Sam Churchill

I'm a LAN enthusiastic and live downtown near Portland State University (11th & Market). I want to do live webcasts of weddings (a church is right across the street). I have an RG-1000 Access Point, a Sharp Tripad (a nifty little Windows CE machine) and a FreeGeek box with Mandrake. BTW, the Tripad works great but I'm selling it for $200 if anyone's interested (503.228.6459).

Here are some related links:

The Live Remote Van Concept

I fear that group owners will centralcast broadcast television, shutting down local broadcast news operations. It's a movement similar to what happened to radio which has been taken over by group owners. Packaged garbage. My solution is a webvan. Live virtual field trips and emergency communications can be enabled anywhere, inexpensively. Oregon has a 2-way video conferencing network - in place - in virtually every high school building in the state. It's not used because there is no content. Until now.

A remote van for live virtual field trips, an emergency command center, or a remote (live) news vehicle for news media like the Oregonian would be cheaper than the broadcast vans broadcasters use because MPEG-4 bandwidth requirements are less. And it's 2-way. Here's one solution that might cost under $50,000 and generate a profit, year one:

A. Hybrid Vehicle: These battery/gas vehicles are really generators on wheels.

[1] [http://www.hybridcars.com/ Hybrid Cars] [2] [http://www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm How Hybrids Work] [3] [http://www.hybridford.com/index.asp Hybrid Ford SUV] [4] [http://prius.toyota.com/technology/ Hybrid Toyota] [5] [http://www.electrifyingtimes.com Electrifying Times]

B. Network Cameras: These plug into the van's router and supply live wide shots from a telescoping mast on the roof of the van/SUV.

[1] [http://www.dlink.com/products/DigitalHome/DigitalVideo/dcs1000w/ D-Link WiFi network camera] [2] [http://www.axis.com/products/cam_2100/index.htm Axis Network Camera] [3] [http://www.wincam.com/netcam/ StarDot Netcam] [4] [http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/gate/cameras.asp Panasonic Network Camera]

C. Mobile MPEG-4 Cameras/Encoders: Firewire camcorder plugs into laptop running MPEG-4 encoder. It's linked via 802.11a/g/b to the van. The van uplinks using a $5,000 mobile satellite dish.

[1] [http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/feb/12qt6.html Apple's MPEG-4 QuickTime 6] [2] [http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qtss/ QuickTime 6 server] (runs on Linux and other platforms) [3] [http://www.sun.com/wireless/streaming/;$sessionid$LHMNKDMMSRM0VAMTA1LU4GQl Sun's MPEG-4 support] [4] [http://www.envivio.com/solutions/elb Envivo's live MPEG-4 encoder] works with: [5] [http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2001/mpeg4.html Real's MPEG-4 server]

D. Two-way mobile satellite dish: This uplinks at least 64Kbps but ideally 1.5Mbps for broadcast-quality MPEG-4 remotes. The feed goes to a streaming video server for state-wide/national distribution.

Portable 2-way dishes: [1] [http://www.landseasystems.com/land3080a.htm LandSea's TT-3080A Mobile Messenger] [2] [http://www.motosat.com/twoway_001.htm Motosat] [3] [http://www.radiotvnet.com/featured.asp#Satellite Swe-dish]

Potential satellite providers:

[1] [http://www.tachyon.net/ Tachyon] [2] [http://www.wildblue.com/ Wild Blue] [3] [http://www.hns.com/products/advanced_platforms/spaceway/overview.htm SpaceWay]

E. Voice over IP telephony/videoconferencing:

VOIP cordless phones using 802.11b: [1] [http://www.symbol.com/products/wireless/wireless_sp24_netvisionappli_d.html Symbol's NetVision Data Phone with 802.11b, TCP/IP, H.323 and POP3] (the phone can also receive e-mail), all implemented in hardware ($699) [2] [http://www.spectralink.com/products/NetLinkIP.html Spectralink's full-featured, direct sequence spread spectrum, IP wireless telephone]

