eHarmony

How Hollywood Works Today Via A Hilarious Look At Star Trek

2010-09-05T05:36:00.001-07:00

100 top toxic air polluters in USA

2010-06-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

More at The Real News

100 top toxic air polluters in USA
Michael Ash: The EPA needs more regulation, not just "inform the public"

My EVOKATION! Game Design!

2010-06-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

Your Custom बुक - Start the Book Creator on Wikipedia

2010-05-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Your Custom Book
You select the content from your favorite wiki and PediaPress takes care of typesetting, printing and shipping.

It's easy!
Start the Book Creator on Wikipedia
Collect your articles
Preview and order with PediaPress
Watch the book tool in act

Video: China’s retail revolution—An interview with Ed Chan

2010-05-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart China's CEO discusses the retailer's strategy in the world's most populous nation.

Todd Guild: There’s been a lot of discussion about the effects of the global recession and the role of China in its recovery. Can you tell us how has the slowdown affected Wal-Mart’s business plans in China?

Ed Chan: Last September, we were seeing some slowdown in spending in a small patch of China. I think this export slowdown probably kicked in slightly earlier than September. So, we were seeing in, for example, our Sam’s Club, our professional members—those who run restaurants, those who run hotels, those who run factories—they were becoming conservative. The first sign we saw was the big autumn festival back in 2008, when some members of Sam’s Club, [who] used to buy a lot of gifts for their trading partners or their employees, were buying a lot less.

There’s no doubt that China’s economy, given its reliance on exports, has been affected to a certain degree. But by and large, this economy is still, I think, growing at a pace that many other countries are somewhat jealous of. We look at China as one of the most interesting and good markets for Wal-Mart.

Todd Guild: Tell us about your direct reports and your leadership team in China.

Ed Chan: In China today—in our own operations, in our associate company Trust-Mart—all the stores are run by Chinese general managers. They are our very senior team members of the company. In terms of my direct reports, we have a very good mix of what I call global capability, but they work in China.

The one big characteristic of our team here is they all share the Wal-Mart values: how to save our customers money so they can live better. They all are passionate about China. They all are passionate about Wal-Mart in China. And they just love what they do.

Todd Guild: China is clearly characterized by its regional differences. What has Wal-Mart done to tailor its assortments and its formats to regional differences in China?

Ed Chan: We have learned so much about the diversity of the customer base in China. And the diversity will fall into different categories. This country is huge. From north to south, the geography implies a number of things. Number one: climate. Number two: differing customer preference. Number three: we can see the varied income level from the very rich coastal provinces, the megacities, to inland China, where income could be one-third or sometimes even one-quarter [of income levels in] the big megacities of Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.

Todd Guild: What do you see in terms of the effects and the speed of the shift for retailers in online retailing and multichannel retailing in China?

Ed Chan: China probably has the largest [number of] Internet users officially or unofficially already. Second, it’s the country with the largest [number of] mobile-phone users. Internet and mobile—the combination of mobile and Internet—is a reality.

With these two, we know that online and e-commerce is a matter of time. They’re still small, but there’s no doubt in my mind that online e-commerce, multichannel, will be an important part of the retail consumer market in China in the years to come. I’m very excited about it. We don’t have an online business yet, but these foundations of Internet usage and mobile technology will no doubt create a huge market in that space for any consumer company.

The other aspect of development is what I’m seeing in the fascinating infrastructure development in China. We all know about the highway density in China. It’s probably approaching the US already. We know the number of high-quality airports in China. What’s also amazing is the rapid build-up of definitely the most sophisticated and the biggest railroad network in China.

When you have all these infrastructure investments coming onstream, and then when you combine it with the technology—Internet usage, new-generation mobile phones—I think, with these developments in China, I won’t be surprised that the consumer technology, the infrastructure, will all blend together to create once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for companies who understand how to tap into this.

The IT industry and innovation

2010-05-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

The IT industry and innovation
The IT industry has actually lost its ability to innovate. And I think pretty hard about this and about why. In the late ’80s, with some of my mentors, they would be really heavily involved with the senior leadership of many of the big IT companies, whether it was IBM or whoever. We used to cocreate and codesign chips with IBM way back in the late ’80s. I think when the CIOs got together and we really kind of started to push standardization, to basically drive operational excellence, we trimmed down that IT industry, the suppliers, and we also kind of pushed them into a commodity world.
And I think that has slowed down innovation. If you look at the joint-venture capital, it used to be invested really heavily in IT firms or small IT firms. You don’t see it much anymore. And actually, if you get a successful small IT firm that starts to emerge, it gets eaten up pretty quick.
And so some of that innovation, I think, over the years has evaporated. My belief is we can get it back, and we need to get it back. But it’s going to take more collaboration from the IT industry. I think the financial crisis is also pushing the boundaries of these companies, which I also think is healthy—that they’re getting into each other’s space because they’re trying to take things like cloud [computing] and the next-generation data center and some
of these things to try to figure out, “OK, so how is this market going to shake itself out?” I think that will get them talking to each other more than they have. But I think it’ll raise competition, which is good for all of us.
The potential of cloud computing I’ve learned through many scars that there’s this massive hype phase. But the industry can’t be pouring as much money as we’re pouring into it for there not to be something there. We think virtualization is absolutely spot-on. I mean, what we’re doing with T-Systems, putting all our SAP systems in their virtual piece, which is kind of a cloud—a first iteration of the cloud—has been great.
It allows us to do peak-and-valley performance. On our HR system, it has been absolutely fabulous. If you think of the perfect-use case, it is in HR. You have segments of time where you do huge activity: at the end of the year, you do performance reviews; in March, we pay people because of bonuses and other things. If we didn’t have it in that virtual environment, we’d have to scope our landscapes and our performance to meet the peak load. And when we’re not at peak, we waste money.
In the new model, we just ride virtualization. We optimize for the peak and we optimize for the valley. So there’s value here, you just have to be selective and a little bit patient.
3
Managing the long life cycle of IT projects
A lot of the projects that we do now are large, multiyear global projects. Some of them last four or five years. So what you have to do is you have to peel apart against the competitive landscape: where is everybody in their technology-investment cycle?
Everybody goes through these seven- to ten-year cycles, I call them. And the challenge on the project side is, “So where am I versus Exxon?” If I look at investment in a desktop and the end-user computing, you can look at the spend level, but I don’t know if Exxon Mobil is harvesting and I’m investing.
Then the second thing on top of projects is, am I doing it differently than my competitor?
Am I introducing a capability that’s different, and why? So that’s what I always ask: am I introducing a capability, and why? Is it a waste, or is it really a differentiator? What we want to do is have much better competitive information. What are our competitors doing? Or, what are others in the industry doing? And what I’m really interested in is not that we’re doing the same—because in IT we all follow each other, right? It’s the pack mentality—what we’re really interested in is, where are we different, and, more importantly, why?
What happens to some CIOs is, it’s heavy lifting. You do a two- or three-year program and you get to the end of it and then you don’t refresh and say, “OK, what’s next?” In a large global organization like Shell IT, people can’t really think [ahead] more than two to three years. And so that’s why you see me break things up into phases and almost refresh what we want to do every two to three years.

