Seems like a slow week in the world of the web, but five things that you should know about:

1. Can Yahoo! and Local Papers Save Each Other?Â? - The inclusion of local, traditional mediaÂ? forÂ? the users of theÂ? Internet giant isn’t something to be ignored. MakesÂ? Yahoo! more full-service while giving relevance to an otherwise dated service.

2. Yahoo!’sÂ? Brad Garlinghouse Makes His Power Move -Â? The internal memo was printed in full in the WSJ. I strongly support Yahoo! without quite bleeding purple and yellow, and I wanted to post a comment about this article but haven’t had time. Definitely big news, but will there be changes?

3. Universal Music Sues MySpaceÂ? - It was only a matter of time before this happend, and one can only expect that something similar may be in the works for YouTube (Also see this article on Google VideoÂ? being sued).

4. MySpace Attack Highlights Firefox Flaw - Many of my posts lately have surrounded security and spamming/phishing. As someone who doesn’t use Firefox, not a big concern to me, but definitely a shot against the browser.

5. Trust in Media - Well, it’s been a month and I think this is the first time I’ve linked to my article for the techFive. It’s about the false article that made the front page of Digg. For more on Digg, see this article from GigaOm.com.

Shortly after being named in the Top 10 Democracies in the World by the Economist, it’s probably important to take a moment and reflect on all the good things that come along with being Canadian. A forward from my mom:

TheÂ? NewÂ? CanadianÂ? Rant

My name is Norm and I AM CANADIAN
I am a minorityÂ? in Vancouver , Toronto and every casino in this country. I was born in 1958, yet I am responsible for some FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE BEING SCREWED OUTÂ? OF THEIR LAND in the 1700’s. I pay import tax on cars made in Ontario. I am allowed to skydive and smoke, but not allowed to driveÂ? without a seat belt. All the money I make until mid July must go to paying taxes. I live and workÂ? among people who believe Americans are ignorant. These same people cannotÂ? name this country’s new territory. Although I amÂ? sometimes forced to live on Kraft dinner and don’t have a pot to piss in,Â? I sleep well knowing that my taxes helped purchase a nice six figure homeÂ? in Vancouver for some unskilled refugee. Although theyÂ? are unpatriotic and constantly try to separate, Quebec still provides myÂ? nation’s prime ministers. 95% of myÂ? nation’s international conflicts are over fish. I’m supposed toÂ? call black people African Canadians, although I’m sure none of them haveÂ? ever been to Africa, or east of Halifax for that matter. I believe thatÂ? paying a 200% tax on alcohol is fair. I believe thatÂ? the same tax on gasoline is also fair. Even if I haveÂ? no idea what happened to that old rifle my grandfather gave me when I wasÂ? 14, I will be considered a criminal if I don’t register it. I believeÂ? spending $15 billion to promote the French languageÂ? in the rest of Canada is fair when theÂ? province ofÂ? Quebec doesn’tÂ? support or recognize the English language. I believe thatÂ? paying $30 million for 3 Stripes (”The Voice of Fire painting in Ottawa) by the National Art Gallery was a good purchase, EvenÂ? though 99% of this country didn’t want it or will ever see it. When I look atÂ? my pay stub and realize that I take home a third of what I actually make,Â? I say “Oh well, at least we have better health care than the Americans.” I must bail outÂ? farmers when their crops are too wet or too dry because I control theÂ? rain. My nationalÂ? anthem has versions in both official languages and I don’t know either ofÂ? them. Canada is the highestÂ? taxed nation in North America, the biggest Military buffer for theÂ? UnitedÂ? States, and the number one destination for fleeing terrorists. I am not anÂ? angry white male. I am an angry taxpayer who is fucking broke.

My name is Norm, and I am Canadian!

It seems there are a few different entities on the Internet looking at these issues.

