I’ve mentioned the excellent service called Animoto here a few times. Basically, it produces slide shows online and can use photos from social networks as well as video.
The company announced this week that it will be partnering with Kodak and several other companies to bundle services. This could be handy for anyone needing to quickly produce slide shows or presentations using cameras or other devices or to customize content for a website.
• The recent earthquakes and nuclear reactor problems in Japan have brought attention once again to just how quickly the status quo can be turned upside down. I was reminded of how valuable citizen participation can be in times of emergency.
In terms of technology it is another reminder of how important it is to have backup systems or policies in place for such disasters. I have long believed that the best approach to the future is always to at least imagine the worst scenario and to plan around it. While this may seem negative, it is realistic. While no one could prevent the scale of human suffering in such a catastrophe, we can at least try to minimize the damage to systems and to aid efforts for those affected.
• Several sites reported that AT&T will soon impose caps or limits on its broadband DSL service for their heaviest users. I have long dreaded the coming of any broadband caps, since it has been the freedom of no limits on usage that led to the Internet’s success. While this development may be inevitable, I will take writer Dylan Thomas’ advice and “rage, rage against the dying of the light.”