Chief Prognosticator

I spent the past couple of years living in Europe and I saw a really cool trend. Sign up for mobile phone service and get a free PS3, Xbox 360, or iPods. No seriously! That’s the way they do it over there. Not only do you get the phone for free (or 1 buck), but you get a really expensive free gift when you sign the service contract. I can hardly wait until this sales promotion comes to the U.S. — it’s only a matter of time in my opinion.

For an example, check out Dial-a-Phone. They offer a huge selection of o2 mobiles and other leading brands in the UK. If you didn’t know O2 is the most popular service provider in the UK and are also the exclusive provider of the iPhone over there. This all makes o2 mobile phones some of the most sought after on the market.

Back to the free gifts… Dial-a-Phone offers a great was to find and get these amazing free gifts. Instead of picking a phone plan and seeing what the free offer is (computer? ipod?), you can do a reverse look-up! Pick the item you want, like a PS3 or iPod Touch, and then see which phone offers provide it. Why not take advantage of these great offers? Dial-a-Phone helps you get the most out of your mobile phone contract. For o2 phones and their free gifts, no one beats Dial-a-Phone. And for you readers State’s side, look for similar deals coming to a retailer near you in the future.

Do big numbers scare you? If so, stop reading right now!

Ok, I just read this scary article on CNN Money titled “The 44th president’s $4 trillion headache” and it gave me the creeps. The $4 trillions comes from two major tax issues the next president will have to face. The first is the 2001 and 2003 “temporary” tax cuts that Bush signed. Those are set to expire soon which means that taxes will go up to where they were before. If the president makes those cuts permanent…. poof! $2 Trillion in debt over the next 10 years. And the other $2 Trillion? That’s the projected cost to fix the AMT (Alternate Minimum Tax) — that sneaky little part of the code which is now haunting millions of middle class taxpayers. To fix it back to where it should be — preventing the super-wealthy from not paying any taxes — will mean a $2 trillion shortfall over the same period.

Those are the words of Google Inc. guru Sergey Brin. What was he talking about? Well it’s Microsoft’s takeover bid of rival Yahoo! of source! Is there really room for concern, or is this just business as usual?

Well sorry Sergey, but I’m not buying it. Companies rise and fall. Businesses merge and split. There are always new companies to come in to fill the empty voids. As long as there are no legitimate anti-trust concerns, there is no real concern on my part.

What is unnerving to me? That’s easy –the possible end of Net Neutrality! Net Neutrality is the principle of keeping access to the Internet equal and unbiased towards the user. Some telecoms want to be able to regulate Internet traffic over their lines, perhaps by even offering “priority” surfing for higher paying customers. Read the Google page about it and learn about the real threat to innovation and free access.

It is absolutely amazing how much money talented entrepreneurs can make online using little more than their smarts and a computer. How else would you describe someone making $860,538.38 profit from the Internet in 4 months! That’s exactly what happened to Super Affiliate Zac Johnson. Read about it and see checks on his website. How did he do it? Well you will have to read the post yourself to find out, but it all has to do with GIVING STUFF AWAY FOR FREE!

Looks like March 4, 2008 is make or breakin the U.S. Presidential Primary Season for the Democrats. That’s the day the Obama and Clinton will square off in several primaries including the Texas primary with 193 delegates at stake. But if you are ready for a battle now, you can watch the Democratic presidential debate in Austin, Texas in a few hours!

The campus of the University of Texas will play host and the debate will show live on CCN and with a tape delay tonight on Univision. What can we expect? I predict Hillary Clinton will go negative and pull out all the stops. Its her last chance to get Obama off-guard before he runs away with the election.

That’s the news according to CNN.com. It seems that the most popular social network portal out there is looking to boost up its online music offering by teaming up with major record labels. The move would bring streaming of the biggest hits to MySpace pages — something that is currently lacking. The deal would also create a way for MySpace users to buy downloadable music directly from the site, potentially opening up a large revenue stream from record companies. 

Caught up in Hybrid mania? Yeah, I got the bug too. But when I started researching the subject I quickly noticed that not all Hybrids were equal. The sector is pretty much divided into two camps:

1. High MPG
2. High Power

A third quasi-category would be the higher-but-really-not-that high. What are some examples? Well in the High MPG category we see cars with fuel economy in the high 40s to 50s like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. In the second category we see high power hybrids which use that electric motor to surplus the gas powered one. Here we have the powerhouses of Lexus RX 400h and LS 600h L. In the last category we have the upcoming GMCYukon Hybrid and the Saturn VUE Green Line.

Look, I certainly won’t mind getting a check for $600 from Uncle Sam in May for doing nothing. And, yes, I will spend it one something and pump that money back into the economy. But is the U.S. Government’s tax credit check program the best for the economy? I don’t think so. Sure the money will be spent by the majority of the recipients, adding money to the economy and boosting confidence, but there is a better way to boost the economy. Take the $150 billion and start a public works program aimed at fixing up the nation’s infrastructure. That’s $3 billion for each and every state! Wow! Fix our roads, bridges, water systems, power plants! The result would not only be a revitalized infrastructure but also billions of dollars in new jobs for the middle and lower classes.

Here’s a prediction — TheGuru.com will be a hot blog in the near future. Following in the footsteps of such fitness blogs like ScaleWhore.com and gary’s fitness blog, ThaGuru.com is all about getting in shape. The only caveat is that TheGuru is not just about getting your body in shape but also your wallet with tips on how to make money online. Check out the site — it just reached 2000 pageviews.

Will the “death of the SUV” mean the end to giant trucks? No way — those who need or just can afford them will continue to buy them. Just check out this F-650 monster by Ford. Now that’s a giant ride! I think it’s the same with horsepower — we will just not see a decline in the 300, 400, and 500 HP engines out there. No matter how expensive gas gets, people are just not willing to give up these prize machines. Drive them less? Maybe. Abandon them altogether? No way!