Candace's Blog

JPL and Panavision Partner with Alacron and FastVision for New Semiconductor Inspection Camera

The most mind-altering movie I've ever seen is "The Hubble 3-D."  To my knowledge it is only available for viewing (thus far) at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.  Produced by Warner Brothers and NASA, the IMAX movie does indeed "change our view of the universe," as the movie trailer says.  The JPL, (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) logo is highly visible on the replacement "guts" to the Hubble Telescope, as the movie viewers join the astronauts in outer space to witness this amazing accomplishment. The results, shown in this movie, are unprecedented views, data and knowledge of the vastness and mystery that surpasses time and space.

From what I understand about JPL, I would not be surprised if their logo is on just about everything the U.S. has launched into space. 

So I was excited to discover that JPL, along with Panavision Imaging had partnered with entrepreneur and small business owner, Dr. Joseph Sgro to produce some game-changing, Machine Vision technology. The initial target will be semiconductor inspection, although it will be valuable for many other applications.  Dr. Sgro is the CEO of Alacron, Inc. and FastVision, LLC.  Sgro's background, unique among machine vision manufacturers, is in advanced mathematics and neurology.

Sgro has been a pioneer in the Machine Vision industry for 25 years. In 1985, he launched a leading Frame Grabber manufacturer, Alacron, Inc. In 2002, he started FastVision, LLC, a revolutionary developer and manufacturer of smart, high speed, digital cameras.

Panavision Imaging is a division of another "movie making" giant entity, Panavision -- whose advanced camera technology is affiliated with many Hollywood productions.

Panavision's Imaging division specializes in sensor technology.  Image sensors are the things that allow cameras to translate images into information that can then trigger responses.  Sensors (along with image gathering cameras) are at the heart of machine vision, now an option on most cars to prevent fender benders.  Image sensors fall into two categories: CMOS and CCD. Until now, the CCD sensors were considered to be newer, faster and better -- and therefore most expensive. (Click HERE to see a comparison of CCD vs. other CMOS sensors.) However, Panavision's Imaging division's Dynamax family of CMOS sensors have demonstrated advantages over both CCD and other CMOS technologies. Their sensor allows ultra-low noise levels (what I might call minimal static in each frame) while operating at high frame rates with wide dynamic range.

The result of the partnership between JPL, Panavision, Alacron and FastVision has been an exceptionally fast camera -- the FC 300 -- and a back side imager.  The back side imager utilizes JPL's patented delta doping process.  To the uninitiated, delta doping sounds a bit like something that gets athletes in trouble. Instead, this technology plays a vital role in the semiconductor industry.  From the "Semiconductor Glossary," delta doping is defined as: "formation of the doped layers which are atomic-layer thick, formed in the course of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) of multilayer structures such as superlattices."  (If this sounds overly technical to my readers, semiconductor manufacturing is a highly specialized field with its own jargon.)

Enabling semiconductor manufacturers to better inspect their delicate product with microscopic parts has long been a primary goal of the machine vision industry. (Click HERE to read a relevant 2009 article in VSD Magazine.)

The techno-speak is a bit over my head.  But the semiconductor industry, which began around 1960, has grown to over $350 billion in 2010.  And I DO understand the business opportunities in a competitive, $350 billion, worldwide business! Net-net: the FC 300 is an extremely valuable improvement on existing technology for manufacturers in this industry.  It will allow for better, faster and less expensive inspection of semiconductors, enabling much better detection of abnormalities in their atom-thin layers. 

The FC 300 offers options that include back thinned versions with high QE (or "quantum efficiency") in the visible and NIR (or near infrared) range. It can be ruggedized, too.  This is useful, for example, for military use. Historically, frame grabbers were the predominant way to interface cameras to PC's.  When integrated with a high powered frame grabber/coprocessor board, the resulting system capabilities can be expanded by adding processors and memory to the board according to the application's demands.

All this means that the FC 300, along with the patented back side imager, offers an improvement to existing technology in the fields of medicine, military and manufacturing, especially in the demanding production of quality semiconductors. In the field of medicine, the DUV capabilities might be used in early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's. It may prove useful in outer space exploration. Maybe someday, we'll see Alacron or FastVision's logos in an IMAX movie at the Air & Space Museum? Whether or not their logos make it into outer space or a feature-length movie, it is exciting to know that small businesses can still accomplish great things, earning the respect of and cooperation with such entities as JPL and Panavision.

