Make Money on MySpace

[January 30, 2008 (Computerworld) MySpace Inc. has started allowing developers to sign up for its new developer platform program that's set to launch next week.

MySpace, which in October announced plans to provide developers with APIs that will let them build applications for the social network, is set to launch the effort on Feb. 5, according to numerous published reports.

Developers also will be able to make money from advertising associated with their applications," he noted.]

Get money in everything you do! With an audience of over a reported "200 Million". . . . not such a shabby market to move applications on.

Fed slashes U.S. interest rates by half point

[WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve cut U.S. interest rates by a hefty half-percentage point on Wednesday as part of an aggressive effort to halt a sharp slowdown in an economy hit by a housing slump and a credit crunch.

"Today's policy action, combined with those taken earlier, should help to promote moderate growth over time and to mitigate the risks to economic activity. However, downside risks to growth remain," the Fed said in a statement outlining its decision.]-Reuters

So Mandatory.

Hungry Haitians Resort to Eating Dirt

[PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
With food prices rising, Haiti's poorest can't afford even a daily plate of rice, and some take desperate measures to fill their bellies.

Charlene, 16 with a 1-month-old son, has come to rely on a traditional Haitian remedy for hunger pangs: cookies made of dried yellow dirt from the country's central plateau.

Food prices around the world have spiked because of higher oil prices, needed for fertilizer, irrigation and transportation. Prices for basic ingredients such as corn and wheat are also up sharply, and the increasing global demand for biofuels is pressuring food markets as well.

"When my mother does not cook anything, I have to eat them three times a day," Charlene said. Her baby, named Woodson, lay still across her lap, looking even thinner than the slim 6 pounds 3 ounces he weighed at birth.

Still, at about 5 cents apiece, the cookies are a bargain compared to food staples. About 80 percent of people in Haiti live on less than $2 a day and a tiny elite controls the economy.]-AP

Makes me re-think my outlandish statements about being a "starving college student". Tough Deal for the people who experience this on a daily basis.

"Oceans 1" : 7.15 Billion dollar bank fraud

London

"A lone "rogue trader" masterminded one of the world's largest banking frauds and cost the giant French bank Societe Generale a breathtaking $7.15 billion.

It is one of the biggest frauds in banking history and believed to be the largest by a single person. It is almost five times the amount lost by Barings Bank trader Nick Leeson, who famously brought down the entire bank in 1995 after concealing losses that amounted to $1.4 billion."-ABCNEWS

Never good.

Semi-Pro = Will Ferrell

Team Will Ferrell. Whooooo!!!

I saw this trailer and I cried. Its just too good. Food for the soul.

2.29.08

Cali Rain

Whenever it rains in Cali the dinosaurs come out. . . . Or at least thats how people start driving.

Such a good movie by the way.

H. Ledger

Of course its on every blog and everywhere period that Heath Ledger has passed. I always thought he was a rad actor. It’s a spooky deal and its super sad anytime someone dies so young. I think it has the affect that it does because it most likely reminds you of someone you knew who died way too young or just the mere thought of this happening to someone you know is totally insane. God Bless him and may he rest in peace.

$1 Addiction

"Today it was reported that the chain is selling small (or in Starbucks lingo, “short”) cups of coffee for $1 apiece, as well as offering free refills. Yes, it’s just a test so far and the deal is currently only available in Seattle."-BWeek

With all this news about Heath Ledger dying I’ve been a little unmotivated to blog about anything. But I did see this in the news. And being that im so exhausted and the only thing I can actually wrap my brain around is coffee I think this is rad. I normally don’t go to Starbucks unless I have an active gift card or unless my boss is treating (Which happens 89% percent of the time so I should admit I too am an addict). Lets migrate towards Seattle.

Bernanke "substantive" rate cuts

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke threw his support behind quick and temporary tax breaks, combined with the possibility of "substantive" rate cuts, in testimony before Congress. But he did little to reassure Wall Street the central bank has the wherewithal to steer the U.S. economy out of a possible recession.

One problem Bernanke may not be able to overcome: He lacks the swagger and devout following of his predecessor, Alan Greenspan. Combined with worse-than-expected earnings and economic data, the markets are having a tough time taking Bernanke at his word.

