The only thing is, it doesn’t look like a real vote process.  Considering you can only vote once, the numbers are alarming high.

We did however, capture all of this on our flip mino recorder. You be the judge. foul play? somehow rigging the system to auto vote?

In the years of doing technology and automation, this is not a big stretch. I know how to write programs that could in theory automatically make a fake email account and automatically sign up a “profile” inside facebook the automatically “vote” for a charity.

My concern is two fold:

1. the ethics issue.  Just doing this is problematic from a moral perspective.

2. legality. How legal is it to do this? right now, not any real laws against it.

if you look at the terms and conditions inside of the chase rules you will find that they have specific wording that protects them from these types of activities.

I say we need to have an investigation.

check it out and tell me what you think.

http://10r.us/iOc46

read more here:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/bill-gates-starts-tweeting/

Q.    What’s the difference between a car and a golf ball?
A.     Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards.

A joke:

It is near the Christmas break of the school year. The students have
turned in all their work and there is really nothing more to do. All the
children are restless and the teacher decides to have an early
dismissal.

Teacher: “Whoever answers the questions I ask, first and correctly can
leave early today.”

Little Johnny says to himself “Good, I want to get outta here. I’m smart
and will answer the question.”

Teacher: “Who said ‘Four Score and Seven Years Ago’?”

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Susie says, “Abraham Lincoln.”

Teacher: “That’s right Susie, you can go home.”

Johnny is mad that Susie answered the question first.

Teacher: “Who said ‘I Have a Dream’?”

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Mary says, “Martin Luther King.”

Teacher: “That’s right Mary, you can go.”

Johnny is even madder than before.

Teacher: “Who said ‘Ask not, what your country can do for you’?”

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Nancy says, “John F. Kennedy.”

Teacher: “That’s right Nancy, you may also leave.”

Johnny is boiling mad that he has not been able to answer to any of the
questions.

When the teacher turns her back Johnny says, “I wish these bitches would
keep their mouths shut!”

The teacher turns around: “NOW WHO SAID THAT?”

Johnny: “TIGER WOODS. CAN I GO NOW?”

Q.    Did you hear why Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree?
A.    He couldn’t decide between a wood and an iron.

Q.   What is the similarity between Tiger Woods and baby seals?
A.    They both get clubbed by Norwegians.

WARNING: Norwegians in mirror may be closer than they appear.

This just in…..
the PGA has declared that fire hydrants are in fact a WATER Hazard!

Tiger’s new movie is out: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hydrant.

Apparently the police asked Tiger’s wife how many times she hit him. She said “I don’t know exactly… but put me down for a 5.”

Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole-in-one.

What’s the difference between a car and a golf ball?  Tiger can drive a ball 300 yards……..

What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2.30 in the morning?…..they went clubbing.

Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree, apparently he couldn’t decide between a wood or an iron.

Rumor has it Phil Mickelson contacted Tiger’s wife to pick up some tips on how to beat Tiger.

Tiger’s wife is willing to forgive him……..if he changes his name to CHEETAH!

I was in a 7-Eleven last week and watched a middle-aged woman in a sweat suit pay $1.50 for the Sunday newspaper, then walk outside and dump half of it in the trashcan. Care to guess what part she dumped?

Like 37% of newspaper readers (according to Scarborough Research), she’s interested in the advertising. Her $1.50 was likely to have bought her at least $5 in coupons that she’ll redeem at the grocery store, Rite Aid or Wal-Mart. Smart purchase.

While most of the newspaper industry frets over giving away its precious news content, its most vulnerable franchise is produced by the advertising department. Newspapers should thank their lucky stars that the woman in the sweat suit did what she did. She could have stayed at home and gone to SalesCircular.com or one of the many other sites that would have given her the same thing. If she were in Long Island, she might get her coupons from www.yourli.com, an incredibly useful and popular site run by a group of radio stations. If she were in Bakersfield, Calif., she might go to www.shopkern.com, a shopping and coupon site run by KERO-TV.

read the rest here:   http://bit.ly/1aTMbo

The companies announced their divorce in May, after a decade of cohabitation that never quite made sense.

In hopes of creating a multi-media empire, Time Warner bought AOL in January 2001 for $164 billion. But its stock price plunged and synergies were hard to come by as AOL transformed from a self-contained online community into just another Web portal struggling to find revenue.

When AOL and its 7,000 employees are spun off as a separate company Dec. 9, stockholders as of Nov. 27 will receive one share of AOL common stock for every 11 shares of Time Warner common stock they hold.

Here’s the full press release:

NEW YORK – Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) and AOL Inc. today announced the timing and details regarding the spin-off of AOL from Time Warner.

The Time Warner board of directors has approved the final distribution ratio and declared a pro rata dividend of the shares of AOL common stock owned by Time Warner that will result in the complete legal and structural separation of the two companies.