中國百年大乾旱黃菓樹變涓絲瀑布！兩百多天沒雨六千萬人受災！南北同旱中共建國最大威脅！

2010-04-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

中國百年大乾旱黃菓樹變涓絲瀑布！
兩百多天沒雨六千萬人受災！南北同旱中共建國最大威脅！
張貼者：公視有話好說-新聞論壇於星期五, 四月 02, 2010

來賓：

氣象專家李富城

台灣大學土木工程系水利工程組教授李鴻源

電話連線：北京地理環境學者王紅旗

網路視訊：八九民運領袖王丹

中國西南地區自去年秋冬以來，遭逢百年難見的乾旱，估計6000萬人受影響，雖然近日有降雨，但仍難解旱象。旱災究竟有多嚴重？

三年一小旱，九年一大旱！缺水本來就是正常現象？

國人熟知的貴州茅台必須停產，亞洲第一大黃果樹瀑布水量也銳減，觀光和農產面臨極大的窘境。為何會如此嚴重？百年大旱對經濟、政治、社會安定會有什麼衝擊？

中國至今已數千萬人投入抗旱.調糧和送水，至於何時才能度過難關還不知道？遭遇百年大旱！無人死亡？糧食無虞？政府因應得宜？人造雨解旱災？蚍蜉撼樹？不無小補？

中國西南乾旱和缺水問題，除了氣候變遷和降雨減少因素之外，還有哪些人為因素？桉樹加劇西南旱災？

是天災人禍？三峽大壩加劇旱災？大壩導致重慶各地氣溫上升？大壩導致水循環中斷？

旱災北移？解決飲水的的威脅，中國政府實在不能掉以輕心。

台灣中南部也鬧旱災？南北同旱、旱澇同災？氣候異常越來越嚴重？範圍將越來越廣泛？大陸大旱，對台灣有何警惕與啟示？

ECFA兩岸協商桃園大溪登場

2010-04-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

ECFA兩岸協商桃園大溪登場
正反兩極對立加遽快馬加鞭6月就簽？ECFA挑戰與困境？
張貼者：公視有話好說-新聞論壇於星期三, 三月 31, 2010

來賓：

環球經濟社社長林建山

成大法律系教授許忠信

台灣寢具產業團結聯盟理事長黃光藝

工業總會常務理事何語

CALL-IN 正反兩極對立加遽快馬加鞭6月就簽？台灣怎面對ECFA

ECFA第二次協商登場！

ECFA今天在桃園大溪進行第二次協商，會場外聚集抗議人士。協商雖採兩會模式，但是多由雙方行政官員對談，經濟部表示未來還有兩次正式協商，六月有機會簽署！而中國國台辦主任也適時提出惠台五項原則呼籲馬總統不擴大農產品開放和陸勞。

ECFA 攤牌時刻？越早簽越好，還是要等待社會共識？政府如何決定簽訂時程？

幾家歡樂、幾家愁！ECFA對產業影響：

面對不同產業，ECFA究竟對我國產業的機會與威脅是什麼？面對中國原料價格便宜，工資也比台灣低，國內的紡織、毛巾和皮件等傳統產業，不是產業外移出走，就是選擇留下來、承受成本提高的壓力！

現在政府要推動ECFA，業者擔心，中國商品低價傾銷，已經搶走一半的市場，如果再全面開放，簡直是要他們關門大吉。面對紡織、寢具業者的疑慮，政府的補償救濟足夠嗎？

ECFA提供土壤養分，產業應趁機轉型？台灣產業發展目前的最大困境為何？是關稅還是產業轉型？

東協加一已經整整三個月，目前產業界所受到的衝擊？

談判桌上，運籌帷幄：

從ECFA架構協定的早收清單到兩岸自由貿易協定，這條路會走多久？

中國方面一再喊話，讓利說可信嗎？對台灣有什麼利與弊？只要大陸不列早收清單，台灣就不會受害？談判如何雙贏又面面俱到？

現階段政府一再表示，絕不開放勞工農產品？gatt規定10內全面自由化？屆時台灣將重大衝擊？

WTO 的經驗？當時台灣受到什麼傷害？如何因應？這次會比WTO嚴重嗎？

政界沸沸揚揚，民眾依舊霧裡看花：

政府加緊宣傳的 ECFA，為何還有很多民眾搞不清楚？政府溝通不足？早收清單神秘保留，有助於談判？

短多長空？全面升級？就長遠來看，ECFA對台灣究竟會造成什麼影響？ECFA對就業、薪資的影響？好到老闆，死到勞工？

Adora teaching ninth grade--research skills made easy

2010-04-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

8-Year-Old Girl Authors Book (Flying Fingers)

Descriptive Writing to 4th graders

Adora teaches descriptive writing

Flying Fingers

Personal Narrative 1 with Adora Svitak

Adora Svitak Reads from Flying Fingers Part 2

Adora Svitak Talks About Teaching

Child prodigy teaches future teachers at Ball State

Adora'sCCTV interview

The iPad is designed so even a 2-year old can use it

2010-04-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

Apple knows people are idiots and didn’t want its consumers to learn another interface. So the iPad rocks the iPhone OS. That way anyone familiar with the other system can easily pick up and instantly use the iPad — like the 2.5-year old daughter of Laughing Squid’s Todd Lappin. She’s not a genius, she’s just part of Generation I.

My iPhone-savvy 2.5 year-old daughter held an iPad for the very first time last night, and it turned out to be an interesting user-interface experiment.

As you can see, after geeking out on my Sutro Tower homescreen, she took right to it — including figuring out how to enlarge some of her favorite iPhone-legacy apps to 2x to display full-size on the iPad screen. If you’re good at understanding kid-speak, you’ll also notice that she immediately saw its potential as a video-display device. She lamented the lack of a camera, and wondered about its potential for playing games.

On the downside, she had the same frustration as many adults, where touching the screen-edge with your thumb while holding the iPad blocks input to all home screen icons. Notice also that she was confused by the splash page for FirstWords Animals, her favorite spelling game: Because the start button looked like a graphic, rather than a conventional button, she couldn’t figure out how to start the game.

Most of all, though, it’s cool to consider that as one of the new Children of Cyberspace, her expectations about computing will be shaped by the fact that she’s growing up in a touchscreen world.

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

2010-04-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

About this talk

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.

Jesse Schell: When games invade real life

2010-04-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

About this talk

Games are invading the real world -- and the runaway popularity of Farmville and Guitar Hero is just the beginning, says Jesse Schell. At the DICE Summit, he makes a startling prediction: a future where 1-ups and experience points break "out of the box" and into every part of our daily lives.

About Jesse Schell

Why you should listen to him:
From his official bio: "Prior to starting Schell Games in 2004, Jesse Schell was the Creative Director of the Disney Imagineering Virtual Reality Studio, where he worked and played for seven years as designer, programmer and manager on several projects for Disney theme parks and DisneyQuest, as well as on Toontown Online, the first massively multiplayer game for kids.

