I just got this in my inbox. Wow, it must be friday…
Feb
27
2009
27
2009
Feb
27
2009
27
2009
Free Alternatives to Photoshop
You may know GIMP, but there are a list of good and free resources for image manipulation and editing.
http://sixrevisions.com/graphics-design/10-excellent-open-source-and-free-alternatives-to-photoshop/
Feb
27
2009
27
2009
80% off your favorite restaurant
My wife really wants to go to a couple of pricey restaurants in and around downtown Austin, so it’s great coming upon this deal:
A $25 certificate for $2. If you order 2 Entrees at a restaurant and your total bill is $40 (and maybe 18% gratuity), that means your effective price is still only $12.10 per plate.
We are thinking of going to Botticelli’s, Asti, and Alborz :)
Bottecelli’s
Feb
26
2009
26
2009
Conceptual musical instruments
I’m surprised that with the variety of musical developments, including video-tracked DJ’s, out there now, that there hasn’t been this type of an instrument designed. When you look at a conceptual design such as the one below, for what could exist for musicians – it doesn’t seem all that out of reach. Look at the Nintendo Wii, it’s essentially become a electronic musical instrument with Rock Band, and the other games available on it. Why isn’t there a more accessible “new instrument” for this generation? Where is the “electronic keyboard” for 2009-2010.
An electronic musical instrument by Petr Hampl
Feb
26
2009
26
2009
Women ages 55 and older are the fastest-growing demographic group on Facebook
Very surprising stats about the growth and transformance of facebook. Impressive, Facebook. Now you just have to fix those pop up windows and the crazy css that some of your third party developers bake into their facebook apps…
Feb
20
2009
20
2009
How Visa Gift Cards can Save the Economy
Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize winning economist, recently noted in an interview that the stimulus package simply isn’t big enough to cover the current need. While this is a hot topic, I think one of his points that I think everyone could agree on is the simple psychology of a recession. When the government starts giving away money to encourage spending in an uncertain economic climate, the natural tendency is to save. From the interview:
“So you’ve only got $600 billion to fill a $2.9 trillion hole.” What’s more, he argued that $350 billion of the package slated for tax cuts will provide some, but not much, stimulus traction because households are likely to save rather than spend large portions of it. That’s the “paradox of thrift,” Krugman noted. Normally, encouraging savings is a great plus for an economy. But in a downturn, households (and businesses) worry about the future more, and decide to conserve resources and spend less — just when spending is needed most.
If we know this will occur en masse, then why can’t we steer the stimulus using specific payment forms.
In other words, Visa Gift Cards! The last time Americans received a check we received it from the Bush Administration via the US Treasury in the form of a check. We had to deposit these or cash them in a bank. However, just by taking a recent encounter with the government as inspiration, the FTC recently conducted their HD TV Converter box rebate program using gift cards. Why could not any consumer-focused stimulus be conducted in the same way. I would be more inclined to go down to Home Depot and Fry’s and spend several hundred dollars on some landscaping materials and maybe a huge HDTV, if it was in the form of a gift card.
Feb
06
2009
06
2009
US Unemployment Higher than France ?
Recently the BBC reported that US Unemployment reached 7.6% in January 2009, a rise of 0.4% from December. As Americans, we have to put this into some perspective. France’s unemployment rate was exactly 7.6% just a few months ago . Since many in the EU expect France’s unemployment rate to reach over 10% this coming year, and as other countries like Spain brace for over 13% unemployment, it leaves many to wonder whether the U.S. will undergo a similar year.
This should put into perspective the tenuous nature of any economy, whether they be ultra-capitalist like the U.S. or more social-capitalist like France.
Great time to be in Forex – if you know what you’re doing.
