Google Maps Returns to iPhone In A Big Way

Walter Mossberg, one of the most respected technology experts, and Wall Street Journal personal technology contributor, reports today on the return of Google Maps to the iPhone.  As many know, Apple did not install Google maps as standard on its new iPhone, instead they put in an Apple version that many found to be inferior (but had some features the Google maps did not, voice directions when used as a GPS). 

Now Google has released a free APP for the iPhone that restores all that everyone liked, and more.  In fact, Mossberg says, for now, it is better than Google maps on their own Android devices. It has a cleaner interface and so on.  Google he found out, took this opportunity to completely rewrite some of the APP and so, for now, it has improvements beyond what is available on the Android phones.

I plan to try this new APP on an iPhone in 2013, but suspect I will still prefer Garmin for in-car navigation.  Garmin is an old friend, easy to program; I can bring it in the house and program all my destinations at leisure the day before I go on a trip.  Over the years I have talked to a dozen people with GPS built into their vehicles, and they almost all have trouble programming them, or remembering how they once programmed them. They all dislike sitting in the driveway and wasting travel time doing that programming.  I once had a built in system in a car myself, and after the novelty wore off, I didn’t use it much and I did find it difficult to remember all the programming steps. 

But, with the portable Garmin, I find it so easy and mostly accurate --- particularly on my favorite feature – the exact time of expected arrival.  And I also like the speed limit icon to remind me what the speed limit is, I no longer took at the posted road signs, I just go by the GPS. Lately, however, Garmin seems to be less accurate in finding an appropriate route, so I will upgrade that device in 2013 as well. Maybe a newer model will have newer maps inside. And better logic.  But, someday, maybe the iPhone sitting on the dash (see prior Post on dashboard friction mats) will be the preference.

Yanking a Thumb Drive From Your Computer

A short article in Popular Science addressed this question this week.

1. An external hard drive, or backup drive --- could suddenly crash, or  have other problems, always use the "safely remove" command in the lower right trey.  If you don't know how to do that, or find the correct drive number to "safely remove"  email or comment and we will find help

2. SSD's  or solid state type drives, while not too common (in my arena) have no moving parts so they are more Yank friendly.  But you can't be transferring data or running TRIM  And sudden removal can fry tiny components, so use the "safely remove or eject" command for these as well.

3. Those pinkie-sized thumb drives --- Yank them at your leisure, unless, that is, you've turning on write Cache Mode.  Unplugging this before it is done transferring data, could really mess you up.  So, if you can, use the "safely remove hardware or eject" command as well.  But under many circumstances, like photo transfers that you know are completed you are probably safe to just Yank it out.

Three Hours of Christmas Music, Anyone?

Three hours of Christmas music, on YouTube …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ-e3_31sdM

This is the first YouTube link I have seen that gives you that much commercial free music, or music and video. They normally have a 15 minute limit.  The video on this one is nil, just still slides,  so the only reason to click is to have some music when you are working on your computer.

As you may know, you can create your own “channel” or “saved list” on YouTube.  Much like a private Pandora, your list will play one after the other (and then cycle back) to give you music (assuming you added music clips) for background while working on your computer. I do this often.  I have created several channels, one has 47 music clips.  The public can not reach my channel, but you could open yours up to public if you want to. You can add and delete clips as your tastes and desires change.Anyone have other ideas for using YouTube?

Retailing News Items

High end retail is in the news again, as major retailers such as Best Buy are struggling a bit.  In an article in Newsweek a few months ago some interesting information was revealed.

1.      Apple stores sales per square foot are $6,000 compared to Best Buy’s $830.  That is quite a contrast.  Apple sales per square foot are double Tiffany & Co. the next best performing store as measured by sales/sq. ft. 

2.      Showrooming,is a term for shoppers who go to stores like Best Buy to look at the real merchandise, then go on-line to complete the transaction – I would presume at the best price they could.  That is old news, what was new news to me is that 46% of people surveyed on this said they had done it. I don't think I have done that.  I have Red Laser APP on my I Phone so I can scan the bar code on any product in a store and quickly read where else it is for sale and at what prices.  The APP is not as good as I would like, since it doesn’t have a way to keep up with all the stores and their current prices, but it is a start to a new system that should worry any retailer.

