Here are the winners of the Fall WinCustomize WindowBlinds contest. These indicate the number of different subscribers who downloaded each skin. They share 5% of the revenue we collected during the contest time frame.

The winners are:

1. WindowsMAX 2	Steve Grenier	845
2. GT3	Tiggz	829
3. TriAX	brewman	529
4. Fabre	^^Gabriel	439
5. Skies	adni18	405
6. Carillon	essorant	404
7. Jarilo	essorant	400
8. CyberSkin	adni18	389
9. geo-Logic	I.R. Brainiac	353
10. Luster	MikeB314	337   Congratulations!!!!

What makes JoeUser.com special? There's zillions of websites on the net that let you have your own personal space to write down your thoughts and views on things. So why would someone choose JoeUser.com as their home for their blog?

JoeUser.com is a website that allows individuals to sign up for free web pages that include tools for easily adding user-created articles to their pages (blogs).  What makes JoeUser.com special are the features it has built in to enable users to get their blogs read by others.

JoeUser.com has a host of unique features that allow it to operate as both a blog site and as a news site:

·         Auto-Syndication. The Newest articles are automatically displayed on every JoeUser.com page

·          Peer review. Readers can give particularly well written article bonus points by rating it as “insightful”. High scoring articles automatically receive additional coverage and syndication on the site.

·          Home page featuring. Articles on JoeUser.com can be featured onto the site’s home page by JoeUser’s editors allowing the home page itself to act as an on-line magazine complete with multiple categories of stories on virtually any topic.

·          Audience Control. Bloggers have control over who can see their articles (just themselves, everyone, or selected users and groups such as friend and family only).

·          Blog Groups.  Users can band together and form blog groups in which the combined articles of individual members form the content of a new blog site within JoeUser.com.

·          Sub-Domains. Each blogger receives their own sub-domain such as Frogboy.joeuser.com.

·         Per-Article statistics.  Users can see how many people have viewed their article, what websites are linking to their article and even directly jump to the pages that are linking to them to see what they are saying.

·         Forum Syndication.  Blogs can optionally be syndicated to various forums on JoeUser.com, PoliticalMachine.com, TotalGaming.net, WinCustomize.com, and elsewhere depending on the content.

·         Popular blog site and article tracking.  The top blog sites, top articles and top bloggers are automatically listed on every page so that as users gain popularity through their articles, they continually gain additional coverage.

·         Blog Ranking. Users are able to see where their blog ranks amongst the tens of thousands available to see how they match up.

JoeUser.com is completely free to use, has no pop-up advertising, and is easy to use.  When you write your blogs on JoeUser.com, odds are other people will read them. They get syndicated onto every site. It is designed so that each user's articles have a chance of being read by others. The users who write articles that get the most points receive more coverage across the site.

That is the JoeUser.com difference, your blog is more than just an isolated personal page. It's part of a community too. It's a place where you can share your views and opinions and thoughts with the world in such a way that the world will see it.

Next week WinCustomize 2005 launches and it's a complete redesign of the current site. Cleaner, faster, more features, and a new look. This video (which requires Windows Media Player 9 or later) will take you on a tour of the features of the new site.

Today is the last day for the WindowBlinds Fall skinning contest. The top 10 entries share 5% of the subscription proceeds we've received during the same period. It's still neck and neck for the #1 spot. We'll know the results tomorrow.

1. WindowsMAX 2	Steve Grenier	833
2. GT3	Tiggz	821
3. TriAX	brewman	527
4. Fabre	^^Gabriel	435
5. Skies	adni18	402
6. Carillon	essorant	402
7. Jarilo	essorant	399
8. CyberSkin	adni18	387
9. geo-Logic	I.R. Brainiac	351
10. Luster	MikeB314	335
11. M16 Dark	Michael Brandt	317
12. M19 Dark Sun	Michael Brandt	316
13. Project Onyx	Skinartistry	314
14. CP Christmas 4WB	pinchecl	307
15. CP38 4WB	pinchecl	301

I really love being a dad. Here's some more pictures of me and the boys.

