I’m trying out ‘Covert Browser’ on the iPad. It’s not a cheap app at £1.99 but I can’t find anything else Tor enabled in the official app store.

If the integration of the open source version of Tor is working correctly then this app should offer not only unmonitored Internet browsing but also access to content that is blocked because of your ip’s geographical position.

I have just tested the app on my iPad by watching a video from ColbertNation.com. Normally blocked in the UK, the site loaded fine and the videos i tried played without delay or issue.

Although the app has a few things it needs to iron in the design department, I can see this becoming a handy tool for anyone with an iPad that doesn’t want to mess around with VPN’s and proxy’s and would much rather just click on an app.

If you do live in a country where content is regularly blocked it may be worth you opting for something less browser based by adding some VPN settings into your phone from RaptorVPN.com

For more information on Tor visit TorProject.org

This five part mini series of Audioboo’s were compiled, edited and enhanced with music by Mark Cotton aka @MCFontaine You can find out more about Mark here: http://about.me/mcfontaine

I blogged about the Do Lectures in detail after I attended in September 2011. You can get more detail here: ourmaninside/do-lectures

For a glimpse into some of the moments and conversations please take a few moments to listen below.

..and here are a few images from my Flickr stream

If you would like to subscribe to my Audioboo’s in iTunes please CLICK HERE

Thinking Digital does the conference model really well. It’s a humane accessible version of TED. Small enough to be friendly, big enough to attract the innovators looking for and sharing new ideas.

The Do Lectures do something amazing between a campfire chat and an intimate mini festival. It’s still the most amazing ticketed event I’ve been to and I feel would be extremely difficult to emulate if you were ‘in it for the money’.

SXSW Interactive calls itself a festival but feels to me like the bloated physical manifestation of Facebook. I love the festival model but when it grows for the sole intention to create more profit it becomes monstrously corporate at the expense of heart and soul. If it’s participants can’t see the added value because nothing stands out as amazing on a menu of mediocre. Then it’s just a shanty town of billboards, populated by the bewildered.

If I was going to create something right now, I’d do something similar to the Elevate festival. Set in Graz, Austria, events were ran in all kinds of places from community spaces to the caverns of a hollowed out mountain.

It would start after a lazy breakfast, late enough for conversations and epicurean enjoyment of a shared meal. With more panels than stand up speakers, the audience could see who could talk around their field and not just about their field. A hefty chunk of panel time was given to the floor with statements encouraged as much as questions. The audience switching effortlessly from voyeur to participant.

After the political, environmental & musical discourse came the DJ’s and bands filling laser lit carved rock walls inside the mountain. The music, conversations and partying continued till dawn.

Once again the spaces either side of the timetabled events held immense value. The panels and talks merely catalysing the social side.

We naturally connect with those around us. It doesn’t need to be timetabled in. In fact some people loath the pressured expectation that in between sips of coffee you will be reciting your LinkedIn profile to whomever you can corner or collar in those precious 15 minutes.

I’m not saying the conference model is dead, I just think there is room for more of the intimate festival feel. Less herding from room to room, more of a flow around the attractions.

If you’re looking at assembling a quick and easy gathering of people in order to impart information in a day, then maybe the standard conference model is still for you. Although longevity in the conversations and connections is where I feel value lies.

If you want the ideas planted in the panels and talks to germinate within in your participants minds, let them socialise organically. Take the time to make the space.

Why have a flash of inspiration when it can strobe.

I starting writing a book called the ‘Blaggers Guid To The World’. I never finished it. At the time I felt I could easily justify some of my money making and free travel methods I was exploring but now.. written down.. they don’t look entirely ethical, so the book sits half finished in a tatty notebook.

My social network at the time lived in the same leather bound notebook. The pages were split into countries and under each country heading were listed names, addresses and phone numbers. Most of the travellers I met on the road would exchange details with me. No emails or mobile numbers.  Just an address & home number that if you rang and someone answered, you could be sure of a bed for the night as you travelled through.

