The Cool: Facebook—the social networking site that is beginning to surpass Myspace—is releasing its newest feature, instant messaging. While programs like AIM and MSN messenger make instant messaging seem like an old trick, but Facebook chat does so much more. Facebook chat will allow users to look at their list of friends and selected people who are online to chat. These chat conversations will integrate real-time chat with Mini-Feed stories and will allow users to have it as either a separate screen or as a part of their existing window. This is an existing new feature of Facebook and I believe that if the messenger is kept in working order there will be a massive switch from AIM to Facebook. Kudos to Facebook.

The Horrible: On the sour side of news, a government expenditures audit has shown major discrepancies in the government accounts of many US officials. Certain government officials are given government credit cards for official expenses. The audit uncovered government officials using these government cards to buy lingerie, expensive suites, and internet dating memberships among other things. To use a government credit card, proper documentation and authorization must be acquired and 41% of government credit card purchases between 2005 and 2006 didn’t follow these regulations.

The fund mismanagement stretches even into the US Army, who could not account for computer parts of 16 server configurations, each costing about $100,000. Some other items that could not be accounted for included laptops, iPods, and digital cameras, and cases of double billing were documented frequently. Glad to see the American recession is being handled responsibly…