URL Shortening: A Quick Peek
Since I have started using Twitter (see my twitter posts to the right) I have had to learn to live with 140 character messages. Quite a feat for me since I am struggling to keep my blog posts to 500 words or less.
Rating: 4 WaterTowers (perfect for the Twitter generation)
Looking at my Twitter posts you see that some of the URL’s (addresses to web sites) are shortened (and look like heiroglyphics).
This is “URL shortening”.
If you have a very long URL and want to put it in Twitter, an email, or other location it may page break or take the whole message allotment. One solution is to shorten it.
Example
The Tracy Press ran an article on the TracyVirtualOffice. Here is the unshortened URL:
Yikes!
Here are some shortened versions using several of the URL shortening sites I will give you links to below (click on them to try it):
Very impressive!
Advantages
- Shortened URL’s
- Some site offer hit statistics (see pic)
- Millions to Billions of URL’s can be shortened depending on algorithm
Bitly Stats Page
Disadvantages
- If a shortening location goes under…the links can be lost
- Privacy issues may pop up since the URL click info is gathered (but, maybe you are cool with that….I am).
- You may not know where you are clicking off to….arrrgh. (Thanks to Phil!)
In short, you can choose the shortening tool that fits your needs the best.
NOTE: If you are Twitter user, it seems like bit.ly is automatically used.
Links
Here are a couple of WikiPedia links that go into more detail.
On Tiny URL an early shortener
Here are the links to the shorteners I used in the example:
They are very easy to use and many have special plug-ins for IE and Firefox. Since I have moved on to Google Chrome, I did not see plug-in yet for that, but, maybe I just missed it.
Happy Shortening! :-)
Oh….http://TracyVirtualOffice.com is: http://bit.ly/HQadd
One more thing…Wordpress (home for this blog) has a new URL shortening tool for blog entries. This blog entry, shortened, is URL: (hmmm, let me work on that, hey…it’s new for them and for me 
Sheri: Tried just ctrl-c and then ctrl-a then crtl-c : URL: URL:
I had to write it down (I could not copy and paste using Chrome): http://wp.me/poEU1-hr
Donations
To stay objective, I would like to not put ads on my blog sites (and I really really really like Wordpress.com and don’t want to move away).
Sooooooo, if you like the information in this Blog and want to help support my ability to keep working on it, a donation of your choice ($1, $5, $10, hey…..$100 or more….:-)) would be greatly appreciated.
Lifesize Desktop Review
Rating: 4 WaterTowers (for leading the SIP only charge)
If only everything I have tried in the past 20 years were this easy, I’d be a millionaire several times over! :-)
Lifesize has entered the desktop market with a SIP only (yes…SIP only) application that is:
- Easy to Install
- Easy to Use
- Has a slick user interface
- Connects with SIP endpoints / infrastructure with ease
- Works well on Windows Vista
Geee, what more could anyone ask for?
This review is easy….scarcely 5 minutes after I downloaded the application, I made a call to a Codian MCU and it worked! A few minutes later I realized….DUH…that this was a SIP only application, so I enabled SIP on my Polycom PVX and connected the Lifesize Desktop to it. Easy as 3.14.
What do I think?
Super product. I’m a bit concerned about full interoperability with products that are not Lifesize, but, the PVX worked fine. But then again, SIP has been on the roadmap for a looooonnnnngggg time, it is about time someone pushed the state-of-the-art a bit, and Lifesize has been known to do that. Bravo!
To keep this really short….
Installation was a breeze (even on Vista which I love….sic).
When the start screen came up, I entered the IP address of the Codian MCU and connected. See the next three pics.
Lifesize Start Screen
Codian Welcome Screen
NOTE: I could not find the Far End Camera Control…so everything is not super intuitive. I was told to read the FAQ (see the email exchange below) but I suspect the responder did not understand my question. The Codian is already in DTMF mode (i.e. the Lifesize keypad controlled it just fine), I just want to move into the meeting using the right arrow.
Maybe I’m wrong (not the first time)…I’ll go read the FAQ….ouch!
Video to and from the Codian
Click the big red X to hang-up the call.
Some Features
This pic of the Management Center pretty much says it all.
Management Center
There is / are:
- An address book
- A Global Directory
- General Options (like setting call bit rates, etc)
- Audio and Video Settings (auto worked and found all the equipment perfectly)
- Communications, Admin, and Environment
Video
The Lifesize Desktop app can operate at 720p at 30 fps. Very cool!
