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I have been absolutely obsessed with statistics this week. I've been analyzing each file, each domain and each host; for each day. I just couldn't stop myself from looking at every possible demographic.

And one thing that I've noticed is that no one has read last Wednesday's update about the statistics buttons I've added to my home page. This makes me think that perhaps the button which links to my updates needs some emphasis so that it stands out a little more. I'll be thinking about this for awhile, so if you've got any ideas please put 'em in the suggestion box.

One thing that I'm still trying to do, though, is identify some of the numerical (IP) addresses. If anyone knows how I can get a domain name from an IP address, I'd really appreciate the tip. It's also difficult to break down the larger groups that consist of multiple people from the same host; like America Online, @Home Network, Web TV, etc. But the biggest blip on my scope, pa-x.dec.com, boggles my mind. I have been getting hundreds of requests from this latter domain and I'm immensely curious as to who you are. It would be a significant weight off my mind if you'd clue me in.

While I have not been able to trace requests from members of these more popular national or global services back to the individual looking at the screen (or listening to a synthesizer), there are some that are unique to people I know. It's nice to see that my brother, Kevin, shows up in the logs several times each week. As does Guy, Blackheart (I think) and I hope that my sister, Lisa, is one of the regular readers from America Online. My friend Audy, however, hasn't checked in for the past two weeks and Timothy, in Pennsylvania, has fallen off the charts. Last time I heard from Tim was a few weeks ago when he sent me the URL for News of the Weird, which I've added to my reading list -- it's usually good for a chuckle.

One of the more interesting tidbits of information I dredged up, though, was of particular relevance. I had a screening interview with one of Wausau's largest employers. After the call I went back to compulsively running stats and I, quite by accident, discovered that I received three requests from that company's parent company's web server -- the first being at precisely the same time as the scheduled interview.. Coincidence? I think not. That was Thursday and the same domain name showed up in the logs three more times on Friday. I sure hope that's a good sign. I'll certainly be watching for more activity from them in the logs, but I'm really hoping for the phone to ring, harbingering another interview.

There are so many different ways to look at the same data and zeroing in on useful information can be a painstaking and time-consuming task. In the internet industry this kind of information is of enormous value since advertising rates are based on these numbers and future customers can be targeted based on the web sites they visit. In my case, however, it's mere curiosity and ego that compel me to analyze these logs ad nauseam and I think that I have, for the most part, gotten it out of my system now.

But, since I got this column posted on time this week, I will be watching to see if anyone even notices...