Well, another week has come and gone in the Marqui paid blogger program. As you probably know, this software company pays a few dozen bloggers (including me) to mention and link to them once a week. We can say whatever we want.

The big news this week is that we all got our first checks. I must confess, I had an evil twinkle in my eye as I took that baby down to the bank. That night, the Mrs. and I guzzled us a bottle of Moet & Chandon White Star. As Mark Knopfler once said, "That ain't workin' / That's the way you do it." No custom kitchen deliveries here.

Meanwhile, the naysaying continues on various sites. It's unethical, we're violating journalistic norms, we'll all burn in hell, etc. Thank you for your input.

As for actual Marqui-product-related content, as usual I haven't got much to say. This week's suggested fodder was a nice profile of another one of Marqui's customers, Omnex Controls, which uses Marqui to keep its web site up. Omnex is a Vancouver, B.C.-based concern that makes remote control equipment for industrial machinery and for construction and off-highway equipment. Robot City, baby. It was taking too long to get their web site updated, and so they bought the Marqui package of services. Now the process is streamlined, and they're happy. Amen.

The Omnex site has some interesting stuff on it. For example, did you know that right now representatives from Omnex are down in Las Vegas at the "World of Concrete" show? Just thinking about some Canadian robot tech guys at a cement convention in Sin City brings a smile to my face. If I ever write short stories, that's got to be the plot for one of them.