Today, lots of Google news. There was a PageRank Update - yea, I jumped from a PR0 to a PR6. Google will be updating the query stats section every Monday now. Google released a new Google Reader, very good job. Also, Google's Picasa enabled sharing.

Ask.com is releasing a new PPC platform this Monday. Microsoft's adCenter bulk upload doesn't allow bulk uploading. Live.com is indexing 301 redirects in a weird way. Yahoo is to install its Toolbar on all HP computers in the US. Yahoo! China is suing Qihoo for malware warnings on it's Toolbar. Finally, Yahoo is holding Hack Day today.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

If you sign up for a Google Checkout Account through my affiliate URL then I get paid, so sign up!

I was just accepted to the Google Checkout Merchant Referral Program.

For the next 12 months, you will receive financial bonuses for referring merchants to Google Checkout. For every merchant you refer that processes at least 3 unique buyer transactions and at least USD $500 in sales through Google Checkout, you will receive USD $25. Additionally, you will receive USD $5 for every USD $1000 of Google Checkout sales processed by merchants you refer. Once 12 months have passed, you will no longer receive these bonuses, so get your merchants signed up early!

All the terms and conditions are listed at checkout.google.com/seller/referrals_terms.html.

Again, sign up here to make me money!

Posted at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

I have been saving a few stories to blog about, and these seemed appropriate for the weekend.

WebMD named one recent article 26% of Teens Drive Drunk or on Drugs and then a few days later wrote an other article named Teen Drinking, Drugs: Parents Unaware.

More than one in four teens who drive say they've driven drunk or on drugs.

and

55% of adolescents who had smoked cigarettes, 50% who had used alcohol, and 47% who had used marijuana had a parent who knew that they used... About 8% of teens said they had used such drugs, while only 3% of their parents said they knew about that drug use.

So if you have a kid and they have a drivers license, then they have a 1 in 4 chance of driving drunk and you are very likely not to know about it.

If you don't have kids or if you are worried about driving, you can read How To Spot A Drunk Driver and What To Do.

Related stories: Practice Parking Your Car Online

Posted at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

I just posted a new job opening at RustyBrick. We are looking for one HTML / CSS / XHTML Developer at the moment and as many top notch Advanced PHP/MySQL Engineer as possible. :)

One big issue for many is the huge requirement that is must be on site! Yes, in the main RB offices, in Suffern, New York (45 minutes out of Manhattan). Google Maps details here.

So if you are really in to joining the RustyBrick team, then check out the job postings...

1. Advanced PHP/MySQL Engineer
2. HTML / CSS / XHTML Developer

Then apply at http://www.rustybrick.com/contact_job.php.

Thanks!

Posted at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Category: RustyBrick | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Many of you know I have been messing with Google Checkout buttons, and even got an all star donation from Matt Cutts, but I am sad to hear that I was suspended by Google Checkout. Technically, I can still accept payments, but I cannot place the "Google Checkout Badge" on my RustyBrick AdWords ads.

Suspended is a harsh word. It should just say "not approved," because technically, rustybrick.com does not qualify to sport a Google Checkout Badge (aka ) on my AdWords listings. Why? Because I don't sell anything. But why use the word "suspended?" It makes it sound like I did some evil or very wrong... At least "suspended" is not in a bold red, green is a nice color for it. :)

Here is the email the Google Checkout Team sent me, I removed the individual's name...

Hello Barry,

During our recent review, we found that you've processed at least one transaction through Google Checkout. However, we were unable to locate Google Checkout buttons or Buy Now buttons on your website http://www.rustybrick.com/. You must place Google Checkout buttons or Buy Now on your website in accordance with our program policies (https://checkout.google.com/seller/policies.html) in order to be eligible to display Google Checkout badges on your AdWords ads.

As a result, your Google Checkout badges have been suspended. However, your account is still active. If you'd like to display badges on your ads again, please respond to this message with the URL of at least one page on your website with a Google Checkout or Buy Now button.

For more information about Google Checkout badges, please visit http://checkout.google.com/support/sell/bin/topic.py?topic=8667.

