Archive for July, 2008
There's Water On Mars
Jul 31st
NASA has just confirmed that there is water on the planet Mars. I feel like this should be akin to landing on the moon in terms of scientific significance.
Now that the Phoenix lander has proven the existence of water, it’s modified mission will be to find out if the surface of the red planet is conducive to supporting life and if life ever existed there. Certainly finding water is a significant step in providing evidence of the sustainability of life.
I’m hoping this discovery on the martian surface ignites more interest in space exploration and more specifically funding for the programs needed to make it a reality. I would much rather see billions of dollars spent in space than in the middle east.
Best Web Hosts 2008
Jul 30th
Finding the perfect webhost for your project, whether it be a WordPress blog, e-commerce site or affiliate marketing portal can be a challenge because of all the different options out there. Some of the biggest problems that website operators like us deal with is uptime, hosting costs and support.
Most beginning Internet entrepreneurs and hobbyists are looking for cheap web hosting, but it’s not wise to necessarily choose the cheapest host out there because you tend to get what you pay for. Quality is by far a more important factor in deciding who to use for your hosting, and there are many affordable hosts that provide a high standard of service and amenities.
WebhostingGeeks.com has a directory of the ten best webhosts with detailed reviews of their respective services and features offered. Many of the plans in the top ten host category range in price from $5-12 and many offer free Yahoo and Google advertising credits as well.
Web Hosting Geeks also offers top listings based on various other criteria such as Budget Hosting, Blog Hosting, Ecommerce, Reseller and Dedicated.
Once you’ve selected your hosting provider you are encouraged to return to Web Hosting Geeks and submit your own review of the experience you received. All hosting plans that are displayed include at least one free domain name registration and a 30 day money back guarantee.
Cuil – New Search Engine
Jul 30th
Cuil (pronounced “Cool”) is the newest search engine to hit the Internet. Cuil was created by some former Google engineers and has a goal of indexing more pages than any other search service, which it claims to have already done. I’m really not a fan of “more is better” because I’d rather get relevant results rather than hundreds of thousands of somewhat related pages.
Cuil is the Gaelic word for both knowledge and hazel, and features prominently in ancient legend. A famous poet fished for many years on the River Boyne hoping to catch the Salmon of Knowledge. When he finally caught it, he gave it to his young apprentice Finn McCuil to prepare, warning him not to eat any. As Finn cooked the salmon he burnt his thumb and instinctively sucked it to ease the pain. And so it was Finn and not the poet who gained all the wisdom of the world. Finn went on to become one of the great heroes of Irish folklore. Any time he needed to know the answer to a question, he sucked his thumb. – source: Cuil.com
Some of the Venture Capital firms backing the Cuil concept include Madrone Capital Partners, Greylock Partners, and Tugboat Ventures.
I think I’ll use Cuil on occasion over the next few weeks and see if it is something I could use in place of Google. But right now, I would say over 95% of my searches are with Google and it serves me very well.
Technorati Tags: cuil, google, shaun carter, venture capital, madrone capital partners, greylock partners, tugboat ventures, search engine
HP Pavilion Elite m9340f
Jul 29th
I’ve been setting up and testing my new HP Pavilion Elite Desktop and 22″ HP High Definition Monitor and have been very happy with the results so far.
I purchased the computer and monitor from CircuitCity.com and took advantage of several money saving offers. First, CC was offering an extra 10% off the price of computers and monitors and I paid with my Discover card through a special link they provided me and will earn an extra 6% cash back on my statement.
- Pentium Core 2 Quad 2.66Ghz processor
- 750 GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
- 6 GB RAM
- DVD Burner w/ Lightscribe
- 512MB Dedicated GeForce Graphics (shared up to 2GB)
- TV Tuner
- 15-in-1 Media Card Reader
- Wireless a/b/g/n Networking
- HP Personal Media Drive Bay
- Ports: 6 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire, HDMI, DVI
- Windows Vista Home Premium
The computer is a powerhouse and I haven’t even begun to take advantage of its full capabilities. There is a free media bay that I plan to install a Blu-Ray drive into so I can utilize the high definition monitor better as well. The media card reader and front ports are very easily accessible and the top of the computer is a “grippy” material that is used for docking ports or other electronics peripherals that you don’t want sliding around and falling on the floor.
