"One the most important parts of online mapping tools is the satellite imagery that is used. Right now, the images used by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in rival products are all roughly the same. But Google just bought an exclusive ticket to hitch a ride with a new satellite going up that could make its offering a lot better." - Chieze Okoye via Bookmarklet
“Here's an interesting thought: no matter which party wins the election, it'll be a pretty big first - either the first non-caucasian president, or the first female vice president. I'm a little more excited about that than anything else!”
i thought bill clinton was america's first 'black' president. silly me. lolz - .LAGizmoto
It's not just about making history - it's about setting the world back on the right track - Chris Saad via twhirl
McCain needs to keep the votes from those who would have voted for HRC, had she made it to be the dems candidate, but were moving towards him once the nomination was lost. Not much more information about Palin this side of the pond, but it sounds a bit like a last minute contingency plan to me. - dario
McCain's choice of running mate is obvious pandering to get just that reaction from voters. Palin is a weak candidate, maybe weaker that Quayle who we remember couldn't spell potato or some such ridiculous thing. - Rafael Robayna
half-caucasian. either that, or we can just say he's black (versus *non*-caucasian) like everyone else. sorry, feeling nitpicky today. - Kamilah Gill
Except that Palin is staunchly anti-abortion. What may seem like a win for equality would in effect be a loss for women's rights. Firsts in gender or race may have novelty, but let's not forget there are long term results from our choices here. - Sherard Ewing
For me it's more about what's the right thing to do, who represents the best opportunity for a better America? Who is going to dig us out of the hole Dubya dug so resolutely? That's what gets me excited. It's nothing to do with race, gender, religion or whatever. I'm now an Obamacan because I genuinely believe he will offer this country the best chance right now. - Sally Church
Yep this is shaping up to be a very pivotal election. We're presented with two very different ideas of the "american dream" (yes, it seems we don't all agree on this means) - and how to achieve it. - Jason Kaneshiro
I agree with Chris. It's nice that we're making history, but much more is at stake than history. - Chieze Okoye
It will be interesting for Mcain and his running mate. I mean he doesn't even think women should get paid the same as men. - PC Easy via twhirl
not an Obamacan or a McCainiac, I'm an American - Jeff Quinton
For most jobs in the tech sector, you can't actually do much to guarantee that women will get paid the same as men. Most of the time the people working alongside each other have no idea what the other people are getting paid. And employers should be allowed to base pay on experience and merit. I don't see how you can equalize pay in most non-unionized jobs where there isn't a set pay scale. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
I'm not against the idea of women getting paid the same as men for the same job given that they both have similar experience and performance, but I don't see how this can be effectively regulated in industries where people are salaried. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
I realized that too -- very cool indeed. - Tamar Weinberg
Exactly what I told my kids over lunch today. Historic and way overdue. - Kevin C. Tofel
There are firsts and there are meaningful firsts -- I'll take the Obama first over the Palin first any day. - Mitch Ratcliffe via twhirl
Couldn't have said it better myself, Chris :) - Mona N.
