A couple of weeks ago, some jerk stole the laptop one of my clients was loaning me. This royally sucked for several reasons:
- This laptop allows me to be productive during my commute and when otherwise off-site.
- I am in the midst of several projects, with data critical to each of them all on -- you guessed it -- the laptop.
- And yeah, I had to shamefacedly explain to my boss and my colleagues how I managed to lose a company laptop in the restroom on our floor, and what I was doing with a laptop there in the first place (let me clarify this now: I was on my way out to a friend's going away party, and was brushing my teeth).

Anyway, I spent (unpaid) overtime redoing the research and planning I had notated on that computer... only to discover (both with a huge sigh of relief and head-smacking frustration) that *ALL* of my work had been backed up. I was smarter than I had remembered, since I had not only saved many files directly to the client's server, but had set up OneNote to do regular backups to my desktop.

I was both smart and lucky. And now, with the tips below, you can be smart and lucky, too.

Two stories I've been reading about seem a bit interrelated:
- Cell Phones on Planes worry US Law Enforcement
and
- Airport Screeners could see X-rated X-rays

Tying these stories together, we're reminded of the following:
- People are annoyingly addicted to their cell phones.
- We're a ridiculously puritanistic society.

That �ber-smart search engine that whips through a bazillion pages faster than a speeding bullet... surely it can do something as simple as count, right?

Yes and no. While Google could undoubtedly out-count the best of 'em, it chooses not to in order to speed up its searches. That's the word from a senior Googler to whom I posed this puzzle.

I humbly ask forgiveness
For what I did and didn't do
So now, my dearest Abby
Won't you please give back my shoe(s)?

P.S. -- I promise not to write any more bad poetic verses in your honor as soon as my shoes are returned

UPDATED 6/9/2005
It worked! I got my shoes back!

I admit that musical tastes vary from person to person. And I recognize that you may not totally dig one of my new music discoveries -- GrooveLily -- like I do.

But if that's the case, I urge you to get your ears and head examined.

Thoughtful, catchy, tight, witty, fun. Give a listen to some of the sample tracks from GrooveLily's musical, Striking 12, both here and here.

I don't think I've bought a CD in half-a-decade (as part of an RIAA boycott), but -- especially given the independent nature of this group -- I may plunk down some of my hard-earned cash to get one of those stupid round things.

[As an aside, their (alas, married) lead violinist is the epitome of the woman I eventually want to be with: talented, creative, smart, strong. Other fellas may swoon over buxom anorexic "model" bimbo-babes, but me... I've always crushed on amazing songstresses like Ms. Vigoda and China Forbes. Now I just need to get my ass back into the music performing / composing scene and meet myself some single musical women . It's been too long for me (both musically and romantically)...]

Heard the big announcement about Yahoo's new music service?

Check it out at (the logical) http://yahoo.com/music/

Interested in being a publisher with Google's AdSense (partner to the AdWords program which accounts for >90% of the company's revenue)? Try http://adsense.google.com/ (which would match adwords.google.com and labs.google.com, etc.)

What, those URLs don't work? They don't even *forward* to the appropriate page?

My point exactly.

Is it just me, or is that incredibly, massively dumb?

P.S. -- The correct URLs are http://music.yahoo.com/ and http://google.com/adsense

Note the search results here and here.

1) [EASY]: What oddness do you notice when you compare the results pages?
2) [HARD]: What might explain the situation?

I should have a definitive and official answer for you within a week.

In the meantime, post your guesses below!

[And to the person with the best guess -- most accurate, most entertaining, whatever -- I'll provide you with a genuine photo of an Apple Ipod! :D]

UPDATED 6/5/2005
The puzzle is now, well, broken. But for the original answer, see my entry here

I had only a small holding of stock in the company my sister works for in my etrade account... more a symbolic thing than anything else.

I just realized that Etrade has been charging me $40/quarter for a "maintenance fee" -- and so, held against my modest stock holdings, my account is about at $0. If I continue to keep the account open, apparently, I'd owe etrade money for the privilege of them doing, well, nothing at all.