Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Digg profile of Jason Deans
Until recently, the digg profile for Jason Deans has been absent from many of the top search results. Recent efforts which have included linking and regular posting have increased the visibility of this popular social linking site. In the past three years several sites have been launched by Jason to increase the profile of accurate information.
Digg is a great way to share and discover interesting material on the web. The more you promote interesting material, the more likely you are presented with a recommended story that interest you. Great concept.
The Enterprise of One: How New Entrepreneurs Are Taking Advantage of the Great Reset
Amplify’d from techcrunch.com
While the economic climate in the United States remains uncertain, economists and pundits alike continue to define our recent fiscal crisis with words like recession, downturn and depression. But labeling America’s current financial woes should not be the focus for Americans as the overall economy struggles to free itself from its malaise. What really matters is how the current circumstances affect you and what they mean to your future.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/h8xvQy
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Effectiveness of airport body scanners eyed
Amplify’d from www.newsday.com
Effectiveness of airport body scanners eyed
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/ify9zi
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Perdue Wants NC Lawmakers To Boost Incentives
Amplify’d from www.digtriad.com
Perdue Wants NC Lawmakers To Boost Incentives
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hnJ5yQ
New iPad boost. Apple continues mastery of upgrade driven demand.
Amplify’d from www.appleinsider.com
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gkPW5F
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
How the Tax Cut Package Will Affect You in 2011
Amplify’d from lifehacker.com
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eO8lF8
McHenry takes chair of subcommittee overseeing bank bailouts
Amplify’d from projects.newsobserver.com
McHenry takes chair of subcommittee overseeing bank bailouts
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry will take over as chairman of the congressional oversight subcommittee overseeing bank bailouts, a role in which he pledges to probe the Obama administration.
McHenry, a Cherryville Republican, will become chairman of the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs. It will be part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“Over the past three years, our government has committed trillions of taxpayer dollars to bail out private institutions without proper oversight. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at the core of this economic crisis, yet continue to have access to the taxpayers’ pocketbook,” said McHenry in a statement.
“This administration has taken unprecedented action in the financial and capital markets – now it’s time we hold them accountable. I look forward to leading this committee’s charge to bring transparency, openness, and solutions for the challenges facing our financial system.”
The incoming committee chairman, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of California, said McHenry will lead the committee’s relationship with the financial industry and make sure that government and private enterprises are held accountable with taxpayer dollars.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hLw6Uc
5 Predictions for Small Business in 2011
Amplify’d from mashable.com
5 Predictions for Small Business in 2011
ver the course of 2010, Mashable has offered quite a few small business resources, ranging from tips on social media and marketing to resources for web design and development.
As this year wraps up, we’d like to look back at the technological advancements that small businesses have benefited from and predict how those technologies will affect entrepreneurs in 2011.
Here are my five predictions about how small businesses will continue to adapt to changing technologies as we move into the new year.
Read on and let us know what you’d add to the list in the comments
Over the course of 2010, Mashable has offered quite a few small business resources, ranging from tips on social media and marketing to resources for web design and development.
As this year wraps up, we’d like to look back at the technological advancements that small businesses have benefited from and predict how those technologies will affect entrepreneurs in 2011.
Here are my five predictions about how small businesses will continue to adapt to changing technologies as we move into the new year.
Read on and let us know what you’d add to the list in the comments below.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eKUls0
Monday, December 20, 2010
Brown to lead NC Senate commerce
Amplify’d from projects.newsobserver.com
Brown to lead Senate commerce
Likely Senate leader Phil Berger continued his early roll-out of committee announcements, naming Sen. Harry Brown chairman of the chamber's Commerce Committee.
Brown, an auto dealer from Jacksonville, is also majority leader.
Committee announcements usually come the long session starts, but Republicans have made it clear that they don't intend to chew up time in the early weeks with a lot of administrative formalities.
“Sen. Brown has just the right combination of on-the-ground experience as a business owner and perspective as a veteran lawmaker to bring fresh eyes to the Commerce chairmanship," Berger said in a statement. "His commitment to improving North Carolina’s business climate makes him the ideal choice for this post.”
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Sunday, December 19, 2010
Japanese multiplication method. Try it.
