A lousy economy, onerous regulations, California in near-bankrupcy, and an Administration and Congress that seem to spend their time coming up with new ways to impede a business revival . . .and yet, the companies of Silicon Valley and the rest of the high tech world STILL are finding ways to come back. So get ready, because this summer and fall we are going to see a whole bunch of exciting new electronics products in chips, smartphones and games. Will it be enough to turn around the U.S. economy? Probably not, but at least we'll be well-entertained in our poverty. . .

President Obama may be optimistic about the prospects for the recovery of the U.S. economy, but a closer look shows that even when the economy does come back it will be a weak recovery -- with the employment figures lagging far behind. Worse, the recovery is also likely to be wildly uneven, with some communities and regions emerging long before others. Welcome to the '70s Redux, folks . . .and that's if were lucky. Commentary by Forbes Publisher and regular Edgelings contributor, Rich Karlgaard.

Twitter is no longer just a tech phenomenon; these days it's a lifestyle, a culture and now . . .a convention! NBC-KNTV reporter and regular Edgelings.com contributor, our very own Scott Budman, decided to attend the new "140" Twitter conference in the heart of Silicon Valley as the sole representative of the Old Media. Here's his report (and video) from the front lines of digital hipness.

The history of high technology is one of young companies with hot new products growing rich by utterly dominating their market . . .until their success attracts new competitors who eventually pull that leader down. Even Microsoft, Intel and IBM, which dominated their markets like no other in tech history, eventually lost their edge. But what of Google? If anything, it seems more dominant now that ever -- and the occasional challengers never seem to gain any traction. What makes Google so special? Some thoughts by regular Edgelings contributor Charlie Martin.

As you may have heard, Edgelings.com editor-in-chief and veteran Silicon Valley journalist Michael S. Malone has a new book out designed to do for corporate organizations what The Virtual Corporation -- written by Malone and legendary venture capitalist Bill Davidow -- did for companies nearly two decades ago. Malone's new book, The Future Arrived Yesterday, describes a new kind of organization, a "protean" corporation that overcomes the structural weaknesses of its predecessors . . .and makes the companies that adopt this new model better suited for competition in the 21st century. As an added value, we have included, along with Malone's usual weekly essay a pair of shorter essays on the Protean Corporation that Malone prepared exclusively for the Amazon Kindle and that are only available on that device and this web site.

Veteran journalist David Weir returns with a story about a shocking admission by Google co-founder Larry Page that Twitter, the company that replaced Google as the current hottest-company-on-the-planet, is easily beating Google . . .at least in the speed of its news coverage. Once again, it's a reminder that the modern world is a lot like Alice's Wonderland: you've got to run faster and faster just to stay in the same place.

The hottest engineering class at Stanford these days is all about 'touch.' And no, this isn't a story about lusty teachers and wayward students. Rather, the class is for students pursuing another kind of desire: for riches. The 'touch' class is, in fact, a course on designing successful application programs for the Apple iPhone. Story and video by NBC-KNTV tech reporter and regular Edgelings contributor Scott Budman.

It may be a tough time for established car companies, but it's proving to be a golden age for independent new automobile makers. First there was the Tesla -- now, also from L.A. comes the Karma, created by designer Henrik Fisker. It's not quite an electric car; but it sure behaves like one for the first fifty miles of each trip. Is it worth the premium price? Well, it's certainly sexy -- in a Beemer sort of way -- but do people with that kind of money want this kind of car? Reporting and commentary by NBC-KNTV tech reporter and regular Edgelings contributor Scott Budman.

One of our most popular commentators, Charlie Martin, returns to Edgelings with a first look and review of the currently most hyped new tech product around: Stephen Wolfram's Alpha computational search engine. Claimed to be everything from a revolutionary software breakthrough to the long-awaited Google killer, Alpha has some pretty big expectations to fulfill. Does it? Yes and no, says Charlie. It depends upon what you ask it.

With the European Union levying the largest anti-trust fine ever, and the U.S. Justice Department apparently getting ready to follow suit, Silicon Valley chip giant Intel Corporation is in the news a lot these days. Everyone has heard of Intel -- once called "the world's most important company" -- but few people outside of the electronics industry fully understand the role that Intel plays in the larger world of high technology. Here's an appreciation of Intel, and its extraordinary run of CEOs over the last forty years, by Forbes publisher and regular Edgelings contributor, Rich Karlgaard.