From NetworkWorld:

IBM offer new single sign-on tool for SMBs

IBM has added a new single sign-on tool to its Tivoli software range to make life easier for small and medium-size businesses to link their Web sites with those of partners and customers. More…

From Dark Reading:

The End of Password Post-Its

The concept of building a federated identity architechture at Milliman Benefits Resource Center came on the fly, during a harried phone call in June with its client JP Morgan Chase. More…

Without breaking my gentleman’s agreement, I will try to provide some insight into one of the most interesting developments, not only in the Vancouver tech circles, but also in the world of online technology - SxipperÂ? (that’s right, little buddy!). I first stumbled upon Sxip and their vision for Identity 2.0Â? when I bumped into Dick Hardt’sÂ? (I envy anyone with their own Wikipedia entry)Â? OSCON 2005Â? presentation. I recommend that clip and the sequel, ‘Who’s the Dick onÂ? my site?’, from ETECH 2006.

Again, I am restricted in what I can talk about, but I can tip-toe around the subject using posts from the Identity 2.0 blog. At the end of September, Yahoo! released their BBAuthÂ? API. This allows developers toÂ? integrate a Yahoo! sign-on into their site - if you’re a member ofÂ? Yahoo!, you’re a memberÂ? of our site. This was described as Yahoo! joining in with Google’s silo building, and the post mentions the Microsoft Passport silo, as well.

With millions of users worldwide, these three Internet powerhouses are competing for users, and need to increase the dependency of their users on their properties. Unlike Passport and Google’s whatever, BBAuth allows third party developers to provide added value to the Yahoo! family of Internet properties. Obviously a smart move for Yahoo!, but what about for the new website? Well, anyone who’s attempted to bring their site to critical mass understands the challenges associated with this task, and building on the BBAuth platform essentially gives them a multi-million user headstart, at least potentially. If a user can sign on with a pre-existing Yahoo! account and avoid the hassle of filling out a form, remembering a new password, and creating yet another net-identity, it increases the likelihood of the user trying out the full site.

In the end, yes, it is a silo, but a mall is like a silo, and if the mall is big enough and provides everything you need in one convenient location, then you will choose to shop at that mall. If a new business wants you to shop their, they will get a spot in the mall. Same with big-box retail. People enjoy convenience and simplicity, and we are all programmed in a way that supports the BBAuth model. As I mentioned last night, the average user is still the average user.

Again, I have little I can actually say, but I will say that it is a great idea, it is second-generation Internet idea, and I think the best part is that in no way can I see this being monetized through online advertising, something that cannot be said about enough Web 2.0 companies. It’s interesting for me, a poweruser on the Internet that still uses Windows, still uses IE, and still think that I represent the norm as opposed to those who surrounded me last night, Mac and Firefox/Mozilla users.

What Sxipper is tackling is something that needs to be addressed, and it provides a creative and innovative solution. Is it the best solution? Maybe, but widescale adoption will be important. I look forward to the official release next month - I’m not sure if I’m even allowed to say that, which is why I don’t give the actual date. Congratulations to the entire Sxip team who has worked so hard at something that affects all Internet users.

Although Wordpress is thought of as Blogging Engine, and first and foremost it is a blogging platform,Â? butÂ? it is also a complete Content Management System (CMS). Drupal, on the other hand, is first and foremost a CMS with the ability to be a Bloging Portal, a Community Portal, or just about any other web application you can think of.

Wordpress has gained huge popularity over the last year for being the blog software of choice, with its easy to use, get and install documentation, and the ability to add numerous plug-ins and change themes. Anyone who wants a full featured blogging platform would be able to setup the service in only a few minutes.

While the Drupal community has gained a lot of ground, the core base is very passionate and no doupt the numbers are growing. See the graph below. Drupal has a strong upper hand because the CMS can be ported into almost any business application. Check out NowPublic.com or Bryght.com. What would be interesting though is if Drupal packaged its software in bundles that were pre-configured as a ‘community’ or ‘blogging platform’.

It has been great to watch these two communities change the face of the internet over the last year, and I think the next year will be even more interesting with the development of better web 2.0 toolkits and frameworks.