Congratulations USA (04:55PM)

Congratulations. May at least 4 years with Obama be enough to undo the wrongs that have been done to your country through 8 years of George W. Bush.

Robert Reich about the Obama bitter comment (11:10PM)

I really don't get the big problem with Obamas comment about people being frustrated and bitter. Middle and lower classes in the US sure has a lot to be frustrated and bitter about, as far as I can tell.

Former US labor minister Robert Reich has put his two cents into the discussion.

Robert Reich's Blog: Obama, Bitterness, Meet the Press, and the Old Politics

Are Americans who have been left behind frustrated? Of course. And their frustrations, their anger and, yes, sometimes their bitterness, have been used since then -- by demagogues, by nationalists and xenophobes, by radical conservatives, by political nuts and fanatical fruitcakes – to blame immigrants and foreign traders, to blame blacks and the poor, to blame "liberal elites," to blame anyone and anything.

Obama also has responded to the spin from Clinton and McCain in a very good way, I think.

Norwegian SEO company banned from Google (01:27AM)

Norwegian SEO company Prioritet has been banned from the Google index for going on four months now. Google has removed the SEOs web site from their index, and as of 5 days ago several of the SEO companies customers have been removed from the index.

Read more about Prioritet over at SEO SPAM Cops

Michael Moore telling CNN the truth (12:24PM)

Love this. Michael Moore on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and really going after the poor job CNN has been doing when it comes to the war and his previous movie Fahrenheit 9/11 - as well as the mud slinging that is happening right now about his new movie Sicko - which is showing on a cinema near you right now. The movie tells the story about how bad the health care in the USA actually is. Makes me feel lucky to live in a civilized country such as Norway.

:: Comments left behind ::

"Makes me feel lucky to live in a civilized country such as Norway." Yeah, but whos gonna bail you out when the Nazis attack again, huh, huh? USA #1 WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!!
Actually it's embarrasing. Hopefully Clinton or Obama will help fix this mess.

:: jim collins July 11, 2007 10:56 PM

You are aware that the US only participated in the last parts of the second world war, and that it was of no direct help to Norway until after the war?

This is an interesting article about Norway after the second world war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Norway#Norway_in_World_War_II

Pay special attention to Norway's contribution to the war and its importance in forming the UN. (Yeah I know, Bush & co. don't seem to like the United Nations). Did you know that the first secretary general of the UN was Norwegian?

To get back on topic: I saw SiCKO today and I must say that I felt bad for you yanks. And writing this I am wondering how I would have felt if I was American. (Well, I knew about it already, so I am not shocked - and its just one of the many reasons why I would NEVER move to the USA to live).

I really hope that there are change in store for you. Americans surely deserve to have the same quality of life as is enjoyed by all other civilized and developed countries.

:: Jarle July 12, 2007 01:03 AM

How Google is ripping off advertisers (04:34PM)

There has been much talk about click fraud and Google Adwords, a program for advertisers where you can bid for search words and place ads on numerous websites through the Google content network. But something that has gone largely unnoticed is how Google is making it easy for domain thiefs and domain miss-spelling sites to make a killing off of unsuspecting Google advertisers using the Google Adwords advertisement system.

The perpetrator: Google Adsense for domains

Until recently I wasn't aware of "Google Adsense for domains". Its a program that lets people own enough domain names set up domain parking sites that in essence only contains Adsense advertisements and no content. Placing ads on content free pages is actually against the regular Adsense terms and conditions and I would get in trouble if I did that on my blog or any other site I have. But the ads shown on these special "Adsense for domains" sites are not covered by the Adsense terms and conditions but rather the much less strict terms and condition for "Google Adsense for domains"

The scam

So what is the big deal you might ask? Well, my biggest problem with it is that I can't avoid placing my ads on these suspect sites if I want to advertise on Google and on its search and content networks. There is no option in Adwords to exclude Adsense for domains sites. And the main reason I want to exclude these sites are that while they may provide clicks, the clicks that they provide are of close to no value. Primarily because users are lured to these sites and click around to find what they were looking for in the first place, and are probably unaware that they end up clicking on a paid ad. Examples of such sites are f-sekure.com - a typo domain. Many cyber squatters are also using the Google service to earn money off of other peoples trademarks. F-secure - a manufacturer of anti-virus software has covered the problem with cyber squatters buying typo-domains for anti-virus software and earning money through the Google Adsense for domains program.

