Want to spend some time catching up on the news?
Want to see the latest in the industry, special interest and the world?

Here are some of my favorite news sites around the net. Enjoy!
(Be sure to check the "Freakin' Cool" sidebar as well, if it is showing for you. More sites there.)

Technology & Industry

Ars Technica
Mashable

Forums & Specialty

Slash.dot news & discussion for computer engineers & geeks

Other, Casual, & Assorted

Luis von Ahn presents a brilliant real-life example of how the internet can be used in new ways to solve multiple problems simultaneously using massively distributed online collaboration and provide value to all participants while doing so.

This is mind-blowing from a business perspective, and world-opening from a world education, learning and language perspective. Watch, enjoy, be amazed!

(Video after the jump)

We all live busy lives. We also see there are large problems in society facing us. We know that if we don't take the right action, there will be large costs to pay down the road. And yet, even if we did have room in our daily life to help solve these problems, which most of us don't, how do you even know where to begin?

When I was growing up, I loved hobby technology. From model rockets to personal computers, from CB radio and electronics kits to chemistry sets and garage fabrication, I was always building, breaking or experimenting with something... and frequently combining whacky ideas from different domains.

"I don't understand why I have to go to school at all, the internet knows more than all the teachers there put together."
-- Jeb Thorne, age 10

Holy cow wow! This is an awesome materialization of new wealth, health and happiness for the entire world, especially regions that are poor or struggling. And anyone can help! Watch the TED video below (4:11 long) to get the scoop.

Tony has mellowed and matured; here he talks about various times in his life and a few concepts. Good for general background on Tony. George asks questions that many people would want to know... "Tom Cruise and Magnolias: did he call you?"

A fabulous article by Howard Bloom talking about the massive changes Americans have made in the past to triple our standard of living in just on century... And how it is now time to do it again.

On his blog, "Our time to act," Joe Gerstandt asks some great questions. Huge questions. Questions that interest me and that are topical to this blog, so I'll respond to them here.

Joe asks (at the end of his blog post titled "The Direction a Community Chooses"):

How do you change a community conversation?