Free Shipping! (sometimes)

With "Black Friday" quickly approaching many companies such Best Buy, JC Penny, Wal-Mart, and Sears are advertising heavily for "FREE SHIPPING" in attempt to lure customers away from stores.
BUYER BE WARE! An article I read this week talks about the fine print behind the large banners that pop up on your screen. Apparently most of these free shipping deals have a catch...In the case of Best Buy and Wal-Mart, the free shipping only applies to a very limited amount of products.  Things like computers and cameras are not included in Best Buys "free shipping" offer.
However, there are still good deals out there, but as the consumer you need to be aware of the fact that not all products are included in the special offer.
Keep an eye on the fine print, and enjoy the shopping season!

Online Colleges Target Veterans

An article I read this week talked about the increasing number of military veterans who are attending for profit online colleges. At first I was simply curious as to why veterans would be interested in an online degree...My impression has always been that a degree from such an institution was worth about as much as the piece of paper it is printed on.
The article, Online Colleges Target Veterans, goes on to say that the number of veterans attending these colleges is expected to double in the coming year because of a recent GI bill that was passed increasing the amount of money that the government will put up towards a veterans education.
I feel that if our tax dollars are going to be paying for veterans to obtain higher education then there should be stricter regualtions involved. For one, I believe that the funds should be limited to public institutions, and that private for profit institutions should not be able to recieve public funding. After all, why should I dump my tax dollars into someone elses pocket?

IT employees may grow restless

An article I read this week talks about the increasing restlessness of IT employees. While many IT specialists have been happy just to hold down their job over the past two years, this trend appears to be coming to an end. 

Most people expect the economy to improve in the near future, and recent studies show that current IT employees are not going to be satisfied if their salaries do not increase.

That being said, it is still an employers market, meaning that jobs will be hard to come across.  When IT employees do find a job that suits there skill set, they can expect multiple interviews and strict guidelines as to the skills the employer requires.

So although the economy is looking up, there is still a rough road ahead for us all. IT specialists might just have to wait a little bit longer before demanding a big raise!

The Not so Private Facebook

Facebook has announced that it has suspended approximately 10 application developers for leaking UIDs to data brokerage firms. A UID is an individualized number that is assigned to each facebook user. Advertisers can use UIDs to focus their advertisements on their target audience, and custimize adds to the individual.
I for one am not the least bit suprized to find out that my private information could be sold through facebook. It is for that very reason that I am very careful about what I put on facebook. In this day in age, you have to be careful about what image you portray online.
Bottom line is facebook needs to tighten up security, but it is up to the individual to limit their facebook exposure.