The required computer is as follows:
| CPU | Pentium 4 2 GHz (minimum) Pentium M 1.8 GHz (minimum) Core Duo 2 GHz (minimum) Core 2 Duo 2 GHz (minimum) |
| RAM | 1 GB (minimum) |
| Hard Disk Space | 100 MB (available) |
| Operating Systems | Windows Vista 32 bit Windows Vista 64 bit Windows XP 32 bit (with SP2, SP3) |
| SW | DirectX 9.0 or higher Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 |
The following are suggested for optimum video and audio quality:
| Webcams | Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 Logitech Quickcam Pro for Notebook Logitech Quickcam Orbit |
| Headsets | Plantronics |
| USB Speakerphones | ClearOne Chat 50, 100 |
I have it set up on a computer that meets the requirements and have a Logitech 9000 and Chat 50. The TracyVirtualOffice Comcast Business Internet connection gives me 2.5 Mbps upstream, so, in the next 25 days I have the trial, if anyone wants to test HD from me, comment below with your email or phone number. :-)
Data Collaboration
This is easy….none.
No H.239, no chat, no file sharing. The email exchange below states that they are looking at adding “SIP Dual Video” in a “follow on release”.
OK, cool. BUT….a desktop system (or any system for that matter) really needs data collaboration….that said.
Connect to a Polycom PVX
With limited resources, I enabled SIP on my Laptop’s (my trusty old Toshiba running Windows XP) Polycom PVX and called it from the Lifesize. Instant connection…very nice.
Connected to Polycom PVX via SIP
Forgive the blurry video, the camera connected to my laptop is less than wonderful, it is not the Lifesize or PVX.
Email Exchange with Lifesize
Once I figured things out….I asked some questions (now you can see how much knowledge I lack wrt SIP…still learning, how cool is that ???!!!! :-)
1. I could not find H.239? Is that not available? Or is it well hidden? If there, can you guide me on how to fire it up?
This is a SIP product, the SIP equivalent of H.239 is SIP Dual Video. This is not available in the current release but is something we are looking at adding to the product in a follow on release.
2. No Chat capability?
There is no chat capability.
3. No file transfer?
There is no file transfer capability.
4. Are you planning on implementing any of the above in this product? If so, when? If not, why?
There are no plans for chat of file transfer capability. LifeSize Desktop is a video communications client.
5. This is, apparently, a SIP only product….is there no H.323 at all? If there is, I did not find it.
SIP Only.
6. If there is H.323 can you guide me on how to turn it on?
SIP Only.
7. If it is SIP only….does Lifesize think that there are enough SIP products out there (and that SIP to SIP interoperability is sufficiently good) to not isolate the Lifesize Desktop user from the rest of the VC world?
Yes, all of our endpoints and bridges are SIP capable.
8. Does Lifesize have a SIP to H.323 GW in the works or working?
All of our endpoints can bridge H.323 and SIP calls.
9. I connected to a Codian MCU but could not find Far End Camera Controls (up / down / left / right).. does that exist? If so, where is it? If not, why?
This is covered in the FAQ. Codian bridges can be switched to DTMF mode by pressing ##.
Summary
SIP has been a long time coming (understatement). I am impressed….I had just about given up on SIP even though most EP’s and infrasructure have supported it for a while now.
I emailed several industry friends and they told me that there can be SIP interoperability issues which may lead to some isolation, that a GW between SIP and H.323 would be more robust, and that people using H.323 may not want to shift into SIP mode just for me. Hmmmm, you mean I’m not the center of the universe? :-(
Lifesize Desktop is a really nice application. It is definately something that anyone needing a desktop application should look at as part of their evaluations.
Did I mention that it needs data collaboration?
Skype Video Review
Rating: 3 WaterTowers (where is multipoint?)
It took me awhile to get to Skype. Not sure why, but, I’m glad I finally tested it.
The Verdict: I will use Skype as my main videoconferencing connection in the TracyVirtualOffice. I still have the Polycom PVX as the standards-based H.323 connection, but, I am using it less and less and….hmmmm, Skype (at least so far) is free. Can’t beat that!
Before you read further, here is a really quick video I took of me (the only one of my friends brave, or dumb, enough to be on YouTube) calling the TracyVirtualOffice Patio computer.
Really Quickly
Skype rocks, but, it needs multipoint.
I used version 4.1.0.141 and have it loaded on my trusty, 3 year old, Toshiba laptop and on the new emachines (Vista) desktop in the TracyVirtualOffice Patio.
We have screaming fast Comcast Business Internet.
Moving up!
My Deeper Thoughts (feel free to comment)
Re H.323 for the “masses”: The king is dead. Long live the king.
Well H.323 is not really dead, but, you get the idea, maybe….ah….read on.
Except in the corporate world where high definition is the thing, I believe, now, that the standards-based H.323 videoconferencing market may not reach the masses as I, many years ago, had hoped would happen.