"Schell is also on the faculty of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, where he teaches classes in Game Design and serves as advisor on several innovative projects. Formerly the Chairman of the International Game Developers Association, he is also the author of the award winning book The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses."
"Easily the most comprehensive, practical book I’ve ever seen on game design."
Will Wright, on The Art of Game Design
Email to a friend »

Speed Painter Dan Dunn on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2010-04-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Speed Painter Dan Dunn on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from dan dunn on Vimeo.

WATCH: U.S. Military Shooting Down Civilians in Iraq

2010-04-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

Second Wind

2010-03-10T21:44:00.001-08:00

Second Wind from Ian Worrel on Vimeo.

ICELAND

2010-03-10T21:35:00.001-08:00

ICELAND from Gunnar Konradsson on Vimeo.

Perspektiva Lamp Video

2010-03-10T21:32:00.001-08:00

Perspektiva Lamp Video from Transparent House on Vimeo.

Dream Journey by Transparent House

2010-03-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

Dream Journey by Transparent House from Transparent House on Vimeo.

1409 Del Paso - Farmer's Market

2010-03-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

1409 Del Paso - Farmer's Market from Transparent House on Vimeo.

Cultural Video of Fukuoka, Japan – Home of the Yame Region Known for Superb Green Tea

2010-03-09T03:07:00.000-08:00

http://samovarlife.com/cultural-video-of-fukuoka-japan-%E2%80%93-home-of-the-yame-region-known-for-superb-green-tea/

Wind River Hypervisor

2010-02-23T15:46:00.001-08:00

Wind River CTO, Tomas Evensen, describes the evolution of the hypervisor from the datacenter to the device, including its implications to the device industry and embedded developers.

The Tech Behind The Hard Rock Cafe

2010-02-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

The Tech Behind The Hard Rock Cafe

While there's nothing wrong with the California Club, you don't go to a Hard Rock Cafe because you love food. You go because you love music, and now you're likely to stay longer because you love technology. Knowing the value of memorabilia, Hard Rock took on the huge task of photographing their memorabilia collection in high resolution, feeding it into their office SharePoint. Today, that SharePoint drives the Hard Rock Memorabilia site, the 18'x4' multitouch "Rock Wall" in Orlando, the Rock Wall Solo in Seattle, all the Hard Rock Surface computers, and Microsoft Pivot. And all of it is tagged and indexed with the inside story and Deep Zoomable.

The access to this content is incredible when you think about it. These rockers could teach the world a thing or two about how digital curation is done. Think of how much stuff sits on a shelf at the Smithsonian, Vatican, and thousands of other museums and art galleries around the world. In this video, Hard Rock CIO Joe Tenczar gives us a tour of some of the tech you’ll see in the latest Hard Rock Cafes.

Here is a link to the Photosynth of Tommy Alsop's wallet that I mentioned in the video. And don't miss my behind the scenes look at the Hard Rock Cafe

How To Make Candy as a Christmas Gift

2010-02-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Architecture! Santiago Calatrava Satolas TGV

2010-02-12T00:39:00.000-08:00

Mobile Payment Service Square Simplified On Video

2010-02-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

Remember that awesome video that was made for the Twitter iPhone app Birdhouse last year (if not, watch it)? Well, that guy, Adam Lisagor (aka LonelySandwich) is back at it again, this time for the mobile payment startup Square. In the two minute and 18 second video below, Lisagor quickly and easily walks you through what Square is and how to get it up and running.

This video is exactly the type of thing Square needs to combat VeriFone and others that are moving quickly to take on the hot startup co-founded by Twitter creator Jack Dorsey. VeriFone, for example, is already running ad campaigns in taxis in New York. Square, on the other hand, isn’t widely available beyond its pilot program yet (which the video goes into how to sign up for). But this video showcases just how slick Square is. We’ve used it to accept donations at a few events already, and can confirm that it works exactly as it’s shown in the video. Here’s a video we took of it in action with Dorsey.

And tidbit from the video worth noting: Square is giving a penny of every transaction to the charity of your choice. Watch the video below.

15 Year Old Girl Brutally Beaten While “Security” Phones it In

2010-02-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

A Ride Down Market St., San Francisco, 1905. Pre-Quake.

2010-02-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

See if you can spot anyone NOT wearing a hat. Har!

SpeckAcandyShell

2010-02-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

Actor Sandra Bullock for 'The Blind Side'

2010-02-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.charlierose.com/view/content/10854

Calexico’s Pumpkin Arbol Salsa (New York, NY)

2010-02-11T16:57:00.001-08:00

Calexico’s Pumpkin Arbol Salsa (New York, NY)
Prince & Wooster

What’s up Cartivores!?

For Halloween this year we headed back to the second cart we covered on VendrTV, Calexico Carne Asada to whip up some of their Pumpkin Arbol Salsa. Peter Olaire, one of the partners at Calexico, showed us how to make this delicious salsa from just a few ingredients.

Want to make the salsa for yourself? Download the PDF here. Make it, and upload it to our Facebook page.

And of course be sure to visit Calexico online and follow them on twitter.

Question of the Week:
What is the BEST halloween costume you’ve ever seen?

Veraci Pizza (Seattle, WA)

2010-02-10T19:26:00.001-08:00

Veraci Pizza (Seattle, WA)
Pike Place Market

Nestled in the Pike Place market is Veraci Pizza, a mobile pizza outfit burning apple wood and making just the most delicious Neapolitan pies.

In the episode, Dan spoke with owner Marshall Jett about his business and learns the ins and outs of cooking pizza on the fly.

For more information on Veraci visit them online at veracipizza.com

Coolhaus (Los Angeles, CA)

2010-02-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

Coolhaus (Los Angeles, CA)
1822 Sunset Blvd in Echo Park

They say the fastest way to an architects heart is through his stomach… I think. Well, Coolhaus does just that! This brightly colored truck in Los Angeles drives around the city slinging ice cream sandwiches while touting tales of the ‘tects to interested ears.

We met up with them outside The Dub Club in the Echo Park neighborhood of LA to sample all their creamy goodness.

Learn more about Coolhaus online and follow them on Twitter.

Street Sommelier w/ Gary Vaynerchuk (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T19:23:00.001-08:00

Now Playing:
Street Sommelier w/ Gary Vaynerchuk (New York, NY)
Midtown Manhattan

In this jam packed episode of VendrTV, Dan teams up with internet wine superstar Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV where the two cruise the streets of Manhattan pairing wine with street food.

On our first stop we were joined by Zach Brooks of MidtownLunch.com at Kwik Meal, a cart which recently won MTL’s Street Meat Palooza 2.

Gary threw a fast ball, pairing the platter with a 2008 Premiado Torrontes.

Then it was off to meet up with Jerome Chang of The Dessert Truck. There we sampled his award winning chocolate bread pudding, as well as my favorite, the warm chocolate molten cake. Quick on his feet, Gary whipped out a 2006 Tohu Pinot Noir, which paired perfectly with the sweets.

Enjoy!

