Facebook Seeks to Export Its Network Across The Web.

{ April 28, 2009 @ 3:05 am } · { culture, entertainment, family, news, technology }
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facebookFacebook regularly attracts more than 200 million people to its website, but the company is now looking for ways to permeate the lives of its users without the need to check-in to the Facebook site.

The Palo Alto, California company unveiled tools on Monday that allow third-party Web developers to harness the wealth of content generated by Facebook users and to build new online products and services.

Facebook said in a blog post announcing the so-called Open Stream API that Facebook’s user-generated content could ultimately be available in a variety of places, from new online services that do not require a Web browser to specialized cell phone applications.

“In the coming months, you’ll be able to interact with your stream on even more websites and through more applications, in ways we’re only beginning to imagine,” Facebook engineer Justin Bishop wrote on the Facebook blog.

The latest move represents Facebook’s most significant effort to export its content across the Web and comes as Facebook continues to struggle to parlay the massive traffic on its website into meaningful revenue.

“The overall goal for Facebook is to be the platform for connecting, whether it be on Facebook or outside Facebook. So I think having both strategies is pretty smart,” said IDC analyst Caroline Dangson.

Dangson says Facebook could eventually create an advertising network by forging revenue-sharing agreements with companies that build products based on content from Facebook users.

As a private company, Facebook does not disclose its financial information. Some media reports have projected that Facebook’s revenue could range between $400 million and $500 million this year.

The two most popular U.S. online properties, Google Inc and Yahoo Inc, generated $5.5 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively, in the first quarter alone.

Facebook has increasingly positioned the news stream — the barrage of status messages, photos and videos that users post for viewing by their network of friends — as the centerpiece of its service. Last month, the company redesigned its homepage, giving the news stream much greater prominence.

Allowing other companies to leverage the news stream takes a page from the playbook of microblogging start-up Twitter, which has fostered a growing network of innovative websites and services based on the content generated by Twitter users.

Facebook will be hosting a small event for developers at its headquarters later on Monday to brief them on the Open Stream API.

Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

Myrtle Beach Area Fire Still Seething.

{ April 26, 2009 @ 10:28 pm } · { news, on line services }
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100_1347Myrtle Beach area fire still seething, but containment efforts are paying off. A study in contrasts, a pristine slate house on Woodlawn Drive stands in front of a landscape of charred trees and blackened soil.

The burned soil sits within 15 feet of the home’s neat garden, and firefighters huddle near a truck watching the smoldering plumes, vigilant in case they should flare.

With a total of 76 homes destroyed in a wildfire that began Wednesday afternoon, emergency workers focused Saturday on continued containment and preventing refires.

04-24-09/Friday—-Neighbors and friends hug from left, Cindy Cumbo, her mother Jo Ann Portteus and Kathy Kuhn, during a break in the search for keep shake Friday in front of the Portteus home in North Myrtle Beach. Bob and Jo Ann Portteus had the helps of their three daughters and their families as residents living in the fireÕs affected areas were allowed back to their homes Friday to check on the status of their homes. 

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At about 8 p.m. Saturday about 85 percent of the blaze was contained, said spokesman Scott Hawkins, with the state forestry commission. Most major roads except S.C. 31 have been reopened and all shelters have closed.

The reported number of acres damaged fell from about 20,500 acres to 19,600 acres Saturday due to better access to geographic informations system mapping data, Hawkins said.

“Fortunately we expect the winds to be calm tonight,” Hawkins said. “We’re expecting single-digit wind speed.”

South Carolina Forestry Commission workers put in fire breaks behind many of the homes and around communities already ravaged by the wildfires.

Forestry Commission Technician Nelson Wilson used his bulldozer to create a 50-foot-wide lane clear of debris, which serves as fuel for fires. The break Wilson was working on will help to protect The Farms subdivision, which sits within the Carolina Forest community.

The building of homes so close to forested areas removes the buffer between homes and wildfire-prone areas, he said.

“Everybody wants to go out and live in the woods,” Wilson said. “You just have to accept the risk that goes with it.”

The home on the 2100 block of Woodlawn Drive was an example of an area susceptible to flare-ups.

At about 2:50 p.m. Blackhawk helicopters with the S.C. Army National Guard dumped several large sacks filled with 750 gallons of water in the neighborhood after a flare-up. Nelson was also deployed.

“We just keep getting flare-ups here and there, and we are keeping an eye,” said Horry County Fire Rescue spokesman Todd Cartner.

