tangledwood

Why do all the folks I follow on Twitter love bacon?

2009-09-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at the table morosely contemplating the fact that we have no bacon. What do I find? All the folks I follow on Twitter are ceaselessly tweeting out their love of bacon! Particularly @LittleSkillet and @winebratsf!

How did this happen? I didn't consciously seek out twitter-ers who love bacon! It is somehow creepy to me that I seeked them out on a sub-conscious level.

Or how about this explanation?

What if we ALL love bacon?!

A house burning in LA

2009-08-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

I just saw this sad posting, apparently from Thomas Hawk:

http://friendfeed.com/thomashawk/35c45c14/this-is-my-parents-property-on-fire-in-big

The photo shows his parents' home burning. This is really sad and the family has my condolences.

Is it impossible to stop these fires? Should we have intentional burns? What is the history of such burns? I live in the Berkeley hills...am I dooomed to lose my own home? All of these questions will run through my head repeatedly when I lay down to sleep tonight.

Trying a new Twitter client for Mac

2009-08-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

I'm trying Twit Menulet, a Twitter client for Mac, which was written by the same folks who make Stock Menulet. The idea is that twits are displayed as a scrolling ticker. I really like it! Although some folks on versiontracker seemed to find the scrolling disorienting, I find that the motion calls my attention to new posts without being overwhelming. Also, there is a setting that allows display of only the icon, allowing you to stop the motion if desired.

In truth, I really like it. I am also a fan of the way the app handles multiple accounts. I think it could have better TwitPic integration, but from my experience with Stock Menulet I'd guess this isn't far off.

This is going to be my new client.

Virgin and Virgin America

2009-08-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

I flew to the East Coast on Virgin America yesterday--on a red eye, then returned the same day. OK, true, not necessarily the most pleasant schedule, but still: I didn't think Virgin America was that great. It certainly isn't fit to kiss the hem of REAL Virgin's skirt.

Virgin America seemed to be a slightly better-run version of most other American airlines. Everything runs a bit more smoothly, it is a bit easier to buy drinks and entertainment, etc. But basically it feels cheap! No free goodies on the red-eye either, as Virgin gives you on the international flight. No more leg room than other carriers.

Sorry, Virgin, but I thought the experience was so-so.

Watiching the stock market...and the Republicans

2009-02-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

Let me just put it out there. I used to be a Republican.

I say that with some shame, now that we've been waiting what seems like a month for 2-3 lousy Republicans to support a bailout package that is cleary required. Is the package a litany of long-sought Democratic handouts? Yes. Does that matter at all? NO.

It now appears that they have finally caved, which is great. But it sure leaves a sour taste. And the article says that they have cut the $40B for states, which seems like a huge mistake. The states are cutting back their funding and jobs. Money that goes to them would have been spent immediately. Now, I'm no economist--oh, wait, I am an economist--and money for states strikes me as a very good idea indeed.

Weeeelll...sorry for that rant. I think I'll go back to watching my stocks. I found a great stock ticker application to help me do that.

The Giant Pool of Money, from This American Life

2008-06-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

Usually I try not to admit that I listen to NPR. What can I say? Driving around the Bay Area in silence is boring. At least I *feel* something (outrage!) when listening to NPR.

However, yesterday I got a real treat. I heard an episode of This American Life titled "The Giant Pool of Money" and it was great. Almost worth all the NPR I've suffered over the years.

The episode delves into the mortgage crisis in excruciating detail and with impeccable logic, from the home"owners" who bought overpriced homes to the CDO architects, who sliced the worst of the worst mortgages into tranches that seemed to be bulletproof, but weren't.

I can't recommend it highly enought.

Got it

2008-06-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

We got the house. The seller folded.

Interestingly, as always, "winning" in a negotiation makes me feel that I should have asked for more. Maybe I should have asked for TWO new roofs. Why not?

Better yet would be seismic reinforcement. I am a real Californian, and I don't think it does any discredit to my state to admit that WE LIVE IN AN EARTHQUAKE ZONE, PEOPLE. Many folks in the real estate business seem to have no concern that a major earthquake could wipe out the investmeents of many, many people.

Buena and I will insist on seismic reinforcements before moving in to the house--but we'll pay for those reinforcements ourselves. Closing in 21 days!

Uh-oh

2008-06-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

There is a teensy-weensy little problem with our new home, which, remember, was listed at $995,000. It has no roof. The roof is completely shot, to the point that two separate roofers refused to give us bids for a patch. They say that patching this roof would be the roofer's equivalent of malpractice.

OK. On some level, I knew the roof wasn't perfect, since the seller's disclosure states that the roof is 40 years old. But I guess I figured we'd be able to squeek by for a few years.

We are planning to go back to the seller and ask him for a roof (about $14K). In this market, I think we have a chance. Despite the strength of "good" markets, there are houses sitting for 3-4 months--but we happen to know that our seller is doing a 1031 exchange and wants to sell pretty quickly. How, you may ask, do we know this? A little bird told us.

In contract

2008-06-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

We are in contract on a home.

The house was listed at $995,000 and had been on the market for 25 days. I looked at the listing on Redfin and asked myself...does that guy need to sell? So we went to look at the house.

This is a pretty place on a large lot with a view in a good school district. We heard from the seller's Realtor that they were considering a price reduction. We bid $930,000 and after some haggling ended up in a $944,000 contract.

Here's my question: what is the Realtor *thinking* when she tells potential buyers that her seller is considering a price reduction? Why would she do that? Does she work for us, or for the seller?

Here's hoping that the seller's realtor will stay on our side in the coming days! We have a short contingency period, only one week, so I may post rarely.

My housing crisis

2008-05-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been away for so long.

We took a big hit on a house, and I've been pondering the market and trying to decide when to jump back in. We've decided that the time has come, and we are in the hunt, and I'm excited, so here goes.

Here's the story:

A little over a year ago, as Buena will tell you, we were searching for a vacation home abroad, most probably in London. Buena wanted this to happen, and I wanted it to happen, and then...then I started reading patrick.net. It had an effect on me.

See, Buena and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where prices are stable in good neighborhoods. Sure, there are some areas in the Berkeley flats or in Oakland where the prices have fallen--a lot--but places like Kensington, Orinda, Marin are all good to go.

But gradually I clued in to the fact that *my* neighborhood doing well doesn't mean that others are going to do well also. That, in fact, the credit crisis was global rather than local. And I asked Buena if she could wait for her English house. She could, and we did.

In the past year, though, we've watched prices come down dramatically around the Bay Area, though still not in the great neighborhoods. In the great neighborhoods, prices have dropped by perhaps 5%. Which is enough for us!

So we're jumping back in. Not into London--who knows how long that will take to unravel--but in to the Bay Area! We are moving up. We've been looking for two months already, and I'll keep you appraised of our progress.

The cell phone merry-go-round

2007-02-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

We're on the cell phone merry-go-round. It started when my wife wanted a a new cell phone for Christmas--a RAZR of course. I have to say that I don't understand the national obsession with the Moto RAZR, but it is undeniably true that the ladies love them.

So we get the RAZR, and for the first time ever (we had previously owned the absolute bottom-of-the-line phones) we can upload ringtones from our own music collections, transfer pictures easily. But then I get jealous. My wife has a super-cool ring tone, a trumpet blast from an old Dixieland band, and I was stuck with the LG CG225, if you can imagine that.

So now I'm shopping for a new cell phone, but mine has to be better than hers. Don't tell. I'm searching for a smart phone over at wirefly (they have great prices and free shipping) and I'm willing to take the hit on the plan. Right now I'm leaning toward a Treo, or possibly a Symbian 60 phone from Nokia. Suggestions?

Link: a new cell phone

Oracle Announces General Availability of Oracle E-Business Suite 12

2007-01-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I've learned from doing business on the web, it's that the database is everything. There is a very interesting article on the technology behind MySpace that emphasizes this point. Search "MySpace" on Slashdot to find it. Anyhoo, I'm an Oracle believer and have been for a long time.
I feel bad for Oracle at press-release time. Their software is so incredibly complex--and important--that it is impossible to describe without using a lot of hot air:

Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 makes it easier and less expensive to implement, manage and scale global applications. For example, Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 includes hundreds of services so that IT can easily integrate the E-Business Suite into cross-business, cross-product business flows. With an updated web services repository, Oracle enables lower cost integrations with third party applications and adaptable business processes. Additionally, Oracle has certified Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 on Oracle Fusion Middleware, which includes the ability to manage processes spanning heterogeneous applications.

