So it's 6:45 a.m. and I'm getting ready to play pick-up hockey (I'm Canadian - we do these kinds of things!) when it strikes me there has to be a better way. With all the new-age fabrics and materials, microprocessors, nano-technology, etc., someone has to develop equipment that's easier to put on, light-weight and protective. Take skates, for example. We're still stuck with tying up laces, which is so old-fashioned. Sure, there are other lacing "systems" but no one has come up with something that offers the feel of laces but the convenience of technology. So here's a shout out to equipment makers such as Nike, CCM, Jofa, etc. By the way, here's one idea to think about: a one-piece hockey suit - something you simply put like overalls. By the way, if you're goalie and you live in downtown Toronto and want a spirited, early morning game, drop me a line...:)
Update: speaking of hockey, Mathew Ingram says the National Hockey League plans to introduce a social networking service on its Web site for the upcoming season. Here's the press release.

Technorati, the blog search engine that you either love or hate, has raised another $7.6 million from Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Mobius Venture Capital. You would think the cash will be poured into infrastructure given how Technorati seems to be bursting at the edges as it attempts to keep pace with the blogosphere's growth. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Technorati is the speculation about whether someone (Yahoo, Google, Microsoft) will acquire it. Technorati has been "available" for so long maybe it's destined not to find a suitor while others get snapped up. Then again, Technorati remains the blog search leader despite efforts made by rivals such as Sphere, Google, IceRocket and Blogdigger. According to comScore, Technorati had 4.1 million unique visitors in June while Google Blog Search had 112,000. That's got to be worth something, right. Stepping back a bit, there hasn't been a lot of M&A activity in the blogosphere. My take is you'll probably see some small deals as some of the higher profile players looking to beef up their portfolios. Dow Jones suggests the cash injection could take Technorati off the block.
For more on Technorati, check out Mathew Ingram and Thomas Hawk.
Update: Feedster, which also competes in the blog search market, has raised an undisclosed amount of new money (Om Malik believes it's $1M to $5M) from Selby Venture Partners, Omidyar Network, Mitsui & Co., JMidas Capital and Felicis Ventures. Feedster also appointed Tyler Goldman as acting president. He replaces Chris Redlitz, who left to "pursue interests in earlier stage companies".