Word Conundrum - In spite of vs. despite

From my brief Internet research, I've discovered that there is no difference in meaning between the word "despite" and the construction "in spite of."

Both mean "even though" or "irrespective of."

Here is an interesting blog on the topic: http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/despite-and-in-spite-of-a-grammatical-detective-story/