Hurry Up and Credit My Account
By Yahoo! Finance (CLICK to read more)"What is it with these banks that are so quick to hit you with a fee for spending more than you have in your checking account but take their own sweet time in crediting deposits?
My colleague Andrew Martin and I heard that complaint repeatedly from readers after we wrote about overdraft fees earlier this month. The angry questions happened to arrive as we approach the five-year anniversary of when the federal law known as Check 21 took effect. The law allows banks to turn paper checks into digital images and settle them electronically instead of shipping bags of paper around the country on airplanes.
Once banks embraced the new procedures, money disappeared from your account much faster when you wrote a check. But the old laws on how quickly banks must credit your account when you make a deposit did not change at all. They still haven’t. In fact, they haven’t changed in more than 20 years.
In part because of that, consumers are suspicious that banks earn more money by not making the funds available until they absolutely have to. Banks, meanwhile, say that they often make deposited funds available before they know that the checks haven’t bounced."
NerdBoyTV: Obama "HOPE" poster animated to talk about Kanye West
I took the famous Obama "HOPE" campaign poster and animated it using Reallusion's CrazyTalk 6.0 using the audioclip of him calling Kanye West a "jackass."
NerdBoyTV: Taylor Swift animated magazine cover
Using Reallusion's CrazyTalk 6.0, I animated a magazine cover of Taylor Swift and synced it with an audioclip of her interview on The View. Kinda funny...hope you like it.
SLIDESHOW: Remembering Mom
Wow, I forgot that I made this video a few years back. My mother, who died in 1983, left me a voicemail when I was in college to remind me to set my alarm clock back for daylight savings time. I scanned some old pics of her in college at UC Berkeley and then added Paula Cole's beautiful voice. The result is this slideshow that always kinda brings a tear to my eye cause it seems like a lifetime since my mom passed away. She's missed so much, but obviously we continue to remember her always.
VIDEO: How To Fold a T-Shirt
Honestly, I didn't realize there was a specific way to fold a t-shirt...interesting ;-)
Trainer Mackie: Serena Williams Outburst Out of Character
This is a very good, insightful interview with Serena Williams' trainer regarding her outburst at the US Open. Just passing it along...
VIDEO: Whitney Houston's "Million Dollar Bill"
Wow, Whitney Houston looks GREAT in this video...thank God (literally) she's back. Enjoy the video.
VIDEO: Serena Williams has a meltdown at the US Open 2009
Oh my, Serena Williams lost it! Too bad cause it was a hard-hitting match. I can understand the frustration, but now the "establishment" is gonna really make her pay...just watch.
VIDEO: How to Choose the Right Picture Hanger for Drywall
I was looking for this information...thought I'd pass it along to you, too.
VIDEO: Laying Tile in Bathroom
This looks like a relatively easy weekend project for me and Maria. Will do this for our master bathroom. This guy makes it look really easy, huh?
VIDEO: How To Wrap Up Your Extension Cord
This is such a cool idea...had to pass this along to you. Try it. Works great!
VIDEO: How To Save Gas With Eight Secret Tips
These gas-saving tips sound very useful...check them out!
VIDEO: Comedian Steve Mazan on Letterman on 09/04/09
Comedian Steve Mazan filmed a documentary of his journey to get on David Letterman after finding out he had terminal cancer. Happily, Steve made it onto Letterman last Friday. Here is his performance...funny guy ;-)
VIDEO: How To Look Great in Photographs
Sure, a beautiful photograph takes some skill behind the lens, but it takes a little skill in front of it, too.
VIDEO: How To Get Free Movie Tickets
With some luck and pluck, you can see movies for free. Watch this video to see how...
VIDEO: Comedian Steve Mazan "Dying To Do Letterman" — He Made It Last Night!
Several years ago, Steve Mazan, a stand-up comedian, was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer. Unsure of how much time he had left, Mr. Mazan immediately set out to achieve his life-long dream — perform comedy on the David Letterman show. Yesterday night, that goal became a reality. YAY!
VIDEO: Fred Has a Vocal Lesson
Maria thinks Fred is VERY irritating, but Brandon, Nicholas, and I think Fred is hilarious!
VIDEO: Jesse Holley (reality show winner) goes long on punt return for Dallas Cowboys
Jesse Holley, winner of Michael Irvin's 4th and Long reality show on Spike TV, went long with a punt return. He went 82 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. You've gotta see this one...VERY kewl!
The Best and Worst Pizzas in America
By David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding / Yahoo! Health (CLICK to read more)"Somewhere between the brick ovens of Italy and the delivery cars of America something went horribly wrong. The traditional pizza, made with just bread, cheese and tomatoes, is now tricked out with inflated crusts, four-cheese toppings, and a surplus of pepperoni, all of which contribute to its quadrupled caloric count. And man, do we love it. With 69,000 pizza joints scattered across the U.S., it's no wonder that each man, woman and child devours an average of 46 slices a year. That's the equivalent of 23 pounds of pie!
Any way you slice it, we're taking in a lot more fat than our slimmer friends in Italy, where only 9 percent of the population is obese compared to our 34 percent . Their secret: Thin crust, half the formaggio, and extra vegetables. That's why we've included Best and Worst pizzas in our new book: Eat This, Not That! The Best (& Worst!) Foods in America! The following 7 problematic pies are pulled straight from the book: Avoid them at all costs, and see how, with the help of the Eat This, Not That! series, you can lose 10 pounds or more of belly fat--while still eating all of your favorite foods!"
High-tech kids lost in face-to-face relationships
By Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech (CLICK to read more)NOTE from Ryan: This is a very interesting problem with today's technology. What do you think?
"Social networks and cell phones... you and I may find these technologies sacrosanct, but for kids getting weaned on this stuff, relationships in the real world may be suffering badly.
With the average teen sending or receiving over 2,000 text messages a month and spending nine hours a week on social networking sites, experts are worried that in-person, face-to-face social interaction is beginning to take a back seat to this twitchy, impersonal, and detached form of communication. The problem: When people rely exclusively on short bursts of written communication, those doing the texting miss out on the subtleties that come with a verbal and (especially) face-to-face discussion.
As the Wall Street Journal suggests, looking at a smiley face in an email isn't the same as seeing an actual smile on an actual face, and text-addicted teens are simply failing to learn the intricacies of bodily cues like eye movement and physical motion, not to mention all the nuance that comes with verbal conversation, cues which are learned only though a lifetime of practice in the read world. The result: Many fear we are raising a generation of kids who simply can't carry on a conversation -- or even look another person in the eye."
