Chief Prognosticator

If any of you readers out there live in the ATL, then you know about the gas shortage. People scour the city, calling gas stations, looking for the next shipment in. I swear, I drove past 6 gas stations on the way to work today and all of them were out of gas! To you readers in the North, West, and abroad, do you know what’s happening in the Southern United States this week?? Its really a crisis — if gas doesn’t start flowing inward soon, we’ll start to see cars piling up on the side of the road with no gas! No joke!

Here’s an article about it from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Dog, The Bounty Hunter is pretty much washed up (remember his racist crazy phone call to his son?), but that doesn’t mean you can start your career in nabbing perps and bail jumpers! Just take a look at the kind of cool gear you’ll need from LAPoliceGear.com. They have all the top brands like 5.11 Tactical and Blackhawk. Shop with confidence and pay with your credit card — this site even has live customer support during business hours. Start your bounty hunter career right with the right gear (and hopefully the right training).

One of the nation’s largest Chevy dealers, Bill Heard, has announced that they are closing all of its dealerships — 14 in all. With this closure, more than 2700 people will lose their jobs. Why? Well the perfect storm, of course. Mix high fuel prices with low auto sales (who buys a Chevy anyways?) and you have trouble. Mix that in with more and more banks scared to loan money, and you have a condition where an auto dealer has no choice but to close shop.

Does it seem like thats what all the investment banks are doing these days? Well Uncle Sam (aka the U.S. Government) has not always complied. Just look at what happened to poor Lehman Brothers.

So how about you? Are you hanging in there during this time of financial crisis? Well if you are having trouble making ends meet, secure your financial situation by getting your house in order. For those of us with multiple debts, this means debt consolidation. You can consolidate your debt either through your local bank or you can secure a Personal Loan from a nationwide lender. Check out PersonalLoansLeader.com to find the financing you need. They have a nationwide network of lenders and banks which can get you approved quickly. Don’t let the bills (and late fees) pile up. Get secured lending now and face the future in a good position.

Easy as, well, pie. All you need these days is a computer. Under federal privacy laws, you can’t apply for a payday loan over the phone, but the Internet lets you apply for a Payday Loan in minutes. Get approval the same or next day. How much can you get? Well you can get up to $1500 quickly to help bridge your cash flow to payday. Of course you can take less — its all up to you. Check out the FAQs at Apex Payday Loan.com to get the full scoop on this easy way to get cash quickly. It’s really that easy.

Ever been faced with this situation? You are plugging away at your desktop and then you get a mysterious error code pop up! Or maybe even the blue screen of death! What do you do? Call expensive tech support? No way — you search the Internet for an explanation of the code and possible remedy. Well here’s a single website which can be your one-stop for all your error code and port diagnostics needs — PC-Library.com. PC-Library.com is the authority when it comes to error codes and diagnostics. They cover every possible code under the sun from “Error 25 - 0×19″ to “UDP Port 135“. Give it a try the next time you are stuck!

Well many of us think the answer is…. at the dealer, but that can turn out to be far from the best. Sure car dealers have access to automakers credit divisions (think GMAC for GM), but they don’t always offer the best rates. Also, when you go this route, the dealer has more leverage over you. The best situation is to come into the dealership with your own lending options in your pocket and be able to weigh all your options. Maybe the car dealer’s Auto Loan is best, maybe not. This way, you get to decide pressure free.

Arm yourself with this powerful tool by visiting BestLeadingLenders.com before you go to the dealer. BestLeadingLenders.com will find you great Auto Loans from lenders across the country and can even get you approve while you sit at home. They also have a great selection of Personal Loan and Bad Credit Credit Cards offers from their network of major lenders. Don’t be left with no options — get the loan you deserve and go to buy your new car with options and confidence!

Have you been getting harassing phone calls from telemarketers, collection agencies or unwanted suitors? Well if so, then you’ve probably tried to track them down to get them to stop. But chances are is these companies are harassing you, then they have their number blocked from Google or *69. So how do you fight back? Esy — you a professional reverse phone lookup service like CallerBase.com. CallerBase.com’s databases and servers have the depth to lookup virtually any phone number and get the owner’s name and address. This reverse phone search service works for any telephone number coming from the United States and Canada. Even if the number is unlisted, CallerBase.com can get the data for you quickly and discretely. The site is also useful to lookup area codes and area code listings by state and prefix.

Have you seen the new Microsoft commercials which star Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld? There have been two made so far and they are both available on YouTube. Check out the second one here: New Family - Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates Ad (Long Version). They are bizarre but funny.

