Lori is 25 today. Going to PF Changs (her favorite place) and then to the Vandy law library, where she's got some work she has to do and wants me to keep her company. Hey, when its your birthday, you call the shots.

Deep into iTest grading, easily the most tedious part of the whole thing. Some of the team names are hilarious, and some teams came up with fairly "creative" answers for questions they couldn't solve...which makes it much easier to deal with grading this many tests.

Certainly, this won't be happening next year. We'll be pulling out all the stops on automating the site, which will also eliminate another annoying aspect of running this thing: teachers that haven't configured their spam filters to let iTest emails through on a regular basis. Everything will run through the website, so there's no risk that we won't receive an exam or that everyone won't get the test on time.

The response to the iTest iNvention contest (sponsored by Griffin Technology, where kids submit ideas for a new iPod Nano accessory) and the 2006 iTest Logo Contest have been amazing. The Griffin folks and I will sit down soon to determine the best iPod Nano accessory, but I have to admit that several of these things would be cool if they built them. I have no idea who will (or should) win, but I do know we have demonstrated a major success with our first corporate partner.

The 2006 iTest logos I've been getting have ranged from uninspired violations of various copyrights to amazing works of art. Either way, its fun to see what folks have come up with.

These winning entries, along with excerpts from the email we've been getting, will be great additions to the press materials we send out on November 1 as part of our 2005 iTest Nationwide Awards Announcement.