Thursday, October 14, 2010

Business Making Money



Google made a stunning revelation this morning: the existence of a secret self-driving car project. Even more amazing: it has been in testing for months, on actual roads across California, and things seem to be running smoothly. Fans of Total Recall, Minority Report, and Knight Rider are hyperventilating at the prospects. And while the technology is likely still a long way from being widely implemented (The New York Times piece on it suggests eight years), there is one big question: why?


Google’s answer seems to be a “betterment of society” one. “We’ve always been optimistic about technology’s ability to advance society, which is why we have pushed so hard to improve the capabilities of self-driving cars beyond where they are today,” Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, who spearheaded the project (and also runs Stanford’s AI Labs, and co-invented Street View), writes today.


That’s great. But Google is still a public company in the business of making money for its shareholders. So one can’t help but wonder what, if any, money-making prospects there are here?


The Google researchers said the company did not yet have a clear plan to create a business from the experiments,” according to the NYT. Further, they quote Thrun as saying that this project is an example of Google’s “willingness to gamble on technology that may not pay off for years.”


We know Google has a history of idealism — co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, in particular — but this project cannot come cheap. And the fact is that Google remains basically a one-trick-pony when it comes to making money. They are so reliant on search advertising revenues, that if something suddenly happened to the market, they’d be totally screwed. Android may prove to be their second trick, but it’s not there yet.


But there may be more to these automated cars than just an awesomely cool concept. At our TechCrunch Disrupt event a couple weeks ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a speech about “an augmented version of humanity.” He noted that the future is about getting computers to do the things we’re not good at. One of those things is driving cars, Schmidt slyly said at the time. “Your car should drive itself. It just makes sense,” he noted. “It’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.


If your car can drive itself, a lot of commuters would be freed up to do other things in the car — such as surf the web. One of Google’s stated goals for this project is to “free up people’s time”. That matched with Schmidt’s vision of mobile devices being with us all the time every day, likely will translate into more usage of Google.


That may sound silly and not worth all the R&D an undertaking as huge as this will require, but don’t underestimate Google. This is a company who cares deeply about shaving fractions of a second off of each search query so that you can do more of them in your waking hours. Imagine if you suddenly had an hour or more a day in your car to do whatever you wanted because you no longer had to focus on driving? Yeah. Cha-ching.



Or imagine if your on-board maps where showing you Google ads. Or you were watching Google TV in your car since you didn’t have to drive. Or you were listening to Google Music with Google ads. It’s all the same. This automated driving technology would free you up to use more Google products — which in turn make them more money. Make no mistake, Google will enter your car in a big way. And automated driving would up their return in a big way.


And, of course, none of this speaks to what, if anything, Google would actually charge for such technology implementation. You would have to believe that if and when it’s available, this automated driving tech would be built-in to cars. Would car manufacturers pay Google for it and pass off some of the costs to customers? Or would this all be subsidized by the above ideas?


It’s way too early to get into that, I’m sure. And in 8 years, there will be things out there that we can’t even imagine right now. But it’s interesting to think about. The Google Car.


Now, don’t get me wrong, I have little doubt Google is being sincere in their broader hopes for such a technology. Here’s their key blurb on that:


According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We’re also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow.” These highway trains should cut energy consumption while also increasing the number of people that can be transported on our major roads. In terms of time efficiency, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that people spend on average 52 minutes each working day commuting. Imagine being able to spend that time more productively.


That first part is awesome. If we could halve the number of traffic deaths each year, it would be world-changing. And if energy consumption could be cut, it could re-shape economies and save our future. But again, don’t gloss over the last part. Freeing up those 52 minutes a day to be productive — that’s a lot of potential money for Google.


And that’s great too. If Google can spend the time and money working on such amazing technology they should be rewarded for it. There’s no rule that says you shouldn’t be able to make money by changing the world. And Google can’t be praised enough for trying.


More:



  • Google Has A Secret Fleet Of Automated Toyota Priuses; 140,000 Miles Logged So Far.

  • Google’s Self-Driving Car Spotted On The Highway Almost A Year Ago 



[images: Dreamworks and TriStar Entertainment]





President Obama and the Democrats are making a rather odd ploy for votes: Attacking the Chamber of Commerce and insinuating that it’s secretly funneling money to Republican campaigns.


The White House intensified its attacks Sunday on the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its alleged ties to foreign donors, part of an escalating Democratic effort to link Republican allies with corporate and overseas interests ahead of the November midterm elections. The chamber adamantly denies that foreign funds are used in its U.S. election efforts, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a speculative smear campaign during a desperate political year.


President Obama, speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, said “the American people deserve to know who is trying to sway their elections” and raised the possibility that foreigners could be funding his opponents. “You don’t know,” Obama said at the rally for Senate candidate Joe Sestak and other Democrats. “It could be the oil industry. It could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don’t know because they don’t have to disclose.”


The remarks are part of a volley of recent attacks by Obama and other Democrats on alleged foreign influence within the Republican caucus, whether through support for outsourcing jobs by major U.S. corporations or through overseas money making its way into the coffers of GOP-leaning interest groups.


The comments also come as Democrats attempt to cope with an onslaught of independent political advertising aimed at bolstering Republicans, much of it fueled by donations that do not have to be revealed to the public. The spending has added to a political environment in which Democrats are in danger of losing control of both the House and Senate.


David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that secret political donations to the chamber and other groups pose “a threat to our democracy.” Axelrod also took the unusual step of calling on the chamber to release internal documents backing up its contention that foreign money is not being used to pay for U.S. political activities. Democrats have seized on a report by a liberal blog alleging that dues from chamber-affiliated business councils could be used in that way. “If the chamber opens up its books and says, ‘Here’s where our political money’s coming from,’ then we’ll know,” Axelrod said. “But until they do that, all we have is their assertion.”


Of course, all we have the other way is the Democrats’ assertion.  And will Americans otherwise predisposed to vote Republican in November really change their mind on vague assertions that the Chamber is funneling foreign money into their campaigns?


Apparently, the impetus for all this is last week’s  reporting from Think Progress that I’d missed until now.  It’s rather convoluted — making its likely impact on next month’s voting even more unlikely — but, essentially, the argument goes like this:



  • The Chamber is the chief outside group buying ads for Republican candidates



  • These ads are paid for out of the Chamber’s general fund



  • The Chamber accepts foreign donations through its overseas Business Councils



  • Thus, foreign money is used for the ads



  • Additionally, a 527 called American Crossroads, which Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie are affiliated with, is coordinating spending with the Chamber.  And who knows where American Crossroads is getting the money?  Maybe it’s from foreigners!


For their part, both the Chamber and American Crossroads have denied that foreign money is going toward these ads, asserting that they have firewalls in place.  Absent strong evidence to the contrary, I’m inclined to believe them.    After all, money is fungible.  So, the Chamber doesn’t need to use foreign money to fund political advertising — which is presumably still illegal — when all they have to do is use the foreign money to finance legal activities and shift the domestic money that would have funded said activities over to advertising.    (Now, effectively, there is no difference!  Legally, though, it’s the difference between night and day.)


