Facebook To Begin Charging Users $2.99/mo Starting November 1st

<p>Menlo Park, CA — At a press conference this morning, Facebook rolled out their new monthly service plan. Beginning November 1st of this year, the social media giant will start charging members $2.99/mo to use services that users currently enjoy for free.<br /> “We thought long and hard about this decision, but at the end of the day, we had no choice but to add this monthly fee,” Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg told reporters. “If we don’t do something about our rising costs now, Facebook could face an unrecoverable financial burden and become obsolete.”<br /> “This is excellent news for Facebook stock holders,” says Wall Street analyst Dale Sackrider. “As of August this year, Facebook had a total of 1.317 billion users. If just 75% of those members pay the new monthly service fee of $3, that will mean an annual influx of cash totaling roughly $36 billion. That’s not just an increase in profits of a few dollars, that’s a game changer right there.”<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Hul2k1V6CUk1-cefdrGiJz3ANuSwldDeIraDduaC-SE2L0y7K4quejXXwQ_YSsefevk9p69ChfaScw0oZp56kUoQRMy6gGgSOjBxJGUvyZQjSr2B0KR0mB86AqJx_fYtCmCo8r6uzjBT/s1600/facebook-monthly-fee1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Hul2k1V6CUk1-cefdrGiJz3ANuSwldDeIraDduaC-SE2L0y7K4quejXXwQ_YSsefevk9p69ChfaScw0oZp56kUoQRMy6gGgSOjBxJGUvyZQjSr2B0KR0mB86AqJx_fYtCmCo8r6uzjBT/s1600/facebook-monthly-fee1.png" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> In an interview with CNN, Facebook spokesman Paul Horner explained the reason for the new monthly fee.<br /> “Economic times are tight, the ads on Facebook are not as profitable as we had planned. Our costs are going up as hundreds of thousands of individuals continue to join the site every day,” Horner said. “There’s so many pictures of cats, and all of those costs add up, we just can’t foot the bill any longer.”<br /> Jack Phillips from Dequincy, Louisiana told reporters that he is not happy with Facebook’s decision to implement a new monthly fee.<br /> “I can barely pay for my girly subscriptions as it is, now this Zuckerberg character wants another $3 a month out of me? Well I don’t think so bud,” Phillips said. “There’s free news out there that I get all my learning from, like The Epoch Times. I know their stories are not real, some fancy word called ‘satirical’, but they makes me laugh. Sure, their grammar and spelling is just God-awful, but I like that; it makes me feel smarter.” Phillips continued, “As for this monthly fee though, I do like using Facebook. That Farmville game on there cracks me up. Hey, look at me, I’m planting some carrots in a field around my kick *ss barn. My friends just love it when I contact them about planting my crops. They’re like, ‘Dangit Jack, you and your gosh dang crops’, I’ll tell you what.”<br /> Fappy The Anti-Masturbation Dolphin, a mascot for a Christian anti-masturbation group, says their business could not survive without Facebook.<br /> “Charging people to use Facebook means there won’t be as many heathens on the site to help stay off the Devil’s playground. Personally, I like Facebook because it helps me promote my side business of making personalized video greetings. Those videos are good, clean fun for the whole family, and they also help pay for my anger management and sex offender classes. Praise Fappy!”<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Horner told reporters of an option for those who can’t afford the new monthly fee. “Here at Facebook we value each and every one of our members. We do not want to see anyone delete their account just because they cannot afford the monthly fee,” Horner said. “For those who can’t manage the cost, we’ve made it real simple. In a new status update, copy and paste the words, ‘I AM POOR FACEBOOK PLEASE WAIVE MY MONTHLY FEE’. Make sure you include the hashtag #FacebookMonthlyFee. This will inform the Facebook billing department to waive any fees associated with your account. Unfortunately for free users, access to all Facebook games will no longer be available.” Horner continued, “There’s also a free option which will allow you access to your Facebook account for up to one hour a week, exceeding that will cost $0.49/minute. I think you can agree that it is extremely important to find the right Facebook plan for you!”<br /> Shares of Facebook closed Monday at 76.80, up 1.11 (1.42%). To order your monthly subscription please call the 24-hour Facebook hotline at (785) 273-0325. Discounts are available to those who pay for an entire year at once.<br /> <br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GmMli3z8JXI?list=PLiN1p3YG1ZAcYJntUcUQzdYQllsSB-uAX" width="560"></iframe></p>

