Time for some reflection again. Some of the topics I want to note down today may be random, but I have been reminded of them several times. In no particular order:

• Return Policy – Certainly this comes as no news that the return policy in U.S. puts all other countries to shame. I am not going to discuss at what cost this comes at, but it certainly makes life a bit easier with the return policy of stores such as Costco, Nordstrom and so on where you can return things even years after you have purchased the good and they won’t even ask you why. Try returning something in Europe and you are lucky if they don’t throw you out of the store.
• Availability and Abundance – Which brings me to availability and abundance of it. I have touched on this subject in another post, but the point I have to make here is that I cannot think of anywhere else in the world where (almost) anything is so accessible for purchase. You can walk into a store and buy anything from a Jacuzzi, pool table, mini tractor, or even a small & easy to assemble mini cabin!. And I am not talking about going to specialized stores to get these items. Go to your closest Costco and pick one up! Next after that, most of the well known (clothing) brands that are considered more on the exclusive (and expensive) side elsewhere in the world such as Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and so on can be found in piles here in the States which also is a bit puzzling. I guess this works well with the commercial philosophy of U.S. which probably goes something in lines with: ‘People should be able to buy anything they want anytime they want as much as they want and we don’t care how much garbage it will produce, though we can compromise on the quality so the prices are not too high. If we don’t compromise on quality we will charge the customer three arms and five legs to let them understand it is quality stuff they are buying.’
• Junk (paper) Mail – I am still puzzled by how financial institutions (as well as other companies) are so persistent in bombarding your house’s mailbox with offerings printed on thick glossy papers. During the course of last month alone I have had 4 offerings to become an American Express customer and I already have had two cards with them for over a year! (one personal and one for work). Makes me wonder how they run their operations. Actually I have come to realize a big share of the corporate world here who make very good profits and are well known are not running smoothly because they run a lean and efficient business model. They just have reached a stage where they make so much money that they can cover their inefficiencies and still look like they are running a smooth operation.

I needed to sign a document and send it in over fax today. Getting it in electronic form is easy. By you now most places offer their forms/applications as downloadable PDFs and the signing is easy for me to since I have a tablet PC.

It was the sending it electronically part that became a challenge. There are tons of services out there that charge anything from $10-$20/month to allow you to send and receive faxes electronically. But with my needs I maybe send fax once every blue moon, so those services are no good to me. Sending it from work doesn’t feel right either. So I started looking around and this were my findings for sending and receiving fax for free.:

Receiving - Get a free account on eFax.com and you will get a U.S. based number. If anyone faxes you, you will receive it in your mailbox.

Sending – The one I found useful for my needs was faxzero.com. It gives you two options; either send it for free (max 2/day) and it will put an ad as the cover page for your fax (see below) OR you can pay $1.99 using paypal to get it free of the ad cover page. Your choice.

And finally I found this page full of links useful. If you have other useful/free services for faxing please leave a comment.

Interesting documentary where lots of different theories are being presented. But the one thing I did find particularly interesting was the analysis of the Military industrial complex.

The term first was used in president Eisenhower’s farewell speech where he warned of the too significant of a role that the department of defense has come to play and the amount of resources that it uses for its purpose. “Iron Triangle” which is another similar term used for this concept refers to an institutionalised collusion among defense contractors, The Pentagon , and the United States government, where these three ensure to create a permanent war economy, which in a nutshell states that since productivity of the nation is higher than normal during war (at least during WWII), the economy cannot be allowed to return to a civilian economy.

As a result the defense is heavily dependant on the industry (defense contractors) and it needs to secure a steady stream of revenue from the government to be able to support this model, something that is seen a heavily against the public interest.
Very interesting movie and definitely worth seeing.

Good collection of mistakes made by president Bush and caught by the camera….

Update : Found this site that has a better comparison.

With taking so many digital photos, the time has come where I have enough material to give photography as presents to friends and others. Having said that, sometimes, one photo just does not feel enough nor express what I am trying to say as an ‘artist’.

