We've started posting to our new News section on MiamiBeach411.com. If you need to change a link, the new address is: http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/index.php

This blog will stay where it is (the archives will not be moved to the new blog). So you may want to keep this link for reference, although we won't be adding new posts.

Please come visit us at our new address. The new blog is done in Expression Engine so it has more useful features, including easier commenting, and an XML feed.

I'm at the WebmasterWorld Searh Conference this week, posting will suffer as I soak up some knowledge here.

While I'm away, take a peek at our new Business Directory. You can find links to everyting form banks and lawyers to golf courses and skateboard parks in Miami.

If know a local business that should be listed, send me the details.

Here is a killer mash-up of Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot with Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. [listen here]

An undercover operation has stopped several hundred pounds of cocaine and heroin from entering South Florida aboard cruise ships.

"Agents said those running the drug operation were recruiting passengers and employees on cruise ships to participate in the efforts to smuggle the cocaine. Drugs were found on ships docking at the Port of Miami, Key West and Port Everglades."

Source: nbc6

From nakedjen's site:

10. When attempting to take a naked picture lying on Mickey’s Bed, alarms will go off. There’s a reason that there is a do not cross sign there. His bedroom really is off limits. The minute you step into his bedroom, loud alarms sound and Disney cast members come running to see what all the commotion is about. They then will discover you standing there half in the room, half out of the room without your clothes on and they will not be PLEASED at all.

It is a far better idea to take your “naked” photos in Minnie Mouse’s house, which is right next-door. While there are loads of very small children traipsing through, there are no alarms and thus you have a far better chance of actually getting naked, having your niece snap a quick photo, and moving along to the next attraction without creating a spectacle! [naked photo]

Update: After closer scrutiny by BoingBoing and others, nakedjen's naked photo at Disney World appears to be a fake. Oops. Funny what we'll do for a little link love.

Update 2: After examining every inch of Jen's naked photo taken somewhere in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., this naked photo appears to be authentic; nakedjen is cool.

The BBC is releasing all nine of Beethoven's symphonies (five are up now) as MP3s. I downloaded Symphony 1 (29 MB) using a DSL connection and it took 21 minutes.

Thanks: Boing Boing

I'm happy to announce the release of the Tony Montana action figure from Brian DePalma's 1983 cult-classic film "Scarface".

Tony Montana Action Figure Features:

• Real cloth outfit with a white suit and red silk shirt
• M-92 pistol, switchblade knife, and wad of $20 bills
• Al Pacino likeness with scar, tattoo, and gold chain

Nine voice phrases captured from the film

• Why don't you try sticking your head up your *** - see if it fits.
• You got good stuff here, class A ****.
• I kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I carve him up real nice.
• Uh-oh!
• Chi Chi, Chi Chi, get the yeyo!
• This country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.
• All I Have in this world is my ***** and my word, and I don't break 'em for nobody, understand?
• I bury those cockaroaches! [Listen]

Your Price: $45.00

Now, I wouldn't pay $45 for a doll, but I love the movie. My favorite line is when Robert Loggia is on his knees, pleading for his life and Tony says "I'm not gonna kill you." Then Tony turns to his partner and says "Manolo, shoot that piece a ****" (bang).

If you have a favorite scene from the movie post it in the comments.

Doc Searls points out we're one year away from 06/06/06.

But I'm not afraid of numbers. I was born on 02/04/68. Bring it on.

Not sure why, but Caleb du Floridu rants about why visiting Florida is a bad idea.

American author, Ernest Hemingway's Cuban hideaway has won a place on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of most endangered places.

Hemingway spent more than 20 years at the home near Havana, where he wrote "The Old Man and the Sea." Time and the elements have severely damaged the hacienda, called Finca Vigia, or Lookout Farm."

The house's roof is leaking, the foundation is crumbling and plaster is falling off the walls. But evidence of the author remains, including a daily record of his weight and blood pressure penciled on the bathroom wall.

The Hemingway Preservation Foundation was denied a government license last year to travel to Cuba. The Bush administration has taken a tough stance on visits to the communist-run island.

Ask OneWordMovie [Flash] for any term and then watch as it produces a movie made from image search results of Google and others.

I serched: miamibeach411, keithrichards, (and a few adult-related queries) and the movies we're impressive to say the least ;-)

It gave Blogoscoped a headache, but you can control the speed and fps if you start to feel dizzy.

Blogoscoped has a fun game on his site called ClickRed. – It's very easy to play - all you need to do is click the red square (but watch out, it’s moving, and clicking anything else takes you back to the previous level).

