Microsoft is developing a virtual brain -- a database that holds human memories. As one analyst put it -- this is Web logging run amok.

"By 2047, almost all information will be in cyberspace -- including all knowledge and creative works," said one of the project's leaders, Gordon Bell. "The most significant benefit will be a breakthrough in our ability to remotely communicate with one another using all our senses."

Gordon is actually the guinea pig and lead researcher on this project.

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For those of you that missed it, here is a link to the infamous Gene Simmons interview from Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Don't miss this fascinating discussion between the outspoken, womanizing rocker and his antithesis.

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Sometimes as a parent it helps to try and step back, look at the big picture, and evaluate your parenting style in hopes of making changes for the better. Inevitably your kid(s) will do something out of the ordinary that makes you wonder, "Am I doing this right?"

In the past few years, Holly and I have embraced a somewhat controversial parenting style, called "Attachment Parenting". Truth be told, we sort of fell in to this style naturally, and later learned it's name. We both embrace the idea that youngsters are better off with the constant reassurance of parental closeness. This closeness manifests itself in several ways, including breast feeding, the family bed, rocking the kids to sleep, and attending to their needs very closely. We rarely will allow one of our kids to cry for very long without intervention.

It's all about confidence. Babies and toddlers are too young to learn the truth about the harshness of life. They just need love, and when they are seperated from the warmth of their mothers body, the result can be devastating to their physical and mental health. If you don't believe it, try reading some of the research that's available regarding the family bed and breast feeding.

Overall, Holly and I are extremely happy with attachment parenting. Our only regret, so far, is that we didn't identify and learn about our parenting style earlier.

Quite possibly the most important medical discovery of our generation, especially for those of you with ADHD, depression, heart problems, memory problems, kids, or diabetes/low blood sugar: Omega 3.

Learn about it here:

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"Along with major epidemiological evidence that shows lower rates of depression in those cultures that consume a great deal of omega-3s, Stoll's own studies indicate that boosting their intake can reduce depression symptoms. And Stoll cites stacks of additional studies suggesting that omega-3s can also help with major depression, schizophrenia, and postpartum depression. Going even further, Stoll makes a strong argument that omega-3 deficiency could be contributing to rising rates of teen violence and attention deficit disorders." -Amazon.com

"Once upon a time, some thousands of generations ago, a threshold was crossed. Somewhere in the evolutionary backwoods of the brain, something unprecedented happened in the story of life on Earth."

Find out why you have such a big-ass head.

Thanks for taking the time to peruse this blog.  I help run a software consulting and development company called Blue Sphere, and I reside in East Grand Rapids with my wife and two children. 

I am a coffee snob, and a charcoal purist. I like to listen to music and I was an early adopter of the MP3 format.  Some of my interest areas include artificial intelligence, evolutionary psychology, computerized adaptive testing, and sailing/windsurfing. 

My family and I can be found sailing our boats at the Grand Rapids Yacht Club during the summer months.  In February we typically start planning to relocate to California or Hawaii, and in May we completely drop those plans.

I am not affiliated with any particular political party and I try not to allow my voting decisions to be influenced by party affiliation.  I believe in empirical evidence, reason, logic and scientific consensus as a means of guiding my political opinions. Partisanship, fear and emotion driven politics are way too powerful right now in America.

Furthermore, I should add that I don't take life very seriously and I have been known to engage in some tom foolery on the internets.  Please do not be offended if my (attempted) humour makes you crazy, it will pass.

Finally, I should give a shout out to the folks at http://www.dasblog.net/ who have worked so hard to create the code base that this blog application utilizes.  It is free and open source, and it works extremely well if you know your way around a Web server.  Thank you newintelligence!