I did a double-take when xearth popped up this morning, but today's news is simply quite awful. Hearing that possibly as many as 11,500, more than 15,000 25,000 people have been killed really isn't comprehensible. As trite as it may sound, our thoughts go out to those affected by this terrible tragedy :-(

28-12-04: OK, so i'm not going to keep updating this entry as the death toll rises, that would just be mawkish. Suffice to say it's much, much worse than the initial, terrible reports portraid.

Sanjiva, who everyone involved with Web services knows, lives in Sri Lanka and has brought the tragedy even closer to home through his blog. Good to read that at least his folks appear to have been saved. As Glen Daniels says, “thank goodness the LSF guys all seem to be all right”.

This week seems to be a good time to buy Fog Creek Software, if you were already inclined to do such a thing. I'm not exactly sure how i feel about that announcement — generous or just cashing in? It's a really fine line to tread, and i'm aware how pompus even my jottings probably sound to someone right there in the thick of it .

So here's how to exercise your guilt! UK citizens can easily send money using their credit card with the additional Gift Aid bounty of 28p for every £1 donated via the Red Cross