Falling off the edge of current trends

I'm just starting to crack the spine of The World Is Flat, the new book by Thomas L. Friedman. Friedman is one of the few reasons to keep reading The New York Times these days. Actually, his column is syndicated in almost every major newspaper in America, so go ahead and cancel that subscription right now.

I enjoy reading Friedman and watching him in his specials for the Discovery Times channel. The hallmark of his work is that every sentence, almost every word seems imbued with a deep level of understanding and intelligence. Its comforting to read the work of someone who keeps the big picture in mind and can write thematically without losing focus.

The World Is Flat is an examination of how the digital age is collapsing the walls of business, social class and even military hierarchy. The book describes Friedman's journeys around the world documenting the effects of business outsourcing from both sides. Again, his use of context and history in tackling this subject matter makes for very thoughtful and provoking reading. Friedman's fundamental argument is that change is inevitable and that change is good for some people, bad for others. Read the book to find out which group you're in.

Shortwave: Still tops with dial-up sufferers

I'm listening to the BBC Worldservice on shortwave as I type this for the latest news on the London commuter bombings. Yes, I know, I could listen to it through its website but old fashioned shortwave will have to do since my blazing fast 33.6 connect speed isn't quite up to the job. A note to the BBC: please don't eliminate your shortwave service entirely. The digital divide still forces people in developed nations to use it.

I find it somehow comforting that in the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, the world has united behind the United Kingdom in much the same way that they did during the September 11 attacks here in the United States. In my view, the UK government has every right to raise some serious hell in tracking down the people responsible for this monstrosity. The people of London need and deserve a rapid, decisive and accurate administration of justice. I hope they get it, and I hope the US government does everything it can to help in this work. As President Bush said succinctly, "The war on terror continues."

Audioblogging: A fad or here to stay?

This new feature I've been toying with has serious potential. Posting an .mp3 file using the phone is so easy that as a dial-up user I can no longer stave off a post because I'm too lazy to connect to the internet. So, what's the point of continuing to use text if posting via phone is so easy? I suppose conventional blogging will continue in the face of this voice alternative, just as newspapers and magazines continued long after the popularization of radio broadcasting. Audioblogging is just another trick in the bag to play with when the occasion strikes.

I was surprised to hear that the finished product sounded good. I figured that the combination of a long distance call and computer encoding would make it sound muddy or distorted, but it didn't. AudioBlogger records .mp3 files in 64kbps bit rate and 22khz sample rate. These are acceptable parameters considering its telephone quality voice. The end product is something I don't feel bad about other people on the web hearing.