Today is a pinnacle day in the history of YouTube, as April 23, 2010 marks the five-year anniversary of YouTube’s very first uploaded video!

The video isn’t a showstopper, but it is a perfect example of what YouTube is all about. The video, shown below, stars YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego zoo.

YouTube, much like the elephants shown in Jawed’s video, is a mammoth Internet platform. YouTube is the third most visited website on all of the Internet, only behind Google, YouTube’s parent company, and Facebook, the web’s premiere social networking platform....read the rest of this post»

Wouldn't our job be easy if that was all it took?  Don't know what I'm referring to?  Technology news has been rife with this "cloak and dagger" story that reads more like a Tom Clancy chapter than a real life birthday boy water cooler story.  The New York Times take on the chain of events can be found here, but here's the one sentence summary: Apple employee carrying a prototype of the new iPhone leaves the device at a bar and Gizmodo (tech news outfit) buys it from the lucky finder and shows the world.  ...read the rest of this post»

According to a recent article on the World Gold Council's website, Affluents are putting their money in gold, not their banks.

As the recession started in 2008, luxury jewelers noticed a decrease in sales. However, a new trend emerged during the second half of 2009. According to Same Hines, Christie's Vice-President and Head of Watches in New York, "[we saw] a tendency for investors to move their funds from the bank to luxury watches because they want both better returns and to be able to enjoy a high-end timepiece." Hines went on to comment that his clients were saying that they weren't earning interest in the bank, so they preferred to invest their money into something that they could enjoy, while resting assured that it would hold its value....read the rest of this post»

When someone mentions having a problem viewing a website, one of my first questions is always "which browser are you using?" Many times the reply is "Internet Explorer 6". Now, I know the wheels of progress turn slowly, but IE6... Really? It's no wonder why you're having problems with the internet. Now, you'll just have to bear with me when I pull a Frank Costanza and my face turns red and I leave the room yelling "serenity now!!" IE6 is the worst browser still in use today! I honestly don't understand why anyone would choose to continue to use a nine year old browser loaded with problems when free and better is a click away....read the rest of this post»

Brilliant for Earl and Nike.  Not so good for Tiger.  Why? 

Well, Earl is the perfect parent here--a recording from some previous time before his untimely death.  He comes across as a caring, patient, loving parent/teacher.  Nike, of course, not only gets the big publicity bang from this commercial, but, in my opinion, gets a great, caring, patient, loving parent/teacher brand association. 

Tiger?  Well, his continuous vacuous stare into the camera lens gives us the impression he's listening to his Dad, in a one-on-one real time conversation.  I'd rather have seen Tiger on a bench at the practice range, head down, but looks up after Earl calls him by name.  "Tiger......."  Then, edited cuts going around him in a semi-circle always showing his face, but not looking into camera.  ...read the rest of this post»

As a brainwooer, it's important to have a positive impact on the community.  At the end of March, I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel beyond our local community to Recife, Brazil to serve the people in Dois Unidos and Frei Damião.  Recife is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and boasts almost four million inhabitants, making it the fifth largest Metropolitan area in Brazil.  In Portuguese, the name Recife means "reef", referring to the coral reefs located on the city's shores.  I would like to share my experiences in Brazil as well as what I have learned.  

How I Became Involved...read the rest of this post»