By: SethCardoza - Published: 2010-01-07 09:46:44 in Category: General
Yahoo has an article in finance listing 10 items that are pointless to buy in 2010. There are several items on the list that I will definitely still purchase in 2010 despite Yahoo's flawed logic. The first being DVDs. The article states:
On average, DVDs sell for at least $20 each. That's pricier than signing up for Netflix or renting movies from cable providers' on-demand channels.
I've never paid $20 or more for a DVD. Maybe if you are an idiot and go to a specialty shop to buy the DVD the week it comes out, you will end up paying this much for a DVD. I rarely pay more than $10 for DVDs because I don't mind waiting for them to drop in price after their initial release. It's similar for TV shows on DVD. I've never even paid $20 for a season of a TV show on DVD. While I do expect there to be a further decline in DVD purchase because of Blu-ray, Netflix, and Redbox, I see no reason not to buy a DVD if it's something you will enjoy over and over again.
External hard drives are another item listed, stating that online backup services are the way to go. First, never put all your eggs in one basket. You should have more than one backup, and never rely on someone else to do it for you. Secondly, the article even contradicts itself by stating these online backup services are more expensive than external hard drives. These online services have their benefits, but if you just need a backup of documents and pictures get a couple cheap external hard drives, or even better internal hard drives and an external enclosure.
Next up is compact digital cameras. It seems that in 2010 smaller is not better. Yahoo would have you believe that compact digital cameras are going the way of the pager because of bigger and better DSLR cameras. The problem is that DSLR cameras are much more expensive, and much much larger. While I would love to have a DSLR because I enjoy photography, no one is going to want to bring a these to the club, restaurant, party, etc. to take casual picturs with friends and family.
Update: Gareth makes a great point in the comments, while DSLR cameras probably won't replace compact point and shoot models, cell phone cameras are getting better with each generation. I expect them to be a much more likely replacement as it is a device almost everyone has on them at all times anyway.
Last up is CDs. This is the toughest one for me to argue for continuing buying, and is more of a personal preference. I still haven't paid for a digital download of any audio, but have purchased a few CDs as recently as a week ago. Just like DVDs, CDs can be found rather cheap if you don't mind looking around. I like the fact that I have a physical good for my money, for the same or even a lower price than its digital counterpart. It's easy for me to grab one disc and bring it wherever if that's all I want, but I will most likely rip it to my computer and put it on my mp3 player as well.
The average person will most likely be purchasing these items well through this year. While some are adopting newer and better technologies, not everyone needs to, or has the money to as newer technologies are often more expensive.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-12-16 13:18:44 in Category: General
I've had these shoes for a little over 6 months now. I wear them everyday, but the most I will do with them is a lot of walking at the mall or theme park. Not long after I got them, my heels and the balls of my feet would hurt if I stood for more than a few minutes or walked for a long period of time. I contributed it to the fact that I've been getting lazier and lazier with age. I recently got some Dr. Scholl's insoles though, and in the midst of removing the ones that came with my shoes, I notice that they have become almost paper thin. These things have completely broken down with moderate wear. I threw in the Dr. Scholl's insoles and my feet are feeling great again. Don't buy these shoes, ever.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-12-15 22:29:07 in Category: General
I got this letter from Hand Job customer support today, letting me know that they are working around the clock to deliver my Hand Job, hopefully by Christmas.
Dearest Handjob Consumers,
Thank you so much for your orders!
Due to many recent inquiries, we would like to take this opportunity to assure you that yes, this is a real product. And yes, you will be receiving your very own genuine Handjobs shortly.
We were taken by surprise at the overwhelming response and the number of orders we've received thus far, and we are working very hard to try to get all of your orders to you by Christmas time. Please note that we can make no guarantees, but we will be working around the clock between now and then in an effort to satisfy your wants and desires.
We take Handjobs very seriously, and we truly do appreciate each and every one of you for supporting us. And look forward to many new and exciting developments on the HJ front!
Thank you again, and we look forward to hearing about all the pleasure your heartwarming Handjobs provide this season!
