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I was thinking this morning about how Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.com must have some of the longest of the long tails when it comes to search. Theoretically, they must rank highly for almost any and every word out there.

Out of curiosity, I looked at some traffic stats for the two:

Two things sort of surprised me. One, was how many more unique visitors Dictionary.com has had over Wikipedia.com, and two, what happened to Dictionary.com between August and September of 2009? Their traffic volume goes off of a cliff according to Compete.com. Their traffic levels are now steadily below Wikipedia.

Any ideas why that would be?

I just picked up our 2009 Christmas Tree, or “Non-denominational wintertime holiday fir tree” as we like to call it. In an effort to keep this thing from becoming a pile of pine needles before the weekend was over, I did a quick scan online for some basic watering tips. And according to the National Christmas Tree Association (yes, there is one of those), here is what you need to know:

• To display the trees indoors, use a stand with an adequate water holding capacity for the tree. As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Devices are available that help maintain a constant water level in the stand.
• Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does not improve water uptake.
• Once home, place the tree in water as soon as possible. Most species can go 6 to 8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water. Don’t bruise the cut surface or get it dirty.

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• (Q)Will tapering the base or cutting it at an angle increase the area that takes up water?
  (A)No. This reduces the surface area of plant tissue that absorbs water molecules. Once the water level falls below the exposed surface on a tapered trunk, drying will begin. An angle or “V” cut will require more water depth to cover the cut surface. It also makes the tree more difficult to hold upright in a stand and less stable.
• (Q)Should I add bleach, aspirin, fertilizer or other things to the water to make trees last longer?
  (A)No! Research has shown that plain tap water is needed. Some commercial additives and home concoctions can actually be detrimental to a tree’s moisture retention and increase needle loss. Water holding stands that are kept filled with plain water will extend the freshness of trees for weeks.
• (Q)How large should my water stand be?
  (A) Choosing a large capacity stand is one of the most important steps to maintaining tree freshness. Avoid small “coffee cup” stands. Check the water level frequently since trees can drink large amounts of water each day, particularly pre-cut trees during the first week of display. Generally, a tree can use up to one quart of water per day for each inch of stem diameter. Therefore, a stand that will hold a four-inch trunk should hold at least one gallon of water with the tree in the stand.

Some more here. And if you are looking for some good music to go with your tree, check out my Christmas Music Playlist.

I was actually thinking about this on my way to work this morning. Somehow over the years (probably through lots of ad dollars), the big cellphone providers seem to have been put into a few different buckets of perception. When you ask any average Joe, you tend to get the same general descriptions of the big wireless companies.

• Verizon – The best in many categories, but also most expensive.
• T-Mobile – Bad coverage, but really cheap plans and great customer service.
• Sprint – People that still have Sprint, just haven’t bothered to switch yet to someone else. They’re lower-middle of the pack.
• AT&T – Nobody likes AT&T, and they are a bit expensive, but everyone loves the iPhone. So they deal with the negatives.

It’s unclear how much of this is based on truth or how much each company has successfully typecast the others and really turned the screws when it comes to the perceived weaknesses of their competitors. For instance, I have T-Mobile, and have never thought the coverage knock has been valid.

Anyways, Consumer reports released it’s big wireless survey this week, and wouldn’t ya know it…the rankings line up pretty closely to the above.

The full report here requires a subscription.

I wasn’t a huge “Hazards of Love” fan. Probably my least favorite Decemberists album so far. But this looks kind of interesting.

The visuals look pretty amazing, and I can definitely see how running these tracks against a film might make the story-like album a bit more appealing.