Due to technical internet issues, I have been a bit behind the curve with The Pisstakers. Basically, despite the highest of technology at my disposal, I have been driven apopleptic because I cannot get online properly. However, there may be an end in sight to the shouting, screaming and desire to open windows and throw a computer or two into the trees.

According to a tech friend, a new wireless card should cure a pulsating wireless signal that lets me view pages half a screen at a time, and publish correctly for 17 seconds between fatal signal drops...

A wireless card, huh, easy. There are thousands to choose from, so finding the right one should be like picking fruit off the ground. Not so fast. Who was it said that you can get whatever you want whenever you want in this age where consumer is king? They were talking out their elbow. It has taken 2 trips to Walmart and Best Buy, a customer service episode that doesn't bear repeating, plus a couple of sorties into the world of eBay. (not forgetting an aborted trip to an online Mac store) to eventually find what I am looking for - I think. All being well, Amazon have it under control and I will be back to a reliable blogging service in 2 to 6 business days.

In my cynical state, that probably means two missed deliveries and a trip to the Fed-Ex depot in the pouring rain, in a couple of weeks, but, hey, it's Christmas and I am ready for a surprise or two.

MyBlogLog Sunday, no hassle

There was supposed to be video footage of last week's MBL Sunday, but it will be rolling tomorrow instead. The Breaking News team broke their lenses, and didn't fancy a blind run, but all is well again and filming will resume. As part of the deal, any bloggers who mention MyBlogLog Sunday will get a visit too, so you know what to do if you want to get a glitzy showing on Youtube!

Till tomorrow. And I hope this slips out before the wireless goes fooey again.

Did you see the report about Kiva on TV last night? The Business Nation guys were highlighting the rapid progress that has been made at the Kiva micro-loan website. It gave me confidence that we are on the right track promoting Kiva here, because the report came out very favorably - and let's face it, if anyone is looking for a hole in a "$25 loans can change the world" plan, it is the hard-nosed business people at Business Nation.

Developing fast

In their first year, the Kiva website channeled $1m worth of small loans direct to budding business men and women in Third World countries. This last year, $15m worth of loans have been transacted. Not a bad growth rate. And the cheering aspect is that growing numbers of ordinary people like you, me and Polli are funding the loans, $25 at a time.

Micro business mega returns

We aren't talking about financing Bill Gates' type businesses. Think lower than low tech.

One Kenyan guy was a bicycle taxi, pedaling people around town, around potholes and around piles of garbage for 14 hours a day. With his loan he bought a new bike and set his wife up with a road-side restaurant selling beans and rice. They were doing great and had moved out of their mud hut into a concrete one.

Another recipient of a loan was already in business selling seeds and cereals. Before his loan, his stall must have looked pitiful, because even with his $1000 worth of extra inventory and a corn field, most Westerners would have wept. Not him. Far from it. His 3 kids can go to school now and he has a nice suit for work.

A group of women bought cattle with their $1000, plus a load of beads to make their masai jewelry for tourists. They were the cheeriest and most colorful bunch you could imagine, and like the founder of Kiva said, when you go the site and see the pictures of the people requesting a loan, and you realise that $1000 will make such a huge difference to their lives and prospects, it is an irresistible urge to contribute $25 towards their micro-loan.

Ed's take

I should disclose that I am a Kiva fan. Years ago I co-founded a development program in Africa, and I can assure you that money with strings attached is the primary problem faced by most people trying to get ahead on that amazing continent. Sure, genocide and tribal wars don't help continuity in some countries, but by and large, if you can loan people a few bucks for a chance to fish (and don't interfere), they will teach you a thing or two about fishing.

Kiva kool aid

Kiva is one of the coolest, lowest impact /least interfering ways to enable people in developing nations to develop in a way they feel comfortable with. In the long run, it is a win-win for lenders too, because it doesn't cost you a dime overall. Kiva have such a good relationship with their loan reps in the field, that if you become a lender and contribute the basic $25 to a business(wo)man in the Third World, you have a 0.2% chance of not being repaid! No sub-prime risk there!

Link-a-post is a new feature that promotes bloggers who support micro-loan specialists, Kiva.



Ordinarily the graphic will appear at the end of every post on this site. It links in many different ways: To the Kiva homepage, to your Kiva lender's page; to your blog; to your blog's SmartLink widget, or other feature on your blog...

As long as you are a Kiva lender, we will adapt one of these graphics so that the links go to your Kiva page, blog etc. (Complete this form to get going, or read on and I will explain further what is on offer, and what you need to do to participate.)

This is a further break down of what you will get if you become involved with Kiva and adopt one of the Link-a-Post graphics.

Make the world a better place one loan at a time

The main point of this Link-a-Post feature is to raise awareness of Kiva. These guys enable everyday folks (and bloggers) like you and me to make a micro-loan (as little as $25) direct to an enterprising everyday person in a developing country. The entrepreneur invests the $25 in their business and they repay you in full a year later. So smart and so fair that Oprah loves Kiva.

