I was impressed recently with the Rails knowledge that Colin (on the job since May with a basic knowledge of XHTML/CSS) has picked up in the short amount of time that he's been here. A few weeks ago I noticed he was digging into the Ruby API all on his own and manipulating data himself without having to consult the elders. Would this have been possible in .NET, JSP or even PHP? I doubt it. It's Rails' simple, intuitive structure with it's conventions and automation that make that type of rapid learning possible.

Way to go Rails. Way to go Colin.

Of course, there are many other benefits to web development with Rails but I'll leave that to Shawn or Adam to expand on.

If you're like me and got sucked into World Cup Soccer but now find yourself missing the presence of the beautiful game in your life, you can tune into ESPN tomorrow to watch our very own MLS All-Stars take on two-time English Premier League Champion Chelsea FC.

The game starts at 6:30pm and should be a good measure of how the U.S. stacks up in World Soccer.

Unfortunately, U.S. stars Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey & Pablo Maestroni won't be able to play due to injury and/or scheduling issues.

Also, two other world class teams will be playing games against MLS squads in the U.S this summer. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will take a pre-season tour of the U.S. playing a select few MLS teams. You can check these games out on the FOX Soccer Channel.

UPDATE: The MLS All-Stars defeated Chelsea FC on Saturday. While Chelsea clearly wasn't it mid-season form it was a great win to build on for MLS.

A few months ago I started playing/solving Sudoku puzzles. One of the best sites I've found online is Iron Sudoku. It's a great site... check it out. Plus it's built in Rails too!

(Travis enjoys the sister site, Babble.)

You can take advantage of Georgia's Sales Tax Holiday at Apple's online store. It's a very, very good deal.

Also if you're a student buying a iMac, Macbook or Macbook Pro you can get a free iPod Nano on top of your student discount and the tax holiday.

So what are you waiting on?

UPDATE: Travis has taken the plunge and ordered himself a shiny new Macbook. He's a student so he got the extra sweet deal.

UPDATE 2: Shawn made the pilgrimmage to the Apple Store at Lenox Mall to take advantage of the Sales Tax Holiday.

This morning emma woke up and exclaimed "Mommy I rode a pony last night!"

I began to engage her about the statement and realized she had a dream. She has never said anything about dreams before so I thought it was so cute. I asked her what color the pony was...then she repled "It wasn't a pony it was a horse! and it was black". Then I asked what she was doing on the pony. Then she said "uh, it was a dinasour. We were at the store. He needed a bandaid. He was so sweet."

It was the sweetest little story she has ever told!