If you do anything in social media or with social media these days, then you have heard of or use Twitter. You are familiar with the occasional Fail Whale sightings, the scalability issues, the oddities and quirks. If you are a typical Twitter user, you have even formed a bond with each other around the eccentricities of Twitter.

Google.org is investing in green car technology through its RechargeIt philanthropic program.  The first two recipients are Aptera Motors and ActaCell.  Aptera makes a cute 3 wheeled vehicle that gets 230 miles per gallon.  ActaCell is a battery company hoping to make electric and hybrid cars cheaper and safer. 

How would you feel about paying the music industry a sizeable figure every year, just on the off-chance that you download some music from the Internet occasionally? Think it’ll never happen? Then read on, as the idea is gaining support from all quarters… although the inherent problems with any such system may never be solved.

In another nod toward GM’s globalization strategy, the company just announced that Ellesmere Port in England could be a production facility for the Chevy Volt. The announcement follows a show of support from the prime minister who promised £90m in funds over 5 years to support hybrid and electric cars.

Sprint announced yesterday that it plans to sell an estimated 3,300 of its cell towers to TowerCo, a communications holding company, and then subsequently enter long-term leasing agreements to regain usage of the towers.  Through the arrangement, Sprint will raise an estimated $670 million in cash to help subsidize the debt it has amassed to the tune of $19.5 billion.

Rumors have been circulating pretty much since the launch of the original iPhone over a year ago about a potential Zune phone competitor, though nothing substantial has materialized.  The rumors got a bit closer to reality today with a "totally unconfirmed," yet reliable source that stated that Microsoft is indeed going ahead with a production Zune phone.  Of course, take this one with a grain of salt.

Usually when you think of LOTUS, you don’t think of green technology, environmentally concerned, or ecologically minded.  Speed, performance, and power are more common terms linked to Lotus cars.  Now the new Eco Elise is changing all that.  Sure power, speed and performance are still included but now Lotus has broadened its specifications to include such concepts as materials lifecycle, and environmental impact.

Most financial group’s websites have security flaws so significant they can’t be fixed with a software patch according to a University of Michigan study.

Yahoo is taking advantage of its $350 million investment in Zimbra and finally bringing a beta version of the desktop email application to market. It aims to organize the many email accounts people accumulate and make them available to read, compose, and organize offline.

Note to journalists and panicky investors - Steve Jobs is still alive. The way things have been going around about his supposed frail looks, his apparent weight loss has somewhat detracted from Apple’s recent success with the iPhone 3G.

Wi-FiTV, the online TV and movie service launched way back in 1995, is revamping itself into a leader in streaming online programming with the introduction of the first ever personal Internet-based TV stations for any individual.

Wikipedia is the fount of all knowledge for some of us. Yes, some of the content can be factually dubious, and no, we shouldn’t use Wikipedia to try and answer all of life’s questions, but it is a useful tool nonetheless. But now, it has a competitor, sort of, in the form of Knol, from Google.

The most important landmark current cellular carriers in the U.S. need to reach, aside from getting up to speed on innovative handsets, is convincing customers to sign onto data plans. Whether it is the data network that sells the handset or the handset that sells the data network, AT&T has managed to increase customer usage of its 3G data network in impressive fashion.

Linux has lived a long life of stability and sturdy usability, but what if the underpinnings of that strategy fell away and the developer community were to welcome an influx of open source designers focused on producing the most pleasant and intuitive interface imaginable. It would serve as a slap in the face for current industry players who have focused on furthering the current paradigm: using a mouse and keyboard to manipulate various windows and enter text.

A nine-day standoff that left San Francisco’s government computer network prey to an irretrievable crash has ended with a jailed systems administrator handing over the password

GM is using the Chevy Volt as its flagship green project, driving the company’s effort to convince consumers that it can be a fuel efficient company too. And, recognizing that the Chevy Volt will likely cause a spike in demand for electricity GM is reaching out to power companies for help.

As gas prices continue to climb, new concept cars for commuters appear everyday.  Most are two person cars and with some form of electric-gas hybrid, plug in electric, or fuel cell motor.  Seats are frequently placed behind each other rather than side by side and weight and size are kept small.