Well, it would appear that when it comes to customer loyalty in the field of consumer electronics, Samsung has come out on top. According to the 2013 Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index, a survey that was released by Brand Keys (a brand research consulting company), after 39,000 people across the United States were polled, they are 95 percent confident about the results: Samsung is currently the consumer’s favorite in the areas of flat screen televisions and cell phones.

If you’re not someone who makes a habit of following this kind of data, you may think “That’s nice, but what’s the big deal about Samsung being number one?” Good question. You see, in times past, Apple has been the leader in customer loyalty for so long that it has almost been assumed that they were unstoppable. So, to see that Apple is now in the second position (and according to Brand Keys’ president Robert Passikoff, they are trailing significantly behind), that speaks somewhat to how consumers feel about the Samsung brand vs. Apple’s. It means that although Apple does produce a wonderful product (and that’s probably a bit of an understatement), any company has room for improvement and can be challenged by other competitors.

It wasn’t only Samsung that delivered Apple with a bit of disappointing news. Reportedly Amazon’s Kindle followed by Barnes & Noble’s Nook put Apple in third place in the e-reader category. Although, in looking at this category from a broader perspective, it may be due to the fact that the majority of iPad owners do not probably classify it as being an actual e-reader but simply a general kind of tablet.

Still, with Amazon not holding the first place ribbon in these categories and tying with Samsung when it comes to laptops, this shows Apple that they actually are one to be contended with while also reminding us that Samsung does hold a larger share of the marketplace.

Plus, numbers don’t lie and so even with all of the press that Samsung has gotten about going to court with Apple over things like patent disputes and although Apple seems to come out with a new iPhone on a quarterly basis, there is still something about Samsung’s marketing, innovativeness and quality of their products (along with how they treat their customers) that many individuals are very happy with.

Apple probably never thought they’d see the day when improving customer loyalty was something that they would need to be taught rather than teach, but it would seem, at least for this year, that the time is now.

And Samsung, their top marketplace rival, just may be the company to do it.

The main goal of Penguin seems to have been to improve the overall quality of top-ranked entries for specific searches. When users type in search criteria they don’t want to find the website that spent the most on their SEO efforts – they want to find sites that can offer them the best information, the most engaging and up-to-date content, or the highest level of entertainment. In short, they’re looking for sites that make an effort on behalf of visitors rather than those that only care about bringing in more traffic (rather than ensuring repeat visits). But just because your site wasn’t hit as hard as some others after the Penguin update doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods. You might still be suffering from the consequences of thin content, even if you’ve modified you links and other negative factors under the new guidelines.

But what is thin content? Basically, a page is considered to be “thin” if it has too many links or images and/or a decided lack of content that is conducive to conducting searches (in other words, text that could contain searchable keywords). When you fail to provide a wealth of content that can be found by search engines, and consequently, those searching for it, your page rank on Google is likely to suffer for it. So even if you managed to clean up your linking issues in a timely manner in order to avoid suffering the wrath of Penguin, you might not have done enough with the content currently featured on your pages to stop your site from a slow backslide towards obscurity.

Luckily, this problem is easier to fix than you might imagine. All you really have to do is beef up your content to include more usable data. You can start simply enough by improving your efforts concerning any new pages you add to your site. And if you’re not sure how to start, consider adding an on-site blog that allows you to push new text-heavy content frequently. This should attract new visitors as well as appeal to Google’s search bots. However, you should also begin to update your older content, or think about removing it completely if it’s outdated.

This will help to ensure broken and back link removal, helping you to meet Penguin standards, as well as giving you the opportunity to get rid of outdated content and replace it with current data that is more valuable to visitors. Even if you haven’t noticed major changes since the implementation of Penguin, it’s important to ensure that your e-commerce site is up to par if you want to see new visitors and continued patronage. So pinpoint thin content and correct it in order to meet search requirements, along with the needs of your customers.

Last year, a company called Makerbot made a huge splash with one of the technologies that has quickly become the newest buzzword in an online era that seems to be producing a never ending stream of new buzzwords. 3D printing is probably something of which you’ve heard, but might be something you’ve yet to see in action. Essentially, the technology boils down to the idea of creating an actual three-dimensional model of something by stacking layer upon layer until the product has been completed. Much more affordable than other forms of physical modeling, 3D printing has given designers the world over the ability to cheaply and quickly interact with the things they’ve created in a physical space.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Makerbot has returned and is continuing to make a huge impact upon the proceedings. Their newest 3D printing technology is referred to as the Replicator 2X, and features improvements that would make any product designer salivate. It’s aimed to cater to those who are seriously looking to invest themselves in 3D printing and product design, and will cost you just shy of a few thousand dollars if you’re really intent on picking it up. More important, though, are the implications that this technology has on the future of 3D printing. As these machines get more affordable, it seems that home 3D printers are only a few years away from the general public’s living rooms. While this might not be a reality at present, things like the Makerbot’s new Replicator 2X are continuing to show us that new technology doesn’t have any intention of slowing down soon.

Cars with the capability of running applications have been around for some time now, and most feature a navigation system of some sort. While one might think it would be simple enough for Google Maps to simply be built into most cars, this hasn’t been the case yet. Companies like Hyundai, however, and Kia as well, have been working with Google to bring this idea one step closer to reality. While drivers still don’t have the convenient option of simply being able to access Google Maps directly from their dashboards, Hyundai and Kia’s developers are introducing technology that will make it easier for drivers to send Google Maps-related information from their phones to their cars in the blink of an eye.