More on Gary Vaynerchuk
GaryVaynerchuk.com
WineLibraryTV.com
@garyvee on twitter

Zach Brooks
MidtownLunch.com
@midtownlunch on twitter

Kwik Meal
kwikmeal.net
Kwik Meal on MidtownLunch.com

The Dessert Truck
DessertTruck.com
@desserttruck on twitter

FREE WINE GIVEAWAY
We’ve got a few bottles of the two wines used in this episode to give away to you, thanks to the fine folks at Wine Library.

To enter to win the 2006 Tohu Pinot Noir, leave a comment below.

To enter to win the 2008 Premiado Torrontes, send out this message on Twitter:

Wine and Street food pairings in this week’s episode of VendrTV by @danieldelaney with guest @garyvee. http://tr.im/streetwine

We’ll randomly pick a few winners. Enter both, and as many times as you’d like.

Street Sommelier w/ Gary Vaynerchuk (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Spencer on the Go w/ Veronica Belmont (San Francisco, CA)

2010-02-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

Spencer on the Go w/ Veronica Belmont (San Francisco, CA)
7th and Folsom

On this episode of VendrTV, I was joined by web personality Veronica Belmont where we took a trip to France without leaving San Francisco. Our destination: Spencer On The Go, a mobile bistro serving everything from foie gras to escargot.

Overall, the food was devine! We both got to sample a number of rarities, and in Veronica’s case, firsts.

If you’d like to learn more about Spencer on the Go, you can visit them online at http://chezspencer.com.

You can watch Veronica online in Tekzilla or Qore, and follow her on twitter.

Kogi BBQ (Los Angeles, CA)

2010-02-10T19:21:00.001-08:00

Kogi BBQ (Los Angeles, CA)
W Olympic Blvd & S Berendo St

No trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a visit to one of the most notable of the new generation of street vendors, Kogi BBQ. At Kogi, Chef Roy melds the flavors of the orient with our neighbors down south, resulting in delicious Korean / Mexican fusion! While there I tried their kimchi quesadillas and short rib tacos, both were out of this world! Next time you’re in LA, be sure to check them out.

Learn more about Kogi online at kogibbq.com and be sure to follow them on Twitter.

Hong’s Dumplings (Burlington, VT)

2010-02-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hong’s Dumplings (Burlington, VT)
Church Street

We had a great time filming at Hong’s, which we found nestled among trees and stores on Burlington’s Church Street. Owner Hong Yu isn’t kidding when she says she likes big dumplings; they’re massive! With fillings like crab & cream cheese or cheese & chicken, they’re were sinful and delicious. As dumplings are my favorite food, I couldn’t be happier having Hong be the first episode about those plump pouches.

Check her out at http://hongsdumplings.com/

Question!!!
Curious – Where have you had the best chinese food experience?

This Is Why You’re Fat Tour (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T19:10:00.001-08:00

This Is Why You’re Fat Tour (New York, NY)
Midtown Manhattan

Last week I hit the streets of NYC to participate in This Is Why You’re Fat’s Eat ‘N Tweet street food tour in which six of NYC’s favorite vendors were asked to come up with creations inspired by TIWYF and their newly released book.

Our trip started with a visit to Wafles & Dinges, followed by The Cupcake Stop, The Bistro Truck, NYC Cravings, The Treats Truck and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Over all the food was fantastic, I just wish I felt as good by the end of the day! I must have put on 10lbs.

Book Give Away
We’ve got three copies of the This Is Why You’re Fat book to give away to you guys. To win, think up an outlandish creation you could imagine a street vendor dishing out. Post it in the comments below. I’ll pick the winners next week.

Skillet Street Food (Seattle, WA)

2010-02-10T19:05:00.001-08:00

Skillet Street Food (Seattle, WA)
4th Ave S & S Main St

This week we headed to a beautiful cart in a gorgeous city: Skillet Street Food in Seattle, Washington. Owner Joshua Henderson built the cart out of an old Airstream trailer, and dishes out delicious upscale comfort food like duck confit, pasta, and their signature item, a burger with bacon jam.

Want to win a bottle of Skillet’s Bacon Jam?
Post a comment below describing the best topping for a burger.

Fred’s Franks (Wakefield, MA)

2010-02-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

Fred’s Franks (Wakefield, MA)
Exit 40 off 128

The windows were rolled down as we pulled off at I-128’s exit 40 in Wakefield, MA and as soon as we hit the off ramp my little car was filled with the smells of charcoal and hot dogs. A beautiful smell if I do say so myself.

Order a link and Fred’ll first hand you the bun to fill up with your favorite condiments before plopping a Hot Dog, Kielbasa, Chorico or Linguiça that’s been charred to perfection over a huge green egg shaped grill modeled after a kamado.

Massive is an understatement. These dogs are huge, yet to my surprise, people were ordering two or three half pounders at once! Crazy!

Question of the week
What’s your favorite type of link? Post a comment below.

Red’s Eats (Wiscasset, ME)

2010-02-10T18:54:00.001-08:00

Red’s Eats (Wiscasset, ME)
Main St & Water St

Howdy Cartivores!
This week we ventured north east to the great state of Maine to visit Red’s Eats, a street food institution.

While many know this waterside stand for dishing out plump, juicy, lobster rolls, we quickly learned there’s a lot more to Red’s. With menu items stretching from delicious fried clams to huge crab rolls, Red’s takes seafood seriously.

You can learn more about Red’s Eats on one of our favorite sites, HollyEats.com.

T-Shirt Giveaway
We’re giving away a Red’s T-Shirt! To win, become a fan of VendrTV on Facebook, and write on our wall. We’ll pick a winner at random.

Fancy Fast Food (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T18:49:00.001-08:00

Fancy Fast Food (New York, NY)
53rd St. & 6th Ave.

This week I teamed up with Erik Trinidad of Fancy Fast Food, a blogger who turns mundane fast food meals into works of art! We hit up the 53rd and 6th Halal Guy’s cart for tons of street meat, then it was off to his kitchen to get to work!

Best of 2009

2010-02-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

Best of 2009

Happy New Years All!

As 2010 approaches, we thought it would be nice to look back at 2009 and put together the best moments in VendrTV’s first year!

Garden State (Portland, OR)

2010-02-10T18:32:00.001-08:00

Garden State (Portland, OR)
SE 13th Ave & SE Lexington St.

Even in Portland, OR I couldn’t escape my Jersey roots! Garden State is a italian cart with New Jersey roots in Portland, OR owned and operated by Kevin Sandri. From their meatball sandwich to arancini, the food packs serious punch! It’s fresh, well seasoned, big portioned comfort food at it’s finest.

Learn more about Garden State online at http://gardenstatecart.com

Van Leeuwen Holiday Ice Cream (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

Van Leeuwen Holiday Ice Cream (New York, NY)
23rd and Broadway

For the holidays we stopped by New York City’s Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, to learn about their business and make ice cream with husband and wife team Laura O’Neil & Ben Van Leeuwen. After much deliberation we decided that eggnog would be the perfect flavor for the holidays!

Big thanks to The Brooklyn Kitchen for sponsoring this episode, and hooking us up with some ice cream machines to giveaway as part of our Holiday Gift Contest.