I suppose that, given the polling numbers, Obama and company have to try something.   Certainly, “We’re doing a great job and you should give us two more years” isn’t going to cut it.  But this is not only desperate but it’s the kind of inside baseball that will just irritate voters.    I guarantee you that if I’m just now getting wind of this week-old blog story, nobody at that rally in Philly had any idea what the hell Obama was talking about.





Dr. eric seiger

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


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Google made a stunning revelation this morning: the existence of a secret self-driving car project. Even more amazing: it has been in testing for months, on actual roads across California, and things seem to be running smoothly. Fans of Total Recall, Minority Report, and Knight Rider are hyperventilating at the prospects. And while the technology is likely still a long way from being widely implemented (The New York Times piece on it suggests eight years), there is one big question: why?


Google’s answer seems to be a “betterment of society” one. “We’ve always been optimistic about technology’s ability to advance society, which is why we have pushed so hard to improve the capabilities of self-driving cars beyond where they are today,” Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, who spearheaded the project (and also runs Stanford’s AI Labs, and co-invented Street View), writes today.


That’s great. But Google is still a public company in the business of making money for its shareholders. So one can’t help but wonder what, if any, money-making prospects there are here?


The Google researchers said the company did not yet have a clear plan to create a business from the experiments,” according to the NYT. Further, they quote Thrun as saying that this project is an example of Google’s “willingness to gamble on technology that may not pay off for years.”


We know Google has a history of idealism — co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, in particular — but this project cannot come cheap. And the fact is that Google remains basically a one-trick-pony when it comes to making money. They are so reliant on search advertising revenues, that if something suddenly happened to the market, they’d be totally screwed. Android may prove to be their second trick, but it’s not there yet.


But there may be more to these automated cars than just an awesomely cool concept. At our TechCrunch Disrupt event a couple weeks ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a speech about “an augmented version of humanity.” He noted that the future is about getting computers to do the things we’re not good at. One of those things is driving cars, Schmidt slyly said at the time. “Your car should drive itself. It just makes sense,” he noted. “It’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.


If your car can drive itself, a lot of commuters would be freed up to do other things in the car — such as surf the web. One of Google’s stated goals for this project is to “free up people’s time”. That matched with Schmidt’s vision of mobile devices being with us all the time every day, likely will translate into more usage of Google.


That may sound silly and not worth all the R&D an undertaking as huge as this will require, but don’t underestimate Google. This is a company who cares deeply about shaving fractions of a second off of each search query so that you can do more of them in your waking hours. Imagine if you suddenly had an hour or more a day in your car to do whatever you wanted because you no longer had to focus on driving? Yeah. Cha-ching.



Or imagine if your on-board maps where showing you Google ads. Or you were watching Google TV in your car since you didn’t have to drive. Or you were listening to Google Music with Google ads. It’s all the same. This automated driving technology would free you up to use more Google products — which in turn make them more money. Make no mistake, Google will enter your car in a big way. And automated driving would up their return in a big way.


And, of course, none of this speaks to what, if anything, Google would actually charge for such technology implementation. You would have to believe that if and when it’s available, this automated driving tech would be built-in to cars. Would car manufacturers pay Google for it and pass off some of the costs to customers? Or would this all be subsidized by the above ideas?


It’s way too early to get into that, I’m sure. And in 8 years, there will be things out there that we can’t even imagine right now. But it’s interesting to think about. The Google Car.


Now, don’t get me wrong, I have little doubt Google is being sincere in their broader hopes for such a technology. Here’s their key blurb on that:


According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We’re also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow.” These highway trains should cut energy consumption while also increasing the number of people that can be transported on our major roads. In terms of time efficiency, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that people spend on average 52 minutes each working day commuting. Imagine being able to spend that time more productively.


That first part is awesome. If we could halve the number of traffic deaths each year, it would be world-changing. And if energy consumption could be cut, it could re-shape economies and save our future. But again, don’t gloss over the last part. Freeing up those 52 minutes a day to be productive — that’s a lot of potential money for Google.


And that’s great too. If Google can spend the time and money working on such amazing technology they should be rewarded for it. There’s no rule that says you shouldn’t be able to make money by changing the world. And Google can’t be praised enough for trying.


More:



  • Google Has A Secret Fleet Of Automated Toyota Priuses; 140,000 Miles Logged So Far.

  • Google’s Self-Driving Car Spotted On The Highway Almost A Year Ago 



[images: Dreamworks and TriStar Entertainment]





President Obama and the Democrats are making a rather odd ploy for votes: Attacking the Chamber of Commerce and insinuating that it’s secretly funneling money to Republican campaigns.


The White House intensified its attacks Sunday on the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its alleged ties to foreign donors, part of an escalating Democratic effort to link Republican allies with corporate and overseas interests ahead of the November midterm elections. The chamber adamantly denies that foreign funds are used in its U.S. election efforts, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a speculative smear campaign during a desperate political year.


President Obama, speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, said “the American people deserve to know who is trying to sway their elections” and raised the possibility that foreigners could be funding his opponents. “You don’t know,” Obama said at the rally for Senate candidate Joe Sestak and other Democrats. “It could be the oil industry. It could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don’t know because they don’t have to disclose.”


The remarks are part of a volley of recent attacks by Obama and other Democrats on alleged foreign influence within the Republican caucus, whether through support for outsourcing jobs by major U.S. corporations or through overseas money making its way into the coffers of GOP-leaning interest groups.


The comments also come as Democrats attempt to cope with an onslaught of independent political advertising aimed at bolstering Republicans, much of it fueled by donations that do not have to be revealed to the public. The spending has added to a political environment in which Democrats are in danger of losing control of both the House and Senate.


David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that secret political donations to the chamber and other groups pose “a threat to our democracy.” Axelrod also took the unusual step of calling on the chamber to release internal documents backing up its contention that foreign money is not being used to pay for U.S. political activities. Democrats have seized on a report by a liberal blog alleging that dues from chamber-affiliated business councils could be used in that way. “If the chamber opens up its books and says, ‘Here’s where our political money’s coming from,’ then we’ll know,” Axelrod said. “But until they do that, all we have is their assertion.”


Of course, all we have the other way is the Democrats’ assertion.  And will Americans otherwise predisposed to vote Republican in November really change their mind on vague assertions that the Chamber is funneling foreign money into their campaigns?


Apparently, the impetus for all this is last week’s  reporting from Think Progress that I’d missed until now.  It’s rather convoluted — making its likely impact on next month’s voting even more unlikely — but, essentially, the argument goes like this:



  • The Chamber is the chief outside group buying ads for Republican candidates



  • These ads are paid for out of the Chamber’s general fund



  • The Chamber accepts foreign donations through its overseas Business Councils



  • Thus, foreign money is used for the ads



  • Additionally, a 527 called American Crossroads, which Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie are affiliated with, is coordinating spending with the Chamber.  And who knows where American Crossroads is getting the money?  Maybe it’s from foreigners!