Google certainly hopes that one of its most popular applications will soon be featured in the navigational systems of just about any car, and this development certainly brings them one step closer to this goal. If you drive a Kia or a Hyundai, and are a particularly big fan of Google Maps, you might want to look into how much a new car will affect your auto insurance rates and perhaps think about making an investment.

So, what do people have to look forward to with this particular phone? Well, from what a lot of experts are predicting, it will basically be a super upgrade for the Motorola brand; something that a lot of fans of Motorola are definitely looking forward to. As it relates to specific features of the X Phone, there haven’t been many shared at this time. What does appear to be “on the books” is that it’s slated for release in the late-spring or early-summer of this year with the ability to “rival” the phones that are already out on the market.

In the meantime, it is assumed that certain partners of Google may not be all that thrilled about the new invention. Take Samsung, for example. It wasn’t too long ago that Samsung partnered up with Samsung for the purpose of releasing the Galaxy Nexus. Samsung was the company that provided the software and Google’s Android 4.0 was the operating system it used. However, in order to release the X Phone, for pretty obvious reasons, they are going to have to do a lot of collaborating with Motorola.

This means that Samsung is going to be overlooked when it comes to this particular project and that’s probably not going to be something that sits very well with them. And while Google has never been a company to run from controversy (or lawsuits), some may wonder if they actually thought this particular “partnership” with Motorola all the way through when it comes to the domino effect that it may have. Without question, Google cannot afford to burn (or even singe for that matter) any bridges with Samsung being that they currently 40 percent share of the Android market (Motorola only has 3 percent) and Samsung is the biggest smart phone maker in the entire world (to date).

Here’s the flip side to that “communications coin”, though. A part of the reason for their overwhelming success is due to the fact that they had Google’s help. So, obviously and for so many reasons, both Google and Samsung are going to have to find a way to gently handle the fact that Google is releasing a phone that will become Samsung’s direct competition as they still work together on other projects. After all, it’s no secret that Google has paid around $12.5 billion in order to acquire some of Motorola’s engineers for their upcoming handset (that is sure to come with features like a camera, apps and wireless headsets).

Google always makes for good reading. Time will tell how well the X Phone does and their relationship with Samsung will do. Stay tuned.

Aside from being obvious Apple’s rival when it comes to features and quality, there are many reasons why Androids are a favorite among the technologically advanced. As a matter of fact, this month, the Samsung Galaxy S III was actually named Phone of the Year at the annual T3 Gadget awards due to the thin, glossy finish of its extremely thin build, the high resolution of its screen, its intricate interface design and things like its voice recognition, front facing camera, the facial recognition ability that it has (that matches faces in photographs to profile photos in your contacts) and WiFi Direct which allows you the ability to beam videos between other S3s phones.

Indeed, a part of the reason why people will wait in lines for hours to get an Android phone is because Samsung has set a standard for us to expect the unexpected, and then look for them to top even that.

So, it probably should not be a huge surprise what the Japanese company has come up with next: an Android-powered (you’ll never guess) toilet. That’s right. Aside from all of the other insurmountable things that Samsung’s phones can do, it can actually assist you with accommodations when “nature calls”.

Some of these features include heated seating and its own form of bidet. But that’s not all. You can also use your Android to make your toilet make sounds (including play music), open and close the toilet and even instruct it to flush by the command of your phone.

The way that it works is that these new toilet marvels are Bluetooth-equipped, which makes it easy for them to connect to your Android. So, whether you’re out and you want to preprogram that toilet that you’re about to use or you’re at home and you want to take it a step further and monitor the amount of electricity and water that your toilet uses on a daily basis, whether it’s an upstairs bathroom or you have a couple of basement toilets, you will be able to do all of that with this new addition. There is even an electronic “toilet diary” that you can keep that will assist you related up-to-date health information.

All this from a toilet? Well, all this from a toilet and an Android. And it is a bit ironic. When cell phones first came out, we were told to not take them to the bathroom (because we might accidentally drop them into the toilet) and now, it’s just a matter of time before people will not see going in without them. Android, you really do never cease to amaze.

Timberlake is apparently the creative mastermind behind the new and improved version of MySpace, which is already offering memberships to interested parties. The site, which was bought by News Corp. back in 2005 for $580 million, sold for the bargain basement price of just $35 million last year to Orange County ad company Specific Media. And a surprising addition to the stakeholders in the online property is Justin Timberlake. Many will remember that he had a role in the movie ‘The Social Network’, where his character helped to bring Facebook to the masses. But apparently he’s a MySpace guy at heart, because he has a revolutionary idea about how to turn the site into a household name once again.

His plan revolves not around overhauling the site to compete with Facebook, but rather turning it into an entirely different piece of real estate. The goal, according to Timberlake, is to create a space that brings artists and fans together. In his estimation, “Art is inspired by people and vice versa, so there’s a natural social component to entertainment.” In other words, it isn’t a one-way road. While plenty of fans will no doubt flock to pages created by their favorite artists, it seems that Timberlake feels this is an essential source of inspiration for the artists themselves, as well. So while consumers will definitely enjoy access to free music offered only on MySpace, Timberlake posits that artists seeking a community of followers, or simply hoping to “bridge the gap” with their fans will enjoy the platform provided by the new MySpace, which has been completely reworked for that purpose, from the code up.

