How Ya Doing? Facebook Wants to Know.

Efforts by the popular social networking site to better leverage the enormous amount of data it has on its users' interests haven't always gone over well. But with the privacy flap over its Beacon ad program now in its wake, Facebook may be next studying how to tap users' information for a new purpose: to make their online experience more in sync with their mood.

Tech blogger Robert Scoble mentioned the plan in a blog post from a discussion he said he had this week with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

According to Scoble, Zuckerberg said Facebook is studying "sentiment" behavior: Based on users' posts, the site can tell when bad news has hit, like stock prices tumbling.

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E-commerce Silver Lining Despite Holiday Dip

While online shopping dipped 3 percent this past holiday season, some e-tailers experienced greater growth than their offline counterparts which proves ecommerce has cemented itself as a viable channel, according to a study released today.

New consumer data from comScore's (NASDAQ : SCOR) latest survey illustrates that while consumers spent less online and offline, more people hit the Web to shop in November and December of 2008.

"E-commerce had the softest season of growth that comScore has observed since we began tracking in 2001, which clearly reflected the overall consumer retail environment," Andrew Lipsman, director of industry analysis, told InternetNews.com.

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The Web's Latest Threat: Smarter 'Zombies'

As if zombie PCs -- computers taken over by hackers and used to distribute spam and malware -- weren't already bad enough, they are now harder to prevent than ever before.

That's because they're getting smarter and harder to track down, according to security software vendor Commtouch. New zombies now routinely request new IP addresses from their ISPs, so anti-spam software that works by blocking spam based the originating IP addresses can no longer effectively halt them, the company said in its most recent quarterly Internet Threats Trend Report.

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"Best version of Windows ever"

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday with an impassioned endorsement of PCs and a sneak peek at the company's future Windows 7 operating system.


Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says Windows 7 will make PCs easier to use.

As expected, Ballmer announced that Microsoft is releasing a beta version of Windows 7, which will be available for download beginning Friday. The news suggests the world's largest software maker may be giving up efforts to rehabilitate its often-maligned Vista operating system, which was released worldwide in January 2007.

"We are on track to deliver the best version of Windows ever," Ballmer told an audience of several thousand tech professionals and journalists inside a cavernous ballroom at the Venetian hotel. "We're working hard to get it right and get it ready."

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Work-at-home-scams are on the rise...

Started my morning off reading the News--Thought I would share this Article...



(CNN) -- Thandi Zulu was single, pregnant and staying at a women's shelter in Houston, Texas, when she received a mysterious letter one day.


Single mom Thandi Zulu says she was duped by a work-at-home scam.

more photos » A company told Zulu that she could make big money working at home in a data-entry job. No résumé or experience was needed. All she had to do was pay a $200 fee.

You probably know what happened next. Zulu called the company, gave them her checking account number and then tried to stop herself because she realized that she was doing something stupid.

"The moment I did it, I said 'Damn, this is a scam,' " Zulu said of her 2001 nightmare. "I put them on hold, and then I tried to call them back, but nobody was home."

Financial guru Bernard Madoff is grabbing headlines because he is accused of swindling wealthy clients out of $50 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme. But work-at-home scammers are also plundering the paltry savings of ordinary people like Zulu every day.

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The IRS--You Just Gotta Love IT!!

Detroit lawyer gets 5-cent IRS bill, 4-cent refund


DETROIT — James Howarth is a little confused by two letters he has received from the Internal Revenue Service.

The Detroit defense lawyer received one letter in November that said he owed the IRS money _ five cents.

He was warned that he should pay "to avoid additional penalty and/or interest," the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.

FOX NEWS

Christ--Who Is He ?

Bet you thought I was gonna write another Post about Blogging!! But--then the name on the door says "My Thoughts Blog"--and if you follow my "Ramblings", you know that on occasion I gotta break rooteen ( Not sure that is how you spell it) Ya Just Gotta Love Blogging!!


Christ--Who Is He?
Who is Christ? Now there is a question that will entertain numerous answers. There are many opinions as to who was, or is Jesus. Many will say that He is the Son of God, Son of Man while others claim him to be a man who preached his opinions--a great man, and only a man. Some will say He was a lunatic, who just had to go against the beliefs at that time.

The facts surrounding Jesus are actually pretty simple. Whether you believe Him to be of Divine Creation, or just a mere mortal, you cannot overlook the impact He has had on multitudes of people. The debate of who he is will go on forever, however given the fact that Christianity is alive and well--who can doubt that he existed, or still exists?

Many people will claim that the "State of the World"--Wars, disease, murder and such is proof that this Savior does not exist! They will claim that the millions living in poverty, the homeless, weather killing thousands, again proof that this Divine Entity is not real. So many will use tragedy as an example of the failure of this Christ. This is actually unfounded, where did Jesus say that there would be no tragedy in life?

The Christians will say that Jesus is their strength--through tragedy. He also say's that "In your hour of Need" to call on Him. Another point that must be considered, did at any time Jesus state that the world would not have suffering and tragedy? Can it be possible that the majority of hardships one faces in life, are brought about by himself or another? It is easy to see that Jesus knew there would be hardships in life, he spoke of evil, dying and pain. It seems as though Jesus is not here to rid the world of tragedy and pain, yet to give comfort and hope.

As the question of whether or not Jesus is the real deal, a Savior or just a man will be asked to the last day. One still has take into account the changes He brought into the world. And these changes were not tragedy and disease---they were comfort and hope, and to the masses that believe in Him--He will deliver even more. Whether real or not, He has changed the life of many, and there will be many more changed. So--does he exist? Yes--and hopefully He exists in you.