For their part, both the Chamber and American Crossroads have denied that foreign money is going toward these ads, asserting that they have firewalls in place.  Absent strong evidence to the contrary, I’m inclined to believe them.    After all, money is fungible.  So, the Chamber doesn’t need to use foreign money to fund political advertising — which is presumably still illegal — when all they have to do is use the foreign money to finance legal activities and shift the domestic money that would have funded said activities over to advertising.    (Now, effectively, there is no difference!  Legally, though, it’s the difference between night and day.)


I suppose that, given the polling numbers, Obama and company have to try something.   Certainly, “We’re doing a great job and you should give us two more years” isn’t going to cut it.  But this is not only desperate but it’s the kind of inside baseball that will just irritate voters.    I guarantee you that if I’m just now getting wind of this week-old blog story, nobody at that rally in Philly had any idea what the hell Obama was talking about.





Dr. eric seiger

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


skin

and vein center


skin

and vein center


make money with the law of attraction by Shannon and Kim


Dr. eric seiger

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


eric seiger do

Google made a stunning revelation this morning: the existence of a secret self-driving car project. Even more amazing: it has been in testing for months, on actual roads across California, and things seem to be running smoothly. Fans of Total Recall, Minority Report, and Knight Rider are hyperventilating at the prospects. And while the technology is likely still a long way from being widely implemented (The New York Times piece on it suggests eight years), there is one big question: why?


Google’s answer seems to be a “betterment of society” one. “We’ve always been optimistic about technology’s ability to advance society, which is why we have pushed so hard to improve the capabilities of self-driving cars beyond where they are today,” Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, who spearheaded the project (and also runs Stanford’s AI Labs, and co-invented Street View), writes today.


That’s great. But Google is still a public company in the business of making money for its shareholders. So one can’t help but wonder what, if any, money-making prospects there are here?


The Google researchers said the company did not yet have a clear plan to create a business from the experiments,” according to the NYT. Further, they quote Thrun as saying that this project is an example of Google’s “willingness to gamble on technology that may not pay off for years.”


We know Google has a history of idealism — co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, in particular — but this project cannot come cheap. And the fact is that Google remains basically a one-trick-pony when it comes to making money. They are so reliant on search advertising revenues, that if something suddenly happened to the market, they’d be totally screwed. Android may prove to be their second trick, but it’s not there yet.


But there may be more to these automated cars than just an awesomely cool concept. At our TechCrunch Disrupt event a couple weeks ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a speech about “an augmented version of humanity.” He noted that the future is about getting computers to do the things we’re not good at. One of those things is driving cars, Schmidt slyly said at the time. “Your car should drive itself. It just makes sense,” he noted. “It’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.


If your car can drive itself, a lot of commuters would be freed up to do other things in the car — such as surf the web. One of Google’s stated goals for this project is to “free up people’s time”. That matched with Schmidt’s vision of mobile devices being with us all the time every day, likely will translate into more usage of Google.


That may sound silly and not worth all the R&D an undertaking as huge as this will require, but don’t underestimate Google. This is a company who cares deeply about shaving fractions of a second off of each search query so that you can do more of them in your waking hours. Imagine if you suddenly had an hour or more a day in your car to do whatever you wanted because you no longer had to focus on driving? Yeah. Cha-ching.



Or imagine if your on-board maps where showing you Google ads. Or you were watching Google TV in your car since you didn’t have to drive. Or you were listening to Google Music with Google ads. It’s all the same. This automated driving technology would free you up to use more Google products — which in turn make them more money. Make no mistake, Google will enter your car in a big way. And automated driving would up their return in a big way.


And, of course, none of this speaks to what, if anything, Google would actually charge for such technology implementation. You would have to believe that if and when it’s available, this automated driving tech would be built-in to cars. Would car manufacturers pay Google for it and pass off some of the costs to customers? Or would this all be subsidized by the above ideas?


It’s way too early to get into that, I’m sure. And in 8 years, there will be things out there that we can’t even imagine right now. But it’s interesting to think about. The Google Car.


Now, don’t get me wrong, I have little doubt Google is being sincere in their broader hopes for such a technology. Here’s their key blurb on that:


According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We’re also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow.” These highway trains should cut energy consumption while also increasing the number of people that can be transported on our major roads. In terms of time efficiency, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that people spend on average 52 minutes each working day commuting. Imagine being able to spend that time more productively.


That first part is awesome. If we could halve the number of traffic deaths each year, it would be world-changing. And if energy consumption could be cut, it could re-shape economies and save our future. But again, don’t gloss over the last part. Freeing up those 52 minutes a day to be productive — that’s a lot of potential money for Google.


And that’s great too. If Google can spend the time and money working on such amazing technology they should be rewarded for it. There’s no rule that says you shouldn’t be able to make money by changing the world. And Google can’t be praised enough for trying.


More:



  • Google Has A Secret Fleet Of Automated Toyota Priuses; 140,000 Miles Logged So Far.

  • Google’s Self-Driving Car Spotted On The Highway Almost A Year Ago 



[images: Dreamworks and TriStar Entertainment]





President Obama and the Democrats are making a rather odd ploy for votes: Attacking the Chamber of Commerce and insinuating that it’s secretly funneling money to Republican campaigns.


The White House intensified its attacks Sunday on the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its alleged ties to foreign donors, part of an escalating Democratic effort to link Republican allies with corporate and overseas interests ahead of the November midterm elections. The chamber adamantly denies that foreign funds are used in its U.S. election efforts, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a speculative smear campaign during a desperate political year.


President Obama, speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, said “the American people deserve to know who is trying to sway their elections” and raised the possibility that foreigners could be funding his opponents. “You don’t know,” Obama said at the rally for Senate candidate Joe Sestak and other Democrats. “It could be the oil industry. It could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don’t know because they don’t have to disclose.”


The remarks are part of a volley of recent attacks by Obama and other Democrats on alleged foreign influence within the Republican caucus, whether through support for outsourcing jobs by major U.S. corporations or through overseas money making its way into the coffers of GOP-leaning interest groups.


The comments also come as Democrats attempt to cope with an onslaught of independent political advertising aimed at bolstering Republicans, much of it fueled by donations that do not have to be revealed to the public. The spending has added to a political environment in which Democrats are in danger of losing control of both the House and Senate.


David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that secret political donations to the chamber and other groups pose “a threat to our democracy.” Axelrod also took the unusual step of calling on the chamber to release internal documents backing up its contention that foreign money is not being used to pay for U.S. political activities. Democrats have seized on a report by a liberal blog alleging that dues from chamber-affiliated business councils could be used in that way. “If the chamber opens up its books and says, ‘Here’s where our political money’s coming from,’ then we’ll know,” Axelrod said. “But until they do that, all we have is their assertion.”


