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Santa Claus better not use iOS Apple Maps to get home this holiday season. Fairbanks, Alaska?? #applemaps. I want my google maps back. Wahh!!

Dec 05

How XFACTOR USA Contestants’ Standings have Improved on Twitter in One Week

How Contestants’ Standings have Improved on Twitter in One Week, Data recorded at 8:17pm PST on Thursday December 5, 2012.

Nov 30

Has Twitter Already Determined the Winner of The XFACTOR?

Last night’s The Xfactor USA ended with a couple of big upsets, Paige Thomas & Vino Alan are out of the running for a $5 million dollar recording contract.

My Question to myself tonight was if Twitter Followers were a good indication of who is going to win this thing?

Carly Rose Sonenclar - 13 year old alien, her voice is Amazing, but she never quite sounds unique. This kid’s performance consists of walking up and down staircases, but that’s about it.
Tate Stevens - Great smile, great voice, great mission, I think everyone wants to love this guy. Tate sings with a smile and tear in his eye.
Emblem 3 - These guys are surprisingly decent, I think I’d be excited if they won for the sole reason that they aren’t amazing or anything. They’re like 3 normal guys looking at a chance to win $5 million. Crazy. Their dance moves are pretty weak, and like fifth harmony cannot figure out how to move around on stage.
Fifth Harmony - There is a lot of individual talent on this team, but the Judges were definitely spot on about their last performance, you can’t sing a dance song and stand in place. Their main problem is that a couple of the girls really stand out, the other ones not so much. It’s like they’re still competing amongst themselves when they sing.
Cece Frey - If you believe in “conspiracy theories”, I’d say that Cece Frey has been chosen to win this show, chosen to be made to be at the bottom of the barrel and constantly have her spot on the line, chosen to be on the verge of knockout twice, chosen to be the scapegoat, only to have her win and show everyone how you need to keep trying no matter what all the haters say.
Diamond White - Diamond White has one of the great stories of this show. Struggling family and a mom who wants to help her daughter follow her dreams. Her voice is amazing, she’s completely adorable, I definitely feel like watching a performance at home on your TV is tough though, I often struggle to tell who really sang better. Diamond is one of those cases I feel like sometimes she sounds great and other times I’m not so sure. After she sang Tuesday, I knew she was in a rough spot. No one can vote for her until after the show? I think Diamond got saved over Vino last night because of her story, her age, her potential, her lack of tattoos, her ability to stand up straight and sing, her vocal range, etc. I think the real moral of this story is there’s no room for rockers to succeed in Reality TV Competitions. Which would leave me to believe we need a Rock Competition, since there just isn’t one available.
Vino Alan - The lesson to be learned here is that these competitions are closer than everyone thinks they are. Vino was in third place for about 3 weeks. And he got booted last night. His song choice was incredibly dull. He’s such a soulful singer, it’s really surprising to see him keep churning out some really garbage songs. He needs to dig into some deeper soul balads, a la Bill Withers. I’d love to hear him cover a Pearl Jam song. I tweeted at Vino Alan to start a kickstarter page and I’d buy his CD. This isn’t the first time the Xfactor has let me down. Simon booted David Correy. Moral of the story, Simon hates men with Tattoos. It’s too bad Simon can’t come up with a witty Who wants to be a Millionaire, “goodbye” comment.
Paige Thomas - Paige’s Tuesday night performance was the best one of the show? Almost all of her performances have been incredible, she’s a beautiful young women with a cute little munchkin daughter and a cute story. I’m not in the least worried about Paige’s future, she proved time and time again on this show that she was born to perform. Whether it’s in Las Vegas or Broadway or as a vocalist, who knows, but she’s incredibly talented. I was sad to see her go.

Going into last night’s show I was guessing that Fifth Harmony & Diamond White were at the bottom, Diamond because she got screwed in the rotation and Fifth Harmony, because they don’t sound like a group and they just stand there and sing. But look who’s in number one spot, none other than Carly Rose Sonenclar, the queen of standing in place and singing.

The rules of the XFactor are completely stupid. Example: You can’t vote until after the show (!?$%#), you can only vote on your mobile phone through Verizon (!?%$#) or through Xfactor the App (which is bugged to hell and doesn’t work), you can buy the song on TheXfactorUsa.com (!?%$#), HELLO iTUNES?! Ever heard of it. Don’t waste my time. Thank you @NBC’sTheVoice for getting it right.

I think this show is still too tough to call. The major drawback to the singoff is, it’s not actually a chance for the judges to choose someone that performed better in the singoff, it’s actually a chance for the judges to improve the chance of success for one of their people.

If Cece Frey and Diamond White are in the running again for 4th place, I think it could go down to a deadlock and we have yet to see what that exactly that means. Demi Lovato will weigh in Cece’s favor, Britney will always be in Diamond’s favor, it really comes down to if Cece or Diamond has a better chance of beating the groups or Tate Stevens, which is why I think Diamond White could be voted off next week. Cece is perceived as less of a threat.

Here is how I predict the standings for this show are going to look at the end of Wednesday’s show.

Carly Rose Sonenclar
Emblem 3
Tate Stevens
Cece Frey
Diamond White (Outed in Singoff against Cece Frey…again)
Fifth Harmony (voted off)

Good luck to all the contestants next week and hope they put on a great show!!

Nov 12

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Jun 18

Future Headline Circa 2013: Microsoft Hardware Division Goes the Way of the DoDo Bird

Fact: Microsoft canceled it’s Tablet, the Courier and lost several major execs

Feb 10

One of the traditional high points of the political year in Britain came last Tuesday afternoon, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his budget proposals for the coming financial year. Also traditional was the photo-opportunity (though that word is much newer than the practice) on the steps of the Chancellor’s official residence, 11 Downing Street, when he held up the red despatch box containing the text of his speech for the media to photograph. So far as the history of words is concerned, there’s actually a good connection between the box and the speech… click the link to read more.

Feb 09

Many of us know we have an option to use a debit card but don’t take advantage because we lack knowledge or interest or simply are in the habit of writing checks. While checks, ATM cards and credit cards are fairly self-explanatory, many people fail to see much difference between a credit card and a debit card.

What’s The Difference?

Every time you use a credit card, you actually are borrowing money that is made available to you by a bank or other financial institution. The institution pays the debt to the vendor and, in turn, you pay the money back to the institution. By signing up for a credit card, you agree to pay back the money that you borrowed, in addition to any interest drawn on the amount you borrowed.

Odds are, you have a debit card in your wallet or purse right now, since many ATM cards are programmed to have debit options. Issued by your bank, debit cards take funds directly from the money that you have in your bank account - acting much like a check, just faster. With a debit card, you don’t have to carry cash or checks, and it is very convenient to shop at a variety of places including gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and retail stores. They provide instant access to your money and are accepted worldwide.

Debit cards are used much like credit cards, meaning that the store where you are shopping ‘swipes’ them and you are normally given the option of signing your receipt instead of using a required PIN number (you can enter your PIN number if you prefer). You also typically do not have to show a picture ID.

Which Is Better?

Maybe you still don’t see much difference, besides where the money comes from and when you have to pay up. So which one is better to use? It depends upon how careful you are with your card and why you are using the card.

The features that make debit cards convenient - instant access to your money, lack of a required PIN number and not having to drag out your photo ID when you use it - make fraud that much easier. Unless reported quickly, theft of your debit card can quickly devastate your bank account. This is where you begin to see the difference.

Credit card companies are held to strict liability laws; the law limits consumer liability for credit card fraud to $50. For example, if you notice suspicious charges on your credit card statement such as double billing or an incorrect charge, the credit card company is obligated to investigate if you send in a written request within 60 days.

For debit card fraud, your liability is $50 if you notify the bank within two days of noticing the fraudulent charges. After two days, your liability increases to $500, and up to your entire account balance after 60 days. So, if you report the theft after two days, you can be held responsible for paying for purchases or charges that you didn’t make. Although many banks have started to implement voluntary plans to limit customer liability to $50, there is no federal law regarding this issue.

The key to protecting yourself when you suspect that your stuff has been stolen is acting fast! The Federal Trade Commission offers an excellent resource that can help you respond quickly in case your wallet or purse is stolen.

In addition to stricter liability laws, credit cards offer more consumer protection on purchases made. Use credit cards for very large or fragile purchases and for objects that will be delivered to your home after the purchase. This gives you added insurance in case the purchase is damaged in route.

One final advantage of credit cards is that they are helpful for consumers seeking to establish or reestablish an attractive credit history. Responsible credit card usage can improve one’s credit rating, which will improve your chances of obtaining favorable credit terms (low interest rates, low fees, etc.) for automobile loans, mortgages and personal loans.

One pitfall for many debit card consumers is not keeping up with their debit transactions. This is like writing checks and not recording your purchases - you may end up trying to spend money that you don’t have! Discipline yourself to keep up with your transaction receipts.

Finally, a debit card is not just a card - it’s ready access to your money. Be as careful with it as you would with your wallet if it contained the contents of your entire bank account.