3.      Customers hate standing in line for checkout at the big box stores.  So Wal-Mart is trying a radical idea.  That is to let the shoppers scan their own items as they take them off the shelf, using their smart phones.   And somehow the payment will be made quickly with that information at something replacing the conventional check out line. The first question in everyone’s mind would be “What about the rampant shoplifting?”  Wal-Mart says this system could eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in wages for checkout persons and that is expected to offset the theft.  

Bose Sound for Your PC

If you like music, and don’t have an excellent sound system for your notebook or desk top computer, I would suggest this one (about $250 used) :

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-Companion-multimedia-speaker-Graphite/dp/B000HZBR64/ref=sr_1_17?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1354726848&sr=1-17&keywords=bose

I have bought two of them, used (they work perfect, used speakers are not big deal at all).  They have a built in amplifier, and I could write many paragraphs about why I consider this one of my best “ever” investments.  The sound is remarkable and crystal clear.  Use iTunes of YouTube and you will hear life like sound.  The volume control is an award winner as well.  And the price will hold its value, a new model runs $350 or more and I doubt it is as good.  197 reviewers on Amazon is a huge number, and with 4 stars, you know others share my view of “the best”.

Bose Companion 3 Series II multimedia speaker system (Graphite/Silver)

 I have had several other brands, and types, but consider this the finest of the lot. Some early Dell systems with separate sub woofers were also good.

Dubai Starts Another Building Boom

Dubai, the poster child for excessive building is at it again. Despite a gut of millions of square feet of space and empty condos and apartments, they are priming the pump for more.

Today’s Wall Street Journal says the ruler has ordered a new city development to be built, named after himself.  To cost about $10 billion, envisions 100 hotels, the world’s largest shopping mall, parks, art galleries, and exhibition centers.  Soon after he announced plans for a $2.7 billion leisure complex of five (5) theme parks.

They have a vision as only a dictator can execute, and that is to be a world hub of air transportation, shopping and tourism. So they are pushing to host the World Expo (is that the old World’s Fair?) in 2020.  The first time a city in the Middle East would host this event. Naturally that would mean ---- more building !!

Surprisingly, Dubai is experiencing an economic recovery in trade, tourism and transport. It still has $100 billion in debt from past “deficit” spending in the boom that ended – like ours in 2008.  Reminding me that our 2008 mess was world wide and we probably can’t lay the blame on politics, although lose lending (poor regulation of lending?) led to faking the quality of much of the US mortgage debts.  However, we are fly spec on the world economy, aren’t we? 

Dubai was built with unbridled vision such as we haven’t seen in the USA in many years (if ever).  But, in the 2008 bust in Dubai, prices of real estate dropped 60% so vision won’t save poor economic decisions. But now their GDP growth is up to 5.1% from 1.9%. 

Like Singapore, Dubai has a population more like “one State” here, but China is also on a roll with a population about 3 to 5 times ours.  So size isn’t the only factor in finding a way to an economy (as in construction) boom. There are a few hints that construction in the US might be returning, but our needs for new homes (due to population growth) are not what they used to be.

Flu Risk Greater This Year

I have blogged about Flu shots before, but it is back in the news, so here is my update.

1.      I have had my shot, got a double strength shot due to age, I think was the explanation. Doubling was an option for over 65. 

2.      As of this week, 37% of American’s have gotten a flu shot this year, a good many more than I would have expected

3.      The CDC recommends that anyone over 6 months get the shot

This year, they say, one of the earlier starts of people having the Flu , and so this signals it might be a SEVERE FLU year.

States already having high (like double normal) Flu --  Texas, Mississippi, Louisana, Alabama.   Moderate (meaning just above normal) = Georgia.

ALERT – Flu leads to about 200,000 hospitalizations in a bad year, and 45,000 deaths – a number of deaths about equal to the annual deaths due to auto accidents. And about 15 times the number of people killed in the 9-11 World Trade terror attack.   But this is the upper number, some years it is about the same number of deaths as 9-11. 

Grip Pad For Car Dash & Blue Tooth For Visor

I have long used a piece of no-slip material that “semi-sticks” to the dash (without any adhesive or residue) to hold a cell phone, Mi-Fi or other device.  I have found these devices to be very useful, the phone gets better signal on the dash, and so does the Mi Fi –and it is also a good place for other things.  They don't move, even in hard stops, starts and turns, and yet are not "stuck' to the pad either.  Nice.

 But over the summer my favorite version got overheated and ruined.  No more sticking. 