TASKRABBIT: Matchmaking Hardworking Entrepreneurs with Needy Homeowners

I just had a significant, seasonal job done by a TaskRabbit. 

TaskRabbit is a new on-line Web service that allows renters and home owners to post small jobs and accept bids from member workers of TaskRabbit (whose pictures are posted, along with rankings from those for whom they have done jobs.) The service is a great way to help hard workers quickly find jobs (and income), and to help home owners, pet owners, and working parents, who might also be financially strapped, find pre-screened, affordable, trust-worthy help to do odd jobs -- from assembling furniture to winterizing a pool, and everything in between.

The bid for my task came in $12 less than the $200 I estimated (more than $100 less than commercial prices), and the job was properly done in record time. An additional surprise for me was that Diane' Sawyer's TV crew showed up to interview my hard-working TaskRabbit and to film him executing my task.   I had noticed Diane was featuring stories on how people are finding work, generating income, and making ends meet in the challenging economy. I will be watching to see if my task -- and my TaskRabbit -- make prime time.

PostScrip - IT DID MAKE PRIME TIME:  CLICK HERE to see Diane's story on TaskRabbit. Very nice piece.  Kudos to TaskRabbit's Director of Marketing, Jamie Viggiano, and her PR team.

 

YouTUBE WEDDING: Shed the Stress and Share the Joy

Another new use of YouTube -- spontaneous weddings.  What a great story! An innovative and imaginative use of YouTube AND of glorious shopping malls.  Click HERE and enjoy a Wedding that has now gone viral. Considering the costs and stress of weddings, I invite others to follow this glorious example that illustrates so well the lyrics from Paul Stookey's The Wedding Song: "For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name, There is Love."  

CANDACE CLEMENS ANNOUNCES BIBLE BURNING PLANS

Apparently, if any nut case makes a controversial statement about the Muslim religion, a) the media gives the nut case some actual credibility, b) some believers in the target religion feel justified in reacting violently, c) the nut case uses the resulting publicity to try to blackmail people into acting in accordance with his agenda.

This guy is allegedly a Christian minister.  That implies that he worships a man called Jesus and regards him as Christ, the Son of God, and his holy reference book is the Bible. I was under the impression that the man called Jesus was someone who preached "turning the other cheek" and "loving your neighbor" even if he/she isn't of the same faith, as presented by Jesus in the story of the good Samaritan (not one of "the Chosen" people...all those "chosen" people ignored a suffering man of their own faith.) I was also under the impression that this same Jesus was against perpetrating hatred, as is this at-best-fringe element who claims to be a Christian Minister, "spreading the word."  The question is, who's word is he spreading? And how is he getting the media to help him spread it?

Meanwhile, I'm a PR and Marketing person.  I am REALLY envious that this "Christian minister" is getting completely free publicity from worldwide media, and using it to try to get the attention of powerful people, as well as using the media to aid in attempted extortion. 

Hmmmm.  Maybe he's not a nut case after all.  According to Advertising Equivalency  this "nut case" has just been given billions of dollars of free media coverage, when I work so hard to get a little tiny bit of publicity for my clients, and sometimes my clients even PAY the media to get mentioned (which is called advertising.) 

These clients are mostly small businesses.  They employ American citizens, providing health coverage for their employees, probably most of them Christians (OK, I know one of them is Catholic....I'm not sure this minister would agree that qualifies as Christian.) And these businesses DESERVE AT LEAST as much free publicity as this allegedly Christian minister, who doesn't seem to add much value to America at all.

In fact, some might say, he's actually going to be responsible for some deaths of American soldiers, or even innocent Christian civilians (apparently, he wouldn't care if a few innocent Muslims died in the process, so we won't bother mentioning that). Why should HE be rewarded with free publicity? In fact, if anyone does get hurt or loses a loved one as  result of said publicity, I think a good lawyer could make a case for significant compensation -- his or her client suing both the nut case AND the media who initially reported the story.  Isn't this irresponsible reporting, an abuse of "freedom of the press?"

My Walnut28 Communications business has had a few clients over the past few years.  I think I'll get one of them to agree to join me in announcing that we will burn a few Bibles because we are mad at this Christian minister for endangering the lives of our troops in a very Muslim part of the world.  And if enough Christians get angry at the company for burning bibles, maybe the media will pick it up.  Or vice versa.  And -- bingo -- brand recognition.  The only cost is my consulting fee.

Maybe I should hire this nut case.  I think he's on to something. 

