Our American Flag
by The American Illuminati.
Our Capitol
by The American Illuminati.
Our First Flag
by The American Illuminati.
VeriFone Payware Mobile iPhone peripheral looking ready to square off with, er, Square originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsThere is no doubt that the Republican Party as a whole has behaved more like � tax and spend� Democrats, than fiscally responsible Republicans in recent years. The GOP has paid for this behavior with huge losses in both the 2006 and ...
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 Christian Science Monitor | Memo to Washington: We Are Not a Conservative Country - Dec 11 Beyond Chron 11� 2009 �We are a conservative country.� It's a myth the corporate media repeats regardless of the facts. It's the excuse progressives get � and too often ... GOP infighting shakes party Reader Commentaries: Reforming the Democratic Party? The Republican 'purity test' (part three) |
JPostChief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar ruled Sunday that a 13-year-old boy who passed away over the weekend in Madrid had to be buried in a separate burial ...
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Filed under: Video Games, Breaking News
Report Confirms That 16% of Xbox 360s Are Broken originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Fisker
Continue reading Danish crown prince to drive Fisker Karma prototype to climate conference
Danish crown prince to drive Fisker Karma prototype to climate conference originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind
The Daily Grind: Virtual worlds, real gifts originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Social Analyst is a weekly column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space.
When a group of people starts discussing social media, it usually takes only a few seconds until it becomes a discussion about the most popular and widely used social media tools. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube dominate the discussion today.
If you think a few years back though, it was a completely different story. At its peak in 2001, America Online — AOL — was a behemoth worth $240 billion. Now it’s not even worth $3 billion. MySpace, once the world’s largest social network, has seen its traffic plummet and 30 percent of its staff fired. They were the kings of their eras.
MySpace and AOL (and their execs) are facing similar challenges as they try to turn their respective companies around. What’s more interesting though is the similarities in their strategies and why their strategies are sound.
Recent History: MySpace and AOL
Before I dig into the similarities between the AOL and MySpace situations, it’s necessary to know how they got to this point.
Let’s start with AOL. In 2000, it bought media giant Time Warner for $184 billion. Take a moment to really think about the enormity of that number. It’s the worth of Twitter times 184. That’s enough to buy Apple, Inc. right now, with several billion to spare.
Right after the merger/acquisition though, AOL’s ISP and dial-up business went down the tubes, and so did AOL’s worth. Fast forward to this year, when we learned that AOL would spin off from Time Warner. Just a few days ago, the separation became official and AOL started trading on Wall Street. Its current market worth is $2.59 billion, 1/90 of what it was worth less than a decade ago.
While MySpace didn’t see its worth get cut in such dramatic fashion, its fall from grace is something for the history books. It launched in August 2003, got acquired in July 2005 by News Corp, and continued to grow. At least, until Facebook came into the picture. Fueled by college students and a savvy team that launched feature after feature, Facebook grew like a weed while MySpace’s growth completely stalled.
MySpace has been in crisis mode ever since. News Corp fired its CEO, removed the iconic Tom from management, and replaced them with Owen Van Natta, a former Facebook executive. MySpace is starting to stabilize, but it has resulted in a sizable hit to its web traffic and its staff.
The Evolution from Technology to Content
So what went wrong? While you can blame bad decisions (like completing the worst merger in history), that’s really not what doomed AOL or MySpace. No, what took these companies to the brink was the outdated technology they offered to consumers.
AOL’s core business in the ’90s was dial-up Internet, which was wildly profitable then. Now, it’s a joke. Cable Internet, DSL and wireless made AOL’s technology obsolete, and it wasn’t able to respond. MySpace’s social networking technology, while groundbreaking, was messy and limited. In retrospect, it had no chance against Facebook’s technology, especially news feed, the Facebook Platform, and Facebook Connect.
What some people don’t realize though is that both companies have already conceded defeat on the technology front. MySpace knows it won’t beat Facebook, and AOL knows that it won’t ever be the leading ISP again. Once they internally realized this, they began to evolve into content companies.
Let me explain what that means and how it’s quietly been happening:
AOL: While there were signs of AOL’s transition, the change really began when AOL bought blog network Weblogs (publishers of Engadget, Joystiq, and other blogs) and begun to build out an online news operation. Now, AOL has more than 3,000 freelancers and 150 full-time journalists. The still-popular AOL portal drives traffic to all of these in-house publications. They even moved their headquarters from Virginia to New York in order to help grow their advertising operation.