He said crews will be keeping an eye on the homes along S.C. 90 overnight to make sure the emanating smoke does not result in more fire.

Crews were also able to prevent the fire on the Carolina bays from spreading to further to the Grand Strand Water and Sewer treatment plant. A fire break has been put in, Hawkins said.

  • Still on alert:

With dry weather and droughtlike conditions expected for at least the next 10 days, state and officials said Saturday they are prepared for another wildfire of the same magnitude.

The S.C. Forestry Commission has issued a statewide burning ban to help deter residents from starting fires. And fire departments from across the state have been put on standby if another wildfire breaks out in the area.

“All of our regions are operating at a high level of readiness,” said Holly Welch of the forestry commission. “This is our fire season, March and April, so we’re ready.”

The area is expected to stay in a warm, dry weather pattern for the foreseeable future, according to Tim Armstrong, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington N.C.

There is a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm from Wednesday night until Friday as a cold front drops through the area, Armstrong said. But the chance of rain is only 10 percent to 20 percent. ”We just don’t see much changing,” Armstrong said.

Rainfall totals in the Myrtle Beach area are already 5 inches below normal.Parts of South Carolina, as far east as Cheraw in Chesterfield County, received up to an inch of rain on Friday.

Forestry Commission and Horry County Fire Rescue officials said they are approaching the next week on a day-by-day basis. All wardens and foresters with the Forestry Commission are required to remain within a 10-minute drive of their equipment, Welch said.

Cartner said 28 other fire agencies from the state are battling the blaze here, and others are ready. ”At any given time they can be deployed,” Cartner said.

That has allowed local rescue officials in Horry County, Myrtle Beach, Conway, Murrells Inlet-Garden City Beach, Surfside Beach and Loris to properly man their stations and prepare for any potential wildfires.

Cartner said most of the task forces set up to fight the blazes in certain areas are represented by two or three Horry County Fire Rescue members. There were nearly 20 task forces battling the blazes on Friday, Cartner said.

  • Donations pour in:

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation donated $100,000 on Saturday to the Coastal South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross to assist victims of this week’s wildfire.

The contribution will provide food and water to firefighters and give temporary shelter to those with limited transportation.

“Knight has a long-standing relationship with Myrtle Beach, through good and bad times,” said Susan Patterson, Knight Foundation’s program director for Myrtle Beach. “Right now, our community is rallying. Knight Foundation is here to support this joint effort.”

Angela Nicholas, chief executive officer of the local Red Cross agency, said her organization has been a “good partner” with the Knight Foundation for many years.

“Obviously this is a very generous donation and a tremendous support to this disaster relief effort,” Nicholas said. “This will mean a great deal in support our efforts as we provide the necessary emergency services to our community.”

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in 26 U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers.

The Sun News is one of the 26 newspapers previously owned by the Knight brothers.

United Way of Horry County has activated a 211 telephone number statewide for all donations and referrals regarding the Horry County Wildfires. The line is open 24 hours a day. Out of state residents can dial 877-648-9900 and will be transferred to an S.C. 211 representative.

Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

Google Voice II.

{ April 26, 2009 @ 5:13 pm } · { culture, education, entertainment, family, internet business, on line services, technology }
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voice-logo-1Google Voice is a service that gives you one number for all your phones, voicemail that is easy as email, and many enhanced calling features like call blocking and screening, voicemail transcripts, call conferencing, international calls, and more.

Google Voice is currently available for GrandCentral users only, but will be open to new users soon.

Google Voice gives you one number for all your phones — a phone number that is tied to you, not to a device or a location. Use Google Voice to simplify the way you use phones, make using voicemail as easy as email, customize your callers’ experience, and more.

Google Voice isn’t a phone service, but it lets you manage all of your phones. Google Voice works with mobile phones, desk phones, work phones, and VoIP lines. There’s nothing to download, upload, or install, and you don’t have to make or take calls using a computer.

Google Voice will let you define which phones ring, based on who’s calling, and even let you ListenInTM on voicemail before answering the call. Google Voice uses smart technology to route your calls. So, if you’re already on a Google Voice call, we’ll recognize it and use call waiting to reach you on the phone you’re on.

With Google Voice, you get all your calls through a single number. Just add your other numbers to Google Voice and then make your own rules for how your phones ring. Click the Settings link on the right side of the page and click the Phones tab to change your phone settings and add the numbers you want to foward your calls to.

