Friday, June 22, 2012
Speedticketbeaters.com Review
About week ago I was pulled over coming off the freeway and given a speeding ticket. I had just come off the freeway where the speed limit was 65 and I had just gotten on the on ramp and the officer pulled me over saying I did 64 when the off ramp was 45. Now, I'm not sitting here saying that I am innocent or guilty, but this is about some of the resources I looked into when dealing with this ticket.
One website in particular was speedticketbeaters.com. I used their 'Contact Us' section of their website giving my information and a brief explanation of the situation. After that, I continued looking through the site and there were more articles about how they were a legitimate organization than there were articles about how they took care of speeding tickets.
The next day, I got a call from a person from the organization and he spoke about a mile a minute. He explained that with my ticket being $150, my insurance was going to raise $300 a year and the total out of my pocket for not getting the ticket dismissed was over $1000. He then explained that they have a simple script that guarantees the winning of the case and if you don't use their script, which is $136, I will lose the case no matter how hard I try. I told him I didn't have the money but I appreciated the call to follow up. He instantly became extremely hostile to me over the phone and told me to enjoy pulling $1000 out of my pocket because of my stupidity and that I was a fool for not listening to him. So, I hung up on him.
This organization claimed to have NEVER lost a ticket case for their customers provided they simply followed this script and if it didn't work and you fail in court, they pay your ticket for you. Now, that would certainly be amazing if that were true. However, doing some more research online, they have scammed people before and have, in fact, had people lose fighting their traffic tickets and then the organization coming up with some random explanation as to why they aren't responsible.
Bottom line, Speedticketbeaters.com is a complete scam and all it does it take your money and charges you outrages amounts of money for using a script they've made HOPING you can get your ticket dismissed.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sony Attempts To Enter the Realms of Online Music
By: Brandon James Scott Scholl
So, I was on Youtube watching some videos and a commercial came on for a new service that Sony is putting out. It's called the Sony Entertainment Network. Basically it's a way of listening to music without running out of things like skips as opposed to using Pandora Radio and only being able to skip 6 songs in the span of an hour.
Anyways, I figured why not check it out? I mean, I don't know about you, but there are times that the skipping limitations on Pandora can be slightly frustrating. However, after I signed up for an account on their website for Sony, I quickly realized that to be able to use this music application on their website, you have to pay a subscription fee. Otherwise, you can look up any song you want and all you get is the first 30 seconds of the song in a preview.
After, finding this out, I quickly deleted this website from my memory and unregistered my account. Although, thinking about it kind of makes sense that something like this is coming from Sony in the first place. For those of you that aren't aware, Sony decided to attack the hackers and pirates within the gaming community throughout the world. The result of their actions was CONTINUOUSLY being hacked and losing millions upon millions of dollars due to their lack of thinking about what they were doing. Granted, they were losing money because people were uploading, sharing, and downloading their video game content through torrent and peer to peer sharing sites online. However, the percentage of the gaming community actively using their games and consoles was only a miniscule 8-9% of the gaming community in the WORLD. So, to be honest, an organization that already had tons of money to their name decided to be greedy and make an irrational decision to go after a minority. The end result? losing WAY more money than they would ever gain from taking care of the hackers and pirates.
So, back to the original topic, Sony came up with this expensive knock-off of Pandora and they think that they're going to make a considerable profit on it. Granted, I can't say FOR SURE what they were thinking when they did this. But, what I can say is whoever goes for this needs to rethink about how they live their lives. Between Pandora Radio, Grooveshark, and several other online music on Demand websites out there, this attempt to enter the online music arena isn't the best idea for them in the long run. At least, that's what I think.
So, I was on Youtube watching some videos and a commercial came on for a new service that Sony is putting out. It's called the Sony Entertainment Network. Basically it's a way of listening to music without running out of things like skips as opposed to using Pandora Radio and only being able to skip 6 songs in the span of an hour.