MySpace: Take a look at the Twitter stream for MySpace. You’ll find that it is now filled with music and celebrity content. Years ago, MySpace was about networking with your friends, but now the company is focused on entertainment channels such as MySpace Music, New Moon partnerships, and MySpace Music Videos. The biggest sign that they’re refocusing on content, though, is the news that MySpace may boast widespread Facebook Connect functionality by the first half of 2010. That would have never happened if MySpace still aspired to beat Facebook in social networking technology.
AOL and MySpace Have the Right Strategy
Each company has taken a different (but similarly bumpy) path to get to this point. The question now is: Will their strategies succeed?
Before even answering that, we have to define “success” for these companies. If you define success as these companies returning to their former glory, then you’re simply deluding yourself: MySpace and AOL will never regain what they once had. Instead, success should simply mean that they don’t crater any further and, in fact, begin a turnaround with slow but consistent growth.
Both companies have the right idea with their shift in strategy and focus. Instead of trying to attract new audiences with better technology (a losing proposition), bring them in by churning out content. Online content creation is in demand (more so with the rise of article sharing on social media channels) and each company has preexisting audiences that are not only consuming it, but helping share it to others.
MySpace and AOL are no longer technology companies; they are content companies. When they realized that they couldn’t win in technology, the switched. In my estimation, they are making the right moves to ensure that both companies don’t simply disappear or become the next BusinessWeek.
Reviews: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube
Tags: aol, Ben Parr, content, facebook, myspace, The Social Analyst
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Guilds, Instances, Raiding
How reputation governs the game originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Biz, Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead Series, Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands
Modern Warfare 2 continues to stay on top of Steam's top 10 sales list originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TeliaSonera launches world's first LTE network, awaits phones eagerly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Newswire, TeliaSonera | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Game mechanics, Opinion, Academic
The metagame and its importance to MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mashable is proud to present the Zappos.com Sharing Happiness Giveaway Contest!
We’ve received so many great responses/entries to our big question, �How do you use the web to improve your life and/or make people happy?�
But you can still add more by #SharingHappiness in the comments section of our original post for a chance to win a $3,000 shopping spree at Zappos.com!
Entries are due by Tuesday, December 15th at 11:59 PM PT, and we’ll announce a winner on December 16th. Be sure to read the contest rules before posting and tweeting. Note that comments on this post will not be counted as contest entries. Go here for your chance to enter.
8 Ways to Share Happiness on the Web:
To keep the holiday cheer flowing, we’ve highlighted some of the most inspiring submissions so far. These are some great ideas for sharing happiness on the web:
I use the web to publish my blog about caregiving for my disabled wife. Being a caregiver for a loved one can be a very isolating experience. My blog helps other caregivers to remember that they aren’t alone.
Herb Hernandez:
One example: helping dog rescue by acting as their webmaster, managing Twitter account and Facebook page. We’ve saved literally hundreds of dogs over the past few years.
Bonnie Jean Weinman:
My sister lost her job and is in danger of losing her house. I use the web and twitter to research ways for her to network and get another job and save her house.
I use the web to promote education and computer literacy by creating a community of gifted online people to help get our message out about donating money to educational scholarships for women in dire need, free computer classes for disadvantaged women, laptop donation programs for young girls and women who have no money, and many more causes to get everyone more education for school and job skills. Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Ning, and others have helped us so much gain a loyal community that is always ready to help anything we do. We would never be able to get technology into the hands of the people who need it most without the web! Thank you to everyone who helps us day after day get the message out!
I use the Web to link Execumamas to each other at various stages in their journeys toward successfully integrating motherhood and business! What makes me most proud of what I do on the Web is my ability to inspire women who are apprehensive/nervous/afraid about pursuing their career goals for fear of compromising their roles as mothers. I still get emails that make me cry in appreciation of what I’m able to do!
I am a teacher and I use the web to develop videos in sign language so that my deaf kids would be able to have tutorial, language acquisitions, and social development at home or anywhere. Basically, it is not limited to only my deaf kids but to anyone. The web is a amazing tool to spread knowledge.