This is a big deal as Comcast already is a large telecommunications company, and fully or partly owns numerous networks already. The really interesting piece is how this will play out for Hulu. NBC owns a part of it along with Fox Entertainment Group and ABC Inc. It could play out any number of ways, but the two big scenarios I see are:
Comcast could take Hulu and run with it giving it a great head start on the competition. Streaming video content will happen whether the cable companies want it or not. Comcast could nurture the already flourishing product and make a ton of money while staying current with technology.
Comcast could do everything in its power to kill Hulu. This is a likely scenario as Comcast already sees it as competition to its traditional cable services, and rightly so. Comcast could hinder further development for Hulu in order to keep traditional cable afloat, thus setting back quality streaming video content in overall as Hulu is one of the largest providers. After all, why innovate when you can just buy the competition.
While I would prefer the former, as it would benefit everyone the most, given Comcast's track record, I expect the latter to be the more likely scenario.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-11-26 00:16:04 in Category: General
The reputation of your business is very important, especially so when you are a small business. Business big and small have branding on their company vehicles, and many small business have advertising on their personal or family vehicles. If you are one of them, remember this next time are on the road. Make sure you are a responsible and courteous driver, and make sure your employees do the same while in a company vehicle. You might think nothing of cutting someone off, or speeding excessively, or not letting someone into your lane, but they might remember that the Joe's Plumbing truck is the one that cut them off, or nearly caused an accident.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-11-18 14:24:28 in Category: General
Yesterday, we saw our first ads via @smashingmag's Twitter feed. There was some outrage about it. People stating they were no longer following them because of it, which I find ridiculous. Smashing Magazine has provided valuable content, tutorials, and information at no charge to its readers. Smashing Magazine needs some way to pay the bills. There may be better ways than advertisements on its site and Twitter feed, but the amount of ads and their placement is by no means unreasonable. I didn't see any of the protesters state that they would gladly pay money for their content for it to be ad free. Smashing Mag quickly posted a poll following the backlash. Initially, it weighed heavily on "No way, I'll unfollow right away!", but the pool seems to have leveled out with the majority of people understanding that "Yes, you need to pay bills eventually." You can view the poll, and let your voice be heard too.
The tweet in question can be found here. As you can see, @smashingmag clearly states that this is an ad. They could have easily pushed this service as something they value without stating that it was a paid advertisement. I like the fact that they are up front about it. Think about how many tweets promote products and services, and now think about how many of them could have been paid for without your knowledge. Think about how many people you follow, and how many tweets come through your stream everyday. I currently follow a modest 59 people, and receive about 200 tweets per day. I don't have time to read every single one of them. Most of any twitter ads will get overlooked as many other tweets do. Twitter ads are not ideal, but depending on their frequency, they are a tolerable way for content providers to make money.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-11-03 22:34:59 in Category: General
The Mythbusters had a recent episode testing if drinking beer and liquor would make you more sick thann drinking just beer. They got the myth wrong in the first place. The real myth is that if you drink beer before liquor you will get sick, but not if you drink liquor before beer.
Their test had Tory and Grant drink the exact same amount of alcohol whether they were drinking beer or mixing beer and liquor. It should be pretty obvious that consuming the exact same amount of alcohol should yeild the same results.
The reason the real myth holds is because, generally, when someone starts drinking beer, and then switches to liquor, they usually have consumed several beers and have a buzz, and then consume a significant amount of liquor. Liquor usually goes down quicker because it is in more concentrated quantities. When someone drinks beer and then liquor, they generally have a stronger buzz, and aren't downing beers left and right. It doesn't matter if you mix beer and liquor, and in what order you mix them in, if you drink too much alcohol, you will pay the price.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-08-25 13:08:57 in Category: General
I recently switched my invoicing system from Simply Invoices to Fresh Books. Simply Invoices was great while I used it, but the complete lack of customer service forced me to switch. Admittedly, I was using their services for free, but I repeatedly requested/suggested new features that would not only benefit me, but all users, with no feedback whatsoever. Maybe this was because I was not a paying customer, but I doubt that even if I was paying for the service, I would have received any feedback. I switched to Fresh Books because they had the features I was looking for. Upon switching, I received a phone call and an email from their customer service making sure that I was satisfied with their services thus far.