You can access and make calls from the phone and the Web, block annoying callers at will, and record custom greetings for different callers or groups of callers.

With Google Voice, you’ll get all your voicemails in one place, saved for as long as you want. If you don’t answer a call to your Google number, your callers will be sent to your Google voicemail. You can check messages by calling your Google number, by signing in to Google Voice, or by opting in to receive notifications.

At this time Google Voice is only available in the U.S

If you have found this article to be resourceful and informative to you in any way, please leave your comments.

 Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

10 Smart Ways To Save.

{ April 26, 2009 @ 1:05 pm } · { banking, consulting, culture, economy, education, family, finance }
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10-savings-creditRecession-scarred Americans are spending less and saving more–or at least those who still have jobs are saving. That makes this a good time to conquer the maze of tax-favored special accounts you can use for retirement and college saving. Should you put your money in a 401(k)? A Roth IRA? A spousal IRA? A 529 college savings plan? Old fashioned taxable accounts? Which investments should you hold where? Here’s a guide to get your through:

  • Grab That 401(k) Match:

If you already have an emergency fund and you’re offered a 401(k) at work, contribute enough of your salary to snag your employer’s full match–if you’ve got one. Typically, if you contribute 6% of your pay, your employer will chip in 3% or more. But during the recession, some companies have cut or eliminated matches. Plus, it’s tough to get your money out of a 401(k) early without paying a 10% penalty as well as taxes. So if you lack a match, or might need cash soon for an emergency, a house purchase or graduate school, fund a Roth IRA first.

  • Open a Roth IRA:

You don’t get a tax deduction for opening a Roth IRA, but after age 59 1/2, all withdrawals are tax-free. More importantly, you can withdraw your initial contributions without tax or penalty at any time for any reason–something you can’t do from a 401(k) or a deductible IRA. For 2009, you can stash $5,000 a person ($6,000 if you’re 50 or older) in a Roth. High-income folks can’t open Roth IRAs; eligibility for 2009 begins to phase out at $105,000 of adjusted gross income for a single and $166,000 for a married couple.

  • Use Taxable Accounts Too:

If you own stocks or mutual funds in a taxable account, you’ve likely racked up big paper losses. Harvest those losses, by selling what you own and investing in similar securities. Only $3,000 of capital losses a year can be used to offset taxes on your salary, but remaining losses can be carried forward to offset future gains. If your savings are now locked in retirement accounts, start investing through a taxable account too; you’ll have more freedom to use your own money when you want to.

  • Consider a Roth 401(k):

If you can save still more, fatten your 401(k). The maximum employee contribution for 2009 is $16,500, or $22,000 for workers 50 and older. That includes contributions to both a pre-tax 401(k) and a Roth 401(k), if you’re offered this variation. You put after tax dollars in a Roth and withdrawals in retirement are tax free. The Roth makes sense if you’re young and expect to earn more and pay a higher tax rate in the future. Favor a pre-tax 401(k) if your federal and state combined rate will fall in retirement–say you’re moving from New York or California to a low-tax state.

  • Boost Returns With Smart Asset Location:

You can boost your after-tax returns by adjusting which assets you hold in which accounts. Taxable bonds belong in a pretax 401(k) or IRA, since they throw off ordinary income, which would otherwise be taxed each year at high rates. Taxable accounts should hold individual stocks (these offer better opportunities for capital loss harvesting) or index funds. Put assets with the highest growth potential in a tax free Roth–unless you’re using the Roth as an emergency fund. If so, go for a safe pick, such as a money market fund.

  • Play the Conversion Game:

In a conversion, you take money out of a pre-tax IRA, pay ordinary income taxes on it (preferably with funds from outside the IRA) and roll it into a Roth, where all future growth is tax free. With stocks off 50%, this is the time to convert. Only those with adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less (before the amount converted) can convert in 2009, but that income cap is supposed to come off in 2010.The best part: If your stocks fall after you convert, you can undo the conversion and not pay tax.

  • Use a 529 College Savings Plan:

If you’re saving for your kids’ college, use a 529 state college savings account, not a child’s UTMA or UGMA account; the kiddie tax and financial aid rules have made these a trap. You don’t get a federal tax deduction for putting money in a 529, but you get tax-free growth–withdrawals aren’t taxed if used for college. Plus, 34 states and the District of Columbia give residents a tax break for contributing to their own state’s plan.

