The Pew Internet & American Life Project has published a report showing the results of surveys taken between 2006-2008 on how various age groups behave online.

More folks in older generations are online than ever before and doing more activities.  Email is the most likely activity of this group, showing it’s true what many are saying:  email is for old people.  Teens and younger adult generations use the Internet more for entertainment and social networking.

Generation X and older groups also use the Internet for research (notably on health), shopping and banking.

The generation labels used in the report, with the exception of “Younger -” and “Older -” Boomers, are ones conventionalized by Howe and Strauss’s book, Generations: Strauss, William & Howe, Neil. Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 (Perennial, 1992).  Other research shows that there are two boomer groups (Younger and Older) with distinct differences.

The full report is in PDF format and there is a presentation and additional charts available at SlideShare.

Sound out Google Maps
Aporee.org is a mash-up bringing sounds recorded from a specific location (or speech talking about the location) onto Google Maps

With some map maneuvering you can go looking for locations that have sounds added or add some sounds yourself.
[via Google Blogoscoped]

Watch Netflix “more instantly”
Netflix instantwatcher.com is a good way to find only titles that you can stream instantly without having to filter through those DVDs that have to be borrowed through the mail.

“Netflix for impatient people” is a mash-up for those looking only for a title (or several from a genre) to “watch instantly” on your computer or TV, if you have a device like a Roku box or Blu-ray player that streams Netflix.

When you find a title you want to watch right away or add to your “watch instantly” queue, you can add it from the links at this site.

Wired Blog Network is saying that an offline Gmail mode will be rolling out over the next few days.  Google’s new offering will let users access Gmail from their browsers even when they aren’t online.

“For those of you that want offline access, and the web-based interface, the new Offline mode is what you’ve been dreaming about,” they say.  You will be able to read, star, label, archive and compose new mail although you are not connected.

Since the feature is still in the experimental stage, it will be enabled through Gmail Labs.  If you don’t have Gears (the offline web application API), you will be prompted to install it the first time you try to sync your messages.  Click “settings” and then the Labs tab to select the “Enable” button next to the Offline Gmail feature, then hit Save Changes at the botton of the page.

You should then see a new “Offline” link in the upper right-hand corner of the Gmail window, next to your username. Just click that link and Gmail will start the offline synchronization process.  Be patient, the initial sync can take a little while, writes Wired.

After that moving between offline and online modes happens automatically in the background.  Compose e-mails whenever you like.  They will be stored in the outbox when you are offline and “send” them.  They will automatically be sent out the next time an internet connection is available.

There are two main drawbacks to offline Gmail in this early release, notes Wired:  1) You can’t add attachments to new messages composed while, offline although you can view attachments that are part of any synced messages; 2) There is no way to access the Contacts section of Gmail.  See the article for complete information.

I had need of Google Notebook this morning, but of course, it has gone away.   I had not been a big user of Google Notebook, so when I first heard of its demise I didn’t bother to make any changes.

But I remembered today that I had seen information about using Zoho Notebook, including instructions from Digital Inspiration on how to transfer your Google stuff to Zoho.

I decided to get the Zoho plug-in for Firefox.  It was a quick and easy install and I’m ready to go now.  Check out this information from Zoho that tells you how to get and use the plug-in.  It also has instructions for importing your Google Notebook content.

Seattle takes the lead in Forbe’s annual list of the most broadband-connected U.S. cities.  The home base of Microsoft and Amazon increased its use of broadband and wi-fi hot spots to move it to the top of the list of most wired cities.

The top ten are listed below.  You can also view the cities in pictures, though none so lovely as this photo by Simonds of the Seattle skyline, looking west from Bellevue.  Creative Commons license.

1. Seattle
2. Atlanta
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Orlando, Fla.
5. Boston, Mass.
6. Miami, Fla.
7. Minneapolis, Minn.
8. Denver, Colo.
9. New York, N.Y.
10. Baltimore, Md.

[via Lifehacker]

Several key memos and an Executive Order were issued the first day of the new administration, signaling change to a more open, transparent government, reports the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

A memorandum (PDF) from the President orders federal agencies to “adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure” in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, “to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government.”

This is in direct contrast to a controversial memo issued by John Ashcroft in the wake of 9/11, ordering agencies to disclose information only after considering all possible reasons to withhold it.  Agencies were assured then that government lawyers would defend their decisions in court unless they had no “sound legal basis.”  Many open government advocates believe Ashcroft’s policy effectively gutted the FOIA over the past several years.

A new executive order (PDF) was issued that reverses changes made in recent years to the Presidential Records Act, while a second memorandum (PDF) sets out the Administration’s general policy on transparency and open government.

For instance, the latter memorandum states,

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

 Image by Corey Holms.  Creative Commons license.

SlideShare has responded to users requests to include embedded videos with their PowerPoint presentations.  Instead of having to link to a YouTube video, you can now embed it into your Flash-based presentation, creating a more cohesive feeling, reports TechCrunch.

SlideShare has allowed users to embed audio with their slideshows since 2007.  The more fully featured app will now let you include video introductions, product demonstrations, or any other video content that will enhance the overall presentation.  See how it works here.

Here’s SlideShare’s list of some of the other things you can do:

• Embed slideshows into your own blog or website
• Share slideshows publicly or privately. There are several ways to share privately.
• Sync audio to your slides
• Market your own event on slideshare
• Join groups to connect with SlideShare members who share your interests
• Download the original file

Photo by Gilliamhome.  Creative Commons license. 

Mere hours before oil and gas companies could have taken possession of already purchased oil and gas leases within sight of some of Utah’s national parks, judge Ricardo M Urbina of Federal District Court in Washington, granted a temporary restraining order, reported the New York Times.  Seven environmental groups had sought the order so that the leases would not become final.

Saying that the Interior Department had not done sufficient environmental analysis, particularly of how air quality might be degraded, Judge Urbina cited “the threat of irreparable harm to public land if the leases are issued,” noting that “the balancing of equities also tips in favor” of the environmental groups.

The federal Bureau of Land Management hoped to cash in on millions of dollars from the leases including some near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks which we reported earlier.  They had to scale back the number of leases after the National Park Service objected to the plans.  However, the proposed leases still included land within sight of the parks, as well as land in and around Nine Mile Canyon, an area with well-preserved pre-Columbian rock art.

Heidi McIntosh, a lawyer with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, hailed the judge’s order, saying that “it saves some of the most spectacular landscapes in the nation — lands within a stone’s throw of two national parks — from being turned into oil and gas fields.”

A spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, however, said the decision was “a setback for energy security.  We feel adequate analysis and protections were in place”

An Associated Press article appearing at azcentral.com reveals that the Bush administration is “aggressively pushing back against a federal court order instructing the most important offices in the White House to preserve all of their e-mail.”

U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy directed the White House Wednesday to issue a notice to all employees to surrender any e-mails from March 2003 to October 2005.

Justice Department lawyers argued that the order applied only to White House offices subject to the Federal Records Act, prompting a quick response from U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola, who is working with Kennedy on the case.  Facciola said that all White House offices must be searched for e-mail.

The Federal Records Act applies to the offices of the President, the Vice-President, the National Security Council, the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and the Council of Economic Advisors.  Also covered are the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Two private groups are suing the Executive Office of the President — the National Security Archive and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.  It is believed that millions of e-mails are missing.

Photo by Shiny Things.  Creative Commons license.