Interesting documentary where lots of different theories are being presented. But the one thing I did find particularly interesting was the analysis of the Military industrial complex.

The term first was used in president Eisenhower’s farewell speech where he warned of the too significant of a role that the department of defense has come to play and the amount of resources that it uses for its purpose. “Iron Triangle” which is another similar term used for this concept refers to an institutionalised collusion among defense contractors, The Pentagon , and the United States government, where these three ensure to create a permanent war economy, which in a nutshell states that since productivity of the nation is higher than normal during war (at least during WWII), the economy cannot be allowed to return to a civilian economy.

As a result the defense is heavily dependant on the industry (defense contractors) and it needs to secure a steady stream of revenue from the government to be able to support this model, something that is seen a heavily against the public interest.
Very interesting movie and definitely worth seeing.

Good collection of mistakes made by president Bush and caught by the camera….

Update : Found this site that has a better comparison.

With taking so many digital photos, the time has come where I have enough material to give photography as presents to friends and others. Having said that, sometimes, one photo just does not feel enough nor express what I am trying to say as an ‘artist’.

Now I can use one of the few services available online to make my own photo book. Here are a couple of them:

• MyPublisher - $30-$60 for a 20 pages hardcover album
• iPhoto - $30 for 20 pages hardcover album

If you have other services similar to this, please let me know.

A new way to look at digital photos. Just have a look for yourself. Pretty nifty from Microsoft Labs! Some highlights:

• You can fly around and see an object from different angles.
• You can zoom in to incredible details. Just try zooming in on any of the paintings in this collection.
• You can choose cameras that took the pictures and thereby see the exact spot the picture was taken from.

The last few weeks, I had the awesome experience of going to China for work. I was in Shanghai the whole time and that was plenty by itself as there seems to be no end to this giant megacity. The people are very friendly and forthcoming, but unfortunately communication becomes an issue as almost no one speaks or understands English. I saw a lot of tourists/foreigners walking around so it seems like Shangai is giving Hong Kong a run for its money in being a world metropolitan. All in all, apart from the mad traffic and air pollution (similar to LA), it really is a must see place.

The second topic I wanted to write about is Kiva.org. This non-profit organization which its name means unity or agreement in Swahili, was started in 2004 and although is still in the process of becoming self sustainable (by 2008), is currently being funded by a number of angel investors, including Microsoft Research. Here is how it works:

“Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.”

Here is a list of people and businesses who need a loan that would change their lives.