Amplify’d from gizmodo.com
When I first saw this Japanese multiplication method, I just couldn't believe it. Then I tried it and it works perfectly, but still can't understand how it works—or how anyone found this method.
You just need to follow the instructions in the video, and you will be able to multiply any number by any number by just counting the dots in the grid.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fy3Ukh
Continuing N.C. Employment Woes Should Prompt Change on Corporate Welfare
Amplify’d from lincolntribune.com
Continuing N.C. Employment Woes Should Prompt Change on Corporate Welfare
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s ongoing struggle with sluggish employment growth provides more evidence that it’s time for the state to change course on economic policy. That’s the advice the John Locke Foundation‘s top budget expert offers after North Carolina registered the largest job loss of any state in November.
As Perdue and the new Republican-led General Assembly look for ways to fill a multibillion-dollar state budget hole, one place to start is abolishing corporate welfare, Coletti said. “As the John Locke Foundation explains in its recommendations for the new General Assembly’s First 100 Days, the focus of state policy should be on economic growth, not government-dictated economic development,” he said. “That means cutting taxes and reducing regulations for all businesses, not subsidizing a privileged few.”
The failure of policies based on corporate welfare should be clear by now, Coletti said. “First, we heard that these special handouts were designed to lure high-paying jobs to North Carolina,” he explained. “Then the corporate welfare targeted jobs — any jobs — regardless of the pay. Then the handouts targeted existing companies that were thinking about creating new jobs. Next, the General Assembly paid off companies to preserve operations in North Carolina even if those companies planned to cut jobs.”
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/i0WDKN
Who else got "Vick'ed" in fantasy football playoffs? He ended my hopes in one league and kept me alive in another... #michaelvick #fantasyfootball http://bit.ly/egAThe
Facebook App
Still no iPad app!
Amplify’d from www.jasondeans.org
Facebook App for iOS Gets Updated With Useful Enhancements
There are no completely new features on board, but welcome improvements include numerous bug fixes and a couple of UI enhancements.
Experiencing crashes of the Facebook app on an iPhone or iPod touch? Facebook’s included a remedy for that and a few other things, as well:
- Improved reliability in chat and messages
- Improved notifications UI
- Fixed memory usage
- Fixed some crashes
- Walls you cannot post on no longer show the text field at the top
- Restore ability to post as a page that you admin
- Fixed group photos
- Various Places improvements
Remarkably, there are 55,060,129 active users of this popular app. Given its extraordinary uptake, we’re just wondering when Facebook will see fit to follow that with an iPad version.
In the unlikely event you haven’t checked out this app, grab it here, or take a look at the App Store on your iPhone — it’s probably already begging you to update it by now.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/iaPNwK
Friday, December 17, 2010
Amazon Can't Dent iTunes
Not sure Amazon will ever compete with iTunes without a serious strategic change. I use Amazon for a lot but never consider them for music. Too easy to buy on iTunes.
Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com
Amazon Can't Dent iTunes
On the day Apple Inc. rolled out the Beatles' catalog on its iTunes Store, Amazon.com Inc. fired back with a digital exclusive of its own: The latest album from rap-rocker Kid Rock—whose music still isn't available on iTunes—for just $3.99.
Such steep discounts are a cornerstone of Amazon's strategy to gain traction in a market in which iTunes remains the dominant player. At the same time, a debate has arisen among music labels about whether such discounts risk undermining the value of their products.
Despite its cut-throat pricing, Amazon has made little headway against Apple, which closely ties its iTunes software to its iPods and other gadgets. Amazon heavily markets its Kindle e-reader with TV commercials, but its MP3 store has a lower profile—the company markets it, largely, through emails to customers and a Twitter account where it highlights deals.
Amazon's share of the paid digital-download market rose to 13.3% in the third quarter, from 11% the year earlier, according to estimates from research firm NPD Group. Meanwhile, iTunes' share rose to 66.2%, from 63.2%.
Distribution executives at record labels say the disparity between the two may be even steeper, with Amazon commanding just 6% to 10% of the market in any given week, and Apple closer to 90%.
But Amazon's discounts can be effective. In the case of the Kid Rock album, "Born Free," digital downloads made up 12% of the 189,000 copies the album sold during its first week—even though the album wasn't available on iTunes.