Link: Oracle Announces General Availability of Oracle E-Business Suite 12

The "E" in e-mail stands for "enervating"

2007-01-31T23:26:00.000-08:00

MindComet provides Email Marketing and has asked for my thoughts about e-mail. My thoughts on the subject of e-mail, to say nothing of my feelings about e-mail, are confused and would probably require a few volumes to fully explore. Nevertheless, at MindComet's request, I have attempted to sum up my feelings about e-mail in only five words. Check out the video below.

This post brought to you on behalf of MindComet.

Link: Email Marketing

NY Monks to Sell Bread, Cake on Internet

2007-01-31T23:24:00.000-08:00

This type of story was really interesting about 15 years ago. Now everybody is on the web, even my sleazy neighbor who sells CZ diamonds in his so-called jewelry store. What I want to know is: do these operations make any dough? If so, how?

The New York order of monks who don't watch TV or listen to the radio will soon be going high-tech to offer their baked goods for sale on the Internet. ...

Link: NY Monks to Sell Bread, Cake on Internet

It's true: I attended an Air Supply concert

2007-01-31T23:17:00.000-08:00

It's true: I attended an Air Supply concert. I wasn't a fan, but I had to choose between the embarrassment of attending an Air Supply concert and the sheer coolness of going to any concert at all. I was in eighth grade, so what did I know?

While at the concert, I had an experience that was both outrageous and embarrassing, which I've recounted for you in the video below. This video is part of the PayPerPost Concert competition: the more folks watch it, the better chance I have of winning $500. So check it out!

Link: PayPerPost Concert

Time Warner gets boost from cable business

2007-01-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

You can make a profit by selling AOL? AOL has been a dog for as long as I can remember; I wouldn't pay 50 cents for it. Are they still selling dial-up?

The results included a $769m gain from the sale of AOL's internet service businesses in the UK and France. Excluding this and other special items, ...

Link: Time Warner gets boost from cable business

T-Mobile myFaves

2007-01-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

My wife and I had a decidedly low-brow Christmas this year. We got cell phones and iPods. That's right, those gadgets have become very low-brow indeed. If we were a little more sophisticated, we would have bought antique furniture.

My wife got a free T-Mobile RAZR and I got a smart phone, which I'm planning to review for you later. To get the free RAZR we had to get a new plan, which turns out to be the best part of the whole deal.

We also switch plans to T-Mobile myFaves, which I absolutely LOVE. This plan allows you to define a circle of friends to whom calling is free. These friends can be on home phones or cell phones, local or long distance.

Basically, myFaves has eliminated all the overages we used to have. It turns out that about 90% of my calls are made to the same four people: my wife, my brother, and my two business partners.

I've now noticed that T-Mobile is offering a rebate of $50 when ordering a new T-Mobile plan online (through March 31). I can't recommend this plan highly enough! If you are nearing the end of your contract, check it out.

Link: free T-Mobile RAZR

Stay focused on business trips

2007-01-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

So easy to tell your employees to stay focused on business trips. So hard to buy them the first-class airfares and accomodations that would make such focus truly possible.

Don't let business trips derail your professionalism. Take them in stride with a few tips and shortcuts from one veteran business trekker. ...

Link: Stay focused on business trips

Shopping with coupon codes

2007-01-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Amazon.com is my favorite online store to shop at with a coupon code. Especially around the holidays, the huge selection and relatively cheap shipping are a huge advantage. In fact, I feel a bit guilty, knowing that Amazon's financial results are hurt by their cheap shipping. The available Amazon coupon codes make things even better. What did I get at Amazon this year? Books, CDs, iPods, cameras, you name it.

Link: CouponChief

US probe hits Internet gambling shares

2007-01-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

I just don't understand how these companies can be publicly listed. Their business is so incredibly vulnerable to regulation, I can't believe that investors would take them seriously:

European gambling companies, including PartyGaming, have been taking business from the United States for many years arguing that until last October US ...

Link: US probe hits Internet gambling shares

Mortgage Rates and Calculators

2007-01-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

My wife and I have been trying to pull the trigger on purchase of a second home for quite some time. Here in California, the real estate market is hitting a relative low, and it might be a good time to buy. So my wife is out looking every day.

Meanwhile, I'm at the office staring at Mortgage Rates and, especially, Mortgage Calculators. I am fascinated by the idea that the real cost of a mortgage is given by the interest rate minus the rate of price appreciation over the life of the loan. Therefore, for example, the cost of a 7% loan in an area with 6% annual price appreciation is only 1%. I can use a mortgage calculator to figure out the real impact of that 1% cost on our cash flow.

What can I say? I'm a numbers guy, while my wife shoots from the hip.

Link: Mortgage Rates

Now Internet Code to Protect Privacy

2007-01-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

This effort is pretty funny because it is so transparently pointless:

Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, and Vodafone have signed an agreement with online activists, human rights groups, and press freedom groups to draw up an Internet code of conduct to protect free speech and privacy of Web users. These four companies will together develop a code of conduct with a coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to promote freedom of expression and privacy rights. Besides, they will establish a set of rules that will govern how they deal with censorship and other restrictions on human rights.

Can you imagine working for a powerhouse like Google and being assigned to the "New Internet Code of Conduct" effort? Just imagine the absolute derision of your co-workers, most of whom are working on worthwhile or at least potentially worthwhile projects!

Link: Now Internet Code to Protect Privacy

SpoofCard for prank calls

2007-01-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

OK, I am one of those folks--some of you may find us annoying--who really likes to make prank calls. NOT of the prince-albert-in-a-can variety. Instead, I like to call up my brother/wife/friend and pretend to be his boss/girlfriend/boyfriend for a few minutes at the start of a call.

And cell phones have ruined all this. Now, whenever I call somebody, they know in advance that it's me calling. Pretending to be somebody else is just a formality, if I bother at all.

So my wife pointed me to SpoofCard calling cards, at www.SpoofCard.com, which offer the ability to change what shows up on the caller ID when they receive a phone call. Now this is a platform that I can get behind. In fact, SpoofCard also offers--you won't believe this--a voice changer. That's right, the software will actually allow you to change your voice to sound more like the boss/girlfriend/boyfriend that you are trying to imitate!

It is amazing to me that somebody would set up a service that is so perfect for my own peculiar needs! Have fun with it and send me your SpoofCard stories.

Link: www.SpoofCard.com

When to jump back into oil

2007-01-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

It's become an old saw: "The world's demand for energy will never cease. Which is why a girl in Kansas is walking a dog..." So, the prices will come back up. The question is when. I'm looking for a low in the $48 range.

Crude-oil futures fell back under $51 a barrel Wednesday morning in a continued response to Saudi Arabia's rejection of calls from major oil producers for further output cuts as a way to stem the almost 17% decline in the price of oil since the start of the year.Crude for February delivery was down 41 cents at $50.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It traded as low as $50.60 earlier, but that was above Tuesday's 20-month, intraday low of $50.55.

Link: Crude futures fall back below $51 as OPEC output cut hopes fade - MarketWatch

Multi-lingual ecommerce software

2007-01-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

I've been setting up new online businesses at a pretty decent clip in the past year, about one every 2-3 months. Mostly, these businesses are small affairs that I can manage on my own but occasionally I've hired a more extensive team.

One of the most difficult parts of managing so many disparate enterprises is managing all the finanacial transactions--mostly small financial transactions. I have one site where I sell $600-$700 worth of books monthly in increments of about $10-$20. At another site I sell $1000-$1500 in T shirts every month in similar increments. It is painful to manage so many different transactions over at PayPal, Google Checkout, and my own provider's e-commerce solution. About half of the transactions are in foreign currency, which only magnifies the problem.

I've been checking out Magnet Commerce as a possible solution to this problem. Magnet Commerce offers Multilingual ecommerce software that supports multiples languages and multiple currencies inside of one web-driven application. So I can launch a site in multiple languages and in multiple country-specific domains but manage all transactions from within a single application. They provide shopping cart software (with multiple language support) as well as some traditional hosting technologies, such as business e-mail. Magnet Commerce's support for search--/very/ difficult to do well but probably the most important driver of actual sales. The administration panel on the back end is more than a transaction processor. It also supports a product database including images and promotional tools. The pricing is also very reasonable compared to similar services. And there is a free trial to boot. I've been using the service for about a week and have been extremely happy with it. The bulk import function made it very easy to get up and running, and I was able to transfer all my transaction processing to Magnet (for one web site) within a few days.

If you create as many websites as I do, you might want to check it out.

