What is MySpace.com's Excuse?

MySpace is popular. MySpace has lots of funding backed by huge investors. MySpace probably has lots of developers. Yet, their site seems to always have so many basic issues. When I went there today, they had skinned their home page for the new movie, "The Reaping". The only problem is, you can't even read their fancy page background because it requires a screen resolution in excess of 1152 pixels wide (what I'm running right now). 800 x 600 used to be the standard years ago, now it's probably safe to say that 1024 is a good base standard... and at that resolution their background is even more unreadable. Do they have zero QA people? Their developers are probably running huge-ass resolutions on their huge-ass dual flat screen monitors, but QA people -- managers -- executives -- should notice these things. They're so trivial. Anyhow, I'm always noticing other little bugs and other issues like this that cause me to ask myself, "Are they totally oblivious to basic web development concepts?"

Believe in Music and Make money

Check out SellaBand - a new twist on promoting new musical artists and getting a piece of the profits.

Dogfights: The Best Show on Television

OK...so some people may not be into aviation or World War II, but if you're like me, you're into both -- and a new show on the History Channel, "Dogfights" is right up my alley. It is simply the most ridiculously awesome show I have seen in years. It centers around AMAZINGLY LIFELIKE computer animations of historic dogfights and also shows real photos, video, and recent interviews from people that were there -- recounting the actual story they are reenacting using computer graphics. The graphics aren't just "good computer graphics", they are insane. The quality blows me away with each new episode. I just finished watching the episode, "Guadalcanal", and there was an interview by one pilot, Jeff De Blanc, that was just fantastic. I can't say enough about this show (is it obvious?). You can check out a clip at the Dogfights web site -- but do yourself a favor and watch the show for yourself. New episodes air Fridays @ 10pm (9pm central) on the History Channel.

Send large files to people for free: SendThisFile.com

I recently had a need for someone to send me a large (in my case, ~20 MB) file to me -- I didn't want them to email it to me for obvious reasons. I ran across SendThisFile.com, which is a cool, free site to do just what I need. As a sender, you upload the file, enter the email address(es) for who is getting it, then you're all done. The recipient just goes to the special temporary URL to get the file. It's all really slick, check it out: SendThisFile.com

Don't ask employees to be passionate about the company!

This is a different way of looking at employees within companies -- maybe we don't care that employees aren't behind "the company" and what it's doing. This article poses the question, "what if employees are simply happy with what they're doing on a day-to-day basis?"

Before leaving my full-time job, I dealt with this a lot -- I would go through phases of enjoying what I was doing and literally forgetting about the real reason I wanted to leave the company -- that I didn't own it and wouldn't ultimately get [a substantial] part of anything that might come of it when it finally "made it". I didn't necessarily doubt that the company would "make it", in fact, I think they have a pretty good chance. I gave up the opportunity to be a part of that because the daily grind just wasn't leaving me very fulfilled.

Anyhow, check this out: Creating Passionate Users: Don't ask employees to be passionate about the company!

Matt Heaton, CEO of BlueHost.com

BlueHost is a Web hosting company, and I follow their CEO's blog and have referenced a few posts he's made. He really has a no-nonsense approach to things that I respect. I don't even know this guy, but he's quickly becoming a huge role-model for me... so I invite you to check out his Blog and follow it for yourself to see what you think: mattheaton.com

Skateboard + Snowboard = Freebord

Skateboarding spawned snowboarding, and now snowboarding has spawned Freebord. These look very cool. I don't know any skaters, but if I did, I'd like to get a vibe on how cool these things are from their perspective... be sure to check out the videos.

Gyroplanes kick ass!

I saw a quick thing on Discoveries this Week (on the Science Channel) about the Gyroplane -- unlike a helicopter, which "pushes" off the ground, the forward motion of a Gyroplane causes the rotors to spin, creating lift. One benefit of this is that if you were to lose power, you can slowly & softly come to a landing.

There are a couple of manufacturers, but the one highlighted on the show was Groen Brothers Aviation. Here is a quick intro the Gyroplane: What is a Gyroplane?

The SparrowHawk II is one of Groen Bros.' models, check out some photos & info here.

A spoon or a jackhammer?

This post touches on a big part of my philosophy with Web apps such as Team Cowboy. Link: A spoon or a jackhammer?

Is your product/service/company "Ripe for parody"?

This quick post makes a good point -- "If someone was going to make fun of your company, how would they do it? (And if there’s no answer, is that a sign you’re lacking a defined point of view?)" I suppose sometimes it's good to not stick out in the crowd if you're trying to make a sneak attack...but otherwise, I agree with this point. Link: Ripe for parody - (37signals)

To wear a suit or to not wear a suit...

Granted, I rarely wear suits and only occasionally really dress up, but I tend to agree with this article. I think there's a place for a suit (like, when everyone else is wearing one), and sometimes you just wear one when you're meeting new people -- but I agree with wanting to be comfortable and being able to prove who you are by your skills, not by how much money you decided to spend on a suit to impress people... Link: Mark Cuban on "the suit" - (37signals)

Steve Job's Speech in Stanford Ceremony

A few good life lessons...

Porn Industry: "Respect my Authoratah!"

Slashdot | Adult Film Industry Chooses HD-DVD

Web 2.0 Magazine: Top 100 Web 2.0 Sites

Here's what someone else considers to be the Top 100 Web 2.0 sites... I tend to feel that the term, "Web 2.0" has lost its true meaning, if it ever even had one. Anyhow, some sites on here are total crap, others are great. I found it interesting how many sites are trying to do the same things -- in some cases competing with existing sites that are very well known. Perhaps the best example? www.dictionary.hm -- I wasn't aware that www.dictionary.com and www.m-w.com were doing such a terrible job defining words. Seriously, why would you possibly waste time creating another dictionary web site? Anyhow, here's the link to the "Top 100": Web 2.0 Magazine: Top 100 Web 2.0 Sites

The Youngest Grocer in America - (37signals)

This story made me smile... business because of the fun & need of it, not purely to make a quick buck. The Youngest Grocer in America - (37signals) (quick summary of the story and link to YouTube video)

UIE Brain Sparks » Blog Archive » Long Pages and Short Forms

This is something key to keep in mind for basic page design...
UIE Brain Sparks » Blog Archive » Long Pages and Short Forms

35 most outrageous fees (and how to avoid them) | 1 | Money Magazine

35 most outrageous fees (and how to avoid them) | 1 | Money Magazine

In case you're wondering if random things blend...

Do you think any of the following will blend?

• iPod
• Golf balls
• Coke + Chicken (Cochicken)

Click this link to find out! Will It Blend? | Presented By Blendtec

Indoor Ski Resort in Dubai: Ski Dubai

Also saw this on Discoveries this Week. This is insane. I'm sure this exists elsewhere but I haven't heard of it -- and what makes this even more amazing is that the outdoor temperature in Dubai can get to 120 degrees F. Check this out... Ski Dubai

Electricity from Waves

I just saw this on Science Channel's "Discoveries this Week" show -- getting electricity from the up & down motion of a buoy from off-shore waves. The show said that a 100 sq-mile area of buoys would generate enough power for all of California -- at a fraction of the current energy cost. Seems to good to be true...how do I invest? :)
Ocean and Sea Wave Power -- Harnessing Energy from the Sea