PAX organizers surveying about European expansion

Could PAX be heading across the pond? Obnoxious WWII-era names for the Atlantic Ocean aside, a recent survey from PAX organizers Reed Exhibitions heavily suggest that plans are being made to do just that. Among the three pages of standard survey questions are such giveaways as, "If we brought PAX to the UK, would you attend?" and "If we decide to hold a PAX UK, where would you prefer to see it take place?"

Notably, the "where would you prefer to see it take place?" question offers a handful of London-based locations, as well as "Outside London" and "Other" options -- unfortunately, "somewhere that doesn't rain all the time" isn't a choice. But hey, we're just kidding Londoners. We'd love another reason to visit your continent!

When we asked the folks at Penny Arcade what they had to say about it, biz dude Robert Khoo told us, "We're just trying to see if people would be interested." He further noted that "it's not anything we're ready to act on in the near future." How about if we ask real nice? Maybe in an English accent?

JoystiqPAX organizers surveying about European expansion originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/11/pax-organizers-surveying-about-european-expansion/

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OSHW Definition V1.0

Back in October, we posted about the Open Source Hardware Summit - a meeting of individuals who are in support of the "open source hardware movement."In addition to Windell Oskay, David Mellis, and Phillip Torrone, SparkFun CEO and Founder Nate Seidle is one of a small group of people that have been working to make OSHW a mainstay in the embedded electronics community. One of the biggest difficulties in bring OSHW mainstream has been that there was never really a concrete definition of what open source hardware is - until now, that is.


Two of the proposed new Open Source Hardware logos.

Just this week, the first definition of open source hardware was released. While the definition itself is a little long to hash out here, you can read the entire definition at this page. However, here is a quick summation of the basics of OSHW from the Open Source Hardware Statement of Principle:

"Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make and sell the design or hardware based on that design. The hardware's source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware. Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs."


Once a logo is decided on, it will appear on our open source PCBs - like the ArduBot.

SparkFun Senior Graphic Designer David (he of Antimov character fame) has been working to create a logo for OSHW. While the exact logo has not been decided on yet (there are several different logos under consideration), you will probably start seeing an OSHW logo pop up in various places - including on many of the PCBs that SparkFun sells. If a product is open source, it basically means you are free to take it, change it, and sell it for a profit - as long as you give us attribution. There is more to it, but that is where this definition comes in.

We have not yet developed a specific license for OSHW, but it is in the process and should be released shortly. As it stands now, this definition is a great first-step towards bringing open source hardware to the frontlines.

Source: http://www.sparkfun.com/news/550

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Egyptian Google Engineer Wants to Thank Mark Zuckerberg [Social Networks]

We don't think Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook deserve any thanks for their role in Egypt's protests—given that role consisted mainly of kicking activists off Facebook for using pseudonyms. But Wael Ghonim, the Google engineer who was kidnapped by the regime and has become the youthful face of the protests, wants to personally thank Zuckerberg: More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gawker/full/~3/a6UTDqe-vtE/

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Pros and Cons of ReUsable Bags

I recently saw a UPI article about Lead Found in Some Reusable Bags that were offered from grocery and retail stores.
"The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) released new lab results showing that a number of major retailers? reusable shopping bags contained excessive levels of lead. Of the 44 organizations whose bags were tested, 16 are selling or distributing reusable bags containing lead in amounts greater than 100 ppm (parts per million), which is where many states set the limit for heavy metals in packaging."
Why the worry?

Because longterm interaction with large quantities of lead cause problems. In children it can bring about learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing, and even brain damage. And adults can be affected as well by symptoms ranging from weakness to fatigue and paralysis, gastrointestinal diseases, high blood pressure, and a host of nervous system ailments.

Since the limit is 100 ppm, what bags where the bad ones? First, the test was on only, polypropylene (non woven) bags made in China. I refer to them as "the stiff bags" when I see them. But many times they are cheaper to pick up a handful of them than 1 or two canvas bags, that I prefer.