Of course, all we have the other way is the Democrats’ assertion.  And will Americans otherwise predisposed to vote Republican in November really change their mind on vague assertions that the Chamber is funneling foreign money into their campaigns?


Apparently, the impetus for all this is last week’s  reporting from Think Progress that I’d missed until now.  It’s rather convoluted — making its likely impact on next month’s voting even more unlikely — but, essentially, the argument goes like this:



  • The Chamber is the chief outside group buying ads for Republican candidates



  • These ads are paid for out of the Chamber’s general fund



  • The Chamber accepts foreign donations through its overseas Business Councils



  • Thus, foreign money is used for the ads



  • Additionally, a 527 called American Crossroads, which Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie are affiliated with, is coordinating spending with the Chamber.  And who knows where American Crossroads is getting the money?  Maybe it’s from foreigners!


For their part, both the Chamber and American Crossroads have denied that foreign money is going toward these ads, asserting that they have firewalls in place.  Absent strong evidence to the contrary, I’m inclined to believe them.    After all, money is fungible.  So, the Chamber doesn’t need to use foreign money to fund political advertising — which is presumably still illegal — when all they have to do is use the foreign money to finance legal activities and shift the domestic money that would have funded said activities over to advertising.    (Now, effectively, there is no difference!  Legally, though, it’s the difference between night and day.)


I suppose that, given the polling numbers, Obama and company have to try something.   Certainly, “We’re doing a great job and you should give us two more years” isn’t going to cut it.  But this is not only desperate but it’s the kind of inside baseball that will just irritate voters.    I guarantee you that if I’m just now getting wind of this week-old blog story, nobody at that rally in Philly had any idea what the hell Obama was talking about.





eric seiger do

make money with the law of attraction by Shannon and Kim


eric seiger

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


skin

and vein center


make money with the law of attraction by Shannon and Kim


eric seiger dermatology

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


eric seiger dermatologist

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


eric seiger dermatologist

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


how to lose weight fast big seminar 14
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make money with the law of attraction by Shannon and Kim


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Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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big seminar 14

Insert cliché opening paragraph about the economy and nowadays people are turning to work online, blah, blah, blah. Oh, wait, you're actually reading? Sorry. Well, then, let me say this. Making money online is possible, but, just as everyone will tell you (except for the scammers), don't expect to "get rich" or "get rich quick". You have to put in time, effort, and most of all, work.

Things to Avoid
1. Anything that asks for payment.
Never, ever spend your time on these. You will be losing money and making someone else's wallet fat for them without them having to do anything but scam you. I once heard it phrased like this, you don't have to pay for a job interview, do you? It's the same concept here.

2. Paid-to-try/trial offers. Generally, these are a scam. Yes, they will probably look like a pretty profit, but many of them aren't free to try or charge you after a certain trial period and are very hard to get rid of. They cause frustration and money-loss and are NOT worth it.

3. Anything that doesn't tell you what you're doing upfront. This is kind of obvious. If it's shady, it's probably a scam.

4. "Get rich quick"s. You don't get rich quick any time in life unless you win the lottery or something like that. Work is work. Everyone has to earn their money and they don't get rich quick doing it.

Really, just use some common sense and you should be fine.

What I have learned is that a few places, while they don't make much money for me, are slow and steady and reliable. (Other than freelancing, that is. Freelancing is an entirely different set of ideas.)

BeRuby.com
BeRuby is a site that pays you very small amounts when you click on websites through their web-page. Many of the sites I go to every day are there, and many that I don't are also there. (Click on them anyway.) They also pay you for signing up at certain places and cash back for shopping at stores they have deals with, many of which are hotel sites and airline sites and big names, like K-Mart.

It has a $10.00 payout minimum and pays to PayPal. While I don't expect to make much here (I'm not), the extra couple bucks I gain from two minutes of effort and the time I spent on the computer every day is worth it to me. I don't have to change anything up or spend hours filling in stupid surveys.

See here.

Number two: Inbox Dollars
This site sends you emails, which you can open in your inbox or in your inbox on their site. They also offer a variety of ways to otherwise make money, including surveys, trials, signing up for things their advertisers send them, games, shopping, etc.

Their payout is $30.00, which seems like a lot for a paid-to-open site, but like I said, it doesn't happen overnight.

See here.

Number three: SendEarnings
They are, literally, identical to Inbox Dollars. They are even run by the same company. They have the same payout and send you the same emails and offers, so you can really get paid twice for opening the same email, which some might call scamming - except for the fact that they let you sign up under the same name and everything. Their pay-out is also $30.00.

See here.

Number four: Cash Crate
Similar to the above two, Cash Crate has a good reputation, a clean layout, and a $20.00 payout which is relatively easy to reach. They are a similar set-up to the above two: surveys, offers, etc. I personally like Cash Crate the best.

See here.

Number five: ChaCha!
If you don't know what ChaCha is, it is a service run through cellphones and call ins. People send questions to ChaCha and get answers from real-life people - who might be you. And you can also be paid to do this. It's a relatively complex process. You must go through training and pass a test to get hired, which takes a couple of days, but it's worth it if you can research and type quickly.

A note worth mentioning: they only work properly in FireFox.

See here.

It is possible to get paid through online work that isn't freelance writing or starting your own business. Once again, keep in mind to avoid scams, that it won't happen overnight, that you must work at it, and that it is possible.

Good luck.

Sources:
Personal Experience


big seminar 14

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


big seminar 14

Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Steam Borderlands buyers get DNF demo.

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Today&#39;s <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper

When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...


big seminar 14




















































Monday, October 11, 2010

Making Money on Line


About a week ago, we noted that Verizon was gearing up to launch its own app store for Android phones. This app store, called V CAST Apps, would be completely separate from Android’s existing Market for apps. In other words, it’s Verizon kicking their partner Google in the man region.


Of course, we all knew neither side would spin it that way. And sure enough, today we have Verizon’s take. During their Verizon Developer Community Conference earlier this afternoon, the company took the time to respond to the charges that they were taking over control of Android devices with maneuvers such as this. Jkontherun has a good overview of what was said, but Verizon itself was tweeting key parts. Here’s my favorite:


V CAST Apps is NOT out to take over the phone. It’s about choice, and about simplicy – carrier-billing — and quality — great apps.


Oh Jesus. Here we go again. It’s not about control or money — no, of course not. It’s about “choice”. Excuse me while I vomit in my mouth.


Does anyone really believe that Verizon really cares about choice here? What they care about is not  ”becoming a commodity connectivity provider,” as James Kendrick puts it. And that’s fair enough, there’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to be successful and maintain their success. But I’m sick of this spin that all of this is for the betterment of all. Verizon cares about making money just like every other company and that’s why they’re doing this.