Here are some more pictures from this Fall for friends & family to see...

The boys tackle their dad (me).

Ryan with the ball.

 

Ryan makes faces..

Me and Ryan.

 

And Alex.

 

The boys at Halloween.

I'm tired. I mean really tired. We've hired a half-dozen or so people this past month and a lot of the people we're bringing in are taking over jobs that I used to do. I've always been lazy, but as I get older, I seem to get lazier!

You know you're lazy when you see someone on TV on a feeding tube and you think "and hear I am, chewing my own food like I'm some sort of chump!" Thank goodness for bed pans, that's all I can say.

For those of you using Object Desktop and have been wondering what the heck is going on with ObjectBar and ControlCenter, your ship has come in. We are now directly focused on development of those two things (they're being merged).  The first step in that has been getting RightClick finished.  RightClick is a program that allows you to replace your Windows desktop menu with one of your own creation. Very easy to use, very powerful.

So if you have Object Desktop, check out Stardock Central and you should see it there.

In fact, if you have Object Desktop, you've probably noticed that a lot of programs on it have started getting a lot of updates. That's because we're gearing towards Object Desktop 2005 which is scheduled to be released in the next couple of months. So WindowBlinds 4.5 beta and SkinStudio 4.5 betas showed up already. Theme Manager and WindowFX have been getting updated as well.

And meanwhile, the widget wars that people just love hearing about keeps going on. The next build of DesktopX is due out next week and it has a bunch of new features that should make it easier to use and allow users to customize widgets much easier.

Meanwhile next TUESDAY is the official launch of WinCustoize 2K5.  I won't be here though. I'll be in New York groveling to the various print magazines to cover our lowly stuff.  Somewhere I still have a picture of my mowing Nicholas Petreley's lawn (former editor of Infoworld).  You do what you gotta do.

At the same time I've been trying to grovel to Microsoft to start including us on their community outreach programs. Our 3 million unique visitors per month I hope is a persuasive argument that maybe Microsoft could help participate in events. I'd like to get a big chat event to help launch the new site. When I get back that would be a good thing to arrange. Then I can actively recruit for my World of Warcraft clan. Priorities you know.

12% of people in the poll like the current WinCustomize over the beta of the new site. The current WinCustomize runs at about 34% the speed of the new site, has fewer features, much larger pages, and is uglier. But I suppose it has its charm. Hopefully there won't be too much up an uproar when we move over.

I'm tired. I mean really tired. We've hired a half-dozen or so people this past month and a lot of the people we're bringing in are taking over jobs that I used to do. I've always been lazy, but as I get older, I seem to get lazier!

You know you're lazy when you see someone on TV on a feeding tube and you think "and hear I am, chewing my own food like I'm some sort of chump!" Thank goodness for bed pans, that's all I can say.

For those of you using Object Desktop and have been wondering what the heck is going on with ObjectBar and ControlCenter, your ship has come in. We are now directly focused on development of those two things (they're being merged).  The first step in that has been getting RightClick finished.  RightClick is a program that allows you to replace your Windows desktop menu with one of your own creation. Very easy to use, very powerful.

So if you have Object Desktop, check out Stardock Central and you should see it there.

In fact, if you have Object Desktop, you've probably noticed that a lot of programs on it have started getting a lot of updates. That's because we're gearing towards Object Desktop 2005 which is scheduled to be released in the next couple of months. So WindowBlinds 4.5 beta and SkinStudio 4.5 betas showed up already. Theme Manager and WindowFX have been getting updated as well.

And meanwhile, the widget wars that people just love hearing about keeps going on. The next build of DesktopX is due out next week and it has a bunch of new features that should make it easier to use and allow users to customize widgets much easier.

