Abaculus

Yesterday I discovered a Videoblogging group via Marc Canter's blog.

This is precisely the thing I've been looking for, over the past year, in preparation for the BSL Recognition website, which will carry its own blog. You cannot really have a website on BSL recognition, without it being accessible in the language that it is about, ie BSL. Our main concern was how to update this website, as information was updated, especially the blog function. How to allow people to do this, without much technical know how etc. I had wanted to try and meet Joi Ito when he was in the UK earlier this year, in order to gain contacts re possible contacts to explore, but I was not able to do this.

Joining the group so far, as proved immensely positive, and people there seem to be open to the idea of exploring how Deaf people can make use of the vblogging medium. It is really cool to actually get to know some new people, working in a different sphere, and what they're up to out there. There's some talented people.

I have now been asked to sign up for vBlog Central a site run by Sean Gilligan, which I am really excited about.

Which leads me onto broadband. All this of course has spurred me to get arse into gear in this respect, and I should be fitted out with broadband by next Monday. I've gone for the Eclipse Flex Home 500 package, which I think will best suit my needs. It allows me to connect at 512kbps at a flat rate, but should I require a faster 1mb connection for such things as multi webcam chats I can get this at the click of a button paying 9p an hour. Anyone out there who is thinking of converting to Elcipse, please use alisonb as your referrer code.

In the meantime, whilst I wait for the arrival of broadband, to incorporate vBlogging here, check out Rob's vblog if you require a laugh. His efforts have even got a mention here.

vBlogging is said to be where the web was in 1996, and I'm hyped that there is so much potential here and there are people out there with the necessary foresight to see this. I'm told that the cost of bandwidth with come down, plus server space. Net connection has to get faster too, with capabilities of 3mb, we are going to enter the realms of web based tv.

In the meantime, I sincerely hope this can be kept at grassroot level, and no deaf organisation jumping on the bandwagon.

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BSL - British Sign Language