CNN, Looks like over 2.6 Million jobs lost last year and we are now at 7% unemployment.

Last year’s steep drop in employment marked the highest yearly job-loss total since 1945, the year in which World War II ended.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of 525,000 jobs in the month.

According to the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report, the unemployment rate rose to 7.2% last month from 6.7% in November and higher than economists’ forecasts of 7%.

The unemployment rate, which is compiled in a separate survey from the payroll number, was at its highest level since January 1993.

That’s pretty sad.  But that said, we’re still doing well even with 7% unemployment.  It’s not the end of the world.  Sure things may even get worse this year but it’s only a matter of time before things do turn around.

Since 2008 is behind us, and not a moment too soon, I decided to share with you my favorite new website of the year.

Actually, this started out as my top ten favorite new websites of the year, but the truth is that none of them could really compare to this one site.

So I give you Daily Lit.

Daily Lit lets you sign up for an email that will send you a small installment of a book every day, at the time of your choice.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to the site and pick a book.

1. Give them your email address, and select the time of day you want it sent to you.

That’s it. They will ask you to confirm that you are the one that requested the book, and you get your first installment about 24 hours later. At the end of each installment is a button to get the next installment right away, and another to adjust the length of the installments that come in. (You can get them from a couple paragraphs at a time, to a few pages at a time.)

Here is the best part: over 800 books are FREE. No cost at all. You don’t even have to sign up for an account, or put up with Spam. Just give them an email address.

New releases and books that are still under copy right seem to start at prices of around $4. Very reasonable.

But the vast majority of the books available on this site are free.

I’m currently reading two books through this service.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (FREE)

and

Little Brother (FREE)

Little Brother is a techno thriller based in a dystopian future after a terrorist attack on San Francisco allows the government to pass The Patriot Act II. It’s fast paced and interesting, well worth the read, but better suited for this medium rather than a printed book. You’ll see what I mean when you read it.

This website is valuable, and we need to support it. Please take a moment to look at it, at the least, and buy a book from it if you can.

Wetwired is not a finalist in the 2008 Blog Awards. Which means… we’ll have to work double hard in 2009 to improve the site.   Part of that I think will come with getting some help on the coding side to make sure that the site actually does work on every browser correctly.

In retrospect I think I need to go back to the drawing board on the site and come up with something truly unique and graphically pleasing. But As I have discussed with others, what good is a great design if you don’t have great content so we’ll also have to double our efforts in the content side of Wetwired.   The design of the site has been with a central theme for the past couple of years and we all agree that the theme is pretty unique.   I think its most likely usability.

2008 Wetwired in Review

This year has been an interesting year.  Considering the previous year was a do-nothing year.  Meaning we really didn’t do a damn thing.  I didn’t update the site, we hardly posted, we kind of took the year off.  2008 on the other hand had major changes.

We switched from Movable Type to Wordpress.

We switched hosts to go-daddy (saving a ton of money at the sacrifice of speed).

We contracted a new artist to re-do the artwork that had previously got us into the finals of best blog design of 2005.

We finalized the new design(mostly).  Aside from the footer part taking until November to get complete…

We started, for the fist time in the 8 year history of Wetwired, to put up advertisements.  Google Adsense, and a few products that we’ve tested ourselves.  While stylistically it goes against everything  I hate; it made sense.  Believe it or not Wetwired is just about paying for itself (cost of domain and monthly hosting).   That in itself is something I really didn’t expect.

Wetwired has seen the most traffic it has ever seen this year.  And we’ve doubled our daily traffic from last year.

We have had a semi-regular podcast for the first time ever and it has been fairly successful.  Including being on itunes.

We’ve had the re-appearance of Beerslinger from his 2 year hiatus.  And we’ve had a couple new writers come on board (prax and larkynm) who unfortunately post infrequently, but are a welcome addition none the less.

We have been interviewed by the Daily Texan (UT paper) and we recorded the interview and offered it up as a podcast.

And lastly I think I’ve updated wordpress versions 6 times this year with some major changes on the back end.  It’s been a pretty good year for them as they (wordpress) have added some great functionality and some great user options in an overhaul of the administration side.

Wetwired in 2009

I think 2009 will be a continued rebuilding year as we look for more local Austin writers who are interested in contributing (for free).   When I look at the amount of money pumped into the site it will be a while before we regain it through advertisement etc but I do see the site fully paying for itself, the operating costs so to speak, and I think we can look forward to having some surprises for our few loyal readers with anything we have left over.

