Despite a few “minor” setbacks (some of which we're in the process of resolving), I've got a few relatively “major” updates to give you about our still-running-strong megasearch service, gada.be.

1. We have an official Updates page / feed.
2. We've undergone a major rewrite of the “fetcher” code, with the ability to grab (and parse) up to 10,000 sources per request.
3. Our server situation is much happier now, and we've been continually tweaking performance to where it's rock solid.
4. Make an image request to see this puppy shine.
5. Google doesn't like subdomains, so we're working towards “compliance” by keeping the subdomain request intact, but redirecting to (and ultimately building links for) a more “standard” URL. This redirect happens automatically. You'll notice the change immediately, and it'll make gada.be a bit more tagspace friendly.
6. Every Tuesday, we'll be rolling out a new feature for gada.be - you can count on it. Some updates will be large, others will be not-so-large.
7. There are a few bloggers using gada.be in their entries, including BlogsOfWar
8. We have a WordPress plugin.
9. We have a Blojsom plugin.
10. We're a part of the Ultimate Tag Warrior now.
11. We're looking to add user accounts within the next couple of weeks.
12. We're considering open sourcing part of the project (if there are any interested developers out there).

Go ahead - give us another shot. Hammer us (and we should be able to survive it this time).

For some odd reason, we decided to do a live program every Thursday evening with The Chris Pirillo Show. Certainly, we have a dedicated core of listeners - but we thought we'd add a little more incentive for everybody to tune in and participate. Starting with this week's live broadcast, we're going to be giving away one substantial gift every single week. Yes, even beyond Christmas - so it's like Christmas year-round for active audience members. And when I say substantial, I'm speaking at the level of a PSP or Xbox 360 for some weeks. We'll likely rotate the “big gift” every week, but it'll always be worth a few hundred dollars.
This week, we're going live again with Major Nelson from the Xbox team. What'll the big gift be this time around? No sense in telling you now - I don't wanna ruin the suprise. All you need to do is tune in, call in, and listen. How difficult is that? No joke!
For emphasis, I'm going to repeat our “Christmas 365″ proposition: During every live weekly broadcast, from now until the hereafter, we'll be giving away something substantial to a single participant (every week). You'll have to tune in, call in, and listen - and subscribe, of course. Yes, we're insane.

For some podcasters, the idea of business entering the equation is like inviting ATF agents to a Grateful Dead concert. For guys like Paul Colligan, business and podcasting go together like a horse and carriage. Paul’s The Business of Podcasting blog, combined with his current book project, The Business Podcasting Bible are working to provide seamless integration for businesses looking to add podcasting to their online offerings. At the 2005 Portable Media Expo Paul and Chris chatted about the role of podcasting in business and the idea of mixing business with podcasting. Paul explains the business model behind his Premium Podcasting service. Mixed in with some discussion of the upcoming book is a smattering of the importance of metrics, podcast sponsorship models, business opportunities, and a little bit about how businesses can better communicate with customers through podcasting.

For some odd reason, we decided to do a live program every Thursday evening with The Chris Pirillo Show. Certainly, we have a dedicated core of listeners - but we thought we’d add a little more incentive for everybody to tune in and participate. Starting with this week’s live broadcast, we’re going to be giving away one substantial gift every single week. Yes, even beyond Christmas - so it’s like Christmas year-round for active audience members. And when I say substantial, I’m speaking at the level of a PSP or Xbox 360 for some weeks. We’ll likely rotate the “big gift” every week, but it’ll always be worth a few hundred dollars.

This week, we’re going live again with Major Nelson from the Xbox team. What’ll the big gift be this time around? No sense in telling you now - I don’t wanna ruin the suprise. All you need to do is tune in, call in, and listen. How difficult is that? No joke!

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I don't watch the local news all that often, but was tuned in to FOX for The Simpsons / Family Guy last night. They touched upon a subject that's weighing heavily on everybody's mind this time of year: picking out a Christmas Tree. No, not Homer or Peter - although they're just as likely to face the fir-picking stress as well. This is a local company, it seems, but their Christmas Tree rates aren't all that shocking (after having celebrated a decked-halls Christmas in Los Angeles). Growing up, the family would venture out together on a Sunday afternoon and pick out the pine tree that looked best for our living room. I haven't experienced that for a while now - which isn't to say that it's not possible in the Pacific Northwest, just that I'm struggling to find the time, the right lot, the right tree, the right price, etc. So check this out:

Treesleigh is based in Seattle, WA and is supported by 3 employees, a fleet of bright red Christmas tree delivery vans, and “Douglas,” the TreeSleigh.com mascot. We are is geared up to deliver hundreds of trees to homes and businesses throughout the Puget Sound region. TreeSleigh.com is an active member of the NCTA (National Christmas Tree Association) and the PNWCTA (Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association). We are proud to have been chosen as a finalist in the national 2004 “Marketer Of The Year” award for outstanding Christmas tree marketing ideas.

Yes, they deliver your tree AND pick it up from your residence - all for a modest sum. All things considered, I think Ponzi and I agree that this is the route to take this holiday season. We love having a real Christmas Tree in our home, and don't believe this convenient service will take away from that experience in the slightest.

The Portable Media Expo was certainly a success from the perspective an industry just barely turning one. Leading experts were on hand to share knowledge with colleagues and meet face to face for the first time. A number of services also received deserved attention throughout the course of the event. Among the many people we talked to at the event, Seattle local favorite, CrapMonkey, talks about being a professional video producer as well as his role talking about technology, beer, music and movies. Following the CrapMonkey is PodScope, a company that searches inside podcast audio files to deliver text search results. In the wasteland of information overload, PodScope is quite possibly the podcaster’s best friend, powered by technology used to search the audio of television programming, the company boasts 80%+ accuracy. I still contend podcasters should be providing a search-friendly synopsis of their podcast in text format, but barring that, PodScope is a great alternative. Last up in our show wrap-up is an interview with John Federico of Audible, talking about the new Audible Podcasting service. If you want deliverability, uptime and unmetered bandwidth, Audible offers these and other compelling reasons to consider using their service to deliver your podcast subscription.