The text link below the graphic will go to your Kiva lender's homepage (known as a portfolio,) where readers can see the aims, progress and background of people you are lending to. (Bloggers should realise that you can also link from your Kiva lender page to your own blog.)

Make your blog a better place

This part of the graphic will show a screenshot of your blog with a link back to your homepage. Use your blog to tell your readers what you are doing with Kiva and Link-a-Post, and build up a mini network of great links.

The text below your screenshot will link to a favorite feature on your blog. (I am into SmartLink widgets that display book, video and music store feeds - and so should you!)

Make advert space a better place

One of the bonuses of the Link-a-Post format is that the graphic is placed at the end of a post, so it is prominent but not intrusive. This makes it perfect for advertising without annoying our readers with the usual commercial distractions. Currently this 3rd block features Ed's Funny HQ humor store at Zlio, the theory being, nobody died from a chance to buy a humor book or DVD.

If you want to place your own ad in the third section of your graphic, let's talk money! I will give half the fee to Kiva.

To participate in Link-a-Post

In a nutshell, there will be one "generic" Link-a-Post graphic at the foot of every post on this site. To "adopt" one of these:


The graphic will stay on this site forever as a permanent reminder / show of thanks for participating in Kiva.

Act now!

Contact Ed to book your spot at the end of a post. 1300 spots available, grab a spot!

As the snow falls deep and crisp and even, I am looking at the feed reader and realise that Good King xFruits is slacking and some of the recent posts aren't shining out. Sorry folks, you can't escape that easily.

Ben Stein ripped into Goldman Sachs. I don't think he was quite on the money with his claims. Or, his tilt at GS is BS!

I introduced Link-a-Post yesterday. It is my bid to make a better world for bloggers and entrepreneurs in the Third World, well past Christmas and well into the New year. I hope to hear from you, at least to say whether you think it can work in its current format, or if not, give me some pointers.

SmartLinks say they like what they see and I feel a few SmartLink users calling by to take a look. Don't get caught in the rush!

Beacon Awards. I was one of 5 tiddlers caught in Debbie Dolphin's nets. It also seems as though Reuters are trawling the web for original posts and they found her. Good vibes for the small guys.

And for some reason, MyBlogLog Sunday 35 never appeared in the RSS feeder. I hope it didn't put the Breaking News team off their filming. Lights, cameras, action.

I hope Johnny Ancich doesn't mind this blatant copy of his latest cartoon. I have been subscribing to this contemporary Canadian cartoonist's work for a week or so now and I haven't had a bad one yet. And if you don't get the point of a PastExpiry cartoon straight away, because like me, you aren't up to speed with Canada news, he adds a sharp line or two of explanation.

Check him out. Vote for him. Subscribe. Digg, Stumble, rock 'n roll him.

The wait is over. There is a new look in town, and this a snippet.

Blog design change - the challenge

The challenge has been to beef up this blog with adverts; build a link network with friends of the Pisstakers; introduce 1300 SmartLinks and promote a Good Cause called Kiva - all without cluttering the site and tripping readers up on crap. It could have got ugly, and incredibly time consuming, had I gone the traditional adsense and sidebar route, so I had to think smart!

The theme change is underway! Can you spot another part of the puzzle?









Luckily, good things happen in 3's. This is the third and most important part of the puzzle.

Blog design change - the solution

Stick those 3 graphics together in a lightweight CSS table, load them with links and you get Link-a-Post , a system that exploits the power of 3.

What's to see?

If you look at the bottom of this post, after the comments and bookmarks section, make up your own mind about Link-a-Post. You will see that the 3-part graphic highlights a humanitarian development program called Kiva. It also contains blog links and screenshots of blogs. Not stopping there, it introduces SmartLink Widgets, a simple but powerful way to link to loads of relevant books, DVDs or music available via affiliate programs. There's a humor store tagged on too.

(That was actually 4 positives and the 5th best bit is that Link-a-Post is compact, non-scattered - and it bears repeating - is judiciously placed at the end of a post, visible, but not intrusive when you are reading. 3 cheers.

One down 1299 to go

There will eventually be 1300 "generic" Link-a-Post graphics on this site. Each one will be placed at the end of a post and each one can be easily commandeered by bloggers looking for a wholesome way to expand their link network, readership and bank balance via this PR4 site.

I have customised the Link-a-Post graphic at the bottom of this post to suit Ed's info, and so can you. Come back tomorrow to learn how easy it is to have your own customised graphic at the bottom of your favorite Pisstakers post.

Can you see the new look now? The world is not short of slick graphics, but I think this offers a bit more bang for your buck than most. In principle, Link-a-Post engages the world on a blogger / good feeling / income generating level - and lordy lor', I can leave my sidebar and content free of naff advertising. (And, I just remembered, with the additional SmartLink code now going on in the background, I can add a whole new layer of content to this blog without too much hassle...)

If you can see any holes in the idea, please let Ed have it!