Please feel free to reply to this email if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

The Google Checkout Team

I replied, but I doubt I will be able to sport that badge on my ads. In any event, I made my own above, just to make me feel good.

Posted at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Fun day today in search. Matt Cutts has agreed to come on to the Search Pulse, here and there to answer questions. Yahoo! Search Marketing launched in India. Germany has a huge 150+ foot bug attacking it, according to Google Maps. Yahoo! bought a 6 month old remixing startup named Jumpcut. Google won't give Brazil the Orkut data they once promised. AdWords geo-specific data has been explained to us. I found some more Microsoft adCenter bugs. The Click Quality Council was launched today. Finally, Ask.com launched new weather and earthquake features.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Building Links To Rank Well In Other Countries
   
2. Rotating Google AdSense Background Colors
   
3. Yahoo! Search Marketing to Expand to India Soon
   
4. Geographic Specific Words May Override Geo-IP Data in Google AdWords
   
5. Microsoft adCenter Bug Wont Allow Some Advertisers To Save Keywords
   
6. A Serious Google Maps Bug
   
7. Matt Cutts To Guest On Search Pulse Podcast
   

Search Engine Watch Topics:

1. Yahoo Acquires Jumpcut To Add Editing Tools To Yahoo Video
   
2. Google Not To Deliver Orkut Data To Brazil Authorities
   
3. Beware: Giant Bug Found On Google Earth
   
4. The Click Quality Council Formed By ClickForensics
   
5. Ask.com Upgrades Weather Results & Adds Earthquake Data
   

Posted at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) (0) | Speak

Rocking Horse
Originally uploaded by Brandon Vrosh.

"Laws get passed which at the moment in time made a lot of sense. As you go back and look at the administrative code, it is easy to find parts of the code that are out of date and no longer make sense.

Posted at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Yesterday I posted an entry named I'm a Google Checkout Merchant - Donate To Me, I honestly didn't think people would donate - but one person I can name by name, has donated. Matt Cutts from Google has donated me a whole $16. He was the first one to send me a payment via Google Checkout. Very cool and thanks Matt - the link only cost you $16. ;-) Just kidding... lol

Here is proof, click on the image for a larger version:

So now I am easily able to create these Google checkout buttons, easy as copy and paste...

Next is I play with the Google Checkout API.

Again, thanks Matt.

Posted at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

A week ago, Ask.com sent me schwag, part of that was a Timbuk2 Commute bag, branded for Ask.com. It is an awesome laptop bag, really is. So much so, I am strongly considering getting about fifty of them branded for RustyBrick.

Timbuk2 has a Corporate Sales Program, so I contacted them. It will basically cost $70 per bag, if I order 50. plus $7.50 per piece for the embroider cost and a one time $150 set up fee.

50 bags
$70/bag
$7.50/bag
$150 one time fee
---------------
$4,025.00

This does not include shipping and tax.

Some of the other powers at the company are not too into the idea. If I can convince them that I can sell the bags to RustyBrick fans, if there are any, for $100 a piece, then maybe they will go for it. If I sell 10 bags, then its $1,000. The rest go to employees, and preferred clients. Oh and maybe a few contests for lucky blog readers.

What are your thoughts? I posted an image of the Mocha/Light Brown/Mocha Wool version, not that I would get it in wool, but the colors go best, I think. I then pasted the RustyBrick logo on the bag, yea, I did my best.

Update 3:30PM (EST):
It looks like I won't be able to get the above Commute in that color above. Custom colors like that are only available for the Messenger Bags, which I really do not want. The closest colors would be the brown/burnt orange/brown combination. I am now thinking of going with a combo of Commute bags and Blogger bags. I am guessing, they will look something like this:

Commute on left & Blogger on right.

Updated thoughts?

Update 3: I am told they cannot guarantee the commute will come in that color. They can guarantee it in black, but not the brown/burnt orange/brown combination. I can always order a custom messenger bag. Errr.

Posted at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Category: RustyBrick | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Some of you know I got the Treo 700P about a month or so ago. One of the main reasons I got it was to use the high speed connection with my MacBook Pro. First thing I did, before installing any software on the Treo was to tether the two together via bluetooth and it worked fine. Then for some reason it stopped working and I was only able to get it to work sporadically.