I just heard on NPR that Microsoft is suspending the ad campaign! I also heard it cost about $300 million! What’s up with that? Oh wait, here’s an article: Update: Seinfeld ads end as Microsoft turns to reclaim ‘I’m a PC’ slur from Apple. It seems the Seinfeld-Gates ads phase is ending and part II begins with a look-a-like PC guy from the Apple Ads. This “counterattack strategy” will not directly attack Apple Inc. but instead help show people that its ok being a PC.

I lived in Germany for two years and I experienced a lot of amazing things. From football matches to Bier Gartens, life in Deutschland (Germany) is not too shabby. A Fun thing to do is visiting casinos — they are every where in Germany and offer a wide variety of games. From Internet Casinos - Casino Spiele Online to Traditional Brick and Mortar ones, these places let you have fun and maybe win a little cash. Ras Casinos is a useful site to help you navigate the online and real casinos in Germany. Get your Online Black Jack Spiele on using their useful information. The best part about living in Germany was that the online gambling was legal to do with real cash!

Here’s a recent articles from Forbes Magazine about the top Hip Hop music earners in 2008. Its titled Hip-Hop’s Cash Kings 2008. Here are the top earners and some surprises:

1. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson - $150 million last year. How? From music, clothing, and $100 million for his share in recently sold Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola!
2. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter - $75 million last year. How? Long term contracts and endorsement, music, clothing.
3. Sean “Diddy” Combs - $35 million. How? Sean John clothing line, record label Bad Boy, premium vodka Ciroc and reality-TV shows.
4. Kanye West - $30 million. How?  Music and other activities.

What about some surprises? Well how about Andre “Dr. Dre” Young making about $15 million even though he hasn’t made a hit record for himself in years and years. Its all about royalties for him.

Another amazing fact is that last year Tupac Shakur’s estate made about $15 million even though he’s been dead for over a decade! Now that’s wild. Just call him the Hip Hop Elvis.

Why do all clocks these days have to be digital ones, flashing their glow in the night? Fight the encroachment of modern technology by getting creative with your clock selection. I think a bedroom free of electronic glow is a thing of beauty — forget your LCD alarm clock, get something more traditional and recapture your sleeping darkness.

Thats why I’ve always wanted a grandfather clock for my home. They are more than clocks — they are pieces of art that can really make a statement in your bedroom or livingroom. For instance, these Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks are simply amazing. I really like the Howard Miller Chateau Grandfather clock. It is beautiful and classic. I would put it in my living room and have it chime the hours.

Visit the 1-800-4CLOCKS website and find the perfect clock for your home. They offer Free Shipping on all orders over $100 across the U.S. and Canada! That’s a real money saver considering how large and delicate grandfather clocks are. This saves you time and money — even if you bought from a local store, you’d still have to worry about transporting it home. With 1-800-4CLOCKS, you don’t have to worry about this at all!

Are you ready to face the future? I’m talking about finances here and whether you have the skills and the plan in place to reach your goals. For me, its retirement. I want to retire on my terms and not be forced to work longer than I really want to. This is a really long term goal but it requires constant attention and so-called “check-ups”. You need to sit back every once and a while and recalibrate your plan and check on your goals.

One was to perform a check up is to visit BillsIQ and take their free quiz to understand your financial intelligence. You might be surprised by the results. I took the quiz and found out that although I had a good overall IQ, I needed to increase my cash reserves for emergencies. Otherwise a simple string of bad luck could derail my plans and set me back years on my plan.

BillsIQ is a great site not just to help you get a handle on your bills but also to improve all other aspects of your financial life. Learn about retirement planning, budgeting, and college savings using their free information. Its an education you really shouldn’t pass up.

What makes the subject of investing on U.S. Infrastructure such a boring thing for politicians to do? I mean, investing U.S. dollars in U.S. equipment and U.S. structures using U.S. labor just makes sense. We need new roads, new dams, new power plants, and new railroad lines. Why can’t the might U.S. Government take their trillions and trillions of dollar federal budget and put it to some good use?

I only see a few drawbacks to such wide scale actions. The first would be a rise in material prices. Raw materials like steel and concrete are in high demand right now thanks to Dubai and China going “Infrastructure-wild”, but if the U.S. got involved, prices would go even higher.  Second might be failure due to lack of people willing to fill these jobs or skilled labor to perform them. You’ve all seen how long it takes to build a road… imagine if there were millions of more projects to accomplish.

But I think these downsides are nothing compared to the potential upside. Come on Obama and McCain — push this agenda.

