08 Election Results \\ Go Obama! Go

Palin Rap

I got a kick out of this on Saturday night. Way to go SNL.

Electoral-vote.com

Electoral-vote.com is a great way to keep up-to-speed on how your candidate is doing when it comes to the Electoral College. Fortunately, it's painting a pretty good picture for the Obama ticket right now.

Zakaria on Palin

SNL Palin and Clinton Talk Sexism

Everymoment Counts

Everymoment Now is providing a new view of the 2008 general election. Excellent graphs shed some light on the media trends surrounding the general election a little more visible. The graph on the home page caught my attention for a minute or two. Plans are in the works to make use of the technology and ideas behind the site beyond the general election.

The current version of Everymoment Now is focused on the 2008 US General Election. When the election is complete we'll have 100 days of data leading up to November 4th. We feel that being able to look back over the election, to see where media shifts occurred and what stories had the greatest impact on the final outcome is pretty important and powerful.

Confirmed: Water on Mars

Barack Obama | Change I Can Believe In

I'm leaning away from Hillary these days and more towards Obama. Why? He's authentic. Family oriented. I believe him. He represents change "I" can believe in. Clinton, for me, represents more of the same. Another thing Obama has going for him - a great website. I love how it opens with a photograph of the Obama family. The site is well organized, informative, and to the point. IMO - it says a lot about Obama, his style, and how he will run the country. Hillary's website, IMO, is haphazard and less authentic. No picture of the family? What's up with that?

I love the video that Obama has running on his site now.

Internet Crash

I can't believe it - it actually happend - the Internet Crashed! Ted Stevens was right - the tubes just aren't big enough to handle it all. Sorry for the lack of posts lately folks - more important things going on at the moment.

4 Generations

Surfing kottke.org I ran into this post Think locally, act globally that talks about a collaborative effort to buy a needy family in China a water buffalo. It's a fantastic story which is told very well by  Bob Thomson (one of the collaborators) in a short movie (8 minutes) he produced to document the event. Just when you think the world is getting really crummy a story like this comes along to restore hope. Thanks guys!

Links:

Bob's post - link to movie here 

Direct movie link 1 MOV 

Direct movie link 2 FLASH 

"Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore."

The Blog | David Roberts: Best story of the year so far | The Huffington Post

"Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore. He's not a schoolteacher," said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

IMO, every kid in school should watch Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. I got a laugh, and a scare, out of David's post - link at the top. Do people like this really exist?

My 2007 Tech Predictions

• Windows Vista will be hugely popular.
• Apple's growth in the personal computer space will slow as a result of Vista's success and the next generation hardware that will support it.
• RIA apps., powered by WPF/WPFE and similar technologies, will start to get traction as the line between client-side software and web-based software continues to soften.
• Yahoo! will continue to loose momentum as Google and nimble Web X.0 companies continue to eat away at it.
• Wi-fi everywhere and geo-based advertising will start to catch hold and Google's early efforts in this space will pay off - securing their dominance in the ad space for the near future.
• Microsoft will establish multi-media beach-heads in more American living rooms this year using the xBox 360 platform - re-configuring the gaming system into a Media Center replacement via free updates as unsuspecting users sleep.
• Apples's cell phone will change the way we think about cell phones and cell service forever.

Read what everybody else is predicting for 2007.

NOTE: I reserve the right to add to this list for the remainder of this week ; )

Live African Watering Hole

How the Rich Get Richer - MotherJones

How the Rich Get Richer - by Clara Jeffery is packed with interesting numbers that do a good job of showing the growing divide between the rich and the poor. Some of the numbers really suprised me. For example.

IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires, a 62% increase since 2002.

IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps, a 49% increase since 2000.

So why is the divide growing? Are the rich doing a better job of taking care of the rich? Or, are the poor simply not willing to work for it? I tend to think it's a combination of both.

Farewell Crockodile Hunter

Steve Irwin died Monday morning in a diving accident - a stingray extended its barb into his chest as he swam nearby and he died shortly after. News.com.au

My son, now 5, and the rest of our family got a big kick out of watching the Crockodile Hunter series - Steve was a big part of his life and we always thought it was cool that Steve found his wife, Terri, here in Oregon. So much energy, such a passion for the outdoors and what a love for creatures big and small. A generation of kids, and parents, will never forget the Crockodile Hunter.

We'll miss you Steve. Stay strong Terri, Bindi, and Robert.

Ted Stevens' - Tubes

It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material. - Ted Steven's - Internet famous.

Transcript of his now historical Internet "Tubes" speach.

and it continues ...

and it continues ... Flickr's Error Page

Will the Fed help tech companies sort out China?

Reading: Yahoo turns to Washington for help on China | Tech News on ZDNet

The Fed needs to step up to the plate and level the playing field (or at least set some guidelines) for tech companies trying to do business in China. China represents a huge market for these companies so they can't just not do business with the Chinese; unfortunately the U.S. stock market won't reward them for being good citizens. The Fed needs to step in and set some game playing rules - the industry can't be expected to create the rules, the game is already in motion. I think the Yahoo! chief has it right.

