My system has a daily job to collect and aggregate the IP Blocks distributed by the five registrars into a single database, and then provide high-level WHOIS information for this data. If you want to try this yourself, the interface here.

On an extremely irregular basis, I aggregate the statistics from this data, and present it to the masses for the examination. I might actually automate this data someday!

So, for August 2007 (as of August 21, 2007), here are the aggregated IP distribution statistics broken down by registrar and country.

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Tags: Africa, AFRINIC, APNIC, Argentina, ARIN, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, content, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, data, database, Denmark, distribution, Egypt, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, HTTP, Hungary, IE, India, Indonesia, information, Internet, IP, ip address, IRAN, Ireland, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF, ISP, Israel, it, Italy, Japan, KOREA, LACNIC, LAN, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Om, One, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, pr, Registrar, registrars, Registry, RIPE, Romania, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, SLOVAKIA, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, statistics, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Technorati, Thailand, tn, Turkey, tv, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam

A colleague of mine suggested that the Tour de France give up all pretense of being drug free, and embrace the performance-enhancing image it has developed so carefully over the last quarter century.

His idea was to have the racing teams sponsored by the major pharmaceutical firms, pitting one performance-enhancing approach against another, in a competition to demonstrate not the strength of the human spirit, but the power to manipulate the human body.

Samantha further suggested that they then abandon all of the rules that make the race civilized, and turn it into a free-for-all, a Tour de France, EXTREME EDITION!

That would get the le tour on Spike.

Tags: app, content, France, HTML, HTTP, IM, IP, ISP, it, Mac, Om, One, performance, pr, Technorati, tv

Well, now that I’m certified, the slope gets slippery very quickly.

We have until early August to get all of our docs to the lawyers before the August 17 deadline.

Many calls, pictures, doctors appointments, and huge expense.

Going to be a fun month.

Tags: app, content, EAD, Green Card, HTTP, IE, IM, Immigration, IP, ISP, it, Om, run, Technorati

Well folks, I got the good news last night: I am Department of Labor Certified.

This means that I can now actually apply for a Green Card.

Oh yeah, and based on some of the other happenings in the world of US Immigration (here and here), I am part of the group that is either going to be royally screwed over, or be part of some sort of general amnesty due to political manipulation and greed entering into the process.

Could be a fun month.

Tags: app, content, government, Green Card, HTTP, IE, IM, Immigration, IP, ISP, it, Om, pr, Technorati, the other

As many readers know, I am going through the process — if you call filing a bunch of paperwork and not hearing anything for 2 years a process — of obtaining Permanent Residency in the United States, often referred to as the Green Card.

This morning, on NPR, there was a story about a foul-up in the processing of Green Cards that is suspicious, to say the least.

I have started referring to this process as the Dream Card because it leaves one thinking that the application they completed was done in a dream, a long time ago. An like most dreams, it is a fable of the subconscious mind and as likely to come true as those blue, flying penguins in my dream last night.

The degree of complexity that accompanies the application process has made bureaucrats from the Byzantine Empire write letters of complaint to their members of Congress, saying that the USCIS is giving them a bad name. Kafka has been seen rising from the dead at night, and penning a new tale based on this experience.

Other people covering this story.

NY Times
The Guardian
Times Of India
Miami Herald
San Jose Mercury News
Sacramento Bee Editorial

A few media outlets have grabbed this story as an example of just how broken the US system is when it comes to immigration, especially given the irony of the recent debate over the immigration bill that was tossed out of Congress. How could the immigration system have hoped to deal with the new regulations, if thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of valid visas go unused every year, due to government inefficiency.

Why would an illegal immigrant bother to go through a legal process that punishes the very people who are taking the time to follow the rules?

I would raise my voice in protest; but it would do no good. Drawing a pool of highly skilled, well compensated indentured servants from around the world to these shores to keep the wheels of innovation and development rolling appears to have become the American way.

And like indentured servants everywhere, we are a disposable commodity, to be teased by the promise that some day, we could, we might, just maybe be able to live here (and still not be able to vote) as Permanent Residents.

Tags: Green Card, fiasco, scandal, State Department, USCIS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, indentured, servants, work visa, visa

Tags: app, application, ARIN, dreams, EAD, government, Green Card, HTML, HTTP, IE, IM, Immigration, India, IP, ISP, it, leave, live, media, NY Times, Om, One, opinion, permanent resident, PHP, pr, Technorati, United States

There’s no need to ask directions
If you ever lose your mind
We’re behind you
We’re behind you
And let us please remind you
We can send a car to find you
If you ever lose your way

Cake — Comfort Eagle

So, last week, I did it. I dropped Paxil/paroxetine/seroxat completely from my medicines. Seems that other medical issues I am having are aggravated by the stuff, so after 7.5 years, it’s gone.

The withdrawal shouldn’t be as bad for me as it is for most people, as I am on pretty high doses of the mood-stabilizer Trileptal. Still, it should be an interesting couple of weeks.

Tags: bipolar, paxil, paroxetine, seroxat, cake, Comfort Eagle

Tags: HTTP, IP, Issues, it, Om, One, PAXIL, pr, Technorati

I have been using Skype as a landline pretty exclusively for the last 6 months, but the quality of the service has been degrading rapidly. Today, I called Samantha from the office and she said it sounded like I was calling from inside a tin can.

So, on a recommendation from a co-worker, I am giving Gizmo a try. Pretty immediately, I noticed a quality improvement over Skype, and people on my conference calls said it was much better.

So, if you want to reach me, try spierzchala on Gizmo, or +1-508-635-4420.

And Skype, let me know when your quality improves.

Tags: Gizmo, Gizmo Project, sound quality, SIP, VOIP, Skype

Tags: API, HTTP, IE, IM, improvement, IP, it, LAN, media, Om, pr, Technorati

I have finally given up on Trillian releasing a new version anytime before the next ice age, and switched to the the messenger client formerly known as GAIM, now known as Pidgin.

Solid, functional, and showing signs that it is in active development. Unlike Trillian, which is slowly becoming the Duke Nukem Forever of messenger clients.

I’m sorry, but promising a cool new product, and then not letting anyone try it leads to scores of new Pidgin users.

Tags: Pidgin, Trillian, Duke Nukem Forever

Tags: ads, client, cool, EAD, HTTP, IE, IM, IP, it, Om, One, pidgin, pr, Technorati, trillian, users

Many thanks to Otis Gospodnetic of Simpy for putting me in contact with Benjamin Reitzammer. Benjamin has graciously set up the GrabPERF measurement script on his server in Zurich.

Now that the Europeans have a growing presence on the GrabPERF Network, we need some locations in the US and Asia-Pacific.

Tags: GrabPERF, Simpy, Benjamin Reitzammer, measurement agent, Web performance, Zurich, Asia-Pacific, USA

Tags: Asia, Asia-Pacific, blog, Europe, GrabPERF, HTTP, IM, IP, it, LAN, measurement, Om, performance, pr, server, Switzerland, Technorati, web, Web Performance, Web+performance

I went back to my mother
I said, "I’m crazy ma, help me."
She said, "I know how it feels son,
‘Cos it runs in the family."

The Real Me, Quadrophenia

Tags: Quadrophenia, the who, Pete Towshend, bipolar

Tags: HTTP, IP, it, Om, run, Technorati