I switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox many months ago. Although I test my web development with both Internet Explorer and Firefox, I do most of my casual testing using Firefox only.

In recent weeks, I’ve been trying to move my website image formats from GIF and JPG, to PNG (Portable Network Graphics) . PNG provides better color shading (can store many more shades in a file), better transparency (the only format that can handle gradient transparencies), and outstanding compression. It’s supposed to be supported by all the major browsers, and as the name implies (”portable”) it is supposed to display correctly across all browsers, platforms and computers.

Much to my dismay, I belatedly found out that Internet Explorer does not display PNG files correctly. In the examples below, I’m not even using transparency (the image’s background is a solid color, set to match the web page’s background). This is what it’s supposed to look like (and does look like in Firefox):

This is what it looks like in Internet Explorer (same page & graphics file, just viewed with a different browser) …

So, in summary, thanks Microsoft. You screwed me again!

Adding to my previous list of video games and list of new DVD releases, here is a list of all (current) singles in the Billboard charts (hit songs). The list of 353 (with song title and artist) has been compiled over the past month (it has any song that has been on the Billboard top 30 across all categories in that time).

List of all current Billboard hit singles (song/artist)

I pull this information automatically on a daily basis. So whenever a new song enters the charts, I know about it! If you find this list useful, please post a comment. If i get enough interest, I’ll publish the updates.

Adding to my previous list of video games, here is a list of all (recent) DVD releases (new movies and shows). The list of 568 titles has been compiled over the past month.

List of all recent DVD releases (movies & shows)

I pull this information automatically on a daily basis. So whenever a new song enters the charts, I know about it! If you find this list useful, please post a comment. If i get enough interest, I’ll publish the updates.

So the biggest news on the Internet scene right now, is the sudden shutdown of VoIP (Voice over IP) provider Sunrocket. The “No Gotcha” phone company is now more like “No Dial Tone”

The biggest issue facing ex-Sunrocket customers is what to do about their phone service. The simple step is to go find another VoIP provider, but the million dollar question is how do you keep your phone number (you know, that number that you gave all your friends and family)? The “porting” process, which is the name for moving you number to another provider, is actually quite simple:

1. IMPORTANT: Print out a SunRocket statement from the Sunrocket site. Do it now, before the site shuts down and you lose your statements!
2. Open an account with your chosen provider, and tell them you’d like to port the number.
3. Send them a copy of the printed Sunrocket statement (which proves the number belongs to you).
4. Once inbound calls start working you’ll know the port has been complete.

After a frantic search and comparison of VoIP companies out there, I decided to switch to VoIP.com. They’ve got unlimited nationwide calling, pretty cheap international rates, and easy porting process. Plus they’ve got a 30-day cancel-anytime free-trial, so I figured I had nothing to lose

Last week, I compiled a list of all video games (games for video consoles) on the market right now. The list of 9,204 titles is broken down into various game consoles. A saavy webmaster or affiliate marketer should have lots of uses for information like this, so enjoy

List of games for all major video game consoles

I pull this information automatically on a daily basis. So if a new game comes up, I know about it! If you find this list useful, please post a comment. If i get enough interest, I’ll publish the updates.

Stay tuned, as I will be publishing the list of all hits in the Billboard charts in the next few days. That should be especially useful for those doing ringtones