Since the turn of the year, the price of gold has increased 20%, can any investment be that good? Other than oil perhaps.

And since everyone is heading back to the good old gold rush days, you may have to reconsider on how real the gold you have in stock is. Especially if you ever traded in Ethiopia, since this shocking article reveals the National Bank of Ethiopia has payed millions of dollars to buy what turned out to be… gold plated steel… ouch!

If Yahoo is bought though – at whatever astronomical price, it will come to prove that EVERYTHING on this world is FOR SALE.

Is that a bad thing? Yes, and no. Ah, I love blog topics when there is no obvious conclusion.

Money where made to circulate. And this is a free economy (more or less), so if you can buy something and want to, you might as well go ahead.

Microsoft obviously wants Yahoo. In plain terms, Microsoft is not in a position to compete with Google on the Internet. So, why go out and build quality services which will attract devoted users, when you can buy a ready made company like Yahoo?

However, there are rules in competition. Microsoft has already been fined for it’s practices by the European Union – so I don’t see how a Microsoft – Yahoo merger would be seen favorably in Europe when it will almost definitely conflict with anti-monopoly regulations.

I practically grew up with Yahoo. I remember it as far back as 1996-7, before even Google came into the picture. So I may be a bit sentimental about seeing it diminished or absorbed into Microsoft. Never mind that, this is a “money talks” society, so the way Yahoo has been cornered, I doubt it will manage to continue as is.

I also doubt that a Microsoft-Yahoo merger would be able to better rival Google. In fact, I think the one who will most benefit will be none other than Google itself. For so many reasons. Primarily because Microsoft would again mess up and fail to drive Yahoo to success.

Stories are out already, about a possible counter-proposal to Yahoo from Google. I cannot imagine how people over at Yahoo feel right now, it seems like one of these situations where you would have to choose over the lesser evil. “Which competitor do I surrender to?”, questions must have already been posed.

Oh well. What do you think about it? Would you rather see Yahoo bought by Microsoft, Google, or continue on its own?

Wonderful Jaiku users,

Exciting news, Jaiku is joining Google!

While its too soon to comment on specific plans, we look forward to working with our new friends at Google over the coming months to expand in ways we hope you’ll find interesting and useful. Our engineers are excited to be working together and enthusiastic developers lead to great innovation. We look forward to accomplishing great things together.

In order to focus on innovation instead of scaling, we have decided to close new user sign-ups for now. But fear not! All our Jaiku services will stay running the way you are used to and you will continue to be able to invite your friends to Jaiku.

We have put together a quick Q&A about the acquisition at http://jaiku.com/help/google

Jyri Engestrom and Petteri Koponen, Jaiku Founders

They seem to have closed new user sign-ups until they figure things out, which I hope won’t last too long. Jaiku is a vibrant, developing online community, and shutting out new users is NOT something wise right now. Especially with readily available competitors offering similar services online.

In any case, good luck to them!

Earlier this year, on another post, I discussed OLPC’s plans to make their laptops available to the public for purchase, should each buyer agree to also donate one laptop. It seems this plan is becoming a reality.

Head over at the XO laptop giving website to find out more about it. Official launch date for the give one – take one project is November 12th.

All through the ease of a quality, wide touch screen. The Internet connectivity features are among the most impressives since the gadget comes packed with the Safari web browser for portable devices, and allows for wi-fi connectivity.

Everything seems to be done so easily, in a phone that should save you a lot of time once you learn how to take advantage of all the bells and whistles. The following couple of videos explain this in more detail.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Interesting how Apple is trying to dissociate iPhone from the iPod, since a lot of the consumer talk has been about “a new iPod you can make calls on” since word on the iPhone came out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The official press release says:

“EMI Music has agreed to work with YouTube and Google to develop business models in which the YouTube community will be able to access user generated content featuring EMI-owned and copyrighted audio and video works. EMI Music will use YouTube’s industry-leading content management tools which feature a content identification and reporting system that will help EMI track and monetize its content and compensate its artists. YouTube’s content management tools also give EMI Music the ability to request the removal of EMI’s copyrighted content from YouTube.”

Details on how much YouTube has paid or will be paying have not been made public yet, I’m sure EMI will be getting a fair revenue share. Most importantly, the company will have greater control over the use of their copyrighted content on YouTube. No matter how controlling and policed this new video blogging environment may appear to some, I feel it will benefit the users who will be able to make legal use of quality content by artists such as Coldplay, Gorillaz, Lily Allen, and Norah Jones.

So imagine my excitement over news of Dell Computers planning to sell PCs with an option to have Ubuntu as their pre-loaded operating system. Go to ubuntu.com to get more info on this amazing and free way to take control over your PC.

Today OLPC is looking into ways of making the laptop available to the general public under the condition of having to buy two laptops, with one being delivered to the buyer and the other to a child in one of the countries participating in the OLPC project. Still, it sounds like a good deal and an amazing opportunity to give the gift of education to children who may otherwise never have access to computers and the Internet as a learning tool.

• $100 laptop could sell to public – BBC NEWS

All jokes aside, the iPhone seems to be a promising new product for all high-tech gadget enthusiasts who can pay the price. I may not share in Mr Jobs enthusiasm over it, but all that is understandable too. Apple finally has enough consumer electronics products (2?) to make a move into that market. If Apple’s future was left to computers alone – it could have been less than promising.

So, what is the dynamic product duo the company will be using in this “revolutionary” leap into consumer electronics. The all familiar and loved by many iPod, and the “magical” iPhone. Which will essentially be a mobile phone with a built in iPod which has a bigger screen and wireless features like Microsoft’s Zune, and also boasting a bunch of other impressive capabilities like e-mailing and downloading and other things you could do on a palm-top PC or PDA.

Thus, iPhone will in layman’s terms be a fusion of an iPod, mobile phone and palm top PC into one product. Now that is something even I could find exciting. Consider the energy saving, and not having to carry all those things at the same time. However, from what I’ve seen so far I would not call it revolutionary technology. No. Since the product is pending Federal Communications Commission approval though, and I have yet to try one out – I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and saying there may be “magic” to it, waiting to be unveiled.

A lot of buzz has been created in the blogosphere since a new marketing service launched a couple of days ago. ReviewMe is a service for advertisers to purchase honest reviews on blogs for their service or product.

But why would advertisers want a review? Publicity is the main reason. The more blogs you have mentioning your product or service, the more people will find out about it. Word of mouth, or viral marketing is among the most successful ways of launching an online marketing campaign.

However, there has been an ethical question to including “payed for” reviews in one’s blog. Other similar services endorsed in the past (and some still do) “questionable” practices, such as requesting for “positive” reviews, and that bloggers would not disclose that a post had been payed for. In other words, disgustingly misleading their readers.

And this is why until ReviewMe came into the picture I refused signing up for any similar service.

But how is ReviewMe any different? Skeptics may wonder. Here is what the service tells advertisers: “We do not allow advertisers to require a positive review”. What this means is that as a ReviewMe member, you can be as objective in your reviews as you would be on any other post in your blog. If you don’t like a service or product, or think it doesn’t suit you for any reason you can either criticize it or refuse to review it at all. Also, it is actually required to make clear to readers whether a review on your blog has been sponsored.

And this is why I signed-up for ReviewMe. A service which actually pays for objective reviews. I wonder if anyone will request me to review their product or service in the near future, but if this happens rest assured they have to be worth the effort or you will never read about it. This has been my first “sponsored review” and I feel it is an honest account of my first impressions on the ReviewMe service. You will always be able to recognize sponsored reviews on my blog since they will be marked as such.

For more information, visit the ReviewMe website here.