There was an unwritten code of mutual assistance for anyone wanting to follow a nomadic way of life. We were the voluntary homeless, the student tramps on a never ending year out, Backpackers without an itinerary.

The noticeboards at youth hostels would give you the latest local information. Even where you could eat, shower and sleep for free. I soon learn’t that marinas offered a comfortable night under an upturned boat and occasionally had unlocked warm showers for shivering windsurfers.. or me.

Markets and Hari Krishna temples always had free food and in Italy I could be sure to feast on salami, bread and cheese should I wander into a church looking hungry. Yes I’d have to listen to a religious sales pitch but that was a small price to pay for such luxurious tastes.

At one point on my travels I met a guy on the run form the French Foreign Legion. On a short overnight boat trip, I listened to his acquired wisdom and he gave me half the contents of my unfinished book. He scrawled out some symbols into my notebook and told me to keep an eye out for chalked of stone scratched graffiti.

Years later I found out this was an almost identical code to American Hobo signs.

I took to carrying a chalky stone in my pocket and adding the relevant marks where I could. I liked the idea that if spotted, the owner could remove it but also that with time it would fade. A fresh mark meant a recent update and fresh news.

Today, many people still don’t get location based social networking but we have very similar features to those above in apps like Foursquare and Gowalla.

If I had the time, energy and know-how I’d build an app based on the above system used in Hobo Graffiti. I’d also also include some of the more known Wardriving symbols that also used to be spotted on our streets in order to highlight open Wifi. I am not sure the newly digitally equipped Hobo would be ready for the WorkSnug kind of interface but something smart and simple.. Why not?

Of course there are more than a few location apps showing available hotspots, power points etc. But as more people travel with technology or shun our normal static lifestyles, how about an app aimed at the travellers, the voluntarily homeless?  One that does not necessarily conform to societies norms.

I can’t imagine how my 10 years exploring the world would have looked should I have had a smart phone in my pocket. As it stands I’m quite glad I trod the analogue path.

But should I ever do it again, these kinds of apps would certainly travel with me. Along with my digitised and leather bound social networks.

Soon after my arrival I realised as a participant that this is not just a ride. It’s not something people are paying to see. This is an investment in yourself and others. A rollercoaster with a steering wheel everyone can get their hands on.

…………………………………..

I was invited to attend The Do Lectures. In a quiet corner of West Wales it’s a tiny event that’s not a conference, not a festival, more a meeting of minds where everyone is a speaker and listener combined. It’s inspiration has been emanating from it’s tented setting for the last four years and continuously from the minds of the attendees as they visit and return to their respective countries.

“	Checking out bandwidth.. Not bad on a three MiFi. @ The Do Lectures http://gowal.la/p/hHqw #photo
	Documentally September 14, 2011

“	The comedienne at #dolectures has said ‘Hello Nerd Camp!’ ..that’s us then.
	Documentally September 14, 2011

“	I’ve tears of laughter at the Tory hating, Bronte loving, fantasist comedian at the #dolectures
	Documentally September 14, 2011

“	Sat at a camp fire at the #dolectures listening to Chailo sim’s first ever unplugged set. It’s a bit like a Glastonbury moment but in Wales.
	Documentally September 14, 2011

“	Back at basecamp. In the teepee listening @greenape @Tom_Herbert_ talk #breadporn.
	Documentally September 14, 2011

“	Chatting with @Nayfe from @iamreplete over breakfast. #dolectures
	Documentally September 15, 2011

“	Attendees here feeling warm at the thought their ticket money allows all the talks here to be shared free with the world #dolectures
	Documentally September 15, 2011

“	Real life friendship > Internet friendship, but real life + Internet friendship > real life friendship. #dolectures
	Documentally September 15, 2011

“	What’s your story? ..yes its a simple question but did you ask it to yourself recently? #dolectures
	Documentally September 15, 2011

