US Debt Clock

This is a pretty cool debt clock that has a bunch of different information in it. Check this out. In the time it took me to write this, we have gone further in debt by over $1,000,000.

www.usdebtclock.org

iband Christmas Songs at Northpoint Church

This is pretty spectacular to watch. This was all done live, which only means...even more props to getting this done correctly. Can't imagine the hours put into this.  Anyway if this doesn't bring you Apple lovers a bit of joy this christmas, nothing will.

That Last Stocking Stuffer

Okay so you've bought that beardhead already and you are down to the last stocking stuffer.







Well I have a solution for your madness. www.bananaguard.com Do you and your banana a favor and protect that banana. I do believe it comes
in all colors and sizes...not sure, it could be a one size fits all banana guard.

Some Thoughts on Social Networking

I am already wondering what rival company or rival website will come out that will draw the masses. We saw the rise and fall of Myspace and we saw some stirrings with other social network sites, but nothing that has garnered the success like facebook.

What is the next big idea?  How will the next big idea fringe further into your personal privacy and allow for the further building of intelligent systems to increase large corporation profits?  There isn't anything wrong with that right?.. because we willfully allow it every day we connect and update our status, Tweet, or Blog. 

Data is the internet's Commodity. The internet is a nest of Data that when harnessed correctly will influence all the decisions in your life. 

I know that is a lot to stomach, so let's say it like this. Why did a small company like Groupon take off with the success that it did? Take the recession out of the mix because people in recession can cut things like a discounted massage out of their limited budget. The answer is Social Networking. People start posting the daily "coupon" deals they were getting and then their friends and friends of friends all signed up. Then the tweeting and daily emails. Their sign up base shot way off the charts in no time at all and this Data(including spending habit tracking) = Big Profits... because remember Data is a Commodity. 

Data is Destructive: In the interest of driving either truth or false pretense, the internet is the connected destination to wage a war.

Let's just take Wikileaks for a second because it is a hot topic right now...wait did i say wikileaks or was it openleaks(wikileaks new rival)? maybe i meant Facebook or twitter? Now I'm just confusing myself, was it just the news blogging I saw? 

Take the actual document information that was made available through wikileaks to the public aside. Maybe it was the "Idea" that a government can be held accountable for their secrets?  Take it step further with the action taken against the website and founder already, is it that Truth is punishable? 

The life and death of companies, of individuals, and of ideas comes down to the trending data voice that is most popular on the internet. You may not be watching, but people that make a whole heck of a lot more money than I am are watching and creating strategies now.

~~~
So Whats the next big idea?

The frenzied reaction, ie viral reaction, is expected when you have a community as big and connected as Facebook, but I venture to say that it will be over run with a new innovative means of social connectedness. I don't know what it is yet, but i can be sure of several things.

1. We will walk into the trap with our eyes wide open, because the artificial value we will deem necessary to function in daily life will outweigh the consequence of losing our freedoms. 

2. It will invade our privacy further then it does now

Do you have the next big idea?  What will this look like?

PICTURE OF THE DAY - Get Off Your High Horse

5 Tips on how to "Not Overspend this Year on Christmas Presents"

Tip #1 - Plan... Plan... and Stick to the Plan
Have you ever run into that person that you occasionally see and have had dinner with a couple times and they run into you just before the holidays or call you out of the blue and have these terrible 6 words for you "I Have A Gift For You" and you answer "that is great, i actually was meaning to call you because i have a gift i was meaning to give to you"  We all have those unexpected people and let's face it, we are too nice.  Sit down and plan out who you are going to buy for.  Stick to your plan. 

Tip #2 - The Envelope Plan
Cut the Credit Cards Up...lock them in a safe and forget the combination until January. I Suggest that you take a handful of envelopes as you are on Tip #1 and write peoples names or if you are buying for a whole family, their last name on the envelope and put whatever cash amount in that envelope that you PLANNED to spend on them. (Tip 1 is important, stick to the plan) Little Joe Joe's envelope has $20 in it, even though you see "Stinky the Garbage Truck" and think he must have it, stick to a Zhu Zhu pet.
Bonus Tip: If you have unexpected people that show up last minute, create an envelope called Last Minute and put a small amount of Cash in there.

Tip #3 - Deals, Coupons, Alternative's To Retailers
Take some time to search out the best deals in town. This could be simply searching store catalogues.  Cut Coupons out. Think outside the box. Ebay, Groupon, Craigslist, Backpage, Amazon are great tools to finding the same great item at a huge discount. I recently purchased a deal on Craigslist that was over 70% off the retail price.  I purchased a Wii with games a few months ago that was over 50% off and i have some games i can resell or gift out.




Tip #4 - Time Is the Most Valuable Gift
At the end of the day, the importance of the holidays isn't getting that new Skirt or those new shoes, but its about spending time with the people you care about.  My suggestion here is rather then buy a $100 worth of gifts for that family of 4 that you are best friends with, to say, lets get together and play some boardgames. I'll bring a couple desserts and you bring some drinks. Your cost gets cut down to about $15 for the night or less(mileage may vary) and you will create a memory that will outwear that sweater.

Tip #5 - ReGift
I tread lightly on this tip because of the general stigma about Re-Gifting. Here is my thought on this though. If you are given a gift card thats been in your wallet for months and you haven't had anything to use it on, think about ReGifting it. This will save you that cash you would've spent on that person.  Regift nice things.  If you were given a brand new set of knives, but you already own the Miracle Knife, then think about gifting it to that guy you know that just started his cooking classes.

~~~~
At the End of the day, Plan...Plan...and Stick to your plan.  Stick to your goals. If you think you need $500 for christmas gifts, then start saving back that cash in June or July on up to December so that you aren't just charging everything on the Credit card.  You will be surprised how much money you've saved!