But there are two main reasons I have a problem with all of this. First, Verizon has proven itself to be incapable of making a decent consumer experience. I’ll refer back to my experience with the Motorola RAZR which was delayed for many months so Verizon could load it up with their crap UI and V CAST junk. And now we’re seeing it with the Droid Verizon phones. They’re packed to the gills with garbage compliments of Verizon. There is no question that Google needs to improve the Android Market experience, but as the creators of Android, I have much more faith in them doing that than with Verizon circumventing it.


Second, here’s what really annoys me: believe it or not, I really like the idea of Android. I love the idea of an OS ecosystem that works across a range of carriers. In the U.S., Apple isn’t doing this, Android is. I like anything that gives the carriers less power. The problem is that Verizon is now using Android’s openness to ruin that approach.


Verizon is essentially making Verizon Android phones different from all other Android phones.  Say I buy an app through the V CAST app store then a year down the line I buy another Android device on Sprint. Guess what? It won’t work on the new device. This was supposed to be an open ecosystem — instead, it’s turning out to be very, very fragmented. We’re seeing now that a Verizon Android phone and a Sprint Android phone will soon only share a bit of branding in common. The harmonious ecosystem is being razed.


And all of this doesn’t seem to bode well for the prospects of a Verizon iPhone. Does anyone believe for a second that Apple is going to let Verizon open their own app store on the iPhone? Not a chance. They’ll be lucky if they get a V Cast content app pre-loaded on there — you can bet Apple doesn’t even want that. So why would Verizon want to have anything to do with a device that will turn them into the “commodity connectivity provider” when Google is giving them the keys to the castle?


And so, despite the best efforts of Apple and Google over the past few years, the carriers are now striking back. And it’s us, the consumers, who will lose as a result. How’s that for “choice”?


[image: Warner Bros.]



On Monday's premiere episode of CNN's Parker-Spitzer, pseudo-conservative Kathleen Parker targeted Sarah Palin, labeling her a "tease" for not announcing her candidacy for the presidency, and stated that the Republican is "also coy, which, after a little while, begins to feel dishonest." When co-host Eliot Spitzer accused Parker of being unfair to Palin, she replied, "I am not unfair to Sarah Palin."

The host devoted her first "Opening Argument" segment to the former vice presidential candidate. After her co-host called for the firing of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in his "Opening Argument," Parker replied, "Eliot, I want to talk about my favorite politician, Sarah Palin" and played a clip from a recent commercial made by Palin's political action committee. An on-screen graphic proclaimed, "Palin the Tease," and the new CNN host immediately launched into that theme:
PARKER: So, Sarah, are you running or aren't you? Of course, Palin won't say because the suspense benefits her. As long as her fans think she might run, they'll keep sending money to SarahPAC and they'll keep showing up for her rallies. I have to confess I never thought Sarah would grow the legs she has- no, guys, not those- the legs to keep building momentum. She has something that obviously appeals to lots of people. She has 'it'- big-time. But she's also maddening to many others, especially women. She flirts; she's a tease; and, of course, all politicians do that. Men do it. Democrats do it. That's how they raise money.
Parker continued with her Palin is "coy and dishonest" line and hinted that "I know of at least one person who won't run if it looks like Sarah has the wind at her back, and he should run." Spitzer responded by trying to pry the answer out of her. The columnist didn't answer, but explained that her unnamed Republican "should run because he can win a national election, and Sarah Palin, for all her good qualities, cannot. It may be that Palin is waiting for a thunderbolt or a voice from beyond to instruct her next move." She then returned to her "tease" label of the former governor:
PARKER: In the meantime, she's teaming with RNC Chairman Michael Steele to raise money. Come on, Sarah. Drop the tease and just tell the American people you're not running. As consolation, maybe and you Michael Steele can turn your road show into a moneymaking gig for real- a TV show perhaps. You could call it 'Steele Magnolia.'
Parker gave a Palin-esque wink as she made her "Steele Magnolia" line. Spitzer replied to all of this by accusing his co-host of being unfair to Palin. Parker ultimately denied this charge, but not without making a bit of a Freudian slip:
SPITZER: Clever name- we should have taken that. But you know what? I will not defend Sarah Palin on the substance of anything. But you're not being fair to her. Why are you judging her by a different standard than anybody else?

PARKER: Suddenly-

SPITZER: Barack Obama didn't announce-

PARKER: Suddenly, Eliot Spitzer is Sarah Palin's champion. I love this.

SPITZER: Well, you know why, because as Democrats, we want her to run, because we can beat her.

PARKER: You never told me this before. Suddenly, we're on TV and you're a big Palin fan?

SPITZER: No, no, no, no. Here's the thing. I want you to be as fair to her as you are to everybody else. Sarah Palin should not need to decide before other folks do. Barack Obama didn't decide until late in the game. Ronald Reagan didn't decide until late in the game. Everybody who has run successfully for the presidency was counted out at one point, and was told you have no chance.

PARKER: I am not fair- unfair to Sarah Palin. I actually like Sarah Palin, and others have been very unfair. So let me just state that for the record-

SPITZER: Right.

PARKER: But I do think she needs to get out of the way. She's not going to run for president- for the president, and yet, a lot of people kind of hope she does.

SPITZER: Why do you presume that? In other words, I don't think she knows yet. The critical thing is here is that, like most politicians, she hasn't figured it out.
You were right the first time, Ms. Parker, before you corrected yourself. Remember, Parker were the columnist who, just days after John McCain announced that Palin was going to be his running mate, compared the former Alaska governor to a character in the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' who falsely accused a black man of raping her.  Earlier in 2010, the columnist speculated whether Palin's son Trig would be hurt by his mother's thoughts of abortion during her pregnancy with him.

Near the end of the segment, Parker did go after Spitzer for his prediction that President Obama would win reelection in 2012, but only last Thursday, the columnist herself admitted that she didn't want the Democrat to fail.
SPITZER: I think that Barack Obama will be reelected, almost regardless of the Republican candidate. This is the debate for next year perhaps-

PARKER: Wow.

SPITZER: But here's the thing: Sarah Palin-

PARKER: You really did get hooked on that hope thing, didn't you?

SPITZER: You know, the hopey-changy thing- stuff is good.




eric seiger

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


eric seiger

About a week ago, we noted that Verizon was gearing up to launch its own app store for Android phones. This app store, called V CAST Apps, would be completely separate from Android’s existing Market for apps. In other words, it’s Verizon kicking their partner Google in the man region.


Of course, we all knew neither side would spin it that way. And sure enough, today we have Verizon’s take. During their Verizon Developer Community Conference earlier this afternoon, the company took the time to respond to the charges that they were taking over control of Android devices with maneuvers such as this. Jkontherun has a good overview of what was said, but Verizon itself was tweeting key parts. Here’s my favorite:


V CAST Apps is NOT out to take over the phone. It’s about choice, and about simplicy – carrier-billing — and quality — great apps.