Palin is a joke conservative so I disagree. Obama needs to win to change this country for the better and for the future - Photo Larry via twhirl
That's exactly what my History teacher said. - OekelWm
I am just hoping that the disgruntled Hillary supporters are not taken in by the "yay, another woman" sham being propagated by McCain. Palin is anti-choice, anti-science (supports creationism in schools and doesn't believe climate change is man-made), anti-wildlife (supports drilling in ANWR, opposed classification of polar bears as endangered, supports hunting from the air - yeah, that's real sporting..) - Marci Maleski
Marci, why take the negative? I'd say she's pro-human survival (against killing our own or protecting animals at the cost of our economy), and pro-not having your opinion ridiculed because someone else's opinion is accepted as a matter of public policy. At least creationism can explain first cause and the origin of matter and energy...and the disappointing shortage of transitional species. - klecu
@anna: is that 'hahaha!' on the 'good' side or the 'bad' side? lolz - .LAGizmoto
@.LAGizmoto. The "hahaha!" is directed at both sides. The good side has, "You are beautiful like a moon or butterfly." wha? *panties come up real quick* ;-) - Anna Haro
@Tony: You're saying Obama was nominated *because* of the color of his skin? That being black is an advantage? Or do you just not like Obama's character? - AJ Kohn
I like his character. I think he will be a great leader someday, but not today. Was he nominated because of his color - I don't know. Do I think it played a part, yes. I'm all about judging a person on their own merits. The only hope for this world is for everything to stop worrying about color and start acting like human beings. - Tony Kanzia
The above was a quote from a speech at the DNC - Aaron Brazell
I don't see how race played in his favor in this election. Dems voting in the primaries might have liked him partly because he was multiethnic, but they would have been cautious to vote for him because of it too. I think the 800 pound gorilla in the room is that he has to win despite the fact that a lot of Americans will not vote for him because of his heritage. Fortunately, those are pretty much the same people who wouldn't vote for him because of his policies anyways. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
He got the nomination because he has done far less evil than Hillary. She's just very unlikeable. Even if you don't like Obama's politics, he's still someone you'd like to meet and shake hands with. - Dave Roth
He does seem like a really good guy you want to meet. I just don't think he is ready to be Commander in Chief. - Tony Kanzia
Being ready to be president is like being ready for basic training. Everyone says they are ready, but unless you've been through the gauntlet you have no clue. He's as ready as anyone, in other words. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
if being black were an advantage in getting elected president, then I guess we'd expect to see black people overrepresented among presidents, right? So we've had 43 presidents; African Americans represent about twelve percent of the population, so one would expect that we would have had about, say, six or seven black presidents thus far, right? - Nathan Rein
I believe that. I truly and honestly believe that. - ::Kristen::
@Nathan: 40 years ago blacks couldn't drink out of the same water fountain as whites, let alone be considered for president. We've had 8 presidents since the civil rights movement. 12% of 8 is zero since you can't have a partial person. - Matt
Nathan, that assumes that African Americans have been a the full 5/5ths of a citizen for the history of the union. - John Worthington
Consider this carefully - I oppose Obama because of his positions, because of what he proposes, and therefore inevitably because of his character. While those who commented on this tweet earlier will undoubtedly disagree on whether or not to support Obama, the fact that we can have this discussion based upon ideas, positions, and principles is precisely itself a sign of meaningful progress. - Bob Lozano
@Matt - indeed. How likely is it that we've managed to jettison the legacy of 200 years of institutionalized racism in a generation, to the point where people can seriously make the claim that being black is a political ADVANTAGE? The idea strikes me as bizarre. - Nathan Rein
Nathan, what seems more 'Anti-Washington' than a young, good looking, well spoken black man? If it was a middle-aged, slightly overweight white guy going around the country compaining for change, it would certainly have less impact. - John Worthington
@John I understand what you're saying and I'm sympathetic -- but I think whatever advantage that confers is probably more than outweighed by the fact that to lots of Americans, Obama just doesn't look like a president. He may look good on TV and poll very well among some parts of the population -- and I think his race contributes to that -- but I think we're going to see a lot of racial ugliness before November. Have a look at this blog post for a sample - http://snipr.com/3kulf - Nathan Rein