MACHINE VISION and SENSOR TECHOLOGY: possibly helping God to identify, measure, sort and send souls to Heaven or Hell? (But early versions potentially helping with problems here on earth)

It will be interesting to see which causes more damage to the earth -- nuclear accidents such as Chernoble, fossil fuel accidents like the BP oil spill, the clash of organized religions, or outrageous and unchecked litigation.

For a little levity on this subject, I suggest you revisit the Only "A" exam at the University of Oklahoma School of Chemical Engineering's Final Exam question for May of 1997 in Dr. Schambaugh's Thermodynamics class.  The question to be answered by Schambaugh's students: "IS HELL EXOTHERMIC OR ENDOTHERMIC."  (I will return to this later in this posting).

When it comes to global warming, how shall we prioritize the dangers of Nuclear Power, Electric Power, the over use of Fossil fuel cars, and hot-headed decision makers and the even hotter headed "average citizens" who seem so easily riled by non-analytical news reporting, and nonsensical religious and political leaders  (not to mention the potential warming effect of "all hell breaking loose" as per the aforementioned Thermodynamic exam essay.)

"What the heck does this have to do with Machine Vision and Sensor Technology?" you might be asking.  Eventually, I intend to use this rambling, obtuse blog to reveal my hidden agenda -- to promote my successful PR efforts for my former clients, frame-grabbing manufacturer, Alacron and smart camera manufacturer, FastVision and their CEO Dr. Joseph Sgro.  (It just took a while to hit the media).  And the method to my madness is that the products from companies such as Alacron and FastVision might allow us to identify and measure, as per Dr. Sgro's description, "abnormalities," to evaluate and -- using analytical software -- take appropriate action.  Nascent examples of this technology exist already: drones (a.k.a. "unmanned aerial vehicles"), cars that prevent accidents and wake you up when they sense you may be falling asleep at the wheel, and "hurt locker" types of robotics.  Yes, sometimes they make flawed decisions, but they are potentially much better than the alternatives (Al Queda frequently kill many more civilians in suicide and other actions with no attempts at identifying appropriate targets.)

Back to saving the world....how shall we prioritize our "dangers to society" within the context of Corporate Greed, Government regulations that intervene when they shouldn't and don't when they should, invasion of privacy vs. national security, a society that breeds a sense of entitlement resulting in ridiculous litigation and unjustifiable cash settlements, and extremely dogmatic religions who don't look for cash settlements, but rather settle matters with stoning and suicide bombings?

Perhaps the future of our planet has a much bigger threat from the growing population with a mentality that is part of the problem -- blame -- instead of thinking big picture, analytically, and seeking a solution. Seems like those pointing the fingers at those they see as "sinners" (according to their religious and/or political belief system) might stop and think about Tim Graham's "A" exam answer.  Mr. Graham, the author of the above mentioned exam response, says:

"As for souls entering hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, then you will go to hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and souls go to hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in hell to increase exponentially."....and Grahm's essay continues:

1. If hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter hell, then the temperature and pressure in hell will increase until all hell breaks loose.
2. If hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until hell freezes over."

So, perhaps Global warming is actually a result of all hell breaking loose, a result of too many souls going to hell?  If so, what percentage of Global warming does it represent?

How could we measure this?  The results could significantly impact how we prioritize our decisions regarding utilities and other socio-economic issues.

Two of my past clients were in the Machine Vision industry, specifically Alacron, who manufactures Frame Grabbers, and FastVision,  who manufacturer very high speed "Smart" Cameras (the link will take you to a TV spotlight on these past clients of mine.)

The recent oil spill is a disaster that imaging, machine vision, and sensor technology identified, understood, monitored and moderated.  Click HERE to read the article in the on-line version of VSD Magazine (Vision Systems Design.) 

BTW - I have long been an advocate of Nuclear Power, ever since in 1997, when I was working for the Electronic Publishing pioneer company, Interleaf, a Canadian Power Plant employee reminded me of the huge advances in sensor-to-computer technology, along with networking, that have taken place since Three Mile Island (where no one was hurt) and Chernobyl, significantly more deadly.

As everyone knows, technology can dramatically alter what works, what doesn't, and what is allowed to break.  Three Mile Island had two, non-networked 8086 computer on site.  Chernobyl had two non-networked 286s on site. Today's sensor technology either didn't exist at all, wasn't interfaced with analytical artificial intelligence (i.e. computers), or was in the nascent phase primarily being tested by NASA, but by no means available or affordable by the private sector or even by Nuclear Power Plants.  Had it been, I bet big money that neither Chernobyl or Three Mile Island (which was really just a very close call, with no casualties) would have taken place.