Here are the top 10 bags with the highest lead count:
1. CVS (green bag) that has recently been recalled - 697 ppm
2. Safeway/ Organics - 672 ppm
3./5. University of Oregon (picture of football field, green and brown) - 554 ppm / 353 ppm
4. Giant Eagle (brown bag with red reduce, recycle, reuse) - 523 ppm
6. Bloom (black and purple bag) 349 ppm
7. Stater Bros.  - 309 ppm
8. Walgreens - 298 ppm
9. KTA Super Stores - 285 ppm
10. Staples (eco-easy) - 277 ppm

Other retailers testing positive for excessive levels of lead included Staples, Giant Eagle, Piggly Wiggly, Giant, Gerbes, KTA Superstore, Brookshire Brothers, Stater Bros., and, ironically, the District of Columbia Department of Environment.

The reason I liked canvas reusable bags was that I could wash them for longer and sew them up if they started to fall apart. That way my investment of 3 -7 dollars per bag was had more value than a 99 cent, "stiff bag".

With the law of banning plastic bags popping up in cities here and there, now if definitely a good time to get into the habit of bringing AND using the bags at the store.

Despite the led, there are good ones out there and other positives ways to using reusable bags still.
**Save Money - Some stores offer 5-15 cents off per bag brought in, even if you don't use them all.
**Easier on the Hands - The handles on many reusable bags are wider than plastic bags, softer and more durable for carrying long distances.
** Customize Them - Don't get yours mixed up with someone else's and make your own T-shirt reusable bags. (youtube video)
** Double Duty -Not just used for grocery shopping, handy for carrying library books, Halloween candy, swimming gear, a catch all in the car, and a lunch sack.

Of course this will cut down on the bags you use for your trashcans around the house or putting newspapers in for the recycling, but what did we use before plastic bags? But if you are like me, I occasionally forget the reusable bags in the car and have to bring home a few plastic ones still.

What are your thoughts on reusable bags?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IpRp/~3/CCY3aRvWzqI/pros-and-cons-of-reusable-bags.html

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A New Chapter: Starting Over With Bankruptcy

13 years ago I claimed bankruptcy and the process was easier than my imagination made it out to be. In my imagination I saw myself and my lawyer on one side of the huge courtroom and the mean, impatient credit card lawyers queuing up to give the judge a reason why I should not be allowed bankruptcy. It didn't go like that at all, but the process of chapter 7 was a learning experience.

With the laws that took effect in 2005, they do make it slightly harder and more paperwork is done to essentially find out if you are worthy of the big dinging a bankruptcy would do to your life and finances. What used to be an easy way to file chapter 7 bankruptcy, now is much harder for those who have debts of $50,000 or even $100,000.

In 2005 changes were made to the bankruptcy law and now certain things have to be met, such as a Means Test. The test is supposed to stop those who have too much money for filing for a  chapter 7.
You have to answer "NO" to the following questions
1. Is the family earning above the average income for their state? Look up your state
2. If you answer yes to the above, but you can answer "NO" to having excess monthly income of more than $166.66/month to pay $10,000 of debt over 5 years and you do not have excess income of greater than $100/month to pay over the next 60 months at least 25% of your unsecured debt - Then you can file chapter 7 bankruptcy.

But if you answered "YES" to either of these, above the state average income, excess of 166.66 over 5 years, excess 100.00 to pay over 60 months at least 25% of unsecured debt - then you have to file a chapter 13 and set up payment arrangements.

One of the tests that is used to determine how much excess monthly income you have is the following formula:

Income - Living Expenses = Money to be Applied Towards Debts

And that is the exact same formula you can determine if you can pay down your own debt without having to pay a lawyer to find out for you. But how a lawyer determines what is income and what is living expenses is the complicated part. As of this law, the IRS determines that based on your previous tax return and they decide what is reasonable.

Ok, so you are still going through with the bankruptcy. According to the 2005 law, every person has to go through credit counseling within 6 months before filing bankruptcy and you have to pick from one of the approved counselors for your state. And you have to have your certification before the bankruptcy can be discharged.

