Normally I skip things like “top ten XYZ for 2008”. But when I heard about the year 2008 in photographs at The Big Picture from Boston.com, I had to take a look. Sure enough, they are great photos. Truly great.

Things I like about it are:

• The photo quality is excellent. It’s photojournalism at its best.
• There is more of a world focus than just an American focus.
• There is a wide range of photographs, from light moments to horrific ones, with plenty showing how awesome the world can be (see the first one of the lightning storm in a volcano).
• There are good notes explaining the context of each photo.

The only thing that you might want to skip over is the comments: it’s alot of either cheering or petty criticism (e.g., these photos seems to have a liberal bias).

It’s also a grammatically correct sentence (albeit a very difficult one to break down). Fortunately, you don’t have to, since there is a detailed explaination for it on Wikipedia.

(Thanks to a tweet from Alpha Ng for point this very cool sentence out!)

If you want to make an Easy Gingerbread Houses for Kids without buying a kit, or you want to practice making different ones, try this idea. The secret incredient? Pop tarts! Clearly not for gingerbread house purists, but it is not a bad way to make one.

The Drifters are great, and this song is also great. But I really like this video and the naturalness of the singers as they hang on “up on a roof”.

YouTube – The Drifters – Up On The Roof.

will like this: Bunny with an Artblog. There are lots of great things on this blog, including a reference to this wonderful nativity work of art.

When it’s a domain name. And sex.com is worth twice as much as beer.com. For more very expensive domain names and what they are worth, check out CARPE DIEM: So What Are Domain Names Worth?

Scarlett Johansson puts snotty tissue on eBay (says BusinessWeek) and raises over $2000! Sure, it is for a good cause, but it is a crass way of going about it.

When I first saw this, I thought: is that right?! Why is Hugo Boss making a cellphone? But after a moment, it makes sense. For alot of people a cell phone is a fashion accessory, just like a watch can be. And other designers have had cell phones associated with them. Plus, as cell phone manufacturers have a harder time differentiating themselves from each other functionally, they may turn to designers as channels to sell their products.

You can see more about this at this post: Hugo Boss mobile phone – Technology – Wallpaper.com – International Design Interiors Fashion Travel

…that someone would make a flash game that allows you to throw shoes at President Bush. It has the most excellent name: Sock and Awe!

So get your size 10 loafers and get goin’!

…can be found here at Bits Blog (NYTimes.com).

It is true that big sites can arrange their networks (for a price) to provide better service for their clients. But by and large, the ISPs have for a long time been laissez-faire when it comes to network traffic passing through their networks.

It is also true that you can build a much better network for your clients than the Internet. You can simply pay the ISPs to build you a private network. It will also be expensive.

I think in a few years more and more network traffic will be wireless P2P, and the Internet will matter less and less, other than a legacy backbone for some older traffic and protocols. But in the meantime, I think there will be a lot of discussion about net neutrality. This article can provide you with some useful ideas to consider.
 

Not a good page to hit during the Holiday (shopping) Season. But credit to J. Crew for a) having a fail page and b) providing a backup (in this case, a phone number). Much better than getting a “500” error or some other error code that would mystify most people.

Let’s up this page, J. Crew Fail Page, is replaced by the real home page soon.

While the government of Australia may have the best intentions, their wanting to test a web filter to block banned content is flawed in a number of ways. (nytimes.com has a good article on it).

First, it is unlikely to achieve the effect it wants to achieve. Anyone intent on getting around the filter will be able to using P2P networks, as Mike While, the COO of one Australia’s largest ISPs point out.

Second, the government plans to keep the list secret. How will that work if someone wants to legally challenge being on the filter list? And who will keep the government in check in situations where some overzealous censor starts adding sites that are legal?

With the number of countries increasing censorship on the Web, it is only a matter of time before individuals come up with ways to bypass the censorship.

What is an Perigee Moon? NASA – of course – has the details. Hint #1: it’s the moon we have right now. Hint #2: it’s very close. 🙂

The old joke used to go: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?….Practice, practice, practice!”

Well, YouTube has added a new spin on this. Until the end of January, 2009, musicians can audition via YouTube for a collaborative virtual performance and the best performances will earn the artist the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall. This is social media and Web 2.0 at its best.

I would encourage anyone with the heart and the talent to perform this piece to give it their best and submit it to YouTube. Regardless of the outcome, it will be a great experience. And hey….you never know. Go to YouTube – symphony’s Channel for more information.

See you on stage!

Why is the LCBO recalling D’Aquino Pinot Grigio white wine from Italy? According to Yahoo! Canada News, it’s because the bottles are filled with….water.

I wonder if some people who drank it thought: even for pinot grigio, this is bland?! 🙂

Interesting: Wells Fargo is offering a service called vSafe to Protect, Organize & Access Important Documents.

It looks low cost ($4.95/month for 1 GB of storage) and since it is Wells Fargo, they have a reputation to maintain. And it is a good reputation, particularly in the area of innovation.

