I finally gave in and decided to give Twitter a try. I know, I know - dangerous. Like I need one more thing demanding my time and energy online…but I don’t think it’s all a waist.

For those who haven’t heard, Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. Sounds incredibly simple, and it is. One of Twitter’s high points, is you can let others know what your up too, without having the internet attached to your hip - nice for those who actually have lives.

Basically, it’s an awesome way to let others know what you’re up to without obtrusively interrupting them via phone, email, etc. If they want to know what your up to, they just “follow” you. Simple.
So, having said all that, if for some reason you would like to know what I’m doing on a somewhat regular basis, click here to follow me and get the inside scoop.

Do you use Twitter? Want me to start following you? Leave a comment and a link to your profile and I’ll add you to my watch list. :)

I was talking with a buddy of mine the other day about passwords and Leet (1337). He didn’t know what I was talking about and it inspired me to write a post giving the basics.

Leet (1337) is an alphabet of ASCII characters used by ‘elite’ internet users. Purposes for using Leet can vary, but I find it particularly useful for creating passwords. Here’s an example:

Leet sentence: 1337 |$ \/3|2′/ |_|$3|o5|_|1 |o50|2 [|2347||\|9 |o4$$\/\/0|2|)$
Plain English: Leet is very useful for creating passwords

Basically, Leet is just another way to write words using numbers and symbols. I know, incredibly geeky, but it can be a lot of fun! There are several different ways to write Leet, so you kind of have to settle on a standard format for your own use, or you may find yourself using 20 different versions of “M“. For a complete chart, click here.

Like I said, Leet can be used for just about anything, but I like to create passwords using Leet. Reason for doing so, is simply more security. Symbols and characters add a whole new level of security to passwords. It’s not for everyone, but I find 1337 intriguing.

Have you heard of 1337? Do you use it for anything?

I realize this is a bit off topic, but I couldn’t take it anymore. Undoubtedly you’ve heard all kinds of word going around about the U.S. economy and it’s apparent demise.

Apparently all that borrowing and credit stacking we Americans swear by, isn’t the firm foundation we believed it was. Go figure.

Regardless, it should tell us something - you’d think. Unfortunately it looks like all we can think of doing is rinsing and repeating the same o’l process that got us here - prop up the leaning tower and hope it will hold another decade or two. I just wish we could look a bit further down the road and consider what the best approach would be for us long-term.

Ok, enough ranting. Steve Pavlina wrote an inspiring post, in light of our current financial situation. It’s well worth the read.

So, what’s your take on the current “Financial Crisis”? Do you think the “Bailout Plan” is a good idea? Has your lifestyle been changed by all this?