Oh Jesus. Here we go again. It’s not about control or money — no, of course not. It’s about “choice”. Excuse me while I vomit in my mouth.


Does anyone really believe that Verizon really cares about choice here? What they care about is not  ”becoming a commodity connectivity provider,” as James Kendrick puts it. And that’s fair enough, there’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to be successful and maintain their success. But I’m sick of this spin that all of this is for the betterment of all. Verizon cares about making money just like every other company and that’s why they’re doing this.


But there are two main reasons I have a problem with all of this. First, Verizon has proven itself to be incapable of making a decent consumer experience. I’ll refer back to my experience with the Motorola RAZR which was delayed for many months so Verizon could load it up with their crap UI and V CAST junk. And now we’re seeing it with the Droid Verizon phones. They’re packed to the gills with garbage compliments of Verizon. There is no question that Google needs to improve the Android Market experience, but as the creators of Android, I have much more faith in them doing that than with Verizon circumventing it.


Second, here’s what really annoys me: believe it or not, I really like the idea of Android. I love the idea of an OS ecosystem that works across a range of carriers. In the U.S., Apple isn’t doing this, Android is. I like anything that gives the carriers less power. The problem is that Verizon is now using Android’s openness to ruin that approach.


Verizon is essentially making Verizon Android phones different from all other Android phones.  Say I buy an app through the V CAST app store then a year down the line I buy another Android device on Sprint. Guess what? It won’t work on the new device. This was supposed to be an open ecosystem — instead, it’s turning out to be very, very fragmented. We’re seeing now that a Verizon Android phone and a Sprint Android phone will soon only share a bit of branding in common. The harmonious ecosystem is being razed.


And all of this doesn’t seem to bode well for the prospects of a Verizon iPhone. Does anyone believe for a second that Apple is going to let Verizon open their own app store on the iPhone? Not a chance. They’ll be lucky if they get a V Cast content app pre-loaded on there — you can bet Apple doesn’t even want that. So why would Verizon want to have anything to do with a device that will turn them into the “commodity connectivity provider” when Google is giving them the keys to the castle?


And so, despite the best efforts of Apple and Google over the past few years, the carriers are now striking back. And it’s us, the consumers, who will lose as a result. How’s that for “choice”?


[image: Warner Bros.]



On Monday's premiere episode of CNN's Parker-Spitzer, pseudo-conservative Kathleen Parker targeted Sarah Palin, labeling her a "tease" for not announcing her candidacy for the presidency, and stated that the Republican is "also coy, which, after a little while, begins to feel dishonest." When co-host Eliot Spitzer accused Parker of being unfair to Palin, she replied, "I am not unfair to Sarah Palin."

The host devoted her first "Opening Argument" segment to the former vice presidential candidate. After her co-host called for the firing of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in his "Opening Argument," Parker replied, "Eliot, I want to talk about my favorite politician, Sarah Palin" and played a clip from a recent commercial made by Palin's political action committee. An on-screen graphic proclaimed, "Palin the Tease," and the new CNN host immediately launched into that theme:
PARKER: So, Sarah, are you running or aren't you? Of course, Palin won't say because the suspense benefits her. As long as her fans think she might run, they'll keep sending money to SarahPAC and they'll keep showing up for her rallies. I have to confess I never thought Sarah would grow the legs she has- no, guys, not those- the legs to keep building momentum. She has something that obviously appeals to lots of people. She has 'it'- big-time. But she's also maddening to many others, especially women. She flirts; she's a tease; and, of course, all politicians do that. Men do it. Democrats do it. That's how they raise money.
Parker continued with her Palin is "coy and dishonest" line and hinted that "I know of at least one person who won't run if it looks like Sarah has the wind at her back, and he should run." Spitzer responded by trying to pry the answer out of her. The columnist didn't answer, but explained that her unnamed Republican "should run because he can win a national election, and Sarah Palin, for all her good qualities, cannot. It may be that Palin is waiting for a thunderbolt or a voice from beyond to instruct her next move." She then returned to her "tease" label of the former governor:
PARKER: In the meantime, she's teaming with RNC Chairman Michael Steele to raise money. Come on, Sarah. Drop the tease and just tell the American people you're not running. As consolation, maybe and you Michael Steele can turn your road show into a moneymaking gig for real- a TV show perhaps. You could call it 'Steele Magnolia.'
Parker gave a Palin-esque wink as she made her "Steele Magnolia" line. Spitzer replied to all of this by accusing his co-host of being unfair to Palin. Parker ultimately denied this charge, but not without making a bit of a Freudian slip:
SPITZER: Clever name- we should have taken that. But you know what? I will not defend Sarah Palin on the substance of anything. But you're not being fair to her. Why are you judging her by a different standard than anybody else?

PARKER: Suddenly-

SPITZER: Barack Obama didn't announce-

PARKER: Suddenly, Eliot Spitzer is Sarah Palin's champion. I love this.

SPITZER: Well, you know why, because as Democrats, we want her to run, because we can beat her.

PARKER: You never told me this before. Suddenly, we're on TV and you're a big Palin fan?

SPITZER: No, no, no, no. Here's the thing. I want you to be as fair to her as you are to everybody else. Sarah Palin should not need to decide before other folks do. Barack Obama didn't decide until late in the game. Ronald Reagan didn't decide until late in the game. Everybody who has run successfully for the presidency was counted out at one point, and was told you have no chance.

PARKER: I am not fair- unfair to Sarah Palin. I actually like Sarah Palin, and others have been very unfair. So let me just state that for the record-

SPITZER: Right.

PARKER: But I do think she needs to get out of the way. She's not going to run for president- for the president, and yet, a lot of people kind of hope she does.

SPITZER: Why do you presume that? In other words, I don't think she knows yet. The critical thing is here is that, like most politicians, she hasn't figured it out.
You were right the first time, Ms. Parker, before you corrected yourself. Remember, Parker were the columnist who, just days after John McCain announced that Palin was going to be his running mate, compared the former Alaska governor to a character in the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' who falsely accused a black man of raping her.  Earlier in 2010, the columnist speculated whether Palin's son Trig would be hurt by his mother's thoughts of abortion during her pregnancy with him.

Near the end of the segment, Parker did go after Spitzer for his prediction that President Obama would win reelection in 2012, but only last Thursday, the columnist herself admitted that she didn't want the Democrat to fail.
SPITZER: I think that Barack Obama will be reelected, almost regardless of the Republican candidate. This is the debate for next year perhaps-

PARKER: Wow.

SPITZER: But here's the thing: Sarah Palin-

PARKER: You really did get hooked on that hope thing, didn't you?

SPITZER: You know, the hopey-changy thing- stuff is good.




eric seiger

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


eric seiger

eric seiger

i won't say it by illona


eric seiger

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


eric seiger

About a week ago, we noted that Verizon was gearing up to launch its own app store for Android phones. This app store, called V CAST Apps, would be completely separate from Android’s existing Market for apps. In other words, it’s Verizon kicking their partner Google in the man region.