You can download the Van Leeuwen Eggnog Ice Cream Recipe here. If you make it, send us some pictures to post to the site.

Learn more about Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream online or on twitter.

And be sure to check out The Brooklyn Kitchen!

Happy Holidays!

Question of the week:
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Post a comment below.

Wafels & Dinges (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T18:25:00.003-08:00

Wafels & Dinges (New York, NY)
Roaming. Follow @waffletruck on twitter.

One of my favorite trucks in all of New York City is Wafels & Dinges, a little bit of Belgium that trolls through the streets of the Big Apple dishing out authentic waffles from two cities in Belgium. In this episode, Thomas DeGeest teaches me a bit about this history of the waffle, as well as it’s city of origin.

Win a free waffle kit!
Want to win a box of Wafel & Dinges’ Komplete Wafle Kit leave a comment below describing your favorite waffle topper!

Wafels & Dinges (New York, NY)

2010-02-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

Haven Brother’s Diner (Providence, RI)

2010-02-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Haven Brother’s Diner (Providence, RI)
25 Dorrance Street

Arguably one of Providence’s most noted (and mobile) landmarks is The Haven Brother’s Diner. For over one hundred years this flatbed grounded mobile eatery has trucked into the city and parked at it’s grandfathered location (right next to City Hall) where it dishes out burger, fries, and other greasy spoon classics.

I stopped by and met with Ivan Giusti, who’s family owns and operates the third generation of this gem. Finally it was time to feast! To me, nothing sounded better than The Murder Burger and a shake! And it was the perfect way to cap off the night.

Mission District Vendors

2010-02-10T18:16:00.001-08:00

About this Episode January 20, 2010
One of the coolest street vending scenes takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco, where a whole slew of underground vendors use Twitter to tell their loyal fans where they are. A few minutes after the tweet a flash mob forms to dine on everything from curry to creme brulee.

Whiffies Pies

2010-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

About this Episode January 27, 2010
One of my favorite late night spots in Portland, OR is Whiffies. A mobile fried pie spot in the SE 12th and Hawthorne food cart pod. The owner, Gregg Abbott, dishes out flakey sweet and savory pies with flavors ranging from cherry cobbler to pulled pork. Each pie is hand made that day and fried fresh to order. Amazing!

Follow them on twitter: @whiffies or read more about them on Food Carts Portland.

How to Make Chinese Dumplings for the Super Bowl w/the Amateur Gourmet & VendrTV

2010-02-10T18:09:00.001-08:00

About this Episode January 25, 2010
The WCFoodies team up with the Amateur Gourmet & VendrTV for a Chinese food feast in Flushing, Queens, then go home to make some dumplings of their own.

Wings & Vegan Snacks for the Super Bowl

2010-02-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

About this Episode February 1, 2010
With inspiration from Alton Brown, the WCFoodies give you 3 winning recipes for a Super Bowl party: wings w/an Asian dipping sauce & 2 filling vegan snacks

RoliRoti

2010-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

About this Episode February 3, 2010
In this episode of VendrTV we checked out San Francisco's own RoliRoti, a mobile artisan rotisserie that serves roasted chickens and porchetta at Farmer's Markets throughout the city. Before heading to the market, I met with owner Thomas Odermatt at the RoliRoti commissary where he taught me to prepare his signature porchetta.

The Skinny Pancake

2010-02-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

About this Episode February 10, 2010
Right in downtown Burlington sits The Skinny Pancake, a mobile creperie focusing on seasonal, organic ingredients. Started by a few friends, The Skinny Pancake quickly grew into a popular destination for all. In fact, it became so popular they were able to open up a brick and mortar restaurant nearby.

While there I feasted on there locavor, fall harvest, and lemon sugar crepes.

Learn more about them online at SkinnyPancake.com

Kenny Rogers - The Gambler

2010-02-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son, I've made my life out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
so if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

When he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
chrousx3

Guide To Pottery - Firing & Glazing

2010-02-09T01:02:00.001-08:00

Romantic Picnic Food Ideas

2010-02-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

Siri इन action

2010-02-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Siri - The Personal Assistant in your Phone from Tom Gruber on Vimeo.

Yeah, this is the coolest stop-motion video ever made

2010-02-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Video: How vinyl records are made

2010-02-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Gotta Groove Records - "Groove With Us" from Nick Cavalier on Vimeo.

Vinyl records are making a comeback. Yeah, in the world of instant music downloads and portable music, a lot of music fans are falling in love with vinyl – again. Make found a fantastic five minute video showing the process Gotta Groove Records employs. It really seems like a relatively simple process, requiring only a few machines. Click through to watch the video and gain a bit of respect for the music lovers whose passion brings us vinyl records.

Separate Keitai in action

2010-02-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

For years, Japan was the innovation leader in the cell phone industry, until South Korea and the US started catching up rapidly. If you look back at what Nippon’s mighty carriers have released in the past few months, you mainly see super-powerful handsets with large OLED screens, 12MP cameras, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, double digital TV tuners, etc.

But the form factor never really changes, as the majority of Japanese consumers still demands clamshell phones with jog dials enabling them to conveniently thumb-text emails. But if a country churns out 100 different handsets per year, there have to be some exceptions. And the most notable exception (that now has been priced and dated) is Fujitsu’s F-04B featuring the world’s first separable two-module body.

In other words, the so-called Separate Keitai (Keitai means handset in Japanese) breaks into 2 parts that can be used separately (a keyboard section and a display slate). One part is a 3.4-inch touchscreen with a 12.2MP camera (there’s also an inner camera), acceleration sensor, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, e-wallet function etc. The other part is a full numeric/QWERTY keyboard with a geomagnetic and an acceleration sensor.

The parts are joined by a magnet and connected via Bluetooth. Fujitsu says the main idea is to enable users to send or receive mails while talking on the phone. During video calls, users can keep the keyboard section to their ear while holding the display slate at a distance. When horizontally attached, the touchscreen will switch to character entry mode or display a “virtual” game pad so that users can write emails or play games (the keyboard can be used as a game controller, too).

In areas with weak signals, for example in a house, users can put the display section near to a window and go inside to talk via the keyboard part (up to 10m away). Fujitsu claims the Separate Keitai offers superior battery life, too, as users can expect 2,000 hours of standby and 500 minutes of continuous talk, basically tripling the battery life of conventional Japanese cell phones.

I first saw the Separate Keitai back in October 2008 when it made its debut as a prototype at the CEATEC exhibition near Tokyo, and thought it’s a great concept. Fujitsu already plans to offer Bluetooth accessories for the device, for example a mini projector that could be remote-controlled with the keyboard section.

As part of NTT Docomo’s winter lineup, the phone will hit Japanese stores in either March or April for $660.

Here are some videos showing the Separate Keitai in action:

The Matt Cohler Exit Interview

2010-02-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Early Facebook executive Matt Cohler announced his departure today to join top tier venture fund Benchmark Capital. I spent nearly half an hour this afternoon talking to him about his decision to join Benchmark Capital, his predictions for Facebook and a variety of topics that we touched on via various non sequiturs. Joining us was Benchmark Capital General Partner Bill Gurley as well.

