Whilst perusing a brightly coloured website littered with animated GIFs I stumbled across a live recording of Bad Religion. It was the first MP3 I ever downloaded (American Jesus by Bad Religion) and it took me nearly a whole day to get it (I still have the file). A week or so later I had enough MP3s to fill half of a cassette tape. Within twelve months I owned my first MP3 player.

I’m not normally one to reminisce but the Internet felt good back then. It was completely open, democratic and innovative. This idealistic Internet is the one that I fell in love with. It felt like a step in the right direction and I like to think everyone else felt it too. I had arrived as a citizen of Cyberspace and I felt very welcome.

Fast forward to 2010 and things are starting to feel very different. Here are a few of my concerns:

Silencing of WikiLeaks

Have you heard about WikiLeaks? Of course you have! It is the website that governments of the World are currently trying to silence and yet over the last few days we have heard about nothing else. Whether or not you agree with the disclosure of the cable documents you have to be concerned at the techniques being used to bring down the site and the lack of support the site has received from the companies it relies on to operate. PayPal, Amazon and EveryDNS.net have so far surrendered to the pressure of hosting or being involved with delivering the content. For me the attempts to censor the site are more troublesome than the actual leaks.

It would be irresponsible to try and condense the news surrounding this site into a few paragraphs but the story is fascinating. John Perry Barlow, a founding member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has declared this as “The first serious infowar… The field of battle is WikiLeaks”. The outcome of which will likely shape the future of the Internet.

The good news is that so far Twitter has stood up to pressure to close the @WikiLeaks Twitter account and it helps secure the site as the true pulse of the planet. I hope they continue to remain impartial throughout. After all it’s not about sides, it’s about protecting the Internet as an open platform. Everyone has the chance to speak (in 140 characters or less).

Rise of Facebook

Talking of social networks. I hate Facebook (there I said it). Why? Because it’s everything the Internet should not be. A walled silo of data, locking its users and their content into the platform. A citizen of Facebook is not a citizen of cyberspace. Of course it’s not just Facebook that suffers from this problem, however it is the monopoly when it comes to social networks and is the easy target.

I constantly wonder why it has become such a sucessuful website  and what our widespread usage of the platform suggests. Perhaps we just do not care that much about our personal information?

The fall of LimeWire and 82 other domains

While most peer-to-peer (P2P) technology has earn’t a reputation for offending copyright law it is a very clever use of the web and has brought with it a massive amount of change. It has forced age old businesses to rethink their strategy and has given individuals a platform for global distribution and almost zero cost. There are some excellent stories surrounding the use of P2P. For example the release of Swedish film “Nasty Old People” that was made available on the The Pirate Bay under a Creative Commons licence.

LimeWire has been a consistent and fairly quiet player in the world of P2P software. On October 26, the US federal court issued an injunction forcing LimeWire to prevent “the searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and/or file distribution functionality, and/or all functionality” of its software. As a result LimeWire has had to close both its legitimate business as well as disabling the software. The interesting thing is that all of the older versions of the software continue to work without a problem. If your a LimeWire fan then simply do not upgrade to the latest/broken version. This shows the inherent strength and resilience of P2P technology. While I have never used the service myself I am sad to see it close, it has been around for 10 years (since the days of Napster) and has attempted to legitimise the act of file sharing during that time.

It was also just a few days ago that the US Government managed to seize 82 domain names and pluck them from the Internet. This is a new tactic in the fight against copyright infringement and appears to be scarily effective. Some of the sites were no doubt breaking the law and deserved to be closed but as far as I have been able to tell the site owners had no prior warning or opportunity to defend their actions. It seems wrong that governments have the power to take any domain name they choose without a fair trial and it undermines freedom on the Web.

App(le) stores

This year has been about the App store. Popularised by Apple and iPhone it seems that every mobile platform now has an App store. We have been here before with Windows, Mac and Linux software. One platform came along and made it possible to serve content and to some extent applications to all of these different operating systems without having to program the same application three times.  It’s called the World Wide Web. Yet we find ourselves in the same situation with mobile phones. All of a sudden the money I spent on my iPhone games is thrown away the second I move to Android or Blackberry or Palm or {insert another mobile platform here}.

