Two unthinkable acts

I think I've left my longtime friend and instant messaging client, Trillian, behind now. I've used Trillian for many a year now because it combined all my instant messaging clients into one and group my many friends with many IM accounts into single contacts.

Now with my social networking experiment running, I've also done what I said I would never do...

registered for Facebook

[I'll give you a moment to compose yourself]

Facebook seems to have what I was looking for in being a kind of social clearing house. Combined with mugshot, I have built a good presence online. But the thing I learned very quickly with Facebook is that it's hard to keep up with all that is going on. I tried a couple desktop clients and added the RSS feeds into my other friend, Google Reader, but they didn't seem to really be what I wanted.

Enter Digsby. This little piece of software does all the IM features I've loved about Trillian and adds in the notifications from social networking like Twitter and Facebook. So far I really like it. It keeps me in touch with my contacts and networks and because it keeps its configuration on the server, will do something Trillian never could do well...travel.

Socializing my internets

Today I spent some time making my blog here into a kind of social spiderweb for my online activities. A while back I had signed up for Twitter for tracking the stock of the Nintendo Wii. After reading an article about some uses for microblogging, I started to see some value in these micromusings. So, that started a registration spree for me adding friends to Twitter, creating an account with Technorati to "public-ize" my home away from home, and set up various badges linking to my other online social services.

So, after spending years away, maybe I'll find I have something to say. I've often spent most of my online time socializing on Ticker Talk but found it consumed far too much of my productivity. Perhaps this miniaturized version of socializing will prove more manageable in an otherwise busy day.

Our newest family member

Coco, the dog

What I did this weekend

Do I need to say anything else? After playing it for a fair amount this weekend, I've finally gotten used to the 3D interface and I must say, I love it. The usability of the overall interface is astounding and the game just flows from start to finish. For fans of the previous games, the best I can describe it is that they've added depth to the game and removed much of the tediousness that was involved, especially in the beginning and end games. Nothing will compare to the fond memories of sleepless nights playing the original, but this game is a worthy successor to the line.

Natalie Marie

My new niece, Natalie Marie. She was born on Sunday, weighs 6 pounds, 14 ounces and is 20 inches long. My sister is doing well and the baby is now off oxygen but still in intensive care. They hope to both come home in a couple days. Can't wait to meet her...