Business Management

Business Notes.
BURLINGTON - After deciding she was paying too much for the cleaning service she employed as a busy working mother, Jennifer Bunning decided to start her own. She says that her venture, Fuzzy Slipper Cleaning Co., is priced to fit the average family”s budget.

An initial residential cleaning is $45 for a house under 2,000 square feet and $55 for a larger house. Subsequent maintenance visits are $35 for a smaller house and $45 for a larger house.

‘I have worked many years as a retail manager with the dream of opening my own business, and came to this out of helping friends with their housework,’ Bunning said. ‘I am bonded and insured for clients” protection and peace of mind.’

.

FAP767: Going green on Free Stuff Friday, Earth Day 2008

FAP767: Going green on Free Stuff Friday, Earth Day 2008

Student Financial Aid News
+ Inside Higher Ed: “Banks are marketing aggressively through a variety of channels. They’re calling students on the phone, they’re mailing to students, and they’re using a combination of on-campus and off-campus tables where they give away products, ranging from offers for sandwiches, offers of food and pizza, all the way up to iPod shuffles,” said Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. PIRG. The organization manages the “Truth About Credit” campaign.
+ The survey, of more than 1,500 students at 40 campuses in 14 states, found broad support among students for limiting credit card marketing on campuses. Eighty percent said they supported at least some limits. There was strong support for restricting access only to promotions for cards with fair terms and conditions, and opposition to colleges’ sharing or selling lists containing student contact information. “Many credit card companies encounter no difficulty in securing information of current students at colleges for marketing purposes,” the report notes. “It is also true that some state public records laws compel public universities and colleges to sell their lists of student information as public records, to anyone.”
+ I’d have to say that paying tuition with a credit card is a terrible idea, far worse than private student loans
+ Our student credit card education site
+ Chronicle: Guarantee agencies such as USA Funds, despite their concerns, are cooperating with the department to prepare for a possible emergency, James Manning said. Only three weeks after department officials said they were troubled by the state of preparations for a lender-of-last-resort declaration, “we’re much more comfortable with where we are now,” he said.
+ Mr. Manning also made it clear that the administration is not ready to be offering assistance directly to lenders. Even if large numbers of lenders withdraw from the bank-based system, the 20 largest lenders handle 85 percent of student loans, he said. The size of the lenders, along with the continued migration of some colleges to the direct-lending program, should prevent any large-scale disruptions, he said.
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com

Scholarship Update
+ The Woodlands High School GREEN Scholarship
+ $1,000 scholarships - 3 of them
+ For students at Woodlands High School in Texas
+ Be sure to Google for your city, town, county, and state with the words Earth Day scholarship to see what local environmental scholarships are available
+ Details at our free college scholarship search site

Free Stuff Friday
+ Let’s see what we can come up with for green and free
+ Last week we mentioned PhoneRaiser to recycle phones and earn cash
+ FreeCycle.org is a site for trading stuff
+ Check out your local Craigslist free stuff column
+ Also check out the barter/trade column as well
+ Free Photoshop Express
+ When buying software, opt for digital download, and delivery is usually free
+ Mint has 30 free eBooks on personal finance
+ If you like horror, Scott Sigler’s eBook Infected is free until March 31
+ Scholarship Search Secrets is free and paperless, too
+ Money savers - compact fluorescent lightbulbs - I’ve just started having to change bulbs I put in my house in 2001 - rechargeable batteries with a 1 hour charger
+ A really important point: green living can be money saving, too - sometimes.
+ Earth Day is April 22 - be on the lookout for free giveaways - last year, Lowes, Ikea, and Home Depot all had free CFL lightbulbs

Free Song of the Week
+ Dirty Work, by Munk

Promo
+ Financial Aid Podcast Live: Surviving the Credit Crunch

Did you enjoy today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
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Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3

Reminders
+
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook /> + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today!
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog!
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

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Today’s College Music Means Record Deals, Stat Raps

It used to be you went to college to get hammered by bad beer and great music. Nowadays, you go there to get a label deal or craft revisionist raps on biostatistics.

Take Mad Dragon Records, for example, the indie label owned by Philadelphia’s Drexel University. Managed by students enrolled in the school’s music industry program, the label inked a deal with Ryko Distribution and garnered good press, from big shots like Billboard and Rolling Stone to niche pubs like Paste and Relix. Mad Dog’s latest release is Fighting Trees, from throwback poppers The Swimmers, whose main man Steve Yutzy-Burkey hails from Amish country and once had a job tuning pipe organs.

And then there is the Johns Hopkins Department of Biostatistics, which has given Seattle rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot’s hit "Baby Got Back" a nerdy makeover. Hence, the splendor of "Baby Got Stats" (.mp3).

I guess I should be thanking Freakonomics co-author and University of Chicago professor of economics Steven D. Levitt for turning me onto this tune via his blog, but I’m going to hold off until I can get the lyrics (My mentors tried to warn me / But those odds ratios get me so horny) out of my head.

See also:

• SXSW: Geeksta Rap Godfather’s 5 Steps to Nerdcore Stardom
• Weezer Frontman Taps YouTubers to Write New Tune
• SXSW: The Ascent of Nerdcore Rising
• Pop Geek Jonathan Coulton Succeeds by Giving Music Away

The Rump Shaker: March 27April 2

A historic tour rolls into town this Wednesday, as Jay-Z and Mary J Blige bring their Heart of the City co-venture to the ACC. Since 1996, Jigga has released ten studio albums, two collaborations with R. Kelly, a mash-up album with Linkin Park, and an MTV Unplugged with The Roots. He also managed to squeeze in a three-year retirement, during which he served as Def Jam president. When no major labels would sign him, he gained his indie cred by starting Roc-A-Fella Records. Part owner of the New Jersey Nets, dubbed the CEO of Hip-Hop, dating the hottest chick in the game, and tied with Elvis as the artist with the second most Number One albums in music history, it’s safe to say that Jay-Z is the man. From a critical and commercial perspective, the only other music artist in his league in terms of consistency and impact is Radiohead. He’ll be joined by the Queen of R&B and Hip-Hop, Mary J Blige. In addition to doing solo sets, the two will do a shared set. If it’s half as good as their Unplugged performance, this show will be a classic.

Speaking of The Roots, the Philadelphia band will be playing at the Koolhaus on Sunday. The perennially critically acclaimed group will be releasing their tenth album, Rising Down, in April. Its first single, “Birthday Girl,” features Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump on the hook, and is undeniably poppy. Perhaps to downplay any sell-out talk, the group has also released a video for “Get Busy” which is much harder. Regardless of how you feel about the new tracks, The Roots have cemented their reputation as a guaranteed great show.

One of the biggest local successes in recent years has been Crystal Castles. The duo with the eight-bit beats have been called “the most exciting and original band in the world right now.” Their self-titled debut was released a couple of weeks ago. They’ll be headlining Randomland at CiRCA on Friday. Judging from this performance at the Rough Trade store, the show will be ferocious.

Full listings below.

This Week

Thursday, March 27
Tainted Love @ Andy Poolhall with rotating DJs: DJ Ritz, Corey Dawkins, DJ X, and DJ Fase. No cover.
Mr Scruff @ Wrongbar. $15.
Unwind Thursdays @ Jolly! with Paranoid Jack, Alicia Hush, and NuEra. No cover.
Lupe Fiasco @ CiRCA with Matthew Santos. $22.50 adv.

Friday, March 28
Exposed @ Mod Club with MV, Addy, and Nick Forucci.
Randomland @ CiRCA with Crystal Castles, Health and more. $15.
Fascination @ Andy Poolhall with TNA Sound System, and Abacus & Lupo of Hi-life!. $5.
Rehab @ Footwork with Deko-ze, Vinyl Junkies, and Jay Force. $5 with guestlist.
Soho Fridays @ This is London withKnow Your Enemy: Minnesota Twins

Our final installment of comparing the Royals to their division rivals focuses on the Minnesota Twins. While there is little disagreement that the Indians and Tigers will fight for the division title, the order of the third, fourth and fifth teams is a matter for great debate. You can make a case for any of the three (Royals, Sox and Twins) to finish third or last.

In the Twins, we have a team that is radically different from last season. Gone via free agency are Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva. Johan Santana has been shipped to the Mets and Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett were traded to the Rays. The Twins picked their spots in the off-season and resisted the urge for a total fire sale: signing Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan to long term deals. In a word, this is a team in a state of transition.

The Lineup
C - Joe Mauer
1B - Justin Morneau
2B - Brendan Harris
SS - Adam Everett
3B - Mike Lamb
LF - Delmon Young
CF - Carlos Gomez
RF - Michael Cuddyer
DH - Jason Kubel

Joe Mauer is one of the faces of this franchise, maybe THE face, and a solid catcher with a bat to drool over. Still, Mauer fell back from his fantastic 2006 campaign (.347/.429/.507) to a line of .293/.382/.426 in 2007. Last season’s numbers are nearly identical to his 2005 season line, which may represent a more true forecast of his talents. Having been injured in two of his four major league seasons, keeping Mauer in the lineup will be a key for the Twins.

Justin Morneau was the MVP in 2006 and was not as good in 2007, but still hit 31 homers and 31 doubles. In three full seasons, Justin has been bad, great and very solid, so what Morneau will end up stabilizing at is still uncertain. You can pretty much count on 30 home runs out of the guy, no matter what he hits average wise.

Brendan Harris came over as part of the Garza for Young deal and will man second base for the Twins this year. He played a lot of shortstop for Tampa Bay, but is better suited for second. His 2007 line of .286/.343/.434 with 35 doubles and 12 homers in 137 games is pretty solid for a middle infielder.

The Twins have always been solid defensively and signing Adam Everett to play shortstop sure is not going to change that. Everett is just plain silly good with the glove, but brings almost nothing to the table offensively. He has never walked more than 34 times in a season or posted an OPS of greater than .702. Basically, he better be brilliant in the field.

Another free agent signee is Mike Lamb who is slated to take most of the time at third base. Last year, the Twins had the worst offensive regular in the league playing there in the person of Nick Punto. In Lamb, they have upgraded considerably. Playing in Houston, Lamb hit 289/366/453 last season with 11 homers and two years ago hit 307/361/476 with 12 homers. A solid player who at age 32 is what he is.

I regard the Twins as one of the most patient organizations in the league and it has served them well. Case in point: Michael Cuddyer. Originally brought up as a third baseman, Cuddyer was pretty unnoticeable his first two and one-half season in the bigs. However, in 2006, the Twins put him in right for good and Michael responded by hitting 24 homers, 41 doubles and posting a .866 OPS. In 2007, Cuddyer fell back some to .276/.356/.433 with 16 home runs and no doubt the Twins are looking for him to rebound back to his 2006 numbers. Think Mark Teahen, Royals fans: pretty much the same sort of deal.

As much as the Royals are counting on the development of Alex Gordon into a superstar, so are the Twins counting on the same from Delmon Young. In 2007, Young played in every game, hit 38 doubles, 13 home runs and struck out 127 times. His line of .288/.316/.408/.724 is not eye popping by any means, but the potential is undeniable.

New centerfielder Carlos Gomez, over from the Mets, stole 31 bases at three different levels last year. He stole 41 more in 2006 and 64 in 2005. The concern with Gomez, who is just twenty-two is whether he is a) ready and b) will ever hit. In 58 games with the Mets last year, Gomez posted an anemic .232/.288/.304 line and has never posted a minor league on-base percentage above .363.

The designated hitter will be some combination of Jason Kubel and Craig Monroe. Monroe has three 20+ homer seasons on his resume, while Kubel posted a solid, if unspectacular, .785 OPS in 128 games last season.

Analysis
With Torii Hunter in the lineup, the Twins managed just 12 more runs than the Royals last year. While they did slug 16 more homers, Minnesota his 27 fewer doubles than KC and 10 fewer triples. Basically, neither team was a very good offensive unit in 2007.

Minnesota fans can reasonably expect Morneau, Mauer and Cuddyer to improve their 2007 numbers and can certainly make a case for Delmon Young to become a feared bat. If all that happens, they will be improved offensively. Still, the Royals expect to improve also.

Matching up, a big, possibly giant edge for the Twins at catcher and first base. Give the Royals the nod in centerfield, designated hitter and third base. Realistically, you pretty much have to call Everett v. Pena, Cuddyer v. Guillen, Young v. Teahen and Harris v. Grudzielanek all draws. Both teams are also likely to be among the better defending teams in the league.

Bottom line: Pretty much even.

Rotation
Francisco Liriano
Livan Hernandez
Boof Bonser
Scott Baker
Kevin Slowey

When it comes to last year’s starting rotation numbers, they are pretty much useless. With the best pitcher in baseball (Santana), an innings eater with excellent control (Carlos Silva) and a rising prospect (Matt Garza) all departed, the 2008 Twins’ rotation bears little resemblance to last season’s unit.

You have to be a little concerned when the ace of your staff has not pitched since 2006 and has a career total of 145 major league innings. The talent of Francisco Liriano was unquestionable in 2006 when he posted a 2.16 ERA in 121 innings. How much and how quickly he can get back to that kind of dominance is a huge question mark.

Livian Hernandez has started 30 or more games from 1998 to the present. He missed throwing 200 innings or more in all of those years by one out in 1999. He has thrown MORE than 225 innings on FIVE different occassions. Is he really just 33 years old? I bet his arm does not feel that young. With a career ERA of 4.25 compiled exclusively in National League average, you have to wonder how effective he’ll be in the AL. Frankly, if Hernandez was going to break down, you would have to figure it would have happened by now.

Boof Bonser started 30 games for the Twins last season, gave up 27 home runs and ended up with an ERA of over five. He had an interesting start against the Royals last year when he walked seven and struck out eight in just five innings of work. Twenty-six years old, Bonser is still searching for consistency.

Scott Baker has yet to be given a full season of work with the Twins, but is almost of assured of it this year. In 2007, Baker started 23 games, pitched 143.2 innings, struck out almost four hitters for every walk allowed and ended up with a good 4.26 earned run average. He could take another step forward and slide right into the Twins’ number two spot by mid-season.

Kevin Slowey destroyed AAA baseball last year: posting a 1.89 ERA in 133.2 innings. He held his own in the bigs, managing a 4.73 ERA in 67 innings of work. Like everyone else who has ever pitched for the Twins, Slowey throws strikes (47 K vs. 11 BB). Just 24, Slowey profiles out as a much better Carlos Silva.

Analysis
Keep in mind that the Twins did get Philip Humber in the Santana deal and he will bolster this squad at some point down the road. For now, I think there are way more question marks than answers here.

In 2008, Meche holds an advantage over Liriano (don’t get all riled up Twins fans, I said 2008, future years are likely a different story) and Brian Bannister likely gets the nod over Hernandez, too. Let’s call Greinke and whomever of the remaining three Twins starters has the best year a draw. The final two spots are likely draws, too, with the Royals depending on two veterans of limited potential and the Twins on two younger pitchers of limited consistency.

Bottom line: Advantage Royals - at least for this year.

Bullpen
The Twins have, and have always had, a good bullpen. Since their rise to power in 2000, the club has turned this unit over almost two complete times and still they remain effective.

Closer: Joe Nathan
Setup: Juan Rincon, Jesse Crain, Pat Neshek
Others: Matt Guerrier, Dennys Reyes

The acquisition of Joe Nathan has to be among the top ten general manager moves of all-time. He had ONE save in four season with the Giants, was immediately installed as the Twins’ closer and has saved 160 games in 174 chances the past four seasons. He is a strikeout machine with great control. If the Twins lead after eight innings, the game is over.

Pat Neshek has 127 strikeouts in 107 innings the past two seasons with a K/BB ratio of 3.85 and really stepped up in 2007 when the other setup guys struggled.

After Juan Rincon piled up three spectacular seasons from 2004-2006, striking out 255 hitters in 233 innings, he really struggled in 2007. Rincon threw 60 innings, struck out just 49 and walked 28. The guy has plain nasty stuff, but you always get concerned about relievers who ‘lose it’.

Jesse Crain had an off 2007, too. After striking out just 25 guys in 29.2 innings in 2005, Crain upped his total to 60 in 77 innings in 2006 and cutting his walks by 11 over that same period. He was hurt last year, throwing just 16 innings and the Twins need him to recover from shoulder surgery and be an effective cog in their pen.

However, even if Crain and Rincon do not bounce back, there is always Matt Guerrier. Throwing a career high 88 innings in 2007, Matt posted a 2.35 ERA, struck out 68 and walked just 21. He’s joined in the pen by LOOGY Dennys Reyes. The former Royal regressed from his spectacular 2006 (0.89 ERA, 50.2 IP, 49K, 15 BB, 35 hits), posting a walk for every strikeout in 29.2 innings of specialized work.

Analysis
The Twins and Royals’ bullpens posted very similar overall numbers in 2007, but the case can be made that Minnesota had one of their weaker pens while the Royals had arguably their best in recent years. If Rincon and Crain rebound in 2008, the Twins will be very difficult to deal with from the seventh inning on. Even if they don’t, Guerrier and Neshek might be good enough by themselves to assure Joe Nathan plenty of save opportunities.

Bottom line: Clear advantage to the Twins.

Final Analysis
If we are willing to believe Craig’s analysis that the Royals will finish above the White Sox (and I for one, agree with him), then the Royals and Twins may well be in a dogfight for third place in the A.L. Central. It is hard to project either team to have a winning record, especially since both have 38 games against two of the best teams in baseball on their schedule.

For the Twins, they need Liriano and Baker/Bonser to emerge or re-emerge (in Liriano’s case) as front line starters. They need Young to develop quickly into a potent, feared bat and they need Gomez and Everett to at least hold their own offensively. The Minnesota organization gets nothing but respect from me for their ability to develop players, manage payroll and be competitive. This year, I think the Royals and Twins will be seperated by less than three games in the final standings, with Kansas City getting the edge based mainly on slightly better starting pitching.

BeefCast 0202 for March 26 2008

BeefCast 0202 Show Notes:

• Only a few weeks left to complete your application for the National Stocker Award
• Shawn Mercer, 2007 National Stocker Award Winner, offers some suggestions and insights on competing for the $10,000 grand prize!
• With the WTO Doha round still on the horizon, Rod Bain of the USDA talks about the significance of global trad

  read more

  

  New Sun Identity Buzz Episode: Passport-gate, ESSO vs. SSO, M&A in IdM, and SXSW from PeopleOverProcess.com

  

  Earlier this week I once again recorded an Identity Buzz episode with Sun’s Brandon Whichard. You can download the episode directly here, or subscribe to the podcast feed to have episodes automatically downloaded, and official show-notes here.

  Bouncing off noting IBM’s acquisition of Encentuate, I ask Brandon to explain the difference between Enterprise SSO and SSO. As with most things prefixed with “Enterprise,” the use of the E-word doesn’t really explain what the exact technology is. In this case, ESSO simply means Single Sign On for non web applications: things like GUI, desktop applications, that is. SSO, on the other hand, is understood to mean Single Sign On for web applications.

  We also talk about how identity management - tacking the activity thereof - laces through recent US political scandals like passport-gate and Eliot Spitzer’s high-price hookers.

  Raising the topic of another M&A move - Ping buying the SaaS-SSO parts of Sxip - we, as ever, we also talk about eagerly awaiting the industry-wide victory of OpenID.

  Finally, we round up with some music recommendations.

  Disclaimer: Sun is a client and pays for my participation in this podcast. IBM is a client as well.

  Technorati Tags: esso, identitybuzz, openid, sunw, sso

  del.icio.us, etc.” id=”akst_link_1271″ class=”akst_share_link”>Share This

  
  Scott Austin - GDC: Interesting uses of Xbox Live Arcade

  Scott Austin is the Business Manager of Xbox Live Arcade and he works with developers and game publishers who are looking at pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on Xbox Live arcade. You’ll here Scott talk about what recent game developers are building new styles of gameplay, incorporating the time dimension, enabling sharing user generated content like sharing custom maps, leaderboard storage to enable "spectator" mode for casual games, or new input devices like enabling motion-detection cameras to play games like pinball.
  Listen to the podcast(MP3)
  Listen to the podcast(WMA)
  Download the Video
  Watch the Video

  Philips SPC700NC/37 PC Webcam

  

  Hey, electronics consumers and students of human despair! Its time for another edition of Ask a Paranoid Psychotic, the only column that brings you the gadget advice you need with the delusional ravings you enjoy. Lets get right to it before the cable company sends David Schwimmer to strangle us all and grind up our corpses into fuel for their weather-controlling satellites.

  Dear Paranoid Psychotic,

  Im looking for a webcam that provides decent-quality video chatting and conferencing functions, and preferably includes a multimedia headset. And of course, I have a limited budget to work with, so the fancy caviar webcams are out. A friend recommended the Philips SPC700NC/37, but I wasnt sure. What do you think?

  Needs A Zesty Image

  Dear NAZI,

  I know it doesnt matter since the radiation from our toasters is giving us all stomach cancer anyway, but Im just going to come out and ask: who are you working for? Who sent you? I just find it a little coincidental that you wrote me with a gadget questionand I happen to write a gadget column. Not to mention, ex-CIA agent Philip Agee died just a couple of months ago in Havana, where he was forced into exile in 1975 after blowing the whistle on the Agencys scheme to take control of the domestic fried-chicken industry by slipping DMT to Colonel Sanders. Notice his name was Philip. One L. An unusual spelling. And yet here you are asking me about the Philips webcamalso spelled with one L. As Green Day said, It all keeps adding up. So tell your masters, and we both know who they are, to find themselves another patsy. I didnt let the smokescreens and dirty tricks of the Nickelodeon network throw me off the trail of the real story behind 9/11, so Im certainly not going to play ball with you or your overlords. Now I have to go. Theres a woman walking down the street wearing a Toronto Blue Jays cap the very same Toronto Blue Jays who implanted circuitry into my kidneys to make me crave Labatts and Im pretty sure thats not a baby in her stroller. It all keeps adding up.

  Thanks for nothing -
  A Paranoid Psychotic

  Warranty:

  90 Day Manufacturer

  Features:

  High picture & video quality

  • SVGA photo resolution for sharp images
  • 30 frames per second video

  Face-to-face video chatting

  • Multimedia headset and boom mic for best sound quality
  • Go face-to-face with free instant messaging services
  • Face tracking automatically follows your face
  • Digital zoom for frame-filling images
  • Built-in digital microphone for quality sound

  Easy to use

  • Multifunctional stand mounts on any monitor or notebook
  • V(ideo)Launch software
  • Get started in a second with VLounge with QuickLaunch button
  • Snapshot button for instant photos
  • Rotating lens for perfect aiming and natural images

  Video Capturing

  • Frame rate: 30 fps

  SVGA snapshot resolution

  • The SVGA resolution of your snapshots ensures sharp images for use in documents, webpages and e-mails.

  30 frames per second video
  With a 30 frames per second refresh rate you will enjoy natural-looking and full motion video calls without jumpy images some webcams produce.

  Multimedia headset included

  • The matching multimedia headset supplied with this webcam increases the convenience and comfort of video chatting and other interactive on-line activities. It has a boom microphone incorporated into the design, so wherever you move, your voice will be recorded at the same level for best sound quality.

  Works with all IM services

  • Add video to Yahoo!, MSN and AOL Messenger. This PC Camera also works with Windows Messenger and NetMeeting.

  Automatic face tracking

  • The state-of-the-art camera software automatically detects your face and moves the lens to follow you as you move. You stay in the center of the image even if you move during a video conference. It gives you the freedom to express yourself and converse naturally.

  Digital zoom

  • Zoom in and out to get the perfect framing for any image all digitally so you dont have to touch the webcam or lens.

  Built-in digital microphone

  • The built-in digital microphone allows you to talk naturally and freely or to add sound to a video clip recording.

  Mounts on any monitor

  • The multifunctional stand makes it easy for you to mount the webcam on any monitor, laptop, notebook or flat surface.

  VLounge software

  • Sofware for capturing, managing and archiving snapshots and video clips in a very convenient way. With just a couple of mouse clicks you will able to create and send Video mails. This software package provides all you need to take fully advantage of your Philips PC Camera.

  VLounge QuickLaunch button

  • To start up VLounge, simply press the QuickLaunch button

  Snapshot button

  • With just one press of this button, your webcam takes a picture automatically ready for adding to e-mails, web pages or documents.

  Rotating lens

  • Rotating lens for perfect aiming and natural images. You can get the right camera angle quickly and easily without having to put things underneath it to change the tilt.

  In the box:

  • Philips Webcam
  • Headset
  • Installation CD
  • Quick Installation Manual
  Discuss this product
  Outsource (Most) Any White Collar Work

  If youwould like to learn how to hire remote part-time white collar workers and manage them effectively over the Internet, this interview is for you.

  Subject: Our guest today is Gary Swart who is the CEO of O-Desk. His company enables buyers to contract with a skilled guild of remote workers, ranging from computer programmers to ghost writers, and manage them over the Internet. The business is much like Rent-a-Coder that we interviewed a couple of months ago, except that O-Desk engagements tend to be longer-term

  (more…)

  Starting Up an Affiliate Blog
  

  Q: Where is the best place to go to start up a new affiliate blog?

  A: My favorite content management system to power blogs is WordPress.

  There are a variety of options out there, including hosted options like Blogger, TypePad, and WordPress.com, as well as software you can install on your server, such as MovableType and WordPress.

  I’ve used many of the available solutions over the years, and I’ve settled on WordPress installed on my server as my favorite.

  My copies of WordPress are all hosted at LivingDot, where they will install and update it for you at no extra cost.

  The cost there is $9 or $10 a month and they provide excellent support.

  Anyhow, some things I like about WordPress include the ability to easily set up a template, known as a “theme” in WordPress. There are lots of free themes, and then some paid themes, like Revolution, which are sharp looking.

  The themes can be customized, and more recent versions include “widget” functionality, where you can drag and drop elements in your blog layout.

  Also, plugins enable WordPress users to add all sorts of functionality to the blogs. There is basically a plugin for anything you want to do with your blog, including podcast streaming, stat reporting, spam filtering, and SEO tools.

  Best of all, WordPress is free.

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