T-Mobile charge 10c for every line of an IM conversation!

Its worth checking the small print of your cell phone plan:

Amazingly, T-Mobile are charging me 10c every single time I hit return, while using AIM on my Blackberry. They treat each individual line in an IM message as a separate text messag - which seems like a total scam.

Can you imagine the outcry if using Instant messenger cost this on a computer?

"Instant Messaging Use your existing username and Yahoo! Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger to see who's available, then chat instantly--just like on your computer. Each instant message sent or received is charged or deducted as a text message. You may also be charged for all the administrative functions such as buddy list updates or signing on and off. "

My T-Mobile » Plan & Services » Included Features

After 911 AltaVista scored some rare Brownie Points against Google, in the press, because Google didn't have news search, but AV did, via Moreover. Google News was built largely as a result of 911.

It proved that Moreover was a news search engine, but it was too late.

Our PR company had told us that 'search is dead' and without a revenue model for search engines, there was pressure from all sides to make Moreover something else - which resulted in all sorts of convoluted bullshit and meant that Moreover never had decent technology for full-text search.

Eppur Si Muove.

Technorati is in the same boat, there is probably a great deal of pressure not to call it a blog search engine, and perhaps for a different reason than Moreover - that Google is too difficult to take head on.

I may sound arrogant, but I cant help feeling that I've seen this train wreck before, and am also a particular fan of
Dave Sifry who I think has had a rough deal lately.

Technorati is a Blog Search Engine, period. It has some peripheral features that help differentiate, but they are peripheral. Anyone who thinks differently on the board or within the company, is a liability.

I say all this because Google have finally got their act together with Blog Search, and the window of opportunity for Technorati to be what they are, and what they created, is closing.

The Apartment has kindly offered Design Blogfest their Crosby Street window for the duration of New York Design Week. We thought it would be fun to show some indie design... are you a designer with a prototype that we could put in the window? If yes, please upload an image from your website or Flickr, a brief description and the keyword "designblogfest" here in Wists. All the entries will be available at wists.com/everyone/designblogfest. The Design Blogfest bloggers will create a shortlist on Monday afternoon after which we'll ask you the readers to vote on the best design. Yeah, we know, it's short notice, but then that's what blogs are all about. ;)

Important dates:

- Now, upload an image from your website or Flickr to Wists and tag "designblogfest"

- Monday May 14, 12noon EST, deadline for entries via Wists

- Tuesday May 15, shortlist of finalists, voting begins

- Wednesday, May 16, 12noon EST, voting ends

Any questions? Leave a comment at MocoLoco

What better time than Spring and New York Design Week for another Design Blogfest party. It’s official, Wists' Cribcandy.com, along with Apartment Therapy, TreeHugger, Curbed, MoCo Loco and Blogfest newcomers The Apartment, Cool Hunting and NOTCOT are throwing a party on May 18th in NYC and you’re invited. This time we’ve partnered with The Apartment (thanks Stefan!), we’ll be using their space in SoHo on Crosby. It’s from 6pm-9pm and we’ll have food and drink on hand compliments of Swich and 10 Cane Rum. Thanks too to Freeset for the graphics. More details to follow…

+ Please RSVP at icff@theapt.com

Dr. Allan Wooley was my school Chemistry teacher and 'Form Master' as they called the teacher that was responsible not just for your academic performance, but your general well being. And he really cared about people's well being.

Making it all the more tragic that he apparently took his own life last week.

He was a great and memorable teacher. Nobody can have a more widespread, meaningful and lasting legacy than a great teacher.

It may or may not be a good idea for Microsoft to buy Yahoo, but that almost doesn't matter.

Its inevitable that they have to.

Om has a poll running:
GigaOM » Should Microsoft buy Yahoo?