"He doesn't have the street cred yet," said David Wyss, chief economist of Standard & Poor's, which like BusinessWeek is owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP). "Bernanke is still saying he thinks the U.S. will escape recession; most people on the Street think we are already in one. Maybe nobody's sure Bernanke is wrong, but the markets think he is." - BWeek

The BusinessWeek Action figure is a knee slapper.

Going once,? Going Twice? SOLD! to thee gentlemen in white for 1 BILLION Dollars

"Sun put its money where its mouth is Wednesday, with the announcement that it would buy open source database vendor MySQL for a whopping $1 billion.

For his part, MySQL CEO Mårten Mickos has repeatedly denied that his company's aim is to displace high-end databases such as Oracle's. And that's only appropriate; for those customers who demand Oracle's most advanced features, no other product will do. But Mickos's protestations verge on false modesty. On the low end, MySQL is an absolute pandemic, and it's already making headway into the mid-tier territory traditionally owned by the likes of Microsoft. That trend is only likely to accelerate with Sun's backing."-PCW

Cupcakes to Millions

Thee office was and is phenomenally busy today. Its always dope to have a second to actually read rad articles. This one is pretty rad. I love reading about start-ups that have been around for a few years. . . . Indulge

“Johnny: It is really important to just have fun. It is just a cupcake and it is almost unbelievable that its turned into a multimillion dollar business without a college education, investors, or crazy loans. We just keep moving forward and try to come up with new crazy ideas and have fun with it.”-[highsnobiety.com/features]

"Twiinnnnsssss Basil"

"After years of debate, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday declared that food from cloned animals and their progeny is safe, removing the last government hurdle before meat and milk derived from copies of prize dairy cows and superior hogs can be sold at grocery stores.

The F.D.A. ruling was a major victory for cloning companies, which hope to use the cloned animals primarily for breeding purposes, selling copies of prize dairy cows, steers and hogs. The company putting the most effort into developing the technology is ViaGen, of Austin, Texas. That company and others have already produced scores of clones that live on American farmsteads, though the F.D.A. has asked the farmers to honor a voluntary moratorium on the sale of clone meat and milk." NYT

Oprah BillionaireFrey

[NEW YORK (Reuters) - Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications said on Tuesday they will build a new cable television network, describing the venture as dedicated to inspiring viewers to "live their best lives."

"OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network" will be owned jointly by Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Discovery. The network will debut in 2009 in more than 70 million U.S. homes, appearing on what is now the Discovery Health Channel.]

Great example of never losing sight of THEE PRIZE, no matter how successful one already is.

ITs a Bird . . . Its a PLANE. . . ITS MACBOOK AIR

Glory all day. Im a MacHead. My MacBookPro might turn into woody. This is thee new BuzzLightYear

Marion Jones Sentenced to Six Months in Prison

"WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Marion Jones was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for lying about using steroids and a check-fraud scam, despite beseeching the judge that she not be separated from her two young children "even for a short period of time."-ESPN

India

Tata Nano: The World’s Cheapest Car

"Over the past year, Tata has been building hype for a car that would cost a mere 100,000 rupees (roughly $2,500) and bring automotive transportation to the mainstream Indian population. It has been nicknamed the “People’s Car.” Over the course of the New Delhi Auto Expo, which began this week, anticipation had grown to fever pitch.

The four-door Nano is a little over 10 feet long and nearly 5 feet wide. It is powered by a 623cc two-cylinder engine at the back of the car. With 33 horsepower, the Nano is capable of 65 miles an hour. Its four small wheels are at the absolute corners of the car to improve handling. There is a small trunk, big enough for a duffel bag."-NY TIMES

Touchless touchscreen TV

I wish I was out at thee Consumer Electronics show with thee rest of my fellow Geek's. ::Sad Face::

"LAS VEGAS - Imagine using a touchscreen that you don’t have to touch. Samsung’s 57-inch LCD functions like a touchscreen by recognizing a person’s motion from a short distance."-FORTUNE

Wall Street to Dubai

One of the latest books im reading. Very “Suspenseful” to say thee LEAST! LOL Check it out. . . .

Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai

Book Description:
From the author who brought you the massive New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House, this is the startling rags-to-riches story of an Italian-American kid from the streets of Brooklyn who claws his way into the wild, frenetic world of the oil exchange.