Link: Multilingual ecommerce software

NCR to Split Up, Spin Off Teradata Database Business

2007-01-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

I agree with the analyst who supposes that Teradata will become a takeover target. I think that this splitup is really a way to dump Teradata, which has never developed as hoped:

NCR Corp., the world's largest maker of automated-teller machines, will split into two companies, spinning off its Teradata database business. The stock had its biggest increase in more than two years...He said Teradata may ultimately become a takeover target for private equity firms or competitors such as SAP AG and Hewlett- Packard Co., which is now run by former NCR chief Mark Hurd.

Link: NCR to Split Up, Spin Off Teradata Database Business (Update6)

Overdue gifts

2007-01-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

It is January 16. I still have gifts to give. What happened was this: we left town for the holidays, and returned to find a stack of gifts on our stoop! These were late arrivals from other folks, and now it's time to give back.

This year I've been big into telescopes and sunglasses. I'm into astronomy and I love to spread that joy by giving a telescope--but a telescope clearly isn't for everyone. So, if I don't think that you'd liike a telescope, you're very likely to receive sunglasses. Kids are more likely to receive flashlights. My father-in law received a rangefinder (for golf). One of my old Michigan buddies received wiley x goggles (perfect for a Michigander!).

This year I've gotten most all of these items from www.OpticsPlanet.net. They have a huge selection, discount sale pricing, and free shipping on orders over $30 (mine always are!).

Please see my Disclosure Policy in the right sidebar.

Link: wiley x goggles

Nokia launches phone with Internet calls

2007-01-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

I still don't get this. Most of the time I can barely manage to connect to the Internet with my wireless laptop in San Francisco. How on earth are people going to use 802.11 to make wireless calls in Omaha?

Nokia Corp. said Monday it is cooperating with a leading provider of Internet-based phone services to enable cell phone users to make wireless calls without ...

Link: Nokia launches phone with Internet calls

Yahoo China to evolve into business-oriented search engine...

2006-12-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

This development bodes ill for Google's efforts in China, too. I wonder how much of Google's technology is linked specifically to the English language:

Yahoo's China portal will be reoriented as a business-oriented search engine, the company's head announced Monday, saying the firm had to change or fail amid intense competition from domestic rivals. Search is a huge and fast growing business in China and surveys show Yahoo lagging far behind the NASDAQ-listed Baidu.

Link: Yahoo China to evolve into business-oriented search engine ...

Ringtones with avatars

2006-12-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

I bought myself the smart phone I've been wanting to get, and it does video. I'll write a full review soon.

A buddy who has the same phone pointed me to U-DOO.com, which is a web site that lets you build an avatar with matching ringtone. I was really impressed with the avatar-buiding tool, which is simple but still allows lots of customization. Check it out here. The ringtone can be used on the phone, while the avatar can be uploaded to MySpace...or to your smart phone, if you've been smart enough to buy yourself one! Now, when my phone rings, it displays both sound and video. Actually, I think that I can make different ringtones with avatars for all my friends.

U-DOO is free for the first sixty days!

Link: Check it out here

Love of management

2006-12-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

I read a laudatory article about a GE exec balancing her work and family. The article makes the woman sound so darn boring. Get a load of this:

Pendergrass' passion for management started early. As a chemical engineering student at the University of Louisville, she had her sights set on leadership. 'I knew I didn't want to be a career engineer. I wanted to go into general management,' Pendergrass said. After earning her master's degree in 1983, her plan was to work as an engineer until opportunities with more responsibilities arose.

But my perspective has changed, now that I am older and have children (as well as GE stock!). I am really grateful that there are people like this in the world, who have a passion for doing the boring jobs that make the world run. I don't have that passion.
Link: GE exec juggles duties

Planning holiday travel

2006-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

You know what I've discovered? Re-discovered, if truth be told. Here it is: making travel reservations for four people isn't much fun.

First, find the flights we need on expedia. Try to reserve them, find out that the seats are no longer available. Call the airlines to try again, find out that the airlines charge a higher price over the phone. Check the airlines' sites. Get some of the flights. Back to expedia. Repeat, literally, ad nauseum.

I used to go through almost the same rigamarole with hotels. This year, though, I used HotelReservations.com for our Hotel Reservations. The process was a joy, and I got the job done in about 30 minutes. The site is very well organized, has excellent search functionality, and got me where I need to go quickly. They cover everything from motels to luxury resorts. Most importantly, the pricing seems to me better than what is available on Expedia, especially for world wide destinations, where many discounts are offered.

I also like the options for choosing a web site in your own language and currency. This feature allowed me to plan travel with some Spanish friends of ours. We followed the web site in English, they followed it in Spanish, yet the searches produced the same set of properties that we could compare and talk about.

Link: Hotel Reservations

US TV and internet use climbing

2006-12-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

If the average is five months, I'm sure I'll be spending ten or twenty. Oh, wait...how many months in a year again?

Americans will spend almost five months next year watching television, surfing the internet, reading newspapers and listening to music, new data shows. ...

Link: US TV and internet use climbing

Telescope hunting II

2006-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm surfing for telescopes again, because Christmas is coming real soon. Who do I know who wants a telescope? Only one person, who happens to be typing this blog entry right now...that's right. Me! I'm surfing for my own gift.

Today I spent a lot of time at AstroAds.com. This site offers telescope classified advertisements, which means that they are sort of like Ebay for telescopes. Like Ebay, the site is endlessly fascinating, except that the posters are a lot more knowledgeable about astronomy than your average Ebayer.

Link: telescope classified

Google, Baidu eye online video business in China

2006-12-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

There's no question at all for me that online video is the story of the year. I don't know anyone--folks I work with, my parents, friends from college, little kids--who hasn't watched a video at YouTube this year, and enjoyed it. To think that this market is still unowned in China boggles the mind. Wish I oculd think of some way to get involved.

Google Inc. and Baidu.com Inc., its biggest rival in China, are exploring similar options to expand their online video services in the world's fourth-largest economy. Industry sources told Reuters this week that the two Internet search leaders have independently had early discussions with some local video Web sites for potential business cooperation or possible acquisitions.

Link: Google, Baidu eye online video business in China

Trip to Sedona for the wife

2006-12-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

I've just come back from a trip to Sedona with my wife. This was sort of a pre-Christmas present for her. You'll notice that the trip didn't stop me from posting to my blog!

We stayed in a real nice inn, the Southwest Inn at Sedona, combination bed and breakfast / Small luxury hotel. This place is a cool combination of a luxury hotel and a bed-and-breakfast, with the gloss of the former and fantastic customer service of the latter.

I recommend it highly.

Link: Southwest Inn at Sedona, combination bed and breakfast / Small luxury hotel

Qwest battles spam/virus attacks on business

2006-12-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

The amount of money spent on this stuff is amazing. Unfortunately, protection against this sort of attack requires either a very talented sysadmin (almot impossible to find) or paying lots of money to companies like Quest.

Qwest Communications International Inc. Thursday announced that it has beefed up services to help keep business networks secure. Qwest's business class virtual antivirus/antispam gateway solutions now provide even more effective and essential e-mail protection and security services, safeguarding companies from receiving unsolicited e-mail, viruses, worms and unwanted content at the customers' external network perimeter, officials said.

Link: Qwest battles spam/virus attacks on business

Chatting online

2006-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

I've been writing a lot about VoIP and videoconferencing, so some readers have been asking how I feel about online chat.

The answer is a bit embarrassing: I think I'm too old to "get it". I'm a big man and I can admit this. I just don't see the appeal.

However, to appease one adamant reader, I checked out the chat rooms at Pictari. And I was impressed. I had a good time chatting on the site. Chatting is a lot of fun--relaxing and stimulating at the same time. I don't think it fits in a business environment, where I spend most of my time, but I see now that this is missing the point. Chatting is much more intimate than e-mail--the process invites confidences, so maybe a chat room is best appreciated by those looking to score!

Link: chat room

Easter eggs at Flickr!

2006-12-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

I didn't know that Flickr did Easter eggs! This one is killer. I've tried it and it works. Here's BoingBoing's description:

Flickr's got an awesome Xmas easter-egg: if you add a photonote called 'ho ho ho hat,' Flickr draws a Santa-hat on your pic; make one called 'ho ho ho beard' and you get a snowy white beard.

Link: via Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things

Tis the season for cards

2006-12-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

The e-cards have really started to pile up now. I'm getting one or two every day, and this will only accelerate.

I've started to realize that finding a great e-card is important. Nothing says "I am lame" like sending a lame e-card. With this in mind, I've performed quite a bit of research on e-card sites. I doubt there's many that I haven't used at one time or another.

