If you've seen the Google April fools joke, it's a good one, but there is an Easter Egg.  If you expand the browser further and further to the right the image of the Martian landscape keeps going.  It should be mentioned that I have a dual monitor setup that extends 2560 pixels across.  Now I haven't been able to reproduce this, but when you expand all the way out to 2560 a little text bubble appears at the far right on the martian horizon in the photo that says "Welcome to Mars. Nice monitor". So pay attention as you do it, and if you figure out how to reproduce, please let us know.  Guessing it's a cookie thang.

Here is what it looks like on my screen (click the image for the full size):

I have yet to explore the questionnaires, etc.  But you better believe I'm signing up.

I love April Fools.

Feeling like I'm neglecting both of my readers so I thought I'd offer a morsel on Patents (that I stole from Wired).  At any rate, Venice, March 19, 1474 the following law was enacted:

"Any person in this city who makes any new and ingenious contrivance, not made heretofore in our dominion, shall, as soon as it is perfected so that it can be used and exercised, give notice of the same to our office of Provveditori de Comun [State Judicial Office], it being forbidden up to 10 years for any other person in any territory and place of ours to make a contrivance in the form and resemblance thereof, without the consent and license of the author."

Interestingly enough, according to Wired, it was about attracting foreign investment.

As a "Creative Professional" who does work for hire on a daily basis, Intellectual property law is something of great interest.  I've recently had to fill out a disclosure of all "prior works of authorship" to distinguish my own creative endeavors from things I've done for hire.

In that vein, I'll pass along some advice I received from a friend who conveniently happens to be an attorney:

When describing your works of prior authorship, cut as wide a [creative] swath as you can in as few words as possible.  Put the onus on them to get clarification to try and diminish the scope of what you're claiming.

So, to give you a bad example that is completely fictitious, rather than claiming my new sock knit as a work of authorship I would claim "new solution for sox".  Pretty wide swath, eh?

This is the part where I clarify the bits you've read above:  This advice from from my friend was offered as a courtesy to me and is being paraphrased by me to you as a courtesy.  This does not constitute legal advice to you and I make no representation that I have specific expertise in this area and I further make no claims as to the validity or utility of this advice.  Should you choose to act on these statements you do so at your own risk and are advised to seek competent legal advice prior to acting. This is posted here because it just sounds reasonable to me.

I just love legalese.

I guess clowns have to get ready for work too., originally uploaded by astoriahermit.

I was a little surprised to see a clown getting ready for work on the subway this morning, but no more surprised than you ever are to see weird stuff on the subway.

Chumby has landed in the US.

For those of you who know, KEXP is a sweet set of letters.  To the informed it means good independent radio with a challenging edge.  Those of us who no longer live in Seattle have little choice but to subscribe to podcasts and stream, but that is all about to change for us current New Yorker Seattle Ex-Pats.  In about 1 day 10 hours and change we will get Radio New York (91.5 FM) which is aligned with KEXP. This is a huge day for all of us here in New York, now if only you could get radio in the subway.

If you're curious you need to head over to http://www.kexp.org/ and catch some of their stream or do as I do and listen to their Song of the Day podcast.

Immediately after I saw Noam's post on SearchMe, I busted over to their site to sign up for the beta.  And today I'm pretty stoked to report that I got into the beta.  I think visual search is the next thing in search and I think SearchMe, by emulating the iPhone album "thumb through" interface, whether intentionally or not, hit the nail on the head.  My biggest problem with search results is something they talk about in their promo video. The constant forward back of going through the crappy results looking for the relevant one is annoying.  I love being able avoid those crappy ad site with keywords sprinkled in to draw search.

It definitely is a beta, and I was slightly disappointed there wasn't a gesture based interaction.  The index is small but the concept and overall execution are pretty huge.  I know someone is waiting in the wings to tell me that visual search is not new - true enough, but visual search that looks like it has a change to succeed is. Hmm, I wonder if the prospective buyers are already circling?

Here is their Promo Vid:

So, I guess I've just never had anything shipped to me directly from China, but this is kind of interesting. Here is the latest tracking data and a map of where we've gone so far.

(If you're catching up here is the first post and the second post)

View Larger Map

You may remember me blogging about wanting a Chumby day before yesterday.  Well, I couldn't resist and I ordered one, a latte one.  Then last night I get a shipping notification, my Chumby has shipped.  So of course I click through to the tracking page on UPS.  I guess I've just never seen an item direct shipped from Shenzhen, China, but there it was 7:18 PM today (wait, that's the future) it departed.  Come to think of it this makes two firsts, I've never had something from the future.   Here is the UPS tracking page:

The New York Times has an article about the basics of blogging and some tips from the 'pros'.  I want to score a link to my blog on the New York Times site.  I guess I should put some ads up if I'm going to Mahir like that. (Don't remember the verb to Mahir.  Well, I blogged about it here)

So You Want to Be a Blogging Star?

By PAUL BOUTIN
Published: March 20, 2008

Successful bloggers with successful non blogging careers offer ways to think about getting into the business of blogging.

This actually is pretty straight forward and interesting. If I were to add my own tip, which is something that really helps me keep up a regular pace, it would be:

Post Ahead - When I have time to compose a couple posts I'll take one of them and kick it out into the future.

By posting ahead I can keep up my pace and also have "new post insurance" where I can skip a day or two and keep you on the line. This also gives me the ability to publish a longer post midweek when I usually have time for as I slog my way through the week

To keep this all above board, I st-borrowed this photo from The Whole Enchilada: Thoughts on life, work, tech & biz and the whole enchilada.

