The Long Tail Book is to be published, July 11. It's a brilliant theory that explains how the digital age is shaking down. Now, the author,Chris Anderson, editor of Wired has done a really, really, clever thing. He offered 100 copies of the book to bloggers to review it. Who doesn't like free stuff? So that's guaranteed 100 blog reviews. As well as the press who get copies, etc etc. Watch for an explosion across the blogsphere when the book is released, despite the thesis being well know and Anderson posting most of the information to his blog as he wrote the book. It's his seeding the ecology of ideas via the web.

Google Checkout allows users to store credit card info on Google and then make one click payments. This is a big step forward in convenience ( and also potential problems with fraud and identity theft) Amazon and Paypal run equally convenient systems to pay people. So do credit cards.

But interesting how the big web companies are slowly moving forward to assume defacto pole position when you make purchases via the net. US Banks and credit card companies have been slow to recognized the threat.

Opinion is divided about whether it'll work. However it's a relentless trend now. Financial service are moving away from financial houses, to new places; like Google: and new systems of sending money from one person to another are springing up which ordinary consumers are embracing.

Anaheim is about to become the largest citywide wireless internet system in the United States as Earthlink trys to drag customers into the broadband age.

EarthLink will deploy Tropos Networks' MetroMesh Wi-Fi routers on light poles throughout the city. The Tropos system forms a wireless mesh, intelligently routing data to try and produce the best possible user experience. The network will be operated and optimized using Tropos Control, a configuration, monitoring and maintenance tool.

Municipal wireless access hasn't yet been a raging success. Equally the business case for wimax is not yet proven by today's existing examples. But Anaheim (like Philadelphia) had a political imperative to make it happen. They want to be a business destination. Competition between cities determined to attract business this way will be one way to spread wireless access quickly.

This is the build it and they will come....and perhaps use it theory. If it works the US could be about to see a fairly rapid build out in wireless access with Anaheim being a leading edge player.

JibJab started when two guys with too much time posted animated cartoons to the web.  They also did corporate type stuff, that payed bills. Then they did something about Bush and Kerry in 2004. Baboom! Two years later, they want to be the comedy destination on the web.

They have set up an online humor sharing site called jokebox. Today, they closed a first round of venture funding with Polaris Ventures. Whilst the round will be small (no details!) it allows JibJab some comfort room to implement new ideas and keep up with the technology.

And of course work out a way to actually make some money. The interesting thing is with all their content they ought be able to monetize their assets incredibly easily. Content is king today. 

Two guys from KPMG have formed a  forensic company, Daylight Forensic and Advisory, to track down business fraud and corruption. Headquartered in New York (where else!) today they got 30 million dollars from FT Ventures in venture capital. How much top level money laundering, fraud and corruption is there? Billions it would seem, given the size of that investment and the value of the company now. Clearly it's everywhere.

There is a summit coming up in July about the Future of Media. Details of the strategic framework are mentioned here.

It will take place simultaneously in both San Francisco and Sydney. Should be very interesting.

It is hard to describe such a complex and evolving business and social ecosystem. Ross Dawson, who is chairing the summit, has created a good starting point!

Check it out.

Blogging has grown the sum total of our knowledge exponentially. The Fraud Files is an example of a narrowly focused, neatly done blog that draws down on the expertise of the solo practitioner writer, who is the company and knowledge centre.

To find the range of know how and breadth of detail on this blog you'd have to subscribe to an accountants magazine. How interesting would that be?

Today, we keep an eye on this issues this site raises by RSS and occasional surfing and yet be in touch with the problems and issues in a way previously unimaginable. It's  part of a expanding superset of knowledge. Thing is that the superset is exploding as the Tracy Coenen's, Ms FraudFiles, of this world keep newly arriving on the net, but determined to put up their specialized knowledge on the web, and thus to work.

Oh, and by the way, there's clearly a disturbingly large array of fraud, business and otherwise out there. Sadly, this site has way too much material to write about. Engrossing in a peverse way.

Des Walsh has been plugging away in blogging for years. He blogs, he writes books, he moderates forums, he gives seminars, he speaks at conferences, he networks. Constant activity. Hard work too. The payoff is a steadily building visibility that is creating opportunities as a business coach and adviser. It's slow work.  It's not going to make him an overnight VC prospect. Its simply a version of the corner shop where people went to work, reliably served their customers and built a business. But the importance can't be overstated. The solidity of Des's business, his background (public service, management, consultant) approach and generally reliability give his target audience comfort.

Comfort has been in short supply on the net where it often appears to be fast lane, quick buck smart guys dominating.  Read Thinking Home Business.  Comfortable observations about how to be involved with the net and blogging is its niche.

The whole concept of free Wi Fi is an idea whose time is about to come - big time. When Rupert gets on to it, it is clearly about to go prime time.

But there is a lot more happening in this space. Check out this blog by Tom Evslin about Fon. Fon is a start up that was partly funded by Skype. So that should tell you something.

What I find perhaps more interesting is the tie in with Linksys. Linksys was one of the companies that Cisco bought last year. John Chambers (CEO of Cisco) famously said that the target for Cisco in making acquisitions was for each acquisition to do $1Billion in revs in the first 12 months. Recently at their sales conference he said that he thought that their acquisition strategy was not aggressive enough because both companies that they had purchased had achieved the target! Got to love the spirit of this guy!

Anyway, it is clear that if Fon takes off, and a News play too - that the big, big winner is going to be Linksys. You have to have the Linksys router to be able to participate in the Fon game. Great play by John Chambers.

Digg.com has just added peer reviewed video to its other content. Members of the site check out postings and vote what they think is the most important, influential, relevant. The rankings reflect collective wisedonm. Video's a smart step.

Collective review is powering a ton of new ideas. Del.icio.us is another service with a similar concept. AOL has just fired up its Netscape site to do the same thing except they are adding a layer of journalists to review the collective decsions and then add in selective pieces to balence out the overall. This is very interesting idea. It marry's traditional journalism with a community wide views of importance.

Digg was a pioneer in this arena. Especially a year ago. But soon it will have to be bought or be swept aside by the AOL tidalwave. Aol shows us that Digg had a new idea whose impact will be felt right through the traditional media very shortly.