Martin Hofmann

a personal blog about technology, communications and other stuff that interests me

Transatlantic

Chancellor 2.0 – Bonding with citizens on the Web

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First German Chancellor Angela Merkel started her own video-podcast series. Then a bunch of smart students and university graduates turned the tables on her and launched Direkt zur Kanzlerin! (“Direct to Chancellor!”), a platform where citizens can post questions for Angela Merkel. Anybody can submit a text, audio or video message for her on the site. Then people can vote for their favourite questions by mouse click. 

After getting blog buzz and media coverage for their idea, the students got Angela Merkel’s attention. The Federal Press Office has now stepped up and agreed to answer the top three question each week on behalf of the Chancellor. 

It is a different kind of Web 2.0 success story – a great little example of the potential that the ongoing spread of new, user-friendly technologies holds. What a great example of a couple people getting together and trying to make a difference through tech-driven grassroots democracy!

Consultant and author Anthony D. Williams recently blogged about the question: “is government ready for the Web 2.0 era?” Looks like the German government is playing catch-up with its people.  But the Federal Press Office deserves credit, too. At least they are ready to participate in the project. It’s a start.

Note: The “Direct to Chancellor!” site is only available in German.

(via Welt.de)

Broadcast tax for German bank machines

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The upcoming reform of the German “broadcast tax” system will expand the reach from television and radio to Internet usage. Starting in January 2007, businesses will need to pay fees for all computers and UMTS mobile phones because – through Internet access – they have the potential to receive radio or television programs. According to the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce, this will mean that financial insititutions will have to pay a broadcast tax for the 50,000 bank machines in Germany – because they are all connected through the Internet.

(via FAZ.net)

I fondly remember my student days in Bonn, when a “broadcast tax investigator” came to my door to find out whether or not I had any “illegal” radios or tv sets. Looking straight at the television in my one-room apartment, he asked me: “is this a television?” And I said, “why yes, it is indeed a television.” There are times when you have to embrace bureaucracy. But I still wonder whether he would have just walked away if I had said “no”. Maybe my broadcast tax investigator will now be promoted to head of the bank machine surveillance division.

Daily Mail: Big brother is not only watching you – now he is barkinging orders too

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According to an article in the Daily Mail, the Closed Circuit TV in Middlesbrough now features a number of loudspeakers, so control room operators can publicly berate bad behaviour and shame offenders into acting more responsibly. 

‘This isn’t about keeping tabs on people, it’s about making the streets safer for the law-abiding majority and helping to change the attitudes of those who cause trouble. It challenges unacceptable behaviour and makes people think twice.’

Ray Bonner, manager of CCTV at the City of Middlesbrough, in Daily Mail, September 16, 2006

Not sure if the clocks are striking thirteen yet (some would probably argue they already did when CCTV was introduced). It’s a debatable innovation and use of security technology but in today’s world, it’s hardly surprising. Let’s see if more cities in the UK will adopt this idea.

More mobile messaging

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Research firm M:Metrics says picture messaging is on the rise because more people own camera phones these days. Jupiter Research comments that “the growth in MMS (multimedia message service) has still been very very slow compared to what mobile phone operators had hoped for” and that “a growth in uptake of camera phones has been fuelled by the fact that there are decreasingly small amounts of non-camera phones available in the market place” (via BBC News – Technology).

Well, I didn’t buy my phone because of the camera. But now that it is there, I have started to use it. For example when I ended up in the middle of a World Cup party.

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Maybe new mobile software will help drive growth for multimedia messaging. The findings by M:Metrics should be an encouraging sign for software developers such as Toronto-based Ambient Vector who build new kinds of social networking offerings to be used with camera phones.

When I was in Europe in June I was surprised how much text and picture messaging is used by people of all ages. I have sent and received way more messages on my cell phone in those few weeks over there than in the last 18 months in Canada.

The roaming worked perfectly with my Fido phone for both voice communication and text messaging. But now that I am back in Canada, I get error messages (did my phone overdose on SMS in Europe?) Need to get that fixed.