The idea actually sprang from the fact that many undiscovered artists were still using MySpace, even after the mass exodus to Facebook. In fact, a survey conducted in 2011 showed that a whopping 60% of users still on MySpace (pre-transition) were either artists seeking fans or music lovers looking for the next best band. It was from this realization that Timberlake’s idea matured, and the result is a totally new take on MySpace. Of course, there is likely some concern about the stigma attached to the name, but considering that top names from the music charts have already created profiles (Rihanna, Madonna, and Kanye West, amongst others), likely due to Timberlake’s industry cred, this sleek redesign is sure to draw in plenty of new followers, some of whom may be young enough that they never even heard of the previous MySpace.

While the Chevy Volt and Toyota’s very famous Prius might be the names that are most readily associated with the rise of the hybrid and electric cars, Ford aims to seriously challenge this paradigm, and intends to do so with the introduction of the C-MAX Energi. While Ford is no stranger to either the hybrid car market, nor with the idea of producing some pretty high-quality automobiles, this newest development featured in the C-MAX Energi is exciting nevertheless. In terms of its body, the car resembles a wagon-like Focus, and has a four-cylinder engine that’ll kick in once the 21-mile range (on a full charge) has been exhausted. What’s nice is that the C-MAX Energi also costs just about the same as its most serious competition, landing at about $30,000 once you’ve applied those wonderful federal tax credits and such.

When you consider the battery, though, you realize how Ford has indeed surpassed its competition. Consider the Volt’s battery — it gets a 38-mile range on its all-electric battery. The C-MAX Energi’s battery, by comparison is less than half the size of the volt’s. And yet, it gets more than half of the range. This is just one of the most significant ways that the C-MAX Energi sets out to — and succeeds in — one-upping the competition. Not only does the smaller battery still get a very decent charge, but it also means a higher fuel economy because it weighs less. Even if you were already looking for something more along the lines of a used Ford Ka, there are a lot of reasons that the C-MAX Energi is a smart little car for the modern driver; what’s great is that most of these reasons have to do with you saving money all while protecting the environment.

Sure, that pink exterior is going to look really nice and sporty, but it’s not the only thing the She’s has to offer, nor is it the only option. There’s also a brown version that’s supposed to mirror eye shadow. Whichever color scheme you pick, however, you’ll get a windshield that is specifically designed to block upwards of 90% of those dangerous UV rays that will come in and add to your wrinkles and general unpleasantness. This isn’t the only feature that’s designed to take care of your complexion, either. Air conditioning is a great addition to just about any car, but the system that’s been installed in the Honda She’s is specifically created to take great care of your skin.

The car’s only available in Japan, and Honda don’t seem like they’ve really considered putting the She’s out in the United States or Canada quite yet. It seems like they’ll want to continue seeing how the car performs in Japan, but the development is an interesting one and does seem popular so far. Honda cars have been considered to be very reliable for a long time now, and this new model is an expansion of an already-trusted line of cars that have reached a wide audience for many years. The Honda She’s is Japan’s newest novelty car, but aims to position itself as something much more than that. Honda hopes that the She’s car will remain popular and might even make its way overseas sometime soon.

Farrah Abraham is just like any other 21-year-old. Sort of. She’s different from most 21-year-old girls because she’s got a kid. To an even further degree, she’s also different because she’s got a career appearing on television. You might think that it’s great for a young mother to be enjoying such a great career at a young age. What talent! You might be a little wrong. Interestingly enough, Abraham is famous solely because she’s a 21-year-old girl with a baby, and as such has needed a way to continue receiving attention once her time on the program had come to a close.

Apparently, the answer came to Abraham in the form of not one plastic surgery procedure…but three. Not even two plastic surgery procedures were enough for Farrah Abraham. What started as a simple rhinoplasty soon blossomed into a reboot more severe than the one that took over the James Bond franchise. You certainly might have thought Farrah Abraham was a plenty attractive human being before — but now you have a medical guarantee; this girl has had surgery to ensure that she’s beautiful. And why not? She said herself that she feels as though more people are paying for her looks. The obvious answer to this kind of pressure is to immediately have surgery in hopes of making yourself look better than you already do, and hope nobody notices that this very action basically communicates a deep inner dissatisfaction. Good thing too, because that’s exactly what Farrah Abraham did. Her three surgeries, all within the last year, and all before her twenty-second birthday, have undoubtedly rendered her a person who will be revered for both her beauty and her status as a positive role model for years to come.

It wasn’t too much of a surprise when a lot of Europe found itself in financial crisis, having taken on a shared financial system under the Euro that was now straining more or less the entire continent. These problems crept across the sea to cause some problems in North America as well, and the entire world began to feel enveloped in one kind of economic downturn or another.

Perhaps most surprising, however, was the idea that China — one of the largest economies in the world for a long time, now — might also be facing some economic downturn. In fact, China has been seeing some economic slowdown, and the problems they’ve faced have been as severe as the ones seen just about anywhere else. Mounting debt has been plaguing the country, and manufacturing had slowed to a point that was starting to look dangerous.

Thankfully, however, there has been recent news that the slowdown China has unfortunately seen over the last couple of years might be starting to halt and even reverse itself. Things for China are pretty intense, as the manufacturing and employment numbers are being carefully watched on a monthly basis. This month saw some much-needed good news , however, as it appears that October saw a rise in manufacturing, compared with the month that immediately preceded it. That’s a great thing, in terms of economic slowdown, and might even have some positive implications for the rest of the world. If thinks keep improving, it could have some seriously positive implications for the global economy.

