Man, everybody loves this Web 2.0 stuff, this whole idea of centering around the web as a platform, making personal information and preferences ubiquitous. Flickr (and now upcoming.org) gets bought by Yahoo!, everyone’s flipping out over social software like del.icio.us (and now ning.com, which will be known years in the future as when social software jumped the shark), and everyone and their brother is coming up with some AJAX driven office or instant messenging software. Facebook, Friendster, Meebo, and JotSpot Live, oh my. Sure, cool is cool, but at what point do “social software” and “web-based” become buzzwords?

Still, I want in on the action, so I decided to make some web based software of my own.

Browzr: The Web Based Browser

In the tradition of 37 Signals, I’ve made the perfect application. It’s simple, completely functional, and requires no installation at all. It’s not big on features, but one of the principles of Web 2.0 is “cost-effective scalability,” and this is definitely cost-effective. It’s got all the features of the browser you’re using right now, with none of the fuss. It’s portable to almost any known platform. And best of all it’s, completely web based.

All you have to do is type in the webpage you want to go to below, and hit the “Browz!” button (our patent department is working on making sure no one else can have one of those). If you want to visit Google, type in “google.com” and you’re there. Slashdot? “slashdot.org” and boom. Talk about accessibility. Talk about lack of a learning curve. Go ahead. Try it. Enjoy it.

Welcome to Web 2.0.

http://www.

Personal note to Scoble: I’m ready to accept your offer anytime.

Personal note to Larry and Sergey: Blogger’s got nothing on me. I’m cheap, let’s talk.

The Lindsay Lohan Guide to Car Accidents

So you’ve been in a car accident! And you’re Lindsay Lohan!

Don’t panic! Your situation is a common one, happening at least twice per year, depending on movie release and/or hair coloring schedules. This helpful guide will give you some do’s and don’ts for your situation, and help you figure out WHAT’S NEXT.

DO

-Freak out.

-Run into a nearby antique shop. Later, you can claim you were hiding from paparazzi, instead of running from the scene. Deniability, you know.

-In the same vein, very loudly, and near a prospective witness (preferably a minority– they’re more believeable), gasp and appear very upset. References to a deity may be in order. “Oh my God, Oh my God, I can’t believe it” will do fine.

-Have company with you. Not anyone famous enough to draw away attention, but someone “passenger”y enough to make you look human. Assistants are good for this. Publicists would probably love to do it, but again, be careful of your accountability.

-Also, eat something. You’re totally bony, girl. But rock on with that red hair.

DON’T

-Blame the paparazzi. So played (and, according to an LAT article, not true). But Governator is planning a law, so expect it to come back around when you’re called in front of the committee.

-Attempt to help or talk to the other person, even if they “suffered moderate injuries.”

-Admit fault. This can be repaired, with the help of publicists, but it usually involves having another lesser known actress reveal a pregnancy or eating disorder earlier than planned.

-Act calmly or responsibly at any time.

WHAT’S NEXT

-There’s a chance you may face a suit from the other driver, especially if you are at fault. This can usually be avoided with a large settlement (goodbye, Herbie royalty check number 27) and a few pieces of signed memorabilia.

-Your insurance may go up. HA! Like it matters.

-You need to get a new Benz, girl! We suggest the SL55 AMG black, beige leather. In possibility of license suspension, make sure to put the car in someone else’s name. Assistants are good for this as well.

That’s it! Hopefully any accidents you have will be safe, relatively easy, and, if nothing else, attention gathering!

Happy driving!

This is the kind of stuff that happens to me all the time. This is short, but I swear it is all true.

So I’m driving down to St. Louis last week to visit friends and family, and I stop about 1/4 of the way down because I’m running out of gas. I generally find that I have to fill up at least once on the way down, but where I stop depends on how much gas I start with, etc.

Anyway, Friday I stopped about 1/4 of the way down. The gas station (Shell, 2.99, fyi) was nice– big parking lot, large well lit interior. I filled up, went inside and hit the head, then picked up a soda and some chips to stay awake. I say stay awake, but this is only about 9:30 Friday night.

I head back out to my Explorer, which I call Air Force One (you know, because I’m the president). As I’m getting in, this guy in a beat up red truck revs into the parking lot from the road, and stops just across the pump from me, facing the opposite direction so he’s looking out of his drivers’ side window facing me.

He’s hispanic looking, though he doesn’t have an accent. He’s got another guy in the passenger seat, skinny white guy with red hair. The white guy may have been stoned, but that is simply my opinion, not actual fact.

“Hey,” he says to me. I stop climbing into my door, and turn around.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“You got a home theater system?” I do in fact have a home theater system, a nice one, bought for an employee discount during my retail electronics days. I debated telling this guy about it, then debated if I’d heard him say what I thought he said.

“Sorry?” I asked, incredulous.

“Home theater system,” he clarified, gesturing. “TV, speakers, tuner. Got one?”

Shady. I decided no. “No thanks.”

“You want one? Free home theater system.”

I looked in the back of the truck and saw nothing but shadows– for all I know there could really have been a home theater system back there, complete with a 45 inch LCD HDTV. “No, no thanks, bud.”

He shrugged, drove off right out of the parking lot. I got back in the car, wondered what that was all about, put my soda in the cupholder, and kept driving down to St. Louis.

Sharp Releases Monitor with Contrast Ratio of 1,000,000:1. Sharp CEO: “It’s, like, 10.0 Times Better”

Sharp Japan released their latest monitor build today, featuring a contrast ratio of 1,000,000 to 1. Sharp’s CEO, Tano Osaka, was thrilled about the release. “It’s like 10.0 times better than our competitor’s monitor, which has a contrast ratio of 100,000 to 1. The difference is clear.”

And so is the display, which lets you see the clearest picture ever available on a television screen. Well, would let you see it if you could. “The human eye can only perceive a contrast ratio of about 2,000 to 1. Any differences beyond that, even with perfect eyesight, are pretty irrelevant,” says Dr. Marsha Hoffman, of the Center for Optical Research. “If you bought a monitor that went beyond that, you’d pretty much be wasting money.”

“It’s not just a waste of money,” said Osaka. “You really can see the difference. At least, some species of eagles can, even if humans can’t. But do you really want a monitor with anything less than one million to one? Do you?”

The new monitor also boasts the possibility of emitting 350 billion different colors, 200 billion more than have been discovered by scientists within the visible light range. “What if your kitty wants to watch ‘That Darn Cat’?” asks Osaka. On a normal monitor, he won’t be able to see in infrared like he can in real life. But on our new monitor, he’ll be able to see the IR signature of ‘That Darn Cat’ in crystal clear color. That is, if he actually watches the screen.”

Sharp plans to release the monitor with their new video hard drive recorder, capable of recording up to two million terabytes of information, which is actually enough space to record every second of television ever broadcast since its invention. “It’s great,” says Osaka. “Sure, you’ll never use it all, simply because that much information doesn’t even really exist yet. But don’t you want the best?”