Answer: You, me, and hundreds of millions of other internet users around the world. Deep down in our consciousness, we “knew” what was coming; and the bad news isn’t over.

Such at least is the theory behind the Web Bot Project (http://tinyurl.com/9lqcq2), which sends out bots (spiders) around the internet to collect text and information from publicly accessible web sites. The bots look for about 300,000 words with emotional context, like intensity, impact, etc.; words with a “kick,” coming from posted articles, forum opinions, chat rooms, etc. (the bots do not check e-mail or other private communications). The words are then put into contexts, and if the emotion is strong enough, a context becomes a trend – a prediction, based on the feelings of those who feel most strongly about the information, the ones who bother posting information. It’s a form of theory of the Wisdom of Crowds (http://tinyurl.com/mbmnb); the truth is out there, and everybody has a little piece of it. The Web Bot Project helps filter that information, put it into context – and tell us where we’re going, in advance.

Data from the Web Bot Project is publicly accessible on the Urban Survival site (http://urbansurvival.com/simplebots.htm), which posts a daily newsletter based in part on the information generated by the bots and interpreted by its specialized linguistic software.

Predicting the future is tough enough for prophets, much less for web sites. But if you look at the list of predictions that cam out of the Project at the beginning of 2008 for this past year (http://tinyurl.com/axz8az), you can’t help but be just a little impressed, since the average person wasn’t aware of the extent of the financial problems in the U.S. at the time. While it’s probably no biggie to figure out what February and March are going to look like when it’s January, October and November are something else. The list for September, for example, includes “Mood of the population improves: People have a renewed sense of optimism that the corporate/elite can and will be replaced in the elections and the ‘us against them’ grows.” September, if I recall, was when the excitement over Barack Obama started cresting; back in January, most people expected Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination.

The October predictions, meanwhile, contain statements like”Think of the US economy as a lit fuse that is lit over the early part of 2008, and “in late 2008 the rest of the world’s currencies are ‘touched off’ by the dollar and US decline.” The Project also predicted “a significant event” occurring on October 7, which turned out to be a precipitous decline on stock markets around the world. That event, according to the Project, would have an even bigger effect than 9/11 – which the Project also claims to have predicted 90 days before it took place (http://tinyurl.com/9wzt44). According to the Project, data collected from the previous June indicated that a “life altering event” would take place within 60-90 days. Somehow, there was a feeling that “something big” was about to happen – and it was this that the Project focused on.

Most of the specific predictions for 2009 haven’t been released yet (check http://tinyurl.com/yoc2tp to see when George Ure of the UrbanSurvival site will be on the radio, which you can hear over the internet on an affiliate). But a few predictions for early 2009 are already available (http://tinyurl.com/3hqq6b); very cold winter in the U.S. northeast (seems correct so far), “a 2009 winter/spring natural disaster, which caused people to become angry about government response,” and an event in which “a permanent loss of low-lying territory globally and foresees that one continent in particular will get hit badly, but it does not say which one. Places to avoid: anything at sea level (Bangladesh/Florida/ etc).”

Scary, huh? On the other hand, the system is not flawless; note that the Project also predicted “ a West Coast/Vancouver area large-scale earthquake around December 12, 2008” (didn’t happen). The Web Bot Project isn’t the only prediction game in town; Princeton’s Global Consciousness Project (http://noosphere.princeton.edu/), also called the EGG Project, also examines consciousness over the internet, using a complicated statistical formula.

Global consciousness predicting future events? Sounds a little “left coast,” as they say in the east. The overwhelming tendency of most people who post stuff on the internet seems to be that they expect the worst (apparently the optimistic people are too busy enjoying life to bother with chat rooms and forums). And nowadays, it’s almost second nature for people to believe that “the worst is yet to come,” since no one wants to be labeled “Pollyanish.” If we’re “relying” on web to tell us the future based on what people think, we shouldn’t expect too much, since most people are so pessimistic – as they were even when “the tide was high” and things were going relatively well. But maybe there’s a lesson we can learn; if the power of suggestion is such that it can will bad stuff to happen (which could be what’s going on; after all, the Web Bot Project makes its predictions based on how people feel, which could technically be called a self-fulfilling prophecy), maybe a little positive thinking will help make things better. Can’t hurt, can it?

