It's too late for me. My software engineering position has moved offshore.

For so many of the "average Americans" commenting on this topic, the light bulb has only recently become illuminated.

It occurs to me that the US would be a very different place today, economically, socially, and otherwise, if Manuel Castells had been read more closely (and deeply) by more people in the 1990's.

It is not enough for academics to study and debate the abstract concepts. Corporate executives and practicing professionals must grok it -- and live it. Ideally, Amazon would tell me that "customers who bought 'Good to Great' also bought 'The Information Age Trilogy'. Alas, this is not the case.

As More Jobs Move Overseas

Time to get real.

Consider this the first wave. In the next decade, consider China and Indonesia. (Where is Korea in all of this?)

Meet the Zippies

They are going to need to keep hoping.

The New York Times is asking some very interesting questions.

What Am I to You?

Trans Lucy goes one step further by allowing you to make the video display translucent so you can still see and work with your documents that are "behind-the-scenes."

Note: This software requires Panther and Quartz Extreme.

TransLucy

... An ambitious plan to kidnap bin Laden from his bed and hold him in an Afghan cave ...

If at first you don't succeed, at least learn from your mistakes.

A Secret Hunt Unravels in Afghanistan

Warrior Politics is a bracing book with an increasingly important message that challenges readers to see the world as it is, not as they would like it to be.

The Washington Post: "While Washington is filled with journalists seeking information from the military, the military seeks information from Kaplan."

Henry Kissinger: "One of the most thought-provoking and profound books that I have recently read. As readable as it is stimulating."

Amazon offers a look at the annotated table of contents, the introduction, and part of the first chapter.

Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Requires a Pagan Ethos

Brian Greene's new book is on sale now.

The driving question in The Fabric of the Cosmos, then, is fundamental: "What is reality?"

... a deep passion for science and a gift for translating concepts into poetic images ...

"Greene not only makes concepts clear but explains why they matter."

"This is popular science writing of the highest order."

The Fabric of the Cosmos

Steven Johnson's new book is on sale now.

Amazon says: Mind Wide Open both satisfies curiosity and provokes more questions, leaving readers wondering about their own gray matter.

Publishers Weekly says: It's the rare popular science book that not only gives the reader a gee-whiz glimpse at an emerging field, but also offers a guide for incorporating its new insights into one's own worldview. Johnson does just that in his fascinating, engagingly written new survey.

Booklist says: Spreading a gospel to be curious about one's own mind, Johnson will snare even those unfamiliar with brain science.

The book cover says: To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self.

Mind Wide Open

"Even among Sunni Muslim extremists and committed terrorists, including Zarqawi and Al Qaeda, there can be extreme discrepancies about strategy and tactics," one senior official said. "This is not a world of homogeneous bad guys."

If you don’t mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.

If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.

Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
'cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

Today's Wisdom: Even a madman can learn a thing or two from a cowboy.

Al Qaeda Rebuffs Iraqi Terror Group

Orkut hot-spots include the Boston-Washington and LA-SD corridors, SF and the Silicon Valley, and Chicago.

It would be interesting to contrast the "location" data with the "hometown" data and to look at various migration trends.

Orkut: Map of US Membership