My cousin Jennifer just graduated summa cum laude with an emphasis in Public Administration from San Diego State University. Our hometown paper, Imperial Valley Press published a story (and picture) about Jennifer, and her commitment to get a college degree.

"When I start something I don't usually like to quit," said the 28-year-old El Centro resident. "So I just took it a little at a time. That inch-by-inch approach worked. On Thursday, Jennifer Alvarez donned a cap and gown and marched up to the podium to receive her San Diego State University-Imperial Valley campus diploma."

"Alvarez also graduated summa cum laude from San Diego State University. The honor is bestowed on undergraduates who maintain an average of 3.8 to 4.0 grade-point average."

Way to go Jennifer!

Source: Imperial Valley Press

After the recent UFO sighting, I figured it was a good time to bring up another spooky Florida phenomenon : The Bermuda Triangle. For a good summary of Bermuda Triangle events visit Beauty&Beast.

"On December 27, 1948, a commercial flight was traveling from Puerto Rico to Florida. NC-16002 radioed Miami that they were 50 miles out and ready to receive landing instructions. Miami radioed back the instructions and awaited a reply of confirmation. None was ever received. After 3 hours, a search and rescue team was sent out to find the missing aircraft. In calm seas and clear weather, no trace was found of the craft or its passengers."

The Bermuda or Devil's Triangle is an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States, which is noted for a high incidence of unexplained losses of ships, small boats, and aircraft. The apexes of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Ahding made a Google Maps hack to find cheap gas.

Thanks Blogoscoped

Is that a UFO over Palm Beach? Take a look at the Google Maps satellite view of ZIP code 33409 (West Palm Beach, FL) which shows something very strange. Google Sightseeing posted the image a few days ago, and it has provoked over 300 comments, many from people who suspect it's just a weather balloon. You be the judge.

If you're looking for new music to take on vacation, Tofu Hut has published a huge list of blogs that have MP3s, arranged by genre.

This is a great picture of Miami Beach shot by Jon of Zombie Arcade:

"The next dawn, we found ourselves in the gator-infested port town of Miami. Ay, there ‘twas beautiful beaches and much booty to be had there. So much booty, that I didn’t even know where to start plundering!"

Here's the supersize pic.

Starting Monday, employers in Florida will have to start paying their minimum-wage workers a little bit more because the minimum wage increases a dollar to $6.15 an hour.

Source: NBC6

City and residents collaborate to launch "Pooper Scooper Pilot Program":

"Due to the increasing number of concerns expressed by residents, the City of Miami Beach is implementing a new pilot program to address this issue along West Avenue beginning on May 1. The six-month "Pooper Scooper" program will assist pet owners in curbing their pets while keeping the City's swales, sidewalks and green spaces clean and beautiful."

Awhile back, me and my band wrote a song that addressed the issue; it's called "Dog Shit Capital of the World - South Beach, FL USA". Here is a lo-fi mp3 of the funny tune.

SmarterTravel just informed me Hooters Air is expanding their service to the West Coast.

"This is a big year for Hooters. Hooters first Hotel and Casino will open is Las Vegas in early 2006 and Hooters Air will be there."

Honestly, I've never heard of Hooters Air, but it sounds like fun.

They claim the advantages to flying with their carrier include:

• One-Way Fares
• Extra leg room
• Real food
• A great experience that enlivens the senses
• Plus two Hooters Girls on every flight

I wonder if they serve chicken wings?

Looking for a Peruvian grocery store in Ft. Lauderdale? Visit Steve Koppelman's Catalogue of Poorly Catalogued Things, Which Is Also Called "hatless.com".

A Jacksonville, Florida-based writer purchased the rights to BenedictXVI.com on April 1 -- more than two-and-a-half weeks before Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger announced that he would assume the papacy under the name of Benedict XVI.

Thankfully, the writer is a man of high moral values. He said that he bought the domains as a game -- not as a way to make money by cybersquatting. Besides, he added, "If I didn't do it, someone less reputable would."

Source: Wired

Did you know today is - Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s? You can get a free scoop in Miami Beach or browse all the Ben & Jerry Ice Cream Shops in Florida.

If you thought that Sir Richard Branson completing the fastest, non-stop flight around the world was newsworthy, aviation history is about to be made again - Castaway Travel will offer the first-ever nude flight from Miami to Cancun aboard Naked Air.

These Florida Apprentice-stars can't stay out of the limelight. Following on the heals of the Katrina Campis runway incident, we just found out that Chris Shelton, a member of Donald Trump's "Street Smarts" team on the current season of "The Apprentice" was arrested on Sunday morning at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida for disorderly conduct.