Now I can use one of the few services available online to make my own photo book. Here are a couple of them:

• MyPublisher - $30-$60 for a 20 pages hardcover album
• iPhoto - $30 for 20 pages hardcover album

If you have other services similar to this, please let me know.

A new way to look at digital photos. Just have a look for yourself. Pretty nifty from Microsoft Labs! Some highlights:

• You can fly around and see an object from different angles.
• You can zoom in to incredible details. Just try zooming in on any of the paintings in this collection.
• You can choose cameras that took the pictures and thereby see the exact spot the picture was taken from.

The last few weeks, I had the awesome experience of going to China for work. I was in Shanghai the whole time and that was plenty by itself as there seems to be no end to this giant megacity. The people are very friendly and forthcoming, but unfortunately communication becomes an issue as almost no one speaks or understands English. I saw a lot of tourists/foreigners walking around so it seems like Shangai is giving Hong Kong a run for its money in being a world metropolitan. All in all, apart from the mad traffic and air pollution (similar to LA), it really is a must see place.

The second topic I wanted to write about is Kiva.org. This non-profit organization which its name means unity or agreement in Swahili, was started in 2004 and although is still in the process of becoming self sustainable (by 2008), is currently being funded by a number of angel investors, including Microsoft Research. Here is how it works:

“Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.”

Here is a list of people and businesses who need a loan that would change their lives.

This one is for all my peops outside of US, since I have been blogging about different services that you can only get here. You can see live (american) TV channels using this tool (TVU Networks). Enjoy!

I have two copies of Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 (i.e. not the final retail product) with the product key and everything. If you want one, let me know.

I took the time to update my FireFox extensions list. Hope you find something useful.

I read the following article today, talking about how Islam is brutalizing Baha’is in Iran. While the article itself is interesting and has valid points, the only thing I think the author was not being clear on, is the fact that Islam as a religion is a religion of Peace. Islam as a self serving tool for clergy, regimes and fundamentalists on the other hand is anything but peaceful. This made me think of something I read in One Common Faith commissioned by The Universal House of Justice that sums it up very nicely:

“Few today among those who have some degree of objective familiarity with the subject are likely, therefore, to entertain an illusion that any one of the established religious systems of the past can assume the role of ultimate guide for humankind in the issues of contemporary life, even in the improbable event that its disparate sects should come together for that purpose. Each one of what the world regards as independent religions is set in the mould created by its authoritative scripture and its history. As it cannot refashion its system of belief in a manner to derive legitimacy from the authoritative words of its Founder, it likewise cannot adequately answer the multitude of questions posed by social and intellectual evolution. Distressing as this may appear to many, it is no more than an inherent feature of the evolutionary process. Attempts to force a reversal of some kind can lead only to still greater disenchantment with religion itself and exacerbate sectarian conflict.”

I find this very interesting as I see this on a daily basis in media and around me, i.e. past religions’ clergy and institutions struggling so obviously and so painfully simply because there is no divine source for these needed changes and by twisting the Bible or the Koran into something else, it is nothing but man made inventions that backfire very quickly. What I find amusing though is, for the lack of a better word, the childish nature of these institutions and clergy to prove that their Prophet was the best one or the most powerful one and that he was the very last one. Reminds me of arguments I would have in kindergarden about how my dad is stronger than others. Does any parent set a date on which they tell their child, this is the last advice I am giving you and this is the very last day I will care for you? No! So why would God do that to mankind by sending a last Prophet and then leave us forever?

Today’s cool tool award goes to Hamachi. As they describe their own tool:

“Hamachi is a zero-configuration virtual private networking application. In other words Hamachi is a program that allows you to arrange multiple computers into their own secure network just as if they were connected by a physical network cable.”

I have tried it and I am pretty impressed by how easy and smooth it is to use it.

FareCompare.com - Compares flight tickets and you can even keep an eye on it constantly until you find a good price through RSS feeds or a FireFox extension.

FareCast.com (currently only for prices within US) – Price Forecasting for when you should aim to buy the ticket.

So you know those bubble wraps that most of us just looove popping? Well, now you can do it online and there is even a manic mode you can blast through it. Enjoy!

It’s about time!