Some businesses have been reluctant to make the switch from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Is your small business one of them? Why? Many would say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. If Windows XP has been working for you, why switch? Well that may be sensible, but you could be missing out on Vista’s next generation graphics and features. What if Microsoft guaranteed that your switch to Vista would be smooth? Well that’s the idea behind Windows Vista Small Business Assurance and responsive customer service team. When your business buys Vista-loaded computers, you will get “free support, compatibility assistance, and one-on-one coaching” from Microsoft. A lot has changed since Vista was first launched — more and more applications and devices have been made compatible (out of the box) and the security of the OS has improved over that of XP.

Some businesses should definitely get with Windows Vista. Any graphical or computer design firm should consider Vista. Microsoft Vista’s Aero GUI is simply amazing. This new hardware-based graphical user interface is amazing to use or just stare at. If your business is involved with web publishing, multimedia products, or design, Vista would be a great fit.

Another great feature of Microsoft Vista is the built-in security and safety mechanisms. The BitLocker Drive Encryption system protects your company data if the computer is lost or stolen. That’s corporate security worth its weight in gold. Add in Vista’s Windows Backup and Restore Center and Windows Defender applications, and your computer will be safe guarded from outside threats.

How will the United States of American remain on top of the Global Food Chain? Well it won’t by saving manufacturing jobs. No, the only way to remain on top is to move to wads more and more high tech jobs. So-called Knowledge Workers are in top demand because their abilities cannot be off-shored and their talents cannot be bought cheaply.

So how can you boost your career and keep your skills in high demand? Start your path to the field of Information Technology today by getting your Cisco Certification. Why Cisco? Well their infrastructure and networking equipment is the backbone for virtually all businesses across the country. From schools to pharmaceutical firms, they all need IT equipment to stay open for business. Getting Cisco certified can give your career a huge boost or even move you into a different career path. I use IT every day in my job so I understand how valuable it is for business. Cisco certification can mean the difference in making a great career for yourself. They offer training programs from the entry level Network Certification Programs all the way up to the industry professional level Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). No matter if you are a professional wanting a boost in your skills, or a novice wanting to break into IT, their certification courses can get you there.

No seriously. This has been one of those things that hasn’t been talked about at all. When we went to war with Iraq, the politicians were saying that we’d get the war paid for by Iraq oil revenues. The country would “repay” us for getting rid of Saddam Hussein by sharing their oil revenues. Well now, $400 billion later, Iraq is projected to have up to $50 billion in budget surplus this year and all I have to say is “where is out share?“. At least some congressmen are speaking out about this, like Senator Carl Levin:

“We should not be paying for Iraqi projects while Iraqi oil revenues continue to pile up in the bank, including outrageous profits from $4-a-gallon gas prices in the U.S.“

Have you ever been on one of these New York City tours? Well if you have been to NYC and not taken any of them, then you have missed out! New York is such a vast and historical city that its easy to find the perfect tour to take. I would love to take The Sopranos tour. Isn’t that just plain cool? You get taken around to the filming locations from The Sopranos. A classic! Here’s a list of things to do in New York City.

When I visited New York for summer vacation, I took an unbelievable double decker bus sightseeing tour of the city. Whats cool about that is that you are up high, getting a Birdseye view of the streets as you drive around. Its like something out of a movie. Whether you want to find a great NYC tour or a list of things to do in Las Vegas, Nevada, check out Trusted Tours & Attractions. They have great tour deals in all your favorite American Cities. Whether you are coming from out of town, or just moved to a new city, taking a tour is a great way to take in the sights. Trusted Tours & Attractions has a great collection of online travel guides to help you plan your next vacation.

Sign up for their useful email newsletter and you can win a $150 iTunes Gift Card. That would sure buy a lot of summer music to enjoy on your next road trip. Thanks Trusted Tours & Attractions.

I think EBay Motors is a great service. Instead of being limited to buying cars and trucks in your local are, you can now shop the entire continent for new and used cars. But how do you get the car home once you’ve bought it? Fly 1000 miles and then drive 1000 miles back? No way! Instead use a service like CarMovers.com. They can get you free auto shipping quotes. Also they can provide you free useful information on car transport and related resources. Get a great deal on a car nationwide and then have it delivered to your door. You’ll end us spending less and getting the car of your dreams.

moving services

Do you have Kroger grocery stores in your neck of the country? Well down here in the South we do and up until this past year, Kroger had a great deal on gasoline. If you bought at their fuel centers and swiped your (free) Kroger Plus Card, you would save 3 cents a gallon off your purchase. When gas was $2 a gallon, that would be 1.5% off. Nice. But gas has since gone to $4 and growing, so 3 cents is worth that much less. Who cares if the price is $4.23 or $4.26, especially if the price next week will be $4.35!

