Over the years I've encountered many instances in which I've had to search through thousands of fonts in order to figure out which one was used in a graphic. Those days are over thanks to these two great resources:

1. WhatTheFont – This site actually allows you to upload a sample graphic and then tries to do the matching automatically.  Very cool!  The only problem is that the sample needs to be at least 100 pixels in height for it to work with high accuracy.
2. Identifont – This site uses a completely different approach — the process of elimination.  If you don't have a high-resolution sample and don't mind answering a few questions, this is the way to go.

While we're on the subject, FontyPython is a really cool font manager for Linux that allows you to browse through tons of fonts before installing them.  This is really convenient if you happen to be pirating large font packs while looking for one of the fonts you identified using the sites listed above.  If you know of similar programs for Mac or Windows, feel free to leave a comment.

I’m very excited to announce that Dr. Tom Woods, a friend and bestselling author, has finished his new book. Meltdown will explain exactly what really caused the collapse, which economists predicted it and why nobody listened, and why bailouts are the single worst reaction imaginable.

Sometimes I really enjoy watching financial news channels, but it’s not at all because they provide any valuable information. I’m just fascinated by how clueless the talking heads tend to be. If you know better, it’s really amazing to watch. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just watch this YouTube clip for a perfect example. These guys on TV have no clue at all what’s going to happen in the future, because they have no understanding of what’s going on in the present. People like Tom Woods and Peter Schiff (the guy in the YouTube clip), on the other hand, are students of the Austrian school of economics and therefore have a fundamental understanding of current events that is extremely rare these days. My point is that Tom Woods is uniquely equipped to explain what’s currently going on, and you’re simply not going to find such accurate, insightful analysis anywhere else.

That’s why I’m so thrilled about this book. It’s the one book that has the power to enlighten the masses as to what’s really going on. Don’t be a babbling idiot like the talking heads in the YouTube clip. Pick up a copy of Meltdown and gain a crystal-clear understanding that even most economists don’t have.

Okay, so I actually joined Twitter ages ago to check it out. I just couldn’t understand why someone would want to use a site that was basically Facebook minus everything except for the status updates. It seemed pretty stupid, so I just left it alone.

But after about six months, I got an email. Someone was following me on Twitter, which puzzled me because I hadn’t ever posted a single tweet. I deleted the email and went on with life.

But a week later, I got another email. Delete. Move on.

Gradually, the frequency increased until I had accrued forty followers without posting a single Tweet!

Today I finally decided to give in and see what it was all about, and I must admit, it’s kind of fun.

Sure, it’s true that the functionality basically boils down to Facebook status updates without the rest of Facebook, but people use it a little differently.

I do like having the option of being able to post tiny updates from anywhere, using my cell phone, without having to commit to writing an entire blog post. Sure, I have an Android application on my G1 that let’s me blog remotely, but it’s still a pain in the ass to type several paragraphs on a mobile device, even with a nice QWERTY keyboard. I like that I can integrate my twitter updates with my existing blog. I also like that my “tweets” can show up as status updates on Facebook and as instant messaging status, even when I’m away from my computer.

It turns out that in practice, micro-blogging is a pretty fun. So, give in and join me!

As of yesterday, T-Mobile will add MyFaves to your post-paid account for free if you call their Customer Loyalty Department and ask for it.

If you have less than a year of your contract left, you’ll have to extend it to a full year. Since I just bought a G1, I had over a year left, so this didn’t effect me. Click here for the related HoFo thread.

Also, it’s possible to get 10% off your bill by joining the Freelancers Union, which is free. Click here for the related thread. I haven’t tried this yet, so leave a comment and let me know how it works for you.

You can check it out here.

Email me if this link dies and I’ll replace it with a working one.

Pretty insightful and worth the watch.

The first privately-funded and privately-developed rocket, Falcon 1, has successfully made it into space. Falcon 1 was developed by SpaceX, a space-transportation startup company founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk. Eight minutes after launch, Falcon 1 reached a speed of 5200 meters per second and passed above the International Space Station. Pretty cool.

You can watch it here:

I just love learning about biology as it relates to technology. This video repays watching.

So recently I went to a lot of trouble to hook up the MythTV system I built a couple years ago, only to realize two weeks later that I don’t use it. I don’t really watch TV much at all anymore. However, there are a few YouTube channels I enjoy. More specifically, I tend to prefer the bias of Russia Today and AlJazeera English versus the horse shit that tends to come out of American media. There are a few other YouTube channels that are worth watching.

So, the problem I ran into after a week or so of watching these YouTube channels is that YouTube’s interface completely sucks. After checking around for other options for interfaces, Miro is what I ended up settling on. Miro is basically a video podcast client, but it supports BitTorrent and YouTube channels. I remember checking it out when it was called Democracy Player, but I wasn’t really impressed for reasons I can no longer remember.

What this means for you is that you can always have interesting, free, on-demand content available on your computer for when you’re ready to watch. Channels I subscribe to can basically be divided into four categories: News, Science & Technology, Libertarianism, and Humor. When I open Miro each day, I click on “New” and click Play. I am then shown a mix of videos that I am almost always interested in watching. I can skip, delete, keep each video, or just let it play through and expire ones I’ve seen after five days. The result is by far more stimulating than the content I get from my cable company.

Just FYI for those of you looking for something better than traditional cable television.

“If Fannie and Freddie were not underwritten by the federal government, investors would demand Fannie and Freddie provide assurance that they follow accepted management and accounting practices…. By transferring the risk of a widespread mortgage default, the government increases the likelihood of a painful crash in the housing market. This is because the special privileges granted to Fannie and Freddie have distorted the housing market by allowing them to attract capital they could not attract under pure market conditions. As a result, capital is diverted from its most productive use into housing. This reduces the efficacy of the entire market and thus reduces the standard of living of all Americans.”

- Ron Paul, 5 fucking years ago