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In the post in the quickthoughts section today I beckoned the MikeDiDonato.com readers to switch to firefox. Ryan Schenk asked what the browser stats are for this website.

Great question Ryan!

Let’s take a look at the last 100 visitors.

Oooh, exciting! let’s add the varieties together for a better picture.

Firefox: 47%
IE: 46%
Safari: 7%

FIREFOX WINS! but… just barely. That means that 46% of my readers are looking at a broken Internet Explorer page. It’s not pretty! let’s get some screen shots so y’all can see the differences.

First, IE.

Notice the poor colors in the Quickthoughts and the Features section? NASTY! Even more disturbing is that if I post a picture… the post flies down to the bottom of the screen. WEAK!

Now, Firefox.

Oh what elegant colors! And all the posts are lining up just right. Let’s make 2008 a great year for MikeDiDonato.com

Let’s all get rid of Internet Explorer.

A weird thing happened at work yesterday. I needed to find a means to make some six inch plumbing flexible. I opened up Google images and did a quick search for:

plumbing flexible 6″

I was cycling through the images trying to find something that might work when suddenly, I saw a picture of my bathroom plumbing. Google was suggesting my own website as a source of solution. Now, people find this place all the time through random searches… but it’s really weird when you find your own website by accident. It’s a very strange feeling.

Jes Saint had commented that she’d be interested to see where all the readers come from. I made a lil’ MSPaint action that showed the linkages.

I tried to incorporate everyone who has left a comment (and some who haven’t) within the last month or two. If I missed you, I apologize.

Here it is!

Okay. We’re at the sunset of 2007. And soon, very soon, the 720 Posts onslaught will begin. Are you guys excited?

720 Posts came about from a conversation I had with Schenk. Old man Schenk was annoyed that my website didn’t constantly have new content. He challenged me to update the website every hour for a month. So that’s what 720 is all about.

Next Tuesday at 12:00am the first post will appear in the features section to the left. Each day will begin with a feature so that even if you start the day late you can catch up to what the heck is going on. the rest of the day will appear in either the main content area or the quickthoughts on the right.

I’ve automatically setup a bunch of posts and a bunch of people have helped me out (thanks people!). Some days are EPIC (January 16th) other days are totally lame (January 20th). And some days I have no idea what will happen because no planning has been done (January 23). I’m not even sure if I’ll be successful with this endeavor because I’m going to be writing additional content as the month progresses. If you have stuff you’d like me to post, e-mail it over to 720posts AT gmail D0T com. I’m sure I’ll get pretty desperate, so pretty much anything you send there will probably go up at some point or another.

After January’s insanity, posting will continue as normal come February.

I’ve taken a couple days off.

Posting will be back up in business next week. And then January? well… whew. It’s going to be intense.

Dear Internets,

I’m working on an aggressive challenge of putting up a single post every hour for the entire month of January 2008. That’s a total of 720 posts. I’ve set up an automatic posting schedule and have been contacting friends asking for contributions.

At the moment, I have 251 posts up and ready to go for January… but the January first deadline draws near. So for this one, I’m going to the entire MikeDiDonato.com community. If you’d like to submit some fun writing for the 720 posts challenge about something you love or find fascinating, (e-mail: 720Posts AT Gmail D0T com) then I will add it to the queue and it will probably be published to the world some time on January 9th.

Rock on,
The D.

My spam filter cleans out HUNDREDS of spam related comments a day. And even with the technologies JonAbad installed on the site, a few still get through now and again and need to be manually deleted.

What I find interesting is the progression of spam from pure advertisement to complimentary. We used to get spam that just threw the product in your face. Then spammers got a little more creative (not intelligent) and started complimenting my guest book. This is particularly humorous since I don’t have a guest book. The latest craze seems to be ping-backs (references to your blog that in-turn throws a comment onto your blog). they use the link as “vote” on search engines to get higher in the list.

Sometimes the ping backs are just ping backs. nothing special.

othertimes though it’s a link to your blog with more compliments thrown in. Things like, “Read this great article on mikedidonato.com”

Oh Spam. I don’t find your antics cute anymore. Seriously. cut it out.

Dear Readers,

I’m in Pittsburgh for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Check out the new feature video on the left, don’t forget to submit some hot MSPaint costumes, and hopefully you’ll hear some exciting PA stories come Tuesday evening.

Yours forever and ever,
Mike D.

My hometown of Stoneham is trying to get some free lights for our recreational park.

Will you help out my hometown?

click here and then find Stoneham. Select, and vote.

Thanks!