Oh, of course the news is mostly about Google Chrome, available currently only for Windows XP/Vista and released a couple of weeks ago to a not exactly browser starved public. Even if you’re happy with your current browser choice, it’s worth a try, because it gives a refreshing take on searching. Whereas Firefox can be considered a power search program (with the extra power coming from the thousands of add-ons you can implement to squeeze productivity out of the browser), Chrome, still a beta program, is more about simplicity, with iconic representation of recent searches in new tabs, and the automatic searches (via Google, of course) of any term you type into the address bar (here known as the Omnibar).

It’s also fast, and introduces an important innovation in the world of browsers, in which each tab is treated as a separate process. This is important, according to the little comic book presentation on the Chrome home page that attempts to explain Chrome’s technological innovations (you have got to see it!), because Web pages sometimes get “stuck” on a tab (often when your browser is trying to run a poorly-behaved Java applet). By separating the processes by tab, essentially running the tabs as separate programs, you don’t have to trash all your tabs when one goes bad. For Firefox users who are often the victim of such problems, that in itself is a reason to consider using Chrome.

There was a bit of a flap when Chrome was first released, with its end user license agreement requiring you to basically agree that all the information you typed into Chrome for searches belonged to Google. The original EULA, since toned down, read “By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to” do whatever Google wanted with the content. That put a quick damper on Chrome download enthusiasm, prompting the company to allow that the user retains his or her own copyright to what they type into the browser.

Perhaps to make amends for this gaffe, Google announced last week that it would “anonymize” its user logs – remove information like IP addresses, etc. that could be used to identify individual users – after nine months, instead of the 18 months that had previously been its policy. Actually, if you use Gmail, Google Docs, or any of the other freebie Google services, you’re placing personal sensitive information in the trust of the company’s servers anyway – in other words, Google already knows (or can know) all about you, if they want to.

Anticipating perhaps the hesitation on the part of some to entrust even more information – this time, on what they do in their browsers, and not just what they search for if they’re using Google – Chrome includes an “incognito” mode, in which Chrome does not record information (cookies, archived pages, etc.) on sites you visit (note that this is a feature in the also still in beta Internet Explorer 8, and even Firefox, according to http://tinyurl.com/6rgk9j). As such, it is possible, according to http://tinyurl.com/6pgfu5, to run two different Gmail accounts at the same time, something that you cant’ do in any other browser. Another nice plus for Chrome users!

As I mentioned, Google doesn’t need Chrome to build a personal profile on you, if it were so inclined – it already has more than enough dope on you from Gmail. When you think of the tens of millions of people using Gmail and the billions of people in the world, and the fact that Google only has about 10,000 employees (about 20% of whom are probably out to lunch or on a coffee break at any given time), you realize that there is no way they could keep up with the minutiae of our little lives without working way overtime (which they can’t be doing, since Fortune Magazine has several times named Google as the best company to work for). Given all that, it seems highly unlikely to me that Google is running a deep cover spying operation on users, for – what purpose?

Besides, there’s no money in keeping those kinds of records. But there is lots of money in figuring out what we’re interested in spending money on. Like Gmail, Chrome is clearly another “service” by Google to help the company better hone its advertising methodology, which, as a capitalist, I have no problem with. But if you prefer to err on the side of caution, check out http://tinyurl.com/5nt9uu, which tells you how to increase your anonymity in Chrome, and http://www.imilly.com/google-cookie.htm, which tells you how to rein in Google’s cookie, the agent that hunts and gathers information on you and your surfing habits.

But, in the final analysis, a browser is just – a browser. But a new online map of every street in Israel – even if the directions part of the system isn’t ready yet – is really big news. The fact that Google Maps (so far, just the Hebrew version, at http://maps.google.com/?hl=iw) realizes that Israel actually has roads, highways, streets, and neighborhoods, is a huge step ahead, and the day when we can use the easy to use and easy on the browser Google Maps to plan road trips in Israel (as opposed to the memory draining current choices that insist on super duper flash, Activex or java to work properly) can’t be far.

Google Maps for Israel does indeed show every street in every town – and even shows every town, including those on the “other side” (of the green line), complete with parking lots and even some businesses, such as gas stations and bakeries, in the big cities. One of the charms of Google Maps, of course, is being able to search for the kind of business you want and get a listing on the map, complete with links to web pages, directions, and photos, and this clearly preliminary version of the Israel map already has some of these features for businesses in Tel Aviv. The new system came on line rather stealthily a couple of weeks ago, apparently, and replaced the previous version, where Israel was just a flat plain of land with no marked roads or highways on its map.

