This Week on the Web

Though still unsure as to the exact form this feature will take, we offer here some of our favorite articles and features from the last week or so on the web. Eventually we hope it will break into different topics/posts addressing each one of the subtitular interests identified.

Travel Guide - Don't Leave Home Without It
(Hat tip: Matt Lybbert)
Ever wonder what goes into writing those travel guides you use as you backpack across Europe? Our trip to Costa Rica made us wonder if the guides were truly researched or simply glorified ads with space given to the hotels, restaurants and excursions that paid the most to the guide writers. This article in the NYT answers those questions and provides a very interesting read. Note also the link to the blog authored by a prominent travel guide writer/editor called "Killing Batteries."

Malcolm Gladwell and Ron Popeil
Author of "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" writes about a man Dennis Miller calls the "king BSer emeritus."

"I'll Take Alta And Give You The Bird"
This article discusses upcoming plans to expand Snowbird in Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon. Also, Alta recently released their season pass prices (hat tip: Matt Lybbert) for the upcoming season.

Man vs. Rainier
Great article about a guy who recently trained for and climbed Mt. Rainier. Mt. Rainier is a great mountain not just because it is in Washington State, but also because its many routes make it a good climb for climbers of different skill levels. Our favorite view of Rainier is from Safeco Field, home of the Mariners, on a clear day.

Personality Profiling
We're told that Boston Celtics GM/President Danny Ainge uses this process to evaluate personnel decisions. Specifically, because Antoine Walker's personlity profile didn't match up, he was traded. We wonder what changed to cause Ainge to bring him back.

Pando
Frustrated by the attachment limits of your email service? Pando (hat tip: Matt Lybbert) allows you to send and receive files of any size, though as it is still in Beta stages, there is a limit of 1 gig. For a review of Pando, read from our favorite, the Wall Street Journal's own, Walt Mossberg (subscription required).

Skype
Right up there with low-rise jeans for girls, this internet invention should be an internet revolution. Features allow you to do more than just place computer to computer calls--and all for around $0.02 per minute. Now you can call cell and land-lines and receive calls from the same. Voicemail means that international travelers don't need to worry about the hassle of cell phones overseas--especially if you are unfortunate enough to be a Verizon customer.

Madden 07
It's our favorite game and the latest iteration will be released in the next month. Featured on the cover of the game is Seattle Seahawk's record breaking RB, Shaun Alexander. Don't worry about the Madden Curse, this guy doesn't believe in superstition. Which is why the New York Times has called him: Shaun Alexander - 'Cerebral Gamer/Player'.

Best Roster Ever!
(includes lots of Seahawks of course)
We were first tipped off to this by Mike Sando, Seahawks blogger for the Tacoma News-Tribune. We forgot about it and then our friend and sometime contributor to this blog, Morgan Habedank, sent us another link. It's especially appealing to die-hard fans who are convinced that the GM of their beloved team is a complete idiot--like the Seattle Sonics' Wally Walker (admittedly not an NFL GM).