The internet: 'a series of Tubes'

A new web app causing buzz online not only improves productivity at the office, but also doubles as a powerful tool for aspiring media publishers.

Playfully dubbed Tubes, the application syncs files on hard drives with a personal Tubes page online. At the office, the app can be used to keep users up to date when a member on a given "Tubes" page makes a change.

Tubes is also an entertainment destination. In a section called The Hub, users can access Tubes set for public viewing. This is where aspiring media publishers can establish themselves without knowing code.

The name allegedly comes from a metaphor by Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, who called the internet a "series of tubes," a comparison that caught like wildfire among amused internet users.