Wikimania 2006

[benfrantzdale]

Highlights

Jimmy Wales began with a clip from the Cobert Report then went on to discuss the need for the English Wikipedia to begin a focus on quality over quantity through “stable versions”. A move towards accuracy was to be a major thrust of the conference.
Update: Wales posed this thought: Wikis are enabled by inexpensive communication.

Comments

[mew0422]

(When I told [info]mew0422, she was quick to remind me that there is still poverty in the United States, an interesting point and something all too easy to forget in the world of blogs, at least until blogging becomes free (which it almost is).

What do you mean? That we can forget poverty once blogs are free? Or that blogs will fix poverty in the US? Or that once blogs are "free" everyone, even the millions of people in the US without food or shelter, will suddenly have the opportunity to blog? Remember, even if blogging is "free", one still needs access to a computer, basic literary skills, basic computer skills, time to write the blog, etc.

[benfrantzdale]

I was rambling. What I meant by that comment is that blogs have given a voice to people otherwise ignored by the media. With computers getting ever cheaper and perfectly good computers going to the dump and some areas with open wireless networks, I imagine that some poverty-stricken people might start documenting their own life for all the world to see. It's not to say that blogging is magic, but I could really see people reacting to a good blog describing life on the street.

The fact that I overlooked the requirement of basic literacy shows just how isolated I am from the world of the less-privileged. Still, I'm sure there are plenty of people in poverty who do have basic writing skills.

Thanks for keeping me on my toes. I clearly need to better understand and to internalize this issue.

[mew0422]

Ah yes, and cool about autostitch. You should scan in the pics of the train station in Tours and autostich le TGV together.

[benfrantzdale]

Good call. I think they are at my parents' house. I should track down a film scanner at school and learn how to use it.

SIFT

[anonymous]

You might find this interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale-invariant_feature_transform

Re: SIFT

[benfrantzdale]

Cool. Thanks. It looks like there may be a more-open program similar to Autostitch called Autopano-sift. I'll have to try that out.

Lessig's slides

[anonymous]

FWIW, Ben, Lessig uses a remote control to flip his slides. For those who haven't seen Lessig talk, this is a good example of the style and pacing, though you don't get to see him, unfortunately.

Luis

[amoken]

audaibnjad has been using something for spherical panoramas....I assume it's free but I guess I never asked. If he did pay, he did so online. You should ask him about it! He likes to prattle on. ;)