Kelly’s “Better Than Free” thoughtful essay

Over at Edge: The Third Culture, Kevin Kelly has written a thoughtful essay about the Internet’s distribution system and what constitutes something better than getting it for free. His main thought is that there are 8 things better that he calls “generatives”. Check out his essay, as it is well written and useful.    

11 Things To Know About Semantic Web or Web 3.0

The latest paradigm shift for the Web is called the “semantic web”, where objects are tagged and interrelated, based on function. Web 3.0 has been emerging for a few years and looks to be incredibly useful and exciting. Check it out!Jamesread more | digg story

The Hillary-Obama idea: now that’s the ticket!

Okay, since my prolonged burst of social and political activism from about 15 years ago, I consciously avoid politics, talking heads, debates, and elections. Given that we have lived under the Reaganoids for 30 years, it is refreshing to see a light at the end of the tunnel. That is, if the Democrats and other progressives don’t mess things up! I do think Barack Obama’s current success is conclusive proof that “race” is a dead construct, as it should be. Frankly, I’ve never understood why that word has been used, anyway. There is only one “race”: human. If people want to talk about ethnicity, then we should use more specific language. But, honestly folks, why the hell does it matter, except to understand people and to experience cultural exchanges and experiences? I don’t see the problem here! I will vote for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, just as long as one of them is the Democratic nominee. As a Green Party member, I will write them in on my ballot, no problem. Heck, maybe Barack or Hillary can actually restore some small degree of integrity to the White House, as the gods know it has been lacking for the past few decades! Here’s hoping 2008 ushers in a new era of American cultural pride and a return to the American creed of liberty, freedom, community, and inclusion. I wrote the Democratic Party the other day via their website and suggested a Clinton-Obama ticket. If the Democrats fail to consider that, I think there may be very few functional neurons synapsing among the lot of ‘em!

Book review (short and potent): The How of Happiness

Check out Kathryn Britton’s review of Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book, The How of Happiness, over at Positive Psychology News Daily. This is a favorite website that I regularly read, as it focuses on the emergent field of positive psych. Positive psych is not about avoiding existential issues via new age distractions. It is, rather, a focus on cognitive, behavioral, social, and interpersonal aspects and dynamics that persistently foster happiness, gratitude, a sense of inner peace, and even joy.

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