Twitter Ready to Unvail New Look Tomorrow

Tomorrow at their big event Twitter will be showing off their new look and it's sure to cause some buzz. From what TechCrunch.com wrote it sounds like most of the changes will be well received. Everything from moving the chat box to the left margin area to dropping the tabs at the top of the page to give the page more space make it sound like the "lockdown" team has been busy. This is the first "lockdown" that FB has had since the last big revamp a few years back. I can only imagine what it's like to have been "locked down" working 24/7 with somebody like Zuckerberg if he's anything like they say but that's how these types of things get done. Anyway here some of the detail from TechCrunch.com

Amplify’d from techcrunch.com

As you’re probably aware by now, Facebook is holding an event at their headquarters in Palo Alto, CA. The invite we received didn’t seem to give any real clues about what would be announced, but that didn’t stop everyone from guessing anyway. But now we know a part of what they’re rolling out — because they’ve actually already sort of started rolling it out. At least a part of what will be unveiled tomorrow is a redesign, we hear.

Yes, just like Twitter did a few weeks ago, Facebook will be giving their service a new coat of paint tomorrow. Some users are already reporting that they’re seeing a new version of chat appear on the site — that’s because it’s a part of this redesign, we’ve confirmed with a source. More specifically, chat will be moved to the left side of the screen and big profile pictures are being added into the chat itself. But the real key of the redesign is that all Profile pages and much of the rest of the site will be revamped to look more like Places pages, we’re told. If you look at the image below of our TechCrunch Disrupt Places page, you’ll get a taste of what’s to come.

Aside from the movement of chat, apps will be moved below profile pictures as icons. The profile navigation will also now reside in that area, we believe. That means the top tabs you see now on Profile pages will likely be no more. There will also likely be a lot of subtle tweaks to the UI in order to unify the entire service. All the major Facebook areas should be getting this new coat of paint, we hear. That means Profiles, Pages, Events, Groups, Photos, and Videos.

From what we’re told, Facebook has been in a state of lockdown for the past two months or so working on this new design. This lockdown is actually called “Lockdown” — there’s even a Facebook Group for it. Apparently, it’s something that CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses to get the troops worked up and ready to work basically 24/7. “Whatever it takes,” we’re told. If you believe the Wall postings there, the last Lockdown was four years ago before this current one. Read more at techcrunch.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bu41

Does Zuckerberg plan on Email for FaceBook Too

This article adds an extra thought to some discussion already here on Amplify. For it's already been announced that FaceBook will be adding Skype to their arsenal. But is FaceBook also planning on adding a true email as well. There are some compelling arguments for them doing that.

For one thing it would be the last thing that Google has that they don't. With Skype now on board doing voice/phone/SMS in answer to Google's Google Voice that leaves only gmail as a tool Google has that FaceBook doesn't. I would bet that Zuckerberg sees email as the last piece of the puzzle to provide all of Googles services in FaceBook. He's not one to let someone else offer something he doesn't!

So I think it will happen.

What do any of you think of the idea of FaceBook email and if it will happen?

Amplify’d from www.marketingvox.com

What If Facebook Is Rolling Out an Email System?

Facebook is making an announcement on Wednesday that is widely assumed to be about its mobile strategy: either it will roll out a mobile phone or announce a deep integration with a service provider such as Skype. So says conventional wisdom. There are also a number of other theories about what it may unveil, ranging from more donations to charity to a Places platform to - yes - a Facebook email system.

Earlier this year, news broke about an email system, codenamed Project Titan, that Facebook was developing. According to various accounts, it was described as an actual mail system compliant with POP3/IMAP and SMTP. Users would receive a @facebook.com address.

Given Facebook's size - at 500 million and counting - an @facebook.com has the potential to devastate email marketing campaigns, Blue Sky Factory wrote when details about Project Titan first came to light.  "Deliverability will go out the window. Open rates will drop to near zero. Your email won't even get to users, much less get read." In short, it will be the first mass-user email platform that is whitelist-based, Blue Sky Factory said. Read more at www.marketingvox.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/btlv

Interesting to note that this month has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays so looks like we get some extra time off this month http://amplify.com/u/bq7q

The little things in life and what Googles new compression program really means

In an interesting development Google announced a new image compression standard. That on first blush seems to be well outside of what they do in web development, search, and advertising. And almost immediately several tekkies, writers, and general computer 'experts' were heard to question what if anything this development means.

