[sustran] New Mobility Communications for The Commons (A working note)

[Eric Britton]

It is our view here at The Commons that the fast growing IP communications
toolset that is springing up all around us holds one of the main keys to the
matters that are being looked at here from the very widest international
perspective.  And it is for this reason that we from time to time bother you
with leads and notes on the latest tools and uses thereof.  Below you have
the text of a link that you will now find sitting handily on the top menu of
the website, and which I very much hope you will at least be considering
and, more hopefully yet, even using.   

 

Your comments are invited, including by clicking one or both of the two
communications links (Skype, SightSpeed) that you will see at the top of the
left menu.  Be brave. Give it a try.

 

 

 

New Mobility Communications for The Commons

(A working note for our international colleagues and fellow problem solvers)

  _____  


Immediate access:

*   <callto://ericbritton> Click here for Skype phone link 

*   <http://people.sightspeed.com/eric.britton@ecoplan.org> Click for
SightSpeed Video link 

*   <http://www.worldtimeserver.com/time.asp?locationid=FR> Check Paris time
for call 


Deep background:

*   <file:///D:\Web\www\kyoto\challenge\ipcomst.htm> How it works

*   <file:///D:\Web\www\kyoto\challenge\e-environment.htm>
Electronic/Environment 

*   <http://ericbritton.org/htdocs/general/eb-examples.htm#it> ICT
Operations Profile: 1972-200

 


IP in 2005: Efficient. Powerful. Cheap. Sustainable. 


 

The vital key to real progress in the struggle to sustainability resides in
our ability to combine forces to build knowledge and consensus. The inputs
to accomplish this are not going to come from a single place. A world wide
outreach is needed. And to accomplish this we have to make good use of all
the assets we have in hand. Which brings us smack to the issue of mastering
available communications technologies. 

Here is how our "virtual presence/distance work" communications toolset that
we have built up here at The Commons looks thus far (with more to be added
as the project moves ahead and the collaborators start to be more
comfortable with these concepts and tools). 

You can start immediately to get a feel for how this works. Just click the
Skype and/or SightSpeed links, and we can start talking or one-on-one
videoconference at no cost to you. Once you have got the hang of it, believe
me you will not go back. For more background, read on. 


Why? 


 

Because we all need to learn, to be able to communicate better: more easily,
more succinctly, and most likely in fact not necessarily all that much more
in terms of sheer quantity of time spent. (Remember that every hour you
waste sitting in an airport or on a plane is an hour stolen from your real
work. So let's see how we can use our latest technologies to do a better job
of all this.) 

Because we need to behave in a more responsible manner and do what we can,
including through clever use of these technologies, to cut our CO2 etc.
profligacy. Start by using this toolset to see if you can reduce your
physical travels by half. Go on a CO2 diet. You and the planet will feel a
lot better. 

The tool set that you see on this page is explained in this first instance
largely in terms of one-on-one communications, with the option of trying it
out with us at The Commons and our various programs that use these tools.
But bear in mind that the final objective is not so much talking with us
(though that is certainly a pleasure from this end), but rather to put these
tools before you for broader uses. With your other colleagues in various
places around the world, and of course in group situations. As you will see
if you continue to read on here, there are some very 


Skype: Free IP Telephone 


 

 <http://www.ecoplan.org/kyoto/challenge/skype.com> Skype is a world wide IP
communications service offering free or almost free phone calls anywhere in
the world. Since it is easy to install and enormously cost-effective (and
secure), we have found that even our most technology wary colleagues are
able to get the swing of this and more over to it comfortable without having
to undergo some kind of gut-wrenching mid-life culture change. 

It is our goal to move all of our international colleagues over to this
handy means of communicating (or some similar, see below for a few more
options), since we are convinced that those who are working to push the
frontiers in these important areas need to have easier and cheaper access to
each other. 

Click here <http://www.Skype.com>  to get full background information on
Skype <http://www.Skype.com> , as well as step by step guidelines for the
very easy download and install routine. The whole thing should take you ten
minutes. And if you wish to test your system, just pop the name ericbritton
into the address box and you will be directly in touch with us here.
Quality: very high. Cost: zero. 

 <callto://ericbritton> Already on Skype? Click here to call direct. 


SightSpeed: videoconferencing and group work system 


 

If you are comfortable in this general technology environment, all you have
to do is click here  <http://newmobility.sightspeed.com/> and follow your
nose. If not, just drop down to the next paragraph and the leads it provides
to facilitate your access. 