So, I set out on a quest to replace it.  Not as easy as I thought.  I tried on the net and after many looks on Ebay and other places, ordered one for $3 including freight, and another type for a  little bit more.  Some offerings were up to $10 and more (ridiculous prices)

Then, I went to Western Auto / CarQuest and bought a $5 version that seems to work, is pretty tacky and thus grips objects and the dash well.  Has little ridges on it.  Then, tonight I found an excellent one (see photo) at Wal Mart for $3.00 ----   in the automotive department, under a category called "Cell Phone" accessories. 

PS --- I use Blue Tooth "hands free" phone device that clips to the sun visor, after trying two brands, and reading many reviews, the one I have now is outstanding, battery life is  exceptionally long and it shuts off the battery if there is no vibration for an hour (car is parked).  It was highly rated.  Amazon was the end source.   The phone just sits on the dash --- on the grip-pad.  If you are interested in buying one, here is the link, it is on sale for $40, I paid $79,  I believe.  It is a very good deal at $40 with free shipping.  Has noise cancelling and other top end features. 

http://www.amazon.com/Jabra-JOURNEY-Bluetooth--Car-Speakerphone/dp/B005YZZJDY/ref=sr_1_33?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1353438218&sr=1-33&keywords=bluetooth+phone+for+car

Electric Car Update

I have Blogged about the advent of electric cars (or electric assisted cars)  before.  Today’s WSJ has a story "California Spurs Electric Cars".  It has little really new information, but it does state that due to California’s strict pollution laws and the new Federal mandate that cars average 54.5 miles a gallon soon, auto makers are having to down play power and speed as a marketing tool, and play up “lower cost of operation”.  And, as this article points out, automakers lose money on every electric car in California  -- $8,000 or so. 

Chrysler will use a Fiat 500 model in California as their all electric offering, losing some money on each car.  But likely they will figure a way to fix the losses once they get going.

What was news to me is that other states are copying California’s new pollution laws,  New York, New Jersey and Maryland are first to follow. Others will probably pile on.  Smog, air pollution, certainly things that affect rich and poor alike. And depreciate property value, so probably hit the rich a bit harder than the poor in terms of dollars.  China is also adopting California like laws, and, having been in Bejing 20 years ago, it was certainly in need of an air clean up. Then.  Much worst now I think.

Also new to me, just last night, was the discovery at our new Whole Foods store here of special parking places for electric cars.  I parked last night next to a space reserved for electric charging vehicles, and saw it had an electric connection kiosk.  So, pregnant ladies, handicap folks, and now electric vehicles seem to be getting special parking places.  

A friend in Northern VA had a Toyota XLS hybrid (fabulous car, I rode in it, super quiet in town and smooth) and just got the top of the line, perhaps plug in Prius. He says he loves it, and takes it on long trips – heads up GPS projection and other advanced things make his prior vehicle look sort of obsolete.

As someone wrote somewhere “There will come a day when we will laugh at the good ole days, when we poured a flammable liquid in our cars, and then sat just above it in the back seat while on the trip”.  On we go.

Flu Shots for 2012 - 2013

This will be a short post.  Flu Shots are available and everyone (in my opinion) should get one.  I was not able to get one earlier because I had the sniffles.  But I got one tonight at Walgreens (no charge with whatever Medicare insurance provides) and discovered something new:  Over 65 you are now recommended to get the HD version of the shot, which is more powerful.

I was not aware of that. It is new this year.  It is “optional”, although recommended for those over 65.  I took the HD version and have had no side effects (so far) and they said I wouldn’t have any.  By going at nearly 10 PM, I didn’t have to wait at all, and had an excellent person administer the shot.

I have had pneumonia shot (once in a lifetime I think) and earlier this year I had the shingles shot (also once in a lifetime I think).  Shingles vaccine was very scare at times this year and last, but is now available in decent quantities, but might still have to be special ordered (it has a very short shelf life at the pharmacy, and it must be in a freezer I think – and transported to the pharmacy in a freezer equipped truck).

Stay healthy, share any of your experiences with shots by commenting here.

Update On The NEST Thermostat (Award Winner)

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/18/nest-learning-thermostat-review-installation-first-impressions/

On August 1^st, of 2012 I posted to this Blog something on the new Nest Labs home thermostat.  It stays in the news, they have just upgraded the design to make it thinner and even more attractive.  And it has new software.  It is a true revolution in energy conservation at home, and just one a new “best in the show” award from a major publication. 