Governments change governments. Governments who are in trade together can certainly change governments," he said. "We tried and we are going to continue to try as an industry to have our government help us.

- Terry Semel, Yahoo! Chief

China's President Visits - Stops at Bill's 1st

Hu Jintao, China's President, is making a historic visit to the United States. News, but not the type of news I usually click into. In this case it's more interesting than usual - he's stopping at Bill's house before heading to George's house. Funny stuff. That has to be embarrassing. Right? Cheney is probably consoling him right now - it's Ok George, go to sleep, Hu's still coming for a play date. News.com - China president at Gates house, not White House

Cheney's Got A Gun MP3

My brother forced me to listen to this - Cheney's Got a Gun MP3 - a slightly modified version of Aerosmith's Janie's Got a Gun. Funny Stuff.

Google News: Cheney Shoots Friend

Baths in Japan

I clicked-into this post (The Electronic Bath Water Cleaner) on Engadget today and it inspired me to write this post for PalmIt.com. The Japanese do a lot of things differently than we do - that's expected, it's an ancient culture. Some of the things they do differently just make sense in a "why didn't I think of that" kind of way. For example, they almost always bathe at night - not in the morning like we do here in the States. Your typical Japanese bathroom features a shower and a tub but the tub isn't used for bathing, it's used for soaking after the shower. The bath water is used by the whole family before it's drained and replaced - the Japanese are very good at recycling just about everything. Modern Japanese bathrooms are very high-tech - TOTO is the dominant brand. The tub water is automatically kept at a specified temperature and sometimes there are even monitoring stations throughout the house that let the occupant know when the tub is ready.

The whole bathing at night thing made a lot of sense to me so I've been bathing at night since I returned from Japan and I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. Oh - and the toilet is usually in a totally different room which also makes a lot of sense to me. More at japan-guide.com - the Japanese bath.

Google China

Google and their role in China took the stage this week. IMO - the Chinese are better off with limited access to Google than no access to Google. Keep letting them lick the surface of freedom and eventually they'll demand a meal. More leaks in the Great Firewall.

Recommended reading:

Google will face Congressional hearings over China
Google: China decision painful but right
Google founder defends China portal
[Image] Google search results for "Tienanmien" on Google France (left) vs Google China (right)

PalmIT Podcast #2 - Thoughts on Japan

I thought it would be a good idea to podcast some of my thoughts on my recent trip to Japan before I lose track of the details. So here we go, my 2nd podcast.

PalmIT Podcast #2 - Thoughts on Japan (14:15)
Flickr: Japan 2005 Photoset
 

 Toto toilet control - beware squirting stream

 Akihabara - gadgets galore

 Awesome Phones

Japan Trip Photos

How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Polo. Small but tough.

Somebody is going to get in trouble - Polo. Small but tough.

JibJab - 2nd Term Released

New Second Term JibJab released. Didn't like this one as much as the 1st two but it's still worth taking a look at. Looks like Yahoo! opted to host it for them this time - good way to drive traffic to the site.

Faces of the Fallen

The Washington Post did a nice job developing an on-line memorial called Faces of the Fallen for the service men and women that lost their lives in Iraq. Every American should surf over to this site from time to time to honor and remember the fallen.

Who Goes 1st?

Funny stuff. President Clinton and President Bush trying to figure out who should get to go through a door 1st at the opening of Clinton's Presidential Library the other day.

AirBag: Simba

I can't remember what this writing style is called ... basically, fictional IM conversations in the form of a short story. I thought this one was great - Powell IMing about leaving his position as Secretary of State.

Oops

Came across this post on Joi It's BLOG. Funny stuff - never use a little crane to do a big crane's job. Hopefully the link will last, I imagine this is going to be a popular one - bandwidth costs could get expensive.

4 More Years

Well, I was wrong; apparently President Bush has enough supporters to keep the office for 4 more years. It isn't final yet but it looks like Kerry's chances of winning this race have all but vanished. I voted for you Senator Kerry - I wish things had gone the other way. Congratulations Mr. President - please don't get us into anymore trouble than you already have between now and 2008. At least you'll have the opportunity to clean up the mess you've made in Iraq.

I head to bead now hoping to wake up to news of a re-count in Ohio or some kind of miracle that changes the outcome of this race. Hope - I still have some of it.

Bush Wired

There's been a lot of talk about whether or not President Bush was wired during the debates. I doubt he was - if anything, I think the "bulge" was probably related to a bullet-proof vest or other security device. The chances of getting caught in the act would just be too great to justify the advantage. Lawrence Lessig talks about it a little in this post. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see proof, but that's never going to happen.

