Blogs

Drupal 4.6 was released yesterday and anybody interested in "podcasting" will be happy to note that one of the new features that it provides is native support for RSS 2.0. In other words, the first file that is attached to nodes will be referenced in enclosures included in any/all relevant RSS feeds that are generated.

Another interesting development for the podcasting community is that there has also been a "CreativeCommons" module developed for Drupal recently. While this is still in the CVS tree, I have tried it out and it totally rocks.

En appuie aux étudiants en grève au Québec un carré rouge de 103 pixels représente bien leur cause. Le code à insérer sur votre site :<img src="http://photos5.flickr.com/7430730_d394009cb0_m.jpg">

Two of the original top three items on my "Drupal Wishlist" have already been tackled by the Drupal community. I can't believe it. Wow!

This time the big news is the release of a Creative Commons module for Drupal. Sure, there may be a few small issues to iron out but I love it! From the module page...

Here is an MP3 recording (21Mb - CreativeCommons) of a seminar on Free & Open Source Software that I attended last night at Atwater Library.

Here's the promo that they put out...

The most significant project that I am involved in at the moment is the creation and consolidation of an activist-geek-worker's-coop in Montreal called Koumbit. The ultimate goal is to have two legal entities: a non-profit that allows organisations and individuals to pool resources and influence the development of the communications technologies that we are all increasingly dependent on; and a worker's coop that enables geeks to make a living while working within a technologically sophisticated AND progressive context.

Most people equate downloadable audio files and portable MP3 players with music. Unfortunately, this entirely misses what I consider to be a much more socially and politically powerful phenomenon, the recording and podcasting of conference sessions and conference calls. If you haven't discovered sites like ITConversations.com yet, then it is time you do.

I just installed the "Comment RSS" module for Drupal. In fact, this also required installing the "Vocabulary List" module as well.

So far, so good. There are XML links at the bottom of the pages and I can now create RSS feeds such as this one for Drupal-specific content coming the associated page on my blog.

The wmfilter module for Drupal allows the use of syntax such as [google:omarzblog] to create links like: [google:omarzblog].

Or [dictionary:syntax] to look up the definition of [Dictionary:syntax]

Moreover, there are tons of other wiki based sites that have already been mapped out there (Interwiki Map). For the hell of it, I decide to try out all of them by using a simple text editor to create these 166 (mostly useless) links to search for "omarzblog"...

... on AbbeNormal >> [AbbeNormal:omarzblog]

Content Management Systems (CMSs) help create identity, community and collaboration, and Rich Site Summary (RSS) automates and fosters communication within and between these identities and communities. If CMS-based websites are like silos of knowledge on specialised issues, RSS is like the wind that blows between them, cross-polinating all the ideas, people and communities along the way. Aaaaaahh... sounds del.icio.us to me.