The founders led development for the iPod and iPhone and left to form this company.  Don’t miss a chance to check this one out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEx2Iznm3eA

CNET ran this YouTube on the install and were a bit worried about the $250 price.  However, I have just put in a new system in a vacation home, and a normal, programmable, thermostat was also $250.  So I am not sure the price is as much a barrier as they say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8TkhHgkBsg

A nice little advertising video, it’s pretty cool, huh?

http://bestideastoday.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html

Check out my original Nest Blog if you don't remember this product. This post covers the earlier version of the Nest.  I couldn’t find a handy YouTube for the new-and-improved Nest. 

Copying Old VHS Tapes to DVD - Professionally

I have been looking for a reliable, high quality, and reasonably priced service to copy all my old VHS tapes to DVD for a long time. These are, like most families, tapes we made of our children when they were growing up and of important corporate events at our company. This search for the ideal transfer company has gone on for years, mostly on line, as local services haven’t seemed to be either reasonable in price, or have the super high quality equipment needed to make really good DVD’s from such sources as VHS, Hi-8, and so on. It takes more than just copying.  In the past, I have found some inexpensive sources, but they don’t take much time to fix and correct and don’t have the best technical equipment.  I am now convinced if I am going to do it, I want the best.

So, I am about ready to try this on-line source  https://archivalcompany.com/

The Archival Company.  They have been in business a good while, and seem to do government work, and have proprietary software and nice features such as

1.      an engineer will observe the run, adjust color and make it as good as possible

2.      blank spaces will be removed

3.      you can, as an option, view it on line and make edits or add titles before they burn the DVD

4.      extra copies are only $4.95, a reasonable price for a burned DVD

5.      the best part: One price fits all -- $10.95 per tape copied.  Inbound freight free.

6.      nice testimonials give me a little confidence

https://archivalcompany.com/videotape-to-dvd.asp   check out the options

They also do 35 mm slides.  For 44 cent each.  Not cheap, but 1,000 slides should do most families, and that would be $440.  Perhaps worth it. Your images will be scanned at 3600 DPI.  After scanning the originals, they crop, rotate and color correct the images as part of the service.   Your original media is returned along with a disc containing your still images in JPEG or TIFF format. You may order additional "project disc" copies, containing all of your images for family, friends or even for safe-keeping at $4.95 per extra disc.
 
As part of this service, they will keep a digital copy of your images for 1 year.  If you need a disc replacement, they can do it.   They have spent years developing their process.  They proudly stand behind their work with a quality guarantee.

So, I will start with maybe 10 VHS tapes and see how it works.  Do more if they come out good.  If anyone has a better source, please leave a comment so we can all have that information.

Do You Have Unclaimed Money?

An article in the State Paper on finding if you have some unclaimed money somewhere was interesting.  I ran my name through and all my family members, it found much money, but none of it was exactly ours.  It was similar names, and in states where I doubt our family has any unclaimed money.  But it showed me there is a lot of money out there.  It would pay you to look, including checking all your parents, living and deceased. 

Here is a tiny excerpt from one of the stories:

 http://www.stltoday.com/business/track-down-your-share-of-unclaimed-billionsarticle_579aa569-5d5a-5c29-8441-54c884cb0710.html



State treasuries alone are safeguarding 117 million instances of unclaimed money, worth about $33 billion, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, or NAUPA. Here's what you need to know and where you should go to search for your unclaimed cash:

• Missingmoney.com is a combined database of many unclaimed property lists in the United States.

• NAUPA provides links to state unclaimed-property websites at unclaimed.org. Some state sites include lost property not listed on Missingmoney.com. More important, some big states, such as California, New York and Illinois, are not on Missingmoney.com. Check any state in which you might be owed money, said John Gabriel, president of NAUPA.

Savings bonds: Search treasuryhunt.gov for U.S. savings bonds and marketable securities, such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds. For example, you can search for matured E and EE savings bonds issued after 1974 that are no longer earning interest. And you can search for interest payments you might be entitled to from H or HH savings bonds, said Treasury spokeswoman Joyce Harris. You will have to provide a Social Security number or employer identification number to search. The site also has downloadable forms for claiming lost, stolen or destroyed bonds.