A good example is the attached article from Zdnet by Garett Rogers in which he basically says "Hey what's the big deal". Well what Garett and the other others fail to take into account is just how much a lot of "little" things add up too.

For while it doesn't seem that reducing the size of images would make more than a small impact on the performance of the web that is far from the truth. With only a moment spent looking at the larger picture we can see just how important even little things can be.

For by compressing an image size by only 3% more than the other standards used today you will see that a file now in the range of 100k will suddenly be in the range of 97k. No big deal by it's self. But multiply that savings in file size by the millions of images beings downloaded and it starts to add up. If 1 thousand people download that same file you now save 30k, a million 300k, and so on.

Then you have all the work that a Google, Yahoo, FaceBook, Twitter, Flicker, and of course Amplify have to go through to SAVE these pictures. That work and the resulting space it takes up doesn't come cheap. You're looking at computers and computing cycles to process it, data base programs to manage it, and finally hard drives to store it.

A change like this while small for each transaction makes for savings all along the spectrum of online computing. From how fast your little website loads to how many trillion terabytes of pictures may be stored in the millions of data warehouses out there on line are all effected.

So as in many things it's important to look at the broader picture. For today many of the most important changes and developments we are going to need to take to heart and practice will be like this one. Often we have micro analyzed things in this country thus seeing only a part of the much larger picture.

What effect could one light left on, one aluminum can or plastic bottle recycled, or one slightly smaller image file have on the whole of the world?

Well as this example shows the law of geometric progressions does make little things like this add up. Whole empires have been brought down for, as the poem said, "the want of a nail" and the horse it cost the battle.

So while image compression is a geeky problem that on the surface doesn't seem to have much meaning for anyone but the nerdiest of the nerds it goes to show the importance of little things in life. For not only in computers but in most things in life it's those over looked "little things" that can mean all the difference.

So one bottle or can recycled, one kind word or smile exchanged with a stranger, or a loving word with a kiss and a flower for someone special, are all part of the "little things" in life that taken together make a tremendous difference.

Amplify’d from www.zdnet.com

In their latest attempt to make the web even faster, Google has devised their own image format to rival JPEG. Since forever, JPEG has been doing a great job of compressing photographic images — it doesn’t support transparency, like other formats, but it does what it was meant to do very well. Google has determined that JPEG isn’t the best format for that anymore. WebP is a new compression that achieves an impressive average 30% reduction in file size for images. Google will be proposing an update for WebKit that will make viewing those images in a browser actually possible. Now, I’m not complaining here — anything to make the web faster is good in my books — but I have a question. Why are we worried about fractionally speeding up the web when we live in a broadband world that’s just getting faster and faster anyway? The web is speeding up far more quickly from just network speeds improving than tweaking compression on files that are usually only used to show photographs online. Sure, Sites like Flickr might see notable speedups — with each page showing several jpeg images typically — but most webpages largely use png or gif images (when you can’t do something in CSS). I’ll stop whining now. WebP is still cool, and like I said before, anything to make the web faster is good in my books.

WebP: Google's new attempt at speeding up the web Read more at www.zdnet.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bq4a

This Year IRS Audits Will be on the Rise

With all the tax changes and a federal budget deficit estimated at $1.6 trillion the Internal Revenue Service is pushing and gearing up to audit more returns. The focus will be especially strong on Schedule C fillers but will also affect Corporations and Partnerships.

Taken with the fact that the IRS is also training agents to work with QuickBooks and expects to begin to request QuickBook files as part of the audit process this could be a very tough year for the self employed or small business owner.

So a word to the wise! Be sure that your QuickBooks files and your receipts are in order. This has always been something that should be happening but for now and the foreseeable future it's of even greater importance than in the past.

