Selected News (feed) sources on ICT

Posted on 4 May 2012 by Admin

Magazines, organizations, market research companies are good sources for latest news. Many of them provides feeds.

200px-Feed-icon svg

Some of the feeds are listed in this blog to facilitate your search for news.

Also some of them are made visible in this blog site by syndication (see feeds at right column and at bottom).

Definitions

Web feed:

A web feed (or news feed) is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content.

A typical scenario of web feed use is: a content provider publishes a feed link on their site which end users can register with an aggregator program (also called a feed reader or a news reader) running on their own machines;

RSS:

RSS (originally RDF Site Summary, often dubbed Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

Atom:

The Atom Syndication Format is an XML language used for web feeds, while the Atom Publishing Protocol (AtomPub or APP) is a simple HTTP-based protocol for creating and updating web resources.

Web feeds allow software programs to check for updates published on a website. A feed contains entries, which may be headlines, full-text articles, excerpts, summaries, and/or links to content on a website, along with various metadata.

The Atom format was developed as an alternative to RSS.

Web syndication:

Web syndication is a form of syndication in which website material is made available to multiple other sites.

Communication Networks

Information Security

ICT General

ICT Feed lists

Posted in ICT News, Tips | Comments Off on Selected News (feed) sources on ICT

World Newspapers, android application to read newspapers and RSS feeds

Posted on 3 May 2012 by Admin

World Newspapers is one good alternative for reading your favorite news.

Good:

  • Create your own list of newspapers
  • Long list of newspapers build-in
  • RSS support
  • Offline reading possible (to read later)

Bad:

  • no support for Atom feeds

Screenshots showing “Browse” – “Favorites” – “RSS Feeds”:

Worldnewspapers4 WorldNewspapers2 WorldNewspapers3

Posted in Recommended Android Applications | Comments Off on World Newspapers, android application to read newspapers and RSS feeds

Virtual Desktop and Cloud Computing, and Security aspects, via selected videos

Posted on 1 May 2012 by Admin

I list here some selected videos of the subject, for learning and for sharing/generating ideas.

Again, these videos are perhaps not the best set, but good videos which I have come across.

Cloud Computing

Short Videos to get the idea:

Longer Videos, more deep explanations and thoughts:

Cloud Security

Videos:

Virtual Desktop

Short videos:

Longer Videos, more deep explanations and thoughts:

More Information

There is some good literature, for example books like

Posted in Cloud Computing, Cloud Security | Comments Off on Virtual Desktop and Cloud Computing, and Security aspects, via selected videos

ITIL compliant software tools

Posted on 25 April 2012 by Admin

ITIL Software Scheme is the way to check if the software is endorsed as an ITIL tool. If the tool has been endorsed, then it can used “stamps” like

IIS-Swirl-Bronze IIS-Swirl-Silver IIS-Swirl-Gold

Endorsement is done via Licensed Software Assessors. Today there are only 2 Assessor companies:

The Endorsed Software tool lists are available: (for each tool, it lists the related assessed ITIL processes)

The Assessment Criterias are available, direct link is here. The figure below shows an extract from Incident Management Assessment criteria.

ITIL-assessment-criteria-IM

 

In addition Pink Elephant maintain their own lists:

For tools passing PinkVERIFY assessment criteria, there is another “stamp”

PinkVERIFY-3 1

Posted in ICT Leadership and Management, ICT Standards, ICT Training and Courses | Comments Off on ITIL compliant software tools

Serviio, Tool for sharing your media and online resources

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Admin

Serviio is one good alternative when looking for a DLNA media server.

“It allows you to stream your media files (music, video or images) to renderer devices (e.g. a TV set, Bluray player, games console or mobile phone) on your connected home network.”

For DLNA intro, see blog. For an android DLNA Player, see AnDLNA.

Serviio installation introduces 3 components: Start, Stop Serviio scripts and Serviio Console. The figure below shows the online sources examples in Serviio console.

Serviio1

If Serviio recognizes the client device, then it automatically uses suitable renderer profile. Otherwise it uses “Generic DLNA profile” (see Status tab). The menu structure visible in the client, can be adjusted in the Presentation tab.

Note about alternatives

I got Serviio working with Android phone (AnDLNA) and with Philips home theater. Neither were capable of showing subtitles.