Which agencies are mostly responsible for pushing into the field of mobile apps? Internet agencies. If they truly understood the power of the Internet then they would have not moved from an open, flexible and free platform to one governed by app store approval processes and split revenues. As data connections get cheaper and mobile browsers become more powerful it makes sense to build one mobile website that serves a whole range of devices. Not just one.

Build it once. Build it on the Web – most native mobile apps require an Internet anyway. Sure they are great platforms with plenty of money to be made but we all end up paying in the long run.

And so…

It was about this time last year that I was drumming up support against the Digital Economy Bill (which looks like it may be reviewed soon). Perhaps this is when it all started? The problem is so many web professionals just don’t seem bothered by this stuff. Why should you care?

Because the Web is yours. It is a public resource on which you, your business, your community and your government depend. The Web is also vital to democracy, a communications channel that makes possible a continuous worldwide conversation. The Web is now more critical to free speech than any other medium. It brings principles established in the U.S. Constitution, the British Magna Carta and other important documents into the network age: freedom from being snooped on, filtered, censored and disconnected.

Tim Berners-Lee, Long Live the Web – December 2010

We need to start innovating once more to protect against these new methods of online control. Pick up your laptops and begin work on a peer to peer hosting environment, one that responds to HTTP requests or ensures there is no weak link in the delivery of information (perhaps it is P2P DNS we need?). Trash your Facebook account and pitch in with the development of the Open Source Diaspora project. Rely less on one single company to deliver your Internet experience. Don’t get complacent and let’s not forget why we fell in love with this place all those years ago.

There were 5 exabytes of information created between the dawn of civilization through 2003, but that much information is now created every 2 days, and the pace is increasing… Eric Schmidt (Google CEO)

Image released under the Creative Commons by comedy_nose on Flickr.

For reference an exabyte is 1 billion gigabytes (about 4 billion of the latest laptops). Every digital click creates a trail of information: analytics tracking, server logs, browsing history, search history, previous purchases and recommendations. Add this to the content we choose to share: photos, articles, blogs, emails, instant messages, texts, Facebook Likes, Tweets, Diggs, Stumbles etc etc and the result is a vast quantity of data being stored throughout the world, every second of every day.

By 2013 the quantity of information on the Internet will double roughly every 72 hours. Aaron Endre

This will inevitably lead us to a couple of quite serious problems. The first is how we choose, find or filter the content we consume and the second is the environmental impact of storing, transferring and keeping all this data.

Content Consumption

You have to wonder if  the solution to this will be generating less content or finding new ways to filter it. Google are in a good position with search but there are many situations where search does not make sense. For instance on Twitter where you follow people who interest you but you may not always be interested in everything being said. This is the same for RSS applications. I subscribe to a large number of blogs and more often than not I am only interested in a just few of the posts each day. I have to scan through 100′s of articles to find the ones that really interest me.

Largely this problem can be solved with smarter technology. Personalised search, bookmarks and social graphs can be used to generate some very powerful tools. Its more likely we will build these tools and continue to generate obscene amounts of content. But should we?

The Green Issue

We were recently asked to consider joining a list of green agencies on Re-nourish. While we would love to be listed, in light of the above, can we really be a green company? We have over 8 terrabytes of storage space in the toggle office (not all of its used). All of our data is backed up here and across the internet to distant corners of the globe. We tweet, we blog and we share photos. We have handfuls of accounts across different web services. Each of these services generate more data for both us and our clients. Our server gets backed up in three different places and each and every web site we host gets larger month after month; using more bandwidth, more storage and more electricity.

How can we start to improve this?

Website Performance

Last week we began a new phase of website performance testing. We are now keeping a closer eye on ping times, load times and uptime’s of our sites and server. On top of this we are investigating WordPress and website performance gains. We have managed to decrease the load time of this site by around 3 seconds for the homepage and we will continue to make improvements on this over the coming month. Improved website performance not only reduces the strain on bandwidth, storage and electricity, it also increases conversions, user satisfaction and search engine performance. It’s certainly a worthy endeavour.