Sorry Kroger, I imagine your sales are dropping. A better situation would be like my Chase Perfect Card which offers 3% (not 3 cents) cash back on gas purchases. That fixed rate means your savings will move in unison with fuel prices. Save $0.06 a gallon when gas is $2 and save $0.12 a gallon when its $4! The only problem now is that Chase has capped your maximum monthly cash back. The solution, get a second credit card from another company offering cash back on gas and use both cards each month.

Its amazing how technology has changed the face of “customized” products. With digital cameras and the Internet, you can now customized hundreds of common products with your own artwork. From coffee mugs and calenders to shower curtains and cuff links, your favorite photos can be with you always. One example is PhotoShowerCurtain.com. They offer 100% customized shower curtains. Just send them your photograph and they handle the rest. Their custom shower curtains are guaranteed to stand the test of time.

Ever buy a new piece of tech gadget and the next week, your model becomes obsolete? Yeah, it really stinks. If you are planning to buy an Apple Inc. product like an iPod or iMac, you can avoid this unpleasant occurrence if you do one thing first. Check out the MacRumors Buyer’s Guide and save yourself the pain of buying too soon or too late. For example, if you want to buy an iPhone, the guide says “buy Now” since the product has just been updated. An iPod Classic, on the other hand, is long overdue for an update, so the guide says “Don’t Buy Now”! Thanks MacRumors!

Do you know what Payday Loans are? Well if you have never taken one, they are an ultra-short term loan instrument. Considering an average person’s payday is every two weeks, that about the maximum amount of time you’d want to take out one of these loans. Why? Because they interest rate is high and keeping the loan outstanding any longer would be too costly.

You can learn more about payday loans and more at Complete Loan Source. If you need one, you can apply online and get nationwide approval for your loan needs. Complete Loan Source also has information and support for:

• Home Loans
• Auto Loans
• Cash Advances
• Personal Loans
• Payday Loans
• Bad Credit Loans

People in general fall into two categories — those who love Country Music and those who hate it. There is no other category! No seriously, I live in the South, so I’m around Country Music all the time, but I was surprised to find out that good old Jewel has switched over to the country realm.

If you love Country, then check out this new site. It has everything from Artists Bios to Country Music Lyrics. Find your favorites and discover new talents — get your CM fill at CountryMusicPerformers.com.

Entrepreneurship and small business is the American Dream. Hard work, dedication, and ingenuity can help you reach your goals of owning and operating your own business. But there is one thing missing … money! Obtaining the proper funding to start your business (or grow an existing one) is a major hurdle to shoot for the American Dream. Advance Restaurant Financing wants to be your partner in funding your restauranteering dreams. They have a portfolio of provides financial solutions such as lines of credit and business loans to help you create your dreams. The restaurant business is a tough one — you either make it or break it within the first 12 months. Advance Restaurant Financing can help you get past business loans bad credit problems and get the funding you need!

Using phone cards when dialing long distance can be a great way to save money. Instead of signing up with your phone company and getting charges every month, using calling cards can be a better way to control your expenses. You can not only get a lower rate, but you can manage your expenses by budgeting a certain amount of long distance charges a month and sticking to it.

Whether you are looking for genetic international calling cards or specifics ones (like UK Calling Cards), GetMeCallingCards.com has a great deal waiting for you. Don’t get stuck paying high per minutes charges from your home phone carrier — get a calling card and save big when calling overseas.

Computers and simulation programs are becoming more and more powerful. What’s the apex for this field of engineering and computer science? Computers which can model the real world, in real time! Think of it as one step away from The Matrix.

Here’s a great example. Flomerics, a leading computer simulation engineering firm which specializes in fluid flow and heat transfer simulations (some of the hardest stuff around!), recently used their powerful FLOVENT software to model the effects of wingsuits used for base jumping. This sort of software is not just cool but is extremely valuable too. Companies use it to figure out stuff from how to cool computer processors and electronics to how to build better skyscrapers (which are under extreme wind pressure constantly). Amazing!