Currently, all the features described can be seen in the Hebrew version only, although apparently changes are coming to the English version as well, since you can see blank streets (awaiting someone to update the English map database, I guess) on the Israel map in http://maps.google.com. You can search for businesses in Hebrew already, but the information is still limited (“Pizza” results in about seven or eight entries, all in Tel Aviv). But it looks like they’re adding more businesses every day. When I checked it out, it didn’t appear that there was yet a method to add your own business in Israel, as there is in the U.S. and most of Europe, but that may have changed already. But don’t worry – soon Google Maps Israel will have all the information you need to find what you’re looking for – using the same freebie tool everyone else is using, too.

What if you don’t want to spend all that airfare just for a shopping experience? Well, pretty soon you won’t have to: Israel is set to get its own Apple Store around the beginning of September, according to an Apple rep I spoke to this week. But like so many things here, the local version is just different enough from the “real thing” to be – well, different.

According to Michal, who represented iDigital, Apple’s local licensee in Israel, in our conversation, the Apple Store Israel “will give customers the full Apple Store experience,” although the store will not be operated by Apple, as Apple Stores elsewhere are. The store will feature a genius bar – where you can pick the brains of an expert on Apple products or software. The store, to be located at the Ramat Aviv Mall, will have a layout and product display similar to Apple Stores around the world. But the Apple Store Israel is a project of iDigital.

Not that that’s a bad thing; iDigital has been getting a lot of good buzz in the local Mac community for its standards of service and its willingness to serve the customer (unlike those “other guys” who used to run the local Apple shop). And, according to Michal, many of the services to be offered by Apple Store Israel – such as training, product demonstrations, etc., will be directed and authorized by Apple. By the way: If you’re a “MacHead” or i-gadget whiz, the Apple Store Israel wants you! iDigital is on a hiring campaign, looking for the right people to work its Genius Bar and other customer interfaces. If you’re up to the challenge, just surf to iDigital’s site and drop them a line.

Note that Israel is actually going to be ahead of the Apple Store game than most of Europe is, come September. True, our Apple Store won’t be one of those bona-fide Apple Stores, but other than the the UK, there currently aren’t too many of those Apple Stores outside the U.S. and the UK, although a number are opening later this year, in Switzerland, Germany, and other locations.

One thing they won’t have at the new Apple Store Israel is an iPhone waiting line – because iPhones still won’t be available. According to Michal, iDigital is doing everything in its power to persuade Apple to work out a deal with a local cell phone service provider. For various technical reasons, such an arrangement has not been made yet, but she’s “hopeful.”

One Apple retail feature that is available right now is the iTunes store – except you can’t download any tunes from it! Here we come to the thorny problem of how to manage the digital rights of copyrighted works in international settings, a problem the most brilliant legal minds on the planet have been working tirelessly to come up with a solution for. But to no avail yet. So what can you do at the iTunes Store Israel? You can buy and download applications for your iPod Touch; technically, you can do so for your pirated “old school” iPhone, but you run the risk of having your device disabled by an iPhone software update (there are contradicting rumors on whether or not this is true; erring on the side of caution is probably wise). Note that here, too, Israel is not being singled out; Apple last month opened iTunes stores in over forty countries, most of which are selling apps and not music.

Which brings us back to the iPod Touch, the current top of the line advanced Apple handheld device we can get our hands on and actually use, at least currently. As it’s name implies, it’s got a touch screen, Wifi, a video player, and access to the the iPhone App Store, with dozens of free and cheap productivity programs, games, entertainment, etc. It’s got the Accelerometer, which keeps the picture on the screen “straight” no matter which way you turn the device. And it’s also got the ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts screen brightness, depending on the light where you are. Many of the applications give the Touch a PDA-like usefulness, so if you’re looking for a replacement for your old Palm Pilot, the Touch is a great choice. Snap review from my teenage kids: It’s the coolest device they have ever seen. But it’s not an iPhone – which means that it can’t be your single, all around communication device, since you’ll have to shlep around a cellphone for conversations and messaging. So it’s a partial solution – sort of like the new local iTunes store, and apparently, the upcoming local Apple Store.

