Faith Popcorn, eat your heart out! Pg. 3

The prognosticator of the day award goes to a week old post from The Blog from Another Dimension for its insights into the continuing formation of the 6th Estate, what I call internet news gathering and reporting.

In his post from February 25 this year titled "The Sixth Estate" he recognizes that the power of the internet as a tool for mass communication and mass dialogue provides not only the ability to speak freely but also the ability to speak freely to far flung audiences.

Don't think that's power? Imagine what would have happened if Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" could have reached every British colony and outpost in 1776. Indexed in Google, with sourced hyperlinks and with the ability to speak back through a comment section? That's freakin' power!

I am sure that bloggers in the middle east are helping topple the authoritarian regimes just as the Islamist terrorists and thugs are using the net to recruit new converts. Power can be used for good and evil, but as Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

The three fastest forms of communication used to be telephone, television and tell-a-female. I guess now you're going to have include tell-a-blogger in that grouping.

When you read TBfAD's post, make sure you follow the hyperlinks for additional insight, including information on a new bill before Congress that legally recognizes internet publishing as a member of the "establishment" press.

Considering the heavy-hands of Apple and the judiciary against blog freedom, this recognition comes none too soon.

BTW, if you haven't read it yet, check out the February 24 article from The New York Times on how some bloggers are adding video to their sites. Hmmm ... what a novel, innovative idea!