Election Day Prediction

It's Election Day here in the United States and I predict that John Kerry will be 44th President of the United States. I think that voter turn-out (especially young voters) will result in a bigger margin of victory for Kerry than expected. I know the polls are (for the most part) split but I don't believe they accurately reflect the views of the population. The world will hold its breath today as we wait for the results of this election.

Mystery Author

What's up with the man/woman behind the Electoral Vote Predictor? I was checking the site out today and came across an odd comment in the commentary. "I have decided to come out of the closet before the election. Be sure to come back Monday. Some of you will be quite surprised, I can assure you." Odd - something else to look forward to next week.
Electoral Vote Predictor

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004

The Electoral Vote Predictor is a cool tool for those of you interested in keeping a close eye on the 2004 race. Scary how close this is going to be. I wish we had more accurate voting systems in place for this year's election. It's probably going to come down to Jebb and Florida again.
Electoral Vote Predictor

JibJab - Good To Be in DC

The JibJab folks have done it again! Good To Be in DC is a BUSH FLASH commic that pokes fun at the current administration as well as the Democratic nominee and his gang. I should call it a BI-PARTISAN FLASH commic actually because it doesn't just bash the Bush camp ; ) But then again, I doubt it would exist if it weren't for the comedic opportunity generated by the current administration. Have fun with this, I just love the Clinton cameo.

Toilet Talk

A friend and co-worker brought yet another Bush Flash (that has a ring to it) commic to my attention - this one is a little strange so keep the volume down. Toilet - Leave it to Bush

Jenna Bush - 1st Daughter and 1st Class

I was browsing the news on CNN.com and I came across this article. Apparently, Jenna Bush doesn't have a lot of class - surprise, surprise. By the way, Dad was in the limo with her when she stuck out her tongue at the world. His administration has been doing it for almost four years so I wasn't really surprised by the article.

JibJab - This Land

A friend at work brought this Kerry / Bush Flash comedy to my attention. Take a look - I guarantee a laugh (or two or three). JibJab

Fahrenheit 9/11 Notes + Sources

I wish all journalists did this. Michael Moore's list of notes and sources for the Fahrenheit 9/11 project.

GW Bush and Youth

This clip inspired me to post to my (now gathering cobwebs) BLOG - funny stuff. Found the link while browsing Joi Ito's BLOG - thanks Joe! I guess I should thank David Letterman too ; )

Andy Milonakis - Crispy New Freestyle

Andy Milonakis recently experienced a few seconds in the national spotlight for his freestyle rap, Crispy New Freestyle. At first, I thought to myself that this 12 year old would soon be in foster care (after his parents saw the video) but with a little help from Google I started to realize that this Milonakis kid is a trash-media mogul of sorts. Take a look at Angry Naked Pad, Andy has produced numerous videos. I even heard rumor that he's closer to 27 years old. Strange, the flash-pan celebrities the Internet incubates.

The Meatrix

I saw Matrix - Revolutions last week; frankly, I found this spoof on the Matrix, the Meatrix, more exciting. I try to keep the meat eating to a minimum and when I do eat meat I try to stick to organic free-range chicken or turkey - this piece reinforces my motivation.

The Civilian Service

In a speech today, General Wesley Clark talked about a concept that I find interesting, he calls it the Civilian Service.

I actually think the "Civilian Service" is a great idea. After September 11th there were millions of Americans that wanted to reach-out and help the victims of the disaster but the infrastructure to organize millions of volunteers didn't exist. People found ways to help but the process was inefficient. If something like the "Civilian Service" had been in place things might have been different.

It's nice to see a politician (Clark wouldn't like that title) thinking outside the box. Bravo for the "Civilian Service" but talking about it isn't even half the battle.

TRIMBUSH04 Bumper Sticker - Americans for a clean shave

I hope the Democrats take back the White House in 2004. I want my children to have national parks (that have trees) and a wild Alaska. I believe we can have these things and a strong national security policy at the same time

There are a number of strong candidates in the 2004 race. Howard Dean and General Wesley Clark are my favorites. Either man is capable of leading this nation and cleaning up the foreign policy mess that President Bush and his administration are sure to leave behind.

Take a look at their websites, and for that matter, the websites of the other candidates and get out the vote in 2004. Take back your country and protect your resources and the idea of what our ancestors built.

As part of my contribution I created the humorous TRIMBUSH04 bumper sticker. Profits from the sale of this bumper sticker will go to the leading Democrat in the 2004 presidental race. Vote Democrat in 2004!

globalrichlist.com

The web site, globalrichlist.com, puts things in perspective. If you ever find yourself wishing for more, hit this site for a dose of reality.

No War?

The graffiti on the poorly kept face of a vacant retail store in Eugene Oregon caught my attention this morning as I left a local café with my steaming latte. Is this image prophetic? Are we on a “One Way” street to War?

I took this photo with my Nikon Coolpix 4300; a great camera for amateur photographers or even the digital enthusiast.