Of course, we all knew neither side would spin it that way. And sure enough, today we have Verizon’s take. During their Verizon Developer Community Conference earlier this afternoon, the company took the time to respond to the charges that they were taking over control of Android devices with maneuvers such as this. Jkontherun has a good overview of what was said, but Verizon itself was tweeting key parts. Here’s my favorite:


V CAST Apps is NOT out to take over the phone. It’s about choice, and about simplicy – carrier-billing — and quality — great apps.


Oh Jesus. Here we go again. It’s not about control or money — no, of course not. It’s about “choice”. Excuse me while I vomit in my mouth.


Does anyone really believe that Verizon really cares about choice here? What they care about is not  ”becoming a commodity connectivity provider,” as James Kendrick puts it. And that’s fair enough, there’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to be successful and maintain their success. But I’m sick of this spin that all of this is for the betterment of all. Verizon cares about making money just like every other company and that’s why they’re doing this.


But there are two main reasons I have a problem with all of this. First, Verizon has proven itself to be incapable of making a decent consumer experience. I’ll refer back to my experience with the Motorola RAZR which was delayed for many months so Verizon could load it up with their crap UI and V CAST junk. And now we’re seeing it with the Droid Verizon phones. They’re packed to the gills with garbage compliments of Verizon. There is no question that Google needs to improve the Android Market experience, but as the creators of Android, I have much more faith in them doing that than with Verizon circumventing it.


Second, here’s what really annoys me: believe it or not, I really like the idea of Android. I love the idea of an OS ecosystem that works across a range of carriers. In the U.S., Apple isn’t doing this, Android is. I like anything that gives the carriers less power. The problem is that Verizon is now using Android’s openness to ruin that approach.


Verizon is essentially making Verizon Android phones different from all other Android phones.  Say I buy an app through the V CAST app store then a year down the line I buy another Android device on Sprint. Guess what? It won’t work on the new device. This was supposed to be an open ecosystem — instead, it’s turning out to be very, very fragmented. We’re seeing now that a Verizon Android phone and a Sprint Android phone will soon only share a bit of branding in common. The harmonious ecosystem is being razed.


And all of this doesn’t seem to bode well for the prospects of a Verizon iPhone. Does anyone believe for a second that Apple is going to let Verizon open their own app store on the iPhone? Not a chance. They’ll be lucky if they get a V Cast content app pre-loaded on there — you can bet Apple doesn’t even want that. So why would Verizon want to have anything to do with a device that will turn them into the “commodity connectivity provider” when Google is giving them the keys to the castle?


And so, despite the best efforts of Apple and Google over the past few years, the carriers are now striking back. And it’s us, the consumers, who will lose as a result. How’s that for “choice”?


[image: Warner Bros.]



On Monday's premiere episode of CNN's Parker-Spitzer, pseudo-conservative Kathleen Parker targeted Sarah Palin, labeling her a "tease" for not announcing her candidacy for the presidency, and stated that the Republican is "also coy, which, after a little while, begins to feel dishonest." When co-host Eliot Spitzer accused Parker of being unfair to Palin, she replied, "I am not unfair to Sarah Palin."

The host devoted her first "Opening Argument" segment to the former vice presidential candidate. After her co-host called for the firing of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in his "Opening Argument," Parker replied, "Eliot, I want to talk about my favorite politician, Sarah Palin" and played a clip from a recent commercial made by Palin's political action committee. An on-screen graphic proclaimed, "Palin the Tease," and the new CNN host immediately launched into that theme:
PARKER: So, Sarah, are you running or aren't you? Of course, Palin won't say because the suspense benefits her. As long as her fans think she might run, they'll keep sending money to SarahPAC and they'll keep showing up for her rallies. I have to confess I never thought Sarah would grow the legs she has- no, guys, not those- the legs to keep building momentum. She has something that obviously appeals to lots of people. She has 'it'- big-time. But she's also maddening to many others, especially women. She flirts; she's a tease; and, of course, all politicians do that. Men do it. Democrats do it. That's how they raise money.
Parker continued with her Palin is "coy and dishonest" line and hinted that "I know of at least one person who won't run if it looks like Sarah has the wind at her back, and he should run." Spitzer responded by trying to pry the answer out of her. The columnist didn't answer, but explained that her unnamed Republican "should run because he can win a national election, and Sarah Palin, for all her good qualities, cannot. It may be that Palin is waiting for a thunderbolt or a voice from beyond to instruct her next move." She then returned to her "tease" label of the former governor:
PARKER: In the meantime, she's teaming with RNC Chairman Michael Steele to raise money. Come on, Sarah. Drop the tease and just tell the American people you're not running. As consolation, maybe and you Michael Steele can turn your road show into a moneymaking gig for real- a TV show perhaps. You could call it 'Steele Magnolia.'
Parker gave a Palin-esque wink as she made her "Steele Magnolia" line. Spitzer replied to all of this by accusing his co-host of being unfair to Palin. Parker ultimately denied this charge, but not without making a bit of a Freudian slip:
SPITZER: Clever name- we should have taken that. But you know what? I will not defend Sarah Palin on the substance of anything. But you're not being fair to her. Why are you judging her by a different standard than anybody else?

PARKER: Suddenly-

SPITZER: Barack Obama didn't announce-

PARKER: Suddenly, Eliot Spitzer is Sarah Palin's champion. I love this.

SPITZER: Well, you know why, because as Democrats, we want her to run, because we can beat her.

PARKER: You never told me this before. Suddenly, we're on TV and you're a big Palin fan?

SPITZER: No, no, no, no. Here's the thing. I want you to be as fair to her as you are to everybody else. Sarah Palin should not need to decide before other folks do. Barack Obama didn't decide until late in the game. Ronald Reagan didn't decide until late in the game. Everybody who has run successfully for the presidency was counted out at one point, and was told you have no chance.

PARKER: I am not fair- unfair to Sarah Palin. I actually like Sarah Palin, and others have been very unfair. So let me just state that for the record-

SPITZER: Right.

PARKER: But I do think she needs to get out of the way. She's not going to run for president- for the president, and yet, a lot of people kind of hope she does.

SPITZER: Why do you presume that? In other words, I don't think she knows yet. The critical thing is here is that, like most politicians, she hasn't figured it out.
You were right the first time, Ms. Parker, before you corrected yourself. Remember, Parker were the columnist who, just days after John McCain announced that Palin was going to be his running mate, compared the former Alaska governor to a character in the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' who falsely accused a black man of raping her.  Earlier in 2010, the columnist speculated whether Palin's son Trig would be hurt by his mother's thoughts of abortion during her pregnancy with him.