“	Should I die in a teepee fire my DNA will be inexplicably mixed with that of a reindeer. #dolectures
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	Just learned a great deal from Colin Tudge about farming and how it should be http://t.co/bUrINDqC #dolectures
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	The steady festival like ferrelisation of everyone’s appearance is a great leveller. We’ve amputated vanity from the Do’ers at #dolectures.
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	Listening to @greenape talk at #dolectures he’s a funny guy when he’s not snoring.
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	More great food wine and conversation. Just like a normal Friday but in Wales.
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	Learning how to Wi-5 off @Hoeken It’s like a high-5 but at a distance over the air. #dolectures
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	Listening to an amazing Nico-esque Welsh musician I’m told is called Tasmin La Bon. But it’s hard to google/verify for obvious reasons.
	Documentally September 16, 2011

“	I woke with new knowledge themed around whisky & saunas. Not the best combination. #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Great start to the day at #dolectures lots of attentive but slightly hungover people feeling a communal fuzzyness.
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Great night last night. It ate a little too much into sleep time but worth it. Some folks were up at 5:30 am canoeing.
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	At what age were you when you felt like you finally knew who you were? When you got to know yourself? #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	I think I was 30 when i felt like I knew who i was. It was at the end of 10 years of travel & who I am has changed a lot since. #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	If you run a conference & have not seen how the #DoLectures do it. You are not doing your job properly.
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Up to now some passionate speakers at the #dolectures have made me teary. Chido Guvera’s story has made me cry.
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	@sirajdatoo yes I’ve been to hundreds of different conferences in the last 4 years. The best was 5 times better than most but only 50% this.
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	An impassioned, honest, humble and inspiring talk from surf film maker Micky Smith an epic do’er #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Dark Side Of The Lens.. http://vimeo.com/14074949 Watch It. #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Fun to see @smithsam accidentally start the bidding on a poster for £25,000 #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Watching Gruff Rhys and his various musical gadgets at #dolectures
	Documentally September 17, 2011

“	Sad to be leaving the #dolectures looking forward to reflecting on this time.
	Documentally September 18, 2011

“	Civic Economy is a macro model of people empowerment. Redistribution of wealth through the micro enterprises within a society. #DoLectures
	CatherineErica September 18, 2011

“	“If I only scrape a living, at least it’s a living worth scraping.” Micky Smith #dolectures
	i_am_mr_sedders September 18, 2011

“	550 miles later. I’m home. Massive thanks to the #DoLectures for having me.
	Documentally September 18, 2011

“	@DoLectures my ears are ringing, my soul is singing, there’s reindeer hair and straw everywhere. Thank you #PhotosAndScars
	Tom_Herbert_ September 18, 2011

“	@DoLectures = massively necessary life-changing anti mind fuck.
	nayfe September 18, 2011

“	Someone once asked me, “Are the #dolectures worth it?” It’s simple: sell your car, go to the #dolectures. It’s worth it (and bikes rule).
	CivicSponsor September 17, 2011

“	@DoLectures thanks for a great night. Awesome conversations with awesome people. Ideas + energy = change
	JaneBryngwyn September 18, 2011

“	Amazing time @dolectures. Planning re-entry to normal life after the most exhilarating time ever. Big thanks to everyone who made it special
	tomfarrand September 18, 2011

“	Thanks to the #dolectures massive for yet another incredible, mind bendingly brain fizzing 5 days. Good to make new friends @Documentally
	175viatribunali September 18, 2011

“	Had an incredibly good time @DoLectures #DoLectures!!! It was everything I thought it would be and 1000% more!
	LiviuLica September 18, 2011

“	#dolectures = utopia
	paskq September 18, 2011

“	Had my mind, body and soul completely blown apart at the @DoLectures an amazing event. As mickey smith would say I am armed with a grin!
	searsio September 18, 2011

“	@DoLectures was amazing beyond words. My hair smells like campfire, boots splattered with mud, my head & heart full of ideas and inspiration
	nhu September 18, 2011

“	Congratulations to @DoLectures what an awesome event. #Wales should be very proud.
	RichieTrnr September 18, 2011

