Information Research Weblog

In my entry about 'Smart mobs' I mentioned Howard Rheingold's enthusiasm for wireless networks. The subject crops up again today on the front page of the Guardian's Online supplement and, of course, on its Web site. As usual, of course, our sainted telecomms company, BT, is busy shooting itself in the foot by rolling out its wireless access points as alternatives to 3G telephony instead of as an alternative to its own, much slower, broadband service (11Mbs against 0.5Mbs) - charging £85.00 a month means that it is targeting mobile business users, rather than the masses. The usual story from BT - it never seems to understand (even under new management) that volume from the masses leads to higher income than high rates for the few. So - someone else, probably one of the mobile 'phone companies, will cut the ground from under their feet. This is how it got into a mess last time round, so what's the betting that another CEO is going to be parachuted in in, say, three years' time?

The same issue has a shorter article about the necessary technology for a home wireless network - Spin a Wi-Fi web in your home, which enables the use of a single broadband connection by more than one computer at the same time. Useful for families with teenagers sqabbling over who gets 'on the computer' next for their homework. The featured product is from BT, but you can bet that there'll be others in the market almost immediately. The author, Jack Scholfield, draws attention to some of the glitches that can occur with Wi-Fi, if you haven't got completely compatible hardware.

The subject also crops up on Slashdot.org, drawing attention to an article in Wired News. Chiming in with my comments on BT, the articles notes:

With just five MeshBoxes, the tiny municipality of Kingsbridge, Devon, in western England, was able to provide broadband access to the citizens who live in the center of town. A group of enthusiasts eventually wants to provide all 5,000 of the town's residents with wireless broadband.

Frustrated with British Telecommunications' slow progress in wiring the town with DSL, two members of the Kingsbridge Link project took charge. They purchased the MeshBoxes for around $2,400, and strategically placed them in the center of town.

The boxes piggyback off a single broadband pipeline owned by one of the local businesses and distribute bandwidth to the residents who tap into the network.

I was able to finish reading Howard Rheingold's 'Smart Mobs' (a review will appear in Information Research in April) while going to and from Torun - January is NOT a good time for travel in Europe! A Smart Mob can also be described as a 'mobile impromptu social network' - a MISoNet perhaps and the idea occurred to HR when he observed the behaviour of mobile (cell) 'phone users in Tokyo. He builds on this idea to postulate a future in which mobile telephony and mobile, wearable computing will enable the impromptu information sharing that results from network creation. He also looks at the implications for new wireless technology for rural communities and urban neighbourhoods, in providing access to the Net, and at the continuing battle between technology developers and the entrenched interests of commerce. In all, a good read, with many ideas to stimulate one's own. Check out the Web site.

Tom

Getting to grips with this new IRWeblog is quite a business! I think I need a techie in charge here. :-)

However, my purpose is not to deal with Weblogs, fascinating though the subject may be, but to share some thoughts about a book. In this case, "Smart mobs: the next social revolution" by Howard Rheingold - well known in the Internet world for his other books, perhaps most famously for "The virtual community".

I'm only part way through reviewing it for Information Research, but this log is supposed to be about stuff like this, so I thought I would share it. My impression, I realised yesterday, is that it has the air of a kind of travel guide - for people thinking of a trip to the future.

The main message is that the combination of the Web and mobile telephony will bring about major social change - and there is some support for the idea in the existence of groups campaigning for social change (the anti-globalisation groups, for example) which have used mobile telephony (mobiles in the UK, cell-phones in the USA) to organize themselves during demonstrations. However, the main use appears to be to set up dates through texting (aided in Japan by the existence of Web-based dating services), or otherwise aiding (or abetting) social communication of various kinds.

Frankly, I regard them as a pain in the bum - I carry one for emergencies and I think that is their key function, but the clamour of mobiles on the street, and in trains is a nuisance. They also contribute significantly to information (or communication) overload - some business people daren't even switch the damn things off when they go on holiday. In fact, in one organization we found one person who took holidays in Nepal and Peru to avoid getting a signal - but kept her mobile 'on'.

The writing style is somewhat breathless - the author rushes around from place to place, scattering famous names all over the place - but it is readable. Not un-put-downable, but readable.

Anyone else reading it?

Tom