Something that’s known as the Purchasing Managers Index — also referred to as the PMI — is one of the main factors used in gauging the level of manufacturing that China’s economy sees. With a healthy improvement seen in October, September’s dismal figures have been thankfully overshadowed and the country can hopefully continue improving its economic situation. Whether it’s developing a new type of electronic or CNC machine manufacturing, there are a lot of ways China contributes to the global economy. Hopefully this improvement in its numbers will mean a continued improvement in China’s situation. More manufacturing means more employment, and as the jobs continue to increase, China will undoubtedly begin to experience the chances needed to see a real amount of economic growth for the first time in years.

Yes, that’s right. It would appear that the holiday season needs about a 13 percent increase of workers in order for FedEx to help Santa do his job of making deliveries. And while a lot of analysts have predicted that people will look for ways to make their Christmas shipments as inexpensive as possible, FedEx, a reliable shipping company, has managed to remain successful in the midst of people’s penny pinching.

As a matter of fact, reportedly, this is not the first year that FedEx has hired 20,000 holiday workers. They did the exact same thing in 2011 and just as with last year, they are expecting 280 million shipments to be made between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Many people believe that this “steadiness” can, in part, be attributed to the fact that online shopping is something that is not a trend, but a staple within our economy. Not only is it convenient, but for the ever-evolving eco-friendly movement, it’s also a viable option because you don’t have to drive to make your purchases, which cuts down on the emissions within the atmosphere (and makes it safe during the winter’s traditional weather challenges). Plus, you’re not as limited when you shop online as when you’re in a store; rather than being forced to choose between a few local shops, online shopping gives you a world of choices (literally).

It’s for these reasons that FedEx continues to thrive.

This doesn’t mean that it hasn’t hit some bumps in the road, though. It is no secret that FedEx has already reduced a portion of its global forecast for 2013 partially due to slower growth in China and recessions that have transpired in Europe. It’s also had to reduce a significant amount of its profit outlook as some customers have searched for cheaper shipping methods such as SmartPost (a significantly lower shipment option).

When it comes to FedEx, though, slower doesn’t mean stopped. Even in spite of some of the “bumps in the road”, they have steadily hired employees all throughout 2012. Plus, there are certain days throughout the year that have consistently proven to be big money makers for them such as December 10, which, in the shopping world is considered to be “Green Monday”—a holiday shopping day that is expected to garner them 19 million FedEx shipments (also a day when people are doing more than web surfing on sites like FreeSamples.org for “freebie stocking stuffers” to send out).

So, if you’re looking for a way to make a few extra dollars, it couldn’t hurt to stop by FedEx on your way home to ask if they are (still) hiring. Seasonal income is always a great way to make the holidays extra special (and far less stressful).

Social media has become so popular, in fact, that a recent MSU study from their school dedicated to educational studies has found out that Twitter is actually a boon to education in a way that perhaps no Internet site or service has been able to be other than perhaps Wikipedia. It would appear that professors who are using Twitter as a part of their courses’ curriculums have been met with some pretty significant amounts of success in terms of student engagement and performance. This might not come as a surprise to some of our younger readers: “Well of course your course is going to do better if you integrate something your students use anyway into it.” The surprise, however, might come to those of us who would assume that using Twitter for school would quickly devolve into time-wasting and might even result in some problems.

As it turns out, the complete opposite has been found. Twitter has, in fact, given students to interact and engage with their course’s material outside of the classroom in ways that they have perhaps not been able or bothered to in quite some time. Students have been able to converse with authors, chat with each other, and even share insights and ideas with other users on the web to engage with their course material in a more thorough way than just reading textbooks and handing in assignments. Perhaps it’s not much of a surprise after all, but either way the findings are great news, and indicate important things for Twitter — which appears less and less to be some kind of passing fad, and might be something we don’t see going anywhere for a long time to come. Whether you’re working on an MBA leadership program or a graphic design degree, Twitter might very well be able to help you engage with your sutdies.

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was bestowed on Lloyd Shapley and Alvin Roth, two American economists who had been studying how to scientifically pair a variety of economic agents. The award came with a $1.2 million bounty, care of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which Shapley and Roth can use however they see fit. According to the official release, the Nobel Prize was a specific acknowledgement of two theories Shapley and Roth have developed: market design and stable allocations.

Lloyd Shapley wanted to concoct a method where matching two disparate economic elements could succeed consistently. He began with game theory and devised a new algorithm that could effectively create matches that would be acceptable to all people involved on a consistent basis. One example mentioned in the press release was helping students with certain amounts of available tuition money to find schools that match their educational and financial requirements.

Alvin Roth took over from there, conducting empirical studies to determine how Shapley’s algorithm could be further applied. He looked at the medical field, attempting to match hospitals with newly-credentialed doctors, and even confirmed organ donors with the patients who need a donation. The prize committee referred to the results as economic engineering, and truly the applications of their work are nearly endless.

Any project that requires matching huge populations on a series of economic markers is enormously complicated. While technology can be counted on to do the heavy lifting on the computational side, these equations also impact human lives. Since it isn’t just a function of the numbers but must also include real-life variables, there is no question that a new process was needed. The larger the population, the more difficult match making becomes. With the Nobel committee’s support, there is now a chance that lives can be altered and even saved by the quick data turnaround now possible with these new algorithms.

Computers and the internet have changed our lives. There’s really no debate about that. You can stock a lab with a few clicks on www.chemicalwire.com, and even potentially meet your future spouse on match.com. But when lives are at stake, it is the people behind the technology that truly make the difference. Thanks to Lloyd Shapley and Alvin Roth, mankind now has another powerful tool at its disposal.

