It would be another way for Google to sell targeted advertising and burnish its brand. And it's very much in the tradition of Google's brand promise - great stuff free.

At the Web 2.0 Conference a year ago, we gathered to discuss the implications of the Web becoming a platform. This year, we're taking it further, focusing not just on declaring the platform, but showing where the innovation is happening and what we might expect in the coming year, ... Web 2.0 attendees will be immediately plugged into the ecosystem of the new Internet and allowed to make connections vital to their business strategy.

Way back in 2008, when the iPhone was new and Instagram was a gleam in Kevin Systrom's eye, I was involved in creating a service called CrowdFire. It was a way for fans at a festival (the first was Outside Lands) to share photos, tweets, and texts in a location and event specific way.

I sense that the sea of smart phones lit up at concerts is a temporary phenomenon. The integration of technology, sharing, and social into our physical world, on the other hand, well, that ain't going away.

As you grow older, you learn a few things. One of them is to actually take the time you've allotted for vacation.

Obama will win the 2012 election, thanks in part to the tech community rallying behind him due to issues like SOPA, visas, and free speech.