After conquering the hallowed halls of Harvard Business School, he enters the testosterone-laced warrens of the Merc Exchange, the asylumlike oil exchange located in lower Manhattan. A place where billions of dollars trade hands every week, the Merc is like a casino on crack, where former garbagemen become millionaires overnight and where fistfights break out on the trading floor.

This ordinary kid has traded Brooklyn for the gold-lined hotel palaces of Dubai. He keeps company on the decks of private yachts in Monte Carlo—teeming with half-naked girls flown in by Saudi sheiks—and makes deals in the dangerous back alleys of Beijing.

But the Merc is just a starting place. Taken under the wing of another young gun and partnering with a mysterious young Muslim, the kid embarks on a dangerous adventure to revolutionize the oil trading industry—and, along with it, the world.

Rigged is the explicit, exclusive, true story behind the headlines that dominate the world stage.

100 Billion Dollar woman

MELINDA GATES In the new issue of FORTUNE for her first ever profile. Dope. Im a fan of making BILLIONS and giving them away to glorious causes. Absolute best way to do it! Thats whats its ALLLL ABOUT!


"Of all the tricks that life can play, it's hard to imagine any stranger than what befell Melinda French. Today she is living in a gargantuan high-tech mansion on the shores of Lake Washington, married to the richest man in America - and giving billions of dollars away. When she married Bill Gates 14 years ago, she bought into a complex bargain. On the one hand, she became half of what has turned out to be the world's premier philanthropic partnership. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has assets of $37.6 billion, making it the world's largest. In that total is $3.4 billion that Warren Buffett has already given, and still to come are nine million Berkshire Hathaway B shares, currently worth $41 billion, that he has pledged to contribute in coming years. Assuming that Berkshire (BRKA, Fortune 500) shares continue to rise and that the Gateses continue to bestow their own wealth on their foundation, Melinda and Bill will very likely give away more than $100 billion in their lifetimes. Already the foundation has disbursed $14.4 billion - more than the Rockefeller Foundation has distributed since its creation in 1913 (even adjusted for inflation).

Early on she and Bill agreed to focus on a few areas of giving, choosing where to place their money by asking two questions: Which problems affect the most people? And which have been neglected in the past? While many philanthropists take the same tack, the Gateses, who love puzzles, apply particular rigor. "We literally go down the chart of the greatest inequities and give where we can effect the greatest change," Melinda says. So while they don't give to the American Cancer Society, they have pumped billions into the world's deadliest diseases - most importantly AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis - and failing public high schools in the U.S. "-FORTUNE

N.H.

[A day after the New Hampshire primary recast the presidential race, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Wednesday that the candidates’ debate on Saturday was a turning point in her surprising victory over Senator Barack Obama, while Mr. Obama sought to remain upbeat and traveled to New York on a fund-raising mission.

Despite his surprising setback in New Hampshire, Mr. Obama got a bit of good news Wednesday, when he learned that Unite Here, a union representing nearly a half million laundry, apparel and hotel workers, would endorse his candidacy. The union is expected to make the announcement later in the day at its New York headquarters and in Las Vegas, where it has a local, Culinary Local 226, representing more than 60,000 casino, hotel and restaurant workers, that is by far the largest and most politically potent union in Nevada.

Looking ahead to the intense round of primary contests coming up, Mr. Obama added, “Right now we’re in a very close contest that’ll probably go all the way through February fifth, as the voters lift the hood and kick the tires and make an assessment who’s going to really fight for them and their families.”]-NY Times

WB LayOffs as a result of Writers Strike

Yikes.

“Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Warner Bros., the film and television studio owned by Time Warner Inc., may lay off as many as 1,000 workers because production has been curtailed by the Hollywood writers' strike.

Economic Impact
The economic impact spread to other professions as studios slowed production. Writers have lost about $179.6 million in pay and other unionized workers, including stage hands, about $309.6 million, according to Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. The total impact on the region is $1.4 billion, the private agency said Jan. 7.

The walkout also forced cancellation of the Jan. 13 Golden Globe Awards, the annual televised ceremony honoring the year's best television and film performances. The program, on NBC, typically generates about $50 million to $70 million in spending for catering and other services, Kyser said.”-[Bloomberg]

Rent Movies on iTunes

Dope.

“Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc., maker of the top-selling iPod media player, will let iTunes users rent movies as well as buy them and will add Warner Bros. and Fox as suppliers, according to people familiar with the agreements.

pple will announce the rental service Jan. 15, the people said. New releases and older titles will rent for $3.99 for 24 hours. The lower-priced rentals and additional titles may help boost the popularity of Apple's iPod media players, iPhone and Apple TV set-top box, which delivers shows to widescreen TV sets.”- [Bloomberg]

Arnold

“SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose hiking the cost of insurance for millions of California homes and businesses in the budget he unveils Thursday, with the money to be used for firefighting efforts.

Administration spokesman Adam Mendelsohn said the proposal ultimately would save Californians money by limiting the devastation caused by wildfires and other disasters that have cost state government and policyholders billions of dollars.

"The economics of this makes sense," he said, asserting that the cost would be $10 a year for the average California homeowner. "Consumers and the state will end up saving money."-LA Times

"Rain, sleet, hail, snow man. . . "-S. Carter

PROTECTION, PROTECTION, PROTECTION. Sooooooo Mandatory. Protect your Cracc or iPhone like you would your child in a storm. Makes your lifeline almost completely impervious to random weather or while your on missions to save the world running through fire with a blonde on your back, without sacrificing its functionality.

otterbox.com

Hotel Tomo: S.F.

Dope.

Grinders dont get sick

It’s that time of season: every one at the office, in your class, at your studio, at the high fashion store you work at, out on the property you are researching, and god forbid you actually work at a day care; everywhere you go sicky’s are coughing, sneezing and spreading germies. If you don’t have a beer bong near by to stick some orange juice in and take it to the head , the next best thing is this box of glory: Emergen-C. Comes with 36 packets. . . . Grinders don’t get sick. Stay Healthy.

LSU takes OSU dooowwwwnnnnn

"The second-ranked Tigers danced, dodged and darted their way into the end zone Monday night for a 38-24 victory, turning the title game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State."- ESPN

Ohio State absolutely did not bring it last night. I watched this game while lifting, cooking, and handling business on the phone. . . .Something like Ari Gold. . . and I was nottttt impressed. Interception after interception, an idiotic penalty against Ohio state roughing the kicker that resulted in an LSU touchdown, and more weak plays that’s not worth typing about. There’s something to learn from every form of competition: COME TO KNOCK HEADS OFF!

Changing thee Game

New Hampshire Primaries today! Whooo!! LETS GET IT!!

[Yet even after getting dusted by nine points in Iowa and watching Obama walk away with more female voters than herself, Hillary Clinton continues to assert that it will be impossible for Obama to get elected in November against a Republican challenger.

When I asked Obama about that in an interview for my radio show on WVON in Chicago and for CNN, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Look at what happened in Iowa," the senator said. "We had Republicans who crossed over to vote for me. We had more independents caucusing for me than anybody. That's the reason why the polls show I'm the only Democrat that beats every Republican.

"What I think they are suggesting is that being engaged in this brutal brawl with the Republicans, that that's somehow the recipe for Democrats to win. I disagree. The strategy is to pick off Republicans and independents by having a positive agenda for change."

He added, "You can't say someone's not electable when they keep on winning elections."]-CNN

New Rule

This show is one of thee most entertaining ways to stay on top of what’s going on in the world and politics, at such a crucial time in our existence. . . . A time when we will be choosing the next President of the United States. Thee President holds a pretty big chunk of power. . . . If anytime is a good time to “be in tune with thee world” I think now is a pretty solid time. Also if your like me and your tivo fills up faster than you can watch all the SportsCenter’s and Mafia documentaries then it’d be smart to go ahead and become a member of thee Bill Maher podcast club on thee itunes store. . . (Its free. . . I know unreal. . . )

New Rule 10.26.07 (SO GOOD): "New Rule: Politicians have to stop thinking it makes us feel better about a disaster if we see a picture of them looking at it out the window of their plane. You're the governor. Not Zeus. Unless you can furrow your brow so hard rain comes out, you're not helping. You're just joining the "Mile-High Rubbernecking Club." "

"Lets Go"

Its funny how you plan to chill on your futon and watch the last half of heroes season 1 that you have yet to finish in PJ’s for 3 days. . . and you end up out at thee movie theater, at a Chris brown concert, at Hooters and who knows where else. One of thee movies I had the opportunity to catch this weekend was I AM LEGEND. Very dope movie, some people disagree with me, but whatever I enjoyed the story line I thought it was interesting and the cinematography was pure glory. To see Lions “walking down” the streets of NY was unimaginable. Will Smith was definitely on a sick Spartan training plan, he looked like he was in shape to save thee world. It was worth it.

