Have Laptop Will Travel

Google Talk About

Originally posted on October 17, 2006 @ 12:02 pm

I like keeping in contact with friends, family and co-workers and with Instant Messaging services like Google Talk, Worldwide communication has never been easier.

Google Talk

As mentioned, I use Google Talk as my main form of online communication but I do use others if you view my contact page.

What I like about Google Talk is how the development team listens to user feedback to improve the service, add features, etc. and they’ve asked the users of Google Talk to share our stories with them.

According to a post today on the Google Talk Blog, Google is looking for stories that cover everything from the practical to the wacky.

Some examples would be:

  • Did Google Talk help you get a date?
  • Has it it reduced the cost of your small business communications?
  • Is it easier to keep in touch with folks outside the country?
  • Or maybe you used Google Talk to sing karaoke along with your friends in Korea.

I’ve shared my story with them and if you use Google Talk, you should too.

Hacking Democracy – The Video

Originally posted on November 6, 2006 @ 10:22 pm

Yesterday I posted about the documentary Hacking Democracy and now thanks to Google Video, you can watch the video on my site:

I’m not sure how long this video will continue to work, so watch it while you can.

I’ve also taken the hi-resolution version that I have for download and put it on a DVD, so if you’re interested in getting a copy, let me know.

All I ask is you cover shipping to your address.

Man Attempts To Sell ‘Soul’ In Web Raffle

Originally posted on November 13, 2006 @ 3:25 pm

A Florida man determined to turn his life around has put his soul up for “sale” on his Web site, saying the return on investment could beat the most-generous Vegas slot machine.

Gerald Fraller, 28, of Tampa, Florida, who has created the “Win My Soul” Web site to raffle off his soul, likened the deal to a business contract.

Fraller wrote on his site:

In the corporate world, people invest in companies all the time by purchasing shares of stock. In a sense, they are investing in the business’ future, its potential, its value and its intellectual property. So, it occurred to me, why couldn’t someone do the same with an individual. Only in this case, a single stockholder reaps all the benefits of my potential value through ownership of my soul.

In return, Fraller promises to part with a percentage of his taxable income for the rest of this life – a minimum of $500 annually is specified in the 20-clause contract – let the buyer name his still-to-be-conceived children, and allow the owner to decide the message to be chiseled into Fraller’s tombstone. The contract also includes a $1 million soul buyback clause.

Google Halloween

Originally posted on October 30, 2006 @ 9:39 pm

As with most festive times of the year, Google has put up a spooktacular logo just in time for Halloween:

Google Halloween 2006

Have a safe and happy Halloween. Watch out for all the zombies and ghosts… muhahahahaha!

Good Grief! 392 Feedburner Subscribers!

Originally posted on October 5, 2006 @ 10:14 pm

I good friend of mine likes to say “good grief” when something amazing happens and usually I’ll poke fun at him for sounding like a Peanuts cartoon… hehe… “good grief Charlie Brown!”

Well tonight I checked in on my Feedburner stats to see how many people were subscribing to my RSS feed:

392 Feedburner Subscribers

and you guest it, I said good grief when I saw the number 392.

This is a new record for me since I’ve been using feedburner to track my subscribers. Yay blog e-metrics!

At most I’ve averaged 30 to 100 on any given day but for the past few days, 392! This just boggles my mind. It makes me smile… and there was much rejoicing… YAY!

I am curious to know what my fellow blogger friends see on average with RSS subscribers.

What? You’re not tracking your RSS feed subscribers? Go download the Blogging E-Metrics Simplified Guide right away!

In all seriousness, I do want to know if 392 is a respectable number of subscribers.

I’m just happy to be blogging and doing what I do on a daily basis but to know that hundreds of people actually do read it on a regular basis, well that just rocks.