Snipped from the HuffingtonPost.com.

Well, here we go again. Japan is surpassing us and this time it’s in broadband access. Compared to the U.S. Japan has access that is 30 times faster than the U.S. As a result, we are being left in the dust when it comes to “experiencing innovation and enjoying applications that Americans simply don’t have access to.” In Japan, you can watch broadcast-quality, full-screen television over the internet. All we have is grainy, wallet-sized images. With Japan’s ultra-high-speed applications, they are introducing into the market low-cost, high-definition teleconferencing and telemedicine which allows doctors to diagnose diseases remotely. And, their advanced telecommuting is helping Japan reach their target of doubling the number of people who work from home by 2010. So, what happened to the U.S.?

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Captcha, an example of human ingenuity.

When thinking about society, one visualizes many individual parts making up the whole. Each of these parts work separately to perform tasks. With each person representing a discrete packet of energy, then only certain limited tasks can be accomplished. But what if all the discrete packets of energy came together to perform a task, then perhaps many of society’s problems could be tackled. These are the ideas that keep going through the head of a genius who last winter, was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur genius grant, and in April, was awarded another $200,000 as one of Microsoft’s New Faculty fellows. The way this man’s brain works is very unlike how ours works. And, what makes him so different is what may contribute to solving large scale societal problems. You may be surprised how his thinking leads to a form of computerized collaborative programing.

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If you feel like blogging has taken on a mind of its own, you should get to know the new rage in social application software. It’s an internet tool called Twitter that let’s you post brief updates about your everyday thoughts and activities. They are posted by the minute to the Web via browser, cell phone, or IM. It’s blogging taken to a new extreme level. Twitter’s constant-contact medium allows friends or just anyone to know where you are and what you are doing minute to minute. Why has this new medium become the rage?

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Wanna shoot me?!

Accidental experiment shows that many people would shoot an innocent person (with paintballs) if kept anonymous.

In my daily scan of the internet, I was stopped cold in my tracks when I came across an article that detailed an Iraqi artist’s attempt to portray the cruelty of war in a quirky, unconventional way. This was from a man who knew the Iraq War up close and personal. He lived it from his arrest as a dissident under Suddam Hussein’s regime, to spending two years in a Saudi refugee camp, to his brother being killed by shrapnel in Najaf. He lived the war experience and wanted others to understand the fear and stress that result from it.

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Snipped from CNNMoney.com.

I knew there was a reason I like those Google guys. In surfing the net every day, I find things that make me smile. This is one of those times. Google has broken the mold again. They are walking the talk with an offer in the millions for the development of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle which are either cars or trucks that have a gasoline engine and advanced batteries that the consumer can plug into an electric outlet. With Google’s philanthropic organization, they are attempting to make a difference in proving that it can be done with a little money and ingenuity. I am thrilled that someone is taking on Detroit and who better to get out in front but Google.

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Snipped from alternet.org.

I am always fascinated by what Google is up to next. Their insatiable appetite for the latest in technology surpasses only their speed at getting it done. Now their latest foray into mapping includes a nifty little thing called Street View. We now have Google at ground floor level recording anything and everything they see on the street, around the street and up the street and this may include you picking your nose (without your permission). What’s next — peeking into bedroom windows? Don’t laugh, it’s happening. So, how does Google do it?

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Snipped from Newswise.com.

Now this is what I am talking about when it comes to innovative thinking. All sane people should, by now, understand our dire need for alternative energy. America does not look like it is going to half its energy consumption any time soon, so instead of lessening our use, we can use an alternative to the century old fossil fuels. Here is Orest Symko, a University of Utah physics professor, who has “developed small devices that turn heat into sound and then into electricity.” If this science is actually feasible it could mean many, many things when it comes to free energy.

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I don’t know if you have heard of Justin Kan yet, but he is becoming the new rage in reality programming on the internet. It’s called Lifecasting. It’s reality programming with a twist. This time it’s from the perspective of Kan who wears a videocam strapped to his head all day recording his every waking moment. And, at night a stationary video camera records his every sleeping moment. This provides a live Web feed to his fans every day. You can live Kan’s life by going to justin.tv right now. You can not only watch him 24/7 but you can chat with him and other fans through online iming at the same time, giving him feedback and advice as he goes through his day. So this isn’t just evesdropping, it’s living vicariously through someone else real time. Why is this odd form of voyeurism catching on?

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I usually don’t write about technical jargon or gadget reviews as it doesn’t really interest me, but I recently purchased my new MacBook. And oh!, such an exciting experience! I have been an Apple user for more than 7 years. The world of Windows and Microsoft is a distant, tumultuous past. When I started my independent graphic design company nearly 10 years ago, I worked off of what 90% of the world operates off of — Windows PC. I thought everyone went through the headaches and mind-numbing struggle with the dreaded “Blue Screen” or the infamous “Ctrl-Alt-Delete”. Then one day I saw Jesus, and he came to me by way of a powerful symbolic image, the bitten Apple. (Did you get the religious symbolism there? You know, I mentioned Jesus then the apple that Eve… never mind.)

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Hopefully, you remember my Wikipedia versus Conservapedia article. With that in mind, you won’t believe what the fanatical right is doing now. Well, they are sick of the liberal bias of reality based YouTube, and they are now creating their own user video community — QubeTV. For your benefit, I browsed through the 12 pages of mostly Fox News videos and Republican politicians, so you don’t have to. Wow, talk about excitement! I will take that over all the humorous and entertaining videos of YouTube any day [sarcasm].

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