Pensions: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. has a "missing participants" service at http://search.pbgc.gov. There, you can determine whether you are owed benefits from a corporate pension plan that was closed or taken over by the PBGC. You also can track down benefits if you are a survivor of a person who should be drawing the pension. This refers to the older type of defined-benefit pensions, not 401(k)-type plans.

• Failed banks: If you have reason to believe that you or a relative has unclaimed money from a bank failure during the end of the savings-and-loan crisis 20 years ago, check the database at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. at http://www2.fdic.gov/funds/. It covers deposits from Jan. 1, 1989, to June 28, 1993.

New App's to consider for your Smart Phone

A recent magazine listed two apps, neither of which I was familiar with.  One is a nearly perfect GPS app, the reviewer says is as good as Garmin and has some advantages:

1.      it will pull street addresses out of your contacts, or vendors, which might make it easier to navigate, no new input required for those

2.      it is equal to most specialized Navigation devices the reviewer says, and this one will figure the traffic ahead and route you to avoid it and arrive in the best possible time.

3.      you would need a windshield mounting device, suction cup or something

Now the bad news.  It is called Navigon Mobile – Navigator.  (navigon.com)  and costs $100, the most expensive app I have ever seen.  Probably just for iPhone, not sure.

Another big app recommendation was Viper – already downloaded by 100 million people.  Allows a user to text message, and do Skype type calls (better than Skype) over the internet, all for free.   Skype is worried, and might try to buy the company.  It is located in a dictatorship (Belarus) but they get inexpensive workers there, the home base is really in Israel.  Source:  Businessweek Magazine.

Vinyl vs. Digital Sound For Home Music Systems

Bet you thought that debate was over.  But Fortune Magazine just ran this article and I got interesting in the 91% number quoted.  Read below.

(Do old records really sound better?  By Omar Akhtar, Fortune Magazine Sept 3, 2012)

“They do.  Think of MP3’s, the format of most digital copies, as the sonic equivalent of Cliff Notes: a summary of a recording’s highlights.  There’s the beat, the melody, verse, and chorus, but not the subtle variations in pitch, resonance, and volume.  In fact, some 91% of the information is lost while converting to MP3.  Vinyl not only retains greater sonic information, it adds a rich harmonic “warmth” as the needle hits the spinning grooves.  Of course vinyl decays while digital is (theoretically) forever.  If you really love an album, spend the $15 for the record… but also keep a digital copy on the cloud.”  Omar Akhtar

Ormar revives the old debate there, and of course I grew up with vinyl and loved it, but the clicks and scratches eventually made me switch over to the CD format.  But I still have lots of vinyl, and I am slowly converting it to MP3, using the special turntable called Ion.  It is a quality unit, and I like how it works.  I use a program I downloaded that will take the input and convert it to MP3.  So far I have not listened to these newly created MP3 versions on quality equipment to tell whether or not it has done a decent job.

If anyone cares to comment, just leave a post with your experience with vinyl, and or the conversion.

NEST, the Thermostat Revolution

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/18/nest-learning-thermostat-review-installation-first-impressions/

Perhaps you have heard about NEST.  It was designed by a person who left Apple, I believe. Anyway, he is one of the most creative and innovative persons in the tech arena, so this is not a hot-shot product that doesn’t quite work.  Apparently it works very well, and is priced accordingly  $250.  But it could save thousands a year in heating and cooling costs (so say neutral experts).  Why?

Apparently in most homes, the HVAC system is 50 % of all energy consumed.  So, cutting back a little on this cost means magnified savings.

Apparently most programmable thermostats are too hard to program, and so people don’t do it.  ALL OF THEM lost their energy star rating in 2009 – I guess because, in practice, they were not used properly.

NEST thermostat, now at Lowes and other stores, has Wi Fi connections, so you can adjust your house temp from your I phone anywhere in the world.  Letting it know you are coming home … and to cool the house down, or heat it up.

NEST will memorize and understand your habits and then run itself, seemingly it will use advanced logic to figure out when you go to bed, what temperature you like for sleeping, when you normally wake up, and so on. It also seems to know if you go off for the weekends. 

WATCH THE VIDEOS  on the website above.  There are several of them on this web page --- the are about

1. seeing if  your system can use a NEST thermostat – not all can

2. learning how to do a self-install ---  it even has a level built in to help you get it level and big “uh-oh plates” to fix bad tears in wall paper or painted areas that you want to hide.