Nevada assemblywoman Marilyn Dondero Loop recently related a story about her first experience with Google’s self-driving vehicle to the Wall Street Journal, and it’s clear that real world results are what eventually swayed her. She recounted how a Google lobbyist spoke to her about the vehicle back in 2011, when she still had some serious concerns. As the chair for the state’s transportation committee, it is her duty to be skeptical, after all. But her fears of the potential dangers of these vehicles were put to rest when Google introduced her to people who had actually ridden in the driverless vehicles, and showed her video clips of an autonomous car stopping for pedestrians crossing the street. It was all she needed to help craft the bill that made the road tests legal in Nevada back in June of last year.

That effective pitch strategy is now being used by Google in these other states. They have a significant network of lobbyists working on the local level, as well as employees who specialize in policy conversations. But now they aren’t just showing lawmakers videos, they are giving these key decision-makers free rides. The difference in approach not only shows in the expansion of its testing program, but in a change of perspective surrounding Google itself. Political experts are beginning to notice how savvy Google has been throughout this process, pointing to their early success in Nevada as the key.

But while all of those efforts are certainly aiding this initial push, the implications going forward for Google are much more interesting. Google could in fact become a lobbying powerhouse, which will aid them in other massive efforts, such as expanding their fiber optic internet services on the state and federal levels. All told, Google has spent almost $9 just in the first two quarters of 2012 on various lobbying efforts. At this pace, the company will double 2011′s entire lobbying spend. But with fiber optic expansion swiftly approaching and these autonomous cars expected to become available for purchase in five years at most, that money is a drop in the bucket next to future earnings potential.

Google knows their place, however. They aren’t interested in actually manufacturing any of these cars themselves, but rather want to partner with automakers interested in this next generation technology. You wouldn’t expect Google to want to strike deals with local auto repair shops, and they’ll leave all of that sort of work to the Toyotas of the world. But with the massive success of the street tests and their lawmaker strategy clearly running full steam ahead, there seems to be no stopping the days when Google-powered driverless cars grace every highway in America.

It would be interesting to see the looks on the faces of some of those “internet cynics” now. The truth of the matter is that even though it was just in the early 90s that the internet became accessible to the mass public, it is almost unfathomable to think of existing without it now. No matter what kind of company, most of them now have a website and not just a website, but a Facebook fan page, a Twitter account and even their commercial ads will make sure to mention “Find us on Facebook” or “Follow us on Twitter”.

Without a doubt, in an ever-changing world, one thing that is definitely here to stay is the internet.

Therefore, in processing this fact, one thing that should not come of surprise is that internet advertising revenue is on the rise—actually, “skyrocketing” may be the more appropriate way to describe it. In an economy that remains to be shaky at best, if there is one area that is not even close to suffering, it would be online marketing. So much in fact that it has been recently reported that internet advertising revenue has reached record-breaking earnings of a whopping $17 billion in the first half of 2012; that is up 14 percent from the same time last year.

According to a fairly new report released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, there are a few reasons why this is the case. One is due to the fact that marketing companies are becoming more and more comfortable with using an internet provider, even via mobile devices and digital video to brand their companies. Another reason is because, as we all know, the internet provides an international platform and international access (a far greater audience that a television commercial or newspaper ad). And still, another reason is due to the fact that there are statistics that solidify the fact that search-related advertising continues to dominate online spending. How much? Well, it actually accounted for almost half of all of the internet advertising revenue during the first half of this year.

There are other forms of online marketing that have seen considerable growth as well. Video ads, which are proving more and more to be the online equivalent of a television commercial has seen an 18 percent gain (it rose to close to $1 billion) this year. Plus, companies in the fields of automotive, financial and telecommunications all spent around $2 billion in online advertising with a large majority of the businesses showing some pretty impressive profits as a direct result.

It is a bit ironic, isn’t it? As many parts of the world are financially struggling, the Word Wide Web only continues to thrive. Whoever underestimated the internet really missed the mark. Big time. It continues to be an investment that pays off. Again, big time.

The mega-search engine has recently made the announcement that it will be entering into the credit card company; only, it’s with a bit of a twist. For now, the credit cards will be distributed to qualifying individuals (again, in the UK) who are also Google AdWords customers.

Now, for this to make a bit more sense, let’s recap just what Google AdWords does first.

Google AdWords is Google’s own version of an online advertising program. Basically how it works is that once you sign up for a subscription, there are “trigger words” that will be created for your own customized ad. So if, for instance, you sell pet supplies and a key phrase in your ad is “buy pet supplies”, whenever someone goes on Google and places that phrase into the search engine field, there’s a good chance that your ad will pop up on the side of the page. However, this feature is not just limited to Google. You also have the opportunity for your ad to “pop up” on YouTube (a Google business) and some of their partner sites including the New York Times.

Financially, in many ways, it is an advertisers dream because there is no minimum amount that you have to pay in order to create an ad on Google AdWords. It all depends on how much you want to spend to get the kind of viewership that you would like on a daily basis. This is due to their “cost per click” program where people actually pay based on the amount of clicks that their ad gets on a daily basis.

This is a big part of the reason why Google’s decision to create a credit card that directly connects to the Google AdWords program is generating such a media buzz. What Google has done is collaborated with Barclaycard in the UK and Comenity Capital Bank in the United States to create a version of a Mastercard. With this card, Google AdWords customers will be given a line of credit extending between $200 and $100,000 to monthly pay for their advertisements (whether online or via a credit card machine). Aside from the generous credit limit, the interest rate is also exceptional low too (an 8.99% rate in the United States and 11.9% rate in the UK).