I use the web to fundraise for breast cancer research. It makes me happy to help others. #SharingHappiness
RENONFL:
I am always searching the web to find schrolarships for my three children to continue college. I want them to have a better life than I. To give them an education so they can become young adults that make a positive difference in the world sounds wonderful to me. I love my kids and want the most life can give them.
How do you use the social web to spread happiness and help others? Share your experience in the comments section of our original post for a chance to win a $3,000 shopping spree at Zappos.com!
To Enter
1. Leave your answer in the comments section on the original post and/or,
2. Tweet out your answer with the hashtag �#SharingHappiness� (Be sure to leave the URL of your Twitter comment in your comment on the original post.)
Contest Rules & Restrictions
You must be 18+ years of age and currently reside in one of the 50 US States. If you would like to participate but are not of valid age/residence, please note �not eligible� in your comment on the original post. By submitting, you are agreeing to the full rules and restrictions. Final entries are due on this post by Tuesday, December 15th at 11:59 PM PT.
A Big Thanks to Zappos!
�Visit Zappos.com and outfit your life with a new head-to-toe wardrobe for men, women, and kids! Step into all the clothes, bags, shoes and more from all your favorite brand names! Plus, enjoy our 365-day return policy, fast & free shipping, free return shipping & 24-hour customer service!�
Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, Twitter
Tags: contest, Contests, sharing happiness, sharinghappiness, Zappos
Filed under: Debt, Saving Money, Retirement advice
WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with Frank Armstrong -- founder of Investors Solutions and author of several books including "Save Your Retirement" (FT Press) -- on what Gen Xers and Gen Yers need to do to have a happy retirement.In the days following AOL’s relaunch as a separate company, CEO Tim Armstrong is already looking to jettison some of its properties that take away from its new focus as a digital content producer. That means getting rid of properties and assets that don’t contribute to the AOL brand and that don’t focus heavily on AOL’s goals for the future.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, AOL is in talks to sell ICQ, the once prominent — but now archaic — instant messaging service. The Wall Street Journal also says that Bebo, the social network AOL acquired in 2008 for a jaw-dropping $850 million, may be on the block.
In the ensuing 20 months, Bebo hasn’t quite turned out to be the profit center AOL hoped it would be. Although traffic was up after a redesign in February, Bebo has continued to languish as European users migrate to Facebook, like the rest of the world.
Spending nearly $1 billion on Bebo — which at this point is nearly a third of AOL’s valuation as a separate entity — was just one of many, many missteps for the former web titan.
With ICQ, the situation is a bit less embarrassing. AOL acquired ICQ in 1998 for $287 million. At the time, ICQ was a huge competitor to AOL’s AIM service, which had only recently become available to non-AOL subscribers. The Wall Street Journal says that ICQ’s potential buyer, Facebook investor Digital Sky Technologies, could pay as much as $300 million for the service. That’s not bad for a service that has never had a strong association with the AOL brand.
It’s fascinating how quickly Armstrong is making moves to streamline AOL into a leaner, more focused company. What are you thoughts on the new AOL? Where does the Bebo acquisition rank in the company’s long line of bad business moves?
Times are tough. The economy is still struggling and the holiday season makes our bank accounts hemorrhage money. I've even had to make cuts at the SkyMall Monday headquarters. I've stopped purchasing a new King-sized bed every three months and found a new way to sleep comfortably. Everyone's budgets are tight and discretionary income is hard to find. It's difficult to take women out on dates, let alone impress them with opulent gifts and vacations. So how do you survive these trying fiduciary times and not let the winter doldrums leave you feeling defeated and alone? How can you let people know that you're not only surviving the financial crisis but thriving in it? How can you do all of these things while handsomely adorning your home? Well, you should know by now that you can do all of these things by turning to the ol' SkyMall catalog. Save your money, don't get on your employer's bad side by taking vacation days and don't seek comfort in the supportive embrace of a loved one. Instead, pretend to do all of these things by showing off your Sand Names Print.
Continue reading SkyMall Monday: Sand Names Print
SkyMall Monday: Sand Names Print originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Television used to be full of space skirmishes... that looked kind of bogus. And yet, they're totally beautiful and make our inner children giggle with excitement. Here's why we love the faux space battles.