I called Verizon who put me in touch with Palm's Treo Mac support. They had me clean off all the stuff from the Treo - which makes sense, since they felt someone was conflicting with the connection. I did that and I was back on the EVDO network but it only lasted a short time. I then began installing software again, and presto, back offline and unable to connect. Really frustrating.

I think I have finally narrowed it down to the software that was interfering with the Verizon Broadband Connection.

Chatter Email, it is what I use to check email on my Treo. It absolutely rocks, I love pretty much everything about it. The developer is constantly adding new features and it runs so smooth. But it doesn't let me connect to the Verizon Broadband EVDO Connection. But I have a solution, when I want to connect to the Verizon Broadband Connection, I just select "Shutdown & Disconnect" from the "Sys" menu in the Chatter Email program. I wait a few seconds until it shuts off and then I connect via my Mac to my Treo and presto, I got EVDO!

It worked the past two times I tested it. Last night at home, where it never worked. And this morning at the office.

If anything changes, I'll document it. I am actually going to call Palm to let them know. I am sure this can help others.

Posted at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Really slow day today, no idea why. In any event, I decided to sign up for Google Checkout, so I can mess around with it for my clients, even recommend it to them.

So I signed up and I created a button.

Why don't you donate $16 to me as a test?

Here is the button you can click on to donate...

FYI - the button creation doesn't work with Safari. Google, please fix it. Next is, I test playing with the Google Checkout API.

Posted at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Lots of topics covered today, including one big happy birthday to Google on the big number 8. Speaking of Google, Matt Cutts has an evil twin brother. Indeed launched a salary search engine. Online ad spend surges 37% in Q1 and Q2 of 2006. Text Link Ads launched Feedvertising. Ask.com gets some discussion at WebmasterWorld. Yahoo! seems to be deducting funds from publisher's balances, again. Google was down in the north east US for some Comcast users. Incisive was sold to Apax Partners. And finally, for those that missed it, the archive for the fourth addition of the Search Pulse is now live.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Search Pulse 4 Live
   
2. Apax Buys Incisive Media Owner of Search Engine Strategies & Search Engine Watch
   
3. Google Inaccessible For Users in North East United States
   
4. Happy 8th Birthday Google
   
5. Another Yahoo! Publisher Network Balance Reporting Deduction?
   
6. Ask.com Getting Noticed by SEOs
   

Search Engine Watch Topics:

1. Google's 8th Birthday
   
2. 2006 Online Ad Spend: 37% Increase in '06 & Search Remains Hot
   
3. Indeed Launches Salary Search Beta
   
4. Evil Matt Cutts: Matt's Evil Twin Brother
   
5. Text Link Ads Launches Feedvertising
   

Posted at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0) | Speak

I had a meeting that was cancelled today, so I went with Ronnie to the local Costco to pick up some stuff for the office. Let me tell you, this is the first time I have been in Costco since I was ten or so. This was a bad idea.

What did we buy? Well what didn't we buy?

Keep in mind, Costco pretty much only sells in bulk, so when I say "Kleenex" I mean 20 boxes of family size Kleenex.

(QTY) Product
(2) Kleenex Tissues
(1) Paper Towels
(2) Huge Plastic Cups
(1) Vintage Seltzer
(1) Plastic forks
(1) Plastic knives
(1) Garbage bags
(1) Diet Coke
(1) Coke
(1) Twizzlers
(2) Arizona Ice Tea
(1) Snapple Ice Tea
(1) Plastic Bags Gallon Size
(1) Bags Sandwich Size
(1) QuakChew
(1) Grandmas Cookies
(1) Chex Mix
(1) Hershy Bar Mix

And there is more.

For now we threw it all in the conference room, until we can put everything away in an organized fashion. That is a picture of all the junk we bought, taken on my Treo 700p.

Hope this lasts a while!

Posted at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Category: RustyBrick | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

I absolutely hate the Search Engine Watch (main site) RSS feed. It is the most annoying feed on my RSS feeds list. It updates several times a day on Bloglines, even when the main site only has one new article per day. Note, this is just the main site's feed and not the blog feed, which is powered by MovableType and FeedBurner.