If you expect people to pay for your services online, you need to engage your customers. People want to know that there is someone behind the curtain. I don't mean to single out Simple Invoices, they provided a good service to me for free. The problem is that there is plenty of competition on the web. I can easily go elsewhere if I am not satisfied with your service. In this case, I switched to Fresh Books. They not only had the features I was looking for, but followed up with human contact.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-05-05 13:59:32 in Category: General
On a recent project I was working on, I had to have a form submit when the option was changed on a select box. This is a simple task with jQuery. I just had to add a the change() event listener to the appropriate select boxes, and then submit the form. It didn't work though. The event listener worked, but the form would not submit. I tried several solutions, all pretty much the same in the end. None of them worked, and then I realized that I named my submit button "submit". It's a force of habit, something I do without even thinking. It is what caused my solution to break though. "Submit" is a reserved word and it prevented jQuery from submitting my form.
Naming your submit buttons "submit' is not a good idea anyway. It is a bad habit I have, and will now be broken from this point forth. Remember, if you want to submit your form with jQuery, don't name your submit buttons "submit". Better yet, avoid using reserved words at all.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-04-17 20:59:55 in Category: General
My dog, Kona, used to be terrified of my Indo Board. He wouldn't even go near it when it was stationary. But, a few treats and he rides on it with me now.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-03-24 12:38:39 in Category: General
In case you don't know, the Wii Fit is an exercise game for the Wii. There is much debate as to whether or not it is a viable source for exercise. Today, I will explain why both sides are correct.
Why It Works:
Allows you to set goals for BMI and body weight, and track your progress toward those goals
It promotes competition, whether it be to beat your own high score, or beat those that also use your Wii Fit
Why It Doesn't Work:
It is easy to "cheat" at the games, meaning you can still do well but with minimal physical effort.
If you spend most of your time playing the Balance Games, you will not get much exercise.
You have to use the Wii Fit for it to work. Just like any other exercise, it only works if you do it.
The Wii Fit should not be seen as a replacement for a full exercise regiment. In my opinion it is best for times when you cannot make it to the gym, or the weather prevents you from running or biking. It is definitely better than no exercise at all though. Just remember to stay motivated and set achievable goals.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-03-16 20:27:10 in Category: General
I found this nifty little application that lets you generate a custom animated "loading" GIF. There are over 30 different images to choose from, with the ability to customize the color.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-02-06 22:28:56 in Category: General
If you don't know, Last.fm is an internet radio station. You can learn more about the general stuff on the website. This post is about how to discover new music now that you are using Last.fm. Here's a list of some ways to discover new music with Last.fm
Last.fm recommended music station
Listen to an artist
Listen to friend's radio stations
Listen to tags
The easiest way to discover new music is to listen to the Last.fm recommended music station. This is tailored to you based on the music you already listen to. Depending on how diverse your taste in music is, this will play music from numerous genres
Selecting a specific artist will usually play at least one song from that artist, and then similar artists, usually in the same, or similar genres. So if I were to start listening to Rolling Stones, this station would most likely not play Ludacris.
You can befriend people on Last.fm and listen to their radio station. This is a great way to discover new music, especially if your friends have different tastes than you do.
Last, but my favorite, is tags. You can type in a tag, and listen to music that has been tagged with whatever you've typed in. This can be as general as basic genre like, rock, rap, hip-hop, techno, and etc. The really interesting thing is putting in more obscure tags. Some of my recent favorite are, progressive metal, video game rock, mega man, and underground.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-02-01 20:00:02 in Category: General
I had to do a bit of searching to find this, so I figured it would be useful for others. If you're newer to OS X and Quicktime, and are used to using the K-Lite Codec packs for Windows, you're probably wondering what to do for your Mac. Download Perian, and install it. It will be all that you need.
By: SethCardoza - Published: 2009-01-31 14:08:50 in Category: General
Having a hard time losing the weight? Just can't seem to find the time to start learning a new programming language? Make it a contest. Find a friend that wants to achieve a similar goal, and make a friendly competition out of it. Set a goal, lose 5 pounds in a month, write a basic application in the new language in a month's time, the loser buys lunch. It's enough of an incentive to want to beat your friend, but nothing that will ruin the friendship*.
*Seth Cardoza provides no warranty as to the status of your friendship at the end of the contest.
