Ok, I know the world is inundated with Michael Jackson news right now, but I am quite ok jumping on the bandwagon. Although you can bring up all the controversy that surrounded his life, I don’t think anyone can discount the amazing talent in this guy. He is a legend the world will likely never see again.

The artists influenced by MJ can’t even be counted. He was by far one of my favorite musicians and dancers. Although he lost it in his late years, there are still several hits that are popular for all generations living today. In fact, some of my friends and I still have a pretty rockin’ Billie Jean dance on tape somewhere.

He will be missed, and I hope everyone remembers and realizes what a true genius Michael was. My thoughts are with family, friends, and fans right now.

Obviously, this was a difficult week for many celebrities and their families. I would also like to express my condolences to Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and Billy Mays.

They did it to Netscape, and they are trying it again on Google.

Microsoft is stealing what works and refining it to suit their needs with just enough modifications to make it marginally unique. This time their effort is called Bing.

If you missed the announcement earlier this month, Microsoft Live Search is now Bing.

Search Engine Watch remarked about the first week trend data which showed Bing stealing a 6% market share from Google. My guess is much of this traffic was related to the search engine freaks like myself who tested the system during the first week rather then use our the default favorite, Google. However, I’m fairly confident that this 6% reduction in Google’s market share is a sign of times to come.

Earlier today I spoke to Greg Davoll, VP of Marketing at Worksoft and fellow tech junkie. We’re both in agreement that something is different about Bing that makes us both feel that this new attack on Google might actually have traction.

Let’s break down a few reasons why:

1. Bing is visually refreshing
   The homepage image rotates out daily. By contrast Google’s white background gets old fast. It’s a minor difference but it’s enough to add life to the engine without adding complexity.
2. Is this AdWords?
   The is almost no difference in the placement of the paid-ad results. As a lifetime hater of Microsoft AdCenter this new development has caused me to rethink using AdCenter as a viable alternative to AdWords.
3. It’s about the Width
   Bing has a wider default layout then Google. When measuring the “related searches” on the left, space given to natural results and the ads on the right, Bing is 955 pixels wide. By comparison Google measures a measly 1990’s standard minimum width of 630 pixels. This added real-estate allows Bing to offer user-friendly related searches, along with the user’s recent search history. As the user mouses over the natural results a light gray vertical line appears with a centered circle. Mousing over the gray line previews text from the destination homepage to the right of the results. This gives the user a quick way to evaluate a site, without actually clicking through.
4. Results are just different enough
   I use search engines multiple times during the day, it’s the nature of our industry. During my 1 week switch to Bing I found I only needed to use Google twice. In both occasions it was for local search or mapping related queries. Otherwise, I found Bing’s results to be as good as Google’s. Many times the Top 20 results were similar in content but sorted / prioritized differently by each engine.

I’m about as big of a Google fanboy as they come. Yet, despite my love for all things Google I’ve got to say Bing is certainly a viable challenger. I’ll be making the switch over to Bing for a few more weeks to see if I can live & work without Google. I’m sure I’m not the only one looking for something different.

What would you saaay. . .you do here?
I make sure the TPS reports have covers on them. Aside from that important job, I am also a Project Manager. I have all the day-to-day contact with clients. They tell me what they need, and I make sure it gets done on time and within the budget. I task out all of the work to my glorious team. In short, I stack bomb.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Oh boy. Do I only get to chose one? Alright, as a college Freshman, I was playing in a soccer game. My teammate, Kealy, got very badly hacked in the ankle, but kept playing and limping around. In soccer, in order to stop for injury time, you have to sit on the ground, the ref blows the whistle, and the person can leave. Well, everyone was telling Kealy to sit down, and she wouldn’t. She was playing defense and I was in the midfield. My coach yelled, “Hoffman, drop for her!” Well, I assumed he meant “drop to the ground to stop play” rather than drop back to defense to give her a break. Well, like the dutiful minion I was, I plopped on the ground. The ref, my teammates, and the entire sideline were laughing at the blonde dumbass sitting in the middle of the field. I, unfortunately, was the one who had to leave the field, since I was the one sitting. Yep. Good times. Idiot. Never lived that one down all 4 years of college soccer.

If money were no object, what would you do with your life?
I’d be a stand-up comedian. I’d probably dance, play soccer daily, and travel the world while telling my jokes.

Dogs or Cats?
Daawwwwggggss!!! I have puppy fever. Bad.

What is the funniest thing a client has ever said to you?
At my old company, we put together a postcard mailer design. We presented the design with Lorum Ipsem in the copy as a text place holder to show the overall concept (like we had done 50 other times for this client). He said he really liked the design, but was concerned that most of his audience wouldn’t be able to understand Latin. Oh boy.

So we’re all jealous of your trip to Europe. What was the best part?
There were so many amazing parts. I loved my day in Toledo. Amalfi was the most beautiful town too. Pompeii was just unbelievable. I have to say my favorite was probably Rome. The architecture, art, and history are just so amazing. Our hotel was in the perfect location to walk to all of the amazing sites: The Pantheon, The Coliseum, and The Sistine Chapel. Doesn’t get much better than that!

What Office character are you?
I don’t actually watch the show. I would say Pam is a safe bet, but I am certainly not as shy or awkward (I hope). Unfortunately, I think I may just be the crazy one…

Creed Bratton
The most eccentric office employee, Creed keeps a blog called Creed Thoughts filled with musings like “If I ever go[t] the chance, I’d take a bath in a giant fondue pot. No lie.”
http://television.aol.com/insidetv/2007/09/21/the-office-character-guide/

What is your favorite movie of all time?
Boy, this is tough to narrow down without a specific category. I prefer comedy, so that’s what you shall get.

I think I’m going with Office Space. Although, Wedding Crashers and Van Wilder are both up there. I’m also going to put Singing in the Rain and The Little Mermaid out there, too. Yep.

Eagles or Broncos?
Yes.

Who would you most like to meet?
Well, you’ll probably mock me for this, but I would have loved to have met Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. I have never seen someone get so much joy out of everything he did and truly live his life to the fullest every day. I would think 5 minutes in a room with him, and you’d have a totally different appreciation for everything big and small.

However, I assume this question refers to the living, so I would have to go with Ronaldinho. I can’t imagine I’d have a whole lot to say to him, but it’d be the coolest thing ever to stand 10 feet away from him with a soccer ball. Now, there’s a guy who’s loving life and is awesome at what he does.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?
I think I’d fly because then I could travel anywhere I wanted to for free.

Of course, if I had ESP, I could guess what clients wanted before they even asked for it. Talk about best Project Manager ever.

What website can you not live without?
I’m going to be an ass and say Google. I was going to say The Denver Egotist, Digg, or Fark, but really I couldn’t survive without Google. I’d be like a lost little puppy.

Best “That’s what she said” heard at Imulus.
Mario: “I used to have massive forearms from stick handling.” #TWSS
Taylor: “When it’s early in the morning and I want to grab a pair.” #TWSS
Steph: “Can you just fake it for the time-being to get it done quickly on the site?”
Mario: “I can fake anything.” (PS That was on a client call) #TWSS

My long time friend Erik Reagan (@ErikReagan) runs a website by the name of TextMate Tips. It’s a useful resource for keeping up to date with interesting TextMate hints, shortcuts, and utilities. Further, the site is open for contribution and is always on the look out for new and interesting TextMate uses.

If your a fan of TextMate you should definitely check it out and maybe give it a bookmark if you’re feeling extra generous.