Amazon, which has been selling music CDs for 15 years, began selling digital music in 2007—four years after Apple. Initially, Amazon sought to compete with iTunes by selling songs without copy protections, and by charging 89 cents for many single songs at a time that Apple charged 99 cents.
Eventually iTunes took away copy restrictions and now offers songs at three prices: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29. Amazon's price on most single songs has settled at 99 cents.
Today, Amazon competes with iTunes by aggressively discounting whole albums. Every day, the site features a "daily deal" album often sold for $3.99.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fgdyJi
Untitled
Amplify’d from lifehacker.com
If you're looking at making a personal landing page for yourself, the seriously popular About.me personal portal opened up to the public this week, making creating a personal web site easier than ever.
You guys are already huge fans of sites like previously mentioned Flavors.me, and About.me is a similar alternative. It doesn't have quite as many options as Flavors.me, but it sure is pretty, and dead simple to use. You just pop in a bio, links to your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites, and get going. It also provides a ton of analytics so you can see the kind of traffic your portal is getting, which is handy when you're trying to measure the effectiveness of making it available.
The service has been in closed beta for awhile, so you may have heard about it before—but as of today, it's open to the public, so if you're still waiting to create that landing page of yours, now is the perfect time to get started. Hit the link to check it out.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gBeSyC
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Untitled
Amplify’d from lifehacker.com via Google Reader
iPhone: If you already know the extension you're going to dial, it can get really annoying to speed dial a number and then have to wait to enter an extension. Fortunately you can easily solve this problem with a comma. More »
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hMiZzB
The skinny on Bing's new panorama maker (video)
Amplify’d from news.cnet.com
The skinny on Bing's new panorama maker (video)
Microsoft unloaded a dump truck's worth of changes on its Bing service earlier today, and one of the real gems to come out of the lot are the updates to Bing mobile.
New to the company's
iPhone app--and soon other mobile iterations of Bing--are two very visually impressive, and downright useful additions: a Streetside viewer for local maps, and something called Bing Vision, which adds a way for users to pick out specific words from photos to create a customized Web search.
But missing from the update, and headed to the app in a future release, is the real bit of eye candy: panoramas. If you've ever used Occipital's 360 Panorama app, the idea Microsoft has put into place is pretty similar. You move your phone around and it captures multiple images together into one panorama you can come back and view later.
In Microsoft's own words, it's crowd-sourcing that data, and is in the process of giving anyone with a smartphone a way to get involved. Users can either save a panorama and store it away, or they can upload it for others to see. The options for sharing will include both social networks and Bing Maps at large. This, along with a partnership with Everyscape will give both businesses and individuals the means to add interior or exterior imagery to the service.
Though unlike Occipital's app, Bing users will have to manually snap shots in order to have them get stitched together by the software. This necessity ends up giving users a little bit more control when waiting for someone to walk in or out of the frame. Another big difference from competitors is what Microsoft intends to do with the imagery once users have captured it.
CNET got a few minutes following today's announcements to chat with Blaise Aguera y Arcas, Microsoft's Architect of Bing Maps and Bing Mobile, who gave us a demo of the new features. In the video below we get a brief look at the new panorama maker, as well as Streetside view and Bing Vision--both of which came as part of today's version 2.0 software update. The panorama maker itself was not a part of that update.
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'Billionaires On the Warpath'?
Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com
'Billionaires On the Warpath'?
The GOP needs to address the class-warfare argument in moral terms.
Say what you will about Bernie Sanders. During his Senate "filibuster" on Friday, the gentleman from Vermont asked a good question: When is enough enough?
The object of Mr. Sanders's ire was the deal between the White House and Republicans that will keep the Bush tax cuts in place. "The billionaires of America are on the warpath," was his explanation. "They want more and more and more."
In his nearly nine-hour remarks, excerpts of which are now going viral on the Internet, he framed the lack of a tax hike for the rich as a surrender to greed. In so doing, he inadvertently raised another question: How come Republicans have such a hard time speaking just as forthrightly about the moral underpinnings of their side of this argument?