*	First <http://people.sightspeed.com/eric.britton@ecoplan.org>  easy
video connect (PC and Mac support, multilingual)
The free SightSpeed.com package is the fastest and easiest to make that
first contact. Works for both PC and Mac. The install routine is
straight-forward with quick and clear step by step instructions for your
first visit (download plug-in and off we go). Your cost for use with us:
zero! (And later if you decide to use it mo0re generally in support of your
work, very cheap.)
*	System requirements:
Ideally in addition to your high speed internet connection and basic
computer set-up, and Internet Explorer 6.0 or better, with sound card (see
System <http://www.ecoplan.org/kyoto/challenge/ipcoms.htm#ss>  Check below,
ideally you have a proper webcam (example: good Logitech model, again see
below). But even that is not absolutely necessary for the trial. If you are
without camera, you will still be able to hear and see us in this first
step. 

And if you are not accustomed to this sort of thing, courage! In truth it's
no big deal. You will quickly get comfortable with this new and very useful
functionality. Very high quality Help & On-Line Support available direct
from: http://www.sightspeed.com. Be sure to check out your system and
equipment requirements first (more on this below). 

Still running into problems and areas of uncertainty? Don't worry, pick up
the phone and let us hear from you via Skype or the suddenly very old phone
system +331 4326 1323 or try an email at secretariat at ecoplan.org. 

And once you get comfortable with this, we can begin to look further and
start to make use of some of the more complete group conferencing packages,
for which more information follows. 


SightSpeed supports The Commons and the New Mobility Agenda:


 

The SightSpeed group has generously offered to support the work of The
Commons, the New Mobility Agenda and the Kyoto World Cities 20/20 Challenge
program by offering free one year subscriptions to all those who are
cooperating with these projects. All we need to have for you to set up your
free service is a one line email indicating your interest addressed to
secretariat at ecoplan.org, with a copy to pzottolo at sightspeed.com. 


MSN Messenger: Useful support tools 


 

MSN Messenger: When we collaborate on a group project, we ask each member of
the team to check in via MSN Messenger (that's http://messenger.msn.com/)
and it's free.. We find this the best way either to knock gently on the door
to set up a conferencing appointment, or alternately for you to leave a
message to indicate that you dropped in, and when you'd like to hear from
us, etc. 

MSN Messenger also offers a useful complement to both Click to Meet and
SightSpeed, especially for the latter since it permits additional group work
functionality, allowing for such things as simultaneous sharing and viewing
of documents, webpages, high speed file transfer, whiteboards, chat, etc.) 


Group work and conference environment 


 

Once you have been on line a few times with our 'alpha' or learning system
thanks to SightSpeed, it will be easy for you to take the next step, which
is our much more complete and powerful group work and conferencing
environments. The excellent and ever evolving software for this has been
developed by a group called First Virtual Communications, based on early
work carried out at Carnegie Mellon University going back a full decade. It
is a mature product that works. We are grateful to our long time friends and
colleagues at the  <http://fg.uni-mb.si/defaultEng.asp> Construction IT
Centre of the  <http://www.uni-mb.si/podrocje.aspx?id=0&langID=1033>
University of Maribor in Slovenia for making these sites available to us for
our pioneering public interest work. 

Note: When you enter either of these sites for the first time, please bear
in mind that there is no need for you to register. Thus when it asks you to
"sign in" you can safely ignore and keep moving right along, as if no one
ever asked. (Later when you decide to join and wish to make fuller use of
the capabilities, we can set up your sign in routine.) 

1.	 <http://cgiserver.uni-mb.si:8080/clicktomeet/index.htm?ID=200>
Click to access to our virtual office (appears in own window)
Our virtual office is intended for private meetings and consultations,
including eventual initial conversations about either our on-going work,
future projects or ideas that you may have for collaboration or support.
(The full office address in case you wish to pop it into your IE browser
direct is:  <http://cgiserver.uni-mb.si:8080/clicktomeet/index.htm?ID=16143>
http://cgiserver.uni-mb.si:8080/clicktomeet/index.htm?ID=200. If I am not
there when you check in, please drop me an email note and we can setup a
mutually convenient time for a meeting.) 
2.	 <http://cgiserver.uni-mb.si:8080/clicktomeet/index.htm?ID=16143>
Click to access to Conference facility (appears in own window)
There is more to this than just videoconferencing (a powerful state of the
art tool for our daily uses in any event). The program works to turn all
more commonly used applications into a multi-level group work environment,
integrating with the common desktop applications, your web browser, Windows
Messenger and Outlook for calendaring and scheduling. The simple upload of
PowerPoint, Word and Excel files allows seamless collaboration with others
in the conference. (The full conference room address in case you wish to pop
it into your IE browser direct is:
<http://cgiserver.uni-mb.si:8080/clicktomeet/index.htm?ID=16143>
http://cgiserver.uni-mb.si:8080/clicktomeet/index.htm?ID=16143.) 

