All new #HolidayInn Blog Alerts..

#HolidayInn Digest Alerts
on MSN Messenger

Every now and then I find something new that will make the blog better. Today I may have finally out-done myself. Probably not though.

I stumbled across a beta service that takes our blog's RSS/Atom feed, converts it, and then delivers it to MSN/Windows Messenger users. It uses the .NET Passport system. It's also free.

The first few times I tried to add the alert to Messenger I got an error page, but eventually it went through. I suppose that's the way it goes with any Beta service. Aside from Google.

To sign up for this site's MSN Messenger Alerts just scroll down and find the link on the left hand side of the page. After clicking that you'll be taken to the MessageCast website where you sign into your .NET Passport. Once you're signed in just configure your delivery settings and that's it!

If everything works as advertised then anyone should be able to have up to three different types of alerts sent to their PC through MSN/Windows Messenger, to their Hotmail Inbox, or to their Mobile Phone/Internet Device. Dang that was a long sentence. The alerts should be instant. When someone makes a post to the blog the specified alert should be delivered immediately.

I really hope this feature works out. For my own convenience if anything. It would be great to see someone else get a little use out of this feature as well though.

Find more information about MessageCast and what they do:
http://www.messagecast.net

*Update: It doesn't work quite as planned. The alerts will tell you that the blog was updated and give you a short description of the post. However when you click the alert Messenger will take you to MSN.com instead of to the blog post. I'm working on the problem and will email customer support at MessageCast if I have to.

*Update2: I did at least add some nifty Blogger logo's to the alerts. Before I did that the alerts just used generic MessageCast graphics. There's still hope for this after all.

*Update3: The new Alerts system is running just fine now. Thanks Mike! The links sent both Messenger and Hotmail will now direct everyone to the full text of the updated post.

Fox News , CNN , MSNBC , Your Death Watch Networks ....Shame On You !

I just have to comment on this whole death watch thing ... I used to be an avid watcher of all the cable news channels... I am sorry to say that i have turned them all off and plan to never watch them again .... Mainly for one reason I do not feel in my mind that it is appropriate to sit outside someones House , Apartment , Care Facility , Capital Of Jesus Or Whatever ! ... and wait for them to die .... Even worse , to be so excited about them dying that you report it wrong on several occasions and kill them off before there time ... What has become of us ??? When did we think that this was ok ???? Do you really want one of these stations showing a dead person on the air ???? Is that even appropriate at all ?? Isnt it a little disrespectful ??? It to be honest makes me sick and I dont understand how you can watch it .... How would you like your life to be turned into so sick media watch standing outside your window trying to peek in just so some reporter can be the first to let people know you died ???? It could happen ..... Dont think it can't ..... We have to stop this now before its too late ..... I say join me in boycotting the stations who tell us that this is what we want ?? I dont remember asking for a dead person to be shown on my tv .. And yes i have changed the channel ... FOREVER ! I am boycotting all of you as well as your sponsors !

Gmail storage ticker

Gmail storage ticker

Google is giving us even more Gmail storage space! I just found out about an hour ago. The link in this post will take you to a "Gmail Storage Ticker" that is counting the ever growing storage in your account.

At the time of this writing the account storage is at 1,515+ MB.

Very cool stuff. I'll post more about this when I figure out wether the amout is going to stop. Some people are convinced that this number will keep rising. Forever.

Mitch Hedberg Dead at 37

Mitch Hedberg Dead at 37

Apr 1, 8:05 AM EST

Comedian and Actor Mitch Hedberg, 37, Dies

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Mitch Hedberg, a Minnesota-born comedian who worked in nightclubs, television and film in a wide-ranging career, died in New Jersey, his family said. He was 37.

Hedberg, who struggled with drugs and alcohol, died Wednesday in a hotel room in Livingston, N.J.

Pending the medical examiner's report, the cause of death appears to be heart failure, said his mother, Mary Hedberg. She said her son was born with a heart defect and frequently felt anxious about his condition.

Mary Hedberg said speculation that her son's death was drug-related was gossip.

"We don't know that for a fact," she said, but added, "it's not a secret Mitch used drugs. Whether that played a role in his death or not, we don't know."

A hit on "The Late Show With David Letterman," on which he appeared 10 times, and "The Howard Stern Show," Hedberg once was dubbed "the next Seinfeld" by Time magazine. But TV-series fame eluded him because his unique style of mumbled one-liners didn't lend itself to the sitcom format.