“	The Do Lectures was hands-down the best event I’ve attended in around…oh…30 years or so. Click the hashtag & get a flavor: #DoLectures
	lesmckeown September 18, 2011

“	Re-emerging from 5 days at @DoLectures in the forest in Wales. Inspirational and rewarding.
	dwinter September 18, 2011

“	If the @DoLectures was set in outer space it would be called a Jedi Convention. That’s a fact. #dolectures
	searsio September 19, 2011

“	I have some serious sleep to catch up on after the #DoLectures. Resuming abnormal service tomorrow.
	Documentally September 18, 2011

“	It”s going to take a few days to recalibrate after attending the @DoLectures in Wales.
	RSWorks September 19, 2011

..and the original Storify is linked here: http://storify.com/documentally/the-do-lectures

An eavesdropping dog in Brazil

For me a community is not tied to a geographical area. It’s more an area of common life. I live across a number of communities.  Family, friends, work, and a number of geeky tech loving groups who exist both on the web and in physical space.

Some hold a fellowship of solidarity and trust. Others merely contain a group of peope who share a common interest. Either way these communities are really important to me.

Anthony P. Cohen argues that communities are best approached as ‘communities of meaning’. In other words, ‘”community” plays a crucial symbolic role in generating people’s sense of belonging’.

I feel it’s this sense of belonging that’s missing from areas in society. And without this we are unable to build a feeling of self, of individuality.

Whether we like it or not capitalism permeates everything we do. Creativity is often styfled as production is privately owned and operated for profit. We are too far down that road to do anything about it. Still, there is no reason why we can’t create communities freely sharing our own thoughts, dreams and aspirations. A shield or filter as an antidote to the bombardment we are subjected to as the advertisers tell us how they think we should live.

The problem is, that most community spaces now cropping up have little to do with freedom of expression. They are controlled environments where the participants are leeched of all shared knowledge, where their interactions and connections are studied at a minute level.

CCTV near Orwell's grave

If I arranged to meet with friends on my village green only to find that our every move was monitored and recorded, conversations archived and our home addresses logged.. I’d most certainly go and find somewhere a little more relaxed to chat. If in addition to this we were bombarded with suggestions of what someone thought we should spend our hard earned cash on… I’d probably leave never to return.

That is if there was somewhere to leave to.

We forget that Facebook and Google are advertising companies providing a communication infrastructure. Google plus is not a social network. We are the ones being sociable in the networks. It’s easy to forget this and our amnesia suits them just fine.

I’m aware of this. But only sometimes. It’s far too easy to get sucked in because that’s where my ‘friends’ are.

My networks exists cross platform. But for how much longer?

I won’t go into my gripes with Google+ following in the footsteps of Facebook and dictating how we should be conversing and what we should call ourselves. Making out they are doing us a favour by giving us four days grace to ‘fix’ our accounts should we rather use our nicknames in our posts. There are more than enough people making a noise around this to show it’s Google who are in fact broken.

I am now formulating a backup plan. An escape route. A quiet place where I can chat with friends in as close as I can find to privacy. Whatever that is.

This will probably sound terribly extreme to someone just floating along quite happily. I’d just like more options. I’m bored of the taste of ready meals and fancy something wholesome. Besides, I back up my data, why not back up my communication channels.

Masonic Lodge in Rugby

I’m not looking to create a secret society. I’m looking for an open system. Not owned or exclusive but shared worldwide. Perhaps a version of Status.net that in an emergency could work even if the internet is turned off. Yes you heard me. Perhaps a mesh-networked bluetooth affair or something using the D-star transmitters dotted around the world. There are options. It just has to be imagined.

And with this I’d like improved email to match.

I feel if i really want to regain control over the way I communicate online I need to ditch GMail. I’ll go for something with encryption. Something that gives me a red page when I am writing to someone not using encryption. It’s not because I have secrets. It’s because not everything I say in a personal email is for sale.

Decentralised, secure, mobile, social… What would you want?

I’m guessing what I want doesn’t exist yet. If not we should make it.