The same holds true for the computer industry; today’s hi-tech darling could be tomorrow’s old news, says Shlomo Gradman, organizer of the second annual Ra’anana Conference for National High Tech Policy (click on the English button at the top of the page). Israel is a premier location for hi-tech development today, second (if not first) to Silicon Valley. But where many see clear skies for Israel’s hi-tech future, Gradman sees a huge typhoon heading in from the east – courtesy of China and India – that may relegate Israel to a distance fourth banana status in terms of hi-tech development, a situation that would wreak havoc with the economy.

“It’s all in the numbers,” Gradman says. “Israel produces about 10,000 new engineers annually, while China and India graduate 850,000 between the two of them – half a million in China, and the rest in India. Add to that the newly revived economies in Eastern Europe, and Israel is looking at a lot of competition in the coming years for investment money for innovative development.”

In a sense, Gradman says, it’s Israel that is responsible for this new competition; developing countries looking at our predominance in hi-tech have come to realize that with education, infrastructure, and a little bit of luck, they, too, can develop a major export industry that brings first world wealth to a second or third world society – and they want in on a good thing. “We can’t afford to fall behind,” Gradman says. “Half of this country’s exports are in the area of hi-tech. Imagine what would happen to the economy if we lost that number of exports,” he says. The changes are already in the air, and if Israel doesn’t do something really soon – like right away – we could find ourselves on the international hi-tech unemployment line before we even realize what happened!

Preventing such a catastrophe is one of the major themes of the Raanana Conference, says Gradman; workshops will discuss issues such as setting strategic goals for Israel’s high tech industry, and developing new plans to improve education in science and technology and technology for Israeli students – to ensure that we’re using our human resources as efficiently as possible. “We have a major problem in this country when it comes to science and technology education,” Gradman says. “Only 8% of those graduating high school come out with five ‘points’ (yechidot) in their matriculation studies in math and science, essential building blocks for educating computer engineers. Already we’re short about 1,500 engineers a year. That gap is only going to get larger as the years go by, and there are plenty of competitors waiting in the wing to fill that gap,” Gradman says.

Like India and China, which many Israelis have not perceived as a major threat until now. Both countries are known for their cheap back-office programming sweatshops, where underpaid and undereducated workers build databases and write programs for Web applications – the kind of drudge stuff nobody really wants to do anyway, and certainly far from the world and Web changing innovation done here in Israel!

But that was then; now, India and China are ready to spread their hi-tech wings. “What’s stopped them in the past has been a lack of infrastructure, but as they get wealthier, they can afford more labs and development centers, making it more likely that investors will see them as development centers for innovative technology, and not just dumping grounds for back-office work.” Like Gradman says, it’s all in the numbers; Between the two of them, India and China are producing 100 time the engineers Israel is. “The odds are that out of such a large pool, some major innovations that attract available investment dollars and jobs are inevitable,” he says, pointing to studies at several U.S. universities which showed that students from Asia thrive and innovate when given the kind of labs and development centers available in the U.S. and Israel.

“Now is the time to set proper policies and strategies to prevent a calamity,” Gradman says – and that’s what the Raanana Conference is all about. Among the speakers at the conference will be heavyweights in the world of education, science, technology and politics – areas where officials will need to roll up their sleeves and get to work if we’re to stay on top of the hi-tech game. Scheduled speakers include Minister of Industry, Trade & Labor Eli Yishai, Education Minister Yuli Tamir, Finance Minister Roni Bar-on, Chief Scientist Dr. Eli Opper, representatives of some of the biggest hi-tech companies and venture capital firms active in Israel, Mayor of Raanana Nachum Hofri (whose city is a partial sponsor of the conference) – and President Shimon Peres.

With all that brain and political power, the Raanana Conference should be able to come up with some plan on how to keep Israel on top – and Gradman, who is also head of the Israel CEO Forum, has some ideas. “Education is of course a priority, and we have to make sure more of our kids are inspired to want to take on the burden of learning math and science.” To that end, Gradman says that a number of major hi-tech firms have adopted a plan innovated by Intel, called ‘Think Positive,’ where kids in cities around the country are able to work with Intel employees after school on science projects and assignments in math, physics, chemistry, etc.