Anyways, I figured why not check it out? I mean, I don't know about you, but there are times that the skipping limitations on Pandora can be slightly frustrating. However, after I signed up for an account on their website for Sony, I quickly realized that to be able to use this music application on their website, you have to pay a subscription fee. Otherwise, you can look up any song you want and all you get is the first 30 seconds of the song in a preview.
After, finding this out, I quickly deleted this website from my memory and unregistered my account. Although, thinking about it kind of makes sense that something like this is coming from Sony in the first place. For those of you that aren't aware, Sony decided to attack the hackers and pirates within the gaming community throughout the world. The result of their actions was CONTINUOUSLY being hacked and losing millions upon millions of dollars due to their lack of thinking about what they were doing. Granted, they were losing money because people were uploading, sharing, and downloading their video game content through torrent and peer to peer sharing sites online. However, the percentage of the gaming community actively using their games and consoles was only a miniscule 8-9% of the gaming community in the WORLD. So, to be honest, an organization that already had tons of money to their name decided to be greedy and make an irrational decision to go after a minority. The end result? losing WAY more money than they would ever gain from taking care of the hackers and pirates.
So, back to the original topic, Sony came up with this expensive knock-off of Pandora and they think that they're going to make a considerable profit on it. Granted, I can't say FOR SURE what they were thinking when they did this. But, what I can say is whoever goes for this needs to rethink about how they live their lives. Between Pandora Radio, Grooveshark, and several other online music on Demand websites out there, this attempt to enter the online music arena isn't the best idea for them in the long run. At least, that's what I think.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Social Media and it's Pros and Cons.
By: Brandon James Scott Scholl
The other day I was watching a documentary from CNBC about Facebook on my Netflix. While I was watching it, I was very interested on the various perspectives on how they claim Facebook to be both a gift and a curse as well as how some people don't understand how a private website ownership works.
The first thing they covered was how Facebook as improved various lifestyles. One of the biggest examples that stood out to me was an 18 year old girl who was searching for her biological mother. She had a few pictures, a name, and a few other tidbits of information like where she graduated high school and where she lived when she gave birth to her. So, when she first arrived on Facebook, she decided to try searching for the name she had. However, that name was from when her mother was 16 and most likely changed her name through marriage since then. So, after giving it some thought, she started a group on Facebook asking if anyone knew her biological mother. She uploaded the pictures she did have of her mother and sent it to all her friends in hopes that there would be some positive feedback.
As things progressed for the Young Adult, more and more people were being added to this group and there would be the occasional comment of the potential that someone may have seen her mother. However, nothing had been successful. Then, a woman who the young woman had no contact or connection with had joined the Facebook group. She ran a daycare during the day and one of her hobbies was reuniting people. So, she jumped at the opportunity to do the research and find this missing biological mother. After a lot of research had been conducted on this woman's part, she finally found the woman in question. She sent a message with all the information to the young woman who had started the group and sure enough, everything matched. The young adult contacted her biological mother and set up a meeting where they would be reunited. It was a stunning and emotional visit full of happiness and tears of joy.
Then, there were other things mentioned such as a high school teacher that lead the science department. She had had a difficult day at work and decided to vent about it to her friends and family on her Facebook. However, what she didn't realize was that Facebook had done some updating to their privacy settings. A few days later, the school asked the High School Science teacher to resign from her position. This was because when the Privacy Settings were updated, they were reset. So, everything this woman said was public. Parents and students saw what the teacher had written about them and complained to the school. As a result, this teacher has had a VERY difficult time finding a job.
The last point they touched on was how Facebook is seen as a way to be a registration action for everyone in the United States or perhaps even for the world in an attempt to know things about you. But, with every popular and successful organization or idea, there's always a possible conspiracy associated with it. Of course, there's always the talks about it just being another things that the government may decide it wants to regulate. They also explained that with Facebook sending your information such as interests to third party advertisers, it is a possible breach of privacy policies. Not necessarily with information like your name associated with you interests, but more of a way of showing a consensus of how many people are interested in a topic, subject, or other various interests to help suppliers find their target audiences.