Handhelds using 802.11b with software for text/video conferencing [1] [http://messenger.yahoo.com/ Yahoo Messenger] [2] [http://www.pocketpc.com Microsoft PocketPC] [3] [http://www.telesym.com/products.html Telesym PocketPC VoIP] [4] [http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/using/howto/communicate/version45/v45videoc onf.asp Embedded XP video conferencing]

IBM is demonstrating a tiny computer code-named [http://www.research.ibm.com/resources/news/20020206_metapad.shtml Meta Pad]

It could serve as a laptop, desktop or handheld when snapped into different modules. It could be the basis for everything, the belt-clipped wearcam, the OpenAP repeaters, the laptops and the VoIP telephones. The van could include 24 or them, 8 laptops, 8 wearcams, 4 OpenAP repeaters and 4 spares.

3D collaboration in a simulation world would be enabled by wearcam display technologies like [http://mvis.com/ Microvision] that can project [http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/ Java 3D] or other 3D Java renderers like [http://www.shout3d.com/ Shout3D] and [http://www.anfyteam.com/panfy3d.html Anfy3D] into the eye.

Ultimately, [http://www.jxta.org/project/www/background.html JXTA], a set of open, generalized peer-to-peer protocols, will allow any connected device (cell phone, to PDA, PC to server) on the network to communicate and collaborate. Inexpensive, hand-held canners and sensors using [http://developer.intel.com/design/intelxscale/ Intel's X-Scale] might connect to[http://www.snapappliances.com/products/12000/index.asp 1 Terabyte network storage] in the van and connect to the [http://www.teragrid.org/ National TeraGrid]. A [http://www.webmap.com WebMap] provides one-click access to RFID (radio frequency ID) tags and [http://www.infoworld.com/features/ferealtimecomputing.html real-time data tracking] such as used in [http://www.neptune.washington.edu/pub/whats_neptune/whats_neptune.html The Neptune Project]. [http://www.idgexecforums.com/cgi-bin/demo2002/demonstrator.cgi?t=name Demo 2002 previewed many real-time products] that might be applied by [http://www.oregon.gov/index.cfm?CurrPID=833 Oregon counties], the [http://www.oregon.gov/ State of Oregon], or [http://www.firstgov.gov/ Federal Government] resources.

I'm basically a writer and web designer focused on content issues. I'm one of these people who likes to embed [http://www.vgmusic.com/ Video Game Midis] in web pages (don't you just :) that).

http://sdots.com/wireless/onscene.jpg

Broadband can multicast to tens (or hundreds) of thousands of digital cable boxes and internet appliances. Faster, cheaper, better. Here's how:

Neighborhood nodes might use 5 Ghz to deliver "the first mile". The [http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/16/ 802.16 Metropolitan Wireless LAN standard] is optimized for the "first mile" while 802.11a is optimized for use inside the home or office.

Five Gig LANs include Enterasys [http://www.enterasys.com/products/items/RBTR2/ RoamAbout2] which [http://www.crn.com/Components/Search/Article.asp?ArticleID=26138 combines 2.4 and 5 GHz Access Points], [http://home.intermec.com/eprise/main/Intermec/Content/About/NewsPages/pressRelease?section=about&pressID=306 Intermec's MobileLAN 2106], [http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7093015.html?tag=prntfr Intel 54 Mbps access points] or [http://www.Avaya.com/ Avaya Wireless Access Point-3] ($1,295) which supports a 802.1X port authentication.

[http://www.citynettelecom.com/index.swf CityNet Fiber] goes the last mile and links those neighborhood nodes -- through the sewer system.

[http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/prod_100201.html Cisco's 12404, 10Gbps router] integrates Ethernet with voice and video. Their 10720 router ($43,300) is expensive but delivers multiple, simultaneous IP services and has a self-healing mechanism for automatic fiber cut repair using SONET fiber rings.

[http://www-4.ibm.com/software/speech/enterprise/ep_8.html IBM's WebSphere Translation Server] delivers Web pages, e-mail messages and chat conversations in multiple languages, in real time and is teaming with [http://www.akamai.com/ Akamai] to deliver streaming video.

[http://www.enreach.com/Products/ EnReach] says, "IP based broadband is the most cost-effective and fastest way to launch combined video and data services to the home." Their [http://www.enreach.com/Products/demotrialsys.htm rack-mount IP VOD system] supports 20 simultaneous streams and can deliver IP-based video to apartment buildings using switched Ethernet to bring broadband access to each home.