Taking all of this into account this just may be the year that you want to get someone experienced in accounting and using QuickBooks to look over your books. The last thing you need is to have problems with the IRS and with their increased scrutiny that is a definite possibility. And sadly I find that most of the clients I have that use QuickBooks and are not having them reviewed are making mistakes that would put them in violation of several general accounting rules.

Remember having good books isn't just about ending up with the right total expenses and income for the year. It's also about records that meet the required rules and structured such that they are a business planning tool. Any good accountant, skilled tax preparer, or CPA trained in QuickBooks will save you far more than such a review would cost and just the peace of mind is worth a lot.

And with the advent of the internet, conference calls, and all the rest of the tools out there it's easier than ever to have your files checked, your questions answered, and your general procedures improved to increase your productivity. I know that I now manage books and file returns in over 11 states so it’s not even required that you’re located near your accountant or tax adviser. What’s important is that you find someone you feel you can truly communicate with and who will communicate with you.

So give some thought to making this the year that you’re sure what you are doing with your books is correct and that you would feel ready for an audit if one were to occur.

Congress Needs to Address Tax Issues Now not Later

At a time when we face unprecedented problems with the economy and it's management in this country Congress must, if they are to face up to their obligations, address the issue of taxes and tax reductions. It's time now, not after the elections, for legislators to decide if tax reductions will be extended and to finish up the numerous bills that are lying in limbo due to the gridlock that has prevailed during this legislative session.

As a tax professional it always disturbs me every year to watch the circus that tax legislation has become in the Senate and Congress. The far reaching effects and the cost of uncertainty that takes place each year are a hidden drag on our economy and they rise to the level of a national threat to our economic survival in these perilous times.

And while this problem has been ongoing for several years this year provides the "perfect storm" those of us in the accounting industry have feared for some time.

We face the convergence of what is still, in real terms, a depression in most sectors of the economy and a growth in regulation of unimagined proportions. With reams of new regulations and hundreds if not thousands of new regulators added to a system already out of control it will be impossible to escape the damage done to businesses both big and small.

When you take away the ability for businesses and individuals to plan in an orderly way for investments and equipment purchases as well as confuse the important issues of business succession and estate planning you produce a business climate that is hamstrung by indecision and over run with a mountain of costly paperwork.

Just addressing the new requirements for businesses to issue 1099's to their local Wal-Mart, Office Depot, BestBuy, and most of the other businesses they deal with, will increase costs and produce a definite drag on productivity while providing no real benefits to anyone.

Now throw in the big issues, like health care reform, and a banking industry that is failing to provide business funding and you quickly see a system that will be pushed to the limit to handle everything and survive.

So it's time we tell our legislators that we want something done and done now not later.

In a land founded by brave men and women who placed their honor, their fortunes, and even their lives at risk it is a national disgrace to be run by the cowards now taking up space in Washington.

A Sign by the Side of the Road

In 1925 Allan Odell convinced his father Clinton Odell that by using small signs along the roadways of America they could promote their shaving cream company, Burma-Shave.

Thus from that simple beginning was born, what could conceivably be called, the first social media advertising campaign. And while there was no internet, no TV, nor even cell phones used to promote this campaign it will forever be remembered as one of the most unique, original, advertising campaigns ever seen.

For amazingly as the world watched this simple idea, started for $200 dollars, turned Burma-Shave into one of the largest shaving cream companies in the United States at that time.

And with over 7,000 Burma-Shave signs at its height no American could travel for any distance without seeing the fruits of Allan and his brother Leonard’s work. Thus throughout the depression and into the early 1960’s Burma-Shave continued to bring joy and anticipation to a whole generation of travelers on the byways and highway of this country. And, of course, along the way they made Burma-Shave a house hold word.

What does this teach us today about advertising? Are there lessons can we gather from this simple yet powerful idea that still apply?

I think so!

The first of which is that advertising is at its best when it’s simple. For just as Burma-Shave could with 5 little signs (containing nowhere near twitters 140 character limit) catch the imagination and attention of Americas traveling public we can do the same today.