“Intel does much of its important development in processors and wireless technology right here, and they, too are concerned at the dearth of engineers. They developed this to ensure that more students succeed in science, encouraging them to take five matriculation points in the hard sciences, and embark on careers that Israel has a real need for new personnel in.” Gradman says that companies like Nice, IBM, Kodak, Amdocs and others will be adopting the project in their own firms as well.

And improving the atmosphere of science education in schools isn’t beyond the budgetary abilities of the country; Israel spends more per capita on education than almost other country in the world, Gradman says. “It’s a question of reallocating what we have, as opposed to increasing the budget,” he says. Gradman is also reaching out to potential new immigrants; Jewish Agency head Ze’ev Bielski (one of the scheduled speakers) has initiated a new program called “Olim le’Hi-tech,” which aims to bring no fewer than 1,000 hi-tech engineer olim to Israel each year. Another area being explored is expanding retraining efforts for Israelis seeking new careers, under a program in which the Employment Service provides training and stipends for those receiving unemployment benefits.

Strategy is going to be just as important as education, Gradman says. “Right now we have no national policy on development; if the Chief Scientist and the VCs think you have a good idea, you can get funding.” Instead of trying to be all things to all people, Gradman says, Israel should concentrate on several key areas where we are already ahead, and build on that – making us predominant in those areas and preventing other countries from catching up any time soon. “For example, Israel is already the world innovator in environmental technology, such as water, agriculture, etc. Instead of competing in Web spaces trying to put out the next big social networking software, the country’s resources should be put into areas we have a chance of pulling ahead in,” he says.

That’s not to say that Web application development would be banned – just that ideas along the lines of the preferred strategy would get funding priority from the government. And instead of depending largely on foreign investors – who have their own agendas – to invest in development, Israeli hi-tech has several important funding resources it hasn’t drawn upon yet. “Our hi-tech industry needs about $2 billion a year in investment. The Chief Scientists invests about $350 million annually, with the balance coming from foreign Vcs,” Gradman says. But why look abroad when we have potential investors right here? “With pension reform, managers of pension and education funds are now free to invest in hi-tech, just as they invest in other industries – and these managers control about $200 billion.” Why not use our own resources to pursue a policy that will benefit the country in the long term? Good question, says Gradman – and that, among others, is one the for which the Raanana Conference will provide an answer.

Now, in the age of digital danger, governments have been clamping down on electronic devices – such as laptop computers – that may contain illegal or otherwise illicit information. Can digital “information” be illegal or illicit? Sure. A terrorist could be carrying plans for constructing a bomb out of household materials, to be delivered to members of a sleeper cell somewhere; ditto for plans to rob a bank or engage in other criminal activity (that would be called “conspiracy to commit” in an indictment; and it’s also against the law to possess certain types of pornography, like child porn.

In most countries where the citizenry is free enough and wealthy enough to travel between destinations by plane carrying laptop computers or other electronic devices puts the issue of sacrificing liberties into much sharper focus. While citizens of specific countries are entitled to certain protections (such as police requiring a warrant in order to search your belongings), those protections don’t necessarily extend to citizens of other countries. After 9/11, no one wants to take chances when it comes to airline travel – hence all of the security regulations, from requirements to throw away all liquids to taking off shoes when passing through security inspections to demands that travelers turn on their computers – in order to be sure that it really is a computer, and not a bomb. And, as a matter of fact, laptop inspections are de rigeur when entering a number of countries, especially if you’ve been “profiled” as fitting a suspicious pattern.

Most law abiding people have no problem with any of these regulations. While they are inconvenient, it’s reasonable to expect governments to be concerned that terrorists may be trying to sneak onto a plane with weapons, or transmit sensitive documents or plans that could lead to death and destruction. And few of us would have much sympathy with people who abuse children, sexually or otherwise.

But there are other laws that apply to digital data – and a forced inspection at a border crossing that would reveal this information might prove to be very troublesome indeed. What about violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act? You may have files on your computer that could get you detained and fined if you’re visiting the United States. What could happen? According to this helpful page from Oswego College in New York, violations of the DMCA “could impose civil and criminal penalties including fines, jail time, and lawyer’s fees. Note that the minimal per instance fine associated with copyright infringement for civil penalties is $750.00 and criminal penalties can go as high as $250,000 per instance and five years in prison.” Per instance of what? According to the page, the law applies to music files downloaded and shared with “(P2P) programs like Kazaa, Bit Torrent, Gnutella, or Limewire.”

