Thank you, Massachusetts

Massachusetts voters elected a little-known Republican to replace Ted Kennedy in the US Senate. Apparently even the Fox "News" sycophants are a little leery of this new loose cannon on their side of the ship of state. However, the Democrats did not recognize the risk and the Republicans exploited an opportunity.

• To those on the left who are disenchanted with President Obama because so little has been done so slowly, I would remind you that it was an election, not a revolution, so he must maintain a consensus to accomplish anything.

• To those on the right who are terrified that President Obama has moved the country so far left so quickly, I would remind you that the economy was going over a cliff so a quick change of direction was necessary.

The Republican focus on taxes is an easy 'message' both in simplicity and sales, because it resonates with most people's self-interest in the short term. But tax cuts are easy; commensurate cuts in expenditures are hard. Too bad they couldn't "walk the talk" during the 8 years they were in control and the deficit exploded.

Like the midterm election that deprived President Clinton of his Congress, this election may be the tempering, even chastening, that will refine President Obama's term. Together with the Supreme Court decision giving corporations the legal cover to pay up-front for the Congress of their liking (reversing a century of stare decisis apparently does not count as judicial activism when the right does it), it might also unleash the populist Obama, the “give 'em Hell, Barack”, that the Republicans would rue awakening. Obama preferred the "Happy Warrior" role of FDR for several reasons, including inclination and tactics. But FDR was able to maintain it because Republicans had been thoroughly discredited by the Great Depression. Incredibly, despite foreign failures, domestic disasters, and the ideological incoherence of the Bush era, the Republicans remain a potent political force.

If there is a silver lining, it might be that the health reform measure can be made more bipartisan. Also, “Big Mo” Joe Lieberman's influence as the swing voter has been sharply reduced.

I See iGlasses in Apples' Future

The blogosphere is abuzz about a new Apple product. But it won't be the much-discussed tablet computer, because that was a misunderstanding when Steve Jobs was overheard saying he wanted, correction: he demanded an (aspirin) tablet. Instead, SJ is finalizing the benediction and polishing an even better, correction: 'insanely great' new product.

I was blind, but now iSee: video glasses!

The crucial advance was not strictly speaking technical but aesthetic; finding a look that was acceptable or even tolerably inoffensive to Steve's and Ive's keenly developed sense of style proved nearly insurmountable. If “less is more”, then nothing is perfect. In the end, the optics and electronics were miniaturized to fit into the 'no frame' style that Steve fancies (picture).

iSee plugs into the iPod and displays video through a stereo vision retinal projection, providing the experience of sitting in front of a huge monitor, and of course stereo sound with earbuds (cochlear implants optional). The iGlasses overlay additional info on the scene, generating an augmented reality (AR). Did you forget that person's name? No problem! It will appear just below their chin. iSee also records continuously through stereo cameras, providing a comprehensive log of daily activity that can be automatically posted on Facebook and abstracted for Tweets. If you find your eyes closing during your next meeting, turn on the eyes-wide-open function that projects eyeballs that blink and even wink meaningfully at more-or-less appropriate times (there's an app for that).

If you think talking and texting on cell phones make distracted driving a problem now, just wait until drivers cannot even see the road through their glasses. Treatments by D&G, Ray Ban, etc in the works.