This was a surprising move in many ways. Cohler was definitely one of the “inside guys” at Facebook, gets along well with new COO Sheryl Sandberg, and wasn’t generally expected to leave. But as he says below, he’s always had an itch to be a venture captialist, and frankly there is no better place to be for a young partner than Benchmark. They are top tier, but unlike their peers Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins, each partner shares the profits equally. A junior partner at a competing firm is unlikely to get much of the pie for many years. Cohler, though, will now bring home the same paycheck as the other Benchmark partners.

I’ll also highlight Gurley’s comments around the 4:20 mark talking about Benchmark’s strategy for hiring new blood periodically to keep things fresh. The firm has unorthodox hiring and compensation practices that seem to work.

At one point in the interview we talk extensively about the future of Facebook, and whether the Zuckerberg/Sandberg duo can take the company to the next level (meaning, frankly, IPO). Cohler seems optimistic, and clearly remains a fan of both executives.

Mantys is part motorized scooter, part golf cart, and a pinch of Segway

2010-02-04T19:34:00.001-08:00

Video: Fallout: New Vegas trailer

2010-02-04T18:42:00.001-08:00

Caring For Your Elderly Parents

2010-01-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

Caring For Your Elderly Parents
Hosted by: Rebecca Brayton
There’s no way to deny it: our parents are getting older. While we may want to ignore this fact as long as possible, it’s best to plan ahead. One day, we might need to help them more with tasks such as shopping or cleaning, or we may need to take care of them completely. So it’s best to discuss with your parents early, to ensure you have a plan for their different life stages. In this video, WatchMojo.com speaks with the two authors, Barbara Dunn and Linda Scott, of Our Turn to Parent about their personal experiences with elderly parents, as well as advice they have for caregivers.

Custom LowRider Bikes

2010-01-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

Custom LowRider Bikes
Hosted by: Veronica Delfino
Lowriders have been around for years but they are becoming more and more popular today.Many people who ride custom lowrider bikes find that it becomes a lifestyle for them. For more info www.v-low.com

Tea Tasting With A Pro

2010-01-31T17:24:00.000-08:00

Tea Tasting With A Pro
Hosted by: Rebecca Brayton
Tea tasting will help determine the quality of your tea. Much like with wine, different growing conditions of the tea plant – otherwise known as Camellia Sinensis – result in a variety of flavors and even a different appearance of the tea. Kevin Gascoyne is a trained tea taster and black tea specialist. Each year, he travels to countries such as India and Sri Lanka to discover the best teas of the season. In this video, WatchMojo.com speaks with Gascoyne, and learns how a tea tasting is carried out.

Recipes For Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

2010-01-31T17:23:00.001-08:00

Recipes For Healthy Breakfast Smoothies
Hosted by: Rebecca Brayton
First thing in the morning, when you’re rushing to get out the door on time, breakfast can easily become your last priority. However there are delicious and simple options you can make fast and take on the go. Fresh or frozen fruit combines with juice or milk to create an easy, healthy and, most importantly, fast morning beverage. In this video, WatchMojo.com shows you four smoothie recipes: One combines the flavors of blueberry and orange, one will give you a punch of protein and the taste of banana/peanut butter, one is perfect for coffee lovers and the last brings together tofu and strawberries.

Top Picks in Adidas Shoes

2010-01-31T17:20:00.000-08:00

Top Picks in Adidas Shoes
Hosted by: Veronica Delfino
Adidas can serve up retro styles and still manage to stay on the cutting edge of what's hot. In this video find out about the new line of shoes from Adidas that are often inspired by classic Adidas shoe designs.

The Making of The Anti Resume Revolution

2010-01-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

Don't miss this creative behind the scenes video on how she wrote her book, and how you can write one too.

Creating Design Elements: Ink Spreads and Drops

2010-01-28T04:57:00.000-08:00

Steve Wozniak Talks iPad (Video)

2010-01-28T04:55:00.000-08:00

Steve Wozniak Talks iPad (Video)

by Robin Wauters on January 28, 2010

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak paid a visit to California State University of Chico yesterday after the official unveiling of the iPad, and while there he was asked by the audience how he sees the device affecting the entertainment industry.

Videomaker caught his response on video, posted it to YouTube and voilà, one of the first official opinion of the Woz finds it way to us and more broadly, the Internet.

Wozniak foresees – but admits that it’s just a ‘total’ guess at this point – that in the future you’ll be able to subscribe to magazines and newspapers on the iPad via iTunes. In his view, such an endeavor would leverage the iPad to become much more than a hardware play.

In addition, he says he doesn’t see the iPad as fit for movie editing or music production or anything like that.

Nothing earth shattering, but always nice to get übergeek Wozniak’s opinion on Apple stuff.

if you happened to be there, we’d love to know what else was asked (and what Wozniak responded, evidently).

The iPad Video Demo

2010-01-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

This eight minute video should answer any remaining questions you have about the iPad. Watch it in high-res at Apple.

Are You Wearing Dirty Perfume?

2010-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Urine and antifreeze have been found in some counterfeit fragrances.

Protect Your Skin From Winter's...

2010-01-27T07:16:00.000-08:00

Dermatologist Doris Day on how to escape dry skin and chapped lips this winter.

Cyberbullying Blamed for Teen's...

2010-01-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

Did Facebook harassment cause a 15-year-old to take her life?

Google Trike Taking Street View Off-Road.

2010-01-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

No, That’s Not The Ice Cream Man. It’s The Google Trike Taking Street View Off-Road.
44 Comments
282retweetTOP100
Share
48
by Leena Rao on October 16, 2009

Google has been making Maps and Earth a bit more social these days, letting users create 3D buildings and using crowdsourcing to help update changes in terrain and on roads. Now Google Street View is hoping to engage users by letting them suggest spots where the “Trike” should venture.

Google Street View’s Trike is what Google uses when it can’t drive a car through the area its visually mapping. Some Google employee actually rides this contraption to make sure Street View has visuals on hard-to-reach spots around the world. At Google’s Trike homepage, you can suggest spots where the Trike should go within six categories: parks and trails, university campuses, pedestrian malls (e.g., outdoor shopping areas, boardwalks), theme parks and zoos, and landmarks and sports venues.

Google is letting users submit their votes over the next few weeks, and will choose a winner for each category for the Street View trike to visit. It’s certainly an interesting way to engage users with Street View, considering how popular the car sightings are. When Google opened up nominations in the U.K., Street View received more than 10,000 suggestions.

Personally, I think this is representative of Google wanting to have the best mapping data available, whether it be on Maps, Earth or Street View, and is now engaging U.S. users to help them get this. Google knows the power of crowdsourcing and using its loyal user base to help them improve and iterate their products.

4 Troops Sings 'For freedom

2010-01-27T07:02:00.001-08:00

Dr. Richard Besser offers tips on how to keep your home free of head lice.

2010-01-27T06:35:00.001-08:00

Dr. Richard Besser offers tips on how to keep your home free of head lice.

