Ohmynews Citizen Reporter Conference

Yesterday was certainly packed with activities. Seoul is old and new, winding, beckoning alleys and large boulevards packed with cars. Like Chicago, it is a river city, so I have been nabbing photos of the bridges. They don't raise up like ours, but they are quite striking. I arrived from New York at Incheon airport at 6:30 a.m. and had no problems at the airlines. The limo ride to the hotel took more than an hour, though, so when I arrived I had 10 minutes to run to my room, change clothes (no time for a shower) and be on the bus for our tours. Whew. The ubiquitous Dream Hall was a hit with all. It is a model home and the ubiquitous is the term they use for what I have seen called "zigbee" in the States. I think I have posted here and on phonecamnews.com about "zigbee" which is the name for the protocol that will enable chip-embedded devices to talk to one another and to you and me. In plain language, that means that your phone will be able to call the fridge and ask if there is any milk and then provide with a map of where the traffic is bad so you can get to the grocery and buy milk. The "magic mirror" was a nice implementation. It was like a closet door with a mirror that turned into a screen which could show you the weather, your appointments and thus help you dress for the day. They had the auto vacuum, and that robot that's been around for years that can bring you a drink, but now the robot can also greet you when you get home, and connect to the Internet and get your email. From Dream Hall (not to be confused with NYC's Dream House, fine musical installation) we saw the restoration of the river (I will get back to you on how to spell the river's name later) project where we met the Mayor of Seoul. The project is going to combine the natural water of the stream which dries up in summer, with water they have to pump out of the subways to create a wide green and water swatch down through the city. It is hot here, so with the water and some landscaping that should really be a noticeable improvement. This mayor has been behind a revamping of the bus system, too. Well, we also saw the Ohmynews headquarters (I have a photo of editor Todd Cameron Thacker and myself that I will post later) and had a tour of the huge and impressive Samsung factory. That's enough for now, I think I can post today from the meeting hall.