taken and coincidentally is for sale for just under 2000 USD!!, I decided to register twistedpear.me. And I got creative and registered gotxt.me So far over 100,000 domains have been registered, but there are still many amazing domain names left. I played around with some ideas and came up with the follow possible interesting domains which I will mention since I’ve decided not to park them.

digitallyrecord.me
videopodcast.me
pears.me
yousharewith.me
wheretomeet.me

As of writing this, they are still available, and many other interesting play on words domains. I found a few other good ones too. I may just register a few more, but I like to pick ones that I know I may actually use rather than just park them. I sometimes double check domain names with their .com equivalents and its amazing how many people are parking them and then are trying to sell their domains on auctions like greatdomains.com

Take a look a some of the .com names available. Its getting to the point of pathetic. I really don’t know how anyone would pay 49,000 USD for a domain name like 200dollaroil.com. That’s the price on the godaddy.com auction. Well I definitely won’t be bidding on that one.