TinyURL was around before Twitter. It’s a useful way to shorten very long URLs, and there are a lot of tools and plugins associated with the service to help out.

However, with Twitter’s 140 character limit and the urge for less text on Facebook status postings, the 23 character TinyURL is a vitrual monstrosity compared to other up-and-coming services, such as Bit.ly, which registers at 19 characters, and the tiniest possible 17 character Is.gd (prounounced “Is Good”) ,Tr.im, and Ow.ly.
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First of all, there will always be a place for the big city tabloids out there. They are cheap, easy to read, and sleazy enough to appeal to a wide range of customers.

But what about high-end newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times? The cost of printing a newspaper, while ostensibly low, requires not only resources (ink, paper, etc.) but electricity, labor, and gasoline. Silicon Alley Insider suggests it would be cheaper to send every long-term subscriber an Amazon Kindle than to print and deliver papers.
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There is simply no denying that Burger King’s new “Whopper Sacrifice” app on Facebook is by far the greatest thing ever to happen on the Internet ever.

Here is how it works: users sign up for the app and if they drop ten of their Facebook friends, they get a coupon for a free Whopper. Better yet, it is recorded on your news feed and the friends you give the boot to immediately know about it. How cash is that?
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The year has come to a close, and 2008 will go down as a great year, especially if you enjoy financial crises. But it was a fine year for the World Wide Web. I’m sure you don’t care, but I’m going to name a few of my favorite things from the web in 2008.

Favorite News Site: Memeorandum. This was my personal favorite throughout the Presidential campaign. Set up exactly like TechMeme, it displayed the most blogged stories that often not widely covered by the mainstream news networks. I was down.
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Well, there’s really nothing funny about Joseph Stalin. He was a brutal dictator who was responsible for the death of tens of millions.

But in Russia, he’s still pretty popular–even rated the third greatest Russian of all time in a recent poll where over 4 million Russians took part. Perhaps Putin’s iron grip over the country has made Russians nostalgic for ol’ Stalin.

Now it appears that industrious Russians are taking advantage of the affinity for Stalin by releasing Nokia phones that have images of Joseph Stalin theme them. That’s right: a Stalin theme.

Below the fold: pictures!
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I got an iPod Touch for Christmas, and immediately starting having some fun on the app store. I purchased Tetris and Real Soccer 2009. RS 2009 is great and Tetris is okay.

But the biggest question: would I plunk down the $.99 for iFart, the gold standard of app store farting apps?

There are a couple of free farting apps, but they aren’t very good. Whoopie Cushion and Mr. Poot offer only a few weak, poor farts, though they are free. Hell, I had an iTunes gift card: so I bought iFart.
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I was cruising Google Hot Trends, looking for what people are looking for on the search engine on Christmas eve, and Santa is a very popular subject. Searches for Santa trackers, like Norad’s Santa tracker, are very popular.

But ranking 90th as I write this is the search, “is Santa real?” Isn’t it heartbreaking? I’m hoping a lot of these searches are made by parents asking about how to explain Santa to their children. But Google’s related searches include “is santa real or fake” or “is santa real yes or no.”
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Maybe the question should be asked (and it was by Eric Krangel at SAI): should something be done about pervy dudes who ruin things for any woman who gets on the web? Especially in virtual worlds?

Well, Sony has taken the step to monitor and censor some of the content being brought by certain members of its PS3 online community. And it looks like a good idea, considering how rotten some of these users have gotten.
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The government of Brazil is trying to do the right thing by creating an electronic system that monitors logging and only releases permits if quotas are not exceeded. These permits are checked as the logs leave the forests, and Brazil’s authorities are now even using weapons to guard the environment.

However, the logging companies have figured out a way around the law. They have hired a legion of hackers that generate phony permits so the companies can overharvest and get away with it. A Brazilian prosecutor announced that 107 Brazilian logging companies have hired hackers to screw with the system.
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USWeb would like to welcome our newest team member, Dale Duyan.  Dale will be joining our sales team to help prospects learn about all USWeb services and products.  Dale will be working out of Las Vegas, Nevada with local clients, as well as select clients across the country.