The solution

The issue isn't new. Its been raised time and time again by advertisers on Google, but I guess the pressure has not been enough for Google to act. All the really have to do is to split their network into search, content and domains. That way we can all pick and choose where our ads ends up being displayed, and we will be able to advertise content networks without the fear of Google assisting in ripping its advertisers off through shady websites. It would also be good if we would all get better tools to guide our traffic to sites that makes sense for us.

Until that happens, do as I do: Turn off the content network and the search network and use all your money on Googles own search. If enough advertisers do this, I am sure Google will wake up and smell the coffee and do something about this mess.

More information about the impact of the Google Adsense for domains program

• SearchEngineWatch: Google AdSense For Domains Program Overdue For Reform
• SearchEngineWatch: Search Engines Making Millions Off Type-In Traffic From Domains
• SearchEngineWatch: AdWords For Domains Garbage Traffic

Joost invites (04:25PM)

If you know someone using Joost, then you have a way of getting an invite. Now its open for everyone that knows someone that has a Joost account.

OK, I see I have to update: I will give you a Joost invite, but its not free for all anymore. The Joost invitation system is a royal pain in the ass, so the effort I put in to give you an invite has to be countered by an effort by you to do something for me. Alas: You scratch my back, I scratch yours:

So here is what you need to do:

1. Link to my site http://weblog.bergersen.net/ from your blog/site/whateverIt HAS to be a site / blog that has been around a while, I will not accept links from blogs or sites created just to get an invite.
2. When that is done, let me know in the comments to this posting, and I will send you an invite.

I will do my very best to do that for everyone that meets my crierias. Give me a couple of days to be able to handle your request from you send it to me though.

:: Comments left behind ::

Would love a Joost invite!

:: Dean May 3, 2007 04:49 PM

I'd love to have surely. Much appreciate.

:: Manu May 3, 2007 04:50 PM

I would love an invite! Thanks ahead of time.

:: Hogg May 3, 2007 04:57 PM

Hey, I'd love a Joost invite! Can't wait to play around with it. Thanks!

:: Jeff May 3, 2007 05:04 PM

Hi, would love an invite.

:: Ashemmi May 3, 2007 05:08 PM

Hi Jarle
I would love a joost invite! So kind of you to offer!
Cheers
Kirsty

:: kirsty elliott May 3, 2007 05:19 PM

Hello,

I would like an invite to Joost if possible.

Thank you.

:: Andrew May 3, 2007 05:34 PM

Hi, can u send me one.Thanks.
yesterday {at} gmail.com

:: sike May 3, 2007 05:39 PM

Will you please send me an invite. I would be very pleased. Thank you.

:: Agustin May 3, 2007 06:23 PM

Hey, I'd kill for one. I'll honor May 3 as jdb day and celebrate yearly without fail. I'll also do my part to spread the love and invite others still in need. Any help would be much appreciated. ekasbury at gmail dot com. Thanks!

:: Elliott May 3, 2007 06:30 PM

hi, i would like to get invited to joost.
thanks a million.

:: Tomatoes May 3, 2007 06:43 PM

Sending you all invites now. For those of you that have gotten invites now - feel free to add a link to me to show your gratitued ;) To those coming along after this comment: I will only send out invites if you add a link to my site from yours and leave a comment here, its just too much work to send out invites in Joost that I am willing to do the work without getting anything back (yeah I know, I am a bastard) ;)

:: Jarle May 3, 2007 06:45 PM

Added you to my blogroll. Thanks for the Joost invite.