Near the end of the segment, Parker did go after Spitzer for his prediction that President Obama would win reelection in 2012, but only last Thursday, the columnist herself admitted that she didn't want the Democrat to fail.
SPITZER: I think that Barack Obama will be reelected, almost regardless of the Republican candidate. This is the debate for next year perhaps-

PARKER: Wow.

SPITZER: But here's the thing: Sarah Palin-

PARKER: You really did get hooked on that hope thing, didn't you?

SPITZER: You know, the hopey-changy thing- stuff is good.




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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


eric seiger

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


eric seiger

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


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I have been a stay at home mom for almost 6 years now. In those 6 years I have found many ways to make money on-line. Associated Content is one of my more recent finds. I thoroughly enjoy writing and I feel like I help others by getting information on this site for others to read.

I have had many people ask me about on-line surveys and if you can really make money doing them. The answer to this question is yes! However, the sites you see where they make claims of paying you $50-$100 per survey and how you can make thousands of money if you just pay a small fee to join the site, are not all they are cracked up to be.

I have not personally joined one of the pay to do survey sites, but I do know people that have joined up with these sites. They are a scam for lack of a better word. people have said to me never pay anything to make money. I agree with that statement to an extent, however, there are times when you do have to pay money. Surveys are the exception though. In the past 6 years I belong to at least 10 different survey sites. I am more active on some sites than others, but I can tell you one thing for sure. I never paid to join any of these survey sites. I have made money with several survey sites. Some survey sites will pay more than others. It all depends on the site. I have gathered a list of my favorite survey sites to share with you all.

Pinecone Research
This survey site is definitely my favorite. I have received a check in the mail for $5 after each survey that I have completed. Sure, I have to g to the bank and deposit the check, but it is $5 for every survey that I have completed. I have only been taking surveys with Pinecone Research for a short time, but I have had no trouble taking any surveys or receiving payment for any of the surveys that I have taken. The one negative to Pinecone Research is how difficult it is to sign up with this site. it is like that for a reason though, they do not sign up every one. They want very specific types of people to joint heir panel, this way they will have a good cross section of the population when it comes to the needs of their clients. I joined Pinecone Research through a referral e-mail that a friend of mine sent me. They were looking for specific types of people to join, and I fit that bill. Many people have been lucky enough to find banner ads for Pinecone Research and have joined that way. All I can tell you, is if you receive a referral e-mail or you find one of these banner ads, join and join fast!

Lightspeed Panel
Lightspeed Panel is the survey site that I have been a member with for the longest amount of time. There are a few differences in Pinecone Research and the Lightspeed Panel. To my knowledge anyone can go and sign up with the Lightspeed Panel at any time. I do not know of anyone that has not been accepted to join. However, I get many surveys that I do not qualify to complete. This mean that I do not get credit for taking that survey even though I had to spend 1-10 minutes answering the first few questions to discover that I did not qualify. When I do qualify and complete a survey, I do not get paid by a check in the mail. I receive points into my Lightspeed Panel points account. These points can be converted into merchandise or gift certificates. I have cashed in my points a few times and gotten some very nice items. At the moment I am saving up my points to use during the holidays. The only negative that I find with the Lightspeed Panel is that they award no points unless you fully qualify for and complete a survey. I still spend time attempting to qualify for the survey, and I feel like there should be a small point amount awarded for at least attempting to complete the survey. All in all, the Lightspeed Panel is a great survey site! You can sign up at www.lightspeedpanel.com. Making money on this site is easy but it can take time to add up depending on how many surveys you are actually able to complete. This varies on the type of surveys available and each individual person will have their own result to how many surveys they qualify for.

My Survey
My Survey is part of National Family Opinion hat was first established in 1946. Their on-line surveys are a dream in my opinion. Next to Pinecone Research this is my other favorite survey site. Similar to Lightspeed Panel, My Survey pays you for your time taking surveys in points. I joined My Survey not long after I joined Lightspeed Panel. There are a few things about My Survey that make it great. If you sign in to the site and attempt to take a survey you are compensated whether you qualify for the survey or not. If you do not qualify to complete the survey, then you will only receive a small amount of points, usually 5 or 10 points. If you do qualify to complete the survey, then you receive the initial 5 or 10 points plus an additional larger point value that is determined by NFO. I love the fact that they award you the small amount of points even if you do not qualify for the complete survey. This makes me feel valued by NFO and My Survey as a panel member. My Surveys points also go into a special account balance for their site. These points also ass up to merchandise and gift certificates. You can also request a check to be sent to you once you reach a certain point level. i have also cashed out with this site several times. I have always received merchandise and it has always been good quality, just as with Lightspeed Panel. The other wonderful thing about My Survey, is you receive points for referring people to join this survey panel, 150 points per referral. This adds up very quickly. It is a great way to bump up your point balance! You can join the NFO My Survey Panel at www.mysurvey.com.

Bzz Agent
This is a much newer survey site. I have not figured out all of the logistics of how this site works, however, I have already been given two different campaigns to work on. They have actually sent me products to try and coupons to pass on to my friends for these products. It seems to be an interesting concept. You get the product, try it out, and report back on the Bzz agent site with what you think and if you pass along coupons or other info to friends and family members. According to the information that I have received the more you do, the more you make. I have not yet discovered how I will be paid. This is a very new company and I am working on some of their first projects. However, even if I do not get paid any money from Bzz Agent, I have received free products! I have not received a small trial sample either. I have received enough of these products to use them over and over and really form an opinion of them. Free stuff is wonderful to me as well. It is almost just as good as money in the bank. Free to join at www.bzzagent.com.

These are only four sites out of the many that I belong. These are the sites where I am most active, because they seem to be the best fit for me. When it comes to making money doing on-line surveys it can be done, but you have to realize it is not a job, it is a way to make a little bit of extra money. For the points sites 1000 points equals about $10 give or take a bit. Many surveys will 'pay' you 75-100 points. This is not huge amounts of money, but every survey adds up. It does take time and you have to keep at it to make money. It is worth the time and effort to do the on-line surveys. You will make money, but you won't get rich quick!

If you come across a survey site my advice to you is simple. Do not join immediately. Do some research. A quick search on Google or any other search engine will tell you if they are legitimate or not. Read the information on the survey site. Find out how they will compensate you for your time doing surveys. Do not pay any money to join a survey site. All of the legitimate surveys companies are free to join.

So if you are looking for a way to make a bit of extra pocket money, or if you are wanting to save up slowly for something special, surveys could be the direction for you! Just take your time and be patient it will pay off!


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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


big seminar 14

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 10/11/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Fox <b>News</b> - Fox Business | New Ad | Two Networks - Solve | Mediaite

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel. Now there's a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, ...

October 10th: Astronomy in the <b>News</b>

(http://www.geodesium.com) Description: Carolyn Collins Petersen, TheSpacewriter, looks at recent astro-news. Bio: Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer and show producer, as well as vice-president of Loch Ness Productions, ...


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