While checking out Francisco Dao’s blog this morning, I was amused to discover that the date on the post was August 8, 2008. For those of you not keeping track, today is August 4, 2008. I thought it was funny.

Anyway, reading through Mr. Dao’s posts was interesting and I think I’ll be adding his feed to my reader. Here’s a quick screen grab of the post below. (Ahem, please forgive the really bad writing.)

A couple of former Google programmers just launched a competing search engine called Cuil (pronounced “cool”). From what I’ve read, they sold their previous one to Google in 2004. Very interesting… I like how they are going complete opposite of Google with the whole black color scheme.

GoDaddy’s shared server plans were getting slower than an 80-year old in the fast lane with his/her blinker on. MediaTemple has a great rep in the web industry, in fact, we used them back in 2002 when I was at Rome & Gold, and apparently their Grid-Service is structured differently than traditional shared hosting, which, hopefully, means faster content delivery for both my blog and ClickBricks - both of which were stalling pretty bad as of late. Let me know if it seems faster to you. BrandonMuth.com has resolved here in Tampa, and ClickBricks should be done resolving by tomorrow. Toodaloo.

I said here that I “don’t Twitter” but with the discovery of HelloTxt, it looks like I’m starting. Uh oh.

I’m excited to give Jott a try.

Remember in Minority Report when Tom Cruise controlled the computer by frantically waving his hands through the air? Well, this is not as complicated, but definitely a step in the right direction. Big props to Publicis for having the most unique navigation system so far on the internet. (You need a web cam and fast connection to utilize the motion feature.)

At least Bill Gates is trying to make up for this terrible product via philanthropy. He’s going to have to give A LOT of money to offset all the pain and suffering IE (at least IE6 and prior) has caused web developers over the years.

Probably not. But I admire their efforts to improve upon the way we search the web. Viewzi is more intuitive than other visual search attempts I’ve seen (of which I can’t remember any of their names). Remember when Google was the new kid on the block and people were saying that Netscape was too big to be taken down? But step by step they slowly became the big dog and overtook Netscape and everyone else. So if Viewzi keeps hangin’ tough you never know what could happen.

Weird. All of a sudden, I’m having nightmarish flashbacks of my sister plastering her wall with NKOTB posters. By the way, if you’re wondering, I pretty much blame NKOTB for this, this, this and this as well as almost every other cultural ill of the last 20 years. An overstatement? Yes. But also a convenient pre-coffee, 5:30am scapegoat. Sorry guys, sometimes that’s just how the chips fall. Best of luck with your reunion tour. At least this time around your swooners will (hopefully) be middle aged women and not teary eyed twelve year olds, which, strangely enough, is a very bizarre element of the whole boy band phenomenon that everyone quietly and politely ignores.

Seriously, you’re okay with your pre-teen daughter crying because she’s “in love” with a man in his twenties? In no other circle of our society would this be deemed acceptable. So, sorry, Alivia, not in my house. Your brothers already know that the appropriate time for a “serious” relationship and the accompanying emotions is when they are ready to be married. And they are only ready to be married when 1) they are 18 or older 2) they have a job that can pay all the bills and 3) they find someone who has (hopefully) similar desires to magnify the Lord and not revel in the disappointingly vain puffing up of humans. By the way, that last “hopefully” is directed at my boys.

How did I get from a new search engine to my kids future relationships? I don’t really know. All I can say is don’t give up on me. I promise I’ll try to keep my future posts a little more on point.

My excitement for the imminent internet hookup on Wednesday was misguided. Yes, two Verizon guys came and dug a ditch for the line. No, they did not hook it up. That is happening today between 12 and 2 just as scheduled. I’m still excited. Although I did find a new Starbucks today, which has aided in breaking the almost unbearable monotony of working from the same atmosphere every single day. I don’t know how people work from the same office day after day. They must have way more patience (or tradition) than me.

If you’re wondering why my blogging has been a little sparse, it’s largely due to the fact that we haven’t had internet at our house since we moved to Florida. First, (in addition to all of the other things that accompany moving across the country) we had to choose between Brighthouse, Roadrunner and Verizon (and I think Comcast) and by the time we got around to ordering it we discovered we had to wait 10 days for them to come install it.

Luckily, I guess they just showed up 3 days early. My wife just called to inform me that 2 guys are digging a ditch in our front yard. They came in a van with a Verizon logo on it so I think it’s all good. This comes at just the right time, because I don’t think I can take too many more days of hopping around different Starbucks. I also think this means that my wife will soon get her blogging on again as well, which I am happy about, because I miss her funny and insightful takes on raising our kids.

PS - yesterday was our 8th anniversary which we celebrated last weekend with a nice dinner, a movie and an overnight stay of the kids at grandma’s house. Yesterday we really kicked it into high gear with a rambunctious Waffle House run with 3 hungry boys in tow. (FYI - I’ve always been a sucker for Waffle House even before I discovered that the one in Tampa lets kids eat for 99 cents.)