World Economic Forum

2010-01-27T04:39:00.000-08:00

Each year the World Economic Forum at Davos holds number of technology focused sessions. Last year I moderated a high profile discussion about the next digital experience. This year, Loic Le Meur is hosting a discussion on the growth of social networks.

Participants include Reid Hoffman(LinkedIn, Greylock), Owen Van Natta(MySpace), Gina Bianchini (Ning), Evan Williams (Twitter) and George Colony(Forrester Research) and Don Tapscott (nGenera). Randi Zuckerberg, Jeff Jarvis, Russian super-investor Yuri Milner and others also dropped by to participate.

The room is packed, standing room only, and bursting at the seams. These guys are popular in Silicon Valley. Bring them to Davos, Switzerland and everyone wants to hear what they have to say.

Each panelist is giving a short 3-4 minute talk on how they frame the interesting issues around social networking (Hoffman says, for example, that privacy is only an issue for old people, young people don’t care.). We have videos of most of these comments and will embed them below as we process them..

Seven of the 15 most traffic sites in the world are social sites, Colony says in his intro. Only 17% of online users will visit a social site each day, though, including mobile usage. This varies widely by age – 27% of those 25 and under will visit a social site each day.

Below are clips from Hoffman, Van Natta, Bianchini, Williams and Zuckerberg:

Micachu and the Shapes

2010-01-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

Following British musician Micachu through the aisles of a hardware store and along the streets of NYC, our video on the 23-year-old documents how she builds her experimental instruments. We also learn how her classical training compares to songwriting and get an impromptu performance with a member of her band the Shapes.

Promisses

2010-01-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

From the Horse's Mouth Interview Series, vol 1.

2010-01-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

From The Horse's Mouth, vol 1: The Linchpin Session from Goose Educational Media inc. on Vimeo.

From the Horse's Mouth Interview Series, vol 1.

The Best Selling author of 12 books and the most read business blog in the world, Seth Godin is a champion of respect and loyalty based marketing. On January 19th, 2010 we were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to sit down with Seth and discuss his new book, Linchpin. It was a treat for us, and we hope you enjoy it.

iPHONING MY WAY TO RETIREMENT $.70 AT A TIME by Eugene Lin, Ep 44

2010-01-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

Google users in Hong Kong hold a banner saying, "Say no to internet censorship: Google, well done!"

2010-01-26T06:07:00.000-08:00

Google users in Hong Kong hold a banner saying, "Say no to internet censorship: Google, well done!"
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Google says hackers from China got into its Gmail system
Bruce Schneier says hackers exploited feature put into system at behest of U.S. government
When governments get access to private communications, they invite abuse, he says
Government surveillance and control of Internet is flourishing, he says
Editor's note: Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and author of "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World." Read more of his writing at www.schneier.com.
(CNN) -- Google made headlines when it went public with the fact that Chinese hackers had penetrated some of its services, such as Gmail, in a politically motivated attempt at intelligence gathering. The news here isn't that Chinese hackers engage in these activities or that their attempts are technically sophisticated -- we knew that already -- it's that the U.S. government inadvertently aided the hackers.
In order to comply with government search warrants on user data, Google created a backdoor access system into Gmail accounts. This feature is what the Chinese hackers exploited to gain access.
Google's system isn't unique. Democratic governments around the world -- in Sweden, Canada and the UK, for example -- are rushing to pass laws giving their police new powers of Internet surveillance, in many cases requiring communications system providers to redesign products and services they sell.
Many are also passing data retention laws, forcing companies to retain information on their customers. In the U.S., the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act required phone companies to facilitate FBI eavesdropping, and since 2001, the National Security Agency has built substantial eavesdropping systems with the help of those phone companies.
Systems like these invite misuse: criminal appropriation, government abuse and stretching by everyone possible to apply to situations that are applicable only by the most tortuous logic. The FBI illegally wiretapped the phones of Americans, often falsely invoking terrorism emergencies, 3,500 times between 2002 and 2006 without a warrant. Internet surveillance and control will be no different.

RELATED TOPICS
Google Inc.
China
Internet
Official misuses are bad enough, but it's the unofficial uses that worry me more. Any surveillance and control system must itself be secured. An infrastructure conducive to surveillance and control invites surveillance and control, both by the people you expect and by the people you don't.
China's hackers subverted the access system Google put in place to comply with U.S. intercept orders. Why does anyone think criminals won't be able to use the same system to steal bank account and credit card information, use it to launch other attacks or turn it into a massive spam-sending network? Why does anyone think that only authorized law enforcement can mine collected Internet data or eavesdrop on phone and IM conversations?
These risks are not merely theoretical. After September 11, the NSA built a surveillance infrastructure to eavesdrop on telephone calls and e-mails within the U.S. Although procedural rules stated that only non-Americans and international phone calls were to be listened to, actual practice didn't match those rules. NSA analysts collected more data than they were authorized to and used the system to spy on wives, girlfriends and notables such as President Clinton.
But that's not the most serious misuse of a telecommunications surveillance infrastructure. In Greece, between June 2004 and March 2005, someone wiretapped more than 100 cell phones belonging to members of the Greek government: the prime minister and the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and justice.
Ericsson built this wiretapping capability into Vodafone's products and enabled it only for governments that requested it. Greece wasn't one of those governments, but someone still unknown -- A rival political party? Organized crime? Foreign intelligence? -- figured out how to surreptitiously turn the feature on.
And surveillance infrastructure can be exported, which also aids totalitarianism around the world. Western companies like Siemens and Nokia built Iran's surveillance. U.S. companies helped build China's electronic police state. Just last year, Twitter's anonymity saved the lives of Iranian dissidents, anonymity that many governments want to eliminate.
In the aftermath of Google's announcement, some members of Congress are reviving a bill banning U.S. tech companies from working with governments that digitally spy on their citizens. Presumably, those legislators don't understand that their own government is on the list.
This problem isn't going away. Every year brings more Internet censorship and control, not just in countries like China and Iran but in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and other free countries, egged on by both law enforcement trying to catch terrorists, child pornographers and other criminals and by media companies trying to stop file sharers.
The problem is that such control makes us all less safe. Whether the eavesdroppers are the good guys or the bad guys, these systems put us all at greater risk. Communications systems that have no inherent eavesdropping capabilities are more secure than systems with those capabilities built in. And it's bad civic hygiene to build technologies that could someday be used to facilitate a police state.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bruce Schneier.

公視晚間新聞(知名英文老師彭蒙惠來台60載)

2010-01-26T04:04:00.000-08:00

French Given English Olympic Cash

2010-01-25T05:46:00.000-08:00

Council bosses in northern France secure their latest Olympic contract by claiming to be part of southern England.

Classical Violinist Is Global Star

2010-01-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

Magnesium? Don’t ya just love those science and car crash movies they showed in school back in the 50’s and 60’s?

2010-01-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

Don’t ya just love those science and car crash movies they showed in school back in the 50’s and 60’s?