Vehicles - The old law said that you only had to pay the value of the car in a certain time to keep the car. The new law says that you have to pay the entire loan off to keep the car. The timetable on payoff is usually 3 years. So if you bought a $4,000 car from a car dealer when you had poor credit and the life of the loan is $15,000, then that is how much you have to pay out with this new law.

Homes - If the property was acquired in the last 1215 days (3.3 years) then their is an equity exemption of up to $125,000. Unless you live in Kansas, Texas, Florida, Iowa, and South Dakota, then you have unlimited exemptions and can keep your 2 million dollar home with $1 million dollars of equity built up in it.

Charity- Up to 15% of your income can be used toward charity and is considered a loophole for some to move from a chapter 13 to a chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Let's say you don't qualify for bankruptcy at all...
1. Use equity in your home to pay debts
2. Use cash savings
3. Use Retirement or 401k

If you can't use any of the above means to pay off your debts when you don't qualify for bankruptcy then your next step would be
Stop paying your credit cards and create your own "bankruptcy". If you do this on your own and don't pay your cards, you are doing so without the hassle of the court system, but also without the protection of the court system.

The Pros and Cons of the two bankruptcies:
With a Bankruptcy Chapter 7:
* You don't have to make payments on your credit cards.
* All of your debts are wiped out, your creditors will not be contacting you.
* Your credit is really ruined for 10 years. You will have a tough time getting an unsecured credit card. It's tough to get a bankruptcy off your credit report.

Not Paying Your Credit Cards
* You don't have to make payments on your credit cards.
* All of your debts are not wiped out, your creditors will hounding you.
* Your credit is ruined for 7 years. Late payments and any corresponding collections only stay on for 7 years from the date of first delinquency. You will have a tough time getting any credit for a while.
* It's possible to fix your credit before the 7 year reporting time is up.

While I don't advocate not paying bills, in rare situations I could see that being justified. But I wouldn't ever consider it worth the phone calls at all hours or the possibility of lawsuits. And if you decide to stop paying your bills:
1. Make sure you set aside the money in a bank account that you would normally pay on bills to cover settlements with collections agencies.
2. Also keep all written correspondence with credit card companies and collection agencies. 3. If you get any mail from a collection agency, make sure you write a debt validation letter.
4. When you do settle a debt, try to settle for 10-25 cents on the dollar - get it all in writing!

There you have it, bankruptcy laid out a bit more clearer if you are thinking of starting over, though you may want to take steps to just avoid bankruptcy all together if you can turn back now.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IpRp/~3/F867mToeOOc/new-chapter-starting-over-with.html

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Bing Celebrates Football Legends at ESPN NEXT Party

As the official Decision Engine of ESPN The Magazine’s 2011 NEXT event, Bing presented an open-to-the-public panel at the River Ranch in Fort Worth, Texas yesterday featuring Super Bowl winning quarterbacks including Joe Montana, Doug Williams and Kurt Warner. ESPN Monday Night Football Broadcaster Mike Tirico interviewed this panel of world champions and uncovered their most decisive moments on and off the field.  Check out the highlights from the panel, public Q&A and interviews with each of these talented men here, as well as www.espn.com and www.bingvideo.com.  And for more ESPN’s “I Am A World Champion, presented by Bing” feature series visit http://espn.go.com/nfl/superbowl/quarterbacks.

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-The Bing Team

 

 

Source: http://www.bing.com/community/Site_Blogs/b/search/archive/2011/02/04/espn.aspx

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An Interview With a Target of the FBI's Anonymous Probe [Crime]

The feds are taking Operation Payback seriously: In response to the Anonymous attacks on Paypal, Mastercard, Amazon, and other corporations that severed ties to Wikileaks in the wake of Cablegate, the FBI has served more than 40 search warrants and subpoenas as part of an ongoing grand jury investigation into the attacks based in San Jose, Calif. We spoke to one target of the investigation, a 19-year-old woman who lives on the West Coast, anonymously about the FBI raid on her home, her participation in the movement, and the FBI's fundamental cluelessness about the nature of Anonymous. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gawker/full/~3/H6LhPuTl9pQ/

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