Please SEW, please Stop Updating Your Posts Please! Especially when nothing has changed!

There have been feeds that I have unsubscribed from in the past because of this.

Posted at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Category: Rambling | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Two girls won the legal right to play on the Winnipeg school boys hockey team. In any event, they didn't make the cut in try outs.

The funny part is that now the boys want to be allowed to try out for the various girl teams. The Winnipeg Sun reports;

Joe, a Grade 12 student at a south Winnipeg high school, is one of a handful of boys who have come forward to request tryouts on girls' school teams in the wake of last week's Manitoba Human Rights Commission ruling.

Now that is funny.

Posted at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Funny | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

The other day I posted about my love for nonpareil chocolates, and then this morning I noticed a comment by Matt Cutts of Google who added that nonpareils is also a pattern for marbling. What type of pattern? Well, he links to a Google Images search for the term, which shows this hippish looking psychedelic pattern named nonpareil.

I tried finding pictures of this at flickr but only got the candy kind, and some of those pictures are simply, wow!

Then I thought, maybe this was a hit to my Ask.com post named, Ask.com Image Search Gets Smarter. But I tried an image search at ask on the same words, nonpareil marbling and the results look just fine to me.

So it makes me wonder about Matt's true identity... Matt the search geek or Matt the hippie?

Posted at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

I just wanted to thank James Omdahl for his kind words about the Search Engine Roundtable.

Now I am telling you about Search Engine Roundtable’s (SER) newsletter knowing that there is a distinct possibility that SER’s daily newsletter will give you all of the search engine marketing news you can handle each day – which might keep you from visiting us here at the InsureMe Affiliate Blog, which will make we very, very sad.

How nice of you. So much appreciated.

Thank you!

Posted at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

After the holiday, sometimes Ronnie (my brother) brings in left over junk food. So today, he brought in a bunch of junk, including one of my favorite chocolate candies, Nonpareils. That is a picture of the large amount of mini-nonpareils that was sitting on my desk just a few minutes ago.

I used to like them a lot more, but now, after a few handfuls (um, that means like 400 mini-nonpareils) I kinda get sick of them.

In any event, I prefer the colored sprinkle ones that are full-sized.

I looked up at the Wikipedia if Nonpareils had an entry and they did...

Nonpareils are a decorative confection of tiny sugar balls, traditionally an opaque white but now available in many colors. Their origin is uncertain, but they may have evolved out of the pharmaceutical use of sugar, as they were a miniature version of comfits. The French name has been interpreted to mean they were "without equal" for intricate decoration of cakes, desserts, and other sweets, and the elaborate pièces montées constructed as table ornaments.

But that is not the only meaning for the term nonpareils, it is also used for an open source interactive document editing system, cool!

Tasty treat! Don't worry, I didn't eat too many.

Posted at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Category: Homey | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Today in search, I wrote about some solutions on creating dynamic phone numbers for your PPC campaigns. Yahoo! said we are better than Google at loving Canadians. Google's Froogle goes missing, I looked at discussion for Google's long term plan. Google added a dynamic comment line to AdSense code, very weird. Heck, hybrid cars aren't the only things Google is working on, they are working on making PCs take up less energy as well. A Madrid University joined Google's Book Search scanning project. I dug into some of the rumors about Google's Index Bench.

Finally, it was Danny's 41st birthday this past Sunday - and Google was the one that got the phone call from space!

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Dynamic Phone Numbers & Extensions For Your PPC Campaigns
   
2. Yahoo! Says They Love Canadians
   
3. Google Product Searches To Be Upgraded Prior To Holiday Season
   
4. Happy Belated Birthday Danny Sullivan
   
5. New Code Added To AdSense Setup Code
   

Search Engine Watch Topics:

1. Google Aims To Make More Energy Efficient Computers
   
2. Google Gets Long Distance Phone Call From Space
   
3. First Non English University To Join Google Book Search Project
   
4. Google's Index Bench: Build Your Own Google Search Engine?
   

Posted at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0) | Speak

I was chatting with Gary this morning and he was pointing out to me some new triggers Ask.com added to limit the search results for some of their image search smart answers.