Today MikeDiDonato.com turns three years old. It’s kind of strange thinking that three years of my life (11%!!) is documented here. Thanks to everybody who has read and participated. This website has been really fun. On average, I probably spend about 30-45 minutes a day on this thing. That’s a total of something like 500-600 hours of effort over the past three years.

That’s a lot of time but there are distinct benefits to having a website. Financially, this website got me a free furnace service package, a tea steeping thing, roller derby tickets, 20 dollars off my Kitchen Aid Mixer, the opportunity to buy Jocelyn’s car, kiteboarding lessons from Schenk, and endless amounts of free advice. It costs 10 bucks a month to run… which is a lot less than some people spend on coffee.

I’ve met a whole crowd of new exciting people through the site: UK Roland, Aaron, Jes Saint, Molly, Patrick, UUIG, Zoe, and J2.
I’ve had great e-mail correspondence with some folks in India and Australia, and even received a comment from a distant relative who sent me this sweet photo of my mom when she was two.

Major page accomplishments over the last three years:
#1 on Google searches for Mike D.
#4 on searches for Britney Gallivan - if you ARE Britney Gallivan… send us an e-mail at MikeDiDonato AT gmail DOT com You’re a mikedidonato.com hero!
We broke the 300 unique readers mark on Tuesday - yay!

Interesting page facts:
The most common way random people find this site is from image searches for “cupcake” (thank you Roland) and web searches for “spelt vs. spelled”.
Presently, I get more referrals from the CT Roller Girls than from any other single website. Second place goes to www.jonabad.com
My website is not banned in China.
Shaun McQuaid really does know everything and JonAbad really did invent the pommel horse.
There are currently 1,698 posts and 9,731 comments.
The post with the most comments is wish corruption.

If you have any favorite posts from the past, throw a link up in the comments.

Thanks everybody!
Happy Birthday MikeDiDonato.com!

I’ve been hit by quite a bit of comment spam lately. I’ve increased the severity of my spam filter. So if you’re having trouble leaving a comment, fire me an e-mail and let me know.

I am working on a massive internet project. If you’d like to participate, and haven’t already received an invitation, please fire me a quick e-mail at MikeDiDonato AT gmail D0T com. I’ll let you know what’s going down.

Reaching back into the depths of pre-history, before mikedidonato.com was founded, before HnH, there was an initial foray into the world of Internet polls. This took form as a series of AIM polls contained in Mike D.’s AIM profile, which would be presented to the world for a week, and then the results of the poll were rated by Mike D., a “winner” was awarded, and the results put up on a very primitive web site, maintained by, well, me.

I’ve recently rediscovered the code for this web site, and the poll questions and various answers. As a nostalgic trip down memory lane, I’ll be posting the AIM Poll and results sporadically for current viewers to take a look at. It’s a good opportunity for some historical research on the roots of the media machine that is mikedidonato.com. Enjoy!

#1 for Mike D.

#442 for Mike

I can do this.

Some of you said it would be impossible. But as of March 12th, 2007 a google search of

Mike D

returns this website as the number 1 choice. Thanks to Shaun McQuaid for pointing this out to me.

ROCK.

I still have a few colors I need to fix. But, I’m sure some of you will be pleased to see the hot pink theme removed.

Do so now. Hit your F5 key or try, ALT + F5

Otherwise you might miss the special Valentines day edition of the website.

Unlike the rest of the world, I only just now decided to upgrade my internet browsing to FireFox.

Just so you know, this website looks 100 times better in Firefox. I recommend that you upgrade as well.

Last night, at hours far too late, I wrote up the Star Wars parallel that was requested by Shaun McQuaid. I have tried to parallel all my regular and semi-regular readers with a star wars character. Now, there aren’t quite enough female characters in the movie, so don’t be disappointed if you’re female and your parallel is either male, a monster, or a robot.

If I’ve left you out, just leave a comment and I’ll add you in.

Mike D: Luke. This is more because I feel I HAVE to be Luke what with being the main character of mikedidonato.com. I am not Luke because I want to be. Luke’s lame.
JonAbad: R2-D2 would have been a cooler character had he been Mexican. This roll is also perfect for JonAbad because Jon is always magically appearing and saving the day. JonAbad and R2-D2 also both really enjoy baking.
Kurt: Mace Windo. If Kurt were a Jedi, he’d probably have a funky purple disco lightsaber with which he would kill snakes on planes.
Ben: Uncle Owen. Yes, he was killed by the empire, but rumor has it he could hold off a whole colony of Sandpeople with one blaster
Sander: Sandperson
TimBaird: Boba Fett. I can think of few people who would be able to better take advantage of a jetpack.
Patrick: Ewok Warrior. Ewoks are masters of the wilderness. Everything about Patrick SCREAMS ewok.

