2009-05-23

Time to kill cash

In the most recent copy of Wired, there is an interesting op-ed about the costs of cash, that is, hard currency.  

The US government spends almost one billion dollars per year on currency, and over half of that is to make coins, which are utterly useless.  I agree with the author that it is time to end paper currency, at least in the US where everyone from McDonald's on up accepts at least the three most major credit cards.  For smaller purchases (for example, a garage sale) the technology is already here to "flash" a small payment via your smart phone's bluetooth.  And if one party of the transaction doesn't have that, there's always PayPal.  

Not only would we save a billion dollars in taxpayer money, but we'd save all the costs involved in shipping and sorting the paper money and coins.

There are some who argue that food workers will get hosed because of the lack of tips, but credit cards support tips.  I think the real opposition is from those who don't report their tips, but they are committing tax fraud anyway.

California Meltdown

Unlike the US federal government, which has unlimited borrowing power, plus the ability to print money as it needs, states are pretty much screwed when they face a budget deficit.

Such is the case in California, which is facing a $24B deficit, and has access to only $10B in loans, if that.

There were several ballot measures last week which would have increased taxes in order to make up for the deficit, but these were defeated.  Governor Schwarzenegger has said that there will be drastic cuts in service.  Everything from cutting healthcare to children (which is bad) to paroling non-violent prisoners (which is good).  

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

2009-05-22

Yes, waterboarding is torture

And that's what Mancow is saying now, after the conservative radio talkshow host tried it himself.

I think Sean Hannity needs to be next.  Let's see how this changes his fucked up worldview.  

2009-05-21

A monster gets life

This man, a disgrace to anyone who has ever been a soldier, not to mention his entire nation, has been given life in prison for some truly horrific crimes in Iraq.

2009-05-20

Get a Palm Pre with no mail in rebate

Best Buy will be selling the Palm Pre for $199, no need for the mail in rebate.

Nice, now I know where I'll buy mine.

2009-05-19

Sriracha is getting hot

My favorite hot sauce hits the national media.  I've even bought it at Wal-Mart.

Palm Pre pricing compared to iPhone and Storm



As a follow-up to my earlier post regarding the Palm Pre's availability, I'm going to compare what Palm and Sprint are offering with their competitors.  Note that I am not going to dive into the technical differences between either the networks themselves or the hardware.  This is simply a cost comparison based on the available phone plans.
Here are the comparison angles:
Price of Phone
Cost of unlimited individual plan
Cost of unlimited family plan
Cost for unlimited data/ pooled family minutes
Any special quirky things about the plan

Remember, what Sprint is offering is this:
  • $200 phone
  • Unlimited individual plan for $99, including text and data
  • Unlimited family plan for $199, including text and data
  • 1500 minutes, unlimited data for families, $129 (this is what I will get).
  • Quirk: unlimited nights started at 7pm, which is something only Sprint does.
We'll start with the iPhone and AT&T's plan first:
  • $200 phone (cheaper model)
  • Unlimited individual plan $129 for voice/data + $20 for text = $149.  $50 more than Sprint
  • Unlimited family plan $259 for voice/data + $30 for text = $289.  $90 more than Sprint
  • 1400 pooled minutes for $149 + $30 text = $179.  $50 more than Sprint for 100 less minutes
  • Quirk: Rollover minutes
Second let's take a look at Verizon's offering.  The closest competitor is the Blackberry Storm:
  • Phone costs $200 (buy one get one free is a current offer though)
  • Unlimited individual plan is $129
  • Unlimited family plan is $259
  • 1400 pooled minutes for $159
  • Quirk: Friends and family let's you pick 10 numbers to have unlimited calling to
Conclusion:
Without delving into the quality of the networks (which is not an issue for 90% of the places that an average tech junkie will visit), Sprint by far has much more competitive pricing than the other two.  

Sprint's commercials claim big savings.  If we take the most expensive plans, the unlimited family, over a 2 year period you would save over $2,000 compared to an iPhone plan ($90*24months=$2160).  Compared to Verizon, the savings would still be over $1,000. 

If we look at the individual plans, which will affect the majority of users, the savings over the life of a contract is $1200.  This is a non-significant amount.  

Mac fans, listen up.  Choosing Palm over an iPhone will allow you to save enough money to buy a Macbook. 

The bottom line is that your choice of a cell phone carrier affects your bottom line.  The iPhone may be a trendy choice but there is a clear premium attached to this device, which may or may not be justified.

Another thing to take from this comparison, is that while the initial cost of these 3 phones is the same, $200, you should always compare the plans before buying.

Holy Fuck! Pandora to make first ever profit

Pandora, my favorite internet radio, is actually going to make money next year.  To those of you who are unfamiliar, get familiar with it, because Pandora kicks everyone's ass.  That being said, I always figured it would go kaput soon from a lack of funds.  I am completely shocked its going to make money next year, but this is great news.

Palm Pre out June 6

A phone I've been wanting for a while will be released on June 6.  The Palm Pre will cost $200 after a $100 mail in rebate, with a two year agreement.  This is not just a phone, it is practically a palm-book (pardon the pun).  Sprint also has the cheapest data plans around, so my wife and I will both get Pre's, 1400 shared minutes, nights starting at 7pm, unlimited text, data, GPS, etc for around $150 with tax.  Good enough that I plan on ditching my vonage VOIP service too.

2009-05-18

War in Sri Lanka over?

The rebel leader has been killed in Sri Lanka.  This guy has been leading a fight against the government for 26 years.  Its all over now.

New fuel economy standards are coming

Instead of allowing states to set their own fuel economy and emissions standards, the Obama administration is going to impose a nationwide standard.  This is good news, because it is very expensive to the auto industry to have to abide by multiple standards, so this will likely keep the price of vehicles from increasing too much.

What's the new standard going to be?  By 2016, 42 MPG!

The LP is still full of nuts

Proof that the Libertarian Party will be forever the party of kooks (this would also apply to the Constitution Party, but they are even more marginal).  Wayne Allyn Root, who was the VP candidate and is going to make another run just can't get off the kook shows