Photographer Adam Cohen’s latest project, a collaboration with writer Craig Friedman, blends imagery and words using Internet technology. Their blog, The New American Census, features photographs that capture elements of American culture.  The blog, subtitled “the first census to sense America,” was launched in December 2009 and Cohen and Friedman say the project aims to show life as it is, taking inspiration from the world. It encourages viewers to actively observe their surroundings and question--and struggle with--the images around them...

I believe that the internet's greatest potential is to enable people to work together. There are examples everywhere of how the internet and tools like social networking are changing the rules. But this is only the beginning, and for us to truly realize the potential of a connected, collaborating world, there are more products to be invented and big problems to be solved.

The amazing thing about the age of the internet is that anyone can have a voice; anyone who wants to can express themselves, and even in the realm of food, the results are inspiring, creative, and bridge-building. Anyone from a Yemenite grandma in Tel Aviv to an eco-warrior teenager in New Jersey who can get their head around a simple template such as Wordpress can join this growing global community.

Amid the shopkeepers’ competing voices, enticing potential customers with the sweetest watermelons, the ripest tomatoes, and the best deals, Israelis expertly weave their way through the narrow labyrinthine lanes of the Shuk. It is easy to differentiate between the locals and the tourists, the former busily doing their shopping in preparation for that evening’s meal, the latter slowing down to gawk at the colorful sights and tantalizing aromas emanating from various stalls. A former Taglit-birthright israel participant states, “The Shuk was totally different than anything I have ever experienced. It seemed utter chaos to me, but all of the natives were totally relaxed and in their element. It was an amazing window into the world of an Israeli.”