You may have noticed the new buttons on the left-hand side of the page, along with the encouragement to "support creativity." This idea came from Etsy.com, which is where the top button links to (my personal page ... shameless plug!).

I had a couple of other endeavors I wanted to advertise for, so I added those, as well. I'd like to encourage you to check these out and support the creativity and drive of the people involved. Fragment is just in its beginning stages, but I can already see that it is going to be a huge project that will require some time and effort. But on the grand scheme of things, there are a lot of people out there putting their time and effort into their own projects, and they all need a little support.

Minerva Books is an independent bookstore in Petersburg, Va., owned by my sister, Kristy Bell. It's a ground-up sort of venture that's really dedicated to the furthering of the arts, free thought and good writing. She has all sorts of cool stuff going on there, so if you're ever up that way, check them out. Also, you can order books from the Web site (you can get there by clicking the button), so if you're into the whole independent thing, take a look!

The Nick and Josh Podcast is actually something I just discovered today. Nick is actually the husband of a friend of mine (Leslie). Nick and Leslie are currently in New Zealand and have been traveling the world quite a bit. I must admit I'm a little jealous. But the podcast has been going on since even before that, I believe, and features a lot of cool folks. Past guests have included Shane Claiborne (author of Jesus for President and The Irresistible Revolution) and Zach Lind, drummer for Jimmy Eat World. So give them a listen if you get a chance!

So if you know of any other places on the Web you'd like to see featured in the "Support Creativity" section, please let me know!