The main purpose for this new effort is to further develop the advertising side of Google by providing its AdWords customers with an incentive to use the service on a wider and more consistent basis. That aside, it’s probably also no coincidence that they will now be somewhat of a competitor for Amazon who has been providing loans to independent sellers on their website.

Time will reveal just how well the “Google credit card” will be received. In many ways, it does seem like a good deal, so long as everyone remembers that at the end of the day, a credit card is still a credit card so if you get one, use it wisely. $100,000 is a lot of money and it would be a shame to go into so much debt paying for ad that you can’t even provide the service that you’re advertising. Just something to “click around” in your head.

This is the first suit filed by the task force, which is led by New York’s Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman. The suit, which was filed in New York’s supreme court last Monday, declared JPMorgan guilty of fraud down to the very core of their strategy for selling securities that are backed by residential mortgages. It is actually the first suit that Schneiderman has filed since being given the reins of this task force. And the details of the suit do sound quite damning. According to the official paperwork, Schneiderman and his team are accusing JPMorgan of ignoring defects that their review process uncovered in the loans, of using less than proper methods in their review of these loans, and then keeping that information from their investors.

According to the claims in the lawsuit, these improperly researched and reported loans may have cost investors as much as $22 billion between 2006 and 2007. That’s more than 25% of the original principal balance on every single bond JPMorgan took over from the now defunct Bear Stearns. The suit is the first visible action this committee has taken since President Obama announced its formation, back when he delivered this year’s State of the Union Address. The President’s goal was to hold lawbreakers accountable and to secure aid for homeowners who were deceived and hurt by improper business practices.

Most people who were in favor of reform were thrilled at Eric Schneiderman’s placement at the head of this task force. He has developed a reputation as New York’s Attorney General for always taking a tough stand against banking fraud. But as recent months have passed with no suits handed down, advocates of reform began to worry that he was simply a figurehead put in place to appease liberals, with no real ability to affect change. That fear was bolstered during other announcements, as people discovered that the task force was understaffed. Reform organizations began referring to Schneiderman’s team as a joke. Now it seems that the laughter is going to stop, at least at JPMorgan.

Although the bank was approached for a statement, none has yet to come down. Perhaps they are scrambling to announce some sort of mortgage payment protection insurance, to prove that they are looking out for people’s best interests. But chances are it’s going to take a lot more than that to see their way free from this level of legal hot water.

Of course, a case like this is a sign of the times in an incredible way. As the digitization of information and the spreading of our ability to share and communicate with one another continues to spread and grow, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes nearly impossibly to monitor or control that flow of media and information.

For some time now, Google has been including scanned content from libraries across the country to fill out its Google Library project. Now, to be clear, Google has never been interested in putting full books online for people to read free of charge. While the Google Library project doesn’t cost anything for users to visit and peruse, it only offers what Google describes as being a couple of sentences’ worth of snippets so that potential readers can get a taste of what they can expect from a book.

This is still enough to irritate plenty of publishers, however, and they took their case to the courts all those years ago. Finally, however, there’s been a settlement reached. The details were announced last week, and the court isn’t required to approve it. It’s left up to the two parties, who have finally agreed upon a solution to the whole Google Libraries debacle, and the results will likely wind up being beneficial to both parties.

It’s now completely up to the individuals publishers what and how much of their content they want to make available to the public for Google Library. They’re also allowed to strike deals with Google, if they want, allowing their content to be seen in Google Library or sold in Google Books. If publishers want to remove their content samples, they’re more than welcome to, but they can also leave them up, if they want.

This is a great success for Google, who is poised to further expand its Google Books product and continue moving further into media distribution and digital retail. The Authors Guild still isn’t happy, however, insisting that the individual authors themselves still feel like Google is profiting off their work in a way that conflicts with the company’s official motto, which is “Don’t be evil.”

It remains to be seen whether or not the Authors Guild will be appeased, but Google’s settlement with the AAP is a significant bonus for them in terms of their goals with Google Books and the Google Library projects. Keep monitoring online news and business reviews for the most up-to-date information about the search giant, but their digital domination doesn’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Wade’s contract with Jordan Brand ended on the first of the month, after the two had been in a relationship for the past three years. Jordan Brand and Wade both released statements declaring it was a mutual decision. Each wished the other well, and said all the right things. But it is surprising that Dwyane Wade would choose to go with an overseas brand over the one managed by his lifelong idol, NBA all-time great Michael Jordan. Wade admitted that he was honored to represent Converse and Michael Jordan, and that he appreciated the opportunity. So why the change?

Pundits began whispering that a transition was happening back in September, when the announcement came down from Jordan Brand about the new sneaker models for the 2012-2013 NBA season. Other Jordan Brand athletes, including Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony announced new sneakers, but a similar announcement didn’t come for Dwyane Wade. The situation was still up in the air, however, as Wade showed up for his team’s media day at the end of the month in his branded Jordan sneakers. On the heels of that, Evan Turner, a current player for the Philadelphia 76ers, tweeted congratulations to Wade on linking up with Li-Ning. Turner is also with the Chinese company. Of course, the tweet was since removed, as the contract was not confirmed until today.