Yeah we need an 80 year old with PTSD to guide us through the international minefield. uh huh @tony - jeneane is in the house
good conversation here. I also am of the school that thinks there is no possible way Obama's being black can be viewed overall as a political advantage in the election for president. - Chieze Okoye
Okay...nothing to add after mister Steve's comment. Dude that was priceless...but true. - Tracy
I'm liking more for Steve's comment than anything - Chieze Okoye
Steve +1. - I already have a multi-touch keyboard. :) - Joni Moilanen
Hahah, I was about to add a comment about those terrible hand drawings after checking out the link, but Steve got that covered quite nicely. - Vincent X
Actually switching back and forth tonight until I decide if and how I want to set up the Beta. Easy switch right from the address bar. - Charlie Anzman
"Now in its third week of release in Japan, the Christopher Nolan film, which sees the caped crime-fighter battling underworld figures and crooked cops in Gotham City, grossed a mere $1.6 million in its second weekend in Japan to bring its cumulative total to only $8.7 million. By comparison, it has already piled up $14.3 million in takings over the same period in the smaller Korean market." - Chieze Okoye via Bookmarklet
"Chinese" fortune cookies actually came from Japan? OMG, I love this crazy planet sometimes! - MiniMage
I had heard they were created in California? - Chieze Okoye
Research seems to indicate that they were first made in Japan and brought to Cali by Japanese immigrants, then adopted by Chinese manufacturers. http://tinyurl.com/5tdxn8 - MiniMage
"Space telescopes have captured images of a mammoth collision between two galaxy clusters that have shed some light into the universe's mysterious dark matter, NASA said." - Chieze Okoye via Bookmarklet
"Expansive dreams about renewable energy, like Al Gore’s hope of replacing all fossil fuels in a decade, are bumping up against the reality of a power grid that cannot handle the new demands. The dirty secret of clean energy is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not." - Chieze Okoye via Bookmarklet
"In what has to be considered a pretty stunning revelation, Google says that 90 percent of its content partners being notified about copyrighted content are still choosing to monetize their videos on YouTube. Let’s be clear: This is much of the same content that providers were previously asking be taken off of YouTube for copyright violations." - Chieze Okoye via Bookmarklet
could it be? Might Google have finally found the key that unlocks the YouTube treasure chest? - Chieze Okoye
They have the audience and usefulness. The money is bound to follow. - Andrew Warner
It almost made me wait too but I decided to upgrade anyway & it wasn't so bad. - ChaCha Fance
There are probably a number of extensions available for FF3 that offer the same functionality as the ones you have. Also, I ran into this issue where extensions actually have a version that works for FF3, but it doesn't show up as an update for the version that works on FF2. - Chieze Okoye
"I am often asked if the Olympic village - the vast restaurant and housing conglomeration that hosts the world's top athletes for the duration of the Games - is the sex-fest it is cracked up to be. My answer is always the same: too right it is. I played my first Games in Barcelona in 1992 and got laid more often in those two and a half weeks than in the rest of my life up to that point. That is to say twice, which may not sound a lot, but for a 21-year-old undergraduate with crooked teeth, it was a minor miracle." - Jess Lee via Bookmarklet
wow....wow, the picture is so funny after reading the article...the two legs and the one finger - Pokai
Pete: FF is good for tech stuff, very little on science and medicine so I still use G Reader a lot - Sally Church
74 -- any more than 100 must be useless IMHO - JungleG
Too many - I end up hitting "mark all as read" on whole swathes of them from time to time, and am reverting slowly back to the likes of Newsvine, Blogs.com and Wired for a prepared skim of the news... - Jonathan Beckett
@sally, RSS is RSS, regardless of where it comes from. I aggregate in PVT rooms and share then to my main feed if need be. FF is good for every thing, - Peter Dawson
Peter- I find that i have stayed with teh habit of checking G-reader more than FF. I know I could use FF more, but for me, it is more of an instant information tool. Just a personal use choice, I guess. - Erin McMahon via twhirl
Pete: I hadn't thought of that, good idea - Sally Church
62. I just started. It's fun feeding picture blogs into a picture folder. Some Russian/East-European blogs are so prolific, I put them in a high-traffic-picture folder (or they'll swamp everyone else out). Good place for vi.sualize.us stuff (haven't tried Flickr or Picasa). - Mitchell Tsai
hmm. 59 feels like more. should I turn in my FF card? - Chris Kim A
Google Reader? What's Google Reader? - Thomas Hawk
Google Reader is how they load pages into the Google index. The Googlebot prints them out and places them on the scanning bed of the Google Reader for indexing. - Denton Gentry
