Trawling The Net

Globalization and the rise of China owe much to undersea fiber optics and computers capable of managing complex supply chains.

The most exciting part of this phenomenon is that it is just starting. Broadband is beginning to become pervasive in the developed world. Moore's Law will keep crushing the price of computation, communication, transmission and storage. And cheap sensors are about to be thrown on to everything. If it seemed like this already changed much of the world as we know it, get ready for what is coming.

Privacy: By 2020, you will have to go to a museum to understand what it meant. Privacy eroded, due to cameras everywhere and increasing sophistication of data analysis. Most people, considering themselves good at heart, traded it away for the sake of better search results.

BARRIE, Ont. - A man who decided to help clear the street with his own push snowblower ended up with a public intoxication ticket. Police in Barrie, Ont., north of Toronto, say it was for the man's own protection as he was too intoxicated to operate the machine and was almost struck twice by passing vehicles Tuesday evening. Officers out on patrol noticed him. Police arrested the 41-year-old man and held him until he was sober. Sgt. Doug Henderson said he doesn't know if the man had an explanation for his actions. A public intoxication ticket runs $55.

A bottle of the oldest Veuve Cliquot dry champagne was recently found at Torosay Castle on the Isle of Mull (Scotland). The unique and priceless drink was discovered by the new owner of the castle, Chris James, in the personal drinks cabinet of Arbuthnot Guthrie, the original owner of the estate. The sideboard wasn’t opened since his death in 1897. The bottle of the Veuve Cliquot dry champagne, featuring the brand’s trademark yellow label, was in perfect condition and ready to be opened. Still, the new owner decided to keep the bottle from the table and called Veuve Cliquot in Reims, France to tell about his discovery. The bottle was transported to the company’s visitor centre in Reims for the display. “The bottle is literally priceless. It is a one off and therefore unique. We would never consider selling it as it is far too important to us. It is a unique piece of champagne history. It was amazing to find this bottle and it’s really an extraordinary story all in all,” noted Fabienne Huttaux, head of communications for Veuve Cliquot.

You're always hearing about off-season, post-peak times to save money on purchases and food, but it always arrives too late. We've compiled a timeline and lots of best-time-to-buy suggestions into one post to help you plan a more frugal 2010.

Hundreds of circles, squares, and other geometric shapes once hidden by forest hint at a previously unknown ancient society that flourished in the Amazon, a new study says. Satellite images of the upper Amazon Basin taken since 1999 have revealed more than 200 geometric earthworks spanning a distance greater than 155 miles (250 kilometers).

When it comes to party appetizers, pigs in a blanket are yesterday's news. If you really want to wow your guests, we have two words for you: bacon cups

My prediction…. In another ten years we will look back on this decade with 2020 hindsight.