This issue is really close to my heart right now, and I thought I'd pass along what I am reading on Get Rich Slowly.

The advice in the Ask Metafilter thread seems very practical:

• Don’t take it personally. Many commenters noted that employees can lose their jobs for any number of reasons unrelated to performance and ability. Try not to let your job loss eat at your self-esteem.
• Don’t panic. Any sudden life change can seem like the end of the world. It’s not. Take time to breathe. Gather your wits and move forward.
• Maintain network connections. Reach out to your professional and social networks for support. You may not find a job through them, but you may be able to derive other benefits.
• Buckle down financially. When you lose your job, it’s especially important to practice sound personal finance. Cut any unnecessary recurring expenses. Watch the discretionary spending. Make a budget.
• Job hunt methodically. Take your time. Don’t just take the first job you’re offered. Look for a situation that will draw upon your strengths, a job that will make you happy.
• Be open to change. If you live in a rural area, you may need to move closer to a city to find work. If you were working in a career that is disappearing (videotape duplicator?) then explore new lines of work.
• Consider becoming a consultant. Depending on your career, freelance consulting work may be a viable option. It could at least provide some temporary income while you look for long-term employment.

-from Get Rich Slowly

They make mention of this in the post, but It is worth bubbling up.  A really (some might say "the") great book on finding a job is What Color Is Your Parachute? 2008: A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-Changers.  I as a matter of practice get a new copy every few years. And, I'm thinking I'm about due. The author, Richard Nelson Bolles, does a really good job of cutting through the FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) about how to look for a job and what approaches work best. Since looking for a job is always a transitory state for most folks, we all tend to doggy paddle frantically to then next job and not pay too much attention to the mechanics of looking for a job. Bolles brings a lot of information about the process of finding a job to light, both from the employer and employee point of view, in a clear methodical (numbers driven) way that eases the mind. And, while you will never feel like you're in control of the situation entirely, it's always easier to at least feel like you have a grasp of the mechanics of your current situation is. All right, now back to cowering under my desk in fear.

A friend of mine writes the blog A Cannoli in Seattle which is lots of fun.  She had this post a bit ago that I thought was just fiction.  Well, after some checking, turns out its an account of recent events (but it sure reads like a story).

"Jessica? Did you want me? Are you ok?" she said as she rounded the corner to find her roommate collapsed on the couch - half sitting with her upper body half laying on the cushion next to a large bowl twice the size of her face.

"I threw up in the peanuts..." Jessica murmured in a faint whine. "It's rather tragic."

I was rolling with laughter. Have a look.

Okay, I'm trying to to gush here cause my wife only emailed me this about 30 minutes ago and I'm in love.  I'm sure she saw the appeal from a lot of angles, not the least of which is I use my cell phone as an alarm clock and it has an annoying alarm sound. What I'm gaga for is the Chumby and I've really on begun to investigate.

I'm not going to last the week without ordering one.  Here is what Small Space Living (where my wife found it) has to say about it:

Chumby is tricky device to classify. There are not many other devices that have the multifunction of Chumby.
Chumby is a small Wi-Fi compatible device with a 3.5 inch touch screen and a soft leather case. The Chumby is intended to replace your clock radio. But to call it a clock or radio would be so short sighted. It can be loaded with a number of widgets — the list grows daily.
There is no end to the multifunction goodness of Chumby. The Chumby can be a clock or an internet radio. It can track EBay auctions or display photos form your Flicker account.
The device sells for $179, which is the hardware break-even point for the manufacturers. It’s an unusual thing for a manufacturer to sell a product for no profit, but the intention is to make money by selling advertising on the Chumby units.
Chumby could fit well into your small space life — it’s little and has a multitude of uses.

I've created a virtual Chumby here to get a animated look see. But you really should click through and see what their site shows about this little sucker.

Just FYI, I have no association or relationship what so-ever with the Chumby, I'm just loving the concept

A bit ago I blogged about my unfounded theory that the writer's strike was good for online advertising as television watchers, short of options, would turn increasingly to the Internet for their content.  Well, Silicon Alley Insider has a post about how surveys show "TV Viewer Ready to Come Back"

Survey: TV Viewers Ready To Come Back

Michael Learmonth | March 18, 2008 11:41 AM

Remember how the writers strike was going to change everything -- beginning with viewers' TV habits? Think again, says media agency Carat: A survey of TV watchers this week says 95% are ready to resume their old schedules as new shows come back on the tube.

But surely some people have abandoned their remote control for their mouse, right? Maybe, says Carat: Of the 5% of viewers totally turned-off by TV, a whopping 11% said they'd be watching more shows online.

One grain of salt: For the TV business, this is an unusually optimistic report. TV ratings have been in steady decline for years, and that only accelerated during the strike. Given that ratings for ABC, CBS and NBC dropped by double-digits during the strike, reclaiming 95% of its pre-strike audience would be great news

If you're really looking to dig in there is a related interview piece with Avenue A/Razorfish SVP Jeff Lanctot which picks up on his assertion that "the strike ended before there was any significant wholesale shift. It sort of ended just in time". The interview goes on to talk about Avenue A/Razorfish's new owners Microsoft (MSFT).  It's worth a read and it's fairly short.

So, I guess according to the Surveys I was wrong, but I guess according to the salted answer, I might not have been too wrong.