I had a hard time believing this when a friend at work told me about the U.S. government's plan to create a futures market where "investors" could bet on a variety of events in the middle east, from assasinations to bombings. But, alas, it was true. Links: NYTimes (requires free account), MSNBC
It's been a while since this site has been updated, and for good reason. I started working for a new company whose engineering staff is headquartered in downtown Portland a few months back. The name of the company is ThinkShare. Our primary application allows forman in the construction industry to enter and retrieve data remotely while disconnected from the network. So far I've been very impressed by the business and even more impressed by the people who work here.
It was a tough decision to give up doing contract work from home, but I think I'll learn a lot here. I already have.