There are few places in the world where there is still so much mystery about its origins and one of them is the famous and historic Inca site – Machu Picchu. Known as the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu which means “Old Peak” sits on a mountain ridge in the Unbamaba Valley in Peru.

This would be a trip to take when I have a lot of time – like retirement.

Do unto MacBook what you have done to iPads

I have attended many conferences where presenters use detailed Powerpoint slides with a lot of text and graphics, but never was able to capture them quickly enough while writing them down.

I have seen some participants use their cellphones with built in cameras, but with limited success.  Sometimes the images are not clear or too blurry, or there is a lot of distance between you and the screen and lighting is poor.

I often bring my laptop so I can type my notes and then I realized that I could use the built-in webcam. The only problem is that the camera is facing me and if I turn it around, unless I am sitting facing away from the speaker – I cannot be sure if I captured the images on the screen.

So Steve – if you could incorporate a second webcam on the backside of the MacBook display or provide a swivel mount on top edge so the camera can be rotated to face the user or the away – that would be great!

There is no end to how Apple will go with its trendsetting products and services.

It’s recent announcement of providing Cloud Computing services aptly named iCloud represents another example of entering new territory already discovered by other technology competitors like Google Docs and Microsoft Skydrive and then beating them at their game.

Why wouldn’t they? Apple’s hugely successful mobile products like the iPhone, wireless enabled iPod and iPad tablets have created a vast community of users looking for apps and media to download as well as share files with others.  It’s fastest selling line of notebook computers like the MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air all running on soon to be released Lion operating system will make Cloud Computing easier for everyone to use and enjoy.

Thanks to Apple’s tightly controlled operating system and hardware, it will be easier to sync all of it’s web-enabled products with each other via iCloud. You can take pictures with your iPhone and upload them to the cloud and the next time you turn on your MacBook, it will automatically retrieve them via iPhoto. You can easily share files and collaborate with your peers and you can purchase your favorite songs and videos on one device where they can be easily available on your other Apple devices.

Obama campaigning in Iowa

Thomas Friedman writes in his column that the 100 day yardstick for determining the success of an incoming president in carrying out his campaign promises is now  just 100 days that a President actually carries out his campaign promises. The rest of the time he is out on the road trying to convince voters to elect members of his party to win midterm elections and maintain a majority in both houses as well as to seek re-election for himself.

That’s right, we don’t have a full-time time government. As Friedman points outs, “Congress is a full-time fund-raising enterprise that occasionally legislates and a White House that, save for 100 days, has to be in perpetual campaign mode.”

No wonder we can’t seem to get things done. Unemployment is still stuck at 9%, gas prices are still high and America is still spending billions trying to keep Al Qaeda away from our shores.

We need a government to focus on three things, Jobs, Education and Health Care. 100 days is not enough time to do this and if any incumbent president, senator or member of Congress wants to insure they get re-elected, the work they have done should be enough to convince the  public to vote for them again.

Campaigning for re-election is distracting. It divides our government and prevents any real progress in reforming our government since candidates have to convince the public why they should not vote for the other candidate. Campaigning should only be limited to those who seek office for the first time. Once elected, they can breathe and focus all their energies on achieving the goals they have set out to do. Accomplishing something while in office has far reaching impact and resonance with voters and makes it more challenging for the new candidates to beat them on re-election.

Stewart later mocked Chris Wallace’s response  on his Daily Show program the next day.

“The Other Side?  We don’t tell both sides, we tell the other side, the one that is perceived as never being told”.  Later, in a humorous vein, Stewart derided Wallace’s response by claiming that Fox is not about its trademark “fair and balanced” news, but about balancing the system. “The system is unbalanced because of the left wing, ” Stewart continues “Hollywood, comedians, the internet, facts – all of them designed to shut down conservatism”

Wallace claims that Stewart has a left bending ideological agenda on his program to which Stewart disagrees. Watching a clip from Stewart’s program, Wallace makes an example of how his program always attacks the right wing by comparing Sarah Palin’s One Nation Bus Tour to a commercial Stewart explains that he was only mocking the technique used in both commercials, in which reporters finish each other’s sentences and that there was nothing political about it. “I am a comedian first and comedy is informed by an ideological background” Stewart replies.

Watch the videos below

Part 1

Part 2

I have been here once and was immediately taken in by the remoteness of these islands off the west coast of Ireland, accessible by a small ferry and commuter aircraft. Traveling with my wife and son at the time, we visited for one day during our two week to trip to Ireland a few years ago. We took a minibus tour to Dun Aengus, an Iron Age fort that sits on the cliff edge of the western coast, battered by the strong North Atlantic waves.

The remoteness and ruggedness of the islands would provide the perfect but short respite and allow me to reboot or reset my mind as I take long walks on the island, enjoy a pint or two at the local pub and bed at one of the few B & B accommodations that can be found.

Life in the middle lane

Not always a bad place to be

It gets me where I want to go

My path gets crossed often but it doesn’t matter to me

Life in fast lane has more danger and excitement

Go too slow and you frustrate others who wait behind you

But the middle lane neither blocks nor delay

Life in the middle lane

I find it a more easy going pace for me

It gets me where I want to go -

I may not always be first – but I will never be last