Granted, nobody likes having ANY information about them being shared with anyone else without their permission. However, I see it like this. Facebook is a privately owned website. It isn't government funded, run, or regulated in any way. Therefore, when you sign up for a website like Facebook or any other social website for that matter, any information you put on that website is your action. Nobody made you do it. Because it's being inputted by you, the user, then any results or use of the information such as being sent as a consensus to a third-party advertisement association is on you, not the website itself.
Like I said, people may not feel so uncomfortable about it if they just simply were asked for permission. However, Facebook does have a confidentiality agreement as well as a terms of use that you have to agree with to use their service. If you disagree with it in any way, you don't get a facebook account or whatever account to the social website. Even though this is seen as unfair in any way by some people, this still falls back on the user if they decide not to read the agreements and then Facebook or lets say Twitter decides to use you as a statistic. In all honesty, the percentage of people who actually read Terms of Use contract details when installing a program or registering for a website is quite low. In fact, the creaters of these contracts know this so they even put in random things like how the License Agreement for iTunes at the end of Paragraph 'G' states: "You also agree that you will not use these products for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture or production of nuclear, missiles, or chemical or biological weapons." Granted, that does sound somewhat rediculous to even put that in there, but most people don't see it for themselves because they don't read the agreement before agreeing it.
Bottom line, I believe that Facebook, Twitter, even the new Google + has the right to use whatever information is put on them for really whatever they want as long as you've agreed to it within their terms of use and licensing agreement. If you don't agree with any part of these agreements or even agree with them as a whole, you don't have to use their services. Also, I have even used websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google + to get information when researching or finding someone. It can be helpful to people both personally and professionally. And if you post something negative about work or someone and you don't want them to see it, make a point to check your privacy settings first or just simply don't post it on the internet in the first place. I mean, once something is on the internet, it's no longer private. The internet can be accessed by anyone and anything put on it is available to everyone else online. It's just a matter of knowing where to look to find it. So, the next time you put something online, think about that.
The other day I was watching a documentary from CNBC about Facebook on my Netflix. While I was watching it, I was very interested on the various perspectives on how they claim Facebook to be both a gift and a curse as well as how some people don't understand how a private website ownership works.
The first thing they covered was how Facebook as improved various lifestyles. One of the biggest examples that stood out to me was an 18 year old girl who was searching for her biological mother. She had a few pictures, a name, and a few other tidbits of information like where she graduated high school and where she lived when she gave birth to her. So, when she first arrived on Facebook, she decided to try searching for the name she had. However, that name was from when her mother was 16 and most likely changed her name through marriage since then. So, after giving it some thought, she started a group on Facebook asking if anyone knew her biological mother. She uploaded the pictures she did have of her mother and sent it to all her friends in hopes that there would be some positive feedback.
As things progressed for the Young Adult, more and more people were being added to this group and there would be the occasional comment of the potential that someone may have seen her mother. However, nothing had been successful. Then, a woman who the young woman had no contact or connection with had joined the Facebook group. She ran a daycare during the day and one of her hobbies was reuniting people. So, she jumped at the opportunity to do the research and find this missing biological mother. After a lot of research had been conducted on this woman's part, she finally found the woman in question. She sent a message with all the information to the young woman who had started the group and sure enough, everything matched. The young adult contacted her biological mother and set up a meeting where they would be reunited. It was a stunning and emotional visit full of happiness and tears of joy.
Then, there were other things mentioned such as a high school teacher that lead the science department. She had had a difficult day at work and decided to vent about it to her friends and family on her Facebook. However, what she didn't realize was that Facebook had done some updating to their privacy settings. A few days later, the school asked the High School Science teacher to resign from her position. This was because when the Privacy Settings were updated, they were reset. So, everything this woman said was public. Parents and students saw what the teacher had written about them and complained to the school. As a result, this teacher has had a VERY difficult time finding a job.