This 22″ HDMI LCD monitor is crystal clear and a big upgrade over the laptop screen I have been using. The included speakers are in the back of the monitor and I would not recommend utilizing them as the sound is good, but misdirected and poor sounding as a result.
I am utilizing the HDMI capabilities of the computer and monitor together and it makes setup a breeze. The monitor came from the factory with a lower than native resolution (1680 x 1050) so I upped the monitor to it’s limit of 1080p resolution and the picture looks great. I can easily surf two windows side-by-side or be much more efficient at multi-tasking because of the increased screen real estate.
The monitor also includes two USB ports for hooking up extra electronics directly to the display.
This computer is going to be replacing my Compaq Laptop as my primary computer, although I will be keeping the laptop around for its portability. The laptop was only a dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM and just wasn’t doing what I needed it to do anymore.
Rock Bottom – Eminem
Jul 28th
It’s Monday and time for some music lyrics. This one by Eminem is a pretty dark and gloomy song, but sooths me when my mood is bad.
“Rock Bottom”
A-yo!
This song is dedicated to all the happy people
All the happy people who have real nice lives
And who have no idea whats it like to be broke as fuck
[Verse One:]
I feel like I’m walking a tight rope, without a circus net
I’m popping percocets, I’m a nervous wreck
I deserve respect; but I work a sweat for this worthless check
Bout to burst this tech, at somebody to reverse this debt
Minimum wage got my adrenaline caged
Full of venom and rage
Especially when I’m engaged
And my daughter’s down to her last diaper
That’s got my ass hyper
I pray that god answers, maybe I’ll ask nicer
Watching ballers while they flossing in their pathfinders
These overnight stars becoming autograph signers
We’ll all gone blow up and leave the past behind us
Along with the small fry’s and average half pinters
While playa haters turn bitch like they have vaginas
Cause we see them dollar signs and let the cash blind us
Money will brainwash you and leave your ass mindless
Snakes slither in the grass spineless
[Chorus (x2):]
That’s Rock Bottom
When this life makes you mad enough to kill
That’s Rock Bottom
When you want something bad enough to steal
That’s Rock Bottom
When you feel you have had it up to here
Cause you mad enough to scream but you sad enough to tear
[Verse Two:]
My life is full of empty promises
And broken dreams
I’m hoping things will look up
But there ain’t no job openings
I feel discouraged hungry and malnourished
Living in this house with no furnace, unfurnished
And I’m sick of working dead end jobs with lame pay
And I’m tired of being hired and fired the same day
But fuck it, if you know the rules to the game play
Cause when we die we know were all going the same way
It’s cool to be player, but it sucks to be the fan
When all you need is bucks to be the man
Plus a luxury sedan
Too comfortable and roomy in a six
They threw me in the mix
With all these gloomy lunatics
Walk around depressed
And smoke a pound of ses a day
And yesterday went by so quick it seems like it was just today
My daughter wants to throw the ball but I’m too stressed to play
Live half my life and throw the rest away
[Chorus]
There’s people that love me and people that hate me
But it’s the evil that made me this backstabbing, deceitful, and shady
I want the money, the women, the fortune, and the fame
That Means I’ll end up burning in hell scorching in flames
That means I’m stealing your checkbook and forging your name
Lifetime bliss for eternal torture and pain
Right now I feel like just hit the rock bottom
I got problems now everybody on my blocks got ‘em
I’m screaming like those two cops when 2pac shot ‘em
Holding two glocks, I hope your doors got new locks on ‘em
My daughter’s feet ain’t got no shoes or sock’s on ‘em
And them rings you wearing look like they got a few rocks on ‘em
And while you flaunting them I could be taking them to shops to pawn them
I got a couple of rings and a brand new watch you want ‘em?