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
How to Avoid Year-End Time-Wasting
Amplify’d from www.entrepreneur.com
It's become a seasonal tradition, and it starts with "Cyber Monday:" employees logging on and ordering holiday presents when they should be working.
Expecting your workers to be productive over the next couple of weeks is a tall order. Unless you're in retail, December tends to be a slow month, with workers counting down the days till vacation. As offices empty out, even owners find themselves browsing Amazon wish lists rather than year-end paperwork.
But the last few weeks of the year don't have to be a total loss. Here are five suggestions for making the most of the quiet time:
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eiSOdC
Monday, December 13, 2010
Google Latitude app surfaces for iOS
Amplify’d from www.macworld.com
Google Latitude app surfaces for iOS
With Google’s official Voice app making an appearance in the App Store after a long year of deliberation, it was only a matter of time before another controversial Google application—an iOS client for its location-based Latitude social network—arrived as well.
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Healthcare reform update
Amplify’d from alankatz.wordpress.com
A federal district judge in Virginia found the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional today.
The ruling by Judge Henry Hudson makes the count at the district court level 2-to-1 in favor of the new health care reform law’s constitutionality. Another Judge in Virginia and one in Michigan ruled in favor of the legislation’s requirement that individuals obtain health coverage beginning in 2014. There are nearly two dozen legal challenges to the PPACA and no doubt others will go against the law as well, while others side with the Obama Administration.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Untitled
Amplify’d from www.wral.com via Google Reader
Charter school advocates say 2011 could be a watershed year in North Carolina after the limit on the number of these independent schools in the state went unchanged for more than a decade.
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Beyond GDP
http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displaystory.cfm?story_id=17079148&fsrc=rss
Beyond GDP
A new global comparison of standards of living
MANY people complain that conventional measures of GDP fail to capture a country’s true standard of living. But their attempts to improve on these conventional metrics are ad hoc. In a new paper* Charles Jones and Peter Klenow of Stanford University propose a new measure of standards of living based on a simple thought experiment: if you were reborn as a random member of another country, how much could you expect to consume, in goods and leisure, over the course of your life? America, for example, has a higher GDP per person than France. But Americans also tend to work longer hours and live shorter lives. They also belong to a less equal society. If you assume that people do not know what position in society they will occupy, and that they dislike being poor more than they like being rich, they should prefer more egalitarian societies, everything else equal. For these reasons, the authors calculate that France and America have about the same standard of living.
More Daily charts ...
- via Feeddler RSS Reader
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Great for sharing content
Amplify’d from lifehacker.com
Read more about Amplify at the link below or sign up for a free account to take it for a test drive.
After signing up for a free account at Amplify, linking your social networking and other profiles—Amplify supports autoposting to Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, Posterous, Tumblr, Wordpress, Blogger, Ping.fm, Friendfeed, Delicious, and more—and adding either their bookmarklet or their Chrome/Firefox extension, you're ready to easily share links, media, and microblog posts across your entire social network. Updates can go out immediately or on a set schedule. Everything you "amplify" using the service goes on your personal Amplog.
The best way to describe Amplify is as a meta-dashboard for all your information sharing needs. If you feel like your attention and your ability to share has been fragmented by too many social networks or communication channels Amplify gives you the ability to streamline everything into one command center.
Firefox/Chrome/Web-Based: Amplify is a clipping service on steroids; it combines blogging, micro blogging, web clipping, and link sharing into a streamline server that makes it easier than ever to share information with as many of your friends and followers as possible.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/g1JlSI
Exports Rebound, Boosting Economy
Few items on the list surprised me.
Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com
BY SUDEEP REDDY AND JUSTIN LAHART
Surging global demand for American soybeans, cars, diesel engines and even artwork and antiques has pushed U.S. exports to a level not seen since before the financial crisis, boosting prospects for domestic economic growth.
A 3.2% surge in exports in October, together with a 0.5% drop in imports, sent the U.S. trade deficit to a nine-month low of $38.7 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. The export gains were broad-based, reflecting stronger sales abroad in industrial materials, food, autos and a host of other categories.
Exports during the month hit their highest level since August 2008, the month before the ...
Exports Rebound, Boosting Economy
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hPe3rp
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sunday, December 05, 2010
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