The last point they touched on was how Facebook is seen as a way to be a registration action for everyone in the United States or perhaps even for the world in an attempt to know things about you. But, with every popular and successful organization or idea, there's always a possible conspiracy associated with it. Of course, there's always the talks about it just being another things that the government may decide it wants to regulate. They also explained that with Facebook sending your information such as interests to third party advertisers, it is a possible breach of privacy policies. Not necessarily with information like your name associated with you interests, but more of a way of showing a consensus of how many people are interested in a topic, subject, or other various interests to help suppliers find their target audiences.
Granted, nobody likes having ANY information about them being shared with anyone else without their permission. However, I see it like this. Facebook is a privately owned website. It isn't government funded, run, or regulated in any way. Therefore, when you sign up for a website like Facebook or any other social website for that matter, any information you put on that website is your action. Nobody made you do it. Because it's being inputted by you, the user, then any results or use of the information such as being sent as a consensus to a third-party advertisement association is on you, not the website itself.
Like I said, people may not feel so uncomfortable about it if they just simply were asked for permission. However, Facebook does have a confidentiality agreement as well as a terms of use that you have to agree with to use their service. If you disagree with it in any way, you don't get a facebook account or whatever account to the social website. Even though this is seen as unfair in any way by some people, this still falls back on the user if they decide not to read the agreements and then Facebook or lets say Twitter decides to use you as a statistic. In all honesty, the percentage of people who actually read Terms of Use contract details when installing a program or registering for a website is quite low. In fact, the creaters of these contracts know this so they even put in random things like how the License Agreement for iTunes at the end of Paragraph 'G' states: "You also agree that you will not use these products for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture or production of nuclear, missiles, or chemical or biological weapons." Granted, that does sound somewhat rediculous to even put that in there, but most people don't see it for themselves because they don't read the agreement before agreeing it.
Bottom line, I believe that Facebook, Twitter, even the new Google + has the right to use whatever information is put on them for really whatever they want as long as you've agreed to it within their terms of use and licensing agreement. If you don't agree with any part of these agreements or even agree with them as a whole, you don't have to use their services. Also, I have even used websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google + to get information when researching or finding someone. It can be helpful to people both personally and professionally. And if you post something negative about work or someone and you don't want them to see it, make a point to check your privacy settings first or just simply don't post it on the internet in the first place. I mean, once something is on the internet, it's no longer private. The internet can be accessed by anyone and anything put on it is available to everyone else online. It's just a matter of knowing where to look to find it. So, the next time you put something online, think about that.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Do I miss her already?
What do I do? I can't just look at her and tell her how I feel because then I'll lose her. But, if I stay, there's a high chance my heart will be destroyed as well.
I love the fact that she's goal oriented. The fact that she can be so focused and so mature. But, how do I convince someone like this to work with me? We haven't been together that long either. How do I decide what I want for my life? Is it better to know that all the memories that I can create will be nothing but memories in a little over a year? Is it better to know when something will potentially end and act ignorant or is it better to cut it off before the pain can get too deep? I have no idea what to think or do.
With graduate school comes a future. A life and a name for herself. The connections and the responsibilities as well as the perks for herself to be well off. But, what do I say when she's already promised herself that no man will stop her? No matter how she feels about that person, she will focus and do whatever it takes. From how it sounds, even if it hurts the person. How do I compete with that? The better question is, should I even CONSIDER competing with that? As much as I, dare I say it, love her, which path of love do I take? Do I be simply supportive and hope that as she moves to her next level of education that she doesn't forget me? I've tried the long-distance relationship thing several times before and every single time it has blown up in my face. Or, do I play the selfish lover and ask her not to leave me? I already know I won't stop her because what kind of person would I be? It hurts being reminded though because there's no sugar coated way of explaining it. *sigh*
I've considered that if she goes anywhere too far away, say out of state, perhaps I could go there as well. However, that option will most likely die out just as fast as if I were to choose the long-distance relationship. With my back and having such a hard time looking for a job as it is, how in the world would I find a job in that situation with a time restraint as when she'll be going to whatever school she chooses? Not to mention the fact that I have yet to find a job that I can do that allows me to have enough money to support myself and allows me to have a place that I, myself, can call my own home.