Concierge-X claims to work as a concierge at one of the world's best hotels, and blogs about the crazy things he's privy to. Thus far, C-X tells us about checking Michael Jackson in to an upscale hotel at EuroDisney, seeing him dressed as an Arabic woman, and usually seeing a young boy at the pop singers side. Here is another Jackson hotel story:

"Once again, I was chosen to do Mj's check-in, and brought all of his luggage up to the suite. MJ, accompanied by (again) a prepubescent boy, and his (the boy's) mother."

"He and the boy went immediately to the master bedroom, jumping on the bed to watch cartoons. They shut the door. What was really bizarre, though, and freaked me out, was the palpable negative energy in the air from the part of the boy's mother."

These Michael Jackson hotel stories are more juicy than the trial reenactment show on E!.

We are currently translating MiamiBeach411.com into Spanish. While researching the topic, I can across some translation bloopers that made me laugh:

In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead."

In China, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan "finger-lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off."

When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it was apparently unaware that "no va" means "it won't go." After the company figured out why it wasn't selling any cars, it renamed the car in its Spanish markets to the Caribe.

Ford had a similar problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped. The company found out that Pinto was Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals". Ford pried all the nameplates off and substituted Corcel, which means horse.

When Parker Pen marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." However, the company mistakenly thought the spanish word "embarazar" meant embarrass. Instead the ads said that "It wont leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

An American t-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of the desired "I Saw the Pope" in Spanish, the shirts proclaimed "I Saw the Potato."

Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno mag.

In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into Schweppes Toilet Water.

Japan's second-largest tourist agency was mystified when it entered English-speaking markets and began receiving requests for unusual sex tours. Upon finding out why, the owners of Kinki Nippon Tourist Company changed its name.

The Google Blog announced that Google has unveiled a new feature that will enable its users to zoom in on homes and businesses using satellite images. This marks the first time Google has offered free access to high-tech maps through its search engine. Users previously had to pay $29.95 to download a version of Keyhole's basic software package.

"Google believes most people will like the convenience of generating a satellite image with a few clicks of a computer mouse. The company envisions people using the service as a way to scout a hotel's proximity to the beach for a possible vacation or size up the neighborhood where an apartment is for rent."

To give Google Satellite Maps a whirl, click “Satellite” on the right, and try entering “33139”.

Who would have guessed Crobar could beat Opium in a Googlefight.

Something strange is happening in the travelsphere, as there are a bunch of really weird stories to share:

--An Air-India pilot slapped his co-pilot in the cockpit, while the aircraft was taxiing on the Dubai runway. The pilot was upset with the co-pilot, and lost his temper. The flight was delayed for three hours, till another pilot could arrive

--A Midwest Airlines employee was loading baggage into the cargo hold of a plane and somehow got locked in there as the flight took off for Philadelphia.

--A drunk passenger punched a Qantas pilot while the plane was still on the runway, after the pilot asked the man to settle down. The hostile passenger was dragged kicking and screaming from the plane.

--The British Airline Pilots' Association is complaining that polluted cabin air is making pilots sick. So, on your next flight if you smell something funny (besides your neighboring passenger) consider telling an attendant.

--As of April 14th, air travelers in the United States can no longer carry lighters on planes or in secure areas, but matches are still allowed.

--And finally... A Cubana IL-18 (that's a Russian commercial airliner) slid off the runway in Caracas yesterday, injuring 13 during the aborted takeoff. My question is, if an old Russian plane skids of a Venezuelan runway, does anyone show up to investigate?

If you've seen some strange behavior, please feel free to post a comment.

For those of you still tripping from the Winter Music Conference, you'll like this - The Zoomqulit is an interactive trip through more than a dozen artists' illustrations. I suggest choosing the Flash version. After Zoomquilt opens, click and drag up or down with your mouse to zoom in & out. Give it a ride!

For you chocolate lovers out there, I came across a press release at PR Web about a new city guide to Hershey, Pennsylvania, www.HersheysBest.com. I was excited to visit the site, but sadly disappointed.

If you want to see some chocolate, visit Hershey’s site.

Happy Easter!

Here's the auto generated response I got from MT:

Welcome to Movable Type! We have installed Movable Type on your server and configured the paths for the initial weblog in the system per your request. Do not delete this weblog ("First Weblog") unless you know what you are doing, because it is already configured for your server. You can also edit the templates themselves; more information on template tags and customization is in the manual.

I like the "unless you know what you are doing" part. I've always been the type to forget the instructions and figure it out on my own. This approach has caused me both pleasure and pain. I'll keep you posted.

I just got an email notification that my Movable Type webblog has been installed on the server.

This is gonna be fun...