When it comes to traffic, we’ll be working hard to continue to optimize wetwired and post more original content and/or commentary that is of interest and that continues to add readership.  I suspect that if we actually get on the ball this year we could potentially finally break out of the small blog arena.  You would think that after 8 years of being a website/blog that we’d have more traffic.. but Finley, Beerslinger and I all atribute the slowness to 3 potential things.  1. Laziness.  2. Alcohol.  3. Waking up in the morning in the front yard and realizing that those are not our flamingos…

Lastly, Austin has a booming local blogging scene.  With freaking monthly meet-ups!  I’ve personally been in Austin since late 2000 and never been to one, yet we’ve been posting here for quite some time.  I have met (albeit briefly) one other local austin blogger.  She was doing an imprav with Cold-Towne Theatre.   So at some point I suspect that we’ll come out of our holes and make an appearance at one of the local Austin meetings.

As the 2009 looks fairly bleak when it comes to the economy, I think Wetwired will do just fine.

Postscript

If you are interested in contributing articles to wetwired or interested in just getting involved in a project let us know by commenting.  We’ll be on the lookout for new talent, and/or we wouldn’t mind showing someone the administration side if you just want to learn.

We should be hearing shortly – or should have last night if wetwired will be a finalist in the 2008 Blog awards.

11:30pm here and I managed to get a couple night shots – 2 sec exposure.

Shot from Balcony of Apt.

One of the Neighbors sticking her tongue out trying to catch acid rain snow.

Another shot from the Balcony

Yep, that’s right.  First snow storm of the season.  Ok who am I kidding? It’s the only snow storm we’ll see this season.  It doesn’t snow here.  Actually it’s not even a snow storm.  It’s God’s joke on us Texans – “Look you can see it as snow in the air but as soon as it hits the ground its rain.  Suckers.”

Ah well. Enjoy the winter slushyland while you can folks, cause its so damn rare around here.

Update(12-10-08): Here are some extra pictures shared by Paul taken in Leander/Cedar Park area of the storm last night:

Wetwired is gunning for the Best Blog Design of 2008.

We were a finalist in 2005 for the Best Blog design.. unfortunatly we didn’t win.  But…we’re back again with a new design this year we hope to do well again.

Go here to look at what the site looked like back then.

So the rules are – we’ve already been nominated so if you’d like to 2nd or 3rd it please go click on the (+) icon next to wetwired. Go here to check it out.

It started when I was 7, and realized what being president meant.

I was sick at home on January 28, 1986. That morning, I had seen a ship heading towards the stars that didn’t get there. I saw shock, grief and tragedy in a way that my young eyes couldn’t quite comprehend. And then, I saw an old man give a speech to the nation that would convey all of our collective grief and pain in a way few of us could do. I saw that man turn into my hero.

That was the day I became a Republican.

At first, it was simply hero worship of Reagan. When I grew older I began to research further and found that the ideals that Conservatism was based upon made sense to me. My passion for Conservatism grew stronger, to the point where when I could finally register to vote (early, it turned out) there was no doubt in my mind. What I had been in spirit, I had become in reality.

My enthusiasm was only heightened by my first presidential election. I voted absentee, as I had moved to Mississippi for school but had retained my Louisiana state resident status. I voted for what was a weak candidate as I look back, but I voted with pride. I respected the economic conservative policies of Jack Kemp and the heroism of Bob Dole, and I saw past the weak debate performances.

When 2000 came along, I had hopes. I saw a man come along who had an admittedly tainted past but who preached a comeback to Conservative (and Republican, as I associated them at the time) ideals. I saw a man who called for a return to Compassionate Conservatism, and I believed him.

This was the first time I was fooled by George W. Bush.

I voted for him then, and my support for him strengthened with another national tragedy. I saw him speak to the workers searching for survivors and how the people who brought those towers down would hear of this. I saw him lead the way towards Afghanistan, taking on a regime that had directly backed the attacks of 9/11.

Then, I saw him making an argument towards Iraq.

Fooled me twice…uh, uhm… won’t be fooled again.

I supported the Iraq War, simply because I was of the belief that no matter how long it would take to heal Iraq would eventually be better than it had been under Saddam Hussein. I still believe that, though I don’t believe that our continued presense beyond a base or two serves our national interests any further. (After all, we stil have a base in Germany.) We’re seeing Iraq improve now, and get to the point where pulling the bulk of our troops is a very viable option.