So a search on images of empire state building bring back what you would expect, pictures of the empire state building. Makes sense and simple.

But it gets smarter... A search on logos of new york jets gives you logos, how do they know they are logos? I dunno exactly, some of that secret sauce.

Yea, it gets even smarter... A search on beatles drawings shows actual drawings. Can Ask.com see that these images of the beatles are line art or something?

What about mountains watercolors, those are colorful mountains.

The smartest of them all, nyc subway sketches, some crazy sketches.

One thing I noticed is how close a search on nyc subway sketches is to nyc subway drawings. Why so close? Hopefully I will have more on that later.

Posted at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

IMG_4751
Originally uploaded by sjd52878.

Posted at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Category: | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Skipped the summary on Friday, so the links below include them. In addition, I only posted two items on SEW today and zero on Friday. Kinda took off those two days. Today I am still recovering. In any event, don't miss tomorrow's Search Pulse, live at WebmasterRadio.FM at 5PM (Tuesdays EST).

In summary, I covered the following topics on Friday and Monday, September 22nd & 25th. Google moved the reinclusion form to the sitemaps console. Yahoo! Publisher Network had a reporting bug. Google AdSense added a 200 by 200 ad unit. Google is accepting beta testers for Google Pages. There was an other credit card error in AdWords. Google fixed the OneBox extractor code that we reported last week. German AdSense publishers got a big optimization book. Andy Hagan wrote a new sandbox secret guide, thing. Google displayed funky long snippets in the SERPs and conversion rates between organic and paid listings are about the same.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Google Moves Reinclusion Request Form To Webmaster Central
   
2. Yahoo! Publisher Network Reporting Bug
   
3. Google AdSense Adds 200x200 Ad Unit
   
4. Want To Be a Google Lab Rat?
   
5. Continued Credit Card Errors at Google AdWords
   
6. Google Fixes OneBox Extractor Code
   
7. German AdSense Publishers Get Tip Book From Google
   
8. New Sandbox Guide Discussed
   

Search Engine Watch Topics:

1. Google Displaying Really Long Site Descriptions?
   
2. Organic & Paid Search Conversion Metrics Similar
   

Posted at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0) | Speak

tired eyes
Originally uploaded by sesame ellis.

Posted at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Category: | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Matt McGee has an outstanding post named Top 21 Signs You Need a Break from SEO, which then Stuntdubladds 11 more to.

Ok, so I can relate to all 32 items listed. But, what scares me most is...

What does it mean if you are mentioned not once, not twice, but three times in these blog posts? Now I am scared...

You know the URLs for Search Engine Roundtable, and can explain the nuances which make each unique, not to mention rattle off the list of writers for each one, including those who write for more than one of them.

You know the URLs for Search Engine Watch, and can explain the nuances which make each unique, not to mention rattle off the list of writers for each one, including those who write for more than one of them.

Following in the footsteps of Cartoon Barry, your brilliant idea for 2007 is to create an alter-ego for yourself called “SEO Shaft.” Your blog’s tagline will be “Can ya Digg it?”

Eeeekkk!

Posted at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

This morning, we went to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to fly out to St. Louis and guess who we saw pull up? Jesse Jackson, he was standing outside of terminal, waiting for something. A couple people took pictures with him, while he was waiting. I snapped some candids...

Posted at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Tiring day...

Google launched a new feature for Book Search that allows you to find a nearby library that has the book you want. I looked at reasons why Yahoo! is seeing their ad growth slow. WebmasterWorld gained a new Microsoft adCenter representative, this one is from the UK. Is Google testing pay per call in India? KinderStart is at it again, suing Google. GooglePray, no comment. Live.com referral bug has been fixed.

I want to wish those of you a happy, healthy and successful New Year!

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Why Does Yahoo! See Ad Growth Slowing?
   
