Techization

I’m sure everyone has heard of the BP oil spill by now, it’s all over the news.  One thing BP has done is setup a live camera from unmanned submarines at the ocean sea floor.  The camera is trained on the oil well 24 hours a day and accessible by anyone on the Internet at any time.  This satisfies our society’s craving for instantaneous data and “LIVE” coverage.  The cam makes the oil spill story much more impactful when you see the oil spewing from the sea floor. However, is BP damaging it’s brand by feeding society’s need for this “LIVE” type coverage?

Every time major news outlets talk about the spill, they show this live camera with oil spewing out.  This is really ingraining this image of oil tainting our oceans into the minds of viewers.  Not only that, the use of the word “BP” as you view the live cam re-enforces that BP is the company involved with the spill.  Twitter users have even began to spread pictures of BP’s logo with a slight modification (see below).

So is BP doing the right thing by streaming the oil spill online 24×7 or are they hurting their reputation and brand even more,as if the spilling of millions of barrels of oil isn’t enough to damage them already.  Does the public have a right to view the problem even though it’s miles below the surface of the gulf?  All I can say is, I hope they hire a great PR firm.

AT&T announced that it is scurrying to upgrade its mobile network in anticipation for the new iPhone hardware that will hit shelves in June.

“We have the infrastructure capability to go to 7.2 [Mbit/s], and we’ll have the capability to go 14.4 and 20 in the next couple of years, so I think there’s coverage we’re going to improve, there’s quality we’re going to improve, and there’s speed that’s also going to get improved.” – AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega

Reports revealed that half of the mobile data that AT&T routes is attributed to the iPhone, and Net Applications is reporting that more than two thirds of all mobile web data is linked to the widely popular mobile hardware.  AT&T has stated it is expecting a ten-fold increase in mobile data traffic on its network with the release of the new iPhone this summer.

The network upgrade was obvious when AT&T purchased a large batch of Juniper routers, which has been confirmed by AppleInsider.  The routers are optimized to handle streaming video and mobile broadcasting solutions like those being offered by Ustream.tv and their ‘mobile stream’ iPhone application.  Apple has reportedly set a strict deadline that asks AT&T to complete the upgrade, quality test it, and have it ready to go live no later than May 31st, 2009.

AT&T is also working hard on upgrading their coverage and service to their customers.  They are transitioning their 3G network to new frequencies (850Mhz) .  The longer wavelength, lower frequency 850MHz band has been growing in popularity among mobile providers because it provides greater coverage area using fewer towers and better penetration through walls and other barriers, such as foliage.

I will take this snarky mood I’m in to discuss the recent trends of Ustream.  I first found out about Ustream about one year ago and have been using it weekly since.  I have found lots of engaging and insightful streams.  Anything from a Lil’ Wayne concert to Chris Pirillo and even some live amateur ghost hunters.

Those folks who are big Ustream fans must have seen the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam by now right?  If you haven’t, I assume you either aren’t a regular user of Ustream, or you have been living in a cave.  Yes I will agree, they are cute for about 30 seconds.  Yes, 30 seconds.  I have seen users who sit on that channel for hours commenting on what the puppies are doing from minute to minute.  I mean, really?!   These cute little puppies have inspired a groundswell on Ustream with other pet owners trying to ‘e-pimp’ their pets cuteness online.

Top 4 Highest Rated Channels – 3/13/09

• Bizkit (Gaming related)
• Broomeacres German Shepherds
• Ketches Chocolate Lab Litter
• Shayla & her Golden Retriever puppies

The list goes on and on, a majority (well over half) are pet cams.  These live ‘webcams’ feature dogs, cats, fish and ferrets.  When I view these webcams, and I will call them that because I don’t believe they fall under what I classify as a channel, they remind me of EarthCam.

Personally I’m just not very thrilled with watching someones dog or cat run around a pen.   I have my own dog to gain personal enjoyment and pleasure from.  Why is it such a hit on Ustream?  Are these all apartment dwelling net geeks who are not allowed pets?  Are these Ustream channels rapidly becoming the online version of a Tamagotchi?  It’s hard to say.

Ustream while popular is not mainstream by any means.  It’s Alexa traffic rank does not even put it in the top 1000 websites on the Interwebs.

Therefore, these newer type of start-ups are often frequented by us Internet savvy geek users, not mainstream a-typical users.

I don’t know about you, but I’m keeping my puppy far away from my webcam