3. it picks up your wi fi signal and a website works with it, so it is quite amazing what it does, and how it does it.  Linking with your iphone (and I presume other smart phones ?) with an APP.

I don’t have one of these, and don’t know when I will get one, but it is certainly a worthy product and everyone should consider, because, “sooner or later” you will have one – will it be “sooner” ?  or “later” ?   

PS -- modern thermostats are not cheap, no mater which one you get.  A fully functional programmable thermostat I just got with a new system was $250.   But it allows the service person to plug in and read the history of the system and what might be wrong with it.  But, the new heat pump it controls is the top of the line, and highly complex, variable speed fans inside and outside. Not sure how a NEST would control this kind of system.

Bubble Man Takes On Coke

Forbes issue  August 6, details a story about the Bubble Man, Daniel Birnbaum.  He is taking on Coke and Pepsi with a similar product you produce at home using his CO2 machines to carbonate the water, and his (more healthy?) flavorings to add the taste.

What is the point?  For starters he is a little cheaper.  Perhaps a little more healthy.  But a big advantage is the reduction of wasteful plastic bottles and cans that currently transport the real Coke and Pepsi product.  How wasteful are these bottles?  I was surprised to learn that:

1.      The average family , over 5 years, consumes 10,657 bottles and cans  … multiply that by all the families in America, and you really do have an unsustainable by-product waste factor.  Are there enough landfills for all that?

2.      Fifty years ago, Americans were not drinking out of a plastic bottle (or can) and in 50 years they won’t be doing it either (so he says).  Good point.  Something has to give, will it be his product conquering the problem, or something else?

3.      Americans toss 130 billion bottles and cans a year.   A number that is just staggering.

He has taken his company public at $20 a share; it hit $78, is now back to $40.  In some countries he has the bulk of the non-bottled market already, but not in the USA. 

Coke and Pepsi respond that they are recycling a greater percentage of cans and bottles now than in the past.  How many?  Coke estimates that 36% of its cans and bottles are recycled.

Stock name:  SodaStream    fine retailers everywhere stock the product, but I have never heard of it.

Not Born In The USA

Not born in the USA is something I had not thought much about until I saw these numbers by state

California     27.2 % were not born in the USA

New York     22.2 % were not born in the USA  (the State, not the City)

New Jersey  21.0 % were not born in the USA

Other states with percents in the 13% or 18% to 20% range :

Texas

Illinois

Connecticut

Nevada

Maryland

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Hawaii

SC, in spite of what seems to be good number of Hispanic’s is officially only

4.6 % “not born in the USA”. 

We are indeed, relying on foreign born citizens for overall economic growth in the USA?  Presumably these new arrivals have jobs. And are doing something productive.

Are Americans Over-Medicating?

The percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug increased from 44% in 1999 to 48% in 2008.  

Over the same time frame  :

Use of two or more drugs grew from 25% to 31%

Use of FIVE or more drugs grew fm    6% to 11%

I went to the infirmary on a cruise ship some years ago for a minor thing, and got into the doctor’s office for probably 45 minutes.  He was British and took this job just to travel a bit. The passengers were primarily Americans, and he said he was shocked to see how over-medicated they were.  He said they bring in large zip loc bags with their prescriptions in them, and many were not in need of all (or even any) of them.  Many, he said, were conflicting with other meds they took.  He said that, in GB, he wouldn’t have prescribed a fraction of what he saw being used, and many were drugs that carried more dangers than benefits he said.

That led me to conclude that advertising or something is driving the drug use by Americans.  Of course a cruise could be skewed to older folks, but this one didn’t look like a particularly old crowd.

Cancelling Those Old Credit Cards. Hold On.

I read  today that a major component of your credit score is how much of your available credit you’ve used  --- called your credit utilization ratio.

Therefore, when you close an account you lower the combined credit limit on your cards.  It could look as if you’re closer to your credit limit. 

But there is more to the story, and so you might want to read up on it at SmartCredit.com  A consumer education website.

Let's Take Our Paper Digital

Those piles of receipts and cards and notes – why not digitize them?  There are some pricey options like NeatDesk.  They scan the documents and put them in PDF form, and file on your computer. They come with hardware and software.  They are good products, and have helped some people I know.

