Obama Wins Nobel

His response was eloquent, and bang on.

And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action — a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

Some of the responses are interesting as well - without the previous 8 years, would this administration be this important on the world stage? I disagree however - in a sea of ridiculous commentary, hope yet remains.

You can't trust the system!

Hilarious!

Link.

Andy Samberg - I Threw it On The Ground - watch more funny videos

Please don't go there

So Palin is still around, selling $100k appearances, pushing a book (look at that cover!), etc.

I don't get it.

Here is even Fox News (you know, I heard they are a wee bit biased), last year, post-election, talking about Palin.

Palin, last year, didn't know Africa was a continent, not a country. She couldn't name the countries in NAFTA.

Is 2-3 years of learning all you need to be considered a contender for President?

Do It

Fun video, worth sharing.



Reminds me of the journey video done last year in cyprus by some IT people on vacation...which was wrongfully derided. The video is there too - it looks fun.

Facebook isn't the Next Pets.com

A lot of people over the past couple years have suggested that facebook will eventually flame out - once the hype gets too much and the profits don't appear.

Well, it turns out they are wrong. Facebook is profitable, and has 300 Million users.

50 million new users in the last 75 days.

Wow.

So they aren't going anywhere. In fact, it appears to have become part of the daily/weekly social interaction cycle. People understand the privacy issue, but the benefits outweigh the risks. It's much easier to share and stay involved in your friends/family's lives.

Some thoughts going forward:

• facebook is flickr+myspace+blogger+email+games+etc. Sounds like a platform. Is it already? (hint: yes)
  
• With the advances in the mobile space - will the line between privacy and social benefit become more difficult? Think: facebook adds google lattitude - you can now see where your friends physically are at any moment....even if your phone doesn't have GPS.
• Facebook competition: it's going to be really, really, really hard to unseat facebook. Probably just as hard, if not harder, than google for search.
• What is the net impact on culture, both locally and globally? This is a degree of sharing never seen before...how will this change us?
  
• What is the "facebook for business" answer? There are many, many startups out there trying to answer this, and I think they're mostly wrong.
  

Windows Phone

There is unbelievable excitement in the mobile world these days. Both Android and the iPhone are moving to the next level with Augmented Reality functionality - and Android stands to get even further. With the OS separated from the hardware, there are all sorts of opportunities. The Apple strategy of OS+Hardware+Control will probably limit them in the end. Look for Android to be hitting some big time strides next year.

So where is Microsoft in all of this? They are re-branding from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone with the next OS release, 6.5. What else? When I watched the video below, I found myself saying "Yeah...So?" What is really new? Maybe the tag stuff, but...meh.

And don't get me started on when he said (along the lines of) "Not very pretty - but it doesn't need to be pretty." Really? A consumer phone....doesn't need to be pretty? It reminds me of their commercials...

EDIT: Found the video on Youtube and embedded it here. Some of these other video sites are ridiculous - autoplay? Are you serious?

Health Care Reform

Read this blog post from Roger Ebert. Great post. I think he really hits the nail on the head.

Random Thoughts:

• Death Panels: Doesn't the current system often put the power in the hands of an insurance adjuster to make decisions?
• Our system here in Canada is deeply flawed at times, but the alternative of no system at all is ridiculous.
• I wonder how many people have changed their perspective in this economic climate? How many people have lost their seemingly permanent job with insurance?
• What is interesting is the Christian slant in the post and throughout the comments. Many supposed "Religious Right" people are against Health Care Reform. Uh, why?

I do think that the US is dealing with a lot right now - and should consider, as Lieberman said last night on CNN, to run with the 75% that everyone agrees with.

Final thought - I wish people would choose to think more deeply about these issues rather then barf out talking points from the talking heads. It leads to people saying stuff like "Keep the government's hands off my Medicare!".

Footage of the Storm

As most know, a blistering storm came through Southern Ontario last night. It seemed like just another one - we have many, many tropical-style 30-min-to-1-hr storms come through this summer.

Last night was much worse. Check out the footage:



This one probably requires Internet Explorer (CBC - really...WMV??)

Insanity

These town hall debates are hilarious. They're getting flooded with, well, crazy people saying crazy things. I don't envy the politicians at all.

I think Barney Frank responds to this lady in the only way possible. Colberts response last night was to bring out a dining room table - how can you insult this table!!!

Jon Stewart said it best - a gay jew and mixed-race president are, uh, Nazis?

Awesome.

How Americans Spent Their Day in 2008

This is a really cool graphic showing how Americans spent their day in 2008. Be sure to check out the demographic filters.

I love this line:

Sleeping, eating, working and watching television take up about two-thirds of the average day.

Another great piece of insight is that it appears that those with 2+ children work MORE than those without any kids!