The Grassy Knol: Google is flipping the bird to Wikipedia this week by launching their own collaborative web encyclopedia, dubbed “Knol“.  They define a knol as a “unit of knowledge” but the real jab is how they describe individual articles: “an authoritative article about a specific topic.” [emhpasis added]  Rather than opening a topic up for creation and editing by all who please (a la Wikipedia), Knols are created and maintained by individuals who set the level of collaboration (default setting requires creator to approve suggested changes).  Users are encouraged to create a bio to display their credentials.  Google also encourages authors to employ Creative Commons licensing on their work.  By creating a more controlled environment, Google is trying to look like iTunes next to Wiki’s Napster.  How well Knol does will surely be a referendum on Wikipedia’s trustworthyness as a resource.  Knol’s transparency just might kill off the snickers from the fact-checking peanut gallery when someone cites an online encyclopeida as a source.

The Shield: Not the Michael Chiklis cop opera (final season…BRING IT), but a Washington Post article calling for the Senate to follow in the House’s footsteps on passing a shield law for reporters and their confidential sources, at the urging of “the Senate Judiciary Committee…the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees…the attorneys general[s] of 42 states,” and the already-adopted laws of  “49 states and the District.”  The states offer protection against reporters compelled to reveal confidential sources in criminal investigations, but “the absence of a federal statute undermines those protections, ‘producing inconsistency and uncertainty for reporters and the confidential sources,’ a letter from 41 of the attorneys general noted.”  Wherefore art thou, Scooter and Judith?  Valerie and Dick?  I’m sure you have an opinion here…

Gone Phishing: “I’m a Mac.”  “And I’m a PC.”  You’re both effed, according an AFP story detailing a critical internet flaw “an elite squad” of hackers has discovered that leaves every single computer vulnerable, regardless of OS, platform, cheap suit, or hipsterish irony.  Technobabble aside, the flaw basically exposes computers at the point they transfer data to and from the Net, pointing your browsers at whatever website you’re requesting to view.  “Attackers could use the vulnerability to route Internet users wherever the hackers wanted, no matter what website address is typed into a web browser.”  Yikes.  Dan Kaminsky, an internet security specialist who uncovered the DNS vulnerability and is working with anyone who will listen to patch things up, has setup a website you can visit to find out how at risk you and your tasty virtual nuggets of data are.

Galluping Ahead…Slightly: Obama-rama’s much ballyhooed trip across the Middle East and Afghanistan has won major kudos in the press for coming off as both humble and presidential (as well as drawing 200,000 people for a speech where the Berlin wall once stood).  But it’s having little impact on his standing versus Johnny Boy MCain, according to the latest Gallup Poll.  These numbers were gathered before the speech, however.  It’s shaping up to be his most dramatic moment as a candidate since his speech on race during the primaries.  Expect a bump as McCain continues to dig himself deeper into a hole as he redefines The Surge into a state of mind that reaches as far back as 2006 in defense of inaccurate statements he made regarding the influx of troops and its spurring of The Anbar Awakening.  Doh!

Slim Pickens: By now, you’ve likely seen the ads.  An old west relic, lookin like Daniel Plainview if he lived another century, stares into to the camera and frankly tells us all that we can’t drill our way out of this one.  A recent NY Times Op-Ed breaks down the ads, Pickens’s street-cred (he’s a former geologist), and the Republican furor over a long-time supporter finding morals in his old age and hammering all of his prior cohorts on their plans to tear up the ANBAR and both coastlines.  Yeehaw!

SYTYCWTF:  Anyone see Will get kicked off So You Think You Can Dance last night?  If not, shame on you for not watching the best show on TV during the summer.  If so, join me in saying WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.  America, I disown you.