Sensor technology, combined with machine vision, is what is behind the new SMART CAMERAS, a primary focus of FastVsision.  CEO Sgro, founder of FastVision, and his affiliated frame grabber company, ALACRON, is betting the future of much technology on the marriage of sensor technology and machine vision to produce more intelligent cameras to benefit his three primary markets, "The 3 M's": Medical, Manufacturing and Military.

In conclusion, the marriage of sensor technology to Machine Vision might help us track the impact of the afterlife on such important things as Global Warming. 

Maybe the "right" God doesn't send everyone who isn't a "true" believer to what would quickly become a grossly over-populated Hell, possibly contributing to Global Warming, if the first of Tim Graham's conclusions is correct.  Maybe this God uses a spiritual form of Machine Vision and Sensor Technology to sort the wheat from the chaff of human souls. 

However, while we are still among the living, with the use of Machine Vision and Sensor Technology, we might finally learn how to better prioritize the things that really matter vs. the things that do not.  For instance -- inspired by a news item today -- what is more important to the citizens of Los Angeles --  encouraging citizens to (safely) use more bicycles and scooters while commuting around that city; or prohibiting same sex couples from marrying?  Machine Vision and Sensor Technology might help measure and analyze the results on everything from pollution to road rage and stress in the city of Los Angeles -- and we could compare the results.

Imprisoning people who smoke marijuana or allowing entrepreneurs to harvest the "weed" adding jobs and tax revenue to our ailing economy...AND, in doing so, taking at least THAT business away from the ruthless Drug War Lords south of our border?   Machine Vision and Sensor Technology might help us measure the impact of smoking marijuana on rage and criminal activities that hurt other people.  I haven't heard of violence being associated w/ pot heads.  But perhaps this should be measured.

Speaking of protecting our borders, since Machine Vision -- the frame grabbers manufactured by my past client, Alacron -- whose CEO Joe Sgro says, in his TV interview, that  tracks "abnormalities" which, along with sensor technology -- can better identify individual "units" that are "abnormal," "faulty," potentially dangerous and/or just don't belong in the group in which they are currently residing. 

The implication is that Machine Vision and Sensor Technology could be used to help prevent "bad" people from entering the United States.  This could expedite the entrance of "good people" into our country; thereby reducing stress, saving money and time, and --much like the faulty bottles shown in the video footage of Filtec/IDC's bottle inspection machine, terrorists and other "bad guys" could be automatically discarded into a place where they could not do their desired acts of terrorism.

However, it may be many, many "next generations" and distant future versions of sensor technology before people such "dangerous abnormalities" as Bernie Madoff and Enron's CEO Ken Lay are identified and removed from positions of power, where they can inflict so much damage on innocent civilians. 

Maybe by then, Alacron and/or FastVision will have developed a "spiritual" frame grabber which, along with spiritual sensor technology and a Smart Camera, maybe that is able to "look into souls" (apologies to Woody Allen) and identify and sort abnormalities -- much like that which the "True God" uses to decide who really should go to Heaven or Hell -- and maybe help voters and citizens of this world select ethical people, and prevent unethical people from achieving positions of power. 

But, of course, the flaw in this thinking is the postulate that "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YouTUBE!

Hard to believe, YouTube is 5 years old this month.  It truly changed the world of communications.  My latest "User Generated Video Competition" is among the employees at Constant Contact, the grand daddy of e-newsletters and e-marketing.  Here is one of my favorites: Constant Contact Saves Trees.

TUFTS pioneers YouTube College Essay Applications

Front and center -- page that is -- of Sunday (Feb. 21) Boston Globe: "A Fresh Pitch on 'U' Tube --

Tufts, in a first, invited applicants to submit one-minute videos. A creative flood followed." 

The NYT also covered this momentus event.  I excerpt below, from the Times article:

"Lee Coffin, the dean of undergraduate admissions, said the idea came to him last spring as he watched a YouTube video someone had sent him. “I thought, ‘If this kid applied to Tufts, I’d admit him in a minute, without anything else,’ ” Mr. Coffin said....

For Tufts, the videos have been a delightful way to get to know the applicants.

“At heart, this is all about a conversation between a kid and an admissions officer,” Mr. Coffin  said. “You see their floppy hair and their messy bedrooms, and you get a sense of who they are. We have a lot of information about applicants, but the videos let them share their voice.”

