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happy valentine’s day to all of our readers! i apologize in advance for a short techie news article, but i’ve been working 10 days straight, the last five on 15 hour shifts. i dont do the coffee thing, but coke is keeping my eyes open. i think your body gets used to ‘rhythm’ of the weekend and probably starts to get mad at you when the normal friday ‘brain emptying’ didn’t occur. dah well, i’ll press on!

while this should be obvious, you should have gotten your special someone something for valentine’s day! i mean, with internet, you could have had some flowers on their way in the time it took you to finish this sentence. 1800flowers.com is the popular choice, but many exist.

this past week, steve jobs, apple ceo, shared his zend ideas to the rest of the world through his usual channels declaring his disdain for digital rights management (DRM) technology. while many are calling this an obvious blow to the music and movie industries who go after anyone who steals their music gives a copy of said media to a friend, others feel (including me) that he does make some valid points. DRM does not work and will always be the target of hackers. artists make most of their money through endorsements and tours, not record sales. in fact, most loyal listeners buy copies despite possibly having a copy from the internet. while the industry has responded, i’m interested to see how these arguments ultimately impact society and if a resolution will come.

on the other-side of ‘pay for my software’, is the free and open source software (FOSS) spectrum. i came across an article that profiles three FOSS consultants. while being a consultant, whether with a big company or working independently, presents its own challenges, implementing FOSS may give you visibility in a market that is crowded with exorbitant fees and empty promises. ybpguide.com is all about empowering our readers and i hope you find this article no exception, especially for all the entrepreneurs out there.

lastly, be sure to email us at ybpguide at gmail dot com. what articles do you want to see? any particular issues that you’d like discussed by the community?

even better, leave some comments so that we can all share in the knowledge.

happy valentine’s day everyone (and kimberly).