Java's volatile keyword is not your typical 'the day in the life of Java developer', at least compared to other Java keywords like final and static that are widely used in Java classes. Jeremy Mason takes a closer look at this keyword and how it relates to Java's memory model, threads and locking. Read Jeremy's post 'What Volatile means in Java': http://jeremymanson.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-volatile-means-in-java.html