I use Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) to back up some files I want to make sure I don’t lose between computer failures and whatnot. My usage is pretty low though, so the cost is only a few cents per month. In light of this, I thought I’d see if I could offset this cost with one of the “get paid for reading emails” offers you see mentioned around the place.

To this end, I found Hits4Pay which is doing this nicely for me. I thought I’d mention it on here in case anyone else might like to try it out. Disclosure: the link to Hits4Pay is an affiliate link referencing my account, so I do benefit if you decide to use the site. No hidden links here, thanks!

On a related note, I also discovered Amazon Mechanical Turk the other day. I’ve only used it briefly, but there’s the potential for some small returns if you’re looking to raise a little extra cash for something. This link is not an affiliate link, I’m only mentioning it for the purpose of sharing.

I’ve wanted to get along to a Carsonified event for some time - and really, I should have made it happen while I was in the UK as they’re based there - but there’s an interesting event coming up in New York in November, the Future of Web Design.

Particularly interesting to me is the presence of Derek Powazek on the list of speakers. I’ve been a big fan of his work/thoughts since reading his Design for Community book several years back, so I’d love to hear his latest ideas. Here’s hoping I can find a way to attend!

Now in it’s second year, the ALA Survey for people who make websites is an interesting look in to the industry and benefits all those who make things on the internet. If you’re one of those people, consider taking the survey, it’s quick and easy!

*Graphic pinched from Eric Meyer

I liked Amit’s post over on his tumblr blog, he makes a good point:

I earn my living—the food I eat, the apartment I sleep in, the books I read, etc. — by pushing plastic buttons all day long.

I don’t know Amit Gupta personally - I just randomly started following his updates on twitter - so it feels a bit strange to first-name him in this post. What’s the etiquette on that?

Speaking of twitter, you can find me here and I’m always keen to find new people to follow / be followed by as I think the real appeal of apps like these is the community aspect.

Metro (a daily newspaper available in London) have dispelled their top 5 urban myths. At number 1:

1. You accidentally swallow about eight spiders a year in your sleep

Why it’s not true:
Spiders have a natural instinct to stay alive and crawling into the heavy-breathing hot, wet mouths of animals goes strongly against this.

Who started it:
Back in 1993 a columnist for PC Professional named Lisa Holst decided to prove that you could make up anything on the internet and people would believe it.

She did this by making up a set of facts that were utterly ridiculous, the spider myth among them (which itself was taken from a collection of insect folklore that dates back to the 1950s, and emailing her findings around the world.

I find this very comforting, as I heard that one a while ago and it kinda freaked me out.