If you’re a fan of George Lucas, this will look familiar. It’s the newest addition to the Death Star International Space Station, the observation deck window.  I just think it’s funny that life is imitating art a little bit.  All that’s missing from this image is Emperor Palpatine’s swivel chair.

Well, depending on how you look at a situation, the new Google Buzz could either be going along like any other new startup application or it could be an indicator that Buzz is in big trouble.  Google has announced the second major change to the social networking tool since it launched this month.  The problem came from people being set to automatically follow others status updates.  The concern came from the lack of privacy or the option to turn it off. Now Google has fixed the problem, but it makes me and some people wonder about Google.  You would think they would have thought this one out a little better.  While many people tried it out when it launched, I wonder if the issues turned enough people away that this will not be successful.

This may fall under the realm of celebrity gossip nonsense, but Emily Blunt (I know what you’re saying, “who?”) has come out publicly and said she will never sign up for Twitter and that Twitter is simple awful. Now, that’s her opinion and I’ll let her have it, but I do think Twitter has some benefits. The recent earthquake in Haiti is a perfect example. People are able to notify many simultaneously that they’re not harmed after the quake hit. If you have relatives that have to go the hospital, that’s when Twitter is useful. Other times, just announcing that you’re shopping for earrings is not that news worthy. But that’s my opinion.

As the title should suggest, I am a huge Monty Python/dry humor fan. And since this is Friday, I figured I’d give you something funny for today. I stumbled upon this guy while surfing YouTube videos. He goes by the username of Goldentusk and what he does is nothing short of amazing. He takes instrumental theme songs from popular movies and TV shows and adds parody lyrics that describe the premise of the movie or show. Each one is unique and incredibly entertaining. Some of my favorites are his videos for Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Superman. To give you a taste of his creativity, I’m including his latest video for the TV show Lost. I have never watched the show, so I don’t understand the humor, but it seems to be real popular at this point, so I figured you might enjoy it more.

If something works, stick with it. Facebook is starting to become notorious for making layout changes that make the experience a frustrating endeavor. Here’s what I mean, The previous layout had certain things in certain areas of the page. That layout lasted long enough that I and a number of FB friends got really comfortable with it. I could login, check the things I always check, and move on to my next activity. With this new layout, I spent 5-10 minutes more just trying to figure out where everything is. And a number of my friends have already posted status updates about how they hate the new look.

What’s the point of this rant? Usually, blogs don’t change format to much. You might change a graphic every once in a great while but it doesn’t change format. If you have a full blown website, here’s the lesson: if you’re going to change your site layout, don’t completely reinvent the wheel. People like consistency with a little bit of change. When you make your site almost brand new in design and layout, you’re going to make people mad. Mad people usually don’t come back to visit.

If you want to find out what people are blogging about, and consequently what people are looking to read about, head over to blogpulse. You’ll find the top topics for bloggers as well as get ideas of things you may want to include in your blog.

Well, I can’t let this go by without a comment. As you probably know, the Saints captured their first Super Bowl victory last night. Now, in addition to the excellent game, there were some really catchy commercials all designed to entertain and capture your attention for their brand name. I have to say that I think my favorite was the Betty White/Abe Vigoda Snickers commercial. I just love it when older generations of Hollywood receive some recognition and get reintroduced. Here’s the commercial so you can see it for yourself if you missed it.

Just read a great article from Yaro Starak about getting exposure for readers. He lists some simple things for getting your name and blog out there. For instance, he advocates writing pillar articles. These are posts that are designed to be a somewhat comprehensive lesson in a topic. If you want to write an article about commercial lighting, discuss the advantages of certain fixtures, explain how to wire them properly and provide some benefits to doing so. Once you get a few articles written, Starak then says to get yourself out and comment on other blogs. This will alert people to your presence, and if your comments are insightful, people might come over to take a look at what you’re writing. There are some other great ideas that he lists in the rest of his blog, so check it out.

I’m watching the JG Wentworth opera commercial, where people are on a stage singing about how they need cash and to call JG Wentworth now.  While I don’t need money now and have no need to call, the commercial leaves an impression for its uniqueness.  I can honestly tell you that I won’t forget the name any time soon.  My point is that making a name for yourself in a unique fashion will help people remember your name in the future.

Ok, I may be biting off more than I can chew, but I am taking some of Matthew Stibbe’s advice and creating a different type of post today.  And with the Super Bowl coming up, I decided to select my top Super Bowl ads.  These top 3 are my own opinion and does not reflect the effect the commercial had.

• Monster.com moose ad
• Bridgestone’s Screaming Squirrel
• Doritos Snow Globe

Now, there are some other great ads out there, so let me know what your favorite is.