While their 10th anniversary party lasts, you can get free registration codes for the Opera browser. A great way to get some exposure and get their app onto more screens. Cheaper than a Superbowl add and quite possibly more effective. Just tried it and it worked like a charm.

The news that Google is shopping around the US and buying up miles of fiber-optic cable has sparked some pretty wild speculations. Unlike some, Neowin believes that the fiber shopping is basically to save on bandwidth costs in the long run..

If Google were to build its own network is that it could save the company millions of dollars a month. Here's why: Every time a user performs a search on Google, the data is transmitted over a network owned by an ISP servers via a wholesaler like AboveNet. When AboveNet bridges that gap between Google and Comcast, Google has to pay as much as $60 per megabit per second per month in IP transit fees.

Interesting, although $60 per megabit sounds a wee bit steep. And while we're on the subject of overpricing: Microsoft has apparently been busy working on WinFS and might even announce some new information at this years PDC (Professional Developer Conference).

WinFS is essentially an SQL database layer that sits on top of the NTFS file system. With it, files and data are abstracted and can be access not just more quickly but in many different ways. Some speculate that WinFS may first appear on the server edition of Windows Vista and when coupled with a WinFS enabled client, would allow seamless organization of files and data across a network.

Adrian just pointed me to the NASA's Pluto-Kuiper belt mission website. They allow you to add your name to be "sent to Pluto". A NASA viral? Cool, however no verification makes the list feel a bit meaningless: Mickey Mouse is going to Pluto nearly a dozen times already.

This is the first post using TypePad. I managed to import everything using this fantastic guide on how to succesfully import Blogger posts & comments into TypePad. Still some mess to clean up but worked beautifully overall. I really like the way TypePad is behaving up to now. Let's see how this goes.

I love virals and while I found it to be borderline disturbing I enjoyed this Snickers effort (thanks, George). Interesting concept which isn't new but I appreciate the simplicity and how it's tied into the marketing message. It never hurts to connect simple emotions to your brand but to me the eyebrow plucking thing means "pain" more than "satisfaction". And while we're at it here's a pants pulling viral by A&E TV (thanks, Dimitri). Love the production values on that one. Some more great Flash artistry can be found over at Grey Goose. This isn't the only pretty spirit site however. Mmm, mojitos.

Update 2: A great Google Talk fan site  just launched. Hope they can help with my Miranda integration problems.

Update: It's out! (Thanks, Howard) Gmail integration, voice chatting and they link to compatible IM clients. Feature wise, this is much more Skype than MSN Messenger. Voice quality seems good enough and latency low. Very simple, very solid and we could connect to everyone already using a Jabber-friendly IM client. Lovely.

Word on the street (thanks, William) is that the now $4 billion richer Google will be announcing its Jabber-based instant messaging application tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how Google will change the IM market, they're bound to do much more than a little ripple especially since they're the first big player to opt for an open standard. Their new Google Desktop release is great (although I won't use the sidebar much) and I'm in love with the Google Toolbar for Firefox. But that's not all, We're now hearing rumours that they might be planning a host of buyouts and expansions including a massive WiFi network. I showed someone around Google's offering a couple of weeks ago and was myself reminded how much bloody cool stuff these guys are constantly churning out.

Zeldman and co launch the brand spanking new A List Apart. I love it, it's gorgeous. Just look at it, don't you want to just squeeze it till it pops? Well done everyone. New design. New structure. New server. New publishing system powered by Ruby on Rails. As the dog days of summer draw to a close, we present A List Apart 4.0. I badly need to redesign this piece of crap blog. Can't wait till I get some time (hum) to make it not only pretty but finally standards compliant. Speaking of blogging, Blogger users can now post using a plug-in for Microsoft Word. Shame, I've been seriously considering leaving Blogger for my own hosted solution or Typepad for ages but then again I use WBloggar anyway.

It would seem that Mr. Jarvis has found his true calling in going against Dell. In this open letter to Michael Dell he implores the former poster-boy for quality & affordability to stop ignoring the current negative buzz and admit that they cocked up. A good recap of what's been going on in the past few months. Your customer satisfaction is plummeting, your marketshare is shrinking, and your stock price is deflating. I used to recommend Dell to everyone as it pretty much used to stand for peace of mind but today I would think twice as there have been too many dissapointments and an attitude that just gets on my nerves.

I've just returned from a great 5 day stay in Paris. Great because Paris is still one of the most spectacular places on earth but mostly because Sophie, best friend and partner of nine years said 'yes' on Saturday. The best day of my life.

Just watching Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room and the big news is this new Zotob worm. I don't have much time to research it but it seems to shut down your computer. Pretty much every version of Windows is vulnerable. Lovely. Checking Windows Update for a patch now. If you're not sure, disconnect your machine until there's more information. I just heard Wolf list out the OSes that Zotob targets and he mentioned something called Windows NE. NE? Could it be ANY windows or just a typo. Tokyo-based Trend Micro stated, that "ZOTOB" exploits holes in Microsoft Windows platforms such as 2000, NE, ME, 98, 95 and XP and can give an attacker remote access to infected systems. Apparently, there is a Windows NE somewhere. Has anyone heard of it before? Google ain't helping.

Well, Seth Godin's latest project is finally upon us. The Big Moo is not only Seth's last traditional book project but is also a 100% charitable & collaborative effort (32 co-authors ain't bad).

As always, he's got some new ideas on how to promote the book so if you think you're eligible you might want to take a stab at the galley offer.  With the likes of Guy Kawasaki, Tom Peters and Dan Pink involved you could do a lot worse than order this book today. And as the book says...

Stop trying to be perfect and start being remarkable.