Facebook To Begin Charging Users $2.99/mo Starting November 1st

0 2:16:00 AM

Menlo Park, CA — At a press conference this morning, Facebook rolled out their new monthly service plan. Beginning November 1st of this year, the social media giant will start charging members $2.99/mo to use services that users currently enjoy for f… Read more »

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iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Bending Complaints

<p>Apple has responded to the various reports of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus bending, saying that it’s “extremely rare,” and that in fact, only nine people out of all the customers that bought devices thus far have complained. That would presumably mean nine out of the well over 10 million that have sold thus far.<br /> <br /> Apple noted to TechCrunch that under normal use, the problem rarely occurs, which is in contrast to the demonstration videos hitting YouTube showing users deliberately trying to deform their devices in extremely artificial circumstances. Since the first reports had emerged, mostly in forum posts on Apple enthusiast sites, others including Wired contributor Mat Honan have also come forward noting that their devices had warped somewhat.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcK8RWCQjVMkLK35p2H8qqws1v7Z364SFKpZztlDUX4ejqGP2bTxeI_AK-6KiYtdOjnVvHGngvUndmi48IQVNy75couwExXq5SqN68eDIFpA8gD60yKwGL8wGNY1omyHU9B4ERqkEmG-b/s1600/6-plus+bending.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcK8RWCQjVMkLK35p2H8qqws1v7Z364SFKpZztlDUX4ejqGP2bTxeI_AK-6KiYtdOjnVvHGngvUndmi48IQVNy75couwExXq5SqN68eDIFpA8gD60yKwGL8wGNY1omyHU9B4ERqkEmG-b/s1600/6-plus+bending.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Apple also added that the newest iPhones are built with “steel/titanium inserts” to “reinforce stress locations,” and that they use “the strongest glass in the industry” in order to prevent any problems like those described. In addition to the use of high-quality materials, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also underwent ample testing to ensure they can endure bending, sitting, torsion and other kinds of stress, even over prolonged periods, throughout their design and development. These kinds of tests are standard in the industry, and can be seen directly in this video from TechCrunch shot on location at Nokia’s gadget labs in 2008.<br /> <br /> The echo chamber that is the tech blogosphere has perhaps contributed to blowing this problem out of proportion, which often happens when new hardware ships and a small but noteworthy issue comes to light. Apple has faced similar uproar in the past, particularly around bending with its devices since they switched to metal cases, but this time the amplification was especially loud.<br /> <br /> <br /> source: http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/25/apple-says-iphone-6-and-6-plus-bending-complaints-number-less-than-10/</p>

iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Bending Complaints

0 2:04:00 AM

Apple has responded to the various reports of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus bending, saying that it’s “extremely rare,” and that in fact, only nine people out of all the customers that bought devices thus far have complained. That would presumably mean nine ou… Read more »

