Alec Saunders SquawkBox

I’ve moved the blog to a three column format.  I was piling up too much stuff in the sidebar, and wanted to get to a cleaner format.  In the process, I’ve also added a few new features:

1. Exposed a variety of different feed formats.  The left hand column contains a feature called the Syndication Center, which has a variety of different popular feed formats, and subscription chiclets for various readers.
2. Added a link to Randy Morin’s excellent R|Mail.  If you want to receive Saunders .LOG by email, the left hand column contains an area titled Subscription By Email.  Click on either the R|Mail chiclet, or use Bloglet (also linked). Randy’s tool is the best, though.  Bloglet has been unreliable as of late.
3. Exposed individual RSS feeds for each category.  If you’re only interested in what I write about tech, wine, Canada, travel… then you can pick and choose the feed you want to read.  Just go to the category list in the right hand column, and click the RSS chiclet you see beside each feed.

If you like this look, and want to use it on your own blog, I’m going to clean up the template files, zip them up, and distribute them as a Wordpress template.  Stay tuned.

Great game.  The new rules are making for some very exciting play.  Some nastiness on the ice:

• Ottawa’s Zdeno Charra took a stick to the face.  Andrew Alberts took a 4 minute penalty for that one.  Charra was in front of the net, Alberts stick came around like an axe, and Charra went down.
• Martin Havlat kicked Boston’s Hal Gill in the groin.  Gill came after Havlat, and started a bit of a scrap behind the Boston net.  Havlat retaliated by kicking him, and then Chris Neil jumped into the fray.  Both Neil and Gill took penalties. The refs didn’t see what Havlat did.  He should have been out, with a serious penalty.

Go Sens Go!

Build a business, not an acquisition target.  The world has changed since 2002.

… or at least, that’s what Aswath says.  He makes the compelling comment that most of the VoIP plays out there are in fact replicating the AIN on IP, rather than implementing a stupid network strategy. SCP’s in the AIN are functionally the same as app servers on VoIP networks. Why else would they do anything different, he asks, since there’s no money in the stupid network for the carriers.

The common wisdom is that the money in VoIP will come from the applications.  Why not implement those same applications on the PSTN, then, since the architecture is so similar?  Well, in fact, many carriers are at least paying lip service to this strategy. 

New devices are needed to expose these features.  Hence the need for an "iPod"… but not just for the PSTN, Aswath.  For voice of all persuasions.

It’s Hockey Night in Canada.  I’m watching the Senators / Bruins game.  The Sens are unbeaten so far this year.  First period power play goal at 11:15 by Chris Neil.  2nd goal by Vermette at 15:30.  Hasek has been unbelievable in goal as well.

On the way to their 5th win.

Janice asks why I am not watching the game in high def.  The answer is pretty simple.  The only high def game available is Toronto / Montreal, and, well, the Leafs Suck… or at least, that’s how the song goes.