In case you weren't already aware, there was a company called Writely that Google acquired. They made a web word processor, allowing you to create and store documents online, so you could then access and edit them from anywhere. Pretty nifty. Then Google created Google Spreadsheets which provided essentially the same conveniences, but for spreadsheets. It also added the ability to chat with others that were viewing a document at the same time as you. And it displayed updates to everyone in real-time, so anyone could make a change and everyone else could see it.



Well now they've combined the two into Google Docs and Spreadsheets and added some new features too. Give it a spin, it's pretty awesome.

After over a week on hiatus (due to illness), I'm finally posting again! There's a story about how a family in Vancouver is being told they must pay $3500 in permits to keep a tree house they built. Somehow, the father who is an architect spent $2500 just building the thing already, so he's obviously not very ready to part with it.

[The father] insists the city told them in August they could build the tree fort because there was nothing on the books to prevent it.

But the city's David McLellan said there is no record of anyone from city hall talking to the couple. He said the couple have been advised they can try to get a development permit for the tree house by supplying the needed paperwork, including a survey, drawings and photos. "We acted upon a complaint," said McLellan. "Typically, no structures are allowed in the front yard."

The city's Paul Herity said the complaint from a neighbour may have more to do with an extensive renovation the couple are doing. "There's some friction between the neighbours and we're caught in between," he said. "We're not out looking for tree forts."

The neighbour who complained refused to comment.

Sounds like some awfully fun neighbors. They're probably the ones in the neighborhood who at Halloween give the trick-or-treaters some toothbrushes... pennies... walnuts.

It was exactly one week ago that Stephen Colbert interviewed Toby Keith on The Colbert Report (it was a surprisingly good interview). In the interview, they mentioned the fact that Toby Keith smoked pot on Willie Nelson's tour bus, because "it was the thing to do" when you're hanging out with Willie. Toby also talked about how the pot was hydroponically grown in tequila.

Fast forward to one week later, and Willie Nelson was cited for marijuana posession.

Willie Nelson and four others were issued misdemeanor citations for possession of illegal mushrooms and marijuana after a traffic stop Monday morning on a Louisiana highway, state police said. The citations were issued after a commercial vehicle inspection of the country music star's tour bus, state police said in a news release.

Coincidence? I think not!

The Toby Keith interview:

Yahoo is about to launch an advertising blitz on Thursday, and part of it is giving away a free cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts if you set your browser's homepage to yahoo.com this Friday.

I don't drink coffee, but if I didn't I wouldn't mind changing my homepage for a day. I doubt you'd even have to leave it for the whole day.

I was just thinking the other day how nothing says mortgage to me like a couple dancing on a rooftop in the middle of the night. Thank you lowermybills.com for putting my thoughts into a crappy Flash ad. They even put the text "for under" under the rest of the text! These guys are geniuses!



Seriously, what the hell? How does this ad possibly convince anyone to get a mortgage? Sorry for the static image...I know you really wanted to see those silhouettes dancing around. And then you wanted to go buy a house.

There's a story on NBC local news about a website that tells travelers where they can buy marijuana. The story says "NBC10.com won't name the site, but it offers a global guide to where and how people can get pot." Even in their photo slideshow, they again emphasize that they are not naming the site. Presumably this is to keep kids from stumbling upon it, or encouraging people to discover the site. However, the screenshots in the 11-picture slideshow about a website clearly show large chunks of the website. Googling any part of the text appearing in the images pretty instantly reveals the site in question. So either reveal the name, or don't put up screenshots of pages if you don't want to disclose the site. I guess it's surprising that the first image isn't big enough for you to see what is typed into the address bar (I can't believe they use Internet Explorer).

The best quote from the article? "'That's a bunch of crap,' said Horsham police captain Joesph Repkoe, who is no fan of the site."

From the new Ebay Express website:

With eBay Express it's faster and easier than ever to breeze through all your shopping. Find the best deals on everything from designer jeans to a complete home theater system.

• Get it new: Shop our vast inventory of brand new, brand name, and hard-to-find products.
• Get it now: Everything on eBay Express is offered at a fixed price by top eBay sellers. Get what you want now - no bidding, no waiting.
• Fill your shopping cart: Buy from multiple eBay Express merchants. Pay for everything - including shipping - in a single, secure payment using PayPal or your credit card.
• Buy with confidence. Every transaction is safe, secure, and fully covered by free Buyer Protection. See conditions.

So from what I gather, the new Ebay Express = Amazon.com

Having a big party? What better way to prepare for it than robbing a cheese factory?

This burglary has all the makings of a giant tailgate party. The burglars who hit a central Wisconsin cheese factory early Monday made off with nearly 350 pounds of meat, more than 100 pounds of cheese and a dozen cases of beer, authorities said.

The theft occurred at the Dupont Cheese Factory in Marion, according to the Waupaca County Sheriff's Department. Among the missing items were 80 pounds of garlic sausage, 80 pounds of summer sausage, 80 pounds of beef sausage, 60 pounds of snack sausage, 30 pounds of bacon and 15 pounds of smoked beef. Also stolen were 48 jars of herring, 70 pounds of string cheese and a 40-pound block of cheese carved into the shape of a wedding bell. To presumably wash it down, the thieves took 12 cases of beer and 16 12-packs of soda.

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered. The sheriff's department said Monday night there were no suspects.

I know how to find the culprits. Just see who called in sick to work on Tuesday, citing an extreme food coma as their illness.

dave submitted a YouTube video that highlights some of the features in the upcoming Windows Vista that have never been seen before!

There's an article about a song that's being blamed for speeding tickets around the country.

At least that's what thousands of drivers are experiencing all across the country -- all due to an instrumental rock song called: "Let's Drive" by singer/songwriter Plissken.

The three-and-a-half minute rock guitar riff is being blamed for speeding tickets received by driving enthusiasts who say they were victims of the song's upbeat tempo. The consensus is the song puts you so deeply into the driving groove that the speed limit becomes irrelevant. "It's a great song, but you get into this zone and you begin to speed without realizing it," says Connie Mendez, one of the recipients of a speeding ticket in California. "Music affects the way you drive and feel about your car, and this song will actually make you enjoy traffic!" says [Car expert Barry Chadwick]. The label says they'll pay some of the fines since they feel partly responsible as the CD's website touts the slogan: "Get on that open road and put the pedal to the metal!" "We've received complaints from drivers in eleven states," says Adrian Martinez, president of Morusa Records, the label that released the CD a year ago. "We have agreed to pay for some of the fines as a courtesy." They label recently posted a link on their website that asks: "Have you gotten a speeding ticket because of our song?" as they try to keep track of how many people are being pulled over because of "Let's Drive."

You can hear the song right on their website on either the main page or by clicking on the top album on the page. Also, there's probably a couple of bands that owe me some money. You know who you are!