They also have a free 30 month trial, with some restrictions (e.g. you need a U.S. mailing address).

Worth considering if you are interested in cloud computing but are concerned about who is controlling your data.

Umm….not great literature? Well, yes, that, but also some funny versions of Pride and Prejudice and Hamlet.

In talking to clients recently, a number of them have talked to us about how Obama’s team was able to capitalize on the Internet to be successful. This article, In Election’s Wake, Campaigns Offer a Peek at What Really Happened over at the  NYTimes.com provides a glimpse into both campaigns and talks about things that went well and not so well.

One thing that struck me was this quote, from Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand:

“We’re not supposed to give these numbers out, but I’ll give them out,” Mr. Hildebrand said at another point… “We have 90 people on our Internet team. And they weren’t just doing the Internet. They were producing videos, they were slicing and dicing people who showed up on our Web site to figure who is more likely to give more money.

“We also spent a record amount of money on Internet advertising,” he said. “I want to say in the end $8 million on the Internet advertising alone. That really, really mattered.”

I am not surprised by these numbers: the ability to create and change information at the rate they did, and the ability to raise the type of money they did would required, would require alot of people and resources.

Anyone wanting to duplicate Obama’s success now has a better idea just what it took him to achieve that.

Not yet, according to this article, CDN – Reports: Wal-Mart to sell iPhone with $2 price drop, but it is a possibility. Whatever happens — and I don’t see Blackberry or Nokia being reduced to niche players anytime soon — the smart phones we carry around are going to continue to dramatically change in the next few years.

This is Guiseppe Filanoti. He will not be singing in the leading role of “Don Carlo” for La Scala’s season opening, after having difficulties in the dress rehearsal.

I can appreciate La Scala wanting to yank him: the last time that opera opened La Scala, it was 1982 with Pavarotti in the lead and he was booed. And last year the famed tenor Roberto Alagna was booed offstage during an infamous performance of Aida.

Never a dull moment! See La Scala swaps tenors for season opener at Yahoo! News for the details.

There are a number of articles out, including one in GlobeAndMail.com, about this study that shows that Happiness is contagious. A key section of the Globe’s article said that the study,

“…(u)sing a standard measure of well-being, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale…found that when an individual becomes happy, a friend who lives nearby experiences a 25-per-cent increased chance of becoming happy. And the more centrally located you are in your social cluster of happy people, the more likely you are to become happy.”

You might think, “well, it might have been a small scale, rinky-dink study”. However,

“(t)he research, being published today in the British Medical Journal, is the latest analysis of data gleaned from the Framingham Heart Study, a longitudinal U.S. survey begun in 1948. The researchers, who have previously published similar findings on the spread of obesity and smoking from the data, focused on 4,739 individuals over 20 years, accounting for 50,000 social and family ties.”

Now what has this to do with Web 2.0? Well it could be that social networks supported by social platforms like Facebook, twitter, and flickr, can support the propagation of happiness (or other feelings). I know when I see pictures of family and friends happy, it makes me happy. And when I hear that they are having a difficult time, it adversely affects me. Perhaps not as strongly as it would if I were there in person, but what social networks lack in quality (i.e., directness) they can make up for in quantity (i.e., I am more aware of more of the feelings of family and friends potentially).

It remains to be seen if this is actually happening generally with people. But I am conscious of what I say when I use social platforms, knowing that people are reading what I write and many times responding to it. It affects how people think, not just about you, but how they think about life in generally. Not that you have to try and make people happy with what you say, but knowing that you might be able to is something to seriously consider.

As for me, I am happy you took the time to read this and think about it! I hope your day is a happy one.

(A most excellent photo of “Mel C” courtesy of *SMILING PUG*’s photostream on flickr)

As can be seen by the size and quality of Mark Bittman’s (Bad) Kitchen over at the Well Blog on NYTimes.com. His is really small, and he has some other serious limitations as well, but clearly he can cook some wonderful things. Check it out.

According to this BBC NEWS Story, a UK Surgeon saves boy’s life by text. The doctor, David Nott, received detailed instructions on how to do a critical amputation from a colleague in London via text message.

Incredible.

Why? Because it is flooded: the worst it’s been in 22 years. The always excellent section of Boston.com,  The Big Picture, has the photos to show you just how bad it is. (Bad situation: great photos).

The good folks at Canada Post have put together alot of good material to make sure you get your cards and parcels to their destination on time (even if that destination is Santa Claus / North Pole / H0H 0H0 🙂 ) I think this page in particular, Canada Post – Holiday – Suggested Mailing Dates, is very well done.

Don’t just sit there: get wrapping! 🙂

Twice this year I have seen the metropass kiosk offline on the first day of the month. I find this amazing. I am not sure what the problem is, but it should get fixed.

The old way I used to do it was to go into the store and ask the staff. That’s still a good way to do it, but there is a faster and easier and better way.