While the terms of the contract between Li-Ning and Dwyane Wade have not yet been announced, it is clear that this is a big jump up for the foreign brand. Wade is Li-Ning’s biggest star. The Toronto Raptors’ Jose Calderon also represents Li-Ning, as does former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, but both of those players’ sneakers are only sold inside of China. Previous NBA players who worked with Li-Ning include Hasheem Thabeet, Damon Jones and Baron Davis, but none of them are on the same level as Wade.

Li-Ning may be stepping up their game in order to fend off rising competition in the Chinese sports apparel and footwear market. They’ve regularly come in firmly in second place to Nike, but two other companies, Anta Sports Products and Peak Sport Products have come on strong in recent years. In fact, Li-Ning’s net profits were down almost 85% during the first half of 2012. Li-Ning does have a presence in two major U.S. cities, but dominance in China is clearly their goal. And with Nike pushing their LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant sneakers hard overseas, it will probably take more than some cheap novelty slippers for men to make up the gap.

So, when some pranksters on the websites 4Chan (an online image-based bulletin board) and Reddit (a website with news-generated web links) decided to play a joke on Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Allston, initially it seemed like a very mean-spirited thing to do. That’s because they were nominating the school to win a contest sponsored by Papa John’s and Chegg. Sounds innocent enough on the onset, right? Well, the contest was to see Taylor Swift in concert. For obvious reasons, you can probably guess why that was a really insensitive move.

Yet, it backfired. And in a really profitable way.

In order to win the contest, a school had to have the most Facebook votes. So, people on both 4Chan and Reddit started driving up “likes” to support the school as a joke. However, when the principal of the school caught on, he made a public announcement that contrary to the pranksters’ point of view, the students actually loved live music experiences and that he would be happy to find out that they won the contest.

The “bad” news is that in spite of all of the press and the votes, Horace Mann didn’t win. The two sponsors came to the conclusion that due to how they received their votes, they didn’t legitimately qualify.

OK, that’s only one side of the coin, though.

Although Taylor Swift did not make it to the school for a concert, the good news is that she was made aware of the prank and decided to still make her presence known in another way: not with her singing voice, but with her checkbook. That’s right. Ms. Swift made a personal donation of $10,000 to the school. But, it doesn’t stop there. Two other sponsoring companies decided to reach into the wallets (and some would probably also say their hearts) and make a donation as well. Both American Greetings and CoverGirl matched the country music star’s contribution, which brought the donation up to $30,000.

And still, there’s more. VH-1′s Save the Music program decided to get in on all of the “love” and also made a donation for $10,000. Add that to the $10,000 that the school also received from Papa John’s a Chegg, that brought the total to a whopping $50,000!

And then, just to add the icing on the cake, Swift still decided to give a ticket to each student at the school so that they can check out her show the next time that she is performing in the Boston area (wonder if they can swap it out if they are traveling and choose to see her at the Grand Old Opry or the Mohegan Sun Arena instead).

The moral to this story would be this: Sometimes, when it comes to mean people, niceness has a louder voice that ends up being heard. Even (and this case, especially) when it comes to the deaf.

You might be wondering about the name. Not only is “insect” a strange moniker for a car, but it has been capitalized. In fact, INSECT stands for “Information Network Social Electricity City Transporter”, which might be the most exhausting use of descriptors ever applied to a motor vehicle; hence the acronym. But rather than contemplating how many marketing man-hours went into creating this doozy of a name, let’s talk about what makes this car unique. As you may have guessed from the “smart” portion of the name, it is an extremely small vehicle. While it is similar in appearance to the ubiquitous official Smart car (i.e. the one made by Smart), it is actually even smaller, providing only a single seat. It’s like a four-wheeler with a topper.

And INSECT is not a misleading name. You might feel like you’re riding around in the head of an ant or a bee, which is what the shape of this car resembles. Also, the doors open up instead of out, adding a wing-like appearance when both doors are open. There’s no denying it’s an odd little car. But once you hop inside your captain’s seat you might start to feel like you’ve stepped into a sci-fi console. In truth, the cool factor begins before you ever get inside. Thanks to facial recognition software, this car recognizes its driver (provided you approach from the front) and voice commands and gestures will cause side doors and the trunk to open. Only those with identical twins need worry about theft, it seems (and you’ll know who took your car).

And once you get inside you’ll find that you need only throw your many devices on the dashboard to enjoy wireless sync (which just happens to charge your gadgets simultaneously). In the immortal words of Paris Hilton, that’s hot (at least for tech-lovers). Oh, just you wait – it gets better. Drivers will enjoy an LCD display above the steering column that provides information directly from a connected device, allowing for totally hands-free access to a phone or tablet. The car also interfaces with your devices to track usage in order to offer suggestions. For example, the car may predict your destination based on your current route and provide navigation. Or it might ascertain that you’ve stopped at a convenience store and recommend a snack. You may see advertising potential here, and don’t think for a second that the possibility has been lost on Toyota. In some ways, this car is totally innovative and amazing. On the other hand, it may have some people looking longingly at used cars. Either way, it’s a pretty fascinating look into the future of connected car culture.

Just about anything is kosher on Vine.com, as long as it’s eco-friendly in some way. When Amazon purchased parent company Quidsi a couple of years ago they got a slew of targeted sites (including toy outlet YoYo.com, baby supplier Diapers.com, and pet menagerie Wag.com), but perhaps the biggest selling potential lies with Vine.com, mainly because the items they feature span every possible segment of society. Whether you’re looking for cruelty-free cosmetics, organic wheat pasta, all natural pet food, non-toxic cleaning solvents, boxer shorts made from sustainable materials, fair-trade coffee, or sporting goods made with recycled materials, you’re bound to find it on this eminently green shopping site. Unlike Amazon, you won’t see reduced prices on everything, but the site is currently offering 20% off with your first order (code: VINE20), so greenies looking for a bargain should definitely check out the site post haste.