Clearly the detailed functions, like subtitles, depends on both the media server and the player. I guess, one have to experiment with different Media Servers until getting a satisfactory solution. I’m listing here experiences with other alternatives. Note, I haven’t looked DLNA problems in details, since Serviio was working fine.

  • TVersity: was working fine. About the same functionality as with Serviio. Older version is free (need to search in internet)
  • LXiMediaCenter: simply and easy to use, alternative for sharing local files (no online capability)
  • PS3 Media Server: was working fine, but no online capability. I did not get subtitles working.
  • XBMC: I was able to setup sharing, but couldn’t get files visible in clients.

Note about subtitles

I got subtitles working in Philips hometheater, when using LXiMediaCenter as Media Server.

Notes about testing

  • VLC was able to show subtitles send by LXiMediaCenter. VLC did not show subtitles with Serviio.
  • XBMC was able to play videos from Serviio, but not from LXiMediaCenter (could browse content menus though).
  • UPnPTest: a tool for finding and testing servers and renderers
  • Developer Tools for UPnP Technologies : This is a must toolset for more serious troubleshooting
Posted in Anvanced Tools, Audio and Video, Recommended Free Tools, Tips, Troubleshooting | Comments Off on Serviio, Tool for sharing your media and online resources

DLNA, Introduction

Posted on 16 April 2012 by Admin

What is DLNA?

DLNA = Digital Living Network Alliance

About.com:

The DLNA sets standards and guidelines for home networking media devices. A device can receive a DLNA certification. This certification lets the consumer know that once connected to your home network, it will automatically communicate with other connected DLNA certified products.

DLNA certified devices can: find and play movies; send, display and/or upload photos, find, send, play and/or download music; and send and print photos.

The figure below is from DLNA’s marketing material showing some use cases.

DLNA-marketing

A typical setup example is shown in 2 figures below. (This is from Panasonic, see links chapter). PC is used as Media Server, and TV is Media Server/Renderer.

DLNA-panasonic-example2

 

DLNA-panasonic-example

 

DLNA Devices

ie. components in DLNA

About.com:

Digital Media Player (DMP) – finds and plays media from other devices and computers.

Digital Media Server (DMS) – stores a media library. It may be a computer, a network attached storage (NAS) drive, a smartphone, a DLNA certified networkable digital camera or camcorder, or a network media server device.

Digital Media Renderer (DMR) – similar to a digital media player, it plays digital media. However, the difference is that this device can be seen by a digital media controller, and media can be streamed to it from a digital media server.

Digital Media Controller (DMC)- the go-between device that can find media on a Digital Media Server and send it to the Digital Media Renderer. Often smartphones, tablets, computer software like Twonky Beam, or even cameras or camcorders are certified as Digital Media Controllers.

Technical side

DLNA Interoperability Guidelines are not freely available. However, Discover & Control and Media Management are using UPnP, for which specifications are available.

dlna-interoperability

What is UPnP?

upnp.org: The UPnP architecture offers pervasive peer-to-peer network connectivity of PCs of all form factors, intelligent appliances, and wireless devices. The UPnP architecture is a distributed, open networking architecture that leverages TCP/IP and the Web to enable seamless proximity networking in addition to control and data transfer among networked devices in the home, office, and everywhere in between.

UPnP standards are available here.

The figure below shows an example of Controller, Server and Renderer (from here).

upnp

 

Links

Video Links

 

Note

Some media servers can deliver content from internet as well (see blog).

Posted in Audio and Video, ICT Terminology, ICT Training and Courses | Comments Off on DLNA, Introduction

AnDLNA, android application to view videos and online feeds from your media server

Posted on 16 April 2012 by Admin

AnDLNA is one of the DLNA clients for android. If you have a media server at your home network (see blog), then you could watch videos and feeds via WiFi on your android without hassling with moving them to your phone or tablet.

First connect your android to your local network via WiFi, and then AnDLNA automatically searches DLNA servers on your network.

Left screenshot shows the menu structure on the media server. Right screenshot shows the video list inside the feed.

AnDLNA1 AnDLNA2

 

AnDLNA is using existing media player to play the actual media. The figure below shows MX Player window.

MX Player

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