“We’ve got some who are really good with the technology,” Mr. Coffin said. “There’s a real technical savvy out there in this generation, and this lets them show off their splicing, their stop action, their animation. Some of the engineering applicants show us what they’ve made. One kid is talking, and then all of a sudden, he’s in the water, to show off his underwater camera.”

While elephants are a common theme in the videos — Jumbo the elephant is Tufts’s mascot — only Michael Klinker went so far as to build a small remote-control blue-elephant helicopter that flies merrily around his backyard.

Some of the videos have developed a YouTube following. The popular favorite is probably Amelia Downs, with more than 6,000 views for her video combining “two of my favorite things: being a nerd and dancing,” in which she performs a bar graph, a scatter plot, a pie chart, and a sine and cosine graph."

The Times article featured the following videos:

 Rhaina Cohen’s video, working off the saying “You never truly know someone until you have walked a mile in her shoes,” and featuring the blue sandals from her bat mitzvah, the white sneakers she bought cheaply in Britain, and the black heels in which she “stood next to Hillary Clinton.”...

While elephants are a common theme in the videos — Jumbo the elephant is Tufts’s mascot — only Michael Klinker went so far as to build a small remote-control blue-elephant helicopter that flies merrily around his backyard.

Some of the videos have developed a YouTube following. The popular favorite is probably Amelia Downs, with more than 6,000 views for her video combining “two of my favorite things: being a nerd and dancing,” in which she performs a bar graph, a scatter plot, a pie chart, and a sine and cosine graph.

While the application allowed students to put their video on any easily accessible Web site, he said almost everybody used YouTube.

Having seen the popularity of the videos — and heard from current Tufts students who want their favorite applicants admitted — Mr. Coffin now plans to put the best ones into a “Tufts Idol” contest once admissions season is over."

HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITES:

A day in my life (rap) [THE BEST! My favorite. A real work of art.]

Stick figure going through life, ending at Tufts

What’s on my iPod – lip sync

I could be a spoiled ASPEN ski brat, but helped after Katrina, and in 3rd world countries - You decide

Glass half full: it's all in your outlook on life

Young Man Searching for the Right School (approved for all audiences)

The sound of paper (had me laughing out loud)

An incredible medley of the many talents of Young Man: Musician, Athlete, Skateboarder

and this very creative video of another multi talented young woman (WOW)

I'm guessing most Tuft's applicants are gifted and skilled writers.  But a 1 minute video about yourself (presumably featuring your talents and strengths)...that's really tough to do in such a way that it a) is easy and fun to watch; b) doesn't come off as bragging c) doesn't require tremendous video editing skills and/or expensive equipment d) stands out in the crowd; and e) captures the essence of "you."  This is an art form that requires self awareness, understanding your audience, and multimedia communication skills, beyond writing.  Similar to the art of of the short, short story, the one minute video college essay demands the art of the best of advertising; the art of movie making; innovation and creativity -- in other words, the best of YouTube art, marketing and communications.

POST SCRIPT -- TUFT'S should recruit this GRAD STUDENT?  OR PERHAPS AN HONORARY DOCTORATE? 

MORE YouTUBE ADS THAT MIGHT QUALIFY AS CINEMA ART? (most banned from TV)

As I predicted many years ago, (and, as I'm sure Google realized when they purchased it)  YouTUBE has become mainstream for alternative advertising with many advantages.

Budweiser is know for its great ads.  A few Bud Light ads are just brilliant....such as THIS ONE, about how to have your cake and drink it, too.

And THIS ONE....when it comes to zoo animals, turn about's fair, and very funny, play!

And from a Euro Beer maker, THIS ONE....so true, a good illustration of how one might become an alcoholic!  Maybe that's too harsh...let's just say, life looks better with Tuborg.

And THIS ONE from Bridgestone Tires, probably banned from TV, but definitely one that viewers will send to each other for entertainment.  I haven't seen such character development in a dog since Lady and the Tramp (in this case, the honeymoon is over...Lady IS the tramp and breaks her man's heart.)

 While I was doing this research, I stumbled on this brilliant and hysterical canine version of Jim Carey in Liar, Liar...or, for another generation, Dr. Strangelove and his residual Nazi arm with a mind of its own.

It's not an ad...but I just had to post it. 