2. New Microsoft adCenter WebmasterWorld Member Represents Europe
   
3. Google Launches Pay Per Call in India?
   
4. Lingering Reports of a Very Inaccurate Google Site Command Search
   
5. The GooglePray META Tag
   
6. Microsoft Fixes Referral Bug in Windows Live Search
   
7. Slow Over Next Few Days - Rosh Hashanah
   

Search Engine Watch Topics:

1. Google Book Search Adds "Find It At The Library" Link
   
2. KinderStart Issues An Amended Complaint Against Google
   

Posted at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0) | Speak

Did you happen to read Danny's post about a new job opening from Google for a Webmaster Trends Analyst?

Sounds like a perfect job for Barry Schwartz! Of course, if I lose yet another news editor to a search engine, oh vey!

Hmmmm....

Posted at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה), the Jewish New Year, is this Friday night. My wife an I are flying to St. Louis tomorrow morning, to spend the weekend with her family. Blogging will be light this Friday and also I won't be able to blog Monday AM until after about 11AM (EST).

In any event...

Google has put up a Google Doodle with a Shofar in it. The Shofar is typically blown during Rosh Hashanah services. Aish HaTorah has a good article on Symbolism of the Shofar.

You can currently see the logo at google.co.il.

Happy New Year to all you Jews. :)

Posted at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Category: Family , Homey , Travels | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

We installed an access control system for our office like three or more years ago. Today, the system went bad. A device shorted and blew up, locking a few of the doors that device controlled. One of the rooms it locked was the main room where the RustyBrick programmers work in.

We tried a bunch of things to get it open, including:

• Accessing the software, did not work
  
• Unplugging the device, it ran off a back up
  
• Unplugging the back up, it was a fail-safe (meaning if everything goes off, they remain locked)
  
• Swapping out a good device for a bad one, but since we had to use one that was in use already, it didn't work
  

In any event, Joe (RB Guy) and I was able to get that door open with a credit card - yea... I also called the company who installed it over to fix the problem, they did. They also did some routine maintenance on the system, while they were here.

To be honest, the system is incredibly old. It is one of those proprietary, old school, access control systems. I wonder if someone will create an open source equivalent. Like with PBX software, we now have an open source solution named Asterisk, we use it here and it is awesome. Would love an open source access control system.

We don't use it for security. We use it for convenience. I hate carrying a dozen of keys around with me. I only need to cary one keychain to open all the doors in my office building. It is convenient, until it stops working.

Guess what, I do have backup keys for all the doors. But for some reason, that one door, the key doesn't work. All the other doors work just fine. So I am out to replace that lock with a new one as soon as possible. Until then, that door remains open.

Posted at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

Seriously, a man has taken a bite out of a panda bear's back. The BBC News reports that a "drunken Chinese tourist says he bit a panda who attacked him after he jumped into a zoo enclosure to "hug" the bear."

The man's name is Zhang Xinyan he is 35 years old and you can see a picture of him at the The Sydney Morning Herald. Oh and the bears name is Gu Gu. The subtitle from the picture at BBC News is "Gu Gu the panda is said to have suffered no harm after the event."

The newspaper said Mr Zhang had a "sudden urge" to touch Gu Gu with his hand, so he jumped over the waist-high railing into the enclosure.

"When he got closer and was undiscovered, he reached out to hug it," the newspaper added.

So weird...

Posted at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) (0)

I got some cool schwag delivered to my office today. It is Ask.com Schwag & Gear...

The third edition of the Search Pulse is now live, it was a ton of fun! I spotted this cool tool that lets you see Google results as if you are in another country. Gore's CurrentTV has partnered with Yahoo to form "The Yahoo Current Network." Microsoft finalized an agreement with China Telecom to get Live.com some action in China. Google Base dropped the search box to improve usability, not. YPN updated their contextual ads. Google Girls were interviewed. And finally, sad news, Canadians are not wanted to participate in the Google AdWords Professional program.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Search Pulse 3: Live.com, AdWords Test, Intuit & Google, Yahoo! Ads, Supplementals, Belgian Cache, OneBox Spam, Adam Lasnik on Links
   
2. Canadians Not Welcome in Google Advertising Professionals Program
   
3. Yahoo! Improves YPN Ads
   
4. Check Your Google Results in Any Country
   
5. SEO