The better way to do it is to go here: http://www.vintages.com/frame_results.html?ITEM_NAME=value

By entering that into your browser, you will get a list of the wines at Vintages that are associated with value. Now, not all of them are cheap. For example, this wine, DOMAINE ALAIN JEANNIARD MOREY-ST-DENIS VIEILLES VIGNES 2005, goes for $50. On the other hand, it is….

“… sourced from 80-year-old vines, (and) only five half-barrels of this wine were made.(Furthermore….) From its garnet-hued mantle and openly fragrant nose (reminiscent of crushed red fruits) to its well-structured palate and silky tannins, this lovely wine will charm any Burgundy enthusiast, especially those hunting for superb value.”

I tried this and most of the wines I checked had such phrases as “excellent value” or “outstanding value” associated with them. And while there were some expensive Burgundies, there were a number of wines from the new world for under $15 (and one French dessert wine under $10!).

Times are tough, but life is good. Especially if you get one of these value wines.

Over at the tumblr.com is a great tumble log called 1001 rules for my unborn son. Go see. I like this one:

276. Surround yourself with smart people.

That’s why I have my blog: because I am surrounded by smart people.

After you read it, you might want to start a similar log of your own life lessons. Hey, the world needs your wisdom.

(Tip to Cup of Jo).

There is so much that is great about Google that it is easy to overlook the problems that they have and the problems that they might cause. A very good exploration of that, with regards to free speech and censorship, can be found in this NYTimes.com article: Google’s Gatekeepers.

The article explores how Google –the corporation and the people that work there — deal with the demands around the world to censor or block material provided by Google and YouTube. As for article shows, it is a very demanding job.

I think the article is fair in showing all the sides of the issue. If anything, it gives Google and it’s employees the benefit of the doubt. And that’s the part I have a problem with.

Things I would have liked to seen is an exploration of whether or not there should be an American law for free speech similar to the antiboycott laws in place since the 1970s. If it can be illegal for U.S. companies and citizen to particate in a boycott, a similar law could be put in place to uphold free speech.

Another thing that should be explored is whether or not the approach Google current has in untenable. I believe it is untenable for three reasons. First, I believe that their current piecemeal approach is eventually going to collapse or be unmaintainable as exceptions and contradictions are exposed. Second, I believe that Google as a corporation should not have that much control over what I can see and do.Third, Google as a corporation has a conflict of interest between supporting free speech and growing business is countries that want to restrict it.

Now Google is not the State. I still have freedom of association and the press. If I want to post videos or blog things or search for things, I don’t need to use Google. In fact, I don’t use Google for a number of those things. However, most people do. And that really is the root of the problem.

P.S. There is a semi-hagiographic quality to the article. I am not sure why. I think Google can stand for less of that, not more.

This, believe it or not, is the world’s first digital camera.

According to Oddee.com, it was invented by Steve Sasson from Kodak in 1975. And since it was 1975, the recording device for digital media was a cassette tape. What is surprising is that some of the technology used then is still used in digital cameras now (though thankfully not the tape). For more on this and other interesting firsts, see Oddee.

In the wealthier parts of the world, we take light and illumination for granted. Imagine how much harder your life would be if you could not take it for granted. Light provides us safety and comfort, but it also allows people, especially people who work long hours, to read and educate themselves and improve their lives.

So I thought this project, Portable Light, was a great idea. Not only does it provide for low cost lighting for people who can least afford it and who most need it, but it does it in a very ingenious way. But rather than tell you, I’ll leave it at that and strongly encourage you to go to the site.

(Tip to afrigadget.com for this).

Then go over to the blog AfriGadget and check out this post:  Support AfriGadget’s Young Mobile Reporters.

As for me, everything I believe that is going to matter in the 21st century is tied up in this project, so how could I not contribute? You can too. It’s sounds like a worthwhile initiative.

BTW, this blog was rated one of the 50 best web sites of 2008. A very good addition to your bookmarks or RSS feeds.

It looks like Starbucks is joining Apple, the Gap, and others,  on the (RED) campaign to help save lives in Africa. You can too. See Starbucks and (RED) – Do Something Good Everyday

Hey, you were going to buy that latte anyway, so do something more with your purchase. Click the link to see how.

The web site HeadRoom has a wealth of information on anything regarding headphones. Ratings, prices, lots of photos, and very detailed reviews. I’m looking at these Grado 60s, for example: great value “cans” for under $100 (Canadian).

I am not an audiophile, but I love the look of this “dock” for the iPod. I am sure it sounds alot better than most iPod docking stations most of us are familiar with.

Like the name of the product too.

In Toronto, you can get this line at Bay Bloor Radio.

For more information on the product itself, surf on over to Fatman iTube Red-i with Speakers

There are lots of sources of information on the Internet regarding home electronics. (For example, I am in the market for a wireless-N router like this one.) What I like about amazon.com is the clear yet thorough reviews that I came across. Perhaps some are not, but the ones I read were very informative. If you are shopping for gear (or, or course, books!) then consider going there.