Best albums of 2008 (so far)?

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Now using Disqus for comments

I have switched from Blogger comments to the DISQUS comment system. I've always disliked the Blogger system -- having to navigate away from the post -- and Disqus appears to work like other typical systems (WordPress, Moveable Type, etc.). Threaded converstaions are standard, and it's integrated into the blog page.

You can also track and follow comments, as well as rate comments to help make sure only "good" comments stay in the conversation. They also have a variety of widgets that make it easy to integrate certain features into other sections of the blog -- hopefully more on that to come.

The real draw, however? Stat porn. I have a dashboard at Disqus, and can view all comment-related statistics as well as moderate comments and users from there.

For anyone interested in trying it out, it appears to work with several of the top/popular blogging platforms: WordPress, Moveable Type, Blogger, TypePad, and Tumblr (!!).

Go for a tour and see for yourself. Pretty cool. Also, they support OpenID, so creating an account is easy-peasy.

eGov status updates via Twitter

I am immensely proud of the NIC portals taking the leap and adopting Twitter. We'll continue to think outside the box and figure out the best way to use this emerging technology, but for now we're off to a great start.

If you're on Twitter and interested in how governments are beginning to use this hybrid communication tool, get ready to hit the "Follow" button.

Colorado.gov - twitter - Web site
Idaho.gov - twitter - Web site
Kentucky.gov - twitter - Web site
Maine.gov - twitter - Web site
Nebraska.gov - twitter - Web site
RI.gov - twitter - Web site
SC.gov - twitter - Web site
Utah.gov - twitter - Web site
Vermont.gov - twitter - Web site

If there are other NIC portals using Twitter, please ping me. And also feel free to leave links to any egov- or government-related Twitter accounts in the comments. I'll update this post as they are received.

Some other notable states, agencies, officials, etc. using Twitter:

CA.gov - twitter - Web site (update: account has been deleted)
CA DMV - twitter - Web site
CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - twitter - Web site
CA Public Employees' Retirement System - twitter - Web site
ID Department of Finance - twitter - Web site
ID Department of Commerce - twitter - Web site
ID Department of Labor - twitter - Web site
IN Gov. Mitch Daniels - twitter - Web site
LA Gov. Bobby Jindal - twitter - Web site
MI Gov. Jennifer Granholm - twitter - Web site
MI Lieutenant Gov. John Cherry - twitter - Web site
Louisville, KY - twitter - Web site
Louisville, KY Events Calendar - twitter - Web site
RI State Council on the Arts - twitter - Web site

Quick list of federal government accounts (I'll flush this section out eventually):
USAgov, GovGab, and lots of NASA projects


Congress, etc.:
Roy Blunt (R-MO-7th)
John Boehner (R-OH-8th)
Dan Burton (R-IN-5th)
John Culberson (R-TX-7th)
Bob Latta (R-OH-5th)
Tim Ryan (D-OH-17th)
Jeanne Shaheen - Former Governor of NH and now U.S. Senator
Mark Ward - Former Governor of VA and now U.S. Senator

Sidenote: there are a lot of people using Twitter to campaign - this is only a list of people who are actually using it to communicate with constituents.


Last updated: November 18, 2008

Earth Hand

Yup, it's a Facebook quiz. Fortunately I didn't spam 15 people as requested, but only my 2 siblings. Sorry, guys.

Evidently, I have Earth Hands.

People with this hand don't like change. They tend to be slow in nature and have a strong affinity to nature and the bush. They are emotionally stable and make the best workers. Interesting is the fact that you often find successful artists and photographers with earth hands. Most people with trade jobs such as a carpenter have earth hands. People with an Earth hand usually like outdoor jobs, and prefer job security.

Money quotes:
- "affinity to nature and the bush"
- "emotionally stable"
- "prefer job security"

I'd say, in general, this is pretty spot on. :)