Spotlight

No. 6

August 30, 1999

Technology:

FireTalk
I don't play computer games. I don't have time for them and I find the so-called "real life" much richer and more surprising than even the most action-packed adventure game. That's unfortunate, for anybody who is trying to monitor new developments and trends in Internet technology cannot overlook the fact that the world of multiplayer games is one of the most powerful engines driving innovation on the Internet. Kids firing laser guns at blood-thirsty aliens have felt at home in a 3-D universe long before ActiveWorlds stumbled upon the idea of using it for distance education. At a time when big players in Web-based conferencing (Placeware, ActiveTouch), try to convince their hapless customers that voice communication via standard phone conferencing is the way to go, players of games like FireTeam can discuss their strategy via voice-over-IP modules that work with standard audio equipment of a low-cost computer...
Therefore, I may not be a game afficionado, but I still have adebt of gratitute to a company called Multitude, who decided to spin off just such a module into a stand-alone voice-chat tool. The software, currently in beta, is called FireTalk and is available as a free download to the Wintel crowd (i.e. runs only on Windows 95, 98, and NT). Its interface - very simple and extremely easy to use - resembles that of AOL Instant Messenger, but the set of features behind it is impressive. It supports two-way, multipoint audio conferencing with up to 8 participants in the "free-for-all" mode (although, frankly, as few as 3 people trying to speak at the same time turns the conversation into cacophony...), and more, if the speakers take turns and use the optional "Talk" button.
In my brief tests I found the voice quality to vary from very good to unintelligible crackling and wheezing, but on average better than most of similar offerings. Multitude claims that FireTalk has "remarkable voice clarity, even [when] using 28.8-Kbps dial-up". With proper equipment and setup (e.g. headphones instead of speakers, noise-cancelling mic, etc.) this may actually be true. Users of FireTalk connect to the central server and can either join existing conversations or quickly create their own chat rooms. For those without audio capability, textual chat window is provided as an alternative.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of FireTalk is its ability to work in conjunction with Web browsers; when this feature is activated, visitors to any Web page can see - in their FireTalk clients - the list of other FireTalk users currently viewing the same page, and can choose to start a conversation with them. In other words, to a FireTalk-er the World Wide Web is an almost endless collection of ad-hoc chat rooms waiting to be occupied. This and other features has earned the software my overall rating of "Recommended". It does have its shortcomings, especially when the voice quality is concerned, but it, and not phone calls, is the future of audio in Web-based conferencing. When combined, for example, with WebEx Meeting (see Spotlight no.1), it may well be the best collaborative environment today's dollars can buy.

FireTalk screenshots (click on a thumbnail):

Main interface Text chat

For more information please visit the FireTalk Web site or search the ACT database of Groupwork Tools.

Initiatives:

Michigan Comnet
Michigan Comnet's primary mission is to "foster the use of computer networking technology to increase communication and information sharing among people involved in the non-profit and public service sector." Established at the University of Michigan's School of Social Work and run in close partnership with the United Way Community Services, it provides a number of services to its registered (registration is free) members. These services include: online directory of members, mailing lists, training seminars, newsletter (Michigan Non-Profit Inter@ctive), online forums, and free Web page hosting. It has also conducted a survey of technology needs of nonprofits in Michigan, results of which should be available shortly.
University of Michigan, WTVS/Channel 56 (Metro Detroit), United Way Community Services (Metro Detroit), Non-Profit Enterprise at Work, Inc. (Ann Arbor), S.O.S. Community Crisis Center (Ypsilanti) are among Michigan Comnet's sponsors.
More information about Michigan Comnet can be obtained by calling (313) 226-9271, faxing (313) 226-9489, sending e-mail to
bboike@uwcs.org, or writing to: Michigan Comnet, c/o United Way Community Services, 1212 Griswold, 9th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226

Conference:
Local Knowledge/Global Challenge: Smart Community Development

International Conference and Technology Applications Expo

Held October 13-16, 1999 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada

The conference will bring together community developers, government officials, business people, and interested members of the public to acquire tools for their communities to develop Smart Community projects. Sessions during the Local Knowledge/Global Challenge conference will assess the major steps communities can take to fully benefit from Smart Community initiatives, no matter what level of technology is available in the community. Through discussions, workshops, and a technology applications expo, delegates will be challenged to develop a wider understanding of what practical steps communities can take to apply their local knowledge and to take advantage of a global opportunity.

Sample Smart Community initiatives to be discussed at the conference include:

Networking with a community halfway across the country or halfway around the globe for cultural exchange or for trade.

Setting up a video link between your regional hospital and patients in home care in rural or isolated communities.

Using computer-based teaching and training programs to help improve levels of literacy and numeracy in the community.

Selling the community's unique products using Internet technologies – or promoting the whole community as a tourist destination.

Placing computers in community centres where community members can directly access government information and services.

She said, he said:
"By 2020 every person in the Western world will be able to find an answer to any question that has an answer." -- Ray Kurzweil

©1999 Vlad Wielbut and the Alliance for Community Technology