Mark Paschal is highlighting the new Pro version of the popular Trillian instant messaging software. I've been using the free version because it lets me rename the contacts to something recognizable and it pulls your AIM, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger screen names into one convenient program. It also allows for secure connections, always a good thing.

I'm tempted to pony up the $25 just for the plug-ins. RSS, AccuWeather, and WinAmp is an appealing combination, even if I don't totally understand how they all work (and I don't actually see the AccuWeather plug-in listed on the Trillian site).

Using the WinAmp plug-in, could I see what Steven or Eric is listening to at a particular moment? How long before recommendation engines or rankings are added? How long until there's a version for my always-on, always-connected PDA/smartphone? Will it be able to interact with Outlook when I'm out of the office to grab contact information for my buddies or notifications from my calendar? Will it soon port all of my contacts across computers?

We talk a lot about convergence of devices, but what about convergence of software programs? Will a form of RSS news aggregation combined with instant messaging (that also handles SMS or MMS messages) be the killer app in the coming world of ubiquitous, pervasive computing?

The IM "giants" had better get their butts in gear and their heads out of the sand. Or not.

If you're a librarian in the Chicagoland area, there is still time to register for two good workshops we're holding at SLS this week.

1. Reference without Boundaries: QuestionPoint at The Library of Congress
   Digital Reference Specialists at the Library of Congress present the latest information on the QuestionPoint service, "a growing collaborative network of reference librarians in the United States and around the world." (live online chat)
   Thursday, September 19, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
    
2. Wireless Networks in the Library
   This workshop provides background on the issues, challenges, and technologies necessary to incorporate a successful wireless LAN. The Presenter, Marshall Breeding is the Library Technology Officer for the Jean and Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt University.
   Friday, September 20, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

I don't have time to read through the whole article right now, but check out Coming Soon: New Alloys with Shape Recall. The mind reels, although I have to wonder if given my recent computer problems, I wouldn't have just rolled up my flexible PC and thrown it at the wall.

"But what if your next laptop computer could look like…a box of plastic food wrap? If shape memory technologies find their way into PC and CE devices, they, along with organic LED (OLED) displays could make possible a whole new category of small and alternative form factor devices.

So what makes this so unusual? Imagine a folding motherboard, or a display that you roll up like a sheet of paper to stow away, and then when you release a switch, it snaps back to its open position. Or how about a window shade-style pull-down display with a wireless NIC and integrated CPU -- a thin client so cheap, you could have a bunch of them tucked away around your house? Now before you tell me to back off on my medication, read on, because these technologies are a lot closer than you think." [ExtremeTech]

Intel Goes for a New Overall Branding Look: Blue Man Group Out; New Focus on 'Digital Day'

"In a bid to connect with young adults and women, Intel Corp. kicks off a global brand campaign next week showcasing the benefits of a digital lifestyle....

" 'Digital Day' starts with a family in the kitchen, dad cooking breakfast while checking sports scores on a nearby PC. The spot cuts to a copy line: "Intel Inside your music" and shows people burning CDs, then 'Intel Inside your photos,' showing how a digital photo can produce a T-shirt transfer, and on through other scenarios. The spot ends with 'Can a better computer really change your life? Yes.' " [AdAge.com]

Actually, the correct answer for Intel may be no.

With the exception of using a laptop as a one-way broadcast television, embedding digital rights management (DRM) in the chips that run PCs could easily prevent every other use illustrated in this commercial. Watch it for yourself and decide if the current proposals by the entertainment industry would really let you burn CDs to play in your friend's car stereo or copy text and pictures to use in a school report. How can Intel, the previously loudest voice of dissent so far in the current push to embed copyright in everything up to your coffee pot, embed DRM in their chips without letting the debate run its course?

What scares me the most is that at this rate, our national spokespeople for the technology industry are going to end up being the Dell dude and the Gateway cow, and they're probably no match for a mouse.

To tide you over until I have enough consistent internet access to resume full-time blogging, here's a letter you can send to your elected officials regarding the CBDTPA. It was inspired by Aaron Schwartz's letter (he gets full credit for this), and you should feel free to modify it to add your own thoughts. If you're a librarian, you can do what I'm doing and add a paragraph noting this and how such legislation will affect my job.We all need to make our voices heard, so please consider printing a copy and either mailing it or faxing it to your representatives (you can find their contact information at Congress.org). Now is the time.