DJ Earworm does it again with United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop), a mashup of this year’s top 25 Billb

2010-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Another year, another year-end mashup, once again consisting of the top 25 most popular hit songs of 2009, according to Billboard Magazine.
This is a follow-up to last year’s
United State of Pop 2008 (Viva La Pop)
and the original United State of Pop from 2007.
This year in the charts, so many of the pop songs this year seem to tell the same story: Yeah, we’ve been through a lot, but right now we’re gonna celebrate with music and dance, and it’s gonna be ok. With that spirit in mind, I invite you to…BLAME IT ON THE POP
The Black Eyed Peas - BOOM BOOM POW
Lady Gaga - POKER FACE
Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O’Donis - JUST DANCE
The Black Eyed Peas - I GOTTA FEELING
Taylor Swift - LOVE STORY
Flo Rida - RIGHT ROUND
Jason Mraz - I’M YOURS
Beyonce - SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
Kanye West - HEARTLESS
The All-American Rejects - GIVES YOU HELL
Taylor Swift - YOU BELONG WITH ME
T.I. Featuring Justin Timberlake - DEAD AND GONE
The Fray - YOU FOUND ME
Kings Of Leon - USE SOMEBODY
Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - KNOCK YOU DOWN
Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain - BLAME IT
Pitbull - I KNOW YOU WANT ME (CALLE OCHO)
T.I. Featuring Rihanna - LIVE YOUR LIFE
Soulja Boy Tell ‘em Featuring Sammie - KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne - DOWN
Miley Cyrus - THE CLIMB
Drake - BEST I EVER HAD
Kelly Clarkson - MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
Beyonce - HALO
Katy Perry - HOT N COLD

Seven-Year-Old Uses Pedal Power For Haiti

2010-01-24T05:05:00.000-08:00

A seven-year-old boy has raised over £30,000 to help survivors of the Haitian earthquake. Charlie Simpson, from Fulham in south-west London, is cycling five miles around his local park to raise funds for Unicef's Haiti Earthquake Children's Appeal.

Top Dogs Do Top Tricks

2010-01-22T18:41:00.001-08:00

Video – Let The Chinese Explain To You The Conan/Leno Situation

2010-01-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

Those Clever Dolphins (Porpoises)

2010-01-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Boxee is the best way to enjoy entertainment from the Internet and computer on your TV.

2010-01-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

Boxee Beta from boxee on Vimeo.

Learn how Box.net makes sharing simple.

2010-01-21T15:54:00.001-08:00

6 Cores of FD Networking: Starting with the Self

2010-01-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

What I’ve learned in 1.5 Years as an Entrepreneur

2010-01-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

What I've learned in 1.5 Years as an Entrepreneur from Jun Loayza on Vimeo.

Don’t be the next Google or Yahoo; focus on building a cash-flow company that is self-automated!
I’ll keep you updated on how I do and give you specifics on how I was able to succeed… or fail.

Apple Universe #155: Speck Products

2010-01-20T17:57:00.001-08:00

Totally Wired Youth Entrepreneurs - Ypulse June 2009 Favorite

2010-01-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

About This Video

This video is Public
Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup
Hotel Nikko, San Francisco
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Moderator: Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director--Garage Technology Ventures

Daniel Brusilovsky, CEO--Teens in Tech
Jun Loayza, Founder--Future Delivery
Jessica Mah, Founder--InternshipIN.com
Ashley Qualls, CEO--WhateverLife
Carly Wertheim, Co-President--Teens Turning Green

(video credit: Marie Domingo)

eHarmony

How Hollywood Works Today Via A Hilarious Look At Star Trek

100 top toxic air polluters in USA

My EVOKATION! Game Design!

Your Custom बुक - Start the Book Creator on Wikipedia

Video: China’s retail revolution—An interview with Ed Chan

The IT industry and innovation

中國百年大乾旱 黃菓樹變涓絲瀑布！ 兩百多天沒雨 六千萬人受災！南北同旱 中共建國最大威脅！

ECFA兩岸協商 桃園大溪登場

Adora teaching ninth grade--research skills made easy

The iPad is designed so even a 2-year old can use it

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

Jesse Schell: When games invade real life

Speed Painter Dan Dunn on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

WATCH: U.S. Military Shooting Down Civilians in Iraq

Second Wind

ICELAND

Perspektiva Lamp Video

Dream Journey by Transparent House

1409 Del Paso - Farmer's Market

Cultural Video of Fukuoka, Japan – Home of the Yame Region Known for Superb Green Tea

Wind River Hypervisor

The Tech Behind The Hard Rock Cafe

How To Make Candy as a Christmas Gift

Architecture! Santiago Calatrava Satolas TGV

Mobile Payment Service Square Simplified On Video

15 Year Old Girl Brutally Beaten While “Security” Phones it In

A Ride Down Market St., San Francisco, 1905. Pre-Quake.

SpeckAcandyShell

Actor Sandra Bullock for 'The Blind Side'

Calexico’s Pumpkin Arbol Salsa (New York, NY)

Veraci Pizza (Seattle, WA)

Coolhaus (Los Angeles, CA)

Street Sommelier w/ Gary Vaynerchuk (New York, NY)

Street Sommelier w/ Gary Vaynerchuk (New York, NY)

Spencer on the Go w/ Veronica Belmont (San Francisco, CA)

Kogi BBQ (Los Angeles, CA)

Hong’s Dumplings (Burlington, VT)

This Is Why You’re Fat Tour (New York, NY)

Skillet Street Food (Seattle, WA)

Fred’s Franks (Wakefield, MA)

Red’s Eats (Wiscasset, ME)

Fancy Fast Food (New York, NY)

Best of 2009

Garden State (Portland, OR)

Van Leeuwen Holiday Ice Cream (New York, NY)

Wafels & Dinges (New York, NY)

Wafels & Dinges (New York, NY)

Haven Brother’s Diner (Providence, RI)

Mission District Vendors

Whiffies Pies

How to Make Chinese Dumplings for the Super Bowl w/the Amateur Gourmet & VendrTV

Wings & Vegan Snacks for the Super Bowl

RoliRoti

The Skinny Pancake

Kenny Rogers - The Gambler

Guide To Pottery - Firing & Glazing

Romantic Picnic Food Ideas

Siri इन action

Yeah, this is the coolest stop-motion video ever made

Video: How vinyl records are made

Separate Keitai in action

The Matt Cohler Exit Interview

Mantys is part motorized scooter, part golf cart, and a pinch of Segway

Video: Fallout: New Vegas trailer

Caring For Your Elderly Parents

Custom LowRider Bikes

Tea Tasting With A Pro

Recipes For Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

Top Picks in Adidas Shoes

The Making of The Anti Resume Revolution

Creating Design Elements: Ink Spreads and Drops

Steve Wozniak Talks iPad (Video)

The iPad Video Demo

Are You Wearing Dirty Perfume?

Protect Your Skin From Winter's...

Cyberbullying Blamed for Teen's...

Google Trike Taking Street View Off-Road.

4 Troops Sings 'For freedom

Dr. Richard Besser offers tips on how to keep your home free of head lice.

中國百年大乾旱黃菓樹變涓絲瀑布！兩百多天沒雨六千萬人受災！南北同旱中共建國最大威脅！

ECFA兩岸協商桃園大溪登場

公視晚間新聞(知名英文老師彭蒙惠來台60載)