Today's teenagers have never known a world without computers, cell phones and the Internet. So we adults naturally assume that they lack perspective and context about the role -- good and bad -- that technology has in their lives. But is that really the case? Edgelings.com editor-in-chief Michael S. Malone decided to find out -- so he asked a class of eigth graders at a school at the very heart of Silicon Valley. The surprisingly sophisticated answers he got will surprise -- and perhaps console -- you.

Not that the biggest Internet search company on the planet is nervous about new competitors, such as the Wolfram Alpha, but suddenly the Mountain View, California company is showing a new willingness to open up some of its deepest labs to the general public. In particular, Google just gave the media a tour of its once-secret "Searchology" operations, showing off some of the coolest new search apps it has in the works. Alpha must be even better than we thought . . . Video and commentary by NBC-KNTV tech reporter and regular Edgelings contributor, Scott Budman.

With the EU preparing to levy a $1.36 billion antitrust fine on Intel Corporation, the Santa Clara chipmaker couldn't have been too thrilled yesterday to hear a speech by Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney announcing a return to "vigorous antitrust enforcement action" by the U.S. Justice Department. Intel has long been on the edge of serious actions by the Justice Department . . .but has usually been able in the past to pull a mea culpa or make some other deal to escape serious punishment. But this is a new administration, with an increasingly antagonistic attitude toward Big Business . . .especially big businesses that utterly dominate their market the way Intel does. The EU fine, experts say, could act as an incentive for Justice to take on Intel early -- and provide both justification and evidence for a quick guilty verdict. This time around, Intel, instead of its usual position as the target of last resort for the Feds, may find itself in the uneviable role of the low-hanging fruit.

Being a technology journalist isn't all about talking with sober executives in panelled offices, or interviewing semiconductor fab workers in bunny suits . . .sometimes you get to tour the cutting edge of tech coolness. That's what KNTV-NBC technology reporter and regular Edgelings contributor Scott Budman got to do last week. While you were lining up to see the new Star Trek movie, Scott was touring the offices of the people who created the effects for the movie: the legendary Industrial Light & Magic. Commentary and -- much more important -- video.

Remember when American automobiles were the envy of the world and the glory of U.S. industry? Probably not. But there was such a time . . .and does anyone actually believe that the path back to glory for Chrysler (and General Motors) is to be run owned by a troika of the United Auto Workers, Fiat Motors and the United States Government? In fact, can anybody imagine a worse solution? Meanwhile, we taxpayers are about to discover the real cost of Detroit's failure . . .or, more accurately, the real cost of never being allowed to fail. Commentary by Edgelings' editor-in-chief Michael S. Malone.

The new big screen Amazon Kindle is out -- and getting very good reviews. The look is as clean as ever, and the new 9.7 inch display is both clear and very readable (and rumor is that it has a better web browser as well). The new display also takes Kindle beyond just the world of books and opens up the opportunity for the device to be used for newspapers. As you can imagine, the rapidly dying newspaper industry likes that idea very much. So, of course, does Jeff Bezos, who has visions of millions of newspaper subscribers dancing in his head. However, there is one big obstacle to the plan: unlike the original Kindle, which cost a fairly hefty $360, the new Kindle DX runs 460 bucks. At a time when newspapers are almost being given away to anyone willing to subscribe, that represents about five years worth of paper newspapers. So, is the new Kindle worth the dough? Maybe, but most folks may prefer to wait for Moore's Law to do its work.

The Green geeks may be salivating over the electric Tesla roadster, but if you plan on being under fire anytime soon, your dream machine these days is the very cool, and very techie M-RAP armored vehicle. And in true Silicon Valley style, it's been developed in anonymous Santa Clara concrete tilt-up 'garage.' Report and video by NBC-KNTV tech reporter and regular Edgelings contributor Scott Budman.

Microsoft yesterday fulfilled its promise to complete a massive lay-off, the first in its history, by June 2010 -- more than a year early. The Redmond, Washington giant laid-off several thousand employees -- thus, nearly completing the total of 5,000 lay-offs (a savings on overhead of $1.5 billion) the company first announced back in January. Microsoft also kept the door open for further lay-offs if the economy continues to slide. The cuts appear to have come, as predicted, in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal, human resources and IT operations. In its most recent quarter, most recent quarter, Microsoft's profits fell 32 percent and overall revenue fell 6 percent, the company's first-ever a year-on-year quarterly decline. There was no indication from the company that it expects things to get better anytime soon.

If you want a glimpse of just how much entrepreneurial energy there is pent up in the United States right now -- thwarted by both the recession and the Federal government -- take a look at the amazing boom going on in new software applications for the Apple iPhone. Just think if all of this energy was harnessed for bigger things . . .you know, like turning around the economy?