OK, liked my list of countries with gasoline cheaper than it is in the US? No, it made you angry? Me too — especially since China was only around $3 a gallon. But here is something to make you feel better (if you live in the USA) — a list of countries that pay more, a lot more, than the US for gasoline:

Look its a horrible situation to be in — you figure out one day that no matter how hard you try, you can’t pay your bills and won’t be able to dig yourself out of debt. Whether its due to a job loss or a bad sub-prime mortgage deal, you too can find yourself facing bankruptcy. So what can you do? Panic? Sure, but that won’t solve anything. What you needs is someone like Richard S. Feinsilver, ESQ, a bankruptcy and debt consolidation expert. Learning about the bankruptcy and real estate process is the first step to finding your way back on track. If you find yourself in this situation, visit the website of an expert like Richard S. Feinsilver, ESQ, New York debt consolidation and bankruptcy guru and get back control of your finances and life!

When you think about it — the minimum wage rate has really taken a beating as compared to the price of a gallon of gas. If you are making minimum wage and must drive 15 miles to work, you could lose almost one hour of wages after taxes! Think about it!

The federal minimum wage in the United States has been $5.85 per hour since July 2007. In that time, the price of a gallon of gas has increased from $2.60 a gallon to over $4.00!

Debt management is not only important for your financial well-being but also your mental health. No seriously — being in debt, whether a little or a lot, can weight heavily on your mind 24 hours a day. This is why Debt Management Plans are crucial when it comes to getting on your feet. A debt management plan is a personal roadmap on how to:

• Keep from increasing your debts. Learn how not to spend more than you make and how to use emergency funds for when you really need them.
• Payoff debts (smaller ones first / highest interest ones first). When reducing your debt, you need to do it in a strategic manner. Payoff the highest interest debts first. If they are all the same interest rate, go for the smallest balance one first. This way you feel a sense of accomplishment sooner when its paid off.
• Work towards a debt-free life. Live the plan and slowly see your debt erased. It won’t be overnight and it won’t be easy but you can do it if your stick to the plan.
• Learn not to get into debt again! Learn how not to live beyond your means and how to use savings to put away money for life’s unexpected moments.

Sounds great right? Well I should know about this stuff. I’ve been in debt before and it was not fun at all. It really would be something I’d think about at night. You can’t live in debt for long without it taking a toll — get a plan and live it. Its the only way to get debt free and stay that way for the rest of your life.

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.

Does it ever make sense to make extra payments on your mortgage? Well according to a Consumer Reports article I read today, it doesn’t. They compared paying $100 extra every month versus investing $100 a month in the S&P500 INDEX. What happened? Well if you looked at 15 year rolling periods, the stocks outperformed the prepayment return on your money 100% of the time! That’s food for thought.

I can think of a hundreds different scenarios where you would want to track someone or something on GPS. Now imagine being able to do this from the comfort of your own computer or other web-enabled device. LiveViewGPS offers real time GPS tracking of vehicles for business and personal application. The movement is updated every 10 seconds which means you can track things with both ease and precision. From teenage kids to entire transportation fleets, live GPS tracking is like a dream come true. This advanced technology is easy to use and will pay for itself in peace of mind and cost savings in no time. Check it out.

Pop quiz — when do you think about car rental? On as vacation? Yes. On a business trip? Sure. What about a long weekend? No? Well its a good idea worth considering. Just check out the cars available from advantage.com. They are having a special offer — up to a 50% discount on Luxury and Convertible car rentals. Think about it — rent a convertible in your hometown for the long weekend. It’s like a mini-vacation — people will wonder if you’ve won the lottery or something.

Advantage Rent-a-Car has great offers in your hometown and the best vacation spots around the country. Imagine a trip to Vegas where you have your own Escallade or Lambo! Too big? OK, well check out their Special Offers page and find deals as low as $1 a day in Florida. Wherever it is you’re headed or if you are staying local, Advantage has must-see deals on great rental cars.

Although we live in a digital age, all businesses still need good old fashioned printed materials. Whether they be return address labels for snail mailings or business cards, printed materials are necessary but don’t necessarily have to break your budget. Check out the services that Vista Print offers. Their rates are some of the best around and are definitely better than you trying to print for yourself. Unless you have $10,000 equipment at home or in the office, you are better off leaving your printing needs to the professionals. Don’t worry if you only need 500 or 1000 items at a time — heck, don’t worry if you only need to buy 1 custom car magnet — Vista Print does not force you into high volume orders. On the contrary, they market their services to small business owners like you who need professional materials but without the expense of 10,000 item print runs. Its a perfectly scalable solution. If you have any questions or even wish to get a free sample of their products, visit the site and check out the “New To Our Site?” section on the bottom right. Vista Print will change the way your business prints. Thanks Vista Print.

Finding the right hosting service provider for your web properties is not a task to be taken lightly. There are many different parameters to take into consideration and price isn’t always the most important one. For me, the key is high availability and space. What’s the point of paying for a service which is sometimes “down”?

