Tuesday, August 22, 2006

An article to test the effectiveness of RSS Feeds and Search Engine Optimization

I've been writing technology articles as a way of promoting Inacom for about a year now. Called The Competitive Advantage, I pick a technology concept and explain how it can be used to make your business more They appear in the Chesapeake Business Ledger, which is distributed in Talbot, Ken, and Queen Anne counties to Chamber of Commerce members, and thousands of copies are distributed through area businesses. It's an opportunity to keep our name out in the business world to help build brand awareness. Next month, I'm to be picked up by the Chamber of Commerce publication for Kent and Sussex Counties in Delaware.

One of the projects that I've been working on is improving our Search Engine Visibility through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. One problem that I've noticed is that our site doesn't have a lot of links to it. This, in turn, shows a search engine that a given web site is of high quality which improves rankings.

I've been playing around with RSS feeds through this blog, and it's been neat to see how these posts draw readers and how the content gets around the Internet. I stumbled across Ezine Articles the other day, and noticed that they have a high traffic web site with lots of RSS feed distributions. To see what would happen, I submitted my article on Structured Cabling Standards for Commercial Buildings. A link to Inacom's web site will ensure that whever the site gets published will provide a link (and a search engine vote of approval) for my company web site. Today, my article was accepted on the web site for publication.

I'll check in to see how this gets distributed through the Internet, and let you know if anything interesting happens.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Joanne and I are back from Vacation

I put a bunch of photos on my Multiply account. I'll post a narrative of the trip later.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Babble-On


There are 187 words in the puzzle above. How many can you find?

Babble is an awesome game for all of you Scrabble addicts/Boggle Heads/Linguists out there. I am a big fan of their AJAX interface - it makes the game play very quick and user intuitive.

The people who made this game made another of my favorites - Iron Sudoku.

Check it out. I'm sure that you'll like it. You can play the day's puzzle for free. If you want to play archived games , you can pay them $15 for a one year subscription.

Monday, July 31, 2006

RIP Patrick Lynch

This evening, I went to the "Life Celebration" of my friend Pat. This was one of a handful of funerals that I have attended in my life. Most of them happened when I was very young and did not understand what death really was. Others involved people that I didn't know very well.

Pat was a very caring and friendly person. He liked music and spending time with his friends. For a few years, we saw each other regularly. As time would have it, our journeys led us down different paths, and we fell out of contact. I'd venture to guess that I might have seen Pat just a few times in the past year or two. Last Wednesday, Hunter told me that Pat had taken his own life. He had taken the time to plan the event before hand - the time, the place, the method. He said goodbye to his friends at work and gave them hugs. Pat had written four letters - to his parents, his sister, his wife, and one of his friends.

Pat was the second "local" that I met while attending SU, and he quickly became a great friend. When I arrived at the funeral home, I looked around and saw so many people who have been close friends at one point or another in my life. It was a shame that it would take an event like this to bring this group of people together. We gathered to remember Pat, we cried, and we grieved together.

I can't imagine being in a place so desparate that life had so little meaning. He had his problems, but who doesn't? As I write this, I have really begun to contemplate life and what may lie beyond. Pat did not want his death to be a burden on his family and friends, so in the spirit of his last wishes, I'll give an update as to what my long lost friends are up to.

Graham, an extraordinary guitarist, has continued to pursue his dreams of playing music. He's played several local shows lately - I can't wait to go see one soon. He is engaged to a lovely girl who lived down the street from us while I was in college.

Bart has gotten his act together, and he works for the Worcester County Health Department. He recently purchased a house in Ocean Pines with his Girlfriend.

Ted was recently living with Pat. He received one of the letters. I introduced the two of them a few years ago, and lost touch with both of them.

Sara, whom I have known for years, is a year away from graduating with a Philosophy degree. She's still working at Papa Johns. She will be getting married in September to Rob. I worked with Rob about 6 years ago at Pizza Hut. He was a shift manager, having just graduated from high school.

I didn't get to speak much with Amy, Pat's wife. She was understandably receiving much attention from everybody in attendance. I passed along my condolences and gave her a big hug. I also wrote her a note about Pat, and the day that I met the two of them.

When the service was over, I visited the box of Pat's ashes to say my last goodbye. I placed my hand on the box, and said a prayer for him, his family, and his friends.

Patrick's life affected so many people. There were so many people in attendance, they had to open up the room across the hall. I don't know if Pat realized how many people cared so much for him, but I do know that everybody there considered themselves blessed to have Pat in their lives, if only for a brief moment.

Rest in peace, my friend. I'll carry memories of you forever.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

George Bush singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

Bet you never thought that Bush was a fan of U2!

Saturday, July 15, 2006

George W. Bush Coloring Book

George W. Bush Coloring Book

We all know that Bush isn't the most articulate person on earth. I thought this was a very creative way of showing it!
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Make Fun Of Me: Dumb Laws

Make Fun Of Me: Dumb Laws:

Here's a funny list of dumb laws from all over the country. Just so you know, it's illegal for men to walk around without a shirt on the boardwalk of Ocean City.
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