Say Less

When you say less, you get noticed more. There are a couple of blogs that I subscribe to that only post a handful of articles each year. The strange thing is I nearly always read them from start to finish. When they do arrive in my RSS reader it’s a real treat. The quality of the content is far more important than the quantity.

There are many blogs (that I will not name) that are quite obviously writing pointless articles aimed at search engine performance and riding current trends. These articles are getting easier to spot and are appearing more frequently. At some point the value of the things we share will have to be put under scrutiny (a completely separate issue).

Account Control

How many different usernames and passwords do you have? Which services are they for and are they necessary? We have always kept a list of the accounts we have. The list is useful to remember the variations of our username (toggle, toggleuk, togglelabs etc). The list has become even more useful though as we are now going to start closing any account that has not been used for a year. This should help curb the amount digital waste coming from toggle HQ and stop it extending into infinity. In short; close your old accounts. You remember that MySpace profile and Friends Reunited account? Delete them!

So, I’m about to hit “publish” and I can’t help but feel a little more digitally plump from the impending avalanche that is about be sent your way… and it’s not like the delete key can save us now with its over forgiving, trash can, revision saving, are you sure? Nature.

iPad

When we first heard about the iPad we were disappointed. Our biggest complaint is that the device runs the same operating system as the iPhone, this instantly limits the software that can be run on it. We were hoping that the iPad would be a laptop replacement, allowing applications like Photoshop to be controlled with touch. A touch controlled tablet could have massive implications on the way we design with computers.

On refection its quite easy to see that this device is not aimed at creative computer folk. It is a consumer device that offers a platform for consumption: music, film, games, applications, TV and books from iTunes and the new book store. While this is a limitation for us, it does open the device to a massive target audience. It is the first computing device I can actually see my less technical grandparents using. With the 3G version they would not have to take out a broadband contract and we could finally send them emails. Touch is a massive part of this change as it negates the need to learn how to operate a mouse and the app store provides the right kind of software if they wanted more from the device. This will make the iPad a hugely popular gadget.

A few people have asked us: “Will the iPad mean we need a new website?”. From the looks of the Keynote and demonstrations of the iPad, the built in browser (Safari) will be loading the desktop version of a website (rather than the mobile version). So those of us with HTML based websites should need to make very few changes (if any). Like on the iPhone, Apple have decided not to include the Adobe Flash plugin. This means that anyone with a Flash based website may need to consider some changes to their site. At the very least you should be serving a HTML version of your site to those visitors without Flash enabled. We will talk a bit more about the future of Flash in a moment.

While we may not be rushing out to buy the iPad (although I am sure we could be tempted), we will be making a new range of cases for it. We are waiting to have some of the dimensions confirmed to make sure our cases offer the correct level of protection and still allow access to the dock connector and necessary ports. We will be launching the cases in our popular fabrics (vege leather, polka dot corduroy and upcycled garments), so keep an eye on our twitter feed for updates.

Nokia Booklet 3G

The Nokia Booklet 3G is not a new device (it was announced in August 2009), however we were kindly leant a test unit two weeks ago. It is one of the few netbooks around that go head to head with the iPad: offering similar hardware, design and functionality. We will be writing a full review of Booklet 3G once we have thoroughly tested it.

The rise in popularity of netbooks is also changing our perception of design for the web. A few years ago it was assumed that our computer screens would get larger, with bigger resolutions. This has not been the case. Smaller devices have meant that screen resolutions have got both bigger and smaller at the same time. Could we begin to see websites move from pixels to vectors as a result? Having our designs scale to the size of the screen that requests it could be very handy. The HTML5 specification (that we talked about last year) also hints towards this change with support for SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). This technology is also competition for vulnerable looking Flash plugin.

Flash vs HTML5 vs Google vs Apple vs Adobe

The primary application for Flash is online video, online games and heavily interactive websites. The Flash plugin has been with us for many years and as a result it is installed on around 99% of all Internet connected computers. Flash will not be disappearing overnight but its future looks more uncertain than it ever has before.