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Internet Missing Link

<p>When the web was originally designed, its creators aspired to include a way to transfer value. According to the HTTP standard, error code 402 was “reserved for future use” and was labeled “Payment Required.”<br /> <br /> Just as we needed a way to freely share information, we needed a way to freely exchange value. Implementing a standardized payment protocol was a natural fit. But while data can live in a world where it’s easily reproduced, value inherently exists as the result of scarcity — in other words, the antithesis of the copy-and-paste nature of the information web.<br /> <br /> It quickly became evident that overcoming this challenge was no easy feat, and the idea was shelved indefinitely. While information could be exchanged in a decentralized fashion, there was no way to transfer value online without a central operator.<br /> <br /> <br /> That all changed in 2009 with the arrival of bitcoin, a medley of cryptography and peer-to-peer technology that elegantly solved this problem. From that vantage point, payment protocols like Bitcoin and Ripple — which allow us to transfer value online with each other directly — represent the continuation of the unfinished business of the web’s original founders.<br /> <br /> Consequently, there are numerous parallels between the birth of the information web and the developments we’re seeing now.<br /> <br /> It’s easy to take the Internet as it currently exists for granted. Its evolution from an esoteric network for researchers and hobbyists to today’s all-encompassing mainstream phenomenon was a long and arduous journey. It started with a classic chicken-and-egg problem: The Internet needed developers to build utility on it to attract users, but developers first needed users for whom to build.<br /> <br /> The early Internet was bootstrapped by academia and the military. Though the network was already open, global in scope, and quite powerful, there was little consumer utility. Instead, mainstream consumers used proprietary network solutions that were in vogue at the time. The likes of AOL (owner of TechCrunch) and CompuServe provided value-added services, from news to messaging to games.<br /> <br /> The only problem was that these pre-Internet networks didn’t interoperate. If you were on GEnie, there wasn’t a straightforward way to interact with your friends on AOL in the ‘80s. That’s not so different from how our payment networks currently operate, where systems like PayPal, Alipay and M-PESA aren’t yet federated.<br /> <br /> Two key developments unfolded in 1989: Tim Berners-Lee conceived the idea of the World Wide Web, and CompuServe became one of the first major online services to provide an email gateway, allowing its users to communicate via the Internet. These events marked the beginning of the federation phase of the Internet’s evolution. In both cases, standardized protocols allowed users to share information or communicate with each other directly, no matter what service, software, or hardware they used.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrYAnF_nPvw1Esc71N_26zjiGbraWmJv4qaex2hRD6mgxvLdU_OKJcdoyBsQboO-_ZYS1NT9rXA6H1PiW4y8DAe9l4SMg10JyRH75TKRMzwHX8ZDc43PrGvHAQJnqZQt29TqcfffdGb_9/s1600/internet+phases.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrYAnF_nPvw1Esc71N_26zjiGbraWmJv4qaex2hRD6mgxvLdU_OKJcdoyBsQboO-_ZYS1NT9rXA6H1PiW4y8DAe9l4SMg10JyRH75TKRMzwHX8ZDc43PrGvHAQJnqZQt29TqcfffdGb_9/s1600/internet+phases.png" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> But even as the dream of universal interconnectedness became technologically feasible, we needed a social incentive. With people hanging out in their own exclusive cliques, what was required was a killer app that would unite everyone at the same party. As it turned out, the answer was Usenet, an online bulletin board system that was the precursor to today’s Internet forums or sites like 4chan and reddit.<br /> <br /> Around that time, Usenet was already gaining popularity, but mostly on university campuses. Every September, the service was flooded with the latest throng of students, an annual source of fresh users that would transform Usenet into the Internet’s quintessential destination, a digital bastion of conversation and culture—and perhaps the original birthplace of not only the Internet “troll” but also the Internet meme (Godwin’s Law, for instance).<br /> <br /> It wasn’t long before this digital repository of knowledge and tomfoolery attracted the attention of online service providers eager to quench growing user demand. AOL joined in September 1993, providing Usenet an endless stream of new users — a moment in Internet history known among Usenet veterans as the “Eternal September.”<br /> <br /> This turning point cracked the chicken-and-the-egg problem. Pioneering developer efforts in the early ‘90s fell flat with no market to adopt their creations. Now with millions of users all connected on the same network, developers suddenly had a massive, built-in audience, allowing them to build viable companies, reimagining brick-and-mortar businesses, and forging entirely new industries.<br /> <br /> What’s most exciting is that this process is about to blossom all over again.<br /> <br /> Just as the Internet of information required groundwork before the likes of Peter Thiel and Mark Zuckerberg could change the world with PayPal and Facebook, the Internet of value requires a preliminary framework.<br /> <br /> On the one hand, we need the web browser, the smartphone and ubiquitous Internet access. On the other hand — in the case of moving money — we need liquidity, compliance and scalability. In place of universities and government institutions, we have financial institutions, which have custody assets and already move trillions of dollars daily to solidify the foundation of the value web.<br /> <br /> And similar to the federation and rise of the information web, the technology is there. We just need to give people a reason to come together. If history is any indication, the results will exceed even our wildest expectations.<br /> <br /> <br /> source: http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/27/the-internets-missing-link/</p>