The American Greetings site is the best of the lot. The site has a very broad selection (important when folks are receiving several each day) of e-cards, invitations, and so-called "printables". The site also has a reminder service to help keep track of periodic events like your wife's birthday. This feature has saved my rear end more than once.

Cards can be selected and sent easily, with fewer than five clicks. The number of categories is impressive. This is really important for an e-card site, since an e-card can be sent for any occasion, some less usual than birthdays. For example, my favorite category at American Greetings is "Over the Hill"! The variety of individual cards within each section is impressive, including some that are Free while others are more narrowly tailored to specific occasions.

I've also started to use the printable cards. I have a color laser printer at home now and some card stock, and I've found that it takes only a few minutes to print a lovely card from American Greetings. I love the fact that I can customize these cards before printing, unlike those bougght in a local shop.

Link: birthday

Microsoft's Office Communications Server Targets Business VoIP Users

2006-12-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

You know, everybody wants VoIP to succeed because it is cool. We all want to use computers as phone. The truth is, though, it doesn't work very well right now. We went to a VoIP system at my company about 6 months ago, and had to switch back. The phones tended to become inoperable and show a boot screen complaining about their DHCP parameters. I mean, you've got to be kidding me...

The beta is aimed at business users, who will be able to utilize their existing telephony infrastructure. Microsoft said that a simple click on a ...

Link: Microsoft's Office Communications Server Targets Business VoIP Users

Pet diabetes treatment

2006-12-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

I've made quite a bit of money in biotech over the years, but I've lost some money as well. The volatility of that sector is amazing, because it is so darn hard to make safe medicines for people. Compare the enormity of this task with the relative simplicity of making a gadget that people like.

Lately, I've started to wonder about biotech and pharmaceutical companies that focus on pets: vaccines for pets, drugs for pets, etc. For example, Diaxol is a treatment for dog diabetes that has achieved enormous success. It works fast, within 3 to 5 days, to control a pet's blood sugar. Diaxol is a pharmaceutical-grade product with published clinical studies demonstrating effectiveness. In fact, we have used Diaxol for our dog (Bijou) and it worked very well for us. We noticed that the dog seemed happier about two days after starting the drug. This made us happier, too.

Products like these have impressed me. It is generally easier to show effectiveness in pets and then get the products marketed, and people want these products just like they want an iPod or other gadget. I think that this sector is worthy of further research.

Link: dog diabetes

2006 Was Business Unusual

2006-12-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Business unusual, huh? OK, I'll buy it. What about the readers out there? Did you think it was such a crazy year in the world of business?

TAt the start of 2006, investors had little interest in the words "pretexting" and "backdating", the housing market was forecast to make a soft landing and stocks were considered range bound at best. Over the course of the next 12 months, those ideas got turned on their head. From the headline grabbing scandals to Wall Street's record surge to Ken Lay's sudden death, it was business unusual in 2006.

Link: ALL BUSINESS: 2006 Was Business Unusual

LifeSize video conferencing

2006-12-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of the Video Conference. Regular readers know that I don't like VoIP, but I love videoconferencing. This technology works, and to me it just seems like a waste to get on a plane and fly across the country for a 45-minute meeting.

My company uses video conferencing equipment from LifeSize. This technology, more than anything else we use at the company, has improved both my work and home lives. Since buying this equipment, I am away from home less and am also more rested and productive at the office.

Link: Video Conference

China tightens controls over Internet games, music industries

2006-12-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

What amazes me about these stories is that the Chinese have any success at all in blocking web sites. I'd think that there are so many proxy servers and other devious ways of getting to the content that it just wouldn't work. But maybe this is naive. Maybe Chinese housewives and average Joes have no idea how to circumvent these controls. It would be interesting to try this myself sometime...I'll have to take a trip to China.

China is tightening control over its online music and game industries, ordering distributors to submit all imported products for approval by official censors, the government said Tuesday...The moves come amid official efforts to step up control over the Internet and other media, both to shield Chinese companies from competition and to suppress ...

Link: China tightens controls over Internet games, music industries

Property investment

2006-12-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

I've written before about our search for a vacation home. We have a home in Lake Tahoe, relatively close to where we live, but are now searching for something farther afield. Maybe Europe. But we have to find a place that we can afford to visit regularly and not too painfully.

We are thinking about buying a vacation property and an investment property at the same time. This would make trips to our vacation home more easily justifiable and more profitable. While thinking about investment properties abroad, I came across Compass Worldwide Property. This is a farily new site but offers great deals on investment property worldwide. They are worth a look if you're sifting through the same choices I am.

Link: Compass Worldwide Property

Mobloggin' from Times Square

2006-12-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

I really, really want a cell phone with a decent camera (not VGA) and an operating system that allows me to post photos to the web easily. Right now I have the lamest of all cell phones, the LG CG225. The only way to get photos off this phone is using an MMS text message. Give me a break. I want a Symbian phone that can run Shozu, or that allows me to write my own Java program that can upload the images to my own blog--automatically. When these devices become ubiquitous, then stories like this:

Advertisers have long been drawn to Times Square as a valuable place to reach consumers, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for space on billboards and blazing video screens.
But recently they have discovered that down on the ground, new technology has given low cost, face-to-face marketing campaigns something of a cutting edge as consumers spread their messages on the Internet.
Take the recent display of public toilets set up by Charmin bathroom tissue: Used by thousands in Times Square and viewed by 7,400 Web users on one site alone. Or Nascar’s recent display of racecars; videos of the event have been viewed on YouTube more than 1,800 times. More than 60 people wrote about the event on their blogs and 60 more spread the word — and pictures — on the Flickr Web site.

...won't need to be written any more. Because we'll all be posting those photos, automatically, all the time.

Link: Times Sq. Ads Spread Via Tourists’ Cameras - New York Times

Stag and hen weekends

2006-12-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is getting married in the UK, and I've been invited to the stag weekend, while my wife is going to the hen weekend. Great term, isn't it? I've never heard it used here in the US. But I think hen party is much funnier and more fun than bachlorette party.

Also, I vastly prefer the stag weekend to the stag party. The former gives you time for a truly dissolute, rip-roaring good time, while the latter just gives the illusion--the merest taste--of freedom.

The stag and hen weekends were organized by Redsevenleisure, a UK-based website that organizes Stag Weekends UK and worldwide. Hmmm...worldwide. Wouldn't it be nice to have a stag weekend in Spain?

Link: Stag Weekends UK

Business schools try to be clear: Haste laying waste to good writing

2006-12-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

It is amazing that most people don't recognize the importance of good writing until they are in their 30s and 40s--when it is too late to change your writing ability very much. I think that by this age most folks have given enough presentations, begged for money enough times, had to fight for an idea enough times to know that writing isn't just important: it's practically the only thing that matters. Even somebody with mediocre ideas will be more likely to get them funded if he can explain them clearly and quickly to a large audience. But so few people are able to do this.

Like a dark and stormy night, bad writing has long shadowed the business world, from bureaucratese to mangled memos to the cliche-thick murk of corporatespeak...

Link: Business schools try to be clear: Haste laying waste to good ...

Employee reviews

2006-12-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

At my company, we are going through the yearly ritual of employee reviews. Let me tell you that, as an employer, I hate, hate this process.

The goal of the process is simply to create the opportunity to get rid of bad workers. This is important, and it has to be done. But good workers get swept up in it too, because reviews matter to good workers, who are actually listening to their management. The reviews, rebuttals, and the whole ugly process get dumped into our employee management software, where the whole mess lingers, until...

Well, until it is time to say goodbye to somebody who has been a problem worker. And then, you better be glad that you've got this process in place!

Link: Employee Review Software

Munich Re sees big price rise in hurricane business

2006-12-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

Again, why did GE get out of insurance after Katrina? Why? Didn't they know that this business has its downs? And also, its big, big ups?

Germany's Munich Re (MUVGn.DE: Quote, Profile , Research) expects reinsurance prices for US hurricane and natural catastrophe business to rise...

Link: Munich Re sees big price rise in hurricane business

AdPack

2006-12-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I've been trying out different marketing ideas on the web. I started with Google, have reviewed Yahoo's efforts, and more recently PayPerPost. Now I've started looking at AdPack, a marketing product whose goal is to help you generate Advertising Ideas.

This is important. I can't tell you how many folks I know who have started businesses and have only one idea: to spend money at Google. Google is fine, but reaches only one audience. To reach others you will need different approaches.