:: Manu May 3, 2007 08:30 PM

Joost looks cool - I'd like an invite. Thank you. And link to you is already added. :-)

:: Monica May 4, 2007 01:26 AM

hey Jarle,
Id love an invite to Joost. Ive linked to your website on my blog.

Thanks

:: Erling May 4, 2007 02:13 PM

I've put up a link on my blog for your site, please send me an invite!

:: Bogairways May 6, 2007 08:31 PM

Hey
I'd appreciate an invite.
I've added your link to my blog
as "Bergersen's Tech Blog"
If you'd prefer a different name lemme know.
Thanks

:: Benjamin May 6, 2007 08:50 PM

Please send an invite, i have added your link to my astronomy blog, thanks!

http://myastronomy.blogspot.com/

:: Matthew May 9, 2007 06:06 PM

Joost in public beta (05:15PM)

Joost invites are VERY popular these days. If you don't know what Joost is - let me tell you. Its the new "product" of the creators of Skype and Kazaa. Its a streaming peer-to-peer TV-network.

You should check out Joost!Hopefully I will be able to give away some invites soon too, so stay tuned! The really unfair thing is that I have been on Joosts list of willing beta testers since forever, and never got one.

:: Comments left behind ::

please gimme some Joost!!

:: Ben May 1, 2007 02:54 AM

I got invited but Joost isn't running on Linux.... :-(

:: Anders May 1, 2007 05:29 PM

Thats unfair, I use Windows XP and I don't have an invite - and you use an unsupported OS and do have an invite. Its just all backwards ;)

BTW: Does Skype or Kazaa support Linux? Or do you have to get yourself an emulator to join in the fun?

PS: If anyone has an invite, please send me one - I am about to burst with curiosity. (Ok, maybe a tad exaggerated, but I AM curious :)

:: Jarle May 1, 2007 05:50 PM

The Adobe Creative Suite rip-off (12:39AM)

What is Adobe thinking? Have they decided that americans are poor and europeans are filthy ritch, and that a product should cost twice as much in Europe as it does in the US? It appears so.

Flashmagazine.com has this story: CS3 international pricing insane showing the disgusting mugging of european customers by Adobe.

There is a petition going on, so if you are also disgusted by the price policy of Adobe - then you should really take a minute to sign the petition!

:: Comments left behind ::

I think what's missing is some discourse and explanation from Adobe. John Dowdell hinted as such (see Peter Elst's blog).

maybe - just maybe - the justification so far is actually true, that remote offices cost $$$ run and there's only limited ways to recoup that?

would you rather loose regional representation and buy directly from the US? I wouldn't.

but so far there hasn't been any official dialog from Adobe over this so we can only speculate.

C'mon, Adobe, give us some truth here.

BTW, Windows Vista pricing is suffering the same backlash.

my 2c

:: barry.b April 22, 2007 02:12 AM

Well it says "Creative License. Take as much as you want". Maybe there wasn't enough room for the follow up "We do!"c

:: cosmin April 22, 2007 05:59 PM

Flash CS3 on the way (06:52PM)

Flashmagazine.com has a first look at what is to come in the new Flash CS3.

Flash CS3 Preview - Flashmagazine

Although this is the third iteration of Adobes Creative Suite, for many of us, this is the first true test of the acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe a year and half ago. And based on what we have had a chance to see, it appears the first thing on the agenda was integration.

Among the enhancements: Better performance for the new virtal machine and ActionScript 3, better integration with the rest of Adobes products - such as Illustrator and Photoshop - and a lot of interface enhancements in the program itself.

Read the whole review at Flashmagazine.com for more insight.

Dagbladet.no skriver om meg (12:45PM)

Dagbladet.no har meg som toppsak for øyeblikket, men har linket feil. For å finne mer om min blogging om Bedriftsguiden.no og Nettkatalogen - se min norske blogg.