In truth, the main demographic of this site is moms looking to make a difference. Someone has finally figured out that women hold the majority of buying power in the household. Although men are prone to purchasing big-ticket items like televisions and other electronics, they do so only infrequently. More often than not it is women who are buying furniture, clothing, food, home goods, and pretty much anything else that makes its way into the household on a day-to-day basis. Many mothers these days are looking for ways to decrease pollution and waste, and they’re using their consumer dollars to support products that fit the bill.

In order to target this group, Vine.com has taken steps to ensure that concerned shoppers know just what they’re getting. Product pages include ingredient labels for visitors to peruse, as well as a handy listing of green attributes that may include labels like “organic”, “made of sustainable materials”, “made in the USA”, and so on. Many products are quick to slap the “natural” label on the front of the box, but they fail to deliver the goods when it comes to the ingredients or materials included. This site lets consumers choose for themselves by offering the components needed to make an informed decision.

Of course, more than just moms will find these wares appealing. Anyone who cares about the state of our planet, from students in environmental graduate programs to nature-loving adrenaline junkies, is bound to find a lot of value on Vine.com. And Amazon, which has taken its fair share of criticism for putting local retailers out of business, wasting energy on massive warehouse facilities, and polluting the environment with the carbon emissions that abound in the shipping industry, is perfectly happy to gain some cred in the eco sector of the consumer market. In truth, they’re likely to embrace anything that puts more money in the coffers.

One of the main reasons why is because it is predicted that in many parts of the country, this could be a really severe winter and being that there is presently no cure for the flu, in certain stages it is contagious, it’s extremely unpredictable and that there have been past pandemics of the virus, health practitioner believe that it’s an awesome “ounce of prevention, pound of cure” solution.

According to Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, the flu season of 2009-2010, it was so intense that many people were hospitalized and some of the cases resulted in deaths, deaths that could have been avoided had more preventative measures been taken. However, last year, a record was set for there being the lowest number of hospitalizations and a part of that was because it was a relatively mild flu season.

Still, health officials feel that one should do all that they can to keep sickness at bay and when it comes to the influenza, a flu shot should definitely go on the list. Still, only about 42 percent of Americans actually do it. There are many factors as to why that is the case. Some people take the more holistic approach and due to numerous reports not in favor of vaccinations, they avoid as many as they (legally) can. Others, simply do not make the time to get one (although you don’t need to set an appointment with your doctor or have health insurance in order to have a flu shot; many pharmacies like CVS offer them without an appointment. You can go to the CVS.com website for more information). Yet, perhaps the greatest reason is that, just as when a lot of us were kids, people are simply afraid of getting a shot.

If you fall into the third category, here are some pertinent things to keep in mind: Flu shots are considered to be safe for virtually everyone, including pregnant women. As a matter of fact, if you are expecting, it is generally recommended. Each year, 5 to 20 percent of people get the flu virus. This causes about 200,000 hospitalizations with 20,000 of them being children. So, a flu shot can be away to protect yourself, your kids and, indirectly, also your wallet. And finally, in the grand scheme of things, once you’re sitting in the doctor’s chair, preparing to have one, it takes only a couple of minutes, tops.

So, if you’re someone who has been “riding the fence” about getting a flu vaccination, while it’s always smart to do your own personal research, there are some pretty valid reasons to not ignore getting one.

A shot beats the flu, right? The health officials’ point, exactly.

The report out of Canada, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, studied drivers in Ontario over the age of 18 who also had national health cards. Researchers were looking for specific patient data pertaining to doctor warnings about conditions that left the patient unfit to drive. They found that between April of 2006 and December of 2009, over 100,000 such warnings were issued to patients, with the most common demographic being males over the age of 60. There are about 20 common reasons for suggesting that a driver is unfit, and the majority of patients receiving such advice (95%) were diagnosed as having at least one of these conditions (including stroke, fainting, dementia, and alcoholism, amongst others). Incredibly, about 20% of patients were diagnosed with at least five conditions during the time period under review.

But how many of them actually took their doctors’ advice to heart and put away their car keys? The research can’t say with certainty, but the number of accidents amongst this group dropped by nearly half following recommendations by doctors to stop driving. Of the patient records audited, there were approximately five accidents per every thousand patients before they were warned that they should not drive, a number that went down to just over two and a half accidents per thousand patients following doctor warnings. The researchers concluded that doctors who told their patients that they were unfit to drive could be responsible for reducing the number of automobile accidents.

Of course, it could be that these drivers simply became more aware of their surroundings after warnings, ostensibly improving their driving performance. Or perhaps they simply didn’t report fender benders or other minor accidents. Maybe it’s just a fluke. It’s a bit difficult to assign causality in this case because there are so many other factors involved. One thing that researchers were able to discover for certain was that patients who were given such warnings were less likely to return for subsequent visits to the doctor, and that many saw an increase in depression (although that could be linked to their diagnosis rather than a warning to stay off the road). In any case, it is interesting to consider the influence that doctors have on their patients, and the weight that their advice may carry. Perhaps if doctors urged patients to hop on Cheapcarinsurance.net or use their blinkers consistently we’d have more insured drivers and fewer accidents as a result. It couldn’t hurt to try!