AdPack gives you some ideas for those approaches. I am just working through the product and will post more as I go. The good news, though, is that they offer a full 100% money back guarantee. If the product doesn't work, you can always return it.

Link: Advertising Ideas

China Leads Backlash Against Internet Freedom, Media Group Says

2006-12-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

I find stories like this sobering because they show how much people can take. People can live without freedom and keep ticking. Which means they often won't fight until the battle's been lost.

China is leading the fight by authoritarian states to control internet freedom and remains the world's leading jailer of journalists, a media rights' group said on Friday. One in three of the 134 journalists jailed worldwide is an internet blogger, online editor or web-based reporter, said the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The total number of journalists jailed for their work increased for the second year running, and China led the way with 31 recorded in prison on December 1, the group said in an annual report posted on its website, www.cpj.org.

Link: China Leads Backlash Against Internet Freedom, Media Group Says

Another reason to like Maxim

2006-12-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

One of my pet peeves is harmful myths and Urban Legends that prey on people's fears. I think that the "cellphones cause cancer" myth is among the worst of these, right up there with "power lines cause cancer." It is difficult or impossible to debunk such myths, since doing so involves proving a negative. Popular publications are reluctant to debunk such myths becuase people seem to want to believe them.

Believe it or not, Maxim Magazine recently came through big in this regard. That's right, you read me correctly: Maxim Magazine is setting its readers straight about cellphones and cancer. The magazine has released a Common Myth and Urban Legend Debunkment Section that debunks myth.

Needless to say, some of the other myths are a whole lot sassier, if you catch my drift. For example, I for one have never believe that women with pierced tongues give better head. But Maxim says: Believe it, buddy. They have the good grace to admit that their survey testing this myth is "very unofficial". Nonetheless, I've started wondering how my SO might look with a pierced tongue.

Another great myth debunked, which I'd never heard before, is: "To relieve a jellyfish sting, pee on it." Gross. I hope I wouldn't have believed that nonsense. Although it would be pretty funny to watch my brother, for example, peeing on himself to relieve a jellyfish sting! I've got to think of some way to enlist jellyfish to help me play this trick on him...

Link: Urban Legends

It's a great idea to protect your business with a proper trademark

2006-12-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

It's true that trademarks are important, of course. But so many web operators are operating at the fringes and don't have time to prepare for the big time. How about a web-based business that handles the trademark filing for $10 a pop? Could it be done?

You're the chief executive of an up-and-coming Web startup called Widgets.org. Your company sells widgets over the Internet to people throughout the United States. One day, you're reading the Wall Street Journal and discover a new competitor calling itself Widgets-R-Us. What do you do? Your options depend at least in part on whether you've properly protected your trademarks or service marks.

Link: It's a great idea to protect your business with a proper trademark

Bond, James Bond

2006-12-06T07:58:00.001-08:00

So, my wife is Jewish and I'm not. She's had some friends point her to the videos from koolanoo.net, which is a new social network for Jews. We've had a few laughs about how her whole family will be joining koolanoo and I won't be able to.

Anyway, koolanoo is distributing some funny and well-produced videos. This one is about a cold-blooded female secret agent a la La Femme Nikita:

Link: La Femme Nikita

Mind Your Business

2006-12-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

Thought this was interesting. I had assumed that the photographer could do anything he wanted with these photos

Q: I am a photographer who was given permission to take photos at a music club. I've taken a number of pictures of rock stars and other musicians performing there. Do I own the rights to these photographs or do the rights belong to the subjects of my photos? And if I own the rights, can I copyright the pictures and sell them to the public?
There are actually two separate issues here -- whether you own a copyright to these photos, and whether you have a right to make money off of them. Let's start with copyright. As the creator of these photos, you automatically have a copyright even if you haven't registered your work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Now for your ability to make money from photos of, say, Mick Jagger in concert. There you run into restrictions because of state privacy laws, according to Owen Seitel, an intellectual property lawyer with Idell, Berman & Seitel in San Francisco. Just like I couldn't start selling "Mick Jagger Lip Gloss" without Mick's permission, you can't sell photos of him in concert without his OK.

Does this even make sense? What about those folks who snap photos of celebrities for sale to tabloids? Why don't they run afoul of privacy laws?

Link: Mind Your Business

Language training for businessmen

2006-12-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

I have a real passion for language training. Not just language learning (for myself) but language training for everybody who travels abroad, particularly businessmen. Businessmen need to be conversant with the languages of all their co-workers, period. It makes no difference if the businessman cannot speak the language sufficiently well to use it on a daily basis. The important thing here is the effort. In human relationships, effort matters a lot.

Language Trainers is a UK-based website that offers Business Language Courses targeted at businessmen and other busy people. I believe that training targeted to businessmen is important because these folks are so darn reluctant to take languages. They need a course that takes their time crunch seriously and teaches them language skills that they think they might use.

Link: Language Trainers

Tories 'lazy' on business vote

2006-12-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

The same thing is happening here in the US. The Republicans have always assumed that they had the business vote locked up. Then they go on the biggest spending spree in US history, and now I hear folks in business talking about the Democrats again.

TORY chairman Francis Maude admitted today his party has been "lazy" in assuming it would always secure the business vote and had to prove it understood the ...

Link: Tories 'lazy' on business vote

Accounting on the web

2006-12-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

I've finally found a company that is filling a space I've been watching for a long time: payroll and bookkeeping on the web. This area has been almost complete devoid of innovation, but Accounting Paradise has established a presence that I think will only grow over time.

Basically, small businesses have a very hard time finding a good bookkeeper, most of whom either want to charge a lot of money or don't know what they are doing. I've been expecting to see web businesses spring up to remedy this situation. I'm impressed with what Accounting Paradise has done...they have a nice system in place with good prices.

Link: payroll and bookkeeping

Johns Hopkins gets $50 million donation for new business school

2006-12-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

I've always been amazed that Hopkins lacks a business school. I'm sure that this school will establish itself very quickly indeed.

Johns Hopkins University, the first research university in the United States, has received a $50 million (€37.5 million) donation, which it will use to establish a business school. William Polk Carey, a trustee emeritus of Hopkins and chairman and founder of real estate company W.P. Carey & Co., donated the money, which is the largest ever to Hopkins for business education.

Link: Johns Hopkins gets $50 million donation for new business school

Mailboxes for your business

2006-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

I've long been fascinated by the mail drop business. If you've ever started a business, then you know what these are: a secure address that can be used as a postal address. Usually maildrop services are used by small businesses that want to seem bigger.

This is the part that fascinates me...the wanting to seem bigger. Because, for the most part, there is a line to walk here. You don't want to admit that your company has only three employees, but you can't overplay your hand, for two reasons. First, you actually want prospective customers to know that they are going to get personalized service from a hungry businessman. Second, it is impossible to pretend that your business is a lot bigger than it is. Usually, your clients understand that you are using a maildrop, are fine with it, and understand that it is part of running a small business today.

However, until now, it has been painful to find a good maildrop service. Maildrops often don't have a long track record, although the track record is critical. There is a new serice, though, serving as an internet directory of mail drops and remailing services. I found it at maildropguide.com and was quite impressed. Check it out!

Link: mail drop

Barge in to do the business

2006-12-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

I like the idea of using barges to undo the absurd run-up in rental and real estate prices over the course of the past several years. Why not fill the water around Manhattan with barges. I guess the commute is a bit of a problem, but with rents where they are, who cares?

The 100ft barge is to be transformed into office accommodation as part of the Water of Leith Business Centre, marking the end of a remarkable journey.

Link: Barge in to do the business

Holiday ecards

2006-12-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, it is time for the holiday cards. In my house we have three Christmas card lists. First, there are the true lifelong friends and relatives. Second, there are critical business associates with whom I need to remain on good terms. Finally, there are a bunch of casual acquaintences with whom I need to make some contact, any contact. The first two groups are getting a family-style greeting card from Snapfish. The last group is getting an ecard!

I have to admit that I like the ecard. I don't read the paper greeting cards that I receive, but I read each and every ecard. There is an endless variety of such cards out there, and I like seeing the world's imagination laid bare. I especially like the funny and/or risque cards.

So far this year (yes, I've received a half-dozen Christmas cards already) the best cards I've seen are from Egreetings. I thought that these two were particularly good:

A Christmas Pick-Me-Up, featuring top pickup lines that Santa's elves use on women)
Snakes on a Sleigh, a parody of the movie 'Snakes on a Plane

But there are many others to choose from.

Anyway, the site has a free 30-day trial to send eCards and a yearly subscription for only $13.99. The subscription lets you schedule eCards to arrive either instantly or on a specific date.