  • Open a Spousal IRA:

A husband or wife who isn’t employed outside the home can put $5,000 a year ($6,000 if he or she is 50 or older) into a “spousal” IRA each year, so long as his or her partner has earned income. A couple can take a deduction for a pre-tax IRA, or fund an after-tax Roth. In 2009, eligibility for this break begins to phase out at $166,000 of adjusted gross income for a couple. By contrast, eligibility for a traditional deductible IRA for a working spouse with a 401(k) begins to phase out at $63,000 for a couple. (There is no phase-out for a couple without any workplace plans.)

  • Consider a Health Savings Account:

Money goes into this account pre-tax and can be withdrawn tax-free to pay health expenses. For 2009, you can put a maximum of $5,950 pretax dollars for a family or $3,000 for an individual in an HSA, plus an extra $1,000 for any family member 55 or older. To be eligible for an HSA, your health insurance must have a deductible of at least $2,300 for a family or $1,150 for individual coverage. HSAs work best if you’re healthy and wealthy–you pay current health bills from other funds, and let the HSA grow tax free for health care in retirement.

  • Snag the Saver’s Credit:

If your income is modest, you can claim a Retirement Savings Contributions Credit on the first $2,000 you contribute per adult ($4,000 for a married couple) to an IRA or 401(k). The credit is in addition to the deduction for what you put in a pre-tax IRA. The credit is for 10% to 50% of your contribution–or $200 to $1,000 per person, with the amount falling as income rises. For 2009, married couples can get a 10% credit with adjusted gross income of between $36,001 and $55,500; singles with income between $18,001 and $27,750.

If you have found this article to be resourceful and informative to you in any way,please leave your comment.

 Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

Good Snook Fishing.

{ April 25, 2009 @ 10:35 pm } · { culture, education, entertainment, family, news, sports }
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bildeThe no-whining rule in a weekend tournament was willfully and wantonly broken as anglers were whipped by high winds Friday, and then suffered glassy conditions that make fish too wary on Saturday.

Even so, snook fishing took a significant upturn, although catching a keeper ain’t easy. Only four of 51 teams in the Edison Big Snook tournament scored their boat limit of two snook for both tournament days.

Mangrove snapper have been the biggest plus on the fishing scene, with some limit catches inshore and some very nice size fish reported offshore.

Trout continued to run big and fat, and redfish action was reported picking up in the bays, as well.

Tarpon action was off as winds lashed open bay waters.

Bass fishing got good all around Lake Okeechobee’s littoral zones, as post-spawn bass began moving out of the back country.

SNOOK: Dick Trembly hooked a large snook in Alligator Bay, and Sarasota Capt. Pete Greenan caught two snook in Cannon Bay on a trip to the Ten Thousand Islands last week.

The Gandt family of Long Island, N.Y. found the snook biting Gulp! jerkbaits and hand-picked shrimp in the Horseshoe Keys and along Estero Bay’s East Wall, where they picked off 11 to 31 inches, plus three crevalle jacks to 7 pounds on a Sea Monster Charter Wednesday with Capt. Joe Koch.

St. James City Capt. John Bunch tossed out a Yo-Zuri Sashimi lure while he was gassing up at the Moss Marina fuel dock in Matanzas Pass, and pulled in a nice little snook.

Two Bait Box customers reported hot snook fishing Wednesday at the Sanibel Pier, where one caught two undersize, one oversize and one slot fish, and another released four barely undersize snook and two large black drum. A few snook also were reported biting in the murky water along Sanibel’s northern beaches, but the linesides being seen along Wildlife Drive (closed Fridays) in the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge had lockjaw.

Lehr’s Economy Tackle in North Fort Myers reports good snook action in the creeks of lower Matlacha Pass and the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, although keepers were rare.

If you are interested about top secret techniques of professional Bass Fishing go to:  www.http://www.largemouthbassextreme.com 

 Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

Mega Million. Your Own Economic Stimulus Package.

{ April 25, 2009 @ 7:05 pm } · { culture, family, news, on line services }
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logoLooking for your own personal economic stimulus package? Would $181 million do the trick?

 

That’s the estimated jackpot in Tuesday night’s Mega Millions lottery.

The jackpot climbed after no one matched all six numbers — 9, 20, 21, 48, 49 and the “Mega Ball” of 7 — in Friday night’s drawing.