To find the right web hosting service for your business, the folks over at WebHostingGeeks.com have done the research for your. Check out their top ten list of service providers. It’s no surprise to me that they say BlueHost is the best. That’s who I use and I have never been disappointment. Read their full BlueHost Review and get the inside scoop for yourself.

If you are in the market for a new hosting service, visit WebHostingGeeks.com first and get informed!

Living about an hour away from downtown, I love visiting my “home” city of Atlanta to take in the sights. There are many things to do in Atlanta. Here are some of my favorite from my memory.

• Stone Mountain Park is always a great time with that giant hunk of granite and lots of activities.
• Coca-Cola Museum is a trip back in history topped off with all the free soda you care to drink.
• Georgia Aquarium is the largest in the country and a site you need to see to believe.

For an upcoming trip, I am thinking about visiting NYC for the first time. I’m using the Trusted Tours site to plan some of my events. They have a full list of New York City tours and attractions. It should be a really great trip.

For information on these places and more, visit the online travel guides available from TrustedTours.com. They have over 20 cities in the U.S. detailed on great things to do and ways to save money doing them.

Visit Trusted Tours today at www.trustedtours.com and sign up for their newsletter. Its full of great travel tips and sightseeing deals, so you don’t want to miss out. Need more reason to sign up for the newsletter? Well how about this — you can win a handheld GPS just by signing up!

What could Apple Inc do to keep their crown as top innovator? Well there are two lists to be made. The first is product improvements and the second is new products. Please share your thoughts.
Improvements:
- Thinner iPhone / iPod. Is there a new type of solid state memory out there being developed which could shrink these devices more?
- Apple (hd)TV. Make it 1080p capable and stock those movies on iTune!
- iMac Air. Think about it… an even thinner iMac ala Macbook Air. Make it float in the air too!
New Products:
- iPod Nano + Watch? Wear it on your wrist.
- iPod Shuffle the size of earbuds. Keep the cord connecting both ears just for show.
- A way to expand screen size. My personal favorite idea. I’ve written about it before. Screens so thin that they stack when not in use, but then can fold out to a 2×1 or 2×2 array in your hand!

There was a time last year when it wasn’t exactly clear whether blog advertising was going to be accepted in the mainstream market. But after 2 years of operation, IZEA (formerly known as PayPerPost) is still around and going strong with over 100,000 bloggers in their network. IZEA changed their name to reflect their growing services base. Not just PayPerPost, the blog advertising marketplace, any longer, IZEA includes several service platforms including RSS Brief, Blog in Space, and the Blogger’s Choice Awards, IZEA has recently released a revolutionary social marketing network named SocialSpark. It’s a social network driven by bloggers and advertisers where the advertising is 100% transparent, 100% disclosed, and 100% real including Google-friendly No-Follow tags on all links.

IZEA is becoming to blog advertising as what Google is to search advertising. I wouldn’t be surprised if Google was secretly in negotiations to acquire the two year old IZEA and all its web properties. Blogs are still going strong and have solidified their place on the Internet as a legitimate information and discussion forum. As blogs are here to stay, blog advertising is going to only grow as marketers and advertisers seek to gain more exposure on more channels.

Visa announced this week that they will be capping the fees they charge gas stations for credit card transactions for gas purchases. Visa gets roughly a 2% cut of the sale price in exchange for credit card services. But as gas prices rise and rise, the aount Visa gets has increased too from 5 or 6 cents a gallon to almost 9 or 10! That doesn’t seem like much, but gas station owners usually only take a fixed markup on the fuel they sell, anywhere from 10 to 14 cents a gallon. That means gas station owners have been earning less and less money on the more and more expensive fuel they sell!

p.s. Mastercard capped fees last year. Way to pitch in, Visa!… although a little late.

I’m sure you’d be too embarrassed to admit it after reading this blog post, but do any of my readers out there actual pay money for new cell phones? I sure hope not but if you happened to be one of those few, let this post be an eye-opening experience. In the 21st century you should never pay for a cell phone. By signing a simple contract of 1 or 2 years, you can get a great cell phone for free. Just check out these at&t cell phones from Best In Cell Phones. Until July 6th, they have hundreds of great cell phones on deep discount. Just how low? Well my favorite are the free ones… Actually I take that back. My favorite are the top free phones which actually pay you to take them! Yes its true — bestincellphones.com has offers up to FREE + $100 Cash Back including free shipping. That’s an amazing deal on a great phone. I mean, if you were already going to pay for service, why not get the phone for free and even a little extra cash in your pocket to do so. No one can live without a cell phone these days… why not just do it smarter than everyone else! Check out these razr deals — simply amazing. My wife has the Pink Razr and it is really cool. Like pink? Well check out these other pink phones for sale. Best in cellphones.com’s price guarantee includes your complete satisfaction. Shop with trust and get your free phone today. There’s no reason why you should pay for Alltel phones like the Motorola Q. In fact, you can get the Q for free with an amazing $100 cash back. Don’t delay — this offer won’t last long.