And second, an advertising campaign to grow and achieve success, must bring some measure of worth to those involved. It can be anything from the simple entertainment of a Burma-Shave sign to the joy we experienced with the old Kodak picture ads. But somehow it must touch the people watching in a way that moves them and holds their attention long enough to deliver its message.

We just have to choose our words wisely, keep our message simple, and bring value to the people who we present our message too. If we remember to do that the wonder of the Burma-Shave signs, and what they taught us, will live on.

You can see many of the old Burma-Shave sign ads here at: Burma-Shave Slogans

Dear IRS

I received this letter and just had to share it with you all. I'm not sure but I may have a few of these things laying around lose to use to pay my taxes.

Frank

Dear IRS,
Enclosed is my 2009 tax return showing that I owe $3,407.00 in taxes.Please note the attached article from USA Today, wherein you will see that the Pentagon is paying $171.50 for hammers and NASA has paid $600.00 for a toilet seat.

I am enclosing four toilet seats (value $2400) and six hammers (value $1029),bringing my total remitted to $3429.00. Please apply the overpayment of $22.00 to the "Presidential Election Fund," as noted on my return. You can do this inexpensively by sending them one 1.5" Phillips Head screw (article from USA Today detailing how HUD pays $22.00 each for 1.5" Phillips Head Screws is enclosed for your convenience.)

It has been a pleasure to pay my tax bill this year, and I look forward to paying it again next year.

Sincerely,
A Satisfied Taxpayer

A Little Humor for the Day

Humor always makes the day seem to go a little better and a laugh will bring sunshine to an other wise dreary day. So enjoy!

During a recent visit to my doctor, I asked him, "How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put in an old age home?"

"Well," he said, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the person and ask them to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"

SO DO YOU WANT THE BED NEXT TO MINE OR THE ONE DOWN THE HALL BY THE WINDOW?

My Thoughts on America Today

At a time when we face so many decisive issues in this country I feel I must say that I think it's time for those of us traditional, patriotic, God fearing Christians to step forward and take a stand.

For soon it seems we Christian patriots will be in short supply if some have their way. As we now live in a time when the president doesn't solute or ware the flag. A time when we are asked to cease our prayers to the God of our forefathers. And we are being told we should apologize for who we are and what we've done.

Well I as a Christian and a patriot feel I must step forward and say, "Enough!".

I love my country, respect it's flag, pray to a Christian God, and make no apologies for it. To those who respect my right to do so I respect them and I'm willing to be tolerant of their beliefs.

However to those who don't, stand aside, as I do not intend to be anything but a patriotic Christian American. And when your beliefs, thoughts, and actions attempt to prevent me from this freedom of expression that is my right as an American you will find that I will fight you for that right with all the might my God will grant me.

So for those of you who understand please join me,

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. (I grew up saying this every morning in school - it's a shame we no longer do that for fear of offending someone).

So God bless us all as we need his strength and understanding to make America once again a country that honers it's Christian heritage and practices the patriotism that built America.

And take a moment to listen to these classic Americans tell you why they love America and what it means to them and let their words bring a tear to your eyes and a longing in your heart for the Christian America so many fought and died to provide us.

Red Skelton's The Pledge of Allegiance

John Wayne The Pledge of Allegiance

John Wayne America Why I Love Her

Johnny Cash Ragged Old Flag

Bankrate.com A Great Online Resource

One of the handiest sites on the web is found here at Bankrate.com.

This site provides a world of consumer information as well as allowing you to search for bank, mortgage, loan, & investment products and services.

What rate is highest on money markets?
Who offers the best mortgage rate?
Where can I get the best auto loan?

All of this and more can be researched and found right at your finger tips in only minutes not hours or days. So if you’ve never checked out this site you really should as it can make a huge difference in your financial future to be fully informed before making any important financial decisions.

A great place to start is here http://www.bankrate.com/funnel/checking-account/ where you can do a search for information on what bank offers the best checking or savings account in your area based on several criteria. You might be surprised at what other banks are offering. And while changing banks is a major decision knowing just what choices you have might just make it worthwhile.

It is just such information that can make your important financial decisions both easier and better.

So check out Bankrate.com and you’ll be surprised by what you can find in the way of good free financial information. And as always treat this information as a part of what you need to base your decisions on but never rely on only one site or source for financial information.

As a point of information I have neither an interest in nor do I receive any commissions, fees, or other remuneration from Bankrate.com. And as always this information is offered only as advice in general and not as an endorsement of Bankrate.com, it’s information as provided, nor the advisability of making any major financial decision without the proper guidance of a professional adviser knowledgeable in your particular needs and situation.

Saving On Air Conditioning During this Heat Wave

With the record heat covering the country right now it's important for people to think about how to efficiently and effectively use their air conditioning. By simply using your air conditioning properly you reduce what is, for many of us, one of our largest house hold summer expenses.

Even better is that it's good for the environment and it takes some of the burden off of our overloaded electrical grid. For it is these peak times of electrical usage in the summer, as we all seek some relief from the sweltering heat, that the electric companies and their aging power grids face a crisis in delivery. This it no better shown than in the many areas that have constant black out or brown out problems during these seasonal heat waves every year.

So keeping that in mind I ask you all to do two things.

First check with your electric provider and see if they have any programs such as we have here in Kansas to help. In Wichita and many other parts of the state serviced by Westar Energy they will come in and install FREE electronic thermostats that greatly reduce cost since these state of the art units allow them to control the cycling of a home owners unit. Just being able to not have every unit in an area come on at the same time prevents spikes in electrical usage that benefit us all.

Better still they will promise to reduce your electric bills by 20%. Which from my own personal experience has happened. That's a win-win situation if there ever was one. (Kansas residents you can read about the WattSaver program here on Westar's website.)

And Second take some time to really study up on just what are good air conditioning practices. So may false ideas and misconceptions are out there that no one article can address them all. But by simply doing some on line research you can find lots of information that will help you to be a better more aware electrical consumer and stay cool in the process.

A good article to start with is one that is on Yahoo right now about air conditioning myths. You might be surprised at some of the things you believe that simply aren't true.

So start with this article Five air-conditioning Myths.

And PLEASE remember to be careful in this heat and be sure to check up on those neighbors, family, and friends you know that might be at risk due to age, health, or economic hardship. No one should die from the summer heat but every year many do.

In fact this article came about after I learned of a friend who just this last Thursday lost their mother due to the heat. She had apparently been trying to save money and not running her air conditioning during the day. That mistake cost her life. And it will forever haunt her children who by not checking on her feel they allowed it to happen. Go with Gods' grace Edna Brown you will be missed by many!

What Plastic Bottles are Safe from Leaching Chemicals

With all the rumors and confusing information you hear about plastic bottles today (especially plastic water bottles) what are the facts and are any of them safe.

Well fortunately a great article on the subject can be found at Trusted MD a site that is respected and contains information that is known to be from reliable sources.

And while I think you should really read the whole article the basics of what was conveyed were as follows;

....Excerpt....

To be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it. Better to use a reusable water bottle, and fill it with your own filtered water from home and keep these single-use bottles out of the landfill.

........

It then goes on to discusses those bright Lexan plastic water bottles with the following information and warnings;

....Excerpt....

Unfortunately, those fabulous colourful hard plastic lexan bottles made with polycarbonate plastics and identified by the #7 recycling symbol, may leach BPA. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children.

........

And then discusses plastic baby bottles with the following information and warnings;

....Excerpt....

Unfortunately, most plastic baby bottles and drinking cups are made with plastics containing Bisphenol A. In 2006 Europe banned all products made for children under age 3 containing BPA, and as of Dec. 2006 the city of San Franscisco followed suit. In March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was commenced against Gerber, Playtex, Evenflo, Avent, and Dr. Brown's in Los Angeles superior court for harm done to babies caused by drinking out of baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA. So, to be certain that your baby is not exposed, use glass bottles.

........

So there you have it on this whole plastic bottle issue. I do think that it's terribly wrong that this danger isn't being resolved nor addressed by our Food and Drug Administration. We should be protected from such plastics and they should not be allowed to be used in food containers nor be allowed to come into contact with foods.

But the current FDA is more interested in allowing the plastics industries to continue unabated while Europe has taken strong measures outlawing all of the plastics in question.

The full article can be found here: Which plastic water bottles don't leach chemicals? | Trusted.MD Network

To Those Living and Suffering On the Gulf Coast

To those who are now going through the horror of the Oil in the Gulf and all it means to a way of life that may be lost forever I would like to reprint a poem I wrote after Hurricane Katrina as it also applies to the suffering and pain being experienced again in the Gulf.

So while no words can take away your pain or bring back either your your property or your way of life may God help you to continue to rebuild both.

One Man's Prayers and Tears

If one man's prayers could heal your lives,
You would be healed. As I pray for you now.

If one man's tears could wash away your pain,
Your pain would be gone. As I cry for you now.

If one man's hope could lift you up.
You would be lifted above the devastation. As I hope for you now.

But only God and faith can see you through this time of trouble.
He is with you now through all our prayer and He will heal you.

His tears he sheds for you will wash away your pain.

He will lift you up and carry you and all will be made whole again.

Dedicated originally to victims of Katrina (and now to victims of the Gulf Oil crises)
By Frank Woodman Jr (9/2/2005)

941 Pitfalls Await Employers This Year

Well here it is again time for the 2nd quarter 941 to be completed and filed for 2010. And while 941’s are notorious for being hard to file even for those who have filed them in the past this year’s 941’s are especially tricky.

This is due to the added new problems and possible errors created by the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE) passed as part of the stimulus package earlier this year.

Under the provisions contained in HIRE employers hiring new employees after February 3rd of this year no longer have to pay the employers portion of Social Security due on the wages of these new employees.

Employers figure the total Social Security and Medicare due on all employees’ wages and then claim “forgiveness” for their portion of the Social Security due on new employees qualifying under HIRE. And while that sounds simple enough the IRS reports that they are seeing a large increase in the number of mistakes being made. These mistakes range from putting the forgiveness amount on the wrong line to claiming the credit for non qualified employees.

Due to these problems the IRS is increasing audits of 941’s and more closely examining all 941’s received. They will also be doing compliance audits to insure that employers haven’t fired employees just to replace them with new workers to claim the HIRE credit.

So a word to the wise take great care with your 941’s this year and expect possible fees or fines for mistakes that would have been waived in the past to be enforced.

Also be very sure that you claim only one credit for each new hire. Often the IRS is finding that employers are also claiming the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) as well as the HIRE credit on the same employees. You can only claim one or the other not both.

Usually the HIRE credit will be the one to take since it has simpler qualifying rules, is much easier to figure, and usually results in the largest credit. But in some cases the WOTC will result in a larger credit and will therefore be the one to use.

Just be sure you understand the qualifications for the WOTC credit are more restrictive than for the HIRE payroll forgiveness credit. The WOTC rewards keeping a qualified new hire employed for 52 weeks. The max credit is the lesser of $1000 per employee or 6.2% of the wages they earned during those 52 weeks. You can take the HIRE payroll forgiveness or the WOTC but not both for the same employee.

If you have taken the HIRE payroll forgiveness and then realize that the WOTC would have been a better credit for any employee, you can amend your 941’s with the new 941X to make the adjustment.

You can get more information and details about these credits and the qualifying rules here on the IRS web sites HIRE information page.

Todays Food for Thought

"Evangelism is selling a dream." - Guy Kawasaki

"No wild enthusiast could rest, till half the world like him was possessed." - William Cowper

"Opposition always inflames the enthusiast, never converts him." - Friedrich Schiller

Microsoft Offers BizSpark Program for Start-Ups

Have a new business and need software development tools. Well consider taking advantage of Microsoft’s BizSpark program for new start-up companies. They will give you full featured Microsoft development tools, licenses for server products, and other useful tools and software to use for three years at no cost. Yes free! All you need is to have is a new and innovative business idea you are bring to market.

Microsoft describes the qualifications as follows:

"Most privately held software development start-ups in business for less than three years who generate annual revenue under USD $1 million can join. Enrollment carries no up-front costs. Just pay a USD $100 fee at program exit."

You can find out the full details and what you need to do to sign up for BizSpark here: BizSpark

So check it out you don’t have anything to lose and it may be your ticket to making that dream come true.

Wi-Fi Hot Spots and Security Risks Go Hand in Hand

Recently I had a client contact me wanting my help in resolving some identity theft problems and the resulting losses his business had incurred. It seems that two of his bank accounts had been accessed and over $30,000 was taken through fraudulent transfers.

Of course he was surprised when he contacted his bank and found that the bank would make good on none of the losses. It seemed that my constant reminding him that commercial accounts don't receive the same protection that private accounts do had fallen on deaf ears. (That will be the topic of another article.)

But as expected he was really mad and was just certain that he knew the person responsible for the theft and wanted me to help him prove it.

It seems that he had recently fired a young man that had been with his company for about two years and this young man had be involved in both handling tech and maintenance on his computers. So this young man would have had the knowledge and the ability to access the bank accounts in question and he felt he must be the one who had done the crime.

As in most cases of forensic accounting and security investigation a good rule is to never jump to conclusions. Far to often it's not the one we suspect that is the guilty party.

So the first thing that I did was to look at the records and then begin to study the security and protection in place for the companies computers. Of course what I found was both a surprise and an embarrassment to my client.

For the truth of the matter was that in the end I discovered that both he and his office manager often met at a local club for breakfast and to go over issues that they wished to discuss out side of the office. They just loved this place because, you guessed it, they had Wi-Fi and free Wi-Fi at that.

Well after some careful investigation it seems that one of the young people that worked at the restaurant in question had left his job. He had left to go back to college in another state. The police are still investigating but it seems almost certain that this young man was the thief. I'm not certain that he will ever be charged (Computer crimes are very often never solved or if solved no one is charged due to their complex nature.) but with everything we know he's the guilty party.

So what's to be learned from this?

1. Wi-Fi isn't secure. Everything that you do, send, or have on your computer is at risk while you are on a Wi-Fi network. And that risk extends to paid Wi-Fi as well. The only part of paid Wi-Fi that is encrypted all the way to the ISP is the sign on screen. So while paid Wi-Fi is more available it's not safer. There are a couple of easy answers to this problem. First is to use a VPN secured gateway to access a Wi-Fi network any time you use one. And Second is to go with a wireless ISP, which is much different, over using Wi-Fi. Providers like AT&T, Version, Sprint, T-Mobil, and the other big wireless providers protect your connection and make sure it's private from your computer to their computer.

2. That not having important data encrypted on your computer means that this data can be accessed by others even when you aren't using it. It seems that up on checking credit cards and other company assets were compromised as well and all were items of information contained on the owners laptop in clearly visible files. So the owners computer had been accessed not just the data that was transmitted over the Wi-Fi network.

3. That everyone in a company needs to be aware and trained in security issues. Bosses and others at the top are often the worst offenders since they don't usually answer to anyone. That's part of the $30,000 lesson my client learned in this case. He can be a security risk just like everyone else.

4. That not paying for and implementing security and the proper training of your personal may well be much more expensive in the end. Security is a constantly changing and increasingly important part of your companies operations. It's not something to be left to chance or circumstance.

So a word to the wise DON'T USE PUBLIC WI-FI WITHOUT VPN PROTECTION and use encryption on files that contain important data or risk losing that data.

As a point of information the client involved in this issue knows of this article and approved it's content. He allowed it's publication with the hope that it could prevent others from leaning these lessons the hard way as he did.

The 10 Commandents and The Work Place

After careful though I've come to the conclusion that the real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a government building is this --you cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of politicians .... it creates a hostile work environment.

Mad Cow's and Illegial Aliens

Think about this:

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington?

And, they tracked her calves to their stalls and were able to follow them and their offspring.

But this same government claims they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country.

Maybe we should give each of them a cow.