I just noticed that VMware have introduced a free version of VMware server. It's in beta at the moment but they expect to release the finished version in the next few months. You can grab it here. You can also download a bundle of pre-built appliances and virtual machines here which will run using the server, existing products or on the free VMplayer.

David Wang is a member of the IIS team and he can be found in the IIS related newsgroups. His blog has loads of good stuff about IIS based on questions asked in the newsgroups and privately. I've been subscribed since September last year, you should too.

As part of an exercise to see if I can reclaim some tax, I went back through all the invoices I have for IT book purchases since 2002. It comes to £1234.61. 2003 seems to have been a good year for Computer Manuals where I managed to spend £470 with them.

I'm missing a batch of invoices from 2001-2002 and I know I spend a serious pile of dosh with them as I gaze across my lounge at the straining bookshelves.

http://www.ipspotting.com/

Mine scored only 15

Via slashdot.org.

Not quite sure how I found the first one or even why, but there's all these websites out there about UK roads and all these people who seem to have catalogued, documented and photographed them. Somehow I've managed to waste an hour and a half looking at this stuff:

http://www.uk-roads.org.uk/
http://www.cbrd.co.uk/
http://www.pberry.plus.com/ukroads/index.html
http://pathetic.org.uk/
http://euclid.colorado.edu/%7Ermg/roads/

And it just goes on and on....