Rapidly Spreading Technology

We live in a world where web 2.0 and massive technological innovations have created unprecedented potential for collaboration with no regard for geographical distances, or any of the traditional divisions of humanity.

Check out this clip from Us Now, which discusses the power of mass collaboration, media, and the rapidly changing world we live in.

International Aid

International aid in the food epidemic requires forward thinking and new ideas. Throwing money at tried and failed programs is as deplorable as inaction. But new doesn't necessarily mean good.

Cash distribution is something that has been floating around among, many forward thinking scholars. The UN debates:

"In a major endorsement of the approach, the UN's World Food Program, the biggest non-governmental distributor of food, is expected to announce later this month that it will begin distributing cash and vouchers instead of food in some areas according to WFP sources."

Not a bad idea, but keep in mind that most countries that really need international food aid are often not open to the help: Burma after last year's Cyclone Nargis, Zimbabwe for the past 29 years, North Korea - the list goes on. I don't think that distributing direct cash aid is a plausible or logical conclusion.

Another Great Weekend in Boulder

This past weekend was another reminder as to why I love living in Boulder.

My weekend began on Friday with a excellent dinner with friends in Denver at Potager.

Saturday morning we decided to venture back into Denver to check out the Psychedelic Experience exhibit. A "poster show" of the late 60’s San Francisco music scene and the anti-establishment counterculture which co-existed throughout the city and the country. If you are in the area, I defiantly recommend stopping by. After touring the museum for a bit, we decided to head outdoors and explore downtown Cherry Creek and grab some lunch. We ate at a wonderful Mediterranean cafe with a great outside terrace for dinning. The house made mozzarella and wood fired pizza was just what we needed.

Returning to Boulder later in the afternoon, I took care of a few chores and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. It was the first nice weekend in a while, so we took it upon ourselves to watch the sunset over the mountains at the Flagstaff House, where we enjoyed appetizers and champagne . It was nothing short of romantic. As the sun began to set, we headed back into town and decided to have dinner at Mateo where I had the petaluma chicken, fresh tarragon, beurre fondue, and watercress. Jason enjoyed the Maine lobster raviolo beurre fondue, and peppernatta. For dessert, we dined at Frasca with friends and enjoyed homemade gelato and some aperitifs.

Despite our activities from the previous night, Sunday we decided to hike up Royal Arch. Known as the Boulder's "stair master," it was a challenging hike, but the view at the top was well worth it.

Ahhh, what a great weekend!

Get Ready for the Future

This video is simply fascinating. Making the world's knowledge computable:

Introduction to Wolfram/Alpha by Stephen Wolfram

Congratulations Brittster!

Congratulations to my beautiful baby sister! We are all so proud of you and your accomplishments. We are looking forward to seeing where life takes you next.

Random Thoughts

Is the key to successful social-networking that the network should be broad but shallow? This is exactly what has made Twitter a huge success. Twitter has discovered that people want condensed, fast, information, in a 140 characters or less. Why does it seem so narcissistic? Does writing with 140 characters mean that you can't say anything substantial, which means no one can know if you have any substance? Is it like talking without the burden of having to say anything?

Just a thought...