Not that anyone is buying houses these days, but if you were, wouldn't you like to know if the leafy sleepy suburb you have your eye on is as tranquil as it seems on the surface?

Well, before you sign your life away, you can use this site to find out if there are any rotten neighbors, trouble-makers, or noisy bastards on your street.

You just go to the site, enter an address, search the Google map for the house you are interested in, and see if anyone has submitted insider info.

Phew, saved!

These guys have revealed a few choice facts about the loud and loser people on their street. It doesn't do much for the prospects of anyone trying to sell, but potential buyers can't say they haven't been forewarned. Of course, if the newbies are into ghetto parties, maybe it is their perfect neighborhood, otherwise, I suspect they will keep on driving till they find a quieter block.

These people are too into Christmas!

I have heard it all now. Nice folks, but they have so many Xmas lights it is annoying for anyone living nearby. Whatever happened to affirmative action? If illuminations are too invasive, I suggest crawling across the lawn like a commando and cutting the wires.

I suppose in a place where people have time to stare out their windows and get offended by pulsing Father Christmas-i, there is a high chance of being spotted sabotaging the lights, photographed and uploaded to this site before you even get home. Nosy neighbors are as bad as rotten ones.

Snooper, top commenter

With a name like that, Snooper deserves to be top poster on this site. The conversation provides quite an entertaining insight into the small world we live in.

What I really mean is, this site opens a window on the small-minded judgemental intolerant world we live in. Are we supposed to tip-toe around at home and never have bonfires, parties and outdoor hobbies? Life is too short to get hung up on gangs hanging out on your front yard drinking beer and revving their hot-rods.

I may sound judgemental myself, criticising people who don't live and let live, but in my defence, I never get in my neighbors' face. Maybe if the deer, Canada geese and groundhogs start using stereos at midnight , or drive their SUVs across our lawn when we are sipping champagne, there will be trouble, but till then, you won't see me on Rotten Neighbors!

There will soon be another cast member at the I Eat Snowman Poop abode, but the happiness is tainted by swollen ankles, and a brother who melted the waste pipe with burning oil. Domestic bliss!

Blogging is a bliss according to Lena, & according to the cartoon she included, blogging is a matter of life and death too. Dying on-line while blogging seems rather extreme, but if that is bliss, so be it.

Spots, stripes, dots, lines, pots, lots of mugs & books... you name it, Diane's into it. According to Double Inspiration, she's also partial to pop stars, Bond, and (not mentioned in that post,) The Pisstakers.

Bloggers Unite is one of caring counsellor Claire's pet features this month. On the 17th write about an act of kindness, but beware of helping old people - some aren't as helpless as you think

Mike gives a hint at a new world order: China 1, Angola 2, Mexico 3. Relax everyone! It is the results of a Miss World contest for girls with hobbies like brokering world peace, fighting famine & shopping.

Alex is behind SmartLinks but he is not behind the times when it comes to understanding the internet. In his personal blog he broaches the painful issue of the long tail. Well worth a read if you seek dollars.

Il y a actuellement 3 passager(s) clandestin(s) dans le vaisseau subgalactique de Toby Dammit. Yes, I was one of 3 on-line at this French language subgalactic blog with dark overtones.

If you have never doodled, you have never lived, & if you don't go and see what can be doodled on a watch strap, you may never forgive yourself either. Doodled MyBlogLog avatars too. This is great.

If global warming continues, Inland Spain will become a desert & the Costa del Sol will end up under water. The only way out is for Antonio Banderas to do a Zorro & mobilise his people to make changes.

Olga's traveling bra blog is a site dedicated to her bosom pals. She asked for a quirky look at nature and had some photos of rock formations that fall slightly outside her niche topic.

35 weeks later and MyBlogLog Sunday is still here, albeit covered in a layer of picturesque snow that is destined to turn to salty brown slush in a few hours' time. So, come huddle around the firing line of Ed's mini reviews and find out what is going on in the 10 featured blogs this week.

As per the "rules", the 10 bloggers in the screenshot will get a mini review, my finest PR4 backlink, plus a link to your MyBlogLog community... and to keep the ball rolling, I will stumble any posts from any bloggers (featured or not) who leave a link to their own favorite post of the week. And there's more!

Blogs on film

Video cameras will be rolling through the reviews later on tonight, and any of the 10 blogs that mention MBL Sunday will have a lense knocking on their door too. Thanks to Breaking news for this cinematic burst of exposure. Maybe this latest vid will be picked up by the Reuters robots that regularly scan their site looking for new news to report to the world. In other words, international fame may be just a scraper bot away.

Comment queens

This week's top commenters are Debbie Dolphin with 6 comments, closely followed by Linda. Many thanks for the interesting input from Jellyfish as well. This info will be heading to Untwisted Vortex for their Kings and Queens of Comments feature

MyBlogLog Sunday info links

Be back later.

And this video review from Breaking News will shed some light on what goes on, if you haven't called by before.