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Would you expect to develop a MacOS application using a platform from Microsoft? With Silverlight 3 developers are able to create applications that run outside the browser on the MacOS. While the idea might sound crazy, and certainly is landscape changing - it's smart for Microsoft. As more applications move to the Cloud, and applications consume Cloud services, Microsoft can continue its role as a big player in the emerging Cloud computing space, in developer tools, and in the platforms used for delivering content.

I saw a great example of this with KEXP developing a media player that works on-line and off-line, with auto-detection of network capabilities. The player is stand-alone (works outside the browser) and I saw it running on MacOS and WIndows. If you are a MacOS developer you can get the Eclipse Tools for Silverlight at www.eclipse4sl.org/mac.

Sometimes you see uses of technology that you've never considered - from vendors you would never expect. That happened today with a totally unconventional use of Silverlight for use with document management and repurposing content - print content.

I thought that Adobe had document management and cross-platform sharing wrapped-up with Acrobat and PDF. After all, PDF is an ISO standard, and Acrobat is on its 9th version. I've written a number of books on Acrobat and managed the largest PDF user's conference for some time - so I'm partial to it... but a short while ago I saw something that is potentially game-changing for publications looking to monetize legacy content. And with magazines and newspapers under pressure - who doesn't want to monetize their digital assets? So I nearly fell out of my chair today when I saw covertocover.com showing past issues of Rolling Stone that include full text search and easy navigation between issues and pages - and it was all leveraging Silverlight. This is a great, unconventional use of the Deep Zoom technology that Silverlight supports - and it solves an immediate business need that publishers are facing - how to monetize legacy content.

 

Microsoft has made some pretty significant announcement here in Las Vegas today that will impact the way you communicate on-line, develop Web and interactive content - and event how you think about what is on-line and what is a desktop application...

 

Silverlight 3 was announced here and has some technical features that are useful for developers -things like GPU acceleration and support for additional CODECs such as H.264, MPG 4, and AAC but the real mind-blowing things revolutionize the user experience:

 

·         Live streaming with full DVR-like controls - pause / slow motion / rewind for live streams. This puts Silverlight live streaming miles ahead of anything else. NBC announced they are renewing their use of Silverlight for all streaming of the next Olympics (Vancouver) using Silverlight.

·         HD streaming - you'll see this at the next Olympics as they'll be streaming all content in HD.

·         Out-of-browser experiences on Mac and Windows - not just a browser plug-in

·         Off-line support: Silverlight 3.0 applications can run as stand-alone applications. So they can consume services while connected, and then switch to an "off-line" mode when not connected.

·         Support for multi-touch - like the "pinch" - think Minority Report or iPhone

 

I'll have more updates throughout the event... as I'm at a Microsoft-focused event, most of my posts will focus on their technology this week...

 

Last week I discussed the Kindle as just the start of electronic distribution. The folks at Amazon have now released an iPhone application, allowing you to view and access eBooks. While this is nothing surprising - the cool capability is something they are calling whispersynch. You can start reading a book or story using one device, and continue it using another. According to a Wall Street Journal story, it supports up to six devices. While I don't think I need six devices to read a book - the ability move between iPhone and Kindle alone is a great advancement.

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A small pack of my colleagues gathered around a computer monitor in our office on Tuesday to watch the inauguration ceremony. To make certain we didn't miss a beat, we had a Silverlight stream in one window and a Flash stream in another. We weren't alone, as video delivery provider Akamai reported 7 million live simultaneous streams on the sites they serve - which appears small when compared to the 21.3 million live streams CNN indicates they streamed. While this shows this huge increase in demand for on-line streaming video, the bandwidth and infrastructure aren't quite there for a flawless performance with live streaming video. While the Silverlight stream looked better, both streams stopped from time to time - and neither stream could be viewed on an iPhone, where neither Silverlight nor Flash video have a player.
Because we provide Flash Training and Silverlight Training, we were pretty excited to be able to watch such an important event on-line using technology that we help organizations adopt. published by: Christopher Smith

I normally write about creative technology and items that impact marketing and design areas. But today I'm reflecting on a creative genius who died on Friday - Paul Newman.  We can learn a great deal from the way he lived his life - both professionally and personally. I had the chance to spend an evening with him, his wife, along with one of his daughters and several of his grandchildren - and it reinforced why so many hold him in such high regard.  

I don't know many folks that are as equally popular with grandparents and grandchildren alike. While younger viewers may only know him for his role in Cars, those of us who know his earlier work are also reminded that our creative energies can be put to good use. He showed us that we can and should invest in causes greater than ourselves, and that corporations can be successful and do good work. His leadership in supporting a camp for children with serious illnesses reminds us of how fortunate we are and how much good we can do, and his Newman's Own brand has donated more than $250 million to many charitable organizations.

When I met Paul Newman a few years ago it was unforgettable. We were both backstage at a theater. I was there at the invitation of a good friend that knew the performer well. Mr. Newman was there with his wife, daughter, and grandchildren. We were the only people backstage. I spent a great deal of time talking with his wife, not knowing who she was - what a wonderful woman. Mr. Newman walked over and joined our conversation and we talked about my several month old baby daughter.  As I didn't have any other daughters or sisters growing up, I asked for advice on raising girls. In his classic voice he told me, "Start your gun collection early" to keep the boys away. He was funny, gracious, and kind.

In an age where we see self-centered behavior in so many ways, Paul Newman reminded us that it's not what we take that is important - it's what we give back.