Could it really happen? Would a visitor to the U.S. really be detained, fined, or worse for having music or movie files on their laptop? While it’s hard to imagine someone being arrested for such a thing, it’s not unthinkable that the offense could result in the seizure of a laptop as evidence. And it’s The Electronic Freedom Foundation has filed a lawsuit over border searches for individuals entering the U.S., and petitioned Congress to do something to stop it. With the RIAA suing dozens of people for violations of the DMCA, it’s not inconceivable that they would seek to set some examples among travelers with copyrighted files on their laptops or other devices – just to show everyone they mean business! Note that even U.S. citizens can be convicted for possession of illicit material discovered during a border search of a laptop; what chance do you have if you aren’t even an American?

Of course, you have nothing to worry about – because you have no such illicit files on your computer. You certainly acquired your music and movies legally. But try and prove that to the customs inspector! If you don’t carry copies of receipts with you, it’s your word against “the authorities” – and the chances that you may lose your device to the evidence bin while your story is checked out is not unthinkable. Not to mention the guffaws of inspectors as they read your e-mail or check out the silly sites cached by your Web browser. Or, if they find something they can zero in on (everyone wants to be a hero, after all), the embarrassment of being detained, or worse.

So what can you do? Well, there are tools you can use to hide – encrypt – portions of your hard drive. The EFF has a list of tips on how to ensure that agents don’t find stuff you don’t want them to when they investigate your device, although, the site reminds us, “that lying to a federal law enforcement officer about material facts is a crime, so if you choose to answer a question about whether there are additional encrypted partitions, you are obligated to answer truthfully.” The best encryption tool turns out to be Truecrypt, an encryption program that offers two levels of protection – encrypting a disk within an outer encryption, meaning that even if you are asked to de-encrypt a partition, your “real” partition remains encrypted, wrapped in the first de-encrypted partition.

Besides being free and multi-platform (Windows Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux), it’s got a host of other features as well, such as the ability to encrypt a USB flash drive. Of course, the real “bad guys” could also take advantage of Truecrypt or other encryption programs to hide their secrets as well, which would be bad for the rest of us. But that’s a facile argument for repression; we don’t put people in jail in advance of their crimes, do we?

That includes the shekel, which over the past year has lost a huge chunk of its exchange value versus the dollar. A year ago the exchange rate was about NIS 4.20 per dollar; today it is hovering around NIS 3.50 (actually, as I write this, it is NIS 3.39 per dollar).

International finance is a complicated subject – a lot more complicated than computers! Far be it for me to speculate on the reasons for the dollar’s doldrums, much less to predict on where it is headed. What concerns me is the very real issue of what my money – shekel or dollar – can buy.

As everyone who does business in Israel with dollars knows, a stronger shekel versus the dollar means a disadvantageous shekel exchange rate – i.e. fewer shekels for your dollars. If you sold your house for the shekel equivalent of $200,000 a year ago this week, you received NIS 840,000 for your property; today you’d only get NIS 700,000.

The converse is true, too – or should be; prices for products imported from the US (or from China, since they are usually denominated in dollar terms) should be sinking in shekel terms. An item that cost $1,000 a year ago – NIS 4,200 – should now cost only NIS 3,500.

I haven’t noticed a rash of price cutting for products imported from the US, or usually sold in dollars. At 4.2 versus 3.5, the dollar has lost about 20 percent of its value against the shekel; hence, we should see prices on a wide array of products being cut by 20%

But we have not. In many cases, prices on dollar-denominated goods quoted in shekel prices have actually risen. That means, in some cases, prices on these goods are as much as 25% higher in shekel terms than they were a year ago. The folks selling these goods – as diverse as computers, brand-name clothing and footwear, and industrial products – really have a nerve, if you ask me.

When things are moving in the other direction – that of a strong dollar – they don’t hesitate to raise the price of their goods in shekel terms, with the excuse that they have to pay the same dollar amount regardless of the shekel’s value. The same thing should apply when things swing the other way, and the shekel cost of the dollar-denominated goods goes down!

