Forbes is reporting that Skype has “outrun” Myspace. They make this claim based on the number of users the respective companies have.

Skype reports having 113 Million users. Myspace (as of Aug. 08) reports having just cleared 100 Million users.

I think this is a poor comparison when it is the only inidicator used for comparative analysis. I took a look at what Google said. Google Trends aims to provide insights into broad search patterns. Google Trends analyzes a portion of Google web searches to compute how many searches have been done for the terms you enter relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time.

While Skype may have more users (and much more financial backing), myspace still rules the roost when it comes to sheer searches, and popularity. I’ve seen Myspace plastered over every media outlet I can think of. They’re everywhere.

Is forbes backing Skype? Maybe this is something for the sharesleuth to investigate. The guys over there are pretty good about digging up information.

Click the image to view the full trend report generated by Google.

A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an 80×80 pixel avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. Avatars help identify your posts on web forums, so why not on weblogs?

I signed up a couple of days ago and it was pretty painless. If you can make an  80×80 image, you’ve got an avatar. Simply register, activate your account, and upload your avatar. After their reviewers are done ‘rating’ it (using the MPAA style of rating) you can begin seeing your gravatar here on the website when you make a comment. Cool eh?

As long as the email you sign up with gravatar is the same one you use here, you’ll see your gravatar on the comments here.

That’s all it takes.

WikiMapia is a project to describe the whole planet Earth. Just move the map to find interesting places and click on rectangles (Like Flickr). To add an interesting place or object use “Add New link”.

Wikimapia was created by Alexandre Koriakine and Evgeniy Saveliev, inspired by Google maps and Wikipedia.

I’m having a blast looking at Dallas, TX on the map. Check it out. You might be surprised to see what’s been wikimapped. Click the image to see my first contribution.

Last Wednesday, I went to White Rock Lake with my gal to take pictures. It was a nice night, and the sun was out. We took pictures and left to eat dinner, but while we were eating we heard thunder. As we left, I could tell a storm was brewing, and we kept seeing lightning in the distance. We went back to White Rock Lake and I setup the tripod and camera facing westward on the bank. I set it up for a 30 second exposure shot, and got two lightning bolts in a single shot. Pretty lucky timing.

I hope you enjoy. Click the image for a larger version, or click here.

I’ve finally resigned myself to the fact that working on the weekend isn’t a bad thing at all.



Historically, I’ve shunned the thought of working weekends because after all, it’s my weekend!–If I were not to rest and relax on the weekend, then when would I?


However, there comes a time when one realizes–if I don’t do it, it’ll never get done. It’s sad but true. Plus, there are some things (aka ‘pet projects’) I want to get done that I simply cannot prioritize for one reason or another, or because there are things waiting to get done that are incredibly more important to the business as a whole. With that, comes the weekend. The weekend is when I’m allowed to sleep in, get rested up, and allows my creative juices to flow more freely than normal. This is the perfect time to get things done for work that I don’t have time to do during the week. It isn’t about being able to say “Hey, look what I’ve done”. It has more to do with fulfilling some unexplainable internal need for satisfaction. In particular, the satisfaction I get out of doing things I think need to get done for the company that haven’t been done for whatever reason. These reasons include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Complacency within the workgroups that need the particular toolset(s)
2. The “We’ve asked for it forever and finally gave up” syndrome that plagues all businesses (I hear this one the most)
3. Others’ ignorance about what data is available to them (it isn’t their fault, or is it?)
4. Fear of asking (This is more due to culture than anything)

I’m not making a big deal about it. If I were so inclined not to work on the weekend, I wouldn’t have chosen this line of profession—being a programmer.



I actually get quite a bit done on the weekends. I’m not hounded by a hoard of incoming emails, meeting requests, or incessant phone calls from technicians, accountants, or managers.



I’m not griping. I love my job. I love what I do. I’ll say it again: I’ve decided that working on the weekend isn’t a bad thing at all, in fact, it’s quite efficient.



What are your thoughts on this? I’m interested.

During the State of the Union Address, something cool happened.

His speech went as follows:

“…For years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important for hunting terrorists.”

Now there was some applause here, mostly from the Right side of the house–from the conservatives/Republicans. He then went on to say…

” Key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year.”

Before he could get his next sentence out, the Democrats slowly began to erupt into applause. I thought this said something very important about the differences in ideals between the Republicans and the Democrats. I am all for tracking down terrorist and capturing them, but not at the price of my civil liberties. I am reminded of something:
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

It is just as important today as it was then to preserve our rights as free Americans.
Bush’s speech continued:

” The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule. Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens - you need to renew the Patriot Act. ”

President Bush, I simply disagree.

Immediately after he got these words out of his mouth, the camera went directly to the Attorney General John Ashcroft, the man behind the Patriot Act.