In English:
Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.no has published an article about lawsuit letters I have been getting from the lawyers of Bedriftsguiden and Nettkatalogen - two internet catalog companies. The threats follows me blogging about these two companies.

If you know norwegian you can read the Dagbladet.no article about the whole ordeal.

And my original article about Bedriftsguiden

In English, feel free to read the english blog post about the threats: Flashgamer.com about Bedriftsguiden

Bedriftsguiden - Norwegian internet catalog with threatening letters (06:56PM)

Bedriftsguiden and their lawyer has threatened me with suing me for damages. They claim I am in competition with them and that my writings about their service in my original blogentry Bedriftsguiden and their somewhat dodgy ways of marketing themselves are in violation with Norwegian marketing law.

I know how this looks, I seem to be a magnet for letters from norwegian internet catalogs. I guess they don't like the spotlight and digging I am doing on them - but lawyers and possible lawsuits will not stop me.

:: Comments left behind ::

Stort at du har fått så mye oppmerksomhet! Ikke gi deg nå, ikke la svina ta deg. Sender min dypeste støtte om du skulle trenge det.

:: Oscar_Acosta February 17, 2007 12:26 PM

Nettkatalogen - norwegian internet catalog sends letter to my boss (07:10PM)

In 2004 I wrote in my norwegian blog about the norwegian internet catalog Nettkatalogen and their phone sales staff making unsustainable and false claims (Norwegian blog: Nettkatalogen bedriver useriøst telefonsalg) when trying to sell their service. I thought the sales pitch was so bad that I just had to blog about it.

Almost to the day two years later they have their lawyer write up a letter and tell my boss about my blogging of the incident. (Norwegian blog: Nettkatalogen skrev brev til arbeidsgiveren min)

The letter is headlined "Blog of employee" and among other states that they think my blogging is against the ethic guidelines of the Norwegian Union of Journalists (!). I guess the letter is more of a try to put pressure on my through my employer rather than addressing any kind of legally sanction able situation in my blogging of the lack of seriousness of their sales staff...

Fortunately I am pretty safe in my job, but I can see how a letter from a lawyer could be of serious consequence for a lot of bloggers.

If you have had a similar experience with lawyers getting in touch with your employer for things you have written in your own personal blog I would love to hear from you.

Web design time management (12:30PM)

Here is the truth about how web designers and web developers spend their time creating sites:

Web design time management

Funny as hell, but oh so true.

CSS hacks and Internet Explorer 7 (12:23AM)

To follow up on the CSS frustrations for IE 6 post: Here is the way to go about dealing with hacking CSS for IE 7 and all its likely quirks with CSS: Easy CSS hacks for IE7

I really wish I won't have any use for it, but I fear I will be using it a lot in the years to come.

[Via FWW Posten]

Death penalty keeps killing inocent lifes in the US (01:41AM)

Faulty Testimony Sent 2 to Death Row, Panel Finds - New York Times

Faulty evidence masquerading as science sent two men to death row for arson in Texas and led to the execution of one of them, a panel of private fire investigators concluded in a report released Tuesday in Austin.

[...]

The report examined prosecution arson testimony in the trials of two men: Ernest R. Willis, convicted of killing two women in a house fire in 1986 in Iraan, and Cameron T. Willingham, convicted of burning his home in Corsicana in 1992, killing his three young daughters.

Mr. Willingham was executed by lethal injection on Feb. 17, 2004, after Gov. Rick Perry rejected a plea for a last-minute stay, once the courts and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles had declined to intervene.

Mr. Willis was exonerated and pardoned on Oct. 6, 2004, and collected almost $430,000 for 17 years of wrongful imprisonment.

If you are against killing inocent people, you have to be against the death penalty. Anything else just doesn't make sense.

Isn't it time the United States of America joined the rest of the civilized world and abandon the death penalty. Its really heartbreaking to see how barbaric and faulty todays system is.