I joined a dating site in hopes that for once in my life I could have something less frustrating. Something that wasn't so complicated it was going to be like enduring being pulled apart at the seams of my heart. However, this seems like it may possibly turn out that way as well. I met her just after a week joining the dating site. We had hit it off from the first time met. Ever since that night, I wanted to everything I could to ask her out. Sure enough, it worked. She asked me to be creative and I did. I see her basically every day. Not because I push my way, but she invites me and enjoys my company. It's so hard though sometimes. With her going to school, I want her to do the best she can. I want her to have the best GPA possible, I want her to achieve the highest she can in everything she does. If I have to be her most personal cheerleader, I will. But, I didn't realize that in a year and a half, I won't have her around me. That thought alone is one of the most depressive things I've ever had to deal with. If one of my friends were telling me something like this, I may consider them to be crazy. However, my parents moved in a week after knowing eachother and got married a week after they moved in. The positive for them was that both of them had jobs and a place to live.
I have fought most of my teen and young adult life trying so hard to be in a place where I can have as much individuality as possible without my health getting in the way. Whether it's a job that allows me to make money to be independently moved in somewhere or not needing assistance some mornings to even be able to get out of bed. Either way, I've never been able to find a job or a enough money to be an adult. I fear that the longer I live the deeper I get into this whole realizing that I can't afford to live on my own. The bigger problem is, that is one of the most demanning things I've ever thought of. The woman I end up marrying will essentially have to be prepared for the times that I have to have assistance to get out of bed in the morning. My damn back has put me in a position where my life may quite be going down the drain. Nobody knows what's wrong with it or exactly knows how to fix it. In the mean time, all I have left are the narcotics I take to be able to function basic tasks with the pain. I mean, what kind of lifestyle is it where I'm in so much pain I"m taking Morphine every 4 hours just to be able to walk from Point A to Point B. What kind of life do I have if I'm not high on the Narcotics, I"m on the ground wimpering in pain? Nobody should have to go through that.
Now, I know there are people out there that deal with worse and I"m sure things could be worse, but I've NEVER had the chance to be better. I have been poked, prodded, stabbed, cut open, surgically altered, and yet nothing has fixed this. My doctors are baffled as to what should be done about my case. And so, I just sit here with my life doing next to nothing because of my ailments. And, on top of that, the one woman I've met that may actually be a future I want to have and be with is quite possibly going to end up with me losing her through long-distance because I can't DO F***ing anything with myself. *facepalm* I don't even normally curse like that. But, at this point, what else is there to do? I don't even feel like a man. What AM I???
I love the fact that she's goal oriented. The fact that she can be so focused and so mature. But, how do I convince someone like this to work with me? We haven't been together that long either. How do I decide what I want for my life? Is it better to know that all the memories that I can create will be nothing but memories in a little over a year? Is it better to know when something will potentially end and act ignorant or is it better to cut it off before the pain can get too deep? I have no idea what to think or do.
With graduate school comes a future. A life and a name for herself. The connections and the responsibilities as well as the perks for herself to be well off. But, what do I say when she's already promised herself that no man will stop her? No matter how she feels about that person, she will focus and do whatever it takes. From how it sounds, even if it hurts the person. How do I compete with that? The better question is, should I even CONSIDER competing with that? As much as I, dare I say it, love her, which path of love do I take? Do I be simply supportive and hope that as she moves to her next level of education that she doesn't forget me? I've tried the long-distance relationship thing several times before and every single time it has blown up in my face. Or, do I play the selfish lover and ask her not to leave me? I already know I won't stop her because what kind of person would I be? It hurts being reminded though because there's no sugar coated way of explaining it. *sigh*
I've considered that if she goes anywhere too far away, say out of state, perhaps I could go there as well. However, that option will most likely die out just as fast as if I were to choose the long-distance relationship. With my back and having such a hard time looking for a job as it is, how in the world would I find a job in that situation with a time restraint as when she'll be going to whatever school she chooses? Not to mention the fact that I have yet to find a job that I can do that allows me to have enough money to support myself and allows me to have a place that I, myself, can call my own home.
