SYSTEMS

Examination of the Internet's Effect on Entertainment and News Gathering in the Participation Age: Sun Microsystems, the creator of the open source Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS), today announced the launch of The Big Mashup (at its Web site), a unique online experience examining how the world of entertainment and news gathering is rapidly changing as the network blurs the line between audience and entertainer, viewer and newscaster, fan and producer. With Internet technology—music and movies, broadcast news and blogs, entertainers and audiences—can all converge and mix online. The Big Mashup will feature a documentary with media and entertainment thought leaders, a community blog discussing the impact of changes brought on by the network, and Snapp Radio, an online music and photo application mashup developed by Sun Labs and featuring Last.fm and RadioParadise streams paired with Flickr images. "The Internet today is all about participation, collaboration, and community —we all see this every day by the rise of citizen journalism, blogs, podcasts, online videos, and mashups of all kinds," said Ingrid Van den Hoogen, senior vice president of brand and global communications. "Our Big Mashup brings together leading innovators across various new media sectors to address the future of entertainment and the growth in the network which is fueled by community and collaboration." Chris Melissinos, Sun Microsystems' chief technology officer for Web 2.0 and a self-proclaimed video game addict, hosts the documentary video showcasing entertainment and media thought leaders such as Andrew Baron, founder, and Joanne Colan, host of Rocketboom; Gillian Caldwell, executive director of WITNESS; Joel Hyatt, Current TV's CEO and co-founder; Douglas Rushkoff, writer and lecturer on technology, pop culture and media; Paul D. Miller/DJ Spooky, artist, writer, musician and producer; and Martin Stiksel, Last.fm's CCO. These industry pundits will give their perception of how the network has changed for businesses and the way entertainers perform. Another key component to The Big Mashup is Web 2.0 music application, Snapp Radio, which streams music from Last.fm or Radio Paradise and weaves in Flickr photos tagged with keywords or emotionally evocative tags corresponding to the song. Links to related communities and websites that explore the new realm of entertainment online will also be included on the site. The Participation Age Sun believes the world is entering a new era — a Participation Age — where dramatically lowered barriers to entry, plummeting device prices, and near-universal connectivity are driving a new round of network participation. From blogs to Java technology, SMS messages to Web services, participants are forming communities to drive change, create new businesses, new social services, and new discoveries. This growth in the network economy is fueled by sharing and collaboration among communities interconnected by technology and driven by purpose. Sun also believes that sharing and collaboration in the Participation Age will stimulate innovation to help all participants from across the world grow and prosper.