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Best of the Week: Capitalism, Freedom, and Equality on the Web

by Warren Riddle on October 18, 2009 at 04:30 PM

Our Land of Opportunity allows anyone with a little capitalistic ingenuity, or a complete lack of shame, to score 15 minutes in the spotlight. She may be from across the pond, but psychic Jayne Wallace will attempt to capitalize on Twitter and fame-obsessed Americans when she holds a Halloween 'Tweance' to tweet with dead celebs. At the opposite end of the longevity spectrum, designer Matthew Waldman has already carved his own indelible niche by dramatically modernizing an ancient concept -- time.

Sometimes the Home of the Free doesn't necessarily provide the same freedoms to everyone. A fascinating article in Advances in Physiology Education recently investigated why women weren't given a legitimate role in the burgeoning space program of the 50's, despite characteristics which may have made them superior candidates. Outside the U.S., Finland recently passed a law making broadband Internet access a basic and inalienable right for its citizens. Aren't we Yanks entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of free broadband? We could use to it to publicize our brief moments of fame, like documenting our life-saving, bear-stopping iPhone hurl. Now, rounding out the week's other top tech news....
  • Pepsi was forced to offer a half-hearted apology last week for its 'Amp Up Before You Score' app. It supposedly turns energy drink-guzzling losers into Leon Phelps lotharios.
  • Programmers and scientists often seem stoic and distant, but Net creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee endeared himself to even the most technologically averse during a recent interview. When explaining why he'd needlessly incorporated the double slash (//) in Web addresses, he offered the highly familiar, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
  • We all have in-laws or relatives dangling in Facebook 'Friend Request' purgatory, so get a little help deciding what to do with those invites (accept, reject, or brazenly let them linger in no-man's-land), these 10 Facebook family tips will help eliminate any discomfort when you have to actually see those folks in person over the holidays.

Tags: bestoftheweek, top

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