"Anything that helps enhance democracy to give average people a voice is a noble and good use of technology," said David Sifry, a judge and founder of Technorati."

I just caught an article over at Wired about the Since Sliced Bread Awards. Kind of cool, but I was most interested in the last quote, from David Sifry. Call me crazy, but I don't see how this competition is enhancing democracy. The prize winners don't have to use their winnings to implement their ideas. The ideas aren't being delivered to any government entity. It's a great example of how simple technology coupled with a good idea can lead to lots of stakeholder engagement. But changing the world it's not.

I am aggravated by this kind of Web 2.0 hype (let's get real people!), but in most ways, I'm glad it's going on. While I still find Web 2.0 to be a meaningless term, all the hoop-la has made technology exciting again. And that's good for the movement. So all right David, I'll let this one go.