Jason Kottke wrote an interesting entry today about Fotolog overtaking Flickr as the most popular photo-sharing web site worldwide (according to Alexa). He points out that Fotolog’s been around a lot longer, but it had problems with site slowness for a while.

Anyway, it’s only more popular because it’s more useful internationally than Flickr. In the US, Flickr’s way more popular. Still, it made me think.

Myspace has been the new Friendster for a long time, and it makes me wonder whether Friendster could ever overtake Myspace again. People abandoned Friendster mostly because of site slowness. But I personally think Friendster’s a better site, so I wonder if it will ever swing back the other way.

The only real food I’ll eat at McDonald’s is the Chicken Select strips, and only with buffalo sauce. It just so happens that the McDonald’s around the corner is the one McDonald’s in the city that never has any buffalo sauce. So today, after my latest attempt to secure some Chicken Select strips with buffalo sauce to no avail, I sent the manager a letter:

Dear Sir or Madam:

I live just around the corner from your restaurant, and it is by far the most convenient McDonald’s location from my home. However, it has been difficult to order the food that I want from your restaurant.

My favorite item on the McDonald’s menu is the 5-Piece Chicken Select Meal. I only like the Chicken Select strips with Buffalo sauce, but your location does not seem to have Buffalo sauce. I’ve asked for it several times over the past year. At first I assumed it was just out of stock, but now it has become clear that you do not carry Buffalo sauce at any time. I don’t understand why; Buffalo sauce has been a regular part of the McDonald’s menu for several years now, and is one of the standard accompaniments for the Chicken Select strips. You carry the Chicken Select strips, why not the Buffalo sauce?

Whenever there’s no Buffalo sauce, I am forced to cancel my order. When I eat at McDonald’s, I’m eating there because I want a specific item from the McDonald’s menu. If you don’t have that, I don’t eat there, and you lose my business for the day. Please add Buffalo sauce to your menu so that I can become a regular customer. Thank you.

I seriously doubt this is going to have any effect, however, because this is New York–the city of New York-style customer service.

It was 72°F and sunny today in New York City, breaking the record of 63°F set back in 1950. The average temperature for January 6 is 38°F. Global warming?

My resolution, as always, is to not make any resolutions.

Ash is going to try giving up soda for the whole year, which I think will be very difficult. John’s doing the same thing, but he’s done it before (and he really loves iced tea), so I think it’ll be easier for him.

Ash and I are also going to try eating at home more often, to save money. It’s arguable, in New York City, whether this actually saves any money. We just paid $156 for a week’s worth of groceries because nothing is ever on sale at the supermarkets in this city. I remember when I lived in California, they’d scan your groceries, and it’d show you the total. Then they’d scan your club card, and you’d see it drop 30-50%. Here, they scan your groceries, and it shows you the total. Then they scan your club card, and the total does not change. Seriously.