History

What is a Denial of Service Attack and how did it wreak havoc across the Twitterverse on Thursday AM, August 6, 2009!

Something has to be up when Google, salt of the Internet decides to use an antiquated form of 'push marketing' (namely billboards) to spread the word? It appears Google is desperate to be taken seriously in the corporate world, where customers remain reluctant to switch from Microsoft’s desktop Office Suite in favour of a cloudier option such as Google Apps. So Google is taking it to the street with outdoor advertising.

Remember the days of 'push marketing', when the Mad Men of Madison Avenue monopolized what messages were beamed out to the public. Feeding us manageable morsels of propaganda about the brands they represented, they controlled a lot of what we ate, drank, and yes... even what we thought.

As legacy newspapers continue to seek out new ways to survive beyond their antiquated twentieth century business model, the Wall Street Journal has strapped on some big guns in an attempt to build a name in the Wild West terrain of Web 2.0. Leaked rumors indicate its jonesing for a mano-a-mano duel with LinkedIn in an attempt to attract some of that business network's 15 million monthly netizens.

Once an innovation on the Web catches hold in the market, there's often a "lock-in mechanism" that freezes out radical changes to that innovation. In the 1970s, Irving L. Janis's book "Victims of Groupthink" described it as  "a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgment that results from in-group pressures." In the Age of Social Media, where social networks like Twitter and Facebook have consumed our lives, has Digital Man evolved into the the current version of "Groupthink" or the herd mentality?

'Inside the Beltway' was originally a term coined for those who worked within the confines of the Administration and Congress. Other time, the negative connotation of "insular" and "out of touch with mainstream America" emerged to describe the close-knit clique of Washington insiders. An "inside joke" refers to humor that is apparent only to those who are "inside" a social group or occupation. Now combine the two...and you might come up with a social network the likes of 3121.

If you are a fan of Showtime's award-winning comedy "Weeds" you know how dangerous locating, procuring and purchasing marijuana can be. However if you have a prescription from your physician, iPhone is going to make that whole process a whole lot easier.

Working its way to 1 Billion users, Facebook just reached the one quarter billion mark (250 Million), only three months after reaching its last milestone of 200 million in April. So with such exponential growth, why is there so much talk about people leaving this social network?

Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama were all previous prize winners. Barack Obama may be in the running this year. So is it possible that his competition could possibly be a social network, the likes of Twitter?  Does a platform, an inanimate entity warrant the same consideration as a person?

One of the rules of Fight Club is "If this is your first night at Fight Club, you HAVE to fight." Analogous to a schoolyard brawl, where stolen lunch money is cause for retaliation, these two industry chums have come to blows over hacked documents.

Since Hollywood has given a thumbs up to 'Facebook, the Movie,' shouldn't the movie moguls be considering some fresh new faces to star in this biopic, with the working title "Social Network". Perhaps social media rockstars like Pete Cashmore, Gary Vaynerchuk or Guy Kawasaki could be cast in the starring role of Mark Zuckerberg? Instead of method movie-actors, why not use the illustrious members of the digerati that work in the social networking trenches, on a day to day to basis?

Everyone from the equipment builders to the canners for the Blue Earth Minnesota Green Giant plant was on hand this past weekend to pay homage to one of the icons of the boomer age and one frequently parodied by Gens X and Y: the Ho Ho Ho Jolly Green Giant.

This cool retro tape dispenser from J-ME sticks in your mind like a catchy 80s hit from a misplaced mix tape.

What does social networking look like by country? Sure, Twitter, Facebook. LinkedIn and MySpace have huge international followings, but indigenous social networks have also grown up within certain countries that are beginning to reach beyond their own borders. So considering Intranets other than the dominant players in the US, take a look at the TOP TEN social networks that are flourishing around the globe.

The last of the great Woolworth's "five-and-dime" general stores in the U.S. closed its doors in 1997. But the great-granddaughter of Frank Woolworth, Priscilla Woolworth, wanted to continue the legacy of her family à la 21st century. Her general store is online, it's green, and it's eco-pet too!

All dressed up and no place to go? What's a lady to do for her 123rd Birthday if she really wants to Rock the Harbor? Well, if you're the Statue of Liberty, you just might want to invite a whole bunch of folks over to help you commemorate the special occasion. But how do you get your birthday party invitations out to the masses? Well, in the case of Our Lady, she's chosen to join the craze sweeping the nation... she's tweeting it!

Statistics often color our perceptions, and in the sphere of social networking this is most certainly true. We like to make assumptions based on the numbers. However, most often when 'pacing' is omitted from the equation, we lose our perspective as to what the numbers are really telling us. Is Facebook the dominant player in social networking or does its growth numbers tell us something more about where it will be a year from now?

What do Gollum, Kong, The Silver Surfer, the Polar Express, Beowulf and Benjamin Button have in common? They all utilized the innovative technique of 'performance capture" where an actor's movements and expressions are electronically tracked and translated into computer generated imagery (CGI) to make the real-life actor resonate in a hybrid world of animation.

Within minutes of Michael Jackson's passing on June 25, Twitter went abuzz with all ten trending topics referencing Michael Jackson, from "RIP Michael Jackson" to "Pop King." Whatever you may have thought of Michael Jackson's personal life, his contribution to the world of entertainment was unmistakable. He raised the bar beyond the level of Elvis Presley to set a mark that will be hard for any artist to measure up to in the years and generations to come. Watch the Top Ten videos selected to honor the life and times of the King of Pop that were all produced within a few hours of his passing.