Linux and Windows living together.

Linux and open source technology can be used to support windows. Most users are either pro Microsoft or pro Linux, but I happened to be one of the few that sees the need for both. Just like with the phone and cable companies, competition helps drive the price down. It's more of checks and balances. Open source helps with the development of technologies, groups of individuals work on a project, not for pay, but for the love of doing it. There is nothing wrong with wages for work and open source does generate income. It allows you to be creative, which brings ideas for advancing our world and companies such as Google, IBM, and even Microsoft see the need to invest in open source. Give some away, get some in return. It's a win-win solution. Open mind, open source. We must stay forward thinking at all times to grow.

Web 2.0

If you talk about web 2.0 you will get different responses based on when that person actually started to use the net. While running a website drop shipping products in the 90's my partner and I saw the dot com boom come and go. It was manly based on potential hopes for the future to be the first with this new internet idea(sort of like a first round draft pick getting more than a veteran player). Some made it big but most ended up crashing because all markets will peak. Having those static webpages with nice content and search engine submission kept us in the game. Webpages shifted from static to flash driven and the start of 2.0. Web 2.0 became more of an interactive platform allowing the user and the publisher more real time contact with video,I.M. chats, streaming video and blogs to name a few. The user has now become a content provider and they have unlimited avenues for self expression. I spend more time online than I do watching t.v. Reality tv is a platform controlled by a few, web 2.0 is controlled by the masses, the new tv. As we move along we will witness the lines of internet and tv blur becoming one and we all will have a chance to be involved.

Don Wansley

In the Clouds

Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them. Cloud computing services often provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers. The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals. Wikipedia

This Cloud is were your info will be stored and not on your local hard drive.This turns your pc into a thin client or dumb terminal, which means in some cases no hard drive is needed at all, if the system can boot from ethernet. You can host this locally on your network or join one of cloud applications on the net. Linux is one of the platforms that offer this free with their distros. Some set up is involved but for price and flexibility it's a great deal. It allows you to become Green by making legacy equipment usable, extending it's life and no disposal headaches. This all helps with creating a great learning environment, which fosters growth. icloud is a platform which lets you take advantage of this now and be ahead of the curve. Try it, and tell them Don sent you.

Netbook

I purchased a netbook recently . It has a 160 G hard drive with an Atom processor. It has a 10 inch screen which I thought might be to small but it's working out well. It has a port to hook up an external monitor which comes in handy for doing presentations. It's size is also a great conversation point. People will just walk up and start asking question, so if you buy one take it everywhere. It has a built-in web cam which helps with quick v-blogging and video emails. The only draw back so far is that there is no dvd/cd drive, but just add an external drive or flash to watch movies, install programs or to boot live cd's. Overall I'm pleased with the performace and style and another bonus, the battery lasts about 5 and a half hours.
Check one out for yourself. Prices vary and I've seen them from $200 to $400.