Link: Christmas greetings

PM impressed with Indian School of Business

2006-12-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

This guy sounds like a politician through and through. Read the first part of the quote, then get his blistering caveat.

On his first visit to the Indian School of Business (ISB) here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday that he was impressed with ... Stating that many institutes were created in the past but could not be sustained, he hoped that ISB would continue to grow with investment in research and people.

No kidding. See my post later about the $50M donation to the school of business at Johns Hopkins. This is the kind of commitment that will be needed.

Link: PM impressed with Indian School of Business

MySpace and kids

2006-12-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it. I'm old. I'm techno-saavy, true: an engineer, a scientist, and a program. But three things mark me as the oldy that I am:

I don't own an iPod
I don't send text messages
and I don't belong to MySpace

These three areas belong exclusively to the young. (I'm working on each and every one of them.)

I have children, though, one of whom is in first grade. He has a third-grade cousin who is using MySpace. Yes, you read that correctly. Some parents (my sister included) lump MySpace into computer proficiency and conclude that it is OK for a third-grader to participate.

So, I've been researching Myspace tracking software to give to my sister as a Christmas present. I've been looking for software that can keep her son--and, eventually, my son, safe in the years to come. Recently I came across some Spector Pro monitoring sofware, which won an award in PC Magazine. This software is the most full-featured that I've found so far and can record all activity on MySpace.com: profile updates, picture posting, comments, messages, invitations, and more. Spector Pro is truly impressive software.

I'm sure my sister would prefer to receive a RAZR. But she'll be getting Spector Pro!

Link: Myspace tracking

An iPod- and hype-free guide to Internet shopping

2006-12-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, I get his point about too many people recommending iPods for Christmas:

This is not a holiday gift guide. There are plenty of those floating around, and, frankly, I’m a little bit tired of every one of them including some form of iPod product. There are cheaper, equally good and certainly more versatile music players out there, people. This is, instead, a basic Guide to Online Shopping, that small miracle of antiseptic commerce and porch-dropped packages that is sweeping the nation. It contains tips and advice, but no coupons and no warranties, expressed or implied. Use the information herein at your peril, and check my blog during the day Friday (chicagotribune.com/johnson) for additional notions from readers or to post your own.

In case you're wondering, though, what I want for Christmas...I'd like an iPod, please.

Link: An iPod- and hype-free guide to Internet shopping

Keyloggers

2006-12-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

You know that I've been on a software security kick and, judging from the comments, you support me in my efforts!

After reading about Spector Pro, I started looking into other software from Spector Soft. I came across their keylogging product. For those of you who don't know, keyloggers record every keystroke pressed on a computer. The records can then be scanned for worrisome activity.

In the past, these programs had a bad name, as they were occasionally used to steal passwords. As a parent, though, I've come to realize that I have the right and even the obligation to monitor what is going on with the computer. I hope and pray that my kids are using Google images to search for pictures of atoms, maps of Mars, and models of the solar system. I'm worried that they might start searching for other things too. Not because they are bad kids, but because they are kids.

So I'm thinking about trying keylogging software again at home. I think that keylogging software is the right thing for a father to do. I can imagine that employers might use keylogging software to make sure that employees are staying within their Internet use policy. I'd consider the same thing, but I feel a little less comfortable with this application (even though I am an employer of dozens of people).

Link: keylogging

Boeing delivers business jet to India

2006-12-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

The resurgence of Boeing is just amazing. A few years ago I had written them off. In the back of my head, though, I swear, I was thinking, "Isn't it strange that Boeing has been undone by an industry-government consortium of just the type that we Americans are always saying won't work?" Well, it didn't work!

India has taken delivery of a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) for VVIP movement from US-based Boeing Co, for which this happened to be the 100th...

Link: Boeing delivers business jet to India

Understanding payday loans

2006-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

I had an employee recently ask me for an advance. At first, I refused. Then the employee started talking about asking for a payday loan from a third party. He clearly didn't know anything about how to get such a loan without getting ripped off (this can be done, but it requires knowledge). I finally relented and gave him a payday loan myself--at the prime rate.

There is no substitute for knowledge when it comes time to take a loan. If you need to take a loan of any kind--mnortgage, payday, or otherwise--please do your research first. After a little Google searching, for example, I pointed my employee to PayDayCashAdvanceLoans.biz. this site explains the payday loan process and provides editorials, finance calculators, and a directory of lenders. This information allows for a thoughtful and informed decision regarding a faxless cash advance.

Link: faxless cash advance

Judge sentences US attorney who challenged common police Internet ...

2006-12-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

I am of two minds on these issues. As a parent, I can appreciate that we need to get these people off the streets, plain and simple. As an intellectual, though, it seems to me that this falls into the same category as creating fake pedophiliac porn with computer-generated images.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis on Wednesday reinstated the jury's verdict against Helder and sent the case back to Whipple for sentencing. The appeals court said the critical issue was that Helder thought he was seducing a minor, not whether the minor truly existed.

Link: Judge sentences US attorney who challenged common police Internet ...

Coupons for holiday shopping

2006-11-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit it. But the Christmas shopping season has begun. I got a call from my Mom yesterday--she was looking for our wish lists.

Unfortunately, this seasonal change means two things: 1) I need to start shopping; 2) I need to start trying to explain to my family where to find all the electronic gadgets that I hope they'll buy me this year!

Needless to say, I do all my shopping online. One of my favorite things about online shopping is the coupons, and Coupon Chief is where I usually start. This year I'll start with the Nokia coupons, because my wife is looking for a new phone.

What am I looking for? My fondest wish (are you reading this, Mom?) is a new digital camera. And world peace.

Link: coupons

The Internet -- For Better or Worse, Part of the Fabric of Life

2006-11-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

This story from the VOA is just jaw-dropping. Yes, the Internet is part of the fabric of life here in America, and we all know that. No, the Internet isn't a part of the fabric of life all over the world--in Baghdad, for example, or Darfur. Doesn't the VOA know this?

It's called the Virtual World, but many people are making it more and more part of their real worlds. It's modern-day life on the Internet. Paul Sisco takes a look at where we are -- and where the Internet could take us from here.

Link: The Internet -- For Better or Worse, Part of the Fabric of Life

PPP vs Google!

2006-11-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

I've been on a bit of a kick, trying to explain the difference between PPP and other outfits that try to make money off of bloggers. But basically it is simple. Most companies try to make money off of bloggers: you create the content, and we'll reap the benefits. PPP tries to make money with bloggers: you create the content, and we'll pay you for it. To put it simply, with PPP you actually get paid for blogging.

I thought I'd put a little drama into this idea by creating a video battle between PPP and Google (guess who wins!). Check out this dramatization and blow-by-blow account:

Link: get paid for blogging

Business investment boom ending: experts

2006-11-29T21:16:00.001-08:00

Drops in business investment are now happening worldwide. The question is, will central bank policy makers realize that this development is just as important as the changes in housing prices and consumer sentiment? Or will they continue to hold rates up until we're pushed into a recession?

Australia's business investment boom looks to be coming to be an end, with capital expenditure plunging in the third quarter and spending plans for 2006/07 increasing only slightly.

Link: Business investment boom ending: experts

Get Paid to Make Videos like this at PayPerPost.com

2006-11-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

Working with PayPerPost.com has been a really interesting journey. Getting paid to blog gives me a motivation to expand the scope of my coverage, try new blogging techniques, and remain committed to my site.

Take videos, for example. I had never posted a video on YouTube before being encouraged to do so by PayPerPost.com. Now, I post not only paid vidoes, but many videos of my own family, snippets from our trips, etc. I have a really good time with it.

You, too, can get paid to make videos. Check out my newest video below and then post one of your own. If you've got a video camera and iMovie it is really a snap. Five minutes of shooting, five minutes of editing, five minutes of posting, and you're done.

Link: get paid to make videos

Lure of Great Wealth Affects Career Choices

2006-11-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

This is a great story about the difference between those who look for the routes to extraordinary wealth in their professions and those who just follow the map. You can't acheive anything extraordinary by doing the ordinary.

The opportunity to become abundantly rich is a recent phenomenon not only in medicine, but in a growing number of other professions and occupations. In each case, the great majority still earn fairly uniform six-figure incomes, usually less than $400,000 a year, government data show. But starting in the 1990s, a significant number began to earn much more, creating a two-tier income stratum within such occupations.

