Single Dads

This is the first official post on my new blog, Single Dads.  I’d tell you exactly what to expect, but at this point, I’m simply updating posts (from another source) and getting the template ready.  What this means is that if you’re a single dad, or care about a single dad, or even have an interest in what single dads say, this is your place.  I’m a single dad myself, and my idea is that there really aren’t a lot of places on the way for people like me to go on the Internet and find like folks.  Hence, this was born.  Purely a labor of necessity.

Things are going to change fast around here.  Be ready.  Look often, as I know that I’ll be updating quite frequently.  Thanks for taking a look, and please, let me know if there’s anything in particular that you want to see, suggestions for topics or layout, categories you’d like to access, or any good info you can give me.

I know Google could change their mind again, but it seems that Gmail is finally open to everyone.

If you don't live in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Japan (Gmail is already open there), go to gmail.com and see if you can create a new account.

In looking at Google's public technology discussions, it appears that a thin client, distributed computing future is exactly what they are expecting.

Google has created and continues to expand huge datacenters around the world. From whats been written, they contain tens, if not hundreds of thousands of processors all clustered and networked together. They are connected to each other via fiber, and are in turn connected by dark and lit fiber to every and any internet peering point they possibly can.

Its a critical distinction that they only have fiber to peering points rather than having direct access to homes. First, in a world with net neutrality, it means Google has the fastest access to common points connecting to the last mile than anyone else. More importantly, it throttles how much bandwidth they can deliver to the home. You can lead a 10mbs stream to a peering point, but you can't make the ISP drink it. Sure it will pass through, but there are no quality of service requirements at that peering point. Google can put some beautiful HD content out on their servers, and it will be perfect.. until it gets to the peering points, at which point it loses all its priority and becomes just another packet. Which is the downside of net neutrality. Google can't buy their way to having their packets given priority, so those who expect big bandwidth video to the home from Google Video… as both Google and I mentioned in this post, it aint gonna happen the way things stand today.

That said, Google is in a unique position with their datacenters and infrastructure to dominate thin client computing and everything they are doing seems to point in that direction..

The remarkably dependable Consumerist comes to bat for you and reminds you about tax deductions that you should NOT miss.

1. State sales taxes.
2. $250 educators’ expenses.
3. College tuition.
4. Student loan interest paid by mom and dad.
5. Out-of-pocket charitable contributions.
6. Moving expense to take first job.
7. Military reservists travel expenses.
8. Child-care credit.
9. Estate tax on income in respect of a decedent
10. State tax you paid last spring.
11. Refinancing points.
12. Reinvested dividends
13. Jury pay paid to employer.

Kiplinger’s published this first.

This seems like a fine time to post this as well; here’s the information on the Telephone Excise Tax Refund that a shocking amount of American taxpayers will be able to get this year.  Please don’t just let this slide, follow up.  Additional information on this refund is all over the Internet.

Our good friends at Lifehacker have come out big for your personal finances again.

The Simple Dollar weblog ran a series during January called 31 days to fix your finances, tackling finances one step at a time so that by the end of one month, your money ducks should be sitting in a nice, streamlined row.

Oh, Gina.  How we love you.

Check out The Simple Dollar for the details.  They managed to squeeze together a mess of posts into one cohesive unit.  Now pay off that Christmas spending.