A Denial Yardstick

Here are a couple of interesting riffs on calories and energy. The first one will be of particular interest to dieters–but also, I think, to anyone who thinks about the fact that “oil is food” thermodynamically, chemically and global economically speaking. The second should be of interest to anyone who drives, owns a computer or pays an electric bill.

If either of these makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable, good. I hope you take a minute to stop and think. Just to be clear, I’m not using this to put forth a low-carb, pro-nuclear, or any other kind of agenda. But if you think I am, or if you think Jorn Barger is, please grab that feeling with both hands and examine it. I really think a person’s reaction to this kind of information is a litmus test for how they cope (or don’t, or don’t feel they need to) with the ideas of sustainability and balance, both on a personal level and in terms of the planet.

Talk About Getting in on the Ground Floor

Is it possible that at this moment all the Web 2.0 apps can be listed on one page?

Frankly I’m not sure what makes these Web 2.0 apps. But here’s my call for ideas: how do I make dickdiamond.com into a Web 2.0 app? Better yet, how do I do it in time for SXSW Interactive next month? Because, you know, I was there last year, I read this crap, and even I don’t know. And it’s no wonder when you have crap like this to “clarify” the idea.

It’s a classic case of you know it when you see it. Gmail is definitely a Web 2.0 app. Hotmail (even the new “LiveMail”) is not. And if you believe O’Reilly’s definition, it’s simply a matter of taking something someone else did and making it a “platform.” Interestingly, by this metric, it’s impossible to two-point-oh yourself. You can only two-point-oh others.

So, will anyone out there king me?