Hedberg delivered absurdist, random observations in a spacy staccato. His long, dirty blond hair harkened to the image of a 1970s stoner.

Jokes about Hedberg's drug use were a staple of his act. He took a hiatus from performing for several months after a May 2003 arrest in Austin, Texas, for felony possession of heroin.

Born in St. Paul, Hedberg rose through the ranks at Minneapolis' Acme Comedy Co. and caught his big break through a Comedy Central special.

His rambling, non-sequitur style often drew comparisons to Steven Wright, but Hedberg disagreed.

"If I made potato chips and put them in a can, people would say I was ripping off Pringles," he said. "But what if I put them in a bag?"

Hedberg had two popular comedy CDs, "Strategic Grill Locations" and "Mitch All Together." He acted in the movie "Almost Famous" - smoking fake pot with Peter Frampton - and appeared on Fox's hit series "That '70s Show."

Hedberg is survived by his wife, comedian Lynn Shawcroft, his father and mother, Arne and Mary Hedberg of St. Paul, and sisters Wendy Brown of Woodbury and Angie Anderson of South St. Paul.

© 2005 The Associated Press.

BrainGate plugs brains into computers - (United Press International)

BrainGate plugs brains into computers - (United Press International):

Foxborough, MA, Mar. 20 (UPI) -- A Foxborough, Mass., company has developed technology that plugs a human brain into a desktop computer, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems has developed BrainGate, a product aimed at enabling quadriplegics to do things like surf the Web, write e-mails, play video games and operate TV remotes and telephones just by thinking.

'We can take someone's thought and put it on a screen,' said Tim Surgenor, chief executive of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, manufacturer of the device, which is called BrainGate Neural Interface System.

BrainGate has already been tested on one person, and the Food and Drug Administration has given Cyberkinetics permission to test the technology on four other quadriplegics.

The system requires a surgeon to drill a hole in the patient's head and implant a chip on the surface of the brain area responsible for moving arms and hands."

WTF?

Ok... so, I have nothing fun to say. does that make me a prude?... the judges say, "Yes!"

Mozillasoft Firenet Explofox?!

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 Details Begin to Leak
By Mary Jo Foley

The first beta of IE 7.0 isn't expected for a few more months. But information on Microsoft's security, standards and interface plans are trickling out now.

Since it first revealed a month ago that it was pulling a U-turn by releasing a new version of Internet Explorer independent of Longhorn, Microsoft has been unwilling to share many particulars about its forthcoming browser.

Will Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0 have tabs? Will it comply with the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) 2.0 standard? Exactly how will it make browsing more secure? Will it ship in 2005?

Microsoft's answers? No comment.

Microsoft has shared publicly that IE 7.0 will be focused primarily on improving security. Company officials said recently that Microsoft plans to make IE 7.0 available to Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Professional x64 users. A first beta of IE 7.0 is due out this summer.

But Microsoft is sharing quite a bit more IE 7.0 specifics privately with key partners, sources who requested anonymity claim.

Sources say that IE 7.0 – which is code-named "Rincon," they hear – will be a tabbed browser.

IE 7.0 will feature international domain name (IDN) support; transparent Portable Network Graphics (PNG) support, which will allow for the display of overlayed images in the browser; and new functionality that will simplify printing from inside IE 7.0, partner sources said. The new browser also will likely include a built-in news aggregator.

(Coincidentally, or perhaps not, MSN just began testing a new Microsoft-developed RSS aggregator.)

Among the myriad security enhancements Microsoft is expecting to include in IE 7.0, according to partner sources:

# reduced privilege mode becomes the default;
# no cross-domain scripting and/or scripting access;
# improved Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) user interface;
# possible integration between IE 7.0 and Microsoft's Windows anti-spyware service, which currently is in beta.

* MSN Quietly Tests an RSS Aggregator
* Netscape 8.0 Supports Both IE and Gecko Engines
* Microsoft Lets Loose a Few More IE 7.0 Tidbits
* Microsoft Changes Course: New Standalone IE for XP Planned
* Firefox Still Gaining on IE

Partner sources say Microsoft is wavering on the extent to which it plans to support CSS2 with IE 7.0. Developers have been clamoring for Microsoft to update its CSS support to support the latest W3C standards for years. But Microsoft is leaning toward adding some additional CSS2 support to IE 7.0, but not embracing the standard in its entirety, partners say.