Do you have Kroger grocery stores in your neck of the country? Well down here in the South we do and up until this past year, Kroger had a great deal on gasoline. If you bought at their fuel centers and swiped your (free) Kroger Plus Card, you would save 3 cents a gallon off your purchase. When gas was $2 a gallon, that would be 1.5% off. Nice. But gas has since gone to $4 and growing, so 3 cents is worth that much less. Who cares if the price is $4.23 or $4.26, especially if the price next week will be $4.35!

Sorry Kroger, I imagine your sales are dropping. A better situation would be like my Chase Perfect Card which offers 3% (not 3 cents) cash back on gas purchases. That fixed rate means your savings will move in unison with fuel prices. Save $0.06 a gallon when gas is $2 and save $0.12 a gallon when its $4! The only problem now is that Chase has capped your maximum monthly cash back. The solution, get a second credit card from another company offering cash back on gas and use both cards each month.

There are two main forms of entrepreneurship — 1) start your business from the ground up or 2) buy an existing business and make it grow. I’ve found a new search engine which makes finding businesses for sale easy! BizAg.com is a specialized search engine for business sale listings across the country. Aggregated from multiple data sources (classified ads, online listings, etc), BizAg.com is as simple as Google but gives you so much more in terms of information you need. Just type in a business type (or any sort of keyword) and search. The results will show a listings of businesses for sale related to that term. Limit your search results geographically or go nationwide. Here’s a sample result:

See the data at the top — that’s a quick excerpt of business statistic for the search result. Asking Price, Cash Flow, Revenue — all this data is exactly what an entrepreneur needs to make the right decisions. Want to buy a bar in Maui or a music store in Philly? Well this is the place to start! I think this type of specific search engine / data aggregator is just what the web needs — there’s a good chance in my opinion that someone like Google or Yahoo will be making an offer for it!

Its getting crazy with regards to airlines charging for extras which were once free. You’ve must of heard of the charges for 2nd checked bags by now, but its getting worse. I read recently that some airlines are going to start charging for soft drinks, water and coffee on board. Combine that with restrictions on bring your own beverage through security, and you’re pretty much forced to pay (or go thirsty). $2 for a can of coke — not funny at all. Why can’t airlines just drop the games and be straight with their pricing once and for all. They can’t have their cake and eat it too… meaning they need to choose one:

1) Variable rates for seats but without surcharges and added fees
or
2) Fixed rates across the board, all inclusive.

How is the first largest country in the world (Russia) regaining its superpower status? Oil! Gas! Timber! Steel! Coal! Anti-capitalism! You name it. Well what’s the second largest country in the world? Canada. Can Canada be poised for a new era of wealth?

Bet on it! With such vast wilderness spanning a massive landmass, Canada should benefit greatly from higher energy and raw material costs. Sure getting some of those resources, like oil shales, is tough but as energy prices rise, there could be a whole new wave of Canadian Billionaires!

I love web design! Although my focus is primarily on blog themes and design, I can appreciate the beauty of a well planned out and designed website. I must have spent 5 or 6 hours searching through free Wordpress blog themes in order to find this one here. I just liked the color scheme and simplicity of the layout. A little customization in cpanel and XML later and my website directory and links page works nicely in the overall theme!

My love for web design is always keeping my eyes out for great sites offering free templates. I’ve found a new one at Dreamtemplate.com which deserves special attention. Dreamtemplate.com offers over 300 free website templates for your downloading. There’s nothing to buy — just browse the site and pick a great theme. You can integrate the site as is or customize it easily using HTML and XML. Like the site? Well if you are really into it, you can get access to literally thousands of great website themes for only $59.95. You can use any of these themes for your site — even commercial sites!

To view the free templates, click on the category Free Website Templates and scroll through the over 300 choices. These ones will cost you absolutely nothing to download and use. The only thing is that you promise not to resell the templates. The rest is fair use! If you like what you see and want to see more, join for a one-time fee of $59.95 and get access to the full collection of website templates including great flash website templates.

