Fun, Games and Blog Stats For All (With a Dose of Crime News on the Side)

If you want fun in the blogosphere, take advantage of the Da Vinci Code Quest code-cracking challenge issued today at the Official Google Blog. A lot of challenges, in fact, as the online contest featuring thousands of puzzlers is a partnership between Sony Pictures and Google in a buildup to release of the Da Vinci Code movie.

Blogosphere reading list
The LAist blog has a plug for an upcoming book The Lost Blogs: From Jesus to Jim Morrison by author Paul Davidson. And over at competitor Technorati, CEO Dave Sifry's "State of the blogosphere" is today's most-cited blog post, with a claim of 35 million blogs. That compares with about 26.4 million in the BlogPulse index. There's general enthusiasm among some bloggers for the continued growth, although Gaping Void does the math and estimates that if these growth rates continue, nearly one-third of the entire population will have a blog in just three short years. Other commentary examines the numbers while the Daily Nugget veteran blogger thanks readers ("all 23 of them") for keeping the art alive.

Michael Totten trots on...
World traveller/blogger Michael J. Totten has made it back to Iraq - something he set out to do by driving in from Turkey. "Awesome...required reading" is the review from GZ Expat, Part II blogger.

Blogging and crime?
Did suspected killer Kevin Ray Underwood (today's No. 6 burstiest person) hint at his cannibilistic tendencies in his blog? That's the subject of today's fifth most-cited news story. Also making crime-related news: recently indicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan (burstiest person) and a certain President whose iPod selections just might not be legal.

Red state? Blue state? Pink state
For those contemplating the upcoming primary and general elections, today's No. 15 top link from the Washington Post examines the evolution of the red-blue-state phenomenon...and how the colors seem to be fading.