Dell Vista Express - Delivered in March!

If you have ordered a Dell PC and purchased it with the intent of having a Vista ready system, as I recently had, you will be shocked to find out what the 'Express Upgrade' to Vista means. I discovered today that not only can I not download and install the upgrade, but Dell won't even ship me the discs until March.

This has to be on the top of my most pathetic business decisions by a technology company. Can you imagine the business team that came up with this decision? "Hey, let's call the upgrade Express and make customers wait two months to recieve it after the order". "Oh yeah, and despite the fact that it could be installed through a download and consumers would love that, let's send it to them in a plastic package with CD's".

Brilliant Dell, what can we expect next?

Rolling Stone on if Gore should run in 08

I have to admit this is a great question. Should Gore run in 08'? The guy was on the mark about a lot of issues (war, climate change, W.)... He's also a lot more experienced than Hillary, Barak or for that matter McCain. I hope he throws his hat into the ring. The debates would be a LOT more interesting.

Dick Cheney says "Hillary won't be president"

The guy whom Senators yesterday asked the question 'was Cheney right about one thing in the lead up and war in Iraq' offers an opinion on Hillary Clinton's prospects as a presidential contender. Given his track record I would have to believe that Hillary has a pretty good shot.

Independent Radio Podcasts

(((Hearing Voices))) is the largest collective of independent radio producers this side of the semi-planet Pluto. We are headquartered in Montana, and reside across the U.S.A. Since 2001 we've produced 250+ stories and specials. We are funded by CPB, NEA and others. There's no real staff here, so we can't accept submissions. But if you’ve something online you want us to hear, send the URL in the email form below.

Move.com vs. Redfin.com debate

Watch this if you would like to see an interesting debate about the direction of commission vs. service based real estate and some insight into how the real estate market is going to be shifting over the next couple of years.

Better than Zillow - Cyberhomes Online Appraisal

This looks better than Zillow and appears to provide better data and higher accuracy for an online comparitive appraisal.

Buying without a realtor and getting money back

For those who are currently shopping for a home, consider this alternative to the traditional approach. Use existing online real estate services and attend open houses to find a home that you feel confident meets your needs. Do your own title search, appraisal by looking at comps and have an inspection performed. Determine the minimum and maximum that you are willing to pay for the house. After these steps if you feel confident about buying the house approach the sellers realtor and tell them that you would like to use their services to buy the house, but you want a 2% commission deducted from your offer. The agent should then recognize that s/he will get a 4% total commission and that it's advantageous. At this point you need to stick to your guns and be happy to walk away if the agent begins to get squirrelly. If you can do this successfully you will be looking at $8000 saved on a $400k home, which is enough to do some significant improvements. It will require that you be pro-active and willing to question "convention".

Harvesting the Collective Intelligence of Social Networks

An interesting article on extending the Digg model of collective guidance to a broader social network. Imagine harnessing and applying the collective hive thinking of Digg to business, politics or entertainment. Hollywood produces a movie based on a collective recommendation or a politicians platform is determined by the collective buzz or a new product includes features which come from what the viral hive has pushed to the surface.

Redfin - A Vulcan Venture

It appears that Redfin.com is offering a very similar offering to the feesible development I've undertaken in the past year. Providing consumers with an alternative to traditional realtors and real-estate. By providing an online set of services which cover most of what traditional realtors provide, the 6% that a seller spends on selling their home with a realtor is eliminated. Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures is funding this Seattle based startup, which will be interesting to track through 07'.

Our place in the universe

This series of images provides a great snapshot of how significant our planet is in the grand scheme of things...

Iraq Study Group Report - PDF

John Burns, the Baghdad Bureau Chief for the New York Times described the report as very insightful and informative. If you want to learn why, you can read the report for yourself...

Fox News - They do it all

O.J. Simpson To Explain How He Would Have Killed His Wife
submitted by Tanbo 16 hours 12 minutes ago (via www.nytimes.com)

In a somewhat odd upcoming interview with Fox entitled "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How it Happened", Simpson will describe how he would have killed his wife and his friend.....that is, assuming he did actually kill them, which of course he has been found not guilty of. More…

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Did FOX News pay terrorists $2m for release of hostage reporters?
submitted by flavum 17 hours 56 minutes ago (via americablog.blogspot.com)

Someone, on behalf of FOX News, reportedly gave Middle Eastern terrorists $2m to buy the release of FOX's hostage reporters. The terrorists now say they used the money to buy weapons to kill Israelis. FOX says "it's possible" the story is true. What was the Bush administration's role? Did they pay the ransom to terrorists? Did they know about it? More…

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TechCrunch » Exclusive Look At Google Payments

Googlebase to replace Ebay and craigslist...?TechCrunch » Exclusive Look At Google Payments

Is Microsoft Dropping Cryptic Hints About a New Gadget? - New York Times

What is Microsoft about to announce?Is Microsoft Dropping Cryptic Hints About a New Gadget? - New York Times

Sectarian Fury Turns Violent in Wake of Iraq Shrine Blast - New York Times

It seems that the potential for Iraq to have a comparable or worse outcome than the legacy of Vietnam is becoming real. If Iraq slides into civil war there is no easy way for the U.S. to extricate itself and we will keep sliding on this slippery slope.Sectarian Fury Turns Violent in Wake of Iraq Shrine Blast - New York Times

Stem Cells May Be Key to Cancer - New York Times

Another potentially major breakthrough in science from stem cell research and to think our government is trying to roadblock this type of advancement...Stem Cells May Be Key to Cancer - New York Times

Foreign Affairs - China's Search for Stability With America - Wang Jisi

An academics view of China U.S. relations and interests. Good reading from Foreign Affairs journal.Foreign Affairs - China's Search for Stability With America - Wang Jisi

mapBid - View eBay auctions on a Google Map

I'm not sure how long this has been around, but it's way cool. Find google auction items based on google map proximity...mapBid - View eBay auctions on a Google Map

A Great Animated Cartoon!

NOVA

High-Def Video, Made Small - New York Times

I want one of these sometime this year. Digital storage, HD quality video, 5MP digital stills and much more for under $1k...High-Def Video, Made Small - New York Times