Also had a chance to check out The Great Debaters. Completely separate genre. Also phenomenal and super motivating. Definitely had to use everything in me to hold back tears. Also a plus, when movies depict history that we would have otherwise probably not even heard about.

BigThink

“In June 2006, Peter Hopkins, a civic-minded and idealistic 2004 Harvard graduate, trekked up to his alma mater from New York for a meeting with Lawrence H. Summers, the economist and former Treasury secretary. Mr. Hopkins, who finagled the appointment through his friendship with Mr. Summers’s assistant, had a business idea: a Web site that could do for intellectuals what YouTube, the popular video-sharing site, did for bulldogs on skateboards.

Big Think (www.bigthink.com) mixes interviews with public intellectuals from a variety of fields, from politics, to law to business, and allows users to engage in debates on issues like global warming and the two-party system. It plans to add new features as it goes along, including a Facebook-like application for social networking, and Mr. Hopkins said he would like the site to become a popular place for college students looking for original sources.” – NY Times

Interesting. . . Debuts today.

Make it Right and do it GREEN

EXTREMELY Rad movement that I’ve been into since I first heard about it. Finally had a second to blog it.

“Those are three of the designs by 13 architecture firms commissioned by the actor Brad Pitt to help rebuild New Orleans’s impoverished Lower Ninth Ward, one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The project, called Make It Right, calls for building 150 affordable, environmentally sound houses over the next two years. In a telephone interview from New Orleans, where he plans to present the designs today, Mr. Pitt said the residents of the neighborhood had been homeless long enough. “They’re coming up on their third Christmas,” he said.


Mr. Pitt is asking foundations, corporations and individuals to contribute to the project by adopting one house, several houses or a portion of a house through the project Web site, makeitrightnola.org. “You can adopt a tankless water heater or a solar panel or a tree or a low-flush toilet,” Mr. Pitt said.”-NY TIMES

Dates that matter for the upcoming presidential election-

Dates that matter for the upcoming presidential election:

JANUARY 5 Iowa Caucus
JANUARY 8 Republican Wyoming Caucus
JANUARY 15 New Hampshire Primary
JANUARY 19 Nevada Caucus/ Republican South Carolina Primary
JANUARY 26 Democratic South Carolina Primary
JANUARY 29 Florida Primary
JANUARY 2 Maine Caucus
JANUARY 5 SUPER DUPER TUESDAY: Primaries/caucuses for both parties in 19 states, plus three Democratic-only caucuses and one Republican-only primary

NOVEMEBER 4, 2008 ELECTION DAY


The series of Presidential primary elections and caucuses is one of the first steps in the process of electing the President of the United States of America. The primary elections are run by state and local governments in the states which do not have caucuses instead. A state primary election usually determines which candidates for president will be supported by that state at the national convention of each political party.

"They said this day would never come."-B. Obama

"With a win in the Iowa caucuses last night, Obama shook conventional wisdom to its political core, preaching “post-partisan” comity and becoming the first African American candidate in either party to win the first-in-the-nation balloting. Obama went into a state of 3 million people, just 2 1/2 percent of whom are black, and cleaned up, topping Clinton and former vice presidential nominee John Edwards by more than eight percentage points.

Mr. Obama was the dominant choice for voters under age 30, and more surprisingly, among women voters. The Des Moines Register has heaps of overall turnout statistics.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Iowa Democratic Party officials reported 234,000 caucus attendees, compared to 124,000 in 2004. With 93 percent of GOP precincts reporting, 112,349 Republicans had participated in their caucus, up from the 87,666 who participated in 2000."- NY Times

Madness

So this morning I’m on my way into the office listening to a little morning Bill Handle. . . enjoying some more news about the presidential caucus results and analysis from last night. . . and just before they go into an interview they mention “I bet your wondering why there were helicopters and such around cedar Sinai last night. . . .”. Someone has got to help this little lady pull it together.