Buzz Class Action

According to the terms of the settlement, Google will create a fund worth $8.5 million that will go to non-profit organizations that help protect internet privacy.

Google has released a statement saying “We are satisfied with the agreement and are glad to move forward.”

Since the lawsuit was filed in February of 2010, Google has made plenty of changes to better suit internet privacy advocates. People were originally upset over the way Google Buzz almost forced people to be followed and to follow others on Google Buzz through Gmail. A lot of people were furious over the way Gmail and Buzz interacted with each other when they first were implemented together.

The Plaintiff Lawyer had this to say:
“We feel this settlement has many benefits to class members, including providing a significant amount of money to non-profit groups committed to educating users about Internet privacy and ensuring that Buzz users can join this on-line community without compromising their privacy.”

The following dates have been set in the Google Buzz Class Action Settlement:
- December 6, 2010 – Exclusion Deadline (received)
- January 10, 2011 – Objection Deadline (received)
- January 31, 2011 at 9:00 A.M. – Fairness Hearing.

It doesn’t appear as though a settlement of $8.5 million will greatly effect Google’s stock price. It was up today in trading, and isn’t expected to take a hit over a mere $8.5 million settlement.

More information can be found at http://buzzclassaction.com

Polling Place Locator

You can easily use this app to find your nearest voting locations. Just type in your address or zip code.

As you will see, there are usually polling locations within a mile or two of your home (depending on how urban or rural the county you live in is).

Polls close at different times nationwide. You can see a list of closing times for the polls in your state at Polling Hours for Voting Locations.

Voting Locations

With the 2010 Election Tomorrow, individuals everywhere want to find out where the closest places are that will allow them to vote. Two new services help make it a lot easier.

If you prefer to find a voting booth with your cell phone over SMS (text) messaging, there is a new service that will help. It is called “Mobile Polling Place Locator” by Mobile Commons. All you have to do is text the word “WHERE” to 30644. If you speak Spanish, you can text the word “DONDE” instead of “WHERE”.

The other service has been released by Google. It is an app that allows anyone to type in their zip code and/or address for the nearest voting locations. You can use the app right here on this page:

Voting Locations

It’s nice because most cities, towns, and communities make it as easy as possible to vote. This means the poor do not need to find transportation, and the busy don’t have to go out of their ways. A lot of times candidates call homes in their communities to let them know where the closest place to vote is. However, if you did not get a call, and still need to find the closest voting location, Google makes it really simple. They have created a very useful gadget that allows anyone to find out where the nearest voting locations are.

Feel free to use the application below, to find out where you can vote:

Dizzy Gillespie

Gillespie is known as one of the main figures in Jazz Music culture. He was a huge influence in the development of “Bebop”, “Afro-Cuban Jazz” and “Modern Jazz”. He was a Trumpet player, singer, bandleader, composer, and Jazz teacher.

What do Fats Navarro, Arturo Sandoval, Jon Faddis, Miles Davis, Chuck Mangione, Lee Morgan, and Clifford Brown all have in common? They learned their trade from the influence and lessons of Dizzy Gillespie.

Gillespie is known as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters in the history of Jazz music. He passed away in 1993 at the age of 75.

Today Google is honoring Dizzy with his very own “Google Doodle” located on Google homepage.

Intel is Down, Google Stock Up

A technology company which isn’t fairing so well today, even after a great earnings report last Tuesday, is Intel. Intel is down about 30 cents on the day, or about 1.6%. With a PE ratio of just over 10, and a dividend that yields over 3.3%, the company which is still dominating the PC microchip market seems like a good buy. The possible causes of the weakness in Intel stock is that they are lagging behind in the fast growing market for smart phone and tablet micro processors. Despite this, recent acquisitions and development plans will likely help Intel get a stronger foothold in the market. There have also been reports this morning that Intel may be about to announce a major investment into a social gaming company. A move that would have many investors rather surprised.

There are still many great deals in this market, especially in the tech sector. As an investor you just need to look at the numbers, and decide where you want your money working for you.

Can Google's Stock Continue It's Momentum?

Google has a ton going for them. Not only is their primary internet advertising revenue increasing, but the other areas the company has jumped into over the last few years seem to be finally paying off. Youtube is beginning to pay dividends, as the company figures out ways to monetize videos, and is sure to gain even more traction as Android phones, as well as Google TV become ever more popular. The Android operation system on smart phones and tablets has the potential to grow more than 1000% in the next 4 years or so. This could be a huge revenue growth catalyst over the next several years for Google. With $33 billion in cash the company has the money to continue their dominance both in mobile, as well as in traditional online ads for years to come. $600, to me seems to be a great entry price even after the large gains the stock had last week.

Google about to release their 2010 quarter 3 earnings

Analysts expect earnings for Google to be somewhere around $6.68 per share on revenue of $5.27 billion for the 3rd quarter. Most on Wall Street are expecting a rather nice quarter from the company after recent reports have shown that internet advertising is once again on the upswing. As the economy rebounds companies seem to be turning more and more towards the internet to advertise rather than traditional media like television and newspapers.

Last year Google reported Profits of $6.520 billion, on revenues of $23.6 billion. Despite what this quarter’s earnings report looks like, the future of Google seems promising. Google TV has just launched, which some experts think could be the next big thing in the television industry. In addition to this, Google has made several key purchases over the last 9 months that are sure to make them at least somewhat competitive in the social networking realm. In Just a few minutes, we will be able to analyze their earnings report.

The Flintstones 50th Anniversary

What a lot of people don’t know about The Flintstones is that it is an animated imitation of ‘The Honeymooners’. At least this is what a lot of critics and fans believe. Even though the show stopped being produced over 44 years ago, just about everyone today, no matter what generation they come from, knows who the Flintstones are.

The main characters of the show were Fred Flintstone, Wilma, Pebbles, and Dino. The TV show was originally going to be named “The Flagstones”, but producers decided to change the name to “The Flintstones”.

Happy 50th Anniversary to “The Flintstones” and their creators!

Google celebrates its Birthday Today

Well the answer is that it is Google’s 12th birthday, as you can find out if you mouse-over the image of the birthday cake. If you do so you will see a message that says, “Happy 12th Birthday Google by Wayne Thiebaud. Image used with permission of VAGA NY.”

Many people, were unsure when Google’s official birthday would be, and how old they are considered to be. However, the company “Google Incorporated” came into existence in September of 1998 after an investor by the name of Andy Bechtolsheim invested $100,000 into the corporation in August of that year. Even though the money was made out to Google Inc., the company was not officially incorporated until September. The investment by Bechtolsheim was made in August.

So it is officially the birthday of Google today. It seems as though they have been around for more than 12 years, doesn’t it?