Good places to learn about and/or keep up with developments in a broad array of tech areas. Some full-length article posts with deep analysis, along with some short takes, about life as a tech manager. Darren Rowse has created a major hub site for blogging education, crammed full of resources to help you build traffic. A good source of information about the intersection of movies, entertainment and technology, written by longtime tech chronicler Scott Kirsner. A not-so-small crowd of contributors, edited by New Zealander Richard MacManus, keeps up with the breathlessly evolving tech world. Every Saturday the site offers a weekly update of its best posts. This is what happens when journalists are allowed to get Internet connections: they obsessively cover all aspects of Internet life.

A top site for media and technology news. Full of tips and "how to's," this Web design blog is itself beautifully designed. I guess it has to be, huh? Highly popular. One other technology you may want to have in your back pocket is the Mojopac, which allows for an IT application set to run securely on a guest PC with minimal support impact on IT. Think of it as virtualization without the cost (in money or performance). Also think of it as another technology that could change the way we view PCs. Of course I still look at the Intel vision for the UMPC (in this video) and begin to wonder if we aren't seeing the beginning of the end for our even caring what OS is on the device. I don't know about you, but for a tech guy, this is my dream and I still wonder if that dream will be delivered by Cisco or Google - who might make a dream like this a reality. The future is coming on a bullet train folks, better suck it up and get ready. Google and more Google - if you want to stay informed about the search giant's every more, this unofficial site is a thoroughly obsessive source. A year ago the OSDL was the self-proclaimed center of gravity for Linux. Today the OSDL is no more, folded into the new Linux Foundation.

Though not listed as an official keynoter, Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, will be talking about unifying the Linux ecosystem, which is important for the continued success of Linux. So will it be a LinuxWorld? I certainly think so. The global economic environment has changed since then, but we do not see Chile's strong economic position as being greatly affected. The recovery from the unexpected slowdown in the third quarter of last year remains broad based. And we believe growth will reach close to 6 percent in 2007 and remain around the potential rate of 5 percent next year. Let me close with a brief discussion of structural reform. Chile is already an example for structural policies in many areas, resulting in an enviable record of growth and considerable success in reducing poverty. Planned reforms of the pension and education systems will further strengthen the foundations for long-term growth while also addressing key social concerns.

Likewise, we welcome the creation of the President's Commission on Labor Market Issues and Social Equity, as we see scope for improving labor market flexibility and also reducing labor informality. Last but not least, we remain impressed by the speed with which the financial sector in Chile has developed. Past reforms have already created a vibrant market that is increasingly integrated with the rest of the world. Planned reforms, such as the liberalization of investment rules for pension funds, should further enhance the effectiveness of markets, raise returns to pensioners and savers, and provide improved access to financing for entrepreneurs, large and small. I should probably also mention that what you're now seeing in terms of the documents, the staff report and accompanying selected issues paper have been provided to the Board for the discussion of the Article IV Consultation back in July.

The outcome of that discussion was contained in the PIN, in the Public Information Notice, that has already been published on the IMF's Web site, but now we are releasing the report. And these reports are somewhat shorter than in recent years, because we have done what the Fund called a streamlined consultation, which means that we have used somewhat fewer resources than in the past because of the absence of any systemic issues in Chile and the continued excellent performance of the Chilean economy. A phone made specifically for conference calls.

A conference call is a telephone call in which the calling party wishes to have more than one called party listen in to the audio portion of the call. The conference calls may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call, or the call may be set up so that the called party merely listens into the call and cannot speak. It is often referred to as an ATC (Audio Tele-Conference). Conference calls can be designed so that the calling party calls the other participants and adds them to the call. In most cases, the participants are able call into the conference call themselves, by dialing into a special telephone number that connects to a "conference bridge" (a specialized type of equipment that links telephone lines). Usually, most companies use a specialized service provider who maintains the conference bridge, or who provides the phone numbers and PIN codes that participants dial to access the meeting or conference call. Three-way calling is available (usually at an extra charge) for most customers on their home or office phone line. To three way call, the first person one wishes to talk to is dialed. Then the Hook flash button is pressed and the other person's phone number is dialed. While it is ringing, flash is pressed again.

This will put the three people together. This option allows callers to add a second outgoing call to an already connected call. Even though the event shares its space, there is clearly plenty of Linux to be had. Not just another gadget blog, this posting of interesting tech stuff - software, videos, maps, Web sites, etc. - is hosted by Kevin Kelly, who helped launch Wired magazine in 1993. He accepts submissions from readers and posts the best of them. Gee whiz! A DVD laser retrofitted into Mini Mag flashlight! And tons of other strange and unique tech toys, plus scads and scads of miscellaneous online novelties. Gadgets, gadgets, and more gadgets. Looking for a self-cooling seat cushion, or a juicer that hugs your countertop? How about a personal cellphone signal blocker? Better living through technology, including plenty of pragmatic tips on using major software programs. Also offers personal advice ("Survive - and Thrive - Your Freshman Year") and time management techniques.