StreetBlog, the third-place winner in the Summer 2006 Windows CE Shared Source Contest, aims to bring blogging to public places so that everyone can easily post their opinions. The project was submitted by Marcelo van Kampen, along with team-mates Lucas Bertinotti, Evandro Rezende, Rafael Teixeira.



The team points out that the Internet has prompted many innovative, unexpected new forms of communication such as the weblog, or "blog" for short. Blogs have become a popular medium for individuals to communicate their thoughts and ideas. Yet blogging requires access to appropriate hardware and software and is not currently available to the masses.

As a pre-configured embedded device, the StreetBlog terminal is easy to set up in public locations such as street corners, conferences, or schools, the team says. The terminal includes facilities for rendering posts in a number of formats, including HTML, Flash animation, and RSS feeds.

Hardware

The StreetBlog terminal is based on an Ebox II embedded PC (pictured at right), the same one used in the Windows Embedded Student ChallengE. The Ebox has the following features:

• 200 MHz Vortex86 processor
  
• 128 MB DRAM
  
• 32 MB DOM flash
  
• 10/100 Ethernet
  
• 3 USB ports
  
• Audio in and out
  
• VGA out
  
• PS/2 keyboard and mouse
  

A Logitech Quick Cam Pro 5000 webcam is attached to the Ebox, along with the usual keyboard, mouse, and display.

Software

XML was chosen over a standard database as the basic architecture for StreetBlog because of its small footprint and output flexibility, the team says. XSLT is used to provide a presentation layer without burdening the XML files with excessive tags, keeping them "small and clean."

StreetBlog's operating software basically consists of three applications:

• Input application -- receives input from the user. This full-screen application runs continuously. It uses a "wizard" strategy to get text messages, a drawing, a picture, and a sound from the user.
  
  
• Output module -- a set of components to interpret posts and format/present them in the required manner. This module is accessible over the network, by the webserver on the device, and even display devices such as LED boards attached to the terminal via the parallel port.
  
  
• Webadm module -- a comprehensive set of web pages accessible from a web browser to configure and manage the device Among other functions, Webadm implements an optional "moderated" mode for approving posts.

Operation

StreetBlog wizard step 2 (Click to enlarge)

The StreetBlog input wizard takes the user through four steps:

1. Enter a text message
   
2. Create a drawing
   
3. Take a self portrait with the webcam
   
4. Record a sound

If moderated mode is off, the completed post goes to an XML file containing the most recent 10 posts. If moderated mode is on, the post goes to a different XML file to await moderator approval.


StreetBlog as seen on the web
(Click each image for larger view)
The output module reads the posts XML file and generates several forms of output such as:

• HTML -- the HTML page is generated from an XSL template file
  
• RSS feed -- an XSL file translates the posts into RSS 0.9.1 format
  
• Macromedia Flash -- posts can be dynamically and continuously displayed in random order

As a "real-world" demonstration, StreetBlog was set up near a restaurant on the campus of the State University of Sao Paulo in Bauru, Brazil. People posted poems, drawings, and even criticisms of university policies.

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This Project's Whitepaper and Video

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Click on these two links to download this project's complete whitepaper and project video:

• StreetBlog whitepaper (2 MB pdf file)
  
  
• StreetBlog video (25 MB wmv file)
  

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This Project's Code

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Portions of this project's code are available here (direct link to zip file).

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About the Contestants

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Team leader Marcelo van Kampen (center), seated with team members Lucas Bertinotti (left) and Evandro Rezende (right). Rafael Teixeira (not shown) is operating the camera.

All four StreetBlog team members are enrolled in a Bachelor's of Information Systems program in the engineering department at Unesp, in Bauru, Brazil. Additionally, all four are part of the Applied IT Laboratory, known as LTIA, in which they focus on utililzing the leading-edge technologies. The projects utilize both embedded technologies (Windows CE, Palm OS, and embedded Linux) and Desktop technologies such as .Net and Macromedia (now Adobe) software.

In 2005, the team entered StreetBlog in Microsoft's Windows CE Student ChallengE, and achieved fourth place. The following year, they entered another project, MySensorNet, in the 2006 Windows CE ChallengE and were selected to compete in the finals.

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About the Summer 2006 Windows CE Shared Source Contest

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The first-ever Windows CE Shared Source Contest, co-sponsored by Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Devices (MED) group and WindowsForDevices.com, ran from May 23 through July 28, 2006. Contest participants were challenged to create cool, practical projects combining Windows CE 5.0 along with either or both of two Shared Source components -- the Windows CE WebCam driver and/or the Windows CE DVR engine. Prizes included Xbox 360 game consoles and other goodies.

Further details about the contest -- including the complete list of winners, the prizes awarded, and the list of judges -- are available here:

Windows CE Shared Source Contest winners announced

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