Cause I never went gold of one song
I’m running up on someone’s lawns with guns drawn
[Chorus]
Technorati Tags: eminem, marshall mathers, slim shady, shaun carter, rock bottom, lyrics
France Puts an End to the 35 Hour Workweek
Jul 23rd
France’s parliament passed a law that has effectively banished the infamous 35 hour maximum workweek the country’s citizens have enjoyed for the past 10 years.
French President Sarkozy has been making many changes to his country and has proved quite unpopular among much of the population.
I always thought of how nice it would be to have a 35 hour work week and universal healthcare, but alas it looks as if Nicolas Sarkozy is another lackey of our own President George W Bush and will bring France down just as has happened here in the US.
Technorati Tags: sarkozy, france, george w bush, united states, shaun carter, universal healthcare, workweek, 35 hour, parliament
Music Lyric Mondays
Jul 21st
So I’ve decided to start up a regular feature on Mondays here at ShaunCarter.com – showcasing a different favorite song or music lyric of mine, highlighting my favorite parts.
Santa Monica
Written by Art Alexakis
Performed by Everclear
I am still living with your ghost
Lonely and dreaming of the west coast
I don’t want to be your downtime
I don’t want to be your stupid game
With my big black boots and an old suitcase
I do believe Ill find myself a new place
I don’t want to be the bad guy
I don’t want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore
I just want to see some palm trees
Go and try and shake away this disease
We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die
I am still dreaming of your face
Hungry and hollow for all the things you took away
I don’t want to be your good time
I don’t want to be your fall-back crutch anymore
I’ll walk right out into a brand new day
Insane and rising in my own weird way
I don’t want to be the bad guy
I don’t want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore
I just want to feel some sunshine
I just want to find some place to be alone
We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die
Technorati Tags: everclear, art alexakis, greg eklund, craig montoya, shaun carter, rock, music, lyrics, santa monica, davey french, sam hudson, josh crawley, brett snyder
Protect Your Hard Earned Assets
Jul 18th
Certain professional services are worth their weight in gold, attorneys are one of those professionals. A good attorney can provide wealth preservation and asset protection from creditors, potential or current litigants, ex-spouses, the IRS and others.
Wealth can include brokerage accounts, boats, RV’s, automobiles, real estate, businesses, intellectual property, jewelry and more. Without proper domestic and/or offshore asset protection, you risk losing everything you have worked your entire life for, in one fell swoop.
Some popular offshore tax haven include Monaco, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Macau and others.
Rubinstein and Rubinstein, LLP are attorneys that specialize in preserving and protecting your wealth and assets. They represent high net worth individuals such as, professional athletes, business executives, securities brokers, entertainers, physicians and entrepreneurs.
Rubinstein litigates in U.S. Federal Court, U.S. Tax Court, and New York State Court. As recently as March 2008, the firm won a landmark case against the New York City Tax Department. The case centered around the Real Property Transfer Tax assessed wrongfully by New York City.
Formed in 1991 as a boutique law firm, Rubinstein can help with all of your wealth protection needs and has experience with litigation as well as defense and would be happy to hear from you at (212) 888-6600.
Bank Stocks On a Roll
Jul 17th
Shares of US Bank stocks have been moving considerably higher in recent days while crude oil falls. One stock in particular, Fannie Mae (FNM), was beaten down to around $6 per share the other day and I hesitated and decided not to pick up shares at that price for fear that the lender would become insolvent as many have predicted. Well it turned out that the hesitation cost me, to the tune of a 100% gain on a straight stock trade and over 500% on a July 2.50 Option trade.
JP Morgan (JPM) was talked about on CNBC today about its 40% gain in a little over a week. Wells Fargo (WFC) rose over 30% yesterday after announcing a strong cash position and increasing the dividend.
Kudos to anyone who got into the financial stocks on Monday, you are surely raking in the profits this week.
Technorati Tags: jp morgan, wells fargo, fannie mae, freddie mac, profits, banks, stock market, investing, shaun carter