On the distribution date of December 9, 2009, Time Warner stockholders of record as of 5 p.m. on November 27, 2009, the record date for the distribution, will receive one share of AOL common stock for every eleven shares of Time Warner common stock they hold.

Fractional shares of AOL common stock will not be distributed to Time Warner stockholders. Instead, the fractional shares of AOL common stock will be aggregated and sold in the open market, with the net proceeds distributed pro rata in the form of cash payments to Time Warner stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share of AOL common stock.

No action or payment is required by Time Warner stockholders to receive the shares of AOL common stock. Stockholders who hold Time Warner common stock on the record date will receive a book-entry account statement reflecting their ownership of AOL common stock or their brokerage account will be credited with the AOL shares. An Information Statement containing details regarding the distribution of the AOL common stock and AOL’s business and management following the AOL spin-off will be mailed to Time Warner stockholders prior to the distribution date.

The AOL spin-off has been structured to qualify as a tax-free dividend to Time Warner stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Cash received in lieu of fractional shares, however, will be taxable. Time Warner stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of the AOL spin-off.

Shares of Time Warner common stock will continue to trade “regular way” on the New York Stock Exchange (”NYSE”) under the symbol “TWX” through the distribution date of December 9, 2009, and thereafter. Any holders of shares of Time Warner common stock who sell Time Warner shares regular way on or before December 9, 2009, will also be selling their right to receive shares of AOL common stock. Investors are encouraged to consult with their financial advisers regarding the specific implications of buying or selling Time Warner common stock on or before the distribution date.

AOL common stock will begin trading on a “when-issued” basis on the NYSE under the symbol “AOL WI” beginning on November 24, 2009. On December 10, 2009, when-issued trading of AOL common stock will end and “regular-way” trading under the symbol “AOL” will begin. The CUSIP number for the AOL common stock will be 00184X 105 when regular-way trading begins.

Time Warner and AOL have entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and several other agreements related to the AOL spin-off. The completion of the AOL spin-off is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions, including the Registration Statement on Form 10 for the AOL common stock being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”), the AOL common stock being authorized for listing on the NYSE and certain other conditions described in the Information Statement included in the Form 10 and in the agreements filed as exhibits to the Form 10. The condition relating to the authorization of the AOL common stock for listing on the NYSE has been satisfied, and today AOL sent a letter to the SEC requesting that the Form 10 be declared effective. Time Warner and AOL expect all other conditions to the AOL spin-off to be satisfied on or before the distribution date.

Find more here

http://bit.ly/2fglB2

Google’s Chrome OS project, first announced in July, will become available for download within a week, we’ve heard from a reliable source. Google previously said to expect an early version of the OS in the fall.

What can we expect? Driver support will likely be a weak point. We’ve heard at various times that Google has a legion of engineers working on the not so glamorous task of building hardware drivers. And we’ve also heard conflicting rumors that Google is mostly relying on hardware manufacturers to create those drivers. Whatever the truth, and it’s likely in between, having a robust set of functioning drivers is extremely important to Chrome OS’s success. People will want to download this to whatever computer they use and have it just work.

We expect Google will be careful with messaging around the launch, and endorse a small set of devices for installation. EEE PC netbooks, for example, may be one set of devices that Google will say are ready to use Chrome OS. There will likely be others as well, but don’t expect to be able to install it on whatever laptop or desktop machine you have from day one. Google has previously said they are working with Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba on the project.

We’ve seen convincing and not so convincing screenshots of Chrome OS over the last several months. The good news is the speculation is about to end, and you can try it out yourself. If you have one of the supported devices, that is.

Link to full article:

http://bit.ly/21fwaq

Be prepared for a massive resurfacing of distribution models by more companies. Historically,when Disney makes a move…everyone follows suit.

By Sharon Waxman

Published: November 11, 2009

In a week heralding major change at Disney, new studio chairman Rich Ross upended his management structure and aggressively set the frame for a new way of doing business at one of Hollywood’s most old-style studios.

Out: motion pictures group president Mark Zoradi, marketing chief Jim Gallagher and publicity planners Teri Meyer and Jasmine Madatian, among others. They come on the heels of the ouster of studio chairman Dick Cook, a three-decade veteran.

In: Home entertainment’s Bob Chapek becomes a czar overseeing distribution for every media platform — a position that did not exist before. Another new post — chief technology officer — goes to Greg Brandeau, formerly of Pixar.

Safe (for the moment): production chief Oren Aviv and operations chief Alan Bergman, who have increased responsibilities.
The big unknown is who will head marketing at the studio. That, too, will be a position with expanded responsibilities, running through the home entertainment division. That job, I’m told, has not been filled and Ross is still seeking the right candidate.