Link: Lure of Great Wealth Affects Career Choices - New York Times

Poker, DIY-style

2006-11-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

I've found an amazing poker site that reminds me of the online chess sites, which allow sophosticated management of public or private games or even whole leagues. The site is called PokerDIY - Connecting Poker Player for Live Games, and it provides tools for connecting individual poker players, finding live poker games, or organizing more complex events such as tournaments or leagues. This is a brilliant combination of technologies that amounts to evite for poker.

I think that with the recent change in U.S. online gambling laws, more players are going to be looking for fun games or leagues.

They have a funny promotional video as well:

Link: PokerDIY - Connecting Poker Player for Live Games

TVNewser: how does he do it?

2006-11-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

This report about Brian Stelter and TVNewser is absolutely amazing for those of us who blog every day. Here is an outsider to the TV News industry whose blog is read every day by the most powerful people in the TV News industry. The article has a quote from one executive who estimates that he refreshes his browser 30 or 40 times daily.

When people in the television news business want to find out what’s going on in their industry, they turn to a blog called TVNewser. But while the executives obsessively checking TVNewser are mostly high powered and highly paid, the person who creates it is not: he is Brian Stelter, a baby-faced 21-year-old at Towson University here, a few miles north of Baltimore.
When his postings dropped off last month after his girlfriend dumped him, Mr. Stelter found himself fielding complaints from powerful network executives about when he was going to get over his romantic travails and get back on track. “I was dealing with drama,” he said.
It is read religiously by network presidents, media executives, producers and publicists, not for any stinging commentary from Mr. Stelter, whose style is usually described as earnest, but because it provides a quick snapshot of the industry on any given day. Habitués include Mr. Williams and Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN’s domestic operations, who long ago offered up his cellphone number to Mr. Stelter.

Meanwhile, I am over here bloggin my buns off, having some success, but very minor success.

It sounds like the key here is Brian's relationship with his readers, in a business where relationships are key. Perhaps the same goes for places like dailykos, valleywag, and others. The time and commitment required to cultivate such connections is enormous, and I am pressed for those two luxuries.

Link: NYT article about TVNewser

Finding insurance

2006-11-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for renter's insurance for my son and checking out online services allowing me to do this. I ended up using Insurance Quotes Online, which provides Free Insurance Quotes for auto, home, renters, or health insurance. You fill out a reasonably quick and simple form and get two kinds of information in response. Some matching insurance agents are provided immediately, with contact information. This is a joy because it is so easy to pick up the phone and make this call, without waiting for an online response from a busy agent. Other agents, however, will contact you by e-mail with offers that may be better suited for you.

I recommend this free service, but I think that the process could be simplified somewhat to encourage more use. Some users will balk at providing their telephone number and physical address, for example. Better to get the minimum essential information before passing the visitor on to agents.

Link: Free Insurance Quotes

Property can be worth more than trading business

2006-11-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

I, too, see a pattern here:

We are seeing it as a pattern. When an owner is ready to sell his business, perhaps to a competitor or new manager, someone who has a big yard or similar property is finding his property is worth more than the trading business.

The pattern I see is spelled B-U-B-B-L-E, and it has been repeated all over the U.S. in Europe over the course of the last decade. The Scots will soon wake up, just as the Americans have.

Link: Property can be worth more than trading business

A cash rebate for your home

2006-11-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

One of the worst, most corrupt ideas in history is the 6% commission for real estate agents. Effectively, the 6% commission means that for every 20 homes that change hands in this country, one home is being given to real estate agents. The cost of this insanity boggles the mind.

Many new real estate services are helping to reduce this absurd cost by offering full traditional brokerage services (for both buyers and sellers) at reduced rates. AlCan Realty Partners is one such brokerage dealing in Dallas Real Estate. One of my college roomates recently used AlCan to purchase a new 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Dallas. He told me about AlCan because--wait til you hear this--he received a 1.5% cash rebate on the cost of the home at closing. In his case, the rebate amounted to about $10,000.

This model makes more sense to me. A full 6% commission is simply unsustainable, and brokerages like AlCan will knock this down over time, which will be to our benefit.

Link: Dallas Real Estate

Loring Ward sells business management unit to focus on asset ...

2006-11-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

It is hard to imagine how much money can be made from wealth management services in the United States. Those fees of 1.5% to 3% add up to an almost unimaginable pile of cash. Think about this when you go shopping for wealth services, and make sure that you get your money's worth.

Loring Ward International Ltd., a financial company spun off from the former Winnipeg-based Assante Corp., is selling two remaining business services divisions in California as it focuses on building its wealth management business in the United States.

Link: Loring Ward sells business management unit to focus on asset ...

CreditCardSearchEngine.com

2006-11-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

I've become interested in niche search engines and have been trying to review them, one by one. Some of these niche categories are already saturated, such as job search engines.

Recently I was pointed to CreditCardSearchEngine.com, a search engine for...you guessed it...Credit Cards. This is a standout idea that is unique, as far as I know. In addition to a standout idea, the site is extremely well designed, quick, and effective to use. There are credit cards for every imaginable situation, including Low Interest, Cash Back, Rewards, Airline miles, student, business, and credit cards for bad credit. All in all, an impressive site that will surely be imitated by others eventually.

Link: Credit Cards

Business chamber plays down fair employer scheme

2006-11-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

You know, I'm not in favor of schemes like this. But let's not be so tranparently duplicitous as this:

Business Chamber chief executive officer Mark Grimson says most employers in the Illawarra do not need a union-run scheme to demonstrate whether they are fair or not. "Obviously in the current employment market, employers that don't do the right thing with their employees are going to find it fairly difficult to attract good [staff] and keep staff, and any employer will tell you that, so really it's about Mr Iemma keeping on board with the unions with the lead-up to the state election, that's clearly what it is about," he said.

I mean, this is ridiculous. Plenty of deceptive, lousy employers do attract workers in tight markets.

Link: Business chamber plays down fair employer scheme

New version of Voice 123

2006-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been following the Voice123 web site, which helps voice talents and voice seekers find each other. You might recall that I think a lot of my own voice, and I'm wondering if there's any there there. I'm wondering if I could ever do voice overs.

Well, I recently noticed that Voice123 is moving to version 2.0 shortly. There aren't a lot of details yet on this upgrade, but I found a great trailer. The trailer uses a voice talent found on Voice123, and it is hilarious. The talent has a wonderful, deep, booming voice like those usually found in movie trailers, and his work for Voice123 is really impressive. That talent really knows how to create a mood!

Link: voice overs

Flair for business flourishing in Dubai

2006-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

I am impressed with people who are just so linked to their culture that they can create a business out of it. I'm a bit more of a loner--I don't always have the perfect Simpson's quote, for example. But there are some people who just thrive on their connection to others, and it shows.

On their return to Dubai from college in the West, Shaz Sheibani and Shehab Hamad, both 29 now and from Iran and Egypt respectively, missed some of the culture they had grown to love alternative music, films, art and photography. Three years ago, with another partner, 32-year-old Ben McDonald from the UK, they started Kitsch22, adding fashion distribution and retailing along with public relations, graphic design and corporate launches. Starting out with two, the company today has a staff of 20 and a turnover of about Dh2.5 million.

Link: Flair for business flourishing in Dubai

How to buy a business

2006-11-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

I've been a business owner for about five years now. About six years ago, I thought that running a business would be easy for a smart guy like myself. If I didn't know the area, I'd hire somebody who did.

So I went ahead and put my life savings on the line and bought a business (well, a good chunk of a business). This turned out to be a rather rash decision, because: guess what? There is a whole science to business that you just don't have time to reinvent as a business owner.

I'm considering going back to school to get my MBA, but I don't know if I can stand the young kids who will be my classmates. I've also been looking at Trump U, which promises that I can Learn the Art of Buying a Business. Mainly I am attracted to the impressive list of faculty at Trump U. Also, this is a home study course with access to the teacher for Q&A, an arrangement that would allow me to maintain my extensive day-to-day interaction with my own business. I am very impressed with Trump University.

Link: Learn the Art of Buying a Business

Gordon Brown woos business with new tax rules

2006-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

These types of promises are always nice...when they are promised. Haven't I said before that the devil is in the execution? Maybe about two posts ago?

The Treasury today offered an olive branch to the business sector with the publication of a report recommending greater speed and certainty in the decisions made by Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on important corporate issues.

Link: Gordon Brown woos business with new tax rules

Diesel trucks that outrun Corvettes

2006-11-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

I've written recently about drag racing and stock-car racing. Among my other destructive tendencies, I am attracted to speed in all things.

