Ed Brill

It's fair to say I was in my own world for much of the day yesterday.  First day back from an overseas work/holiday trip, coinciding with the release of the next major version of the product I'm responsible for selling...well, the IMs and e-mails yesterday were mostly of a "congratulations!' and "good trip?" nature.

One of the challenges of spending so much time on-line is that it is rare for me to turn on a television news program anymore.  Or even download streaming video from the news sites.  It is starting to feel like I'm losing a lot of life's texture by not seeing moving pictures.  Or even many still ones -- have you noticed that the major online news sites typically post only one or two photos per story?

Well, I do still subscribe to a newspaper.  And the images in this morning's Chicago Tribune were the wake-up call.  Particularly this one, but many of the hundreds now available online hit home.

Clearly, there's not much I can do from here.  What I have done,and can encourage you to do is contribute to the Red Cross and other relief agencies.  It struck me as odd this morning that the very same Tribune has a list of a dozen relief agencies -- but only published their phone numbers.  Weird.  Anyway, no matter -- there are plenty of links to follow, just be sure to do so.