I know this isn’t related to the domain business, but I want to share a couple of photos I just took from the roof of my building.

The NASA Space  Shuttle Enterprise is being flown on top of a specially customized 747 from Washington DC to New York City today, and it made a trip up the Hudson River past the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, where it will eventually be on display.

I took a few photos on its way up the Hudson with my iPhone, and they didn’t come out so well. I took these photos on its way back down the Hudson. It’s probably landing at JFK Airport as we speak.

What an awesome experience!

This is a guest post from my friend and domain industry colleague Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, the President/CEO of Precision Marketing Solutions, a New York-based marketing and e-commerce company that operates websites in a wide variety of markets including the category-killing AmericanFlags.com.

So, Elliot was gracious enough to let me crash his blog for a minute while he grabs a few minutes with his new baby, and hopefully a power nap. I’ve been a domainer since the early days and was fortunate enough to be able to tell my story about AmericanFlags.com at TRAFFIC before all the cool kids were actually developing domains. I’m still pretty active and in the past couple months have purchased and developed FoamRollers.com and Nightlights.com.

Anyway, I writing today to see if I can muster some support from the domaining community for a charity I run here in New York. It’s called the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) and working on a shoestring budget, the agency provides a wide variety of services to teens and families impacted by addiction. LICADD has become the “go-to” place in the midst of the current prescription drug crisis, most notably for parents desperate to save their kids’ lives.

The agency also conducts school-based educational programs starting in Kindergarten and a mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents. Those kids face a 70% greater chance than their peers of being locked-up themselves and with 100-plus kids coming through our program, to this day, not a single one has been arrested.

On Sunday, May 6th, I’m running the Long Island Marathon to raise funds in order to keep these programs going throughout 2012. Four times as many folks will come to LICADD this year as opposed to last year, which means that we need to raise more money. I’ve never run a marathon before – in fact, the longest race I’ve run was a 10 miler in January. But I’ve been training like hell and I’m ready to give back. I could really use your help and would love to have your support.

I know your time is precious so I thank you for taking the time to hear my plea and a big thanks to Elliot for letting me make the pitch.

Here’s a quick link to donate.

Have you ever wondered who the anonymous people are that write hateful comments on blogs and websites around the Internet? While I’ve been able to identify a few based on IP addresses and other sources, I’ve never really had the desire to actually track them down personally or even let them know I know who they are. I guess it’s better to know who my “enemies” are without them knowing I know… ya know?

There are plenty of people that seem to find enjoyment out of putting others down. I am lucky I don’t get many trolling comments, but it’s an issue that many websites face. I guess these people live miserable lives, and they feel the need to make someone else feel miserable, too. I don’t really know why they do it, but I will leave the “psychologizing” up to my psychologist wife!

Anyway, I saw this BBC video and it was interesting.They track down an alleged Internet “troll.”

By this point, I would bet you’ve heard of Lana Del Rey. Lana has a new album called Born to Die, and here’s the video of her singing her hit song Video Games last night on the Late Show with David Letterman. I know it’s not domain name related, but there are a lot of people within this industry that know Lana and support her. Congratulations to her family and friends… last night’s performance was exceptional.

I oppose SOPA because it presents a serious threat to Internet freedom and our Constitutional rights.ow.ly/8z46M

— Todd Rokita (@ToddRokita) January 19, 2012

 
If you were at the TRAFFIC Conference  in October of 2010 in Miami, it’s possible you met Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita, a friend of longtime domain investor Chad Folkening. At the time, Mr. Rokita was Indiana Secretary of State and he was in a contested race for the Congressional office he eventually won.

Congressman Rokita became familiar with the domain investment space many years ago, through his connection with Chad. I had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Rokita, and I came away impressed by his knowledge of the domain investment industry as well as his clear passion for public service.

This morning, I read a Twitter post from Congessman Rokita regarding SOPA, and I want to share the contents of the press release that was posted on his website. Congressman Rokita has announced his intention to vote against the Stop Online Piracy Act if it comes before the US House of Representatives.

“I oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) because it presents a serious threat to Internet freedom and our Constitutional rights. If it comes before the House in its current form I will vote against it.

Internet piracy is a serious problem. It robs American companies and innovators of their intellectual property, and it destroys American jobs. That said, the threats SOPA poses to Internet freedom and free speech as well as the serious questions regarding its effectiveness in combating Internet piracy are too great for me to support it. I believe there is a way to protect intellectual property while still protecting Internet freedom, but SOPA is not it.“

Thank you to Congressman Rokita.

If you’ve been to a domain conference before, you probably know who Lana Del Rey is, and you may have even met her before. Lana Del Rey, aka Lizzy Grant, is the daughter of domain investor Rob Grant, and she has been a frequent attendee to various domain conferences.

Lana Del Rey has quickly gained considerable notoriety throughout the world, and her songs have appeared at the top of various Apple iTunes charts. She’s legit, and she has appeared on a number of leading music shows around the world, and has been discussed in mainstream music media outlets like MTV, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and others.

Tomorrow evening (Saturday, January 14th), Lana Del Rey will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. This is a big deal for her and her entire family. If you’re around, you might want to check it out, and if you’re not around, DVR it. It was reported that she will sing on the Late Show with David Letterman on February 2 and she will appear on Ellen (in Burbank) later on in February.

It has been neat to see Lizzy blossom into a star, and it will be fun to watch her tomorrow night on SNL.