The 1990s were really the heydey for wonderful but not-quite-convincing space skirmishes. We used to see tons of ships flying around our screen, often too many to count. Unlike Battlestar Galactica's quick cuts and weird handheld camera footage, these 1990s space wars were usually filmed with an unflinching eye or a slow pan, letting you see every computer-generated line and explosion.
And it's totally awesome.
You can compare these massive space shoot-outs to video games, but it's not entirely accurate — because the absolute best of these TV shoot-em-ups have more sensory overload, and you can't even imagine trying to interact with them. (I have seen a few video game cut scenes that approach this level of overload though.) You get ships flying in every possible direction, or a hundred individual starships on screen at once, and all you can do is sit there and drool. It doesn't look real, but your imagination fills in the gaps, which only makes it better.
That's really the key — these space battles are super elaborate and over the top, and that helps them draw on your imagination.
Remember when you used to imagine what a whole fleet of Federation and Klingon Starships flying into battle would look like? And then Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finally gave it to us, and it was completely unreal looking, yet amazing:
It wasn't really until the 1990s when you could have tons of ships flying in formation, like these SA-43 Hammerheads from Space: Above And Beyond:
Possibly my favorite 1990s CG space battles came from Babyon 5, however. They were even cheaper looking than Trek's battles, but even more ambitious. Look how much stuff they pack into every frame of these battles. And every penny they don't have for CG effects is more than made up for by the conviction of the actors:
For people who grew up on space battles as shown on the original Trek, Space: 1999, Blake's 7 or even the first few seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, these dogfights are revelatory. If space battles in the late 1970s and 1980s were all about trying to match the dog-fighting feel of Star Wars, then 1990s space battles were all about massive fleets going at it, sustaining massive casualties and fighting on. And yes, the massive casualties are a big part of why these battles rock so hard — you don't ever quite believe that each of those Federation starships has hundreds of crewmembers aboard, dying every time there's another flare on your screen, but it's still kind of horrifying and exciting to think so.
It really is all about suspension of disbelief — these battles ask more suspension of disbelief from you, but they give more back as well.
Here's some amazing battle footage, showing crowds of ships swarming, in this snippet from Andromeda as well. (Skip the first minute or so of this video):
And some awe-inspiring Farscape action:
And then there's Doctor Who's fake but oh-so-lovely Dalek fleet:
I suspect that we'll see a wave of nostalgia for these 1990s-style fleet-on-fleet battles, one of these days. Just like today, geeks feel nostalgic for guns that went "pew-pew-pew" and models roaring around fake starfields, in another decade everyone will be discovering the beauty of computer-generated space mayhem.
For now, though, the only place you can get this kind of star-fighting (in the United States, anyway) is on Syfy:
Filed under: Columns, Economy, People, Investing, Media
It's hard to believe, but a year has passed since Bernard Madoff admitted to his sons that his financial empire was built on an elaborate scam. In the ensuing months, Madoff has inspired an ongoing lesson in banking scandals, as the media has reported on his conviction and sentencing, the auction of his possessions and the accusations of his alleged lovers. Ironically, on the first anniversary of history's biggest Ponzi scheme, yet another massive money scam has come to light.
On December 22, 2008, as the country was caught in the first flush of Madoff mania, 32-year old Genadi Yagodayev opened his own investment company, Rockford Funding Group LLC. Located at 80 Broad Street, in New York's financial district, Rockford claimed to be a "leading private equity firm" with $800 million in investments. Offering "fixed dividend accounts" with returns of up to 21%, Yagodayev used cold calls and his website to attract customers who were receiving structured settlements from personal injury and malpractice suits.
Continue reading A year after Madoff, another Ponzi schemer
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Geez, I can hardly standing turning on the computer anymore. Here's a pdf of the enjoinder issued by Judge Nina Gershan in Brooklyn, NY. She may be.
Read More... [Source: Conservative - Google Blog Search]
Glenn Greenwald correctly observes that Obama is more dangerous to liberty and peace than Bush. However, he's stumped by Obama's appeal to both liberals and.
Read More... [Source: Conservative - Google Blog Search]
Gay and Catholic: Students still organize at DC's conservative Catholic University Metro Weekly ''We might not be an official group, but we're winning. We have our own community.... It's empowering.'' Robby Diesu, a senior at Catholic University, ... |
Pink and blue Wiimotes coming Valentine's Day originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
