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Josh Smith

Findlay, OH - http://imjosh.com

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Paypal wants you to Do Stuff For Money

Filed under: Extracurriculars, Simplification, Technology, Relationships

Sometimes when you need to get something done, asking just won't cut it. As a company that moves around plenty of money, Paypal may know this better than anyone ... which is possibly why it launched a new service called Do Stuff For Money.

Its premise is simple: Post an offer to a friend to do something, in exchange for money, which you'll then presumably pay with Paypal.

Making an offer is easy enough: simply enter your name and the friend you want to do your bidding, as well as the task at hand, and you're good to go. You can email your generous offer direct to your friend, or send it via Facebook, where it's posted on your wall, and makes the offer a little more public.

Stop complaining: Chinese airline considering standup 'seating'

Filed under: Transportation, Travel

In a move that would make even Ryanair's president jealous, China Springs Airline has been working on the details required to let passengers stand, or sit on a barstool-like seat, in order to fit more people on its planes.

The relatively young airline is looking at retrofitting its current planes with the new standing-room-only seats to keep pace with the incredible demand it has experienced.

These barstool-type seats -- which would still feature a safety belt -- would allow Spring Airlines to cut costs 20% and carry 40% more passengers per flight. No details about the actual seats are available but I can only imagine that they will look similar to the seats on stand up roller coasters. Despite the futuristic look, many people, myself included, find this type of seat horribly uncomfortable.

Ticketmaster fined for deceptive practices, agrees to play nice

Filed under: Extracurriculars, Ripoffs and Scams

Ticketmaster is facing a $50,000 fine and a change in how it does business after an Illinois Attorney General investigation found that the company had not clearly told customers they were paying marked up ticket prices.

As part of the agreement, TicketsNow, owned by Ticketmaster, will also close 100 websites that tricked customers into believing that they were purchasing directly from the concert venue.

Though the $50,000 fine is relatively small (perhaps convenience fees will triple it), the biggest win is for consumers. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan stated, "This agreement will substantially impact how the TicketsNow online brokers market popular event tickets so that consumers clearly understand that they are making purchases from a ticket reseller at marked-up rates."

Melt away your Information Overload Syndrome with our Spa Giveaway!

Filed under: Bargains, Shopping, Technology, Health

Today we want to tell you about a new problem sweeping the nation, it's not the swine flu and it's not an addiction to Twilight books but something far more dangerous; IOS.

What is this?

Information Overload Syndrome is a condition affecting business people everywhere. It is, apprently, the result of trying to manage 281 Exabytes (that's eighteen zeros) of non-stop information that comes in form of emails, attachments, text messages, thought-starters and FYIs. As a result, sufferers of IOS will find accomplishing the simplest of everyday tasks nearly impossible.

The problem we are facing is that the human brain can only hold so much information in a logical order at any given time, leaving many important things, like your credit card's due date, to slip into the ether.

Avoiding Information Overload Syndrome won't be easy but the folks at Xerox want to give one WalletPop reader a chance to kick start their fight against IOS with a $400 Spafinder gift certificate. How do you get this? You watch the video below and leave a comment to be entered for the sweepstakes. We'll take entries from July 1 until July 27. See below for rules.

Hold your fire, gamers: Xbox 360 and PS3 price cuts due this fall

Filed under: Extracurriculars, Saving, Technology

Parents and gamers coming of age may be in for a break later this year, as it is rumored that both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 will have price cuts. Technology site Ars Technica claims that both Sony and Microsoft will drop their prices in order to better compete with the Nintendo Wii, later this year.

While there are always rumors about price drops in the video game market, Joystiq.com points out that the Mole at Ars Technica has a solid reputation in knowing what's going on in the industry.

On top of the Mole's past performance, history shows that it's time for another price drop, and a significant one at that. The Xbox 360 has already seen three price drops, which have given it an edge over the pricier PlayStation 3; but it hasn't yet reached the halfway price point that its predecessor, the Xbox, did by the fourth year of its release.

Given Microsoft's focus on digital downloads, I'd venture a guess that Microsoft will try to offer an Xbox 360 with hard drive for $199 -- half of what it cost when it launched in 2005. The Mole also predicts that Sony will be introducing a new, slimmer PlayStation 3, which will also cost less, although it's harder to estimate exactly how much less.

