By now many of you have already heard that Microsoft has finally decided to get in on the blogging game by introducing it's blogging service "MSN Spaces". (Way to be on the cutting edge, Bill. Did you only just now hear of this "blogging" phenomena??) What isn't so well advertised is the fact that Microsoft is playing the role of Big Brother by censoring blogs names and content as they see fit.

Taken from this article from CNET: "Unlike rival services such as Blogger, MSN Spaces forces new users to grant Microsoft permission to "use, copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, modify, translate and reformat" their blog postings." Many people have been trying to bypass the filters by giving their blogs names with subtle innuendoes: "But the fun started for many users when blogs with tricky titles that resembled innocuous terms--think of a racier version of "tit for tat," for example--cleared Microsoft's censorship filters."

So unless you plan on starting a blog about kittens or basket weaving, this probably isn't the place you wanna go to keep a blog. Bill Gates seems to have missed the point of a blog entirely.... blogging is freedom of expression in the grandest sense. Censorship of this format is not only laughable, it offends. Take your blogging service and shove it. Be ready, Microsoft..... Gmail is going to kick Hotmail to the curb, or at the very least, have it scrambling to keep up. And the only people who will blog with you will be 11 year old girls who want to talk about Hilary Duff and Avril Lavigne. Best of luck to ya, coz it's high time someone gave you a run for your money.

As for me... sorry about the three day hiatus. I guess I was drained after those two big posts and just plain ran out of things to say. Something I didn't think was possible! *shrug* But what I can't let pass without mentioning is the fact that I got a phonecall last week from one of my most favourite bloggers, Sam. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It made me very happy. I have had such wonderful opportunities to get to know people through my blog, I must say. And while I have never met Sam in person I have talked to him through e-mails and our blogs, and now we got a chance to put a voice to the names. It was fantastic to talk to him live. :-) I love meeting other bloggers!! *sigh*
I wonder who will be next...... I think it's gotta be K-Dogg. He's kinda close in that "10 hour drive" kind of way. lol! NYC - Toronto.... how far can it be?? Come play a gig up here, already!!!

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great weekend and you're feeling refreshed and ready for a new week. I know I am. This week's activity: Chanukah! Woot woot!