And it gets better in the second five minutes.
In fact, I can't load the 'updates' pane at all. Between that, the ugly toolbar, and the unwanted icon in my dock, it's been a terrific first 5-minute experience.
Obama Eyeing Internet ID for Americans →
President Obama is planning to hand the U.S. Commerce Department authority over a forthcoming cybersecurity effort to create an Internet ID for Americans, a White House official said here today.
"We are not talking about a government-controlled system," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said.Because specifying how the private sector should implement this program doesn't mean it qualifies as a government-controlled system. Sounds kinda like the logic behind the new health care bill.
This program will run into the same opposition the National ID system (HR 4633) did in 2002. Nobody wants a single point of failure or single point of malicious interest for identity. Until we know the details of the system, however, you can take a look at the EFF's argument against National ID.
The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learned from others; it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an eye for resemblance.
— From Aristotle's De Poetica. (via Lapidarium)
Polar bears smash spy cams (via BBC)
I've always wondered how they filmed this stuff...
Top 11 Technologies for the Decade →
The IEEE Spectrum does some great write-ups for this special report, particularly on cloud computing and VOIP, but including social networking, smartphones, rovers and drones. Their article on multicore processors is already out of date, however, after NVidia detailed Denver and AMD detailed Fusion at CES last week.
Follow the main link to take a look at all eleven.
California's High-Speed Rail Project Stirs Concern →
Small towns along the proposed route in the Central Valley are concerned that a high-speed rail line will damage the towns' character. This is a far cry from the late 1800s and early 1900s when towns that were bypassed by the railroad and then the interstate highway system simply disappeared.
Comcast Bill
My Comcast bill this month contains eight pages of "Important Information" about my cable services, four ad slices, a pay-per-view booklet, and a return envelope with an ad on the back. They're obviously overcharging me for Internet if they can afford to mail all this stuff that doesn't affect me and the service I have.