If this blog were a car, I'd be about 10,000 kilometers overdue for an oil change. If negligence in blog maintenance was a criminal offence, I'd be like pre-Las Vegas O.J. Simpson, guilty in the eyes of the public, but still roaming free. If this blog were a child and I was its father and we lived in Nebraska, it would have been long ago abandoned in the local hospital under the state's safe haven laws.

For repeat visitors to this blog of mine, you'll notice that the old homepage, with its magazine-like template, has been replaced with a new look, one which scrolls endlessly like a "conventional" blog. Why? An analysis of this year's usage patterns showed me that visitors weren't really clicking on the original homepage links, and just wanted the content quickly. Like any good blog owner, I listen to my readers. Or, rather, I spy on their browsing behaviour through sophisticated tracking software and then implement changes without consulting them.

Here's a look at what's been happening since I last published actual words on the Internet:

1. Aaron Fedora: A vote for Aaron is a vote for...eternal happiness

My friend Aaron Fedora is running for School Board Trustee in Langley, BC, and I've had the privilege of helping him out with some campaign advice over the past month, from copy-editing to design. Residents of Langley should visit Aaron's site and learn how Fedora's role on council could help the city out, and consider voting for Aaron Fedora on November 15.

2. Google Adsense: Baby, I'm a rich man

This month, I received my very first payment ever from Google. After a year and a half of running Google AdSense on this site, I finally made enough to receive a deposit of $100! Actually, thanks to the lousy Canadian dollar, the total come to $119. I took my wife to Chambar to celebrate. While it's probably Vancouver most delicious restaurant, it unfortunately means I now only have five bucks left from the original deposit.

3. Twitter: All the cool kids are doing it

The Internet's lamest-sounding service keeps getting cooler. Like many of you, I've been hearing about Twitter for over a year, but steadfastly ignoring it because of how stupid it seemed. However, as of a couple weeks ago, I'm now fully on board and loving it. So, an explanation: Twitter is a way to transmit tiny, 140-character blog posts to a network of friends, ideal for posting news updates and on-the-go commentary. Twitter played a big role in both the Canadian and American elections, with all major new outlets referring to Twitter users' commentary to instantly gauge public opinion. Companies and non-profits are finding Twitter to be a great communication tool, too. If you're a user of Twitter, be sure to follow Union Gospel Mission's Twitter updates to see what I mean. And while you're at it, add kevangilbert to your "following" list and say hello.

4. Elbowruminations: Now with the double the awesomness

Elbowruminations, possibly the most underrated blog ever known to man, is still extremely awesome. Neil and I just re-launched the site with an all-new design, courtesy of Lethbridge designer and developer Chris Morris. This is a website is that geared to designers and small-business owners, and will supply you with a tips, trends and review pertaining to all things designery.

And with that, the spell of negligence and publisher's block has been broken -- nay, shattered -- and the Internet continues, unfazed. Thanks for reading!