Roland: Wedge Antilles. He’s always there to lend a hand, and is great in combat and with a Frisbee.
Alicia: Amidala. Alicia is super fashionable, and it’s only right that this honor go to the Queen of Fashion herself.
Theresa: Sabé. Sabé was the handmaiden of Amidala that stood in for the Queen in dangerous situations. Theresa, being dangerous, is the only one for the job. Sabé was also played by Kiera Knightly. What? who knew!
My mom: Aunt Beru. She was a caregiver and preferred a nice cup of coffee over a space battle.
ShaunMcQuaid is the Force.
Jesse: TuanTaun. Do a web image search for TuanTaun. The resemblance is uncanny
Jesse’s mom: Battle Droid. This might seem out of place, but battle droids have amazing dental hygiene.

HC Alicia: Wampa. While the image might not seem right at first, the Tauntaun’s and Wampas are made for one another
Becky: Red Leader. Simply because of her stunning red hair.
Paul: Spiderman.
Tom: Grand Moff Tarkin. In addition to being the governer of the galactic empire, Tarkin, like Tom, is extremely talented at making blue cheese salad dressings. Also, read this.
Sander: Jabba the Hutt.
Mykal: Shmi Skywalker. Mykal may not know it, but she’s the mother of the soon to be leader of the jedi doomsquad
Aaron: Han Solo. Aaron got so boned with the superpower post (glowing elbows?) that I figured he deserved something more exciting for this round. Way to go Aaron!

Shamus: Admiral Ackbar. In addition to being the finest general of the rebellion, Ackbar, like Shamus, is known for the frontside 720’s he pulls in the snowy mountains of Hoth.
RyanSchenk: Biker Scout. Schenk would make a SICK biker scout.
Ruth: Darth Maul. When Ruth is angry, the universe is very afraid.
Jocelyn: Temple Guard. Dressed in stunning red, Jocelyn is in charge of only the most important job ever: protecting all that is evil.
Adam: All that is evil. Adam is the Emperor. Adam makes a lot of sense for this roll because Palpatine was an amateur meteorologist in high school before he began his quest to become the ultimate villain of the galaxy.
Walid: Wald. No lie. There’s a character in Star Wars by the name ‘Wald’.
Liz: Jawa. Liz, not unlike a Jawa, is an expert at bartering.

Sander: Jar Jar Binks.
Kate from Ohio: C-3PO. The O stands for Ohio.
Tyler: General Grievous. He is the only droid who could actually pull his weight in battle. Four lightsabers? Yes.
Bisol: Death Star Stormtrooper. He’s working hard for his family and this is the only job he could get given the economy these days. He’s hoping to at least be promoted to lieutenant some day. He’s tired of being last in line at the Death Star cafeteria.
Caitlin: Gold Leader was in charge of the whole Gold attack force… their drive was plagued to fail from the beginning. The empire came from behind.
JesAbad: The Torture Droid. you DO NOT want to be interrogated by Jes.
Marian: Sebulba. They say Pod Racing originated in England.

Mike G: Greedo. I can honestly see Mike G being a bounty hunter.
Pam C: The Planet Alderaan. Peaceful. Quiet. But she’ll explode if you insult her Volleyball.
Ian: Qui-gon Jinn. Ian was an indirect cause of the fall of the republic! but don’t worry Ian, the child of your student will make out with his sister… weird.
TedBreen: Yoda. Before yoda needed a cane, he could run 17 miles a day without a second thought.
JoeHavelick: Darth Tyranus. Tyranus is also known as Count Dooku. Heh heh.
Abby: Lando. No explanation needed.
James: Rancor. He may seem violent and angry on the outside, but he’s a teddie bear once you get to know him.

