If you watch the news at all, you’ve more than likely heard our current president talk about how we need to solve 21st century problems with 21st century technology (referring to our outdated methods of approach to current problems), and if you’re a CSPAN listener, as I am, you’ve heard more and more congressional hearings involving the high-level FCC personnel and other technology advocates lobbying for increased funding for upgrades to our nation’s communications superhighway, citing it’s outdated ability to handle the communications loads of the 21st century.

Not long ago in Belgium, a 15 year old boy was about to make a call using his iPhone, when it exploded in his hand. This is just one of several shocking cases of supposed “Exploding iPhones” that have been reported throughout the European Union. Apple has promised a replacement phone to the young man, and though he was not injured and claimed only that he had a headache for a couple of days, some have reportedly not been so lucky. One young boy in France plans to request a full refund and file a lawsuit against Apple for damages, claiming that his eye was damaged by a piece of glass from the face of his iPhone when it exploded. There have been reports of Apple’s trying to cover up these incidents. One British family claims that they were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before Apple would agree to assist them with their claim. Apple insists that these are isolated incidents and that there is no cause for alarm.

When I hear the word magma, I think of Dr. Evil, that great Austin Powers movie character who was always holding his pinky finger in the corner of his mouth. After visiting the new site Mag.ma I have a completely new appreciation for the word. The newest and coolest video portal for online video, you’ll find representation from all your favorite video sites, to include YouTube, Hulu, Digg, Twitter, and a whole slew of others. You’d think that much information in one location would be utter chaos, but you’d better think again. Mag.ma has done an impressive job of organizing the site so that it is not overwhelming to the user, and the layout is fluid to the point that it’s easy to spend a lot of time clicking and enjoying.

If you have payed any attention to the media of late, you have undoubtedly heard of Twitter. The media sharing website was a central focal point for people across the country during this latest presidential election and it is a fantastic way for people to keep in touch with friends and family. Twitter has evolved too, from providing a source to share written messages (at its inception) to now being able to share pictures, video, and links to other websites. Even more impressive than its evolution, is the speed with which users are able to share information on Twitter. Videos that would take a great deal of time to show on other sites such as Youtube or Digg can circle the globe via Twitter much faster.

If you’ve visited Myspace, Facebook, or any number of other sites on the internet today you have invariably been exposed to a YouTube video. YouTube has seen the number of its uploads grow over 1700% in the past several months, and with the advent of the “Smart Phone”, one need not look far to find the cause. With their increasing popularity, and increasing ease of use, Smart Phones are becoming a way for more and more people to share their lives with each other. It follows then that if the Smart Phone is the brush with which we paint our individual life stories, then YouTube is fast becoming the canvas.

The Apple, in its design of the iPhone 3GS, has gone to great lengths to put the power of mobile video into the hands of any user. The iPhone 3GS’s built in video functionality is impressive to say the least, and its ease of use has no doubt added to the popularity of this particular Smart Phone. The impact that the new iPhone 3GS has had on the rate of YouTube’s mobile uploads has been staggering to say the least, with uploads increasing over 400% in the first six days since its release.

This is, however, only the beginning, and as more and more people become familiar with the technologies and platforms available to share their videos with friends and family, YouTube’s numbers will continue to increase exponentially, a thought that has not gone unnoticed by other cell phone manufacturers who are scrambling to design and market competitive alternative options for consumers.

If you’ve logged on to the internet any time in recently, you more than likely have stumbled upon a headline or two (or likely more) about Microsoft’s exclusion of Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) from their upcoming European release of Windows 7. In fact, Microsoft will not be offering any web browser as part of the Windows 7 operating system software.