Meanwhile next TUESDAY is the official launch of WinCustoize 2K5.  I won't be here though. I'll be in New York groveling to the various print magazines to cover our lowly stuff.  Somewhere I still have a picture of my mowing Nicholas Petreley's lawn (former editor of Infoworld).  You do what you gotta do.

At the same time I've been trying to grovel to Microsoft to start including us on their community outreach programs. Our 3 million unique visitors per month I hope is a persuasive argument that maybe Microsoft could help participate in events. I'd like to get a big chat event to help launch the new site. When I get back that would be a good thing to arrange. Then I can actively recruit for my World of Warcraft clan. Priorities you know.

12% of people in the poll like the current WinCustomize over the beta of the new site. The current WinCustomize runs at about 34% the speed of the new site, has fewer features, much larger pages, and is uglier. But I suppose it has its charm. Hopefully there won't be too much up an uproar when we move over.

I'm tired. I mean really tired. We've hired a half-dozen or so people this past month and a lot of the people we're bringing in are taking over jobs that I used to do. I've always been lazy, but as I get older, I seem to get lazier!

You know you're lazy when you see someone on TV on a feeding tube and you think "and hear I am, chewing my own food like I'm some sort of chump!" Thank goodness for bed pans, that's all I can say.

For those of you using Object Desktop and have been wondering what the heck is going on with ObjectBar and ControlCenter, your ship has come in. We are now directly focused on development of those two things (they're being merged).  The first step in that has been getting RightClick finished.  RightClick is a program that allows you to replace your Windows desktop menu with one of your own creation. Very easy to use, very powerful.

So if you have Object Desktop, check out Stardock Central and you should see it there.

In fact, if you have Object Desktop, you've probably noticed that a lot of programs on it have started getting a lot of updates. That's because we're gearing towards Object Desktop 2005 which is scheduled to be released in the next couple of months. So WindowBlinds 4.5 beta and SkinStudio 4.5 betas showed up already. Theme Manager and WindowFX have been getting updated as well.

And meanwhile, the widget wars that people just love hearing about keeps going on. The next build of DesktopX is due out next week and it has a bunch of new features that should make it easier to use and allow users to customize widgets much easier.

Meanwhile next TUESDAY is the official launch of WinCustoize 2K5.  I won't be here though. I'll be in New York groveling to the various print magazines to cover our lowly stuff.  Somewhere I still have a picture of my mowing Nicholas Petreley's lawn (former editor of Infoworld).  You do what you gotta do.

At the same time I've been trying to grovel to Microsoft to start including us on their community outreach programs. Our 3 million unique visitors per month I hope is a persuasive argument that maybe Microsoft could help participate in events. I'd like to get a big chat event to help launch the new site. When I get back that would be a good thing to arrange. Then I can actively recruit for my World of Warcraft clan. Priorities you know.

12% of people in the poll like the current WinCustomize over the beta of the new site. The current WinCustomize runs at about 34% the speed of the new site, has fewer features, much larger pages, and is uglier. But I suppose it has its charm. Hopefully there won't be too much up an uproar when we move over.

A new service called mlogr (media weblogger) allows users to post photos, videos, and audio directly to most blog services like LiveJournal, TypePad, MoveableType, WordPress, B2 and many others from your cellphone, pc, mac, pda, and most wireless devices, is currently in beta stages and is looking for bloggers to try it out, suggest new features; and help get it out of beta stages.

It has your common community-like features such as forums, comments and ratings, but it also has a feature called "friendslist" where your friends are automatically notified when you publish a new blog, photoblog, or videoblog. In addition to blogging media to your website it can also optionally display your photos in gallery's where users can rate and comment on them. All media published to your own blog is hosted on the mlogr.com website, where it can be modified. mlogr is completely free, although future pay accounts may allow additional functionality and additional storage space.

More information:
http://mlogr.com
Create a Free account:
http://mlogr.com/signup

I really miss the beech. Had a great time with the kids. Oh well, maybe next year.