So, this isn’t about Iraq for me.

I saw the government come under Republican control, and that’s when I noticed the major changes. Morality became a political game, as our nation’s concerns became less about the continued prosperity of its people and more about “protecting the innocents.” In the name of the children, we began performing more and more cutting away of our civil liberties.

Then came the change in tone. Politics has been a very cynical game for about 40 years, but it really turned with the Republican Revolution of 1994. To get the Clintons out, Republicans began a firing-off of rhetoric and bile that built up over time to where we developed a think skin towards things that would have appalled us a mere decade before. I would argue that the rise of someone like Karl Rove could only have happened after Nixon and Clinton, in fact. What used to be considered “dirty tricks” became the standard operating procedure.

2004 came along, and I voted for Bush again- again, because I thought that the tone could eventually change back towards a more civilized political climate.

I was wrong.

My last straw with the current administration came with Katrina. I saw an inept leadership turn a propserous, historically priceless jewel into a dangerous shadow of a formerly glorious city. When George Bush thought Brownie was doing a heck of a job, I was done.

I saw Democrats in Congress decide to take the tactics of Clinton and Bush and turn them upon the Republicans. I saw them sweep large numbers of Republicans out of Congress, and despite my dislike and distaste towards many in power I secretly hoped that there would be some balance in government.

Instead, I saw more bile and hatred in the name of “winning the election” come from both Democrats and Republicans. I looked around, and realized that I was associating myself less and less with Republicans in power and more with the classic Conservatism I yearned for in leadership but couldn’t find anywhere.

Then came a possible return to form, with John McCain. I had seen his run in 2000 and was inspired that he may be that return I longed for. Then, he won the primaries. In doing so, he began to change what he was saying. What had been a message of leadership became a different message, one that indicated he was willing to kowtow to what he thought needed to be said in order to win. He began taking on advisors that hed led Bush to victory 4 years earlier, and those advisors pointed him towards the same dirty pool that had soured me to Bush before.

When he announced Palin as his running mate, I had hope at first. Then, I heard her “message.”

What has finally turned me against the Republican party- or at least, the current version of it- was the idea floated out there that people who did not vote Republican were in some way “un-American” or “anti-American.”

I know many Democrats and Republicans, all of whom have wildly different personal beliefs. One thing that they have in common is a deep, true love for their country. We may differ on how we believe the country should move forward but in no way does that make us Unamerican. For someone to accuse Democrats (OR Republicans) of being Anti-American simply because they would vote for someone else is a disgrace to Conservatives and Liberals, and a mark against the very ideals this nation was raised upon. To make this sort of statement is a sign of ignorance or desperation, and neither should be rewarded with one of the two highest offices in the land.

I will not be voting for my party in the Presidential election this year, for the first time. I don’t know if I could vote for Barack Obama, since I have some very serious differences with his policy stances in multiple cases. One thing is for certain, though- I cannot vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin in good conscience, or as a true Conservative or true Republican.

Out.

Sarah Palin, Alaska Governor

According to the drudge report Mccain’s VP pick is none other than (hotness factor of 7) Sarah Palin.  And now according to Wikipedia:

Sarah Heath Palin (born February 11, 1964) is the current Governor of Alaska, and a member of the Republican Party. She is the first female governor of Alaska, its youngest, and is the first governor born after Alaska achieved statehood. Brought to statewide attention because of her whistleblowing on ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders,^[1] she won election in 2006 by first defeating the incumbent governor in the Republican primary, then a former Democratic Alaskan governor in the general election.

She is the Republican vice presidential candidate for the November 2008 election.

Wow, that was fast. I’m impressed. Sarah is also a former runner-up Miss Alaska Beauty Pageant… so she was one of the ones that said “I want World Peace” and actually meant it when they asked her what she wanted to accomplish when she grew up. She also won Miss Congeniality.

Update: 7:42am CDT – the note on her being th VP pick on Wikipedia has been pulled.

Update: 8:26am CDT – According to a spokesperson Palin will be at a State Fair in Alaska and is not in Ohio.  That said, this could be dis-information either way, when you see a a jet charted from Alaska and a woman and 2 teenage kids get off, that tells me a late night flight was in order.

