Community Blog

Check out these tips … from Windows Vista Magazine.

http://www.windowsvistamagazine.com/UK/4352741769746825868/50-ways-to-make-windows-vista-faster-part-1.html

Frank

Phishing, pronounced “fishing,” is a type of online identity theft that uses e-mail and fraudulent Web sites that are designed to steal your personal data or information such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information.

Follow these guidelines to help protect yourself from phishing scams sent through e-mail.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/phishing/prevent.mspx

Frank

People shop online in large numbers to save time and avoid crowded stores (not to mention gas) during the holiday season.

Unfortunately, increased online shopping also provides cyberthieves with new potential victims. Research shows that shoppers are at increased risk of online crime during the holidays, especially if they use a retailer that they’re not familiar with because the retailer offers free shipping or discounts.

If you don’t know an online retailer by its brand or reputation, these tips can help you determine whether they’re operating a secure and trustworthy Web site before you enter your credit card number or personal information.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/finances/holidayshopping_us.mspx

Frank

Randy Fear, a local resident of Lucerne Valley has a weather station setup at his residence and has created a website where we can view current conditions. It is updated every five minutes so it is a clear picture of the current conditions. There are colored graphs that report an accumulation of relevent statistics. Check it out at http://www.kc6jtn.net/weather/wxlocal.html

Frank

You may be wondering what you can do to help reduce the effects of a recession. Here are a few tips I have learned over the years.

Do business as usual… Make those purchases you have been planning for. Now is a great time for major cash purchases. The retailers need to turn their inventory to make a profit so they can be there for us in the future. Much of the profits go to paychecks for your friends and neighbors. Holding back will only accelerate the problems. Support those businesses that have been surviving our roller-coaster economy over the years so they will be there for us years from now.

Shop local whenever possible… We don’t want to be in a situation where we have to drive miles just to get supplies we need.

Buy US made products whenever possible… It’s great having so many choices, but cheap imported products are part of the reason for local layoffs.

Ask a fair price when selling… It’s nice to make a fat profit when selling a home, however inflated home prices make it harder for new buyers and having an empty home for months on end reduce the profits anyway. Price your home for a quick sale.

Continue saving… If you haven’t been saving part of your income for the future now is the time to start a savings plan. Even a low interest paying account helps the banks continue their cash flow so they can survive, plus it is backed by the government so it will be there for you when needed. I like to save some cash too, just in case there is a major financial crisis.

Stock your shelves… Be prepared with staples and canned foods. Take advantage of sales and close-outs but pay attention to dated products.

Park unneeded vehicles… Get a non-op and reduce or cancel insurance if the vehicle is not necessary or won’t be used for the next six months or longer.

Get those home improvements done now… Builders hire local workers and most building products are locally produced helping to keep the money right here where we need it most. Negotiate for a fair price and get several bids.

If we sit back and don’t do business as usual we will all suffer by adding fuel to the fire. We have become used to inflating prices and inflating paychecks; it’s time to join reality once again. Don’t live beyond your means but do live and enjoy life within your budget. Even holding on to stocks that are declining is better than short selling now; if it was a good company they will recover and climb back. It has happened in the past and will again.

Too many folks are just one or two paychecks from getting into a financial disaster… Have a plan to go back to that second job skill to bring home the bacon if needed. It may even be time to look for a second part-time job to stay ahead.

Pay all your bills as soon as you get them… Keep good household financial records and prepare for those large once-a-year bills (like property and income taxes). It will be easier to see a problem coming up and you will have more time to adjust your spending accordingly.

We have an economy that has it’s ups and downs. It’s nothing new.

Frank

Hi,
I don’t know where this post originated or I would give credit where due. It sounds like a great idea to me. I pay my bills, even when I make a mistake.

Start of post —————
Now here’s a bail out plan that works!

I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in “We Deserve It Dividend”.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 ± counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a “We Deserve It Dividend”.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it’ll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent’s medical insurance - health care improves

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it…instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult US Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.

Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.” But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion “We Deserve It Dividend” more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, this plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh…I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

You don’t want to even hear what I think about the stupid mortgage companies that loaned out billions of dollars to people who they knew had no way of paying back the loans, with both sides of the equation interested in one thing…fast money.
But it didn’t work, and now we’re supposed to bail out those idiots too???
end of post—————

Your comments …
Frank

The rumors are true. Windows Vista has become the most common Microsoft operating system for PCs. Microsoft has stopped production of Windows XP but will be supporting it for many years to come. If you fear the change of moving up to Vista and need a new computer but want that familliar XP look and feel you can try to adapt Vista to look like XP. However many printers, scanners, and other hardware will not work with Vista; plus many software programs require a major upgrade to work on the Vista platform, and that means more cost to you.
Sunrise Computing can still get a limited number of new systems with fully licensed XP installed, for qualified clients, at competitive prices. I did not intend to use this forum for advertising, but I have been getting so many requests from existing clients asking me to put XP on the computer they just bought or they are going to throw it through the window, I just had to mention that there are other options.
Frank

How to Get the Start Button Back

How to Get the Start Menu Back

How to Make it All Look Like Vista Again