How To Add Facebook Tabs using FBML Language

This is an article on how to add some user
creativity to your facebook page. Facebook
has a language they use called FBML
(FaceBook Markup Language). This quick
step by step is going to help you get started
with customizing your business and/or
personal page.

Step 1: Log in to your facebook account

Step 2: Click Application on left and at the
bottom click browse more applications.

Step 3: Perform a search at the top left for
STATIC FBML as seen below and click the
application and add it.

Step 4: Go back to your application screen
and you should see your newly added FBML
application at the bottom. Click on "GO TO
APPLICATION"...Just below the arrow



Step 5: Box Title on this page is your new Tab

 and the FBML below is where you can use

standard HTML or FBML to create a nice

additional tab page. See my basic code below

which is a picture and when you click it, it

redirects you to another website.

STEP 6: Save Changes and Check your Work -

Go to your main page and you should see the new

tab you created. Click the tab and make sure that

your work is showing up.

And we're on our way to be FBO.(Facebook Official)

Gary Neal makes the shot, so what's the problem?

GARY NEAL...NICE SHOT, WOAH DID YOU JUST DO THAT...REALLY?

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

World of Warcraft is set to release their new expansion in under 11 hours. There is a lot to look forward to from Blizzard who is putting out their third expansion for the must critically acclaimed MMO-RPG of all time. If you aren't excited about this Intellectual Property of theirs, then maybe your ears will be tickled with news of a whole new MMO that they have been working on in the background. It is said that it is a completely new intellectual property, so no "Ugly"..i mean "Lost" vikings to worry about. I guess for now if we stick to internet rumors, we'll call this Project "Titan" and consider it to be a MMO & a First Person Shooter..Call of Duty lookout!!

Cataclysm is going to revist the land from the original series, but in a new and unexpected way. For one, flying mounts will be introduced to the original Azeroth. For two, Deathwing has pretty much destroyed the face of it.  Two new races will be introduced to the game. Goblins and Worgens. 7 New Dungeons and 9 New heroic dungeons, 3 New Raids and many many changes to the classes and talent trees.

The Journey begins again for many players who will see 5 new levels taking the level cap from level 80-85.  The playerbase was grinding through the last expansion for over 2 years, so we'll have to see how adding 5 levels to an entire expansion will do. If they miss the mark, a lot of veteran players will be heading for the hills. You can pick the expansion up tonight at midnight at specific stores or stay in the warmth of your home by ordering the game now on Amazon.com.

Squirrel Fail

This is from awhile back, but came across it again today and must say that i just think it is funny.                                      

I imagine the conversation before this epic fail went something like this:

Redneck Squirrel 1 "Hot Dang, did you see that distance I just got"

Redneck Squirrel 2 "That's nothing, I've Got an IDEA!!!"

Wikileaks ..interesting or not?

Wikileaks has been struggling to stay online lately because of "hackers" ...which i'm guessing is government employees... There sure seems to be a lot of effort being put in by different agencies/governments to stop this site from publishing the remaining documents. This tells me that the good stuff is still yet to come. Is Bank of America on the next document dump?  If these document dumps are exposing fraud or anything just as scandalous, is Julian Assange a hero? Is he committing treason and should he be tried as a cyber terrorist?   Is it fair to "Air" these documents under freedom of speech or is it something that should be kept under wraps? It seems opinion is split.

So Your Cat Wants a Massage?

Okay, this is one of the funniest videos i've seen in a while...if not only because i think this lady is serious...What do you think?

TOP TOYS FOR 2010

Every year a magical thing happens. An array of new and exciting toys come out and are sold off the shelves of stores driving both interest, price, and the "musthaveability" of the toy.

Xbox Kinect - This takes motion activated gaming to the next level...conveniently enough, you can't find one on shelves this christmas. I am sure they will trickle in  over the next few weeks to big department stores, but this is definately the hot item this year.  Unlike the Wii, there aren’t any real controllers. It’s wholly voice-activated, and with the 3-D camera and the microphones that come with the system, players are a part of the game. From running in place to throwing objects, the games respond to both their voices and movements, and turning it off is as simple as yelling at your kids. A simple "stop" or a loud shouting "STOP" should do the trick.

Sing a Ma Jigs -  These adorable little critters are hot off the press and selling like crazy. They not only annoy the parents, so make sure to buy a few for your brother in law, but the kids will absolutely love them. Each one has a harmony of their own and each belly squeeze emits the tone. Put a couple together and harmonize to make your own song. Quite a clever idea. Sqeeze their hands and each has their own unique song. This would make a great stocking stuffer!

Dance Star Mickey - Mickey didn't make it on So You Think You Can Dance, so this is his little way of getting even. Take that Consumers!!! This hot toy of 2010 features iconic Mickey Mouse moving and grooving, walking and talking, and more or less interacting with your child. Tap his foot and he'll be on his way to television history....on youtube that is.

Lego Minotaurus -   Lego came out with a boardgame this year that is sure to grab your childs attention. This is a great game for your child to interact with friends and family outside of traditional media of fun like video games and movies. This game is 2-4 players and ages 7+. It utilizes legos trademark blocks and replayability is high.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

This game is dropping December 7th and is sure to be on Kids...(or husband's/boyfriend's) christmas list. If they are fans of the original and the original expansions, this new expansion by Blizzard is sure to keep your children(or boyfriend/husband) busy for hours on end.  Blizzards infamous World of Warcraft is one of the, if not the best selling game of all time. Please note that you must buy the original game and first two expansion in order to play cataclysm. Box sets of the first three are on sale. Also to note, this game is around $14.99 a month to play.