THE MILITARY vs. MARIJUANA

A friend just forwarded me this article -- 10 Reasons the U.S. Military Should (Officially) Use Pot -- written by Penny Coleman.  Coleman is the widow of a Vietnam veteran who took his own life after coming home. Her latest book, Flashback: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide and the Lessons of War, was released on Memorial Day 2006. Her Web site is Flashback.

A few YouTube clips on the subject are very compelling, including this one  about a man who was able to make it out of his wheelchair, thanks to medical marijuana.

And THIS ONE about a possible cure for various cancers through the use of hemp oil.  It is posted in 7 parts on YouTube.  Here is a link to Part 2.

Download the whole movie for free at http://www.phoenixtearsmovie.com

VIEW ALL 7 FILES AT http://www.youtube.com/chrychek

As with all medications (and foods) "Mary Jane" is not for everyone.  But, it's self-regulating. If it doesn't make them feel better, people don't use it.  Using it is a victimless crime. The biggest danger, IMHO, is when people mix it with alcohol, which is legal, btw.

"WORDS YOU DON'T KNOW" -- A PERFECT GIFT for Language and Scrabble Lovers, from the author who brought you "ALIEN SEX PILLS"

If you are struggling to find a unique gift for the intellectual in your life, especially one who has everything (and still has a sense of humor), or for a scrabble-playing loved one, or for anyone with an appreciation of the obscure, I highly recommend the paperback book "WORDS YOU DON'T KNOW," by Robin Bloor. 

ALIEN SEX PILLS....Author Bloor actually researched my longest-running post for the "Most cosmic Web Site" for my blog, when I was writing it for Progress Software Corporation.  Bloor had me laughing so hard at his written summary of his "most cosmic web site" research that I suggested he start his own blog, which he did.  He used it to provide a fun-to-read summary of emerging and morphing technologies, but always concluded with a "Surfin' Safari" entry, an early introduction to how Search Engine Optimization might work.  The first was a re-write of what he submitted to me...."Alien Sex Pills."

Known in the High Tech industry for his quick wit and as one who doesn't just write about things, but actually does them (i.e. programming languages, web design, open source technologies, etc.), Robin Bloor has taken time from his market research to collect a book of "WORDS YOU DON'T KNOW." 

One of my favorites is "Hippopotomonstrosesquippediliophobia" [whew...I THINK I copied that correctly]. Bloor explains, "This word is blatantly intimidating and was almost certainly invented by a sadistic psychiatrist.  At 36 letters, it's longer than any of the words mentioned [in the chapter of 'Very Long Words'] and it means (I almost can't believe it) the fear of long words. Only a sadistic psychiatrist would concoct such a word to describe the fear of such long words.  I mean how is that preferable to longwordaphobia?" 

But imagine pulling this off in Scrabble, although I don't think the board is large enough.

After leaving Progress, I finally retired the "most cosmic web site" to YouTube. I devoted myself to being a communications analyst and YouTube futurist, and dedicated my blog to emerging communication trends on and/or leveraging YouTube. I told Robin I needed a YouTube video that was relevant to his book.  The prescient Mr. Bloor had already created a YouTube video to promote his book.  Of course, the expat Brit used it to poke fun at the French language.  You can take the boy out of Britain, but you can't take Britain out of the Boy.

To find out what others have to say about Bloor's new book, check out the author's summary and equally entertaining comments by other readers on Amazon.com .

PS: to whet your appetite, your might enjoy Robin's initial blog entry of "10 IT words you don't know" that inspired the book.  I feel compelled to cite a few of my favorite excerpts.

"Cyberchondria: This is another surfing term, referring to hypochondria caused by surfing to medical sites that give descriptions of the symptoms of given illnesses. If you’re a doctor and one of your patients insists that he or she is suffering from pneumonic plague or blackwater fever, in all probability they are only suffering from cyberchondria.

Friendorphobia: A cyberchondriac might well suffer from friendorphobia, but not necessarily as a result of cyberchondria. I think most of us suffer from friendorphobia nowadays. Friendorphobia is the fear of forgetting a password. By the way, I am not making this up – there is such a word."

Since Robin published this blog entry, I heard NPR do their annual summary of new words added to the defacto American dictionary.  One was "sexting."  But, my mind was jogged by Robin's second word, and I wondered if anyone has recognized the new now-commonly-used verb "friend"....as in "friend me."

STARBUCKS: another UGA community is born on YouTube

"MY STARBUCKS STORY: Have Fun -- Be Creative -- Express yourself....How does working at Starbucks fits into my life."

That's how I originally envisioned the whole UGA movement on YouTube.