Philippe Matthews Show Guru Advice, Author Reviews, Tech Reviews, Entertainment News

We pronounced the netbook phenomenon all but over last year--they're now merely another class of laptop one can buy, at the cheap end.

Underlying the wave of unrest across North Africa and the Middle East is the fact that some of the cries for democracy are coming from mouths in need of food. Media outlets around the world were quick to make the link between food and the protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, pointing to one specific grain: wheat. Egypt is the largest importer of wheat in the world, with Algeria not far behind.

1. In a surprise move, AT&T this weekend revealed it has made an offer to buy the USA branch of global telecoms operator T-Mobile for about $39 billion. It will create the largest cell phone network in the U.S., but the deal isn't closing for a year--during which time competitors regulators, lawmakers and the public will have a lot to say on the matter.

Intel's purchase of Egyptian mobile software firm SySDSoft isn't just a massive cash infusion in a post-revolution economy: It's also Intel's savvy way of getting in on the LTE fanfare.

Reid Hoffman, angel investor , co-founder of LinkedIn and Fast Company Most Creative Person , took the stage at SXSW interactive as part of the distinguished speaker series, and immediately brought the ballroom back to the future. “What are we stumbling toward here?” recalling the visions of a shiny future of yester-technology

From Video Commenting to iReport Integration, mobile consumers and videophiles are about to have a lot more on-the-go options from CNN.com--and presumably others to come.

Twitter and other social networks have, of course, been remarkable tools during past uprisings and disasters.

Al Jazeera isn't just news. Their next project? An English-language childrens' edutainment network on American TV by 2012

Coal may be the most loathed energy source among sustainability advocates, but it isn't going anywhere, especially now that governments are investing billions in carbon capture and sequestration projects for coal plants. Any country with significant coal reserves and a government that pays little attention to safety and environmental hazards stands to profit handsomely.

The Arabic-speaking world's largest art show brings 119 artists to Sharjah, a historic port city in the United Arab Emirates, with made-for-grad-seminar themes such as "seduction" and "dissidence." Most participants, like Decolonizing Architecture, a West Bank -- based group that reimagines the infrastructure of the Israeli occupation, come from the Middle East, but there are also many Western artists, including Sophie Calle.

Charlie has moved on: Today’s chocolate factories are making some of the world’s strangest chocolates.