"The Internet may be a worldwide superhighway, but it's all to easy to shut it down. Governments aiming to squelch free speech in don't even have to work hard to do so: It's all too easy to restrict the Internet and keep their people in the dark.

"The practice is all too too easy, and all too common."

"Freegate is an anti-censorship software for secure and fast Internet access. It was developed and maintained by Dynamic Internet Technology Inc. (DIT), a pioneer in censorship-circumvention operation."

Is it odd that I'm a fan of Halo, even though I've never played the game with any sort of consistency? I guess it's a holdover from the days when its mythos was known as Marathon. Looking forward to the full film.

Ten life and leadership lessons from Chuck Swindoll.

"It has never been serviced or cleaned other than blowing out the dust with a service station hose. ... I have typed on this typewriter every book I have written including three not published. Including all drafts and correspondence I would put this at about five million words over a period of 50 years."

A perspective on relevance younger folk need to consider regarding older folk in the church. I know I need to heed this at times, myself. And looking ahead at the last years of my 30s, I'll be in that older folk camp soon enough, if I'm not already.

For future reference, should I ever start up a podcast. Or something.

"The following story [...] is a potential fictional time line for the day the dollar died. I hope not to instill fear or loathing but to give everyone some perspective on a POSSIBLE outcome which does not really take much of a reach to come to any conclusion. Despite popular belief and promises from those who wish to rob you of your savings and investments, the collapse of the dollar might just be an event measured in hours, not days as their control is not what it seems...."

"This newly-updated site helps holiday shoppers find great gifts which do not have forced or child labor in their production. Featured companies are graded on the steps they take to actively prevent exploitation from occurring. Numerous industries are at risk for forced and child labor, such as apparel, electronics and toys, to name a few. We are linked to workers around the world by international supply chains, but no longer do consumers need to support companies that engage in high-risk sourcing practices."

"Texas and California are America's two most populous states, together numbering approximately 55 million people, which is only about 6 million less than the United Kingdom, where I live. California, as everyone knows, has a coolness factor that Texas cannot match. Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and wine. Say no more. But, unless one has been living in a cave, everyone knows that the cool state is also the broke state. [...]

"Texas, on the other hand, is growing, creating wealth, and attracting the entrepreneurial and creative classes that too many people think only go to places like New York and California."

"Texas will become a magnet for new businesses by offering cheap land, a favorable regulatory environment, a business-friendly culture, and a large supply of skilled labor. Unless California revamps dramatically, expect to see its economy languish, even as the recovery takes off."

Not endorsing any of these apps, since I haven't tried any, but felt the article was worth passing along, as well as filing away for future reference.

Though I disagree vehemently with Doctorow on a lot of political points, I have enjoyed most of his novels. And I've read all of them electronically.

For my fellow not-morning people.

Bookmarked, of course, so I don't forget it.

From an Aussie perspective, but still relevant. Offers a summary of the policies of Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, and MySpace.

"Five relatively minor adjustments to prevent big chronic problems later."

In case you've ever wondered, as I have.

Not surprisingly, more common sense from VDH on what our President should be doing with regard to Afghanistan.

"Astounding photographs taken by photographers Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas. These photos display tens of thousands of American soldiers posing as symbols of American history."

If Twitter had been a subject of conversation during an episode of Seinfeld.

And how many of you, hitting this site after seeing tonight's How I Met Your Mother, suddenly had some late '80s/early '90s big hair band MTV flashbacks?

This is pretty amazing.

The Nobel Committee could have given the Peace Prize to: an Afghan women's rights activist who opposed the Taliban during its rule; a former hostage held for six year; a Congolese doctor who founded a hospital and has dedicated his life to helping women and girls who are victims of rape and other sexual violence; an organization dedicated to clearing land mines; or two Chinese activists, each imprisoned for their outspokenness on the need for reform in China.

But let's roll with the done-nothing empty suit instead...

It hasn't displaced Aston Martin on my fantasy super cars-to-own list, but it did knock the Porsche GT3 down a notch.

"...save us, they will scream, and I'll whisper, 'No...I'm a bad guy'."

Brilliant.

"I always liked the reader suggestion to name the new towers 'Freedom' and 'Unity' and let al-Qaeda figure out what the initials stand for."

"Dear various parents, grandparents, co-workers, and other 'not computer people.' We don't magically know how to do everything in every program. When we help you, we're usually just doing this:"

Free coloring pages (downloadable PDF files) of Chevrolet cars, featuring the Camaro, Volt, Beat concept, Corvette, and Cadillac CTS wagon.

Common-sense advice from attorney Adrianos Facchetti for our increasingly no-common sense world. Pretty sure everyone on Twitter has been guilty of at least one of these at one time or another.

"Forty-nine percent (49%) of U.S. voters say working Americans should be allowed to opt out of Social Security and provide for their own retirement planning."

Amen.

Nanny statism continues running amok.