Who’s in?

I seemed to have spent a large proportion of my Internet ration on Google+ these last couple of days. Not in the negative time-suck kind of way.. In the WOW.. could this be the next big thing? kind of way.

I hope it is. It’s long overdue. Although I have a feeling it’s going to take a little time for people to see the potential. Perhaps a core community, the early adopters that love communication technology and understand the complexities of the social niches we make, perhaps these will blaze the trail. For the time being Google+ will not be a place for the masses to play. Soon though. And when they do the mass will be less massive, huddled in corners and finding new relevance in social interaction.

A couple of nights ago it cropped up in conversation again that Twitter had been stagnant for 18months. Although I’ve felt there to be a huge need for some inspirational new platform I didn’t respond as I was not sure I felt exactly the same way. Yes twitter as a platform hadn’t really moved on that much, but for me the value is in the feeds. It’s the conversation and content. There are times I forget about the platform and it’s simplicity. I also forget about it’s shortcomings. Without effective filtering, grouping, spam control and easy accessibility to the lists, Twitter can often feel half finished.

What Google+ has done is remind me of what is possible and that Twitter has even more shortcomings than I care to realise.  Twitter is my chosen platform when fishing for serendipity but Google has planted an awesome seed and many of the tech horticulturists can only imagine what it may bloom into. Of course if overlooked and not nurtured,it could wilt and die like Wave did. I liked Google Wave. Not enough people felt the same way though. I hope G+ is here to stay and enough users see the potential and make it their own.

Apart from the obvious, there are a few possibilities I’m quietly excited about. I’ve wanted to be able to send Geo-fenced updates to people within a particular location or distance from my current location. This could easily become a possibility within Google+ and it’s innovative use of your social graph.

Two days ago I was talking to a hall full of people wanting to learn more about twitter and the possibilities. I’ll certainly be changing my slides and adding G+ but I’m sure only a fraction of the people in that hall will check it out.

Why?

Firstly it’s new and the true value is still being defined by the early adopting users, experimenting, playing and creating the first case studies.

Secondly, the Sith marketers have not yet started talking about how much money you can make on it… Give them time.

So what exactly do I like?

My initial experience of it was on my iPhone and iPad and it appeared mobile straight out of the box. For all it’s functionality it appears clean and ad free. Ad free for now perhaps.

More than anything is I can see massive potential. I can’t wait to see how it’s used as an educational tool. Also having tried the pretty slick video conversation, I’m again wishing for more bandwidth as I can’t imagine what chatting with 10 people would look like. Especially with my current serving of internet access from British Telecom. It will probably allot one pixel per person who’s ‘Hanging out’ with me in video.

Then there is ‘Circles’ and the ease of grouping. This for me is where most of the potential is. This for me is the killer feature. My life is way more fragmented than it appears online. I have different friends into very different things. I like to keep my family stuff separate from my work stuff, my bushcraft talk separate from my motorbike chat and so on. This has not always been easy and although twitter has been the backbone to much of the media I have on multiple blogs, I think Google+ would make this segregation much easier as I can hold all these conversations off to the side, in separate rooms without the echo being overheard in the central hall.

This grouping seems to match what we do in real life. Google+ could stop all this talk off ‘offline’ and ‘online’.  Sociability spans offline/online. Forget about the tools. It’s the interaction within our relationships. Many have already felt this fusion as we interact with the world around us, not even aware of the mobile devices in hand.

Let’s make the most of it while we can and if it all turns out to be the beginnings of an evil plan… Lets hope some switched on open source coder rips off the good bits (like Facebook probably will) and let’s make this way of sharing and conversing our own.

Maybe it’s too good and too human to belong to a mega corp. Or perhaps google is infact not evil and this is their gift to prove it.

I’m @Documentally on twitter …and Google+

[CORRECTION - I, like many am now not allowed to play on Google+ Even though they know pretty much everything there is to know about me. they don't want me to post under the handle 'Documentally' and so have suspended my account. More info on Documental.ly]