We live in an age where technology is connecting us to a font of up-to-the-second information. When there was that volcanic eruption in Iceland, how quickly did you know about it? This immediacy and connectiveness is both a good thing and bad, according to President Obama, who spoke over the weekend at Virginia's Hampton University.

"You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter," President Obama said, with words that quickly make one recall the misinformation we were all subjected to: Is Obama a Muslim? Are "death panels" part of the health care bill? Does Obama have a U.S. birth certificate?

He continued: "With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation."

So what makes an iPod or an Xbox any more distracting than, say, that Blackberry that never seems to leave Obama's hand? Sure, when you think Blackberry you think of a business power user, but, in reality, it has access to all the same content as an iPad or PlayStation, it's just packaged a different way.

I do understand what Obama is saying, and I agree. It's certainly easy for bad information to spread, or for something that seems funny at first to turn harmful, such as it is with online bullying. What I take issue with is the idea that the category of devices presented represent a great distraction than a Blackberry.

On an iPod you could vapidly listen to music all day, sure, but you could also listen to music that inspires you, or news podcasts that inform you. On a PlayStation you have access to the web just like you would on a computer, and access to one of the best Blu-ray players with which to watch films. The iPad is new and has been criticized as a toy for consumers only, but there's something to be said for consumption as the device itself has spurred the sale of over 1.5 million books since its release. Books!

The Xbox, too, I see as a bridge more than a wall. Just last night I learned last night that there's a scare about tained lettuce in the state I live in. I didn't learn it from a news feed, I heard it from a friend as we chatted during a game of Halo: Reach.

In the end, I imagine that President Obama and I would both agree that it's how you use these gadgets and what content you take your time up with that counts. I'll also concede that I don't have to talk to a nation filled with parents who let their kids ditch homework for another few hours of gaming.

All I'm saying is that I can imagine a scenario of abusing any one of these gadgets and while I do think it is important to be aware of negatives, I can't help but see the value in them as tools for accessing information that enables that information to be empowering.

Yahoo! via Fast Company

This week, international domain names that can be written in languages other than English, are likely to be approved by members of ICAAN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). A member meeting taking place in Seoul should confirm the change by Friday which will see the potential for web addresses in Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Greek, Hindi and Cyrillic become available for use. Rod Beckstrom, ICANN’s new president and CEO, said that if the change is approved, ICANN would begin accepting applications for non-English domain names and that the first entries into the system would likely come sometime in mid 2010. The greatest obstacle will be the creation of a translation system that allows multiple scripts to be converted to the right address but ICAAN are confident that after years of testing, the systems works reliably. ICANN, formed in 1998 by the US government, was recently given more autonomy after Washington relaxed its control over how the Internet is run.

This is another official update to the original "Shift Happens" video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com.

Content by XPLANE, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. Design and development by XPLANE, http://www.xplane.com. You can follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/xplane

The iTunes Music store sports a better interface than the Amazon Mp3 website but the problem is that most songs available on iTunes carry restrictions unlike Amazon where you can download MP3 tracks and play them on any computer / portable player. What if you could combine the best of both worlds? That means you browse and search songs on iTunes but head over to Amazon when you want to complete the actual purchase.

Well, that’s very much possible though Advantageous according to this CNET video by Tom Merritt. It’s a Mac OS X only script that adds this “Get MP3 from Amazon” link in your iTunes store. So you find the song through iTunes than click the Get MP3 link that will take you to the artist’s or album’s page on Amazon MP3 store where you can buy the music DRM-free. Get MP3 Songs from Amazon via the iTunes Music Store - Digital Inspiration

Technology is the 7th Kingdom of Life

A conversation with Kevin Kelly and Joshua-Michele Ross From: OreillyMedia Views: 1578

3 ratings Time: 15:52 More in People & Blogs

... it would probably sound like this.

[Thanks Dean!] [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: If Google PageRank Could Sing | Comments][Advertisement] Want to advertise here? Your ad will show in the blog and feed.

'BOW BEFORE THE ALMIGHTY CLOUD!'

Following an early morning status check of their vintage electronic equipment, two computer engineers "throw down" in an awkward dance-off that seems to (innacurately) echo the development of information technolgy and the internet from 1951 up to the present day (!?). The film features a catchy jingle by pop impresario Jim Guthrie. This is the second film by SUPERBROTHERS.

• : The point at which a given species cedes planetary control to robots or machines.

For more information about this film and other pixel films by SUPERBROTHERS, visit superbrothers.ca and click on FILMS.

Warnings: Some educational material, suggestive content.

pixel artwork & film: SUPERBROTHERS ( superbrothers.ca )

musical composition: jim guthrie ( jimguthrie.org )

additional sounds: arthur zaragoza ( zaragozabros.com )

"superbrothers!" sample: guitar vader ( guitarvader.com ) Cast: superbrothers

Google’s latest patent titled “Water-Based Data Center” describes various implementations for deriving power from water while at the same time using water as a method for cooling. One method proposed is a ship-based data center platform capable of being deployed quickly to offer greater flexibility than traditional land based data centers. These Water-Based Data Centers would be powered by natural energy derived from wave motion via tide-powered generators and cooled by “sea-water” cooling units. In addition to being powered by the sea these floating data centers would rely on sea-powered pumps and “seawater-to-freshwater heat exchangers" for cooling.

The patent goes on to describe several “implementations” each with its own unique source of water power and method of water based cooling. Another implementation is land-based, powered by wave, tidal and/or current motion from adjacent to bodies of water. According to the patent, the “wave-powered electrical generator system may likewise comprise” one or more so-called “Pelamis machines.” In addition to the Pelamis machines, the patent also mentions wind machines “mounted or tethered to an ocean floor”. [By Brian Ussery | Origin: Google Patent for Water-Based Data Center | Comments][Advertisement] Want to advertise here? Your ad will show in the blog and feed.

Lessig: i-9/11

YouTube seems to delete some comments!

Lawrence Lessig spricht über ein Internet-9/11 und einen Internet-Patriot Act.

Via: http://www.infowars.net/articles/august2008/050808i911.htm

Post: http://revolution.blogdns.org/2008/08/i-911-und-i-patriot-act/ From: revolutionblog Views: 19794

99 ratings Time: 01:24 More in Science & Technology