In fact, the gap between what the price is in shekels and what it should be in dollar terms has blown wide open – which gave me an idea. What if you were to take a quick hop over to New York – say for just a couple of days – and go shopping? For one night, I guess you could get away with sleeping on the subway. But even if you wanted to stay for a week or so, you could find a reasonably priced motel (like for $50 or $60 a night) for the price of a train ride to the suburbs, and really have a nice time. And if you have relatives or friends to stay by, this would be a good excuse to visit.

Could you save enough money on the dollar/shekel price “spread” – the extra discount you get by buying things at the real dollar price, as opposed to the now-artificially hiked up shekel price – to make such a trip worthwhile? Such was the question I posed to myself, and here are my findings.

• A cursory examination prices for the same or very similar products here in Israel and at Amazon.com revealed some major price differences. At an Israeli auction site, for example (http://tinyurl.com/2pokzm), a Toshiba Satellite Core 2 Duo 1.5GHz 120GB laptop with 2 GB of RAM was going for NIS 4,568 (plus NIS 69 shipping and handling). At NIS 3.50/dollar, that comes out to $1,325. That doesn’t sound too bad, unless you consider that a better model (with a 200 GB HD) is available at Amazon.com (http://tinyurl.com/34rwwd) for $730. So, if you were buying a Toshiba Satellite laptop, you’d be $595 ahead if you bought it in the US.

• What about an HP laptop? This one (http://tinyurl.com/32yttf) at another site is being offered for NIS 5,999 – $1,714 at current rates. It’s got a Pentium duo-core processor, 2 GB RAM and a 250 GB hard drive. I couldn’t find the exact model and specs at Amazon, but this one (http://tinyurl.com/34jq5m), if you don’t mind an AMD duo-core processor, is pretty close – and it’s only $1,000. If, however, you must have an Intel processor, try this one (http://tinyurl.com/2v9ek3) – for $1,100. It’s got a 240 GB hard drive, Duo Core Intel Processor and a fingerprint reader to boot. Savings on this item – at least $614.

• Let’s move on to the Macbooks (you know you want one). The Israeli agent for Apple products, iDigital (http://tinyurl.com/386vzd), sells the basic 2.1 mhz white Macbook (1 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive) for NIS 6,199 – or $1,771. Compare that to the price you can get it for at Amazon – $1,094 (http://tinyurl.com/3dvk93). They’re even offering a $75 rebate on this item, which would bring down the cost to $1,019. But we won’t count that. Savings on the Macbook – $677.

And if you’re in the market for the newest edition of Apple’s laptop, the Macbook Air, you’ll save even more – NIS 10,000, or $2,857 for the iDigital version (http://tinyurl.com/2vahb8), compared to $1,794 for the same one at Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/2wl9lq) – a full $1,063 less.

• What about an iPhone? Well, they don’t officially sell it in Israel yet. However, a friend of mine (who couldn’t get a visa to the US and decided he couldn’t wait) told me he spent NIS 3,500 on one – a cool $1,000 – for the same phone the Apple store sells in the US for $399. To be fair, however, if you do buy an iPhone in the US, you have to unlock it to use it with local cellphone networks – a process I’ve seen widely advertised for NIS 249, or $71. Still, for the $529 you save on the iPhone, you could get two of them for the price of one here.

If you were to use my modest shopping list as a purchase guide, then, you could buy two laptops – the HP and a plain white Macbook – and an iPhone (with the Israeli conversion fee factored in) for $2,663 in the US, compared to $4,485 in Israel. That means to make a trip to buy these three items worthwhile, you’d have to spend less than $1,822 in airfare and expenses. Can it be done?

I checked the Web sites of several airlines for prices on flights between today and tomorrow, returning in a week (you could return in as little as three days on all of them, actually). On Turkish Airlines, with a stop in Istanbul, a round-trip ticket this week is $1,032.26, and on Lufthansa it’s $1,033. Cheapest ticket: Olympic Airways, which will get you to New York and back for $987. I checked El Al, of course, but for some reason their Web site doesn’t let you price round-trip flights leaving from Israel.

If you take the Olympic flight, you’ve got $835 to spend for the vacation part of your trip. But of course, we haven’t factored in staying by relatives, buying other expensive stuff (maybe your friends will want to give you a list), frequent-flier miles toward your ticket, etc. Whatever is on your list, remember: the spread can be your friend!