Boeing is introducing wireless internet access on their aeroplanes, so people with laptops and PDAs will be able to surf the internet and send email while in the air.

SMS was extensively used to reach thousands of people and encourage them to gather for the huge protests in Spain the other day.

“It was a political extension of the phenomenon nicknamed “smart mobs” by American author Howard Reingold – and it’s happened before. In the Philippines, text messages helped whip up public opinion and led to widespread protests, which ended in the eventual toppling of the president, Joseph Estrada, in 2001. The day after suffering their own impromptu smart mobs, the Spanish government was defeated at the polls. “

Indeed, it’s widely believed the protests had a major impact on the election result, and thus SMS can share part of the credit for the outcome.

Microsoft has launched a competitor to Google’s excellent Google News service. News Bot works pretty much the same way, with the system harvesting headlines from news sources around the globe. One nice touch is the foreign language versions.

Britain’s National Archive has launched a web site with digital images of more than 1 million wills, including some famous ones. You can read Will Shakespeare’s for free (the rest are 3 quid each).

Well you know a business model has hit the mainstream when two of the world’s biggest companies jump on the bandwagon. Both Wal Mart and McDonalds have announced music download/purchase plans in the USA.

Wal-Mart launches music service

McDonald’s to serve music

A new survey in the USA “has found that 29 percent have reduced their overall use of email due to the abundance of spam while 63 percent say the flood of spam has made them less trusting of email in general. “

Many people found spam devalued their internet experience, with 86% reporting “some level of distress with spam”

The Can-Spam anti-spam legislation seems to have had little or no effect, with some email users saying things are getting worse, not better, although some say they are receiving less porn spam.

A new survey in the USA “has found that 29 percent have reduced their overall use of email due to the abundance of spam while 63 percent say the flood of spam has made them less trusting of email in general. “

Many people found spam devalued their internet experience, with 86% reporting “some level of distress with spam”

The Can-Spam anti-spam legislation seems to have had little or no effect, with some email users saying things are getting worse, not better, although some say they are receiving less porn spam.

A survey of Australians has found that only 1 in 10 prefer to receive official contact via email and SMS – the rest would rather good old Australia Post. Perhaps not a surprising result – the survey was conducted by Australia Post.

A survey of Australians has found that only 1 in 10 prefer to receive official contact via email and SMS – the rest would rather good old Australia Post. Perhaps not a surprising result – the survey was conducted by Australia Post.

The other day I recommended you read The Tipping Point. Some fascinating research work is showing how the Tipping Point functions.

“researchers at Hewlett-Packard have proven the hunch, with a new study that reveals how workers use email to share information. A key finding – that a few connected individuals are often the power brokers of most information sharing – could yield valuable insights in both corporate efficiency and crime fighting. “

They are suggesting the traditional organisational chart is dead. Instead, you can model the organisational structure – one which reflects the true structure – by analysing information flow through the organisation.

“The researchers identified the key ringleaders who, like a network hub, served as a busy intersection for email traffic. By using 3D visual analysis and zoom graphs, Mr. Huberman and his colleagues revealed sub-communities that were rapidly sharing vast quantities of information. “