One ticket matched the first five numbers and is worth $250,000.

Friday night’s roll-over is the 12th since March 13, when a ticket sold in New York matched all numbers for $26 million, Georgia Lottery officials said.

Mega Millions, the game that holds the record for the largest jackpot in North American history, began on August 31, 1996 as the Big Game. The first drawing took place on September 6, 1996, with six states participating: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia.

After exciting growth of the game in 1997, a Tuesday drawing was added in February 1998. Players were given a larger choice of numbers and a “cash payout” option in January 1999. In May 1999, New Jersey became the seventh member state.

In May 2002, the multi-state game was given the new name of “Mega Millions,” New York and Ohio became member states, and the game matrix and prize amounts were changed to offer players more excitement.

In September 2002, Washington became the 10th member state, followed by Texas in December 2003. In June 2005, California became the 12th member, solidifying Mega Millions as the country’s most widely played multi-state jackpot game.

On March 6, 2007, Mega Millions again made history with a jackpot of $390 million – setting the record for the largest jackpot in North America.

Mega Millions tickets cost $1.00 per play.

Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers – five different numbers from 1 to 56 and one number from 1 to 46 – or select Easy Pick. You win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.

What if you win the jackpot?

Annuity option: Provides 26 annual payments. For every $1,000,000 in the jackpot, you will receive approximately $38,500 per year before taxes.

Cash option: A one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.

In addition to the jackpot, there are other prizes ranging from $2 to $250,000.

The rollover occurred because no player matched all the winning numbers from Friday night’s $155 million drawing.

The next Mega Millions drawing will be Tuesday night.

Although there was no grand prize winner, 13 players won second prizes of $250,000 apiece. Another 72 players won third prizes of $10,000 apiece.

Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

Personal Finances: Clean Up and Save.

{ April 25, 2009 @ 1:27 pm } · { culture, education, family, finance }
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1234763691ucnt46Make yourself more attractive to lenders by cleaning up your personal finances.

It’s never a bad time to take a hard look at your personal finances. You can clean up your fiscal household by applying a few simple steps to make yourself more appealing to lenders for mortgage, auto and home improvement loans.

  • Check your credit:

With an estimated 60 percent of information on credit reports outdated or incorrect, it’s best to inspect your report annually.

For example, you’re not unlikely to find factual errors and inaccuracies related to your current employer or salary. Since it’s imperative to correct such errors before applying for credit and agencies can’t remove bad marks from your file unless instructed by the creditor, the best thing to do is contact the creditor yourself.

  • Strike a balance:

Think your credit is excellent because you always pay cash, never financed a car or even had a credit card? Think again.

Regrettably, such responsible behavior can be as detrimental toward being approved for a loan as a poor credit history. Lenders want to see how well you handle your finances, and if you have no credit history, they can’t make a judgment. So, if you have no credit, you must get some.

Still, several creditors are more accepting of those with little credit history than a bad one. Department stores, gasoline stations and furniture stores that want to encourage you to shop their stores are good places to start.

Conversely, too much credit can work against you. In the eyes of lenders, a fist full of credit cards is as bad as none, indicating you have too much available credit. If you have several cards, close out most of them, consolidating to one or two.

  • Be your own financial planner:

Beyond strong credit, you need to assert self-control on personal spending habits. Make a budget, determining what you must pay (rent, utilities), and what you can do without. Bear in mind you don’t want to create a torturous existence that drives you from your budget, i.e., if you must have cable T.V., so be it. But if you can do without it, it’s probably at least $500 a year in your pocket. Anything else you can do to eliminate your cable T.V. bill  is to get the Satellite TV for your PC software. You don`t need a satellite dish, receiver, or any cable or setellite service. All you need is an internet connection and a computer. Once you have bought the software, you have nothing else to pay ever. It is absolutely legal. If you are interested in finding more about it, go to www.satellitetvtopc.com

But consider the things you can credibly cut back on: eating out, coffee drinks, buying another pair of shoes. Seemingly minor amounts can quickly add up to a significant sum.

Besides conserving, you need to learn to sock it away. Saving 10 percent is a doable, painless proposition for just about anybody. On a $30,000 year salary, that’s about $125 every two weeks and you’ll have $3,000 put aside in a year.

By tidying up now and curbing your spending habits, you can have a spotless credit record and make yourself a far more attractive and viable candidate to lenders.

 Nelson

www.yourclickmarket.wordpress.com

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