My knowledge of American history is lacking. To an extent, it's to be expected - after all, I am Canadian. Every year on the Fourth of July I'm reminded of this. I go and seek out books about American history and add that to that list of books to read to read some day in the future. (That list never seems to get shorter.) I thought that this year I'd share my findings on what to read on Independence Day.

Welcome Technically Women into the world of women in tech. Technically Women is a fairly new site, organized by an international group of business women who intend to examine the way technology is changing the world of business.

"I long to hear that you have declared an Independency - and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors...If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation." ---Abigail Adams

So are there really more men experts in the computing field or does it just seem that way? That question is part of an ongoing and raging debate about women in technology. From women missing as top speakers at technology conferences to little girls shunning computers for something less boring is male dominance in the field a reality or an illusion?

Remember how remarkable it seemed several months ago when a plane sat down in the Hudson River and the first news and photos of the crash came from Twitter? Then the fly ash spill in TVA's Kingston plant was covered first on Twitter. That was about the time that articles about how the old media just didn't get digital media started appearing.

BET gave out their annual music awards last night.  I'm going to be straight up right now and say I didn't watch it.  That's right, I'm the BlogHer TV Contributing Editor and I didn't watch that TV show. In fact the only way my cable box ever lands on the dreaded BET channel is if my finger slips on the remote.  Then I make sure to get the heck out of there before my eyeballs fry and my blood boils.

Whether you’re a BlogHer conference veteran or you’re making your first trek to our annual conference this summer, it’s probable that you’ve got questions. Questions about what to pack for BlogHer ’09, or what to wear, or how many business cards to bring, or whether you need your laptop. We’ve gathered together posts written by veterans who’ve answered those questions for you. And guys, we even have a little love for you, too.

What if your biggest stumbling block is...you? Say you have an idea. A crazy, wonderful, huge idea. So you call on your courage, uproot your life, move a thousand or more miles, and arrive on the scene to...wait a little more. Have you failed? Or are you just getting started?

It is my belief that most Americans think that HIV/AIDS is now a global problem and almost eradicated in the United States. Sadly, this is far from the truth. According to the CDC, in 2006 approximately 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 1 in 5 are undiagnosed. Twenty-one percent!

Several super technology bloggers have joined BlogHer lately. Since a notice of their new blog listing comes to my inbox, I've been busy subscribing to great blogs for the past couple of weeks. I'm really impressed with what I'm seeing and hope you will find our new BlogHers as interesting as I do.

What next, I hear you ask: Twitter movie? Short script on that one, I reckon. The Facebook Movie is happening, and the creators are doing their best to give it an actual hook and plot. Would you see a movie based on Facebook history, which is all of five years old?

Have you heard of Gina McCauley?  If you haven't, listen up--this is a woman who's on the cutting edge of the internet and social media and you need to get to know her right now.  If you do know who she is, read the following interview anyway, because I defy you not to be inspired by her story, her passion and her good old fashioned smarts.  Just the kind of black woman the MSM almost never talks about.