Wednesday, December 22, 2004

An idiot-proof guide to decentralized media

I have posted a 5MB torrent file to Prodigem, shot on my SPV C500, giving a first-hand account/demonstration of how easy it is to use. The file is called "A Luddite idiot's testimonial on Prodigem." I thought this might be interesting, as there are only 60 people involved in the beta at present. It was also fun. Shame about the resolution, and the on-screen talent. I think we will all agree my face is ideally suited to radio.

Why is this application potentially really important?

1) It is dead easy to use.
2) It is hosted. The user doesn't have to play around with servers.
3) Even a device as relatively primitive as a smartphone can be used as a convenient content capture device, and I didn't have to fork over any cash to the GPRS network to distribute it - plus it has potential to be viewed far more times than if I had forked over that cash.
4) Anyone can play - well in theory at least.

The implications of this really hit me last night when I was at a play in London. During the interval, making our way out into the lobby with the throng, I felt someone rub up against me in the crush, and turned to find myself face-to-face with Sting. I'm not a huge fan, but nevertheless, there I was with my video-enabled smartphone. I'm not the sort of person to take advantage of such a situation, but let's just say it opened my mind to a lot of possibilities. Obviously these extend far beyond invading the privacy of celebrities, and may in fact be quite profound.

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