At a time of tectonic shifts in the entertainment industry, it looks as if Ross – a television veteran who has quickly won attention in-house as someone who asks the right questions, and asks them directly – has his finger on the rusting fulcrum at the studio.

Marketing wasn’t working, publicity wasn’t working – and all while a huge question mark hangs over the old-stye model of distribution for movies in general.

One sign of how seriously Ross takes the threat of changing business models is the decision to give Chapek responsibility for distribution and delivery for every form of release for motion picture and television content.

Chapek, formerly head of home entertainment, will now oversee the journey of Disney content across theatrical exhibition, home entertainment, pay TV, digital formats and other new media.

This shift reflects the realization that home entertainment can’t stand apart from theatrical, which can’t stand apart from what Hulu or HBO deals or video-on-demand have to offer.

“A certain amount of change is inevitable as we move to adopt a new strategic approach to the way we make, market and deliver our films,” said Ross, in the studio’s prepared statement. (He gave no live interviews, despite the numerous changes.)

But executives close to Ross explained the thinking as a break with the traditional way of looking at things.

“When you have these siloed distribution channels that aren’t working and developing strategically together, you’re probably leaving money on the table because you’re very insular,” said one Disney executive, who spoke on the condition of not being identified.

The example of a blockbuster movie like Disney’s latest “A Christmas Carol” is instructive. The overbudget 3D romp – at a cost upwards of $180 million (and probably more like $200 million) – took in a modest $30 million in its opening weekend.

Distribution and the unfolding of the release windows will be critical to finding all the revenue that can make a worthwhile investment of a project so pricey.

Then there’s marketing, a notable weak spot within the studio.
At an early meeting with his executives, Ross asked about the studio’s “Twitter strategy,” according to one person who was present. Someone mentioned there were about six people tasked with

following Twitter. Ross thought that wasn’t nearly enough.
“It was pretty clear from the start that Rich wanted to make changes, and marketing has been a sore spot for a while,” said one executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s not surprising that it came to this.”

Oren Aviv will continue to oversee production, but now has physical production as an added responsibility.

Alan Bergman has had the Muppets studio and Disneynature added to his duties.
As for a cultural change at a studio where Dick Cook would pass through the hallways with a kind word and a pat on the back for the lowest employee to the highest in the Disney food chain – welcome to a new day.

Ross’s style seems to be no kid gloves. Security gathered in the front of the Roy Disney building on the Disney lot on Wednesday ahead of the firings.

And he informed the staff of the changes by an email via the same press release that had already been sent out to news outlets like TheWrap.

The internal email went out at 12:03 pm; the press release went out to the media at 11:49 am.

This isn’t a scam. I did just to be sure.

here’s the Snopes URL:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp

HERE’S THE INFO:

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this
month.
REMINDER…. all cell phone numbers are
being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive
sales calls.

…. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following
number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.

It is the
National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time.. It
blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want
to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS POST ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.

The social web has exploded in the last year and below are some of the key data points that the ‘Gary’s Social Media Count’ is based on (many will be updated!).

* 20 hours of video uploaded every minute onto YouTube (source YouTube blog Aug 09)
* Facebook 600k new members per day, and photos, videos per month, 700mill & 4 mill respectively (source Inside Facebook Feb 09)
* Twitter 18 million new users per year & 4 million tweets sent daily (source TechCrunch Apr 09)
* iPolicy UK – SMS messaging has a bright future (Aug 09)
* 900 000 blogs posts put up every day (source Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008)
* YouTube daily, 96 million videos watched, $1mill bandwidth costs (source Comscore Jul 06 !)
* UPDATE: YouTube 1Billion watched per day SMH (2009)- counter updated!
* Second Life 250k virtual goods made daily, text messages 1250 per second (source Linden Lab release Sep 09)
* Money – $5.5 billion on virtual goods (casual & game worlds) even Facebooks gifts make $70 million annually (source Viximo Aug 09)
* Flickr has 73 million visitors a month who upload 700 million photos (source Yahoo Mar 09)
* Mobile social network subscribers – 92.5 million at the end of 2008, by end of 2013 rising to between 641.6-873.1 million or 132 mill annually (source Informa PDF)
* SMS – Over 2.3 trillion messages will be sent across major markets worldwide in 2008 (source Everysingleoneofus sms statistics)

For people facing the “I don’t know if I want that person having access to my facebook profile” dilemma, read the article above. What’s interesting is the need to have multiple profiles.  I have a similar situation.  Since I teach, have professional connections and personal profiles, I have stratified my persona.

I have 3 accounts.

One of which is my master account which allows me to keep track of the other two.

By utilizing these master account and ‘friending’ myself, I stay connected to everyone.

I would think and hope  this becomes a standard practice with physicians and professionals alike.

It’s a great way to stay in touch with your personal and professional relationships. And to be honest, do you really want to know all the sordid details of your professional relationships?