Our biggest problem with Flash has always been that its not an open web standard. To build Flash websites you need to run propitiatory Adobe software and plugins. This goes against the nature of the web. Flash is also notoriously difficult to work with in terms of accessibility and SEO and is believed to be the cause of many browser and computer crashes (for example: this Flash site will crash your browser). The one advantage of Flash has always been its cross platform compatibility. Flash renders the same across all computers, phones and operating systems that support it.

YouTube and Vimeo both recently announced availability of their video libraries in HTML5 (no Flash plugin required). The HTML5 versions of the sites only work in Apple’s Safari browser and Google’s Chrome browser. Both Google and Apple are working together on the same browser technology and right now those browsers are capable of delivering a Flash like experience using nothing but HTML and CSS. Add this to Apple’s reluctance to support Flash on the iPad and iPhone and a technology battle is emerging.

The situation gets more complex though when you realise that Mozilla (with Firefox) are refusing to support the same video format as Apple and Google. Why? Because once again we are staring down the barrel of a closed technology that requires costly licence fees to implement. Very similar problems to those we have with Flash. To top it all off Microsoft have said nothing and the latest version of their browser (Internet Explorer 8) barely supports HTML5 at all.

A Conclusion?

There will never be one. Technology is an ever changing landscape with competing companies and ideas pulling in many different directions. This fast pace is what makes our industry so interesting and I have to say that we enjoy keeping up with the latest developments and gadgets. We are constantly learning and researching to make sure the products and services we design are current, open, stable and the right fit for our clients. What new gadgets are you looking forward to this year?

I like to think that the web is an extremely creative place and that the reason for this is the lack of restriction. We are free to say, share and create whatever takes our fancy. This leads to great ideas being shared across the planet in almost real time. Ideas that are life changing. Ideas that are fascinating. Ideas that are controversial. Ideas that are worth spreading.

Image released under the Creative Commons license by eflon on Flickr.

The Digital Economy Bill is a complex beast. It is long. It is boring. And the people responsible for drafting it like it that way. Within its many pages are clauses that will have detrimental effect to the Internet as we know it. The big show stopper is this:

Section 17: Power to amend copyright provisions.

The Secretary of State may by order amend Part 1 or this Part for the purpose of preventing or reducing the infringement of copyright by means of the internet, if it appears to the Secretary of State appropriate to do so having regard to technological developments that have occurred or are likely to occur…

I am no lawyer or politician, but here is my translation: If passed, the Digital Economy Bill will allow the Secretary of State to change copyright law at any time without requiring consent from other members of parliament. These changes can be made under the guise of “reducing copyright infringement on the internet”. That is a big deal.

The Digital Economy Bill is shaped by industry insiders (record companies, copyright bodies) and has been drafted without public opinion. It exists to protect the interests of business and not people. Imagine for one second that laws were created in the same way Wikipedia articles are written. Everyone with Internet access (and everyone should have internet access) could shape the bill and provide feedback. That is a powerful idea and would be an example of true democracy. The Digital Economy Bill is step in the wrong direction. We should be embracing new technology as a way of driving change. Instead we have big industries refusing to to create new business models and putting pressure on the Government as a result. Under this bill these businesses will pressure the Government into shaping copyright law in a way that only benefits them. Ouch.

If toggle chose not support a new super duper web standard, we would probably go out of business. People would say “you should have changed”, “its competition” and “that’s business”. They are right. Based on that same logic the record companies should either change or go out of business. Either way I think the artists (the ones who actually understand creativity) would be better off.

Now is your chance to say and do something about it, we don’t have long:

• Step 1: Read Fellow Creative’s post on the issue. You’ll find an example letter in the comments.
• Step 2: Email your local MP.
• Step 3: Call your local MP.
• Step 4: Attend a Pirate Party UK meetup.
• Step 5: Watch this Ted talk on creativity & copyright.
• Step 6: Add the Twibbon to your Twitter profile – you can use the widget to the right.
• Step 7: Pass/remix/share/talk this message to others.

On the eve of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, we also have other important issues to address. These two issues are not completely unrelated. We need a platform like the internet to share ideas on tackling climate change. We need to address climate change so the Internet still exists. December 2009 is our chance to make some noise. Lets not miss it.