There are several on-line systems around, and they will get better over time.  One is called LEMON (app) .  This app for smart phones lets you snap a photo of a receipt and add a label (personal, business, food, etc) and Lemon arranges them based on labels and type of spending.  You can view them on your personal Lemon website.

More interesting for some might be Shoeboxed (app).  It emails photos to Shoeboxed, and for varying fees a human at Shoeboxed will verify the amount of money and make sure your expense records are accurate  -- a good feature if you are filing expenses for reimbursement.

Camcard LITE (app) transfers information from a business card to your (or another) address book.  It allows up to 50 cards a week.  Is a $7 app.  So it must be useful, expensive apps don’t move well if they are not working well.

 I have a few apps on my on smart phone for these purposes  (none of the above)-- but they don't seem to work too well, if anyone has such an app that is working for them, please post a comment.  Thanks.

Foods You Should Spend More On

I have long used organic milk (1%) for a number of reasons  --- healthier, has a very long shelf life in the refrigerator, tastes better.  Now I read that it is one of the three foods you should spend more on (and it does cost more, but not as much as you think if you shop around).

AARP magazine has a story on organic food and its benefits.  The three things they say everyone should spend more on: 

1.      Apples ..  most conventional apples contain pesticide residue, apples top the “dirty dozen” products list of most polluted produce.

2.      Salmon ..  farmed Atlantic salmon has been linked to higher levels of PCB’s with antibiotics overuse.  Wild Pacific salmon is cleaner and the canned version is budget friendly.

3.      Milk ..  if you can’t afford organic make sure the label says the milk comes from cows not treated with the hormone rBST (or rBGH), which is banned in the European Union and Canada.

There Are Two American Economies

INC. Magazine story on TechStars makes an interesting point of page 61.  “There are two American economies”.  Whereas huge swaths of the country remain hobbled by scarce credit, depressed home prices, and high levels of unemployment, the technology hubs in Silicon Valley, Boston and NYC are booming.

If you are where the start ups are, you could never think there was a recession.  If you are a good software code writer, there might not be a recession in your near future.

As the rest of the country frets, and worries about a global meltdown, our creative folks are seeing little impact on their world.  A few years ago I was assisting a lady who was trying to found a creative (two year) university here in Columbia. I learned so much about the future, and why America needs to be pushing our creative types, not worrying about why our kids don’t do math as good as the Indian’s and Chinese.  Our future will rest,not on math in the traditional form, but on ideas and related products that entertain or assist people all over the world.

Four years ago Brad Feld (venture capitalist, co founder TechStars) made an investment in Zynga, a company that makes online video games for Facebook users.  Today, Zynga trades on Nasdaq and is worth $9 billion. 

Which brings me to a final point, I had quit subscribing to INC Magazine some years ago and now regret that.  The magazine has improved greatly from my prior experience, I find every issue contains interesting stories.  I tear them out, and pass the rest of the magazine on to a friend to read (eco friendly pass along? --- some end up in assisted living centers I think).

Credit:  TechStars is a business incubator that is now in five cities.  Evaluations of business propositions can take as little as 2.5 minutes or less.  One founder thinks that he can spot the winners in 20 seconds.  The get 1,500 application for 14 spots in their boot camps.   Have you heard of CrowdFunding ?  Maybe that’s my next Blog. 

Health and Diet Website : Worth a Look

This might be my first, and last, Blog post on health and nutrition, but I thought it worth passing along to readers this one time. 

http://nutritionfacts.org/

I was made aware of this website by a Blog post elsewhere (Dr. Tom Hill's Eaglezine) and took a little time to view some of the included videos.  I was impressed that this MD doesn’t seem to be selling anything, and is dedicated to showing ordinary folks some of the facts (as best they know them) of various foods, diets, and disease risks.  The videos are short and well done. 

Here are a few you might like to see – they are all on the website home page above, of course:

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/

Germs from touching money – and contaminating food (by workers in food outlets)

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/

Are health food store employees really trained ?   Apparently not.  So asking for recommendations might be a waste of time.

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/

Low Carb diets warnings, but lowers health.  Maybe dangerously. 

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/

Dietary supplements, don’t do the same thing as real foods do, and could have the opposite effects

Again, I believe you can access these videos with a click, even though they might not appear ‘blue” on your computer screen.  I like the fact that this does appear to be a truly non-sales based site talking about health and nutrition issues.

Your comments ?