I recently found an impressive site that teaches how to improve diesel performance, to the point that you can get up to 300 horses out of a truck and make it competetive with a sports car! This seems like a hoot, ideal for the farmer who wants to outrun some city slickers. More impressively, the economic advantages of diesel don't disappear with this high performance--a tuned diesel can still get 20-25 mpg. Pretty impressive, more after the jump.

Link: diesel performance

PC World gets down to business

2006-11-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

This is a sorely-needed service: a single site for small and large businesses to buy technology supplies. My business currently operates from a hodgepodge of local suppliers, as do many businesses whose operations I know. But the devil here, as with all things, is with execution. Does a magazine really have the know-how to pull this off and make it work?

The new PC World Business site offers a wide range of items including computers and laptops, networking hardware, servers, audio visual equipment, office supplies, furniture, printers and consumables, software, security hardware, and software.

Link: PC World gets down to business

Understanding aging

2006-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

There have been a spate of articles lately about attempts to slow the aging process.

It has long been known, for example, that calorie restriction slows the aging process in worms and mice. We aren't talking about minor-league calorie restriction, though, we're talking about cutting down to about half of the calories normally eaten by other mice. For humans, this would be a major, major sacrifice. Mice and rats who achieve this sacrifice, though, live about 30% longer than other mice. A few crazy humans are now attempting this, among them some of the scientists who have studied calorie restriction in mice. It's my guess that these humans are deeply unhappy people who will probably die in a car crash, or from sheer boredom.

To give you some idea of how profound the calorie restriction is that we're talking about, the proposed mechanism that leads to slower aging is lower body temperature. That's right, these folks are eating so few calories that they are actually failing to maintain their body temperature. How much energy could they possibly have to enjoy the finer things in life?

More recently, some scientists at a company (who used to work at Harvard) have shown that an extract of grapes containing resveratrol can also slow the aging process. The goal of the company is actually to extend life by providing pills containing resveratrol. Sounds like this company will probably have about as much success as Ponce de Leon in this endeavour.

Perhaps more impressively, and likely more successfully, other folks feel that extracts of natural foods, especially those containing antioxidants, can increase energy, improve brain function, and stimulate the immune system. Proleva is one of these products containing extracts of blackberry, cranberry, grape, and strawberry. Now this is a plan that makes sense to me. Take some items that we already know are good for us, concentrate them, and provide them daily. The relatively low cost of such a product is easily justified by the benefit most important to me: knowledge that I am doing something good for my body that will augment my efforts to excercise and eat right. If you want to try it, click here to order proleva.

Link: proleva, order proleva now, click here to order proleva, or something of the sort

What Next? Mobile Broadband Internet!

2006-11-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

The point of this article is that mobile services are moving to a fixed-monthly-rate plan, similar to fixed broadband services. There are now two calling plans available, for example, that allow unlimited Skype calls over the broadband provided by your mobile phone. Confused yet? No? You will be when you see your bill!

In a move that could well be the beginning of Internet access through mobile Broadband, Hutchison Whampoa has forged a group of global Internet companies, and handset makers - Nokia and Sony Ericsson, to globally launch Broadband mobile Internet access on the same flat fee model as fixed Broadband Internet.

Link: What Next? Mobile Broadband Internet!

Getting back to church

2006-11-16T00:19:00.000-08:00

I am a classic lapsed Catholic. My parents came from a deeply-religious ethnic community, were deeply religious themselves, and raised me in the church. I went to church almost without fail every Sunday until I was about 13 years old.

Then I went away to prep school (which I loved, BTW). I stayed away for college. And I became an intellectual, I dare say a liberal. I realized that there were significant differences between my world views and those of the church.

Now, I am married to a religious woman and I have children to raise. The one thing that I /always/ enjoyed about the Catholic church was its /active/ engagement of ethical issues. I started wrestling with moral issues in catechism classes when I was about eight years old. I think that this education played a big role in making me who I am today.

So, I am in the process of getting back to the church. I feel that my family is stronger when we attend church together. To my amazement, I recently found a podcast that is targeted a folks exactly like me: the Catholic Show. I'm impressed that there are Catholics out there who are hip enough to podcast! The mission of this program is to invite former Catholics back to the church and to support a Church vibrant and growing as never before. I recommend that Catholics, especially lapsed Catholics, check it out.

Link: Catholic Show

Canada wants deregulated Internet phone service

2006-11-16T00:14:00.000-08:00

What gives? Have the Canadians finally woken up? Here in the US I think it will always be a struggle to keep regulation of Internet communication (of all kinds) to a minimum.

The Canadian government has told the country's telecoms regulator to keep hands off some types of Internet phone services because it wants to open up further competition in the sector, a move that drew praise from Canada's two biggest phone companies. Industry Minister Maxime Bernier said on Wednesday that the minority Conservative government has called on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to start deregulating Internet telephone services that are considered access independent, or available over any broadband connection.

Link: Canada wants deregulated Internet phone service

Come on, Megaglobe, let's see that search engine!

2006-11-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

I wrote a post about a week ago talking about how much I was looking forward to Megaglobe, a new international search engine. This new engine will be available in 45 languages and will represent the whole world, with ads available worldwide in 50 different currencies. I think it is even more important that Megaglobe will be putting a significant effort toward detecting click fraud.

You know what's happened since then? Diddly. Still no Megaglobe (though there is a site where you can submit your own site to the index)! I have just one thing to say about this situation: We Want Megaglobe! In fact, I made a little video to emphasize this point:

Link: We Want Megaglobe

Bahrain: Gulf Air wins Best Business Airline award

2006-11-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

Gulf Air is indeed a great airline for business travel, although I unfortunately have rarely had the chance to travel to areas served by Gulf Air. I'm looking at leisure travel now for next summer. In my book, for leisure travel to Europe there is only one airline worth thinking about: Virgin Atlantic. Great service and very comfortable.

Gulf Air won the Best Business Airline award at the British Travel Awards at the World Travel Mart (WTM) expo in London. The airline was honoured by members of the UK travel trade and consumers, beating off major carriers such as Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, British Airways, Virgin, Malaysian Airlines, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and EOS.

Link: Bahrain: Gulf Air wins Best Business Airline award

I out-catfish Antonio

2006-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

OK, folks, I didn't want to do this to Antonio, but I had to. I'm a bigger, better illusionist than he is. Antonio managed to transform a human into a catfish, which is a nice party trick. In this video, I transform...a *lion* into a catfish! That's right! I'm crossing the lines of species and genus both! You've got to see it to believe it:

You, too, can get paid to make videos at PayPerPost. If that made you cringe, then...I don't want to know!

Link: get paid to make videos

Contact may sell metering business

2006-11-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

My father retired about ten years ago from...Contact Energy. In fact, he worked on logic and displays for metering systems. Interesting to here that this business is potentially worth $100M. $100M? Doesn't this seem like an awful lot of money for a metering business?

Contact Energy has confirmed it is testing interest in its metering business from other market players. Contact communications manager Jonathan Hill said that the company had periodically looked at divesting its metering business, which it did not see as a core activity for an electricity generator and retailer.

Link: Contact may sell metering business

LoopyLove Online Dating

2006-11-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

I've written about online dating sites before. These sites fascinate me. On the one hand, these sites use technology, and data mining, in ways that have interested me for a long time. They collect a huge amount of information about people, then pick some criteria to allow matchups, and then...they get feedback about how things pan out. The question is: how can one use that feedback effectively to build a model of human attraction?

See that? That kind of dispassionate analysis is the reason I've always had so much trouble meeting fun people! Why can't I just say that online dating sites are about gettin' some?

LoopyLove takes the opposite view: they think that meeting people online can be fun! My brother uses LoopyLove in the UK and really loves that site. Registration and use of the site is free, but LoopyLove is a sophisticated operation that allows everything you'd expect in a third-generation dating site: online profiles, posting pictures, e-mail integration, etc. But, in addition to these basics, the site features free online chat. The chat rooms are quite lively and interesting without being salacious. For example, my brother was chatting with one woman who was Welsh and called herself "mini-CZ-J" throughout the conversation. She knew that my brother is American and figured that all American men are hot for Catherine Zeta-Jones (this is mostly true!)

My favorite feature of the site, though, is the "picture feedback" allowed. This converts the site into a kind of mini hotornot.com, but with dating. It goes without saying that the negative picture feedback is the funniest, but the positive feedback can be very touching. The site seems to be filled with good-humored Brits who aren't afraid to say what they think. Americans are few and far between, which is probably a point in the site's favor.

If you are looking to find love in the UK, then I recommend this site.

Link: find love in the UK