O Canada -- $11,000 in data charges on trip

Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Technology, Travel, Consumer Complaints

If you are planning a trip to Canada these days there's two important things you should remember -- first your passport and second to turn off all Internet access on your phone and data card.

Failure to do either of these could put quite the damper on your trip and as Adam Savage of Mythbusters found out cost $11,000.

After a recent trip to Canada AT&T sent Adam Savage a bill for a few hours of Internet usage totaling $11,000 and shut off his phone.

Why AT&T couldn't have simply shut off his data connection or sent him a text message in Canada, warning him about the increased fees before he accumulated enough to pay for four years of community college is beyond me.

Even though a kilobyte is a kilobyte is a kilobyte; these data charge horror stories pop up quite often.

Even though you can spit into Canada from several spots in the United States, AT&T has to pay a Canadian company to relay that data and it gets expensive, and quick. According to the AT&T World Packages page, depending on the country you are in and the prepaid plan you paid for, a megabyte of data could cost between $5-$20.

Before you leave the comfort of your hometown to venture off with your Web-enabled phone on any carrier, be sure to double check that you have turned off its data capabilities or you will be in for a big surprise on your next bill.

If you happen to have an iPhone you can check out these usage tips for traveling globally without breaking your bank from AT&T.

UPDATE: AT&T removed the charges from Adam's account after the incident became a trending topic on Twitter.

Enrollment up up up at community and technical colleges

Filed under: College, Recession

With high unemployment hitting communities across the nation, more people are returning to school to gain new skills and an upper hand on the competition. Owens Community College in Northwest Ohio is expecting an increase of close 24% for full time students this fall and has seen an increase in summer enrollment of close to 20% as well. Technical schools, like Tennessee Tech, are also seeing a boom in enrollment, thanks to job seekers looking for new skills.

Part of this increase can be attributed to the fact that many of these schools have noticed a shift in demand and have accordingly adjusted their programs to fit the needs of nontraditional students, such as unemployed Boomers. More community colleges are also offering evening and online courses, which make it easier to work on a new skill while you are still gainfully employed.

Current four-year students also have plenty of opportunities at community colleges. As Zac Bissonnette pointed out in WalletPop's Under-Rated series last fall, community colleges are a great place to pick up credits on the cheap. Owens Community College attributes a portion of its large increase this summer to students who will transfer credits back to their four-year institute in the fall. For example, next year, a full time student at Polk State College in Florida will only pay $2,594 for 30 credit hours!

If you're looking for a cheap way to give yourself an edge on the competition, local community colleges are where it's at. With enrollment numbers already up by 10-24%, if you're interested in a class at your local community college you better apply soon, since they may not be able cope with all of the increased demand!

Can I pay weight loss expenses with my HSA?

Filed under: Simplification, Health

As part of my participation in the personal finance bloggers weight loss challenge I decided to investigate what weight loss expenses I could pay for with my Health Savings Account (HSA).

The short answer is no, you can't use your health savings account to cover the cost of getting in shape but there are a few exceptions.

After taking my most pressing question, "Is the fact that my doctor told me I should lose weight at my last appointment enough to make a weight loss class eligible to be paid by my health savings account?" to several experts I asked Fred Adams, "The HSA Expert", to give it to me straight.

Don't be fooled by Discover's 'Cash Over' benefit

Filed under: Credit, Debt

Just when you thought credit card companies couldn't go any lower with deceptive marketing tactics, Discover recently sent out a whopper of a mailer to cardholders. The new mailing focused on the many benefits that cardmembers receive from Discover, including the ability to get Cash Over at select retailers, including Wal-Mart at your current card rate without any extra fees.

Discover claims that Cash Over is a great way to avoid ATM transaction fees and combine two trips without any surprises. But for most credit card users, this is almost as bad as using your credit card for a cash advance.

Lawsuit filed over KFC's botched grilled chicken giveaway

Filed under: Food, Fraud, Consumer Complaints

Remember the KFC grilled chicken giveaway (promoted by Oprah) that went awry? Well two consumers can't get it off their mind; after several disappointing trips to KFC, wasted gas, printer ink and postage they decided to sue KFC.

The lawsuit was filed in LA where the two consumers hope to get full restitution of monies spent in their attempt to get their free grilled chicken meals. The complaint alleges that KFC's free grilled chicken promotion made use of false advertising as well as a bait and switch attempt to take money from customers.

Headