Photo by: Yogi

But, don’t show up at the doorstep of the house you are at to beg for money and ask where you can valet park your private fucking jet!  Not only did the auto exec’s fly in on private jets, they didn’t even jet-pool!  A quick Google search shows that a private jet can cost around $4,000 per hour!  Checking a few major ticket sites online, It shows that it is roughly one and a half hour to fly from Detroit to Washington D.C., or $6,000 each way.  I can book a 1st class ticket for a wee tad over $800, roundtrip! ZOMGWTF?!Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Yesterday fellow blogger Tina Su published 15 tips to writing an effective email. Tina is a very talented writer and I suggest you follow her blog, but that’s beside the point. The title alone got me thinking about email and how I use it to interact with other people. The realization is that I rarely use email outside of work anymore, rather it’s a last resort to contact someone and I have maybe a dozen of my closest friends email addresses, the rest I don’t. So what happened?

Email was partially created to fill a void in the time it took to deliver a message from one physical location to another location faster. It did that, and as someone who’s been using email since about 1994, I don’t know that I would ever go back to putting a piece of paper in an envelope, sticking a stamp on it and waiting. Now, the post office has a time and place for things, but for sharing information, it’s not that great, and it’s expensive if you want to share with a lot of people.

Over the last eight years or so, I’ve relied less and less on email for contact though; forums were a huge boom around the turn of the century and created something called a Private Message. An email of sorts but only on the forum that you belonged too between other people who belonged to the forum. I’ve actually been running my own photography forum since 2003 and am still active on a number of other forums covering various topics, 99.5% of the people on these forums I do not have an email address for and that’s OK because I know that they can be contacted through the forum.

The next major move was in 2002 when Friendster was started, the first really successful social networking site. Today MySpace and Facebook are the leaders, but they allow you to connect in an informal way with everyone from family to celebrities. What they also offer is the ability to see if the person you sent the message to read it or not, something that email could never effectively do.

Photo by: cambodia4kidsorg

Twitter has also made it possible to keep in contact with people quickly, and more and more people use it as a chat program, even though chat has been around for years.  It’s been called real time blogging, but in the nearly year I’ve been using it, I see more conversations going on between people than I do blogging.

Most websites have also stripped off email contacts replacing them with forms, much like you see here on Randomn3ss’s Contact page because it cuts down on spam, and embraced so called Web 2.0 ideas like social networking & bookmarking sites and Twitter. While I do reply to your messages via email, it’s not the technology you used to get in contact with me first.

Tina’s article contains concepts and ideas that can be used on forums, social networking sites, Twitter and even text messages, but on a whole, I think email is slowly slipping away much in the same manner the hand written letter has. Email isn’t going to die, but it’s been painfully living on, crippled by spam, your friend Angela who forwards everything she thinks is funny to you and endless marketing emails from companies you bought products from that are pleading with you to buy more.

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Found something you think is worth sharing?  Drop me a message through the Contact page or contat me via Twitter @mikepanic.

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Joe waits anxiously for the shiba inu puppies to wake up from their nap and start playing again.

The quote above is in reference to the new internet sensation, Live streaming Shiba Inu puppy cam that everyone seems so addicted to.  Don’t take Sad Guys on Trading Floors too seriously, see it for what it is, a bit of the funny.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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What is the XO Laptop?
The XO is an impactful learning tool designed and built especially for children in developing countries, living in some of the most remote environments. As such, it has several features you won’t find on any other laptop.

For starters, it’s about the size of a small textbook and made with a rugged plastic exterior. It has built-in wireless and a unique screen that works in full color or black and white to make it readable under direct sunlight for children who go to school outdoors. And finally it’s ultra-low power using only about 4 watts of power (most laptops use about 60 watts). This means, when there’s no electricity, it can be recharged with alternate power sources like solar power.

Why Give a Laptop?
Why give a laptop to a child who has no running water? If you replace the word “laptop” with “education” the answer becomes clear. You don’t wait to educate until all other challenges are resolved. You educate at the same time because it’s such an important part of all the other solutions.

The Children
Currently, there are XO laptops in over 30 countries from Peru to Rwanda, and everywhere it goes, the results are the same. The laptops help children build on their active interest in the world around them to engage with powerful ideas. When the laptops arrive school attendance goes up, teachers download lesson plans from the web and kids begin teaching each other how to use the machine. With the XO, kids actually learn how to learn.

The One Laptop Per Child Organization
Founded in 2005 by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte, One Laptop Per Child has a simple mission: to create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each and every one with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, creative, self-empowered learning.

By giving a laptop, you are helping bring education to children in some of the world’s most remote areas.

You are connecting them to each other. To us. To hope. And to a better future.

Just as last year, if you live in the US you can claim half of the money back as a donation when you fill out your taxes.  Get more info and buy one here.

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The dictionary defines “meh” as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. Examples given by the dictionary include “the Canadian election was so meh.”

The dictionary’s compilers said the word originated in North America, spread through the Internet and was now entering British spoken English.

While this is a British dictionary and the word clearly comes from North America, you are more likely to read it on the internet then actually here someone say it.   I personally think that the top two definitions at urbandictionary.com are better:

1. Indifference; to be used when one simply does not care.
A: What do you want for dinner?
B: Meh.

2. “The verbal equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders.” -quoth me
“(While holding gun to their own head) Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t pull this trigger!”
“meh.”

Either way, it’s kind of interesting to see the evolution of our language, often for worse I would assume.   A few other words that were considered are,

frenemy, an enemy disguised as a friend; and huggles, a hybrid of hugs and snuggles.

The word huggles alone is enough to make want to throw-up in my mouth a little.

Thanks to Nikki for sending me the link: Yahoo News
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Pimps and Ho’s is like Monopoly if Jules Winnfield slapped it like a $10 street walker with an open hand.  Yes, it’s an offensive game that degrades women, men and people as a whole.  Aside from that, some of the questions are enough to make you feel just a little bit embarrassed.  The idea of the game is to move around the board on the way to pimp supremacy.  Along the way you will find obstacles and haters that are trying to keep you down.

Some of the cars included are, One of your ho’s lipped off to you, so you bitched-slapped the unruly ho. Pay the clinic $50 for their care, and Take $500 from any rival pimp and send him to the “big house.” No one disrespects you! This clearly isn’t the game you want to play with your kids, but with some adult friends, it could be a blast.  If you do get sent to the big house, you could face some tuff choices, like this one, The warden calls you to his office and makes you whistle Dixie on his skin flute.  You play it like a pro.  He grants you a full pardon.  You’re out of the Big House.

I don’t play video games, I haven’t in almost 15 years, but board games have and always will entertained me.  This game seriously looks like fun and can lead to some interesting side-discussions with the right group of friends.  The goal is to make $1,500 but the man will try to keep you down.  If your girls end up in jail they can’t make you any money until you bail them out and if they fail to pass a health exam, you’ll be out more loot.

The board game retails for $29.99 from the Pimps and Ho’s website, and there are plenty of expansion packs, or you can buy The Whole Wad which includes all 7 of the expansion packs for $69.99.

The best part, I have The Whole Wad to give away!  You’ll get the Pimps and Ho’s board game and all 7 expansion packs, stay tuned for full details on how to enter, they will be posted soon.  If you can’t wait, you can order the game here.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Hmm, I guess this means no Pulitzer for me. Oh well. I understand Mr. Friedman’s opinion in general, but personally, I don’t have the money to go shopping, even if I wanted to - and I’m sure I’m not alone in that, for several reasons. Who can just go shopping when they’ve been laid off, as thousands have recently, as reported in the Times and elsewhere, or are fairly certain a lay off is coming? What about those who finally woke up, or were forced to wake up from their credit binge of the past several years and had just come to terms with not spending more than they earn? What about those facing foreclosure? What message does this give them? Of course, retailers rejoiced at Mr. Friedman’s words, as they should. Maybe the malls won’t be as deserted as has been predicted.

I’m sure plenty of other people do have the money or plastic to burn, though, so I will say a big thank you to all those who do help our economy through shopping, and just needed permission such as this to go out and spend away again. Each person can wrestle with what is best for them to do, for self, country or both. It’s a classic paradox, and an honestly tough choice, for some. Similar articles that might also interest you:

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1. Wrapping: I don’t shop at “dollar stores” much as I find the products overall pretty horrible in quality, but the exception is wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbon and so on. Never pay regular retail for stuff that’s going right into the trash for the most part. Of course, because I save stuff like that, I already have a good stash to start with, but inevitably some of it will tear and I won’t have enough, so I do make a trip to the local buck shop once a holiday season. Also look around your house for creative ideas to make your wrap job unique. Newspapers, string, colored wire, yarn, paper clips - use your imagination to have an impact when you hand your gift over. Don’t worry about it looking goofy or not ‘elegant’ or whatever. It will make people smile, and remember it - and you.

2. DIY/Make Your Own Gifts: There are countless DIY ideas on the web and in magazines to draw from, but beware: If you have to go out and buy stuff to make it, you are likely defeating your goal of saving money. Be inspired by the DIY items you see, but if you have none of the items needed to make it, see if you can come up with your own version using what you have at home. I like to take pictures and decided this year to give the gift of my photography. It’s easy to get prints done inexpensively either on the web or at home (but be careful with the latter as ink ain’t cheap). It’s also easy to find inexpensive frames, and perfectly legitimate to reuse frames or get used frames at thrift stores. One of my framed photos cost me less than $5.00 but looks like it cost a lot more than that - framed photography has that way about it. Photography is one of the most accessible hobbies, artistic endeavors or casual activities around that has a really high impact on people, so don’t discount it, even if you don’t think you’re “good” at it. People love to have their stories, memories and special moments captured and displayed in photos, and photos are typically treasured for years, often becoming heirlooms, passed on to new generations. Other gifts I have made in other years are crocheted scarves, woven potholders, jewelry, note cards and post cards… If you’re good with a hammer and saw, you might use some scrap wood to make a small shelf, a storage box, a magazine rack, etc. Handmade things are always appreciated, and again, tend to stay in the family for years to come.

3. Cook or Bake: I make a Czechoslovakian pastry my mother used to make that no one else in my family has really mastered, and I love sending it to my family at the holidays - and they are thrilled to receive it. If there are strong sentimental baked-good favorites in your family, I highly recommend giving them as gifts: We all need some comfort in these hard times, everyone loves a special treat, and it’s likely you enjoy making it, so it’s gift to yourself, too. If shipping, choose something that will hold up well and be sure to pack it very carefully so it doesn’t arrive in crumbs; also, don’t send that door stop, um, fruit cake that weighs 15 pounds as it will be expensive to ship. Again, watch your budget, and the amount of time it will take you, along with the amount of energy needed. If your food of choice requires lots of oven and/or stove time, it’s not really economical.

4. Give Yourself a Low Dollar Limit and Stick to it, No Matter What: Depending on your budget and income, I recommend keeping it really low - $4-8, maybe $10 at the most. Related to that, out of necessity, you may then be able only to give one gift per person, which may be a big challenge, if you’re like me and typically like to give 2-3-4 things to each person. This is a great exercise: It makes you really think about the person, what they need, what they like, and about you, what statement you like to make with a gift, what is important to you, and to the relationship. It can be very revealing, very fun, and very satisfying to realize the best thing you can get your friend is a really great _________ for $7. Really, that’s all you need to give, and they will love it, and the pressure is off to ‘have’ to spend a lot more for whatever reason prior to this moment you had for gift giving.

5. Give the Gift of Your Time: One thing everyone wishes for is more time, so give it to someone in the form of a handmade gift certificate offering your time to help them with something they need, which in essence gives them more time for other things. You can be specific, stating “I will…”: Paint your bathroom; take your recyclables to the recycling center every month in 2009; clean out your garage; give you 5 hours of Photoshop training; etc. Doing something for someone that allows them more time to give to things they wish to spend time on is priceless, as is offering to do chores they hate but you don’t mind at all. Doing things for someone else also helps you to create stronger connections, build the relationship, which is a gift to you both.

Bonus tip: Regift! I frequently regift (i.e. give something that someone has given to me) items I have never used or have barely used, and think it’s a perfectly legitimate and morally appropriate thing to do. A couple key points are in order: “Barely used” means the recipient should not really be able to tell the item was ever used. Don’t give something that shows wear or any kind of obvious use - that is tacky, pure and simple. Keep track: Be 1000% sure you’re not giving a gift back to the person who gave it to you, or plan on some really awkward moments and possible negative ramifications. Keep original packaging if possible, if you get a gift that you know you’ll never use, so you can regift it easily. Don’t feel bad: We all have gotten gifts that just didn’t work for us, no matter that we love the person who gave them to us. It’s okay to part with it, really, and what’s the point of keeping something you will never use. Send it off to someone who truly will appreciate it - and thank the original giver (in your mind only!) for helping you in this new way (saving money by regifting it).

Some people will likely decide not to give gifts this year, and I think that’s a fine idea, too - if one was accused of being a tightwad during these times, that’s a compliment, if anything, and should be an inspiration, actually. Take on the title of Scrooge proudly if it feels right.

In uncertain times such as this economic crisis, the bonds with each other and our common values are what people historically turn to (and what was obviously forgotten in these past many years of spend spend spend), for strength and comfort, for efficiency, and for being wise financially. Use that to everyone’s advantage this gift-giving season, and beyond. It will be the greatest gift you can give - to yourself, too. Similar articles that might also interest you:

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