Annie Olives: Jango Fett and the parent of the entire clone force. Annie, like TimBaird, has a jet pack.
JesSaint: The Millenium Falcon. Jes is Fast. VERY fast.
UUIG: The people have spoken. UUIG is Leia.
Anita Clue: Darth Vader. Anita is unforgiving and able to throw small children across a room simply by waving her hand.
Sander: Chewbacca’s hairy sister
Devin: Obi Wan. He hid from the empire and became a recluse. He’s also a great rock climber
Irene: The Second Death Star. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating Irene. She’s fully operational and will ruin you.
Eric Pope: Red Six. He had a problem. He tried to hold it. Biggs told him to pull up… It was tragic.
Ed: Senator Organa has a goatee. Ed has… or at one point had… a goatee.
Ed #2: The Head of the Spare Parts devision for Death Star Inc. He was SO good at his job that the empire ordered a whole new STAR in episode VI.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Initial reports suggest that UUIG has visited mikedidonato.com. I repeat, it is believe that the Ultimate Ultimate Intern Girl, HERSELF, has visited mikedidonato.com. Inside sources have claimed that this post, which highlights the deliciousness of tootsie rolls, was commented upon by UUIG at 12:27pm on October 9th. While some outsiders remain skeptical, evidence continues to mount in support of the alleged UUIG visit.

While Patrick at T5T would not respond to our independent researcher’s repeated calls, a representative at mikedidonato.com did provide the following data on the visit of internet phenomenon UUIG.

Our contact at MikeDiDonato.com had the following to say regarding the information above:

You can see here the distinctive red ‘blip’ located in Washington State (UUIG’s current location). While this alone does not suggest anything out of the ordinary, the location of the server indicates Gonzaga University. Which, being a school in Eastern Washington would further give evidence to a genuine UUIG visit.

Needless to say, the internet is abuzz waiting to see if UUIG returns to mikedidonato.com. Shaun McQuaid, rumored to forsee all things internet, had the following criptic message to convey after hearing about UUIG’s alleged visit

“I stand behind the statement that UUIG visited mikedidonato.com. While this exites me to no end, there is another that will cast this day in her shadow. There is much more to be expected from our humble corner of the internet.”

Could Shaun McQuaid be alluding to the ellusive Britney Gallivan? only time will tell.

Awhile ago, I posted a post about Werther’s Original Coffee Flavored Hard Candy. I had tried one, and it was delicious. Recently, I’ve received a few e-mails from people across our Nation asking where I had found these. They too had tasted the candy gold and had searched to find no additional sources of the candy.

Werther’s website? No dice! There’s no information on the Coffee flavored gem.

Stop & Shop and ShopRite trips also proved fruitless. Candy eisles everywhere were leaving me disappointed.

So I called up Storck. Storck is the parent company to Werther’s and their U.S. location is in Chicago, IL. I spoke to a woman named Debbie. our conversation went something like this:

mike d: Good morning Debbie. I have a question about the Werther’s Original Candy.
Debbie: ok, what’s your question?
mike d: I believe I tried a werther’s original that was coffee flavored–
Debbie: yes.
mike d: They exist?
Debbie: yes they do.
mike d: Where can I find them?

She then passed me on to a woman named Linda who worked at the New England distribution center. She’s going to get back to me next week with more information.

If you yourself are interested in finding the coffee flavored werther’s original candy, feel free to call up the U.S. office in Chicago. Tell them that Mike D. sent you, and that you’re looking for local distribution information for the coffee flavored werther’s original candy.

The phone number:
1 312 467-5700

There is an MSPaint contest post in the works. It should be up sometime later today.

UPDATE: It’s UP! Check it out on in the feature section!

Where are you from?

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you, gentle readers. Shaun McQuaid here.

The first question was answered on September 22, 2004. It’s been 1 year and 10 months or so since this crazy adventure began, and your intelligent and awe-inspiring questions have always been there for me, running circles in my brain, causing me to wonder at my own sanity and that of the world around me.

But today marks a milestone.

It seems that I have answered every single one of your questions. None remain in the queue.

Given that this is the case, I am making an ANNOUNCEMENT.

From this point forward, Defy S. McQuaid is on Temporary Hiatus. I will be watching and waiting, seeing if and when the questions mount up. When the number of unanswered questions attains a critical mass, and I have increased my knowledge to the point where I feel I am worthy of accepting the challenge, I will retrieve that gauntlet and begin the Answering again. But for now, you must not expect a weekly answer for some time. There is a philosophical point that has been reached; the desert of questions has been filled with the seeds of answers, and must be given time to flower.

Let’s look back at some of our favorite answers over time:

Resume Paper and Bloody Murder
What, turnip?
Cadbury Cream Eggs - Makes Lady Friends Happy!
Where Does Pork Come From?
Starfleet Regulations

I would add more, but I’m too fond of my answers; they clamour for attention, wanting to be redisplayed, and I must list only the favorites above.

If you have a Favorite answer, please post it in the comments!

Thank you for your readership, your questions, and your support. Rest assured that the answers will come again…..someday in the future. I will not abandon the task forever!