What makes Dreamtemplate.com’s website templates different than the rest? Quality! No seriously, the templates you will find here are not quickies. Instead each template go through a complete design process at Dreamtemplate.com’s design studio. Accordingly each template is well thought out, designed and tested — at an average of 7-15 hours of production time each! Not only does your membership give you access to thousands of amazing designs but access to all the future templates. New templates appear every week — and they keep getting better! Think of Dreamtemplate.com as your professional design partner in creating and maintaining an awesome website.

For you affiliate sales entrepreneurs out there, check out Dreamtemplate.com’s amazing affiliate program. You earn an incredible 30% commission on all sales! That could easily add up to $1000 a month or more. So what are you waiting for? Whether you are building a new site, revamping an existing one, or are looking for a new online money maker, check out Dreamtemplate.com.

Sure the dealership’s access to manufacturer credit for a new car Auto Loan is one way, but its not always the best. Accordingly you need to know your options and even have external financing ready when you walk into the dealer. Credit Unions have been a good source for this second loan route but I just found another way — Apex Auto Loan. They have access to a Nationwide network of banks and credit providers. For new or used cars, they can line you up financing before you walk into the dealer.Even if you are not ready to buy this weekend, visit their website and use the free Auto Loan Calculator. It is a great tool to help you figure out how much can you can afford. Just don’t forget to factor in the price of gas!

OK, so Britney Spears already stole that phrase when she wore it on a t-shirt, but “being the American Dream” is more than just being a celebrity. The American Dream is, at its heart, about the promise of America and the ability for anyone in the society to pull themselves up and become a success with hard work and luck. As opposed to “old money” wealth — that is, wealthy families and individuals derived from inherited wealth — the American Dream means people from low socioeconomic classes to become successful and wealthy in their own lifetime. This success makes them part of what is called the Nouveau Riche. A French term meaning literally “New Rich”, the Nouveau Riche represent success in its truest form — self made success. From real estate moguls to Silicon Valley types, dry cleaner chain owners to President Bill Clinton, these people used their talents and hard work to come from nothing and create wealth and success made to last. There is even a “Nouveau Riche University” teaching people like you and me how to manage their money and build real wealth from real estate and investments. You’ve heard of the “Millionaire Next Door” right? Well its the same principle — take the right steps, act widely, work hard and you are almost guaranteed to become rich and successful. Its no secret — just things that we usually overlook or are not aware of in the first place. You TOO can be the American Dream.

I wrote previously about Chrysler’s offer to subsidize the price of gas for one year on all new vehicles it sells. The price you’d pay would be fixed at $2.99 a gallon. Over a year, that could mean costs of up to $2000 for Chysler. But just yesterday I saw an advertisment on TV stating the $2.99 gas was for THREE WHOLE YEARS! Wow! That is even bigger! I wonder if it was always that long (and I just misunderstood) or if they extended it. Three years is a long time — gas could be $8 by then. That could add up to over $10000 in savings over the period! Who wants a Chrysler? I do!

Here’s something near and dear to my heart — the scalability of business operations. I see it every day at my company. Right now we are undergoing a huge market upswing in our products and our sales and marketing organization is being flooded with RFPs and RFQs. How can an organization provide quick turn around to proposal requests and scale their business to meet market demands? This is where a solution like Configure One’s Concept™ Product Configurator Software comes in. The Concept™ Product Configurator (Sales Configurator) is a program application which can scale and customize product and service offerings with little setup time. A web-based, platform independent IT solution, the system allows you to create highly customized product offerings quickly and accurately. In my business that would mean being able to reduce our proposal and tender cycle time from 2 weeks to half that or less.

Having a product configurator working for your S&M team means they can quickly create customize offers. This not only pleases the customer (who doesn’t like a quick turn around time?!), but it also improves the quality and reproducibility of your proposals.

According to a study done by Merck Medco, about 50% of all adults in the U.S. who have insurance are on long term prescription medicine. This means they take a medicine on an ongoing basis like that for high blood pressure or high cholesterol. What do these study findings mean and is it necessarily a good thing or a bad thing? Or mixed?

Unhealthy Population
Does this figure of 50% mean that the population is more unhealthy than ever? Looking at the obesity rate for adults (and children) we see that America has never been fatter, so this data support that?
Better Medicine
Maybe this data shows that science and medicine has done a great job of developing medicines which treat chronic conditions (which always existed) and therefore extend life and quality of life. That’s a good thing, if you can afford it.
Sales and Marketing Pressured
This data could just be evidence that the sales and marketing divisions of Pharma companies