I’m sure that some of you remember Jini, an initiative launched in 1998 by Bill Joy of Sun Microsystems. This software was supposed to turn all the devices we use into ‘network citizens,’ as Joy said. It never really worked. And even if the electronic devices we own are increasingly network compatible, they still are unable to work together intelligently. This is why the European Union has funded a project to allow your fridge or your TV to communicate with your phone or your PC. This project, named Amigo, will end in February 2008 and was granted €13 millions by the EU. This project enrolled powerful partners such as France Telecom, Microsoft or Philips which pay the rest of the bill, expected to reach €23 millions. The researchers think their approach will be successful because it’s an entirely open source project and everyone can participate. But read more…

There used to be such a buzz about podcast and now it’s all Facebook this, Twitter-that. David Card points us to a Jupiter stat that suggests that only 13 percent of online users have downloaded or listened to a podcast.

Almost one in five Europeans have cut off their landlines, relying entirely on cell phones and mobile device to make their calls. A recent Eurostat study included all 27 EU countries except Bulgaria and Romania.

Would you like to use a light-powered toothbrush which needs no toothpaste and no batteries? It’s already available in Japan and North America and it costs about $30. Its rod contains titanium dioxide that generates a plaque-removing electrochemical reaction. This ’solar’ toothbrush of the future ‘works by releasing electrons that then react with the saliva in the mouth and help to breakdown plaque.’ It just needs some light — so you’ll be able to wash your teeth in your garden or on your balcony. And as it has no batteries, this is a very eco-friendly device. It is currently tested today by 120 students at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, but it’s already available online.

Forever Landfill is a private disposal service for L.A. residents that gives each home a landfill plot for their personal trash. With the average American producing four pounds of trash a day, there’s a dire need to get waste under control. Forever Landfill also knows that being totally eco-friendly and not producing any waste leaves little room for fun, and no room for luxury.

YOU need not be a Wall Street chieftain to feel the anxiety that has wrapped its arms around the American economy.