Don’t get me wrong, videoconferencing will still be a mass market (not counting corporate, education, telemedicine where it is doing very well thank you) success, but, the new king of videoconferencing for the masses may be (already is?) the Internet-based free (or very low cost) applications using a computer (laptop, network, cell phone, or desktop) and a web cam (built in or added).
And now, I’m on board in a big way.
Yes, I will continue to test the high end products and applications, yes, I will continue to use my Polycom PVX or Mirial Softphone to connect to my friends in the corporate world, but, moving forward, I am now a Skype user and everyone who crosses paths with me will know it.
Too bad it does not have multipoint….arrrghhh.
Prediction (?): There might be a time when these applications supplant the systems (high definition, standard definition and telepresence) in the corporate world….ohhh, did I say that? Hmmmm, yup.
Talking with my friend Tom the other day (via Skype) there is one thing that I am still looking forward to in the home, but it is not here yet. HD videoconferencing on your HDTV (I talked about it briefly in my “Ruminations” presentation, I called it VCTV). THAT would be super cool and could move the standards-based stuff back into the limelight for the home-based masses.
But, that won’t happen anytime soon (sure wish it would, though) so in the next 10 years or so, before VCTV happens….Skype and others will rule, and, I see cell phone videoconferencing booming, just think of the applications…..
Videoconferencing, the commodity, is almost upon us and the ability to meet from anywhere, at anytime, with anyone is a very powerful driver for mass adoption.
Installation
Downloading and installing Skype is a breeze. The hardest part for me was adding contacts since most people I know still do not use it. But, a few have surfaced (even though some work for videoconferencing vendors) and I have a small list of contacts now.
Skype works on Windows (I have it on Vista and XP), and the Mac. It was easy to set up and personalize. Maybe not for someone who is severely computer-challenged, but, for the ordinary computer user, it rocks.
Some Skype Settings (and Me)
Features
The list is soooooooo long, I dare not get into all of them here. Here are a few, with some that surprised me (like full screen presentation!).
- It is free (well, at least for now, not sure how long that will last)
- The video and audio quality are great ( I can use it in the TVO as a conference room system….yup, it is that good.)
- You can share your desktop or a portion of your desktop (if you pull up a Powerpoint, the called pary can make it full screen…the quality is awesome!, see pic below)
- Full screen video and presentation is awesome (the quality of the video at full-screen is very good, see pic below).
- File transfer (although it was painfully slow, I sent a 37 k file and it took nearly a minute).
- Chat capability (Skype calls it IM)
- It has call statistics (for the nerd in you)
- You can send your contacts to the called party and they can add them to their list of contacts
- You can play games with remote players (I have not tried this yet)
- There are a zillion other options, many of which are for a fee (not free). When you download Skype, you will see.
Some Screen Shots and Pictures
Calling someone is easy. If they are on your contact list, just click on them and then again on “video call”. Here are some screen shots and pics I took over the course of several calls.
Jay working hard in the TracyVirtualOffice
Full Screen Presentation
Full Screen Video
Some Games You Can Download
Summary
If you use Skype to connect with family, friends, or even at work….you will not go wrong.
Call us at: tracyvirtualoffice1 (just tell us who you are so I can filter)
Did I say Skype needs multipoint?
Windows 7
This article on CNN states that Windows 7 has been “finalized” and will be arriving Oct 22 (Hmmmm…they did not say 2009, I wonder?). ;-)
I just bought an emachines (great computer!) at Costco with Vista on it. Wow, that is / was a really bad OS. I had the hardest time getting the networking to work (by comparison XP was a breeze) and it has already crashed (blue screen) big time on me. That crash was so bad, I thought I would not get it back. It came back, but, now I am very leery.
And those infernal warning messages. That is sooooo intrusive….
Are you sure you want to dump Vista ? YES!
Sooo, bring on Windows 7. I sure hope it is better than Vista (it scares me that it has Vista “underpinnings”) since I will load it on the TracyVirtualOffice public computer (see photo at top) on day 1 of availability!
Desktop Videoconferencing Compatibility?
I have seen VidyoDesktop on Windows 7. Movi works on it. How about others? Scopia? CMA? ooVoo? Skype? Logitech Vid?
Please comment below if you know of, or have used them, on Windows 7.
In the old days, videoconferencing vendors always lagged OS upgrades…I’m pretty sure these days that is a thing of the past (??)
TracyReaderDad Book Reviews
- March 2010 Thrillers
- “The Bone Chamber” by Robin Burcell
- Barry Eisler on E-Book and Paper Publishing
- TracyReaderDad’s First E-Book Experience
- Feb 2010 Thrillers
- “The Last Surgeon” by Michael Palmer
- “Dead Air” by Mary Kennedy
- “City of Dragons” by Kelli Stanley
- January 2010 Thrillers
- Preview of “The Last Surgeon” by Michael Palmer
