From January 6th until February 26th I’ll be at sea on the T.S. Enterprise for Sea Term. We only have a limited satellite e-mail system, with no access to the Internet. I plan to continue making regular posts, but due to the limited access I have onboard they may be less frequent. If you’d like to know more about Sea Term or would like to follow the trip, I’ve set up a blog specifically for Sea Term which you can find at seaterm.christiaanconover.com. You can also e-mail me using the contact form found on the Sea Term blog.
I have decided that in the year 2008, I’m really going to make my blog a priority. I’m resolving to add a new post at least every other day, and will hopefully be able to make it every day. That’s why between now and January 1st, I’m going to devote time to coming up with new topics and post ideas to provide fresh content to readers on a regular, frequent basis. I’m planning to make some posts between now and January 1st as well, so don’t worry, you won’t be left hanging for a week. Not anymore, at least.
What do you plan to do differently with your blog in the coming year?
Google announced yesterday that they have partnered with AOL to allow GMail users to sign in to their AIM accounts in the GMail Talk interface, and chat with them right from there. I decided to try it out, and I have to say, it’s wicked cool.
Once you sign in to your GMail account, and are brought to your inbox, you simply go over to the Google Chat buddy list and click Options, then sign in to your AIM account. It prompts you for your AIM screen name and password, and then you’re good to go. It shows status the same way that it does for Google Talk buddies, and displays aliases as well as away messages right on the buddy list. I have everyone on my buddy list aliased for easy reference, so I was pumped to find that out! The chat window pops up the same way, either within the GMail window you have open, or optionally as a popup window.
Google added in features like chat history from the Google Talk system for use with AIM, so it almost makes you want to just use GMail for AIM all the time. Even if you continue to use the regular AIM client, or something like Pidgin as your primary instant messaging client, it sure is a huge improvement over AIM Express for web-based AIM access. I, for one, give it two thumbs up…right after I finish using them for my conversation.
Verizon’s recent announcement to open their network to all CDMA handsets, as well as applications, marks a major transition in the mindset of wireless carriers in the U.S. and presents a great opportunity for innovative development. With the option for consumers to use any handset they like with Verizon’s service, manufacturers and developers will have fewer hoops to jump through when it comes to bringing their product into the market mainstream. Plus, people won’t be forced to use the programs that Verizon bundles with the phones they sell, or purchase ones only pre-approved by Verizon. In theory, everything should just work together, on one big happy network. In theory.
Today Google officially announced that it will be bidding for wireless spectrum in an FCC auction in January. The 700 MHz spectrum is going to be up for auction, and if Google is able to snag a part of it, it could mean a truly open wireless network. It doesn’t seem to be any coincidence that this announcement comes right on the heels of Google’s Android announcement. With the development of a mobile OS created for open development and communication, the ability to back it with an open wireless network would be a huge boost for Android’s success, and make Google even more appealing as a wireless provider.
As part of my training at Mass Maritime, I will be spending the better part of January and February 2008 onboard the T.S. Enterprise, Mass Maritime’s training ship, traveling around the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Since I get to have experiences that few people ever will, I have decided to set up a blog for the purpose of recording these experiences, and sharing them with readers. I plan to post pre-Sea Term news and information prior to departure, and then provide an update at least every other day during the trip. You can access the blog by going to seaterm.christiaanconover.com.
The Mass Maritime Green Club took a tour today of the solar power system the school has installed. The system cost about $1 million to purchase and install, and will provide a peak of 81kW to the school. It should complement nicely the 660kW wind turbine that the school put up in 2006.
One of the members of the club put some pictures of the solar installation online, which you can see here.
I’ve created my official YouTube channel, for use in conjunction with my blog.
Hurricane Noel (technically no longer a hurricane once it reached us) came through Cape Cod on Saturday, bringing winds in excess of 50 MPH, a couple of inches of rain, and 25-30 foot seas offshore. Mass Maritime had its fair share of issues as a result of the storm, including minor flooding and power outages. I took some pictures and videos during the storm, which I’ve posted below.