[http://www.techtv.com/siliconspin/features/story/0,23008,3346050,00.html Five major studios will deliver VOD to computer users](Sony, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, and MGM). Disney and Fox, may also have their own VOD service in the works. Streaming content available from satellite includes [http://www.ibeam.com/ iBeam] and [http://www.net-36.com/ Net-36].

[http://www.polycom.com/products/video_family.html Polycom] and [http://www.radvision.com/f_products/f1_platformvip.php3?prod=Platform%2BOverview RadVision] offer teleconferencing with Voice and Video over IP. Apartment buildings and condominiums might profit from distance learning rooms. With [http://www.polycom.com/products/viavideo.html Netmeeting on a laptop] and Wireless LAN or 3G cellular connectivity, mobile, adhoc teleconferences might be practical.

[http://www.nokia.com/multimedia/mediaterminal.html Nokia's MediaTerminal settop box] ($350) or [http://www.digitalnetworks.philips.com/InformationCenter/PhilipsInternet/FArticleWithDomains.asp?lArticleId=1109&lNodeId=13 Philips MHP platform] can receive (and record) video on demand.

[http://www.pace.co.uk/paceproducts/index.asp The Pace set-top box] works with cable or "wireless cable" while [http://www.ncube.com/internet/index.html nCUBE provides VCR controls for the client] using servers in the network. One [http://www.ncube.com/vod/architecture.html nCube server] can stream RealVideo 8 content to as many as 200,000 customers simultaneously.

[http://www.pocketpc.com Microsoft's PocketPC] can receive Wireless LANs and live television with [http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/pocketpc2002/mediaplayer.asp streaming Media Player]. Handhelds can also [http://www.snapstream.com/news/pr09/Default.htm record video programs] for later playback. [http://www.fathammer.com/company/index.html Mobiletainment] is enabled with [http://developer.intel.com/design/wireless/pca/pca.htm Intel Client Architecture].

I figure in 2-3 years, handheld players (with goggles) may be cheaper than a 25" television. And two-way. Are you ready?

I think the solution to ubiquitious broadband may be to buy a UhfTelevision channel! Channels 50-69 go up for auction this June. Here's how to buy a UhfTelevision channel for 2-way internet access.

Adventures in Homelessness

My unemployment is running out. I'm a decent web designer and writer but looking for a job has never been my forte.

If I can't pay my rent, then I'm out on the street. Really. I've done it before for almost a year. It's not that big a hardship. There's plenty of free food in Portland and you can stay at the emergency shelter and you have plenty of free time.

If I DO become homeless, how could I survive? If I had a cell phone/PocketPC perhaps I could continue making web pages. Meeting clients might be difficult but, hey, that's what e-mail and cell phones are for.

Here's the proposition: I'll put everything into storage for 6 months. Then I'm on the street for real. I have virtually nothing in the bank so I'll have to live on my wits. I'll create a daily journal that includes photos and stories of the people I meet and the places I'll go. Sort of a low-budget Steve Roberts journey. You could have the marketing rights in exchange for a 2.5G cell connection and hardware like a [http://www.ita.sel.sony.com/products/pc/notebook/pcgc1xs.html Sony Picturebook] with a [http://www.xircom.com/cda/page/1,1298,0-0-1_1-1627,00.html Xircom GPRS PC Card]. If I last 6 months (without a job offer) I get to keep it. I already have a Nikon digital and a $30 mini-cassette recorder. They would be my only material possessions except the clothes on my back.

This is a real proposition. I don't have anything to fall back on except my own wits. I'm not after a "big break". I tend to take the easy way out and this is it. I don't have any legal, emotional or chemical show stoppers. It seems like an interesting and useful endeavor.

I'm 53 and should know better. But here I am. I want to write good stories but I'm not good at marketing. What would you do?

- Sam Churchill samc@teleport.com 503.228.6459

Hey, thanks, Adam. It's just an idea that seems worthwhile. I'll probably take the easy way out -- and get a job!

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