Both of these group work programs -- PC only, sorry -- are comprehensive
tool sets for distance group work: they offer not only offer direct or group
videoconferencing and/or voice access, but they also accommodate different
levels of participation (works with full webcam/sound, sound only, no-see
no-hear but view visual proceedings). You will see more about this as you
get into the programs themselves. 

However if you are not familiar with this technology, we counsel that you
check out the following. A little care here will go a long way to make this
an easier and more effective experience. 


Check out your system first


 

What you have here is one-click access to some very complete group work
facilities, which you will find amply explained below and on the sites
themselves. But let's start by checking out your system requirements,
showing you first an optimum but still quite affordable set-up, following
that with a rig that is perfectly useful for daily operation. 

Best audio, video, data experience:

*	Pentium IV 1.8 GHx 512Mb 
*	QCIF video size at 30fps w/ 8 videos received 
*	G.722 audio 
*	Echo cancellation enabled (Windows XP) 

Still quite good:

*	CPU Windows: Pentium III 800 MHz 256 Mb 
*	Operating Systems Windows: 2000 or XP 
*	Macintosh: G4 800 MHz or faster 
*	Macintosh: OS X 10.3 or higher 


Communications: 

*	High speed (broadband) connection: Min. > 256k 

Peripherals 

*	Sound card, with headset or speaker phone 
*	Webcam ( <http://www.sightspeed.com/page.php?page=cameras> Click
here for a useful listing. Note: If you wish only voice access, you will not
need a webcam.) 

Click to Meet Specifications:  <http://www.fvc.com/eng/products/ctm4.htm>
http://www.fvc.com/eng/products/ctm4.htm 


Attitude (Check out yourself too)


 

IP Conferencing although fast advancing is still very much in the process of
finding its way. This means that when things are well prepared and
conditions correspond, then it can offer an extremely satisfying and useful
experience. On the other hand if you are working alone and without good
support, you will need to exercise patience and forbearance from time to
time. And in this a little knowledge about what you are actually trying to
do helps. 

The bottom line: if you have a low frustration threshold and expect things
always to work the first time around, this is probably not for you. Come
back again in a year or so and you will certainly find a more facile working
environment. But then too, you will have missed twelve months of working
creatively with others perhaps many miles away and who just may have a lot
to share with you, to teach you, and, yes, to learn from you. And of course,
imagine all the CO2 that you are not burning when you keep off that plane.
That should make you feel good, and the planet will certainly thank you. 


How to use. . . and protecting your time


 

One of the more daunting tricks of these technologies is not only to get
them up and working (which fortunately is getting easier with each
generation of new products), but also the no less challenging task of
figuring out how to make a useful tool of what you can have. This is not
always so self evident and does require a bit of a strategy. 

For our part, when we go on line with services like Skype, SightSpeed and MS
Messenger, which we have on line all the time during the working day, we
make sure in the first place that we restrict entry only to those friends,
family and colleagues that we want in fact to hear from. In each case when
you get the product up and working, it is worth paying some attention to
seeing how this can be done. 

But the other half of this coin is the matter of netiquette: how do we then
figure out how best to let someone know that we want to speak or
videoconferencing in a manner which is properly discreet and not disruptive
of their work or concentration. Now there is of course the option there of
simply and boldly clicking them in -- but this as you can well imagine
amounts to an uninvited breaking down of their door. Not on clearly! 

All three of this first level of software products offer the possibility of
leaving them a discrete note inviting them to a meeting, which they can then
ignore, give you a good time for or whatever. This is very handy and works
well for us and those with whom we are in frequent contact. 

Finally a note on CO2 et al. These technologies will, if you give them even
half a chance, help you gradually to cut back on your physical movements,
which of course is what in our view at least "New Mobility" is all about. If
in the Kyoto World Cities Challenge we are asking on the cities to cut back
on their CO2 and traffic by 20% in 2o months - well it is only fair that we
do at least as well for our own part. And indeed we can. 


Hosting and Costs


 

Thanks to a long standing relationship of friendly cooperation and exchange
on matters relating to our deeply shared common interests and commitment to
the sustainability agenda, the use of this system is free to The Commons and
our programs and international associates and supported, with all costs and
technical overheads most kindly covered by our colleagues at the
Construction IT Centre <http://fg.uni-mb.si/defaultEng.asp>  of the
University of <http://www.uni-mb.si/podrocje.aspx?id=0&langID=1033>  Maribor
in Slovenia.  


For more information/Help


 

*  General background on Click to Meet: http://support.fvc.com 

*  On current program (Ver. 4.0): http://www.fvc.com/eng/products/ctm4.htm 

*  Full background on SightSpeed.com <http://www.sightspeed.com/> 

 

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