I joined a dating site in hopes that for once in my life I could have something less frustrating. Something that wasn't so complicated it was going to be like enduring being pulled apart at the seams of my heart. However, this seems like it may possibly turn out that way as well. I met her just after a week joining the dating site. We had hit it off from the first time met. Ever since that night, I wanted to everything I could to ask her out. Sure enough, it worked. She asked me to be creative and I did. I see her basically every day. Not because I push my way, but she invites me and enjoys my company. It's so hard though sometimes. With her going to school, I want her to do the best she can. I want her to have the best GPA possible, I want her to achieve the highest she can in everything she does. If I have to be her most personal cheerleader, I will. But, I didn't realize that in a year and a half, I won't have her around me. That thought alone is one of the most depressive things I've ever had to deal with. If one of my friends were telling me something like this, I may consider them to be crazy. However, my parents moved in a week after knowing eachother and got married a week after they moved in. The positive for them was that both of them had jobs and a place to live.
I have fought most of my teen and young adult life trying so hard to be in a place where I can have as much individuality as possible without my health getting in the way. Whether it's a job that allows me to make money to be independently moved in somewhere or not needing assistance some mornings to even be able to get out of bed. Either way, I've never been able to find a job or a enough money to be an adult. I fear that the longer I live the deeper I get into this whole realizing that I can't afford to live on my own. The bigger problem is, that is one of the most demanning things I've ever thought of. The woman I end up marrying will essentially have to be prepared for the times that I have to have assistance to get out of bed in the morning. My damn back has put me in a position where my life may quite be going down the drain. Nobody knows what's wrong with it or exactly knows how to fix it. In the mean time, all I have left are the narcotics I take to be able to function basic tasks with the pain. I mean, what kind of lifestyle is it where I'm in so much pain I"m taking Morphine every 4 hours just to be able to walk from Point A to Point B. What kind of life do I have if I'm not high on the Narcotics, I"m on the ground wimpering in pain? Nobody should have to go through that.
Now, I know there are people out there that deal with worse and I"m sure things could be worse, but I've NEVER had the chance to be better. I have been poked, prodded, stabbed, cut open, surgically altered, and yet nothing has fixed this. My doctors are baffled as to what should be done about my case. And so, I just sit here with my life doing next to nothing because of my ailments. And, on top of that, the one woman I've met that may actually be a future I want to have and be with is quite possibly going to end up with me losing her through long-distance because I can't DO F***ing anything with myself. *facepalm* I don't even normally curse like that. But, at this point, what else is there to do? I don't even feel like a man. What AM I???
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Thought: popularity and physical
The more I watch the students here, the more I see an interesting pattern. Popularity is something sometimes gained through a lifestyle or the amount or type of something you own. However, I'm noticing a pattern with physical attributes. For example, there's a group of students at ACVS who always hang around with each other. The regularity with these kids and other school cliques is what each other looks like. Not necessarily a special haircut, special clothing, or type of jewelry though. There's a specific facial structure that always accompanies the popular group. There's also usually a Hispanic and then at least one who has the potential but feels the need to try and be the rebel.
Now, of course, this is all in general terms. There is always anomalies and glitches in the system. However, I find it interesting how we've become a culture that now views popularity and bases it on physical structure and personality.
Another thought, however, is the individuals who not only realize this, but uses their physical side to help them accomplish things. Should they be considered manipulators or intelligent? I believe, because what people perceive things such as this is relative, so is what label may be given to these individuals. But, only to a degree.
Now, of course, this is all in general terms. There is always anomalies and glitches in the system. However, I find it interesting how we've become a culture that now views popularity and bases it on physical structure and personality.
Another thought, however, is the individuals who not only realize this, but uses their physical side to help them accomplish things. Should they be considered manipulators or intelligent? I believe, because what people perceive things such as this is relative, so is what label may be given to these individuals. But, only to a degree.
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