Have you seen this man?

He is of course the Cuban Leader, Fidel Castro, but although his hold on power hasn't faltered in fifty years, he hasn't been seen in public for quite some time either.

This coming Saturday sees the fiftieth anniversary of Castro's assumption of power but at the moment, its still unclear if the 80-year-old leader will make a public appearance. Castro Hasn't been seen in public since August.

Conspicuous by his absence, this has led many bloggers to ponder Mr Castro's current state of health or even if his status as that of a living individual is entirely accurate. In any case, its quite interesting to read some of the various blogs about what the future may hold for the Nation of Cuba.

Daniel Freedman writes that now is the time for democracy to strike while the nation exists in a rarely seen state of 'limbo'. While Parnell warns us not to bury Castro just yet as his death has been (incorrectly) reported on "more than one occasion". This seems quite logical to me as it is my understanding that generally speaking, we only get one shot at dying.

Whatever the state of the undoubtedly ailing leader is. I do find it interesting to see how different people are preparing for the future. Some want change, others do not. Some want to keep Castro's ideology alive and well, while others seem keener to assassinate it quickly, something that they failed to do 'in personam'.

Showing off your pics, web 2.0 style!

Showing or sharing photographs via the internet certainly isn't new but a new web service is making it much easier to do, and sexier to look at as well.

'The big picture library' is a nifty web 2.0 app which allows you to dynamically upload your pictures (up to 25 at a time!) which are then displayed attractively for your viewers.



Yes, gone are the days of troublesome designing and programming. The service includes a good selection of templates for you to choose from and you can easily swap on a regular basis, no programming needed and completely hassle free.

This kind of service showcases the versatility of the latest breed of web 2.0 sites that are out there and more importantly, it helps us to glimpse how we will be using the internet in the not-too-distant future. Some websites are already toying with online organisers, web 2.0 video editing, and of course, the infamous 'wiki' which started the second generation of websites a few years ago.

The service is currently free for personal use but uptake has been swift so you may need to be patient with it until initial interest dies down or the servers are beefed up.

In any case, this is a wonderful website which will have photographers clicking away in order to create a free, high impact, readily available photographic portfolio.

If you'd like to see how I have used the service, click here.