Update: 9:13am CDT: CNBC now reporting on Palin. On the previous comment, you’ll notice that it mentions Palin will be at a state fair but also you’ll note that they are saying Tim Pawlenty, is supposed to be at a State Fair, I think it’s safe to say that the previous source is mixing up their names.

Update: 9:47am CDT: Foxnews states “Breaking News >> FOX News Confirms Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Will Be McCain Running Mate ” but the link itself is still speculation.

Update: 9:52am CDT: CNN reports confirmation. Palin is the running mate.

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential candidate on the Republican ticket for the White House in November, a senior McCain campaign official has told CNN.

Republican VP

Update: 10:14am CDT: Finnally Foxnews has updated their site.  Their freaking web-master is slow as crap.

From Market Watch:

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Lately, whenever the market has a bad day, the reflex among financial-news editors is to compare our current situation with 1987 and wonder if a “Black Monday”-style crash is on the horizon.

But some observers draw a darker metaphor, noting that much of what we are seeing now also took place in 1929. As we know, that meltdown — unlike the 1987 crash — was not followed by a happy ending, but rather by a decade of poverty, shantytowns and sporadic famine.

Popular imagination has the Great Depression opening with a bang in October 1929. We forget that even by December of that year, the market had no idea what was really in store. After a period of wild, bipolar volatility, stocks had taken two big tumbles (a 12.8% drop on Oct. 28 and an 11.7% fall the next day) while the top bankers and “captains of industry” rushed to shore up the market. By November, the Dow had hit its low for the year at 198, down from the giddy September high of 381.

But, the financial pundits and government leaders of the day insisted, the economy’s fundamentals were still strong. Mass unemployment was, some months after the crash, still just something that went on in Germany and Britain. America was strong and merely needed a push to keep the financial markets from harming the broader economy.

With that in mind, Herbert Hoover — only nine months into his presidency — assembled leaders from the public and private sectors to create an economic-stimulus package. Among the measures, Time magazine reported at the time, was a promise from Congress to offer bipartisan support for a tax-cut package. The proposal called for $160 million in tax relief — only about $22 billion if adjusted against the gross domestic product at the time, and therefore much smaller than the plan under consideration here in 2008. Read Time’s original coverage of the plan.
Also on the table was an assurance from the Federal Reserve that it would provide cheaper credit. Granted, the Fed had much less power over the money supply in those days, mainly because the amount of liquidity it could create was limited by the supply of gold it held to back the dollar.

Of course, there were a litany of public-works projects, plans for new corporate investments, and even a promise by Henry Ford to raise wages at his auto plants.

None of this worked. What was first seen as speed bump to the expansion of American finance became something much larger. The Dow continued falling, hitting 157 in 1930, 73 in 1931 and finally a mere 41 points in 1932. It did not reach its 1929 high again until 1954, a generation later.

Certainly, our economy now has far more differences than similarities with the economy of 1929, and few expect a new depression for the decade ahead. But it’s also worth remembering that the best laid plans of presidents, chief executives and senators can sometimes come to nothing.

This man has come out of no-where with a message of less government. While he and Fred Thompson agree on this, Ron Paul’s message is considerably more Libertarian, and thus he has gained an insane following. If he keeps earning money from supporters like he is, chances are he’ll make the Republicans face that he is the only candidate for the position. Secretly, I think the Republican agenda is to not allow him to win in the primaries. The Democrats also really don’t want him to win in the primaries because he is anti-war which has been the Democrats main push or difference they push on why their party is the one to vote on. So, if you have a moderate Republican that is a non-moonbat, is anti-war, and talks about libertarian ideals and sweeping changes, chances are he’ll take a lot of moderate democrats that are on the fence.

So it boils down to: we have an underdog who no one in the higher up government or either party really want to win. And what do we like here in America? Underdogs. But don’t let me tell you about how I’ve been swayed to support Ron Paul, take a moment to look at him on his issues.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com and if you can spare some change – send him money on the 16th – the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

Well I’ve signed up to help out and you’ll most likley see me posting about the candidates but I’m hoping that Fred gets the republican ticket. Anyway, here it is, the Fred ‘08 Web 2.0 button.

If you’d like the PSD file let me know. I may be re-working it as its not quite what I want but good enough for now. I’ve actually made a dark PSD file and a light one and I’ll prob. rework a coulpe others for use as well. email pylorns at gmail dot com .