I am not sure on the NYSE or the NASDAQ numbers for today but I can personally say that I have done my share to improve this country’s economy just these last couple of days. Checked the credit card, added an address as an authorized shipping address, two malls and a few stores later I am almost done with my Christmas shopping.

It is not that I’ve started early but actually, as many other guys out there, I am doing it last minute since I am going home first thing Saturday morning so that only left me with a couple of days to take care of my list. Funny how you can go into a store, pull out your list, check off a couple of items from such list and look so organized. To the point that the person helping you at the register notices and let’s you know – oh look at you! how organized. Not sure if it was a compliment or if she was mocking me, I’ll take the first one.

I know many people out there don’t believe in Christmas mostly because of the over-commercialization of such holiday. I can understand their point of view, however, I still enjoy seeing my nephew’s face lit up as he unwraps all presents (not just his!) and be the happiest kid in the whole world. Putting commerce out of the picture, it seems this is the one season where mostly everyone is a happy mood, they are a little more patient and even more understanding of others. If people don’t like this season because it is over-commercialized, I guess they must’ve received pretty bad presents while they were kids!!! I hope you are having a great holiday season thus far.

While channel surfing Sunday afternoon, I came across CNN’s In the Money show where they were having an insightful discussion about blogs and the ideas behind blogging. When I tuned in, they were interviewing Tony Perkins who is the man behind AlwaysOn. Mr. Perkins provided a lot of information and statistics about the current status and the potential behind the blogosphere. Of course, there had to be some room for his sales pitch but I managed to get past that.

After the interview, I went to check out their site and I was very disappointed on what I found. I took a screen shot of the AlwaysOn homepage with my browser set at 800×600 px, similar to what an computer user might be using on their own computer. I understand that such screen resolution is slowly being pushed aside but I wanted to illustrate the point that commercial real estate can easily become an obstrusive proposition.

In this image, you are greeted by:

• A banner showcasing the benefits of an AlwaysOn membership. I wonder if removing all commercial banners is a benefit?
• A rotating banner courtesy of AO’s Founding Partners
• Finally, using the 800×600 resolution, the site’s navigation links mark the end of the page.

If you were to scroll down the page, you would then be able to see the content available on this page (it’s "wrapped" by even more banners and commercial links). I get the impression that the AlwaysOn network is putting its sponsors’ interests ahead of its content. Something that appears to be against the fundamental idea behind most blogs today.

I am not sure that I would reference the AlwaysOn network as a leader in the blogging movement, if they are, they certainly need to re-analyze their own website.

Paul Allen’s name has been at the forefront of technology for quite some time, most recently with the X-Prize winning Space Ship One from Scale Composites but his list of successful investments expand into many other technology fields.

I recently discovered Allen’s blog and I was surprised to find an entry with regards to his free mentoring services for new entrepreneurs seeking his advice. However, due to an increase in interest, he has raised the bar with regards to what it takes to be able to get in touch with him.

Interested in seeing what Mr. Allen has to say about your business or your new concept? Make sure you can meet his requirements before expecting a phone call.

A friend of mine recently sent me a link to FOX Sport’s recent photo gallery, Diego Maradona Retrospective where they take a look back at his life from his superstar days to today while dealing with his drug addiction. In 2000, Maradona was recognized as one of the two greatest players of the 20th century.

I was able to see him play during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and there are no words to describe his talent and skill. It is sad to see his health decline to this point but I will always remember him as the #10 that dribbled his way around six England defenders to score one of the best, if not THE best , goals in history (video).

I sorted through the folder that contained the photos that we took over the weekend in NY and had to get rid of a few of them. This is the beauty of digital cameras, you can take as many as you want and only keep those that you want. I kept a few that I would not include them into an actual photo album but they are good canditates for a projects or even just an individual shots in this site’s gallery.

After getting rid of the waste, I ended up with more than 500 images but there are a few replicates and a few that are part of a "panoramic" experiment. I have selected a few that I will add to the gallery section as individual shots and will be posted over the next few days starting today. Over the weekend, I will select some of the best images to post in the form of a photo album. This album, hopefully, will give you an idea about our trip and about the city from our point of view.

This image is just a piece of a panoramic image that I created while we visited Central Park. However, I think it is too wide to put it online since one would have to scroll across to view the image. Scrolling, in my opinion, takes away from the experience of seeing the entire skyline. Ideas and suggestions are welcome!