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Michael Arrington just bought a new car through Cars Direct and has a great write up of exactly how the process worked.  If you're interested in how new car buying online works, it's a great read. 

And understand the importance of Male Restroom Etiquette.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/do-you-google.html

The article begins harmlessly enough:  "Q: What do zippers, baby oil, brassieres and trampolines have in common? A: No, the answer isn't that they're all part of the setup for a highly inappropriate joke. In fact, the above list (along with thermos, cellophane, escalator, elevator, dry ice and many more) are all words that fell victim to those products' very success and, as they became more and more popular, slipped from trademarked status into common usage."  And then the blogisphere went into a tizzy. (more…)

So, recently I posted my review of Internet Explorer 7.  I did that because I know that some of you out there are still using IE6 and if you are, you NEED to upgrade.  But I don't use IE unless … well, no I don't use IE. 

UPDATE:  (10/24 11:15) The final version of Firefox 2 is OUT!  Get it now at http://getfirefox.com

Allow me to take this opportunity to introduce you to the OTHER new browser out there, the one I use, Firefox version 2.  So, in case you've been living under a rock or just ignoring my Firefoxian Evangelism for the past little bit of forever, Firefox is a free and open source browser, which means the cost of upgrading or even just trying it out is a grand total of nothing.  It has had features since launch that IE is just getting in version 7, such as stronger security, add-ons that extend functionality and (joy of joys) tabbed browsing.  Once you've experienced tabbed browsing, you seriously will wonder how you ever lived without it.  It's like dual monitors, but I digress… A bigger deal is that Firefox doesn't support Active X, which is one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities in IE, this makes some things (like some IE-only sites) a pain in the neck, but there are ways around that.  And besides, you're not uninstalling IE, you're just not using it unless you REALLY have to.  In a nutshell, Firefox > IE, got it? (more…)

Scrybe: Demo of the gods | News.blog | CNET News.com

Scrybe, a Web 2.0 app due for public beta launch this month basically looks like the holy grail of web apps.  It's a complete online and OFFLINE information manager.  I've requested a beta account so when it launches I'll spend some time on it here.  According to the website "http://iscrybe.com " it promises:

Seamless offline access - without any installations
Rich and fast like a desktop
Intuitive zoomable calendar views
Organize your thoughts with bookmarks, web snippets, images and files
To-do lists integrated with your calendar
Share and collaborate with friends and co-workers
Elegant, compact and handy print formats
Easily work across multiple timezones
Import and export from other apps easily. Your data is yours!

Essentially, it is an AJAX RIA that takes the place of a Personal Information Manager.  Rather than blather on about it, you simply need to see the video. It's below the fold. (more…)

Found at Alvin & the Chipmunks >> from Your Daily Awesome

Centripetal Notion (Other source)

Once again, I come bearing weirdness.  Remember the Chipmunks Christmas Song?  Well some guy used an audio processor and reversed the tempo/pitch shift that made the Chipmunks sound like… well, like chipmunks.  Upon googling, there are several examples of the two mp3s referenced in the blog post: the Original and the Slowed Down Verison.  Of course they're singing at half speed, so it sounds a little like they've been hitting the pharmacy counter… Try this:  Take the original file, and load it up in Audacity select all, Effect Menu, then Change Pitch.  Enter -11 Semitones and press OK.  There.  Now you've got the normal SPEED of the song, but the Voices are "normal" (except for Dave, who sounds quite evil).  

Internet Explorer 7 final released - AUTOMATIC updates begin in November

Why should you care? Because IE6 was one of the most targeted (and therefore dangerous) browsers on the market and in spite of the fact that I've been BEGGING all of you to switch to Firefox forever, I know there are some of you still using IE.  So, with that in mind, I repost the intro to IE I sent to the folks at my office. Oh, and I'll get to a review of Firefox 2 soon… promise. Read on…
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Justice Antonin Scalia in a recent televised debate with ACLU president Nadine Strossen argued persuasively for the seemingly lost concept that the job of the Supreme Court is not to decide controversial political and social issues, but to (shocker!) interpret the Constitution. 

Scalia in the past has criticized the 1973 Roe v Wade abortion decision as "bad law" and argued the Court's 1990 decision that allowing defendants to testify via closed circuit TV (thus circumventing the "confrontation clause" of the Sixth Amendment) was "bowing to public opinion".  During the television program, Scalia said, "On controversial issues on stuff like homosexual rights, abortion, we debate with each other and persuade each other and vote on it either through representatives or a constitutional amendment, …Whether it's good or bad is not my job. My job is simply to say if those things you find desirable are contained in the Constitution."
Imagine that, a Justice that recognizes his job is to interpret, not to make things up.

Scalia says Constitution silent on abortion, race in school - CNN.com

Walt Disney Co. joined the growing list of large corporations jumping on the “We’re healthy too!” band wagon.  On Wednesday, the House of Mouse, Inc. announced that it would begin serving “nutritionally ballanced” meals at domestic theme parks.  CEO Robert Iger said that the company would also only sign movie and endorsement deals with companies that promote healthy options. 

Disney joins several fast food chains such as McDonalds and Wendy’s.  Interestingly, it was just last year that McDonalds and Disney ended a ten year exclusive deal to promote Disney’s animated films with Happy Meals. 

When asked for comment, Goofy replied “Uh-huh, Garsh!”

FOXNews.com - Disney To Serve Only Healthy Meals - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News

Does this mean I've become a real blogger?  Here I sit on my bed using a laptop to wirelessly update my blog with a post about feelings.  For shame…

Lucky for you it's not a post about MY feelings but about everyone else's, and a neat little site I found that uses some nifty data mining and visualization to show and track the "mood" of the internet.  Read on…

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