Thanks to Lewis for this one.

Let’s say you have a URL you want to email someone, but it is really, really long, say, like this one for the Amazon.com Rex affiliate location of the book I’m reading now, Down the Great Unknown:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/006019619X/qid=1012536860/
sr=1-1/rexhammocwebl-20

Now, here’s the trick:

Plug that long URL into the box you find at makeashorterlink.com and they will provide you with a, you guessed it, shorter link:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?R28E5126

I would give it a thumbs up if it didn’t take you briefly to their page when redirecting you, however a user (your recepient) can turn that annoyance off. Another place to do this is shorterlink.com Don’t ask me what their business plan is. I have no idea.

Reuters is reporting that an avian flu sweeping Hong Kong poultry farms is mutating fast and officials are fighting to stop it from evolving into a strain that crossed to humans and killed six people in 1997.

If you are interested in starting a website devoted to this flu, I have just the domain name for you.

For your inevitable next question, here’s the humilating answer.

The Commerce Department reports that over half of Americans are currently using the Internet and over 2 million new users are appearing each month. Other findings:

-45 percent of the population now uses e-mail, up from 35 percent in 2000.

-36 percent use the Internet to search for product and service information, up from 26 percent.

-39 percent of Internet users are making online purchases and 35 percent of individuals are searching for health information.