Kyle Mulka's Blog

One of my professors from last year and a bunch of my friends have been developing Zattoo, a peer-to-peer video streaming technology back in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The client runs on both Windows and Mac and supposedly allows millions of viewers to watch a single live video stream over the Internet without costing the broadcaster a whole lot of bandwidth.

It is a little like BitTorrent in the fact that its peer-to-peer and doesn’t require the original person with the content to have a huge pipe to the Internet. It is very different from BitTorrent in the fact that the content is streaming. Timing makes a difference. If a piece of the video gets lost over the network, there is no need to resend it because you can’t rewind the video. There is no way to save the video to your computer either.

Just a few days ago, the news went out about Zattoo being the the system used for streaming the 2006 FIFA World Cup. That is very exciting news. I’m looking forward to being able to watch soccer over the Zattoo client in June! That is… if they are broadcasting to the US…

Quick-start, Long-play Internet Television Arrives with Zattoo P2P IPTV

Zattoo brings long play P2P broadcasting to Internet TV

UPDATE: Looks like Zattoo has a blog now! Yey!

If you live around here, as in Southeastern Michigan, you should consider taking a day or two to see the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest in Howell. I’d like to go, but right now I don’t have a car :(. But… maybe I’ll get it back this weekend, or someone wil take me. :)

Shakespeare in the Arb sounds like a cool little adventure. Aparently you go and watch a Midsummer Night’s Dream while walking around the arb. I’m thinking they walk to another location when the change scene… maybe. Anyway… I’m going to find out.

UPDATE:
So, Beth and I went there today (June 5th), but we were a tad late… and they were “sold out”. Even though there weren’t seats or anything, I guess they can only fit so many in some of the areas of the arb. So… lesson here is to go early to buy your tickets. They open at 5:30 and shows start at 6:30.

UPDATE 2:
Click on Shakespeare if you REALLY want to read the play:

UPDATE 3:
So, we went again, and this time we got in. It was pretty good. I think it ended on Sunday, so you might have to wait until next year to see it. It will probably be a different Shakespear. play.

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival‘s Top of the Park schedule has been posted. How exciting! The Mainstage Events schedule has too.

Tally Hall and Down the Line, two college rock bands are playing at The Ark in Ann Arbor this Wednesday, June 1st, 8pm. Tickets are $11 at the door.

Taste AA – Sunday, June 5th

Ann Arbor Art Fair, actually consisting of the four fairs below is comming! Woot!

• South University Art Fair
• Michigan Guild Art Fair
• Street Art Fair
• State Street Art Fair (link is old)