| Jeff Thelen's Blog
And with Coach Bielema going for the touchdown on 4th down instead of the fieldgoal that would have pulled his team within 1 point in the fourth quarter, he's facing some of that criticism now. Nice to see Wausau native Andy Crooks go out on a good note with a touchdown. How was your Christmas? Mine was very nice. All the stuff I had planned happened on days we didn't get that nasty weather. The two highlights were the gift from my Godson. A Christmas tree ornament that said "I Love my Godfather." That one might have even made me a little misty. And the fact that on my Mom's side everyone in the family could make it to the Holiday get-together. That's the first time that's happened in years. Finally, aren't gift cards great! I spent all of mine the Saturday after Christmas.
Web Design Firms Can Now Offer Free eCommerce by FastCommerce.com as ...
Traditionally, web design has been only a part of a total ecommerce operation, a small part of the total software needs of the small business entrepreneur looking to sell online. Small business online retailers have traditionally used a number of diverse software programs to successfully run an ecommerce company. As e-commerce applications move to the web small business online retailers have greater access to single-system e-commerce services. FastCommerce.com is a powerful, low-cost Web 2.0 version of this new model.FastCommerce.com has all the tools a small business needs to sell online. By simply signing up, online retailers have access to a full suite of tools that include an online store, online product catalogue, shopping cart, auto-email responder for order and shipping confirmation, as well as back office tools for order capture and processing, account maintenance in addition to automatic shipping calculations for USPS, USP and FedEx.
Companies to Share Eco-Friendly Patents
Multinational companies including International Business Machines Corp., Sony Corp., Pitney Bowes Inc. and Nokia Corp. will unveil today what they call a patent-sharing plan for companies to donate intellectual property that improves the environment. The project, dubbed the "Eco-Patent Commons," builds on the experience of the open-source software movement in which programmers around the world freely share their computer programs, said David Kappos, IBM's assistant general counsel for patent law, who helped design the system. He said that "the advantage of using this commons approach is efficiency, scale and visibility." The commons will be administered by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a Geneva-based group that includes some 200 of the world's biggest companies.
HP's Michael Sutton: Web 2.0 and the New Wild West for Attackers
"The Web is really the Wild Wild West of attackers today," said Michael Sutton, security evangelist for HP quality management. "This condition is now out of the shadows because security experts can actually show proof of the kinds of attacks coming through these Web 2.0 holes. Now we have much better statistics to demonstrate the kind of attacks being made." The Spyware problem is bigger than you think. Spyware is more insidious and costly than viruses because it's designed to go undetected. Learn about a better way to protect your company. Click here for a free trial of Webroot� AntiSpyware Corporate Edition - the standard in anti-malware solutions. .
'Tis the Season for Giving
They say it's better to give than to receive, but there are some gifts that let you do both. Giving to charity doesn't always mean just writing a check. Nowadays, many nonprofit organizations offer creative ways of investing your donation in sustainable change. The following gift ideas will help feed, educate and empower those in need, and help protect the world we live in. You'd be amazed how far your money can go, and best of all, there's usually something in it for you too. Help an Entrepreneur With a Kiva Loan Kiva.org is a groundbreaking Web site that allows one to lend money directly to aspiring entrepreneurs in developing countries. The initiative drew the attention of former President Bill Clinton, who included Kiva in his latest book, "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World."
Lenders choose a recipient from thousands of small-business owners looking for loans, and Kiva forwards the loans through a network of microfinance companies in developing countries.
Chancellor launches supercomputer
Hector (High-End Computing Terascale Resources) is one of the largest and most advanced computers in Europe. It is capable of 63 million calculations a second - the equivalent of around 12,000 desktop systems. Four times faster than its predecessor, the £113 million service is expected to play a key role in keeping scientists at the forefront of their fields of research. At the launch, Mr Darling said that the computer was a "major milestone" for British science. Speaking at the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computing Facility, he added: "As a country our future will depend upon our ability to encourage the brightest and the best into this area because it will pay dividends for us all." "We've got a world-wide reputation for excellence in scientific research and having a computer that is this powerful will mean that research which could have taken years will be brought forward much more quickly." Professor Arthur Trew, professor at Edinburgh University and director of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), said that the lifespan of such a machine was quite short.
U.S. cuts funding for crime victims
Victims advocates in the state said they do not expect the drop in federal aid to have an immediate impact, since the grants are spread out over several years. But they said that programs might eventually be forced to cut back on staff and services, especially if federal reductions continue, as some predict.
"Whereas a program might be able to serve 100 people, they may now be able to serve 70 people or 80 people" when the cutbacks are felt, said Rakhsha Hakimzadeh, director of the Office of Victim Services in the state Department of Human Resources, which distributes the federal victim-assistance funds.
Mary McGeady, director of finance and administration for House of Ruth, said nonprofits could not easily make up a shortfall. "There's so many demands on donors to contribute to so many very worthy causes," she said.
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