Internet Missing Link

0 1:58:00 AM

When the web was originally designed, its creators aspired to include a way to transfer value. According to the HTTP standard, error code 402 was “reserved for future use” and was labeled “Payment Required.” Just as we needed a way to freely share in… Read more »

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World Wide Web inventor Warns to Threat to Internet

<p>A quarter-century ago, Timothy Berners-Lee designed the world's first Web browser and server, kicking off a thing that people started calling the World Wide Web.<br /> <br /> In a visit to The Washington Post, on Thursday, Berners-Lee said that system is now in danger from Internet service providers (ISPs) who stand to amass too much power over what was intentionally built as a decentralized network — one where no single actor could dictate outcomes to everyone else.<br /> <br /> Berners-Lee pushed back against opponents of net neutrality regulation who argue that applying new rules on ISPs is tantamount to regulating the Internet. There's a difference between regulating providers of broadband and the services that run on top of it, said Berners-Lee. Strong net neutrality rules would help preserve that line dividing the two and limit the incentive of ISPs to meddle in the market for services.<br /> <br /> "A lot of congressmen say, 'Well, sign up for the free market' and feel that it's just something you should leave to go by itself," said Berners-Lee. "Well yeah, the market works well so long as nobody prints money. So we have rules, okay? You don't steal stuff, for example. The U.S. dollar is something that everyone relies on. So the government keeps the dollar a stable thing, nobody steals stuff, and then you can rely on the free market."<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfYWNOhWMKAeGFc5T8023iItQdWSZZZ2wpT5PyCur1JdJVOH2MyDni_I_Jbpt8Vio9kXZXeOMJt87arQ1NTYMOCvQhKVb3apUVjqQ6Z8mrnXtXQo-6eD8Ij54xZxjQx508xseSX4rEZCv/s1600/Tim-Berners-Lee-gives-a-speech-on-April-18-2012-at-the-World-Wide-Web-international-conference-AFP-800x430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfYWNOhWMKAeGFc5T8023iItQdWSZZZ2wpT5PyCur1JdJVOH2MyDni_I_Jbpt8Vio9kXZXeOMJt87arQ1NTYMOCvQhKVb3apUVjqQ6Z8mrnXtXQo-6eD8Ij54xZxjQx508xseSX4rEZCv/s1600/Tim-Berners-Lee-gives-a-speech-on-April-18-2012-at-the-World-Wide-Web-international-conference-AFP-800x430.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> When Berners-Lee built the Web, he took the telephone wire coming out of his wall, plugged it into his computer and could instantly connect to any other computer. He didn't have to ask his telephone company's permission to introduce a new feature, he said.<br /> <br /> But the rules currently being deliberated by the Federal Communications Commission, which would tacitly allow ISPs to charge content companies for priority access to consumers, would change how easily inventors can spread their ideas. In such a future, Berners-Lee warned, new technologies and companies might crop up faster in other countries if services were forced to "bribe" their way to success.<br /> <br /> <br /> "We need rules," said Berners-Lee. "If businesses are to move here and start here rather than start in Europe or Brazil or Australia — they're going to look around and make sure, 'Oh, does the power stay up?' And they'll look for other things. 'Is the Internet open?' Will they have to effectively bribe their ISPs to start a new service? That's what it looks like from the outside. It's bribery."<br /> <br /> To many consumers, "the Internet" is simply the collection of applications and services they use on a daily basis, not the technical equipment and business relationships that help shape the economics of the Web. And to Berners-Lee, that's a good thing: It lets people go on with their lives and keep the rest of the economy running.<br /> <br /> "How the technical bit — all the deals about peering all that — is really complicated and difficult," said Berners-Lee. "That is something normal people in the street aren't going to understand — and they shouldn't have to! If you have to start understanding what's happening inside, then the Internet has failed already."</p>

World Wide Web inventor Warns to Threat to Internet

0 1:54:00 AM

A quarter-century ago, Timothy Berners-Lee designed the world's first Web browser and server, kicking off a thing that people started calling the World Wide Web. In a visit to The Washington Post, on Thursday, Berners-Lee said that system is now in d… Read more »

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Free Internet on SMART Until November 30

<p><b>What is the FREE INTERNET offer?</b><br /> <br /> As a special promo/offer, ALL PREPAID subscribers of Smart will enjoy FREE MOBILE INTERNET access.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>How can I avail of this special offer?</b><br /> <br /> All ACTIVE Smart subscribers can avail of the free Internet promo anytime within the promo period. <br /> To avail of the service, the subscriber <b>must register daily</b>, by sending <b>FREE</b> to <b>9999.</b><br /> Registration is <b>FREE</b>. The subscriber will then receive an SMS confirmation upon successful registration.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDe1C7eXY8hHd2qGCTSoqWcLUi89As1e8fg9l9Jlzs73ietK0JPkXDt6HfC6aVe9O0morrhn8Kx6mP0KlOWEf6ztvIMl6BUNSwkYC4z1kKob3X3PknpkaWsH11NPvFdguT3rhyfZszhRk/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDe1C7eXY8hHd2qGCTSoqWcLUi89As1e8fg9l9Jlzs73ietK0JPkXDt6HfC6aVe9O0morrhn8Kx6mP0KlOWEf6ztvIMl6BUNSwkYC4z1kKob3X3PknpkaWsH11NPvFdguT3rhyfZszhRk/s1600/2.png" width="640" /></a><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <b>What does FREE INTERNET mean?</b><br /> <br /> FREE INTERNET is a promotion available to all ACTIVE prepaid subscribers to enjoy access to mobile Internet with no extra cost, initially up to 30MB, and subject to the promo terms and fair use policy.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDsVxOI4da8gk_3K4UDtszIyzhGzl0IX5yX9aTZivcXhvzSh7BCYsbbf38bxa41vjY4ImLrqr8NaqlJqw1HD1ZOcP5Lzt0ZZu6Yz9Pg-LA656ByytrWdBR5ekmJcTb6592BwagB-GU8Mc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDsVxOI4da8gk_3K4UDtszIyzhGzl0IX5yX9aTZivcXhvzSh7BCYsbbf38bxa41vjY4ImLrqr8NaqlJqw1HD1ZOcP5Lzt0ZZu6Yz9Pg-LA656ByytrWdBR5ekmJcTb6592BwagB-GU8Mc/s1600/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <b>What is the speed of the service?</b><br /> <br /> Speed will depend on several factors, such as the device/handset being used, the location and the time of use of the subscriber.<br /> The service is delivered across all network platforms – 2G/3G/4G.<br /> Minimum speed is 12kbps.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>What is the promo period?</b><br /> <br /> The promo will run until November 30, 2014.<br /> <br /> <br /> source:http://www1.smart.com.ph/prepaid/freeinternet</p>

Free Internet on SMART Until November 30

0 2:48:00 PM

What is the FREE INTERNET offer? As a special promo/offer, ALL PREPAID subscribers of Smart will enjoy FREE MOBILE INTERNET access. How can I avail of this special offer? All ACTIVE Smart subscribers can avail of the free Internet promo anytime withi… Read more »

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