Take this survey and let NPR know if you'd like to listen to some of their content via podcast. I think it would be awesome. At the end of the surver you can volunteer to participate in beta tests of new features.

I haven't been adding much to this site lately, but I have been doing some fun blogstuff. I volunteered to be a moderator at the b2evolution forums. I'm trying to learn more about this very nice blogging software and I'm answering other users' questions when I can. I want to get familiar with this software (and other database-driven web apps). I found a good book about PHP and MySQL: Build your own Database Driven Website using PHP & MySQL by Kevin Yank. The first four chapters are available for free online. I went through them and learned quite a bit. I used what I learned to write some very simple blog software from scratch. Go ahead and try it out. Click on the admin link at the bottom and submit a post to see how it works. I want to buy that book so I can learn some more, but I need to pass the CompTIA Network+ certification exam before the end of the month. The bank sent me to night classes for two weeks to prepare for this. Starting in July the new exam will replace the old one and I'll have to prepare all over again. So, I'm going to get ready and take the exam. Once I pass it I'm going to get the PHP book as my reward.

Update: If you're interested in my PHP project, then you can find the source code here and here. Feel free to download it and modify it.

World's 10 Tallest Buildings - SkyscraperPage.com - That list is pretty fun, but the whole site is rather impressive. It's a giant database of skyscrapers and towers and you can create your own lists. I made one showing the tallest 20 buildings, including completed skyscrapers and those still under construction. Or maybe the tallest proposed, built and under-construction churches. If you make a list, post the link in a comment.

(via Digg.com)

Real life liger - I don't think he has magical powers, but this cross between a lion and a tiger is huge. From the article: "He is three years old, stands 10 feet tall on his hind legs, and weighs about 1,000 lbs. (At maturity he is expected to reach 12 feet in length and weight about 1,250 lbs.)"

This is pretty much my favorite animal.

anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript - I haven't had to deal with this in a while since Missouri got a no-call list, but if you want to have some fun with a telemarketer, use this script and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Kyle mentioned a few weeks ago that Dave from Yet Another Comics Blog was giving away free comics every day during the month of May. I sent in my entry and I was the winner today. Thanks to Kyle and Dave. I'm excited to check out my free comics.

Learn to Dance with Napoleon Dynamite - This flash-based page breaks down every move that Napoleon does in his dance, tells you what it's called and how to do it, lets you watch it in normal time or slow motion and lets you choose what music to play with it. If you have been wanting to impress your friends with the ability to do dance just like Napoleon, then this page is for you.

(via Digg.com)

Stephen Colbert gets his own show - The Colbert Report is scheduled to debut early this fall. He's my favorite correspondent on the Daily Show, so this should be good. He'll be making fun of the pundit shows that cable news is peppered with.

This is a move that is making geeks everywhere happy. Kevin Rose was one of the last TechTV personalities left on G4TV. He was unhappy with the way his friends got fired and the way he wasn't allowed to do as much tech content as he wanted on the dumbed down incarnation of The Screen Savers. He also happened to be locked into a four year contract, so he couldn't quit. But, after a month of negotiations, he was released from his contract, and he's moving on. I see this as one more nail in the coffin for G4. They've already lost most of their good talent, cancelled or ruined the good shows they brought over and, what's most telling, they've exchanged all the relevant and profitable tech company ads for exercise equipment ads and infomercials like you see on PAX late at night. I'm hoping they'll close up shop soon.

On the upside, Kevin Rose has some good projects underway. Last night his downloadable tech show, Systm launched. I watched it this morning and it was really fun. It reminded me of some of the best segments from TSS. Now that he's doing this full time, it should be high quality and frequently released. If you like tech at all, this is worth a download. Rose has another project I like quite a bit: Digg.com. And the whole TSS team gets together once a week to record This Week in Tech, a 60 minute podcast of technology news and discussion.

We ate our first cutting from the garden tonight. I harvested both the Simpson lettuce, buttercrunch, spinach and India mustard. I also pulled a green onion. We made it into a salad with some fetta cheese and ranch dressing. I thought it tasted alright. And I haven't come down with a flesh-eating virus (yet). I planted a couple of cucumber plants this week and they're starting to come up now.