Campaigns and initiatives of mass human team effort mix with the collaborative power of digital platforms and systems such as Angie’s List, Craigslist, Didx, Kamailio, Kickstarter, Linux, SMS, and WordPress. What can not be done with just technology or just people … can be reality when combining the two. Sometimes the results seem like nothing new or worthy of attention, but they do save time, money and/or lives and promote aesthetics, change, health and/or business. These systems and platforms are a quiet power behind groups of successful people and organizations.

/Crowdring, a mobile organising tool, that enables people (no matter where they are in the world and no matter what kind of cell phone they use) to sign a petition for free. It doesn’t require any app or phone credit to use, and can work on any mobile phone, including the most basic GSM model. As of February 18, 2013, they have 57 Kickstarter backers with 26 days to go to meet their financial fundraising goal.

A-1 Express Delivery Services, Inc. provides bike messenger services and congressional and judicial stand-in and seat-holding services. It keeps its customers updated and informed throughout each service via SMS, instant messaging, and online portal dashboards.

President Barack Obama’s mix in the Oval Office of traditional, antique but roomy and practical desk paired with modern indirect lighting and the latest Blackberry smartphone nearby.

Kamailio, whose names comes from two Hawaiian words that mean “to talk or to have a conversation,” is an open source rich communications platform. It is used to assist all types of people and organizations to avoid the high cost of traditional telephone service and to take part in work and play more efficiently.

Have the growing Steam Punk subculture experienced H. G. Wells’ 19th century-ish retro-futuristic invention Time Machine? IBM predicts Steam Punk to be the biggest influence on retail, showing again how human and technology resources shake hands to produce innovation. One cannot simply depend on one or the other resource. They work best together.

ThingWorx’s Machine-to-Machine (M2M) platform enables next generation of application capabilities for Milbank’s smart building and home energy management solutions
Exton, Pa. – February 7, 2013 – ThingWorx™ announced today that Milbank, a leading developer and manufacturer of electrical devices and energy and power management solutions for the residential, commercial, industrial, utility, and transportation sectors, has selected ThingWorx to power its next generation PowerGen™ renewable energy product platform.

Milbank is utilizing the rapid application development tools, analytics engine, and machine-to-machine (M2M) technology provided by the ThingWorx platform to quickly develop the multiple role-based web interfaces and extensibility features for its PowerGen solutions. The combined technologies enable Milbank to provide unmatched versatility and functionality through its PowerGen product platform – simplifying future energy source integration for connected, energy efficient homes.

“ThingWorx’s rapid application development environment and flexible platform allow us to extend our PowerGen solutions in ways that provide the greatest benefits and value for our end users,” stated Chris Buelow, Milbank’s PowerGen general manager. “ThingWorx provided us the speed we needed to develop crucial, robust role-based user interfaces.”

In addition to the ThingWorx rapid application development tools, Milbank’s PowerGen solution leverages ThingWorx’s powerful analytics and search capabilities to further expand the core reporting capabilities offered through its proprietary online interface. Milbank will also use ThingWorx’s patented AlwaysOn connectivity for remote service capabilities, creating additional reliability and optimization.

“Milbank’s solutions represent the latest in innovation for smart buildings and homes, and we are pleased to be selected by them to power their PowerGen line,” stated Russ Fadel, CEO and Co-Founder of ThingWorx. “By certifying their solutions as ThingWorx Ready, Milbank is able to offer completely integrated solutions that take advantage of the latest in technology innovations and further extends the 5X to 10X development efficiency advantage that a ThingWorx-based solution offers.”

About Milbank
Milbank builds solutions that move power for the residential, commercial, industrial, utility and transportation sectors. Milbank combines more than 85 years of expertise in electrical product development with a commitment to advance and globally implement sustainable, integrated power solutions. Milbank’s portfolio includes electric metering systems, PowerGen™ wind and solar solutions, EVSE and portable power. A third-generation, family-owned business, Milbank is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. For more information, please visit www.milbankworks.com or follow us on Twitter at @MilbankWorks.

About ThingWorx
ThingWorx™ provides the first platform designed to efficiently build and run the applications of today’s connected world. ThingWorx’s model-based design and search-based intelligence reduces application development efforts by 5X to 10X, minimizing cost, risk and time to market. The ThingWorx platform combines the key functionality of Web 2.0, search, and social collaboration, and applies it to the world of “things,” including connected products, machines, sensors, and industrial equipment. Businesses use the ThingWorx platform to rapidly deliver innovative applications and connected solutions across markets ranging from manufacturing, energy, and food, to Machine-to-Machine (M2M) remote monitoring and service, as well as in emerging Internet of Things applications, including smart cities, smart grid, agriculture, and transportation. For more information, please visit our website at www.thingworx.com and our blog at www.thingworx.com/blog or follow us on Twitter at @ThingWorx.

Listen to an M2M podcast between a DIDX.net representative and Russell Fadel at http://www.didx.net/podcast/?p=episode&name=2013-02-07_thingworx_machine2machine.mp3. DIDX is a conference and exhibition media partner and a wholesale SIP DID phone number marketplace.

It comes with a large and well chosen selection of Internet apps, including a Web browser.

The Sony BDP-S780 looks like a great Blu-ray player.

including a Web browser. You can convert 2D to 3D and adjust the 3D settings. It’s the fastest Blu-ray player I’ve tested yet.

But the gotchas are big ones the browser won’t play video, converted 3D video still looks like 2D, and the price tag hurts $230.

The BDP-S780 comes with a huge array of Internet services. In addition to the usual Hulu Plus.

Netflix, and YouTube, this player has four pay-per-view services (Amazon, CinemaNow, Video Unlimited, and Vudu) as well as Blip tv.

Digital Cinema Concert Series, Dr. Oz Tips For Healthy Living, Facebook, NHL Vault, and Skype, among many others.

The Gracenote service is especially useful, as it allows you to interact with Gracenote’s cloud database to get information on what you’re currently watching or hearing.

Sony promises to add even more services.

That isn’t the only compromise Sony has made in the BDP-S780′s Internet apps.

If you want to view Hulu Plus or Netflix through this player.

You must first sign up with Sony’s My Essentials, after which you’ll be able to use your existing Hulu Plus and Netflix accounts or start new ones.

The extra step is aggravating, and it forces you to deal with yet one more password that you have to memorize or securely save.

The Web browser’s very existence promises the ability to access video streams that Sony hasn’t specifically added. Alas.

The browser doesn’t support Flash, which makes most Internet video streams incompatible.

Sony has created its own user interfaces for those two services that look very much (but not exactly) like the services’ own navigation screens.

They do have one big advantage these Sony interfaces, if you download and install Sony’s iOS or Android remote-control app.

You’ll be able to use your smartphone’s QWERTY keyboard in Hulu Plus and Netflix searches something I haven’t seen in any other Blu ray player’s smartphone app.

The apps’ keyboards also work with Sony’s perfectly serviceable YouTube user interface.

If you want to try some Firefox code optimized for 64-bit architecture, you can try Waterfox.

Mozilla’s been making 64-bit builds for Firefox for quite a long time, none of them received the official stamp approval to be released.

The developer of the application actually took the Firefox source code and compiled it to run on x64 Windows.

Optimizations for 64-bit platform are included, so you should get better browsing speed.

Waterfox fares better in benchmarks compared to the regular Firefox.

As far as add-ons are concerned, they should all work just fine.

It also supports the most used plug-ins (Flash, Java and Silverlight).

Waterfox spawned from Firefox code and the developer compiled and optimized it to run smoothly on 64-bit platforms.

Any bugs you may encounter have to be fixed by the author of the code, namely Mozilla.

In recent years, Firefox has lost ground to browsers such asGoogle Chrome.

Yet Firefox remains a significant and important part of the browsing landscape.

It’s a big week for Mozilla, as Firefox celebrates its seventh birthday and Firefox 8 hits the interwebs.

Firefox 8 is Mozilla’s fifth major release in 2011.

After releasing Firefox 4 in March, Mozilla adopted a rapid release schedule similar to what Google employs with its Chrome browser.

The last few major releases have focused more on under the hood enhancements and quicker adoption of new web technologies.

Mozilla is clearly adjusting to the new rapid development cycle. Firefox 6 and 7, both felt unfinished.

Firefox 8 is more polished and complete. Like the iterative updates found in Google Chrome, it’s clear Mozilla is now focusing on refining performance and features and not reinventing the wheel.

Firefox 7 was that it was a memory hog at least  MacBook Pro when compared to the latest version of Google Chrome.

Although Mozilla hasn’t highlighted improved Mac performance in its release notes, past 24 hours with Firefox 8 show that Firefox has better performance.

Particularly with Adobe Flash content, than in previous versions.

Yahoo hopes to reach readers with iPad magazine.

The magazine software unveiled is called Livestand.

Yahoo is joining the computer tablet bandwagon with a digital magazine designed for the iPad.

It can be customized to pull content fromYahoo’s website and other participating publishers to cater to each user’s interest.

Yahoo is counting on Livestand to keep its brand and services relevant as more people embrace Apple Inc.’s iPad and other mobile devices to consume digital content.

Yahoo also hopes the magazine brings in more advertising revenue as it tries to break out of a long running financial funk.

The slump has frustrated investors and thrown Yahoo’s fate into doubt.

Livestand is debuting nearly nine months after Yahoofirst previewed it.

At that time, Yahoo hoped to introduce Livestand by the end of June 2012.

Wang Xiujun, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Said that the government will step up policy support for mobile Internet because it “promotes industrial integration and leads to revolutionary changes in development and technology.”

Wang said the country will speed up comprehensive upgrades for its information networks and boost the development of third generation technology (3G).

Especially homegrown TD variants of 3G and LTE (long term evolution) technology.

Along with the development of information networks, the innovation and development of integrated technologies and businesses should also be highlighted.

Wang said during the ongoing fifth International Mobile Internet Conference, which opened Monday in Beijing.

Wang said that the Chinese government will attach more importance to the protection of users’ personal information and their rightful interests and maintain a healthy environment for the development of the mobile Internet sector.

“The development speed of mobile Internet is far quicker than what we imagined. Mobile Internet is becoming a reality, and is deeply changing our habits and behaviors,” a statement on the firm’s website said.

The two-day meeting is sponsored by China Mobile, the world’s largest telecommunications firm by number of users.

Here are 5 easy ways to increase your landing pages’ conversion rates:

Keep your most important content above the fold.

You want to make it as easy as possible for your website visitors to say “yes” to your offer.

Place your opt-in box above the fold the point on your web page where visitors would have to scroll to see more information.

Your conversion rates will increase if visitors don’t have to scroll to complete your form.

Limit your visitors’ options.

Your landing page will perform better if your visitors’ only option is to complete your form.

That means that you should remove any outside links or navigation from your landing page.

Show the benefits.

You need to entice visitors to opt in for your content.

Just stating the title of your video or white paper is not enough to do this.

Add some copy that explains the benefits of requesting your material.

For example, I like to include short bullet points that highlight what visitors will learn when they check out the content.

Create a sense of urgency.

Try to give your readers a compelling reason why they must request your content now.

For example, you can offer a report or video series for a limited time.

You can also stress that limited spots are available for an upcoming free webinar.

Appeal to skimmers.

Most people won’t read your web content word for word, so you want to ensure your landing page is structured for skimmers.

Make use of headers, sub-headers, bold text, bullets, and white space.

You should also consider red graphics, such as arrows or buttons, to draw a reader’s eye towards your call to action.

Also, be sure to test your landing pages to determine which copy and graphics give you the best results.

For instance:

Try running an A/B split test where you create two versions of your landing page and split your traffic between both pages.

Experiment with different headlines, calls to action and other elements until you learn which page brings you the highest conversion rate.

Ali Al Ahmad, chief corporate communications officer at etisalat, said the company would start selling USB dongles giving users super speeds within two months.

Etisalat says customers with laptops will be able to surf with 4G internet before mobile phone users.

His comments come amid a reported row over which UAE telecom operator will be first to go live with higher speed broadband.

Al Ahmad said there is no question etisalat would be first past the post after spending Dh6 billion on rolling out 4G broadband services.

“Yes, it’s ready and we have covered over 80 per cent of the UAE,” said Al Ahmad, noting that the new 4G service went live in late September.

Three times faster
With speeds of up to 150 mbps, Al Ahmad said “the speed is incomparable to any network” and is three times faster than 3G networks.

The difference in speed will be noticeable for customers, especially those who download movies. Files that now take two hours to download will take seconds on the new 4G services.

But Al Ahmad said that while etisalat is ready for the shift to 4G, there are still no mobile handsets with the ability to use the super speed.

“Keep in mind, there are no devices yet,” Al Ahmad said, pointing out that it could well be next year before major phone manufacturers release 4G-enabled mobile phones in the UAE.

On the other side of the Gitex event at the Dubai International Conference and Exhibition Centre, du CEO Osman Sultan said, that his company won’t be actually offering live 4G services until sometime next year.

Yahoo said, Yahoo Inc will feature more ABC news content on its site and partner with the network on original series for the Web in a push to drive advertising revenue amid continued problems at the Internet company.

ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney Corp, will be the “premier” news provider on Yahoo News and that a “highly interactive” version of ABC’s Good Morning America program will appear on the site.

The companies’ combined efforts will reach more than 100 million viewers, executives said at a news conference in New York.

The partnership will also see Yahoo news staffers appearing on-air at ABC and extended interviews and other content from the network being posted on Yahoo’s site.

ABC is seeking to boost its presence online as digital distribution of news and other content continues to disrupt traditional media businesses.

We share the same vision, which is that the future of news and information is completely up for grabs, ABC News President Ben Sherwood said.

The purpose of this relationship, very simply, is to win the championship of news and information in the future.

An original interview series is to launch Monday with a Yahoo.com and ABCNews.com live stream of “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewing President Barack Obama at the White House.

Yahoo’s struggles have led to reported buyout interest from private equity firms and others and an activist campaign for change by shareholder Third Point LLC, the hedge fund run by Daniel Loeb.

The tie-up follows continued restructuring efforts at Yahoo that have failed to yield convincing results.

The company faces a continued decline in its search advertising business and is seeking a new chief executive and reviewing its strategy after ousting CEO Carol Bartz last month.

Yahoo’s Americas head, Ross Levinsohn, declined to comment on progress in the company’s search for a chief executive or on buyout talks.

“I’m focused on my day job,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Yahoo had been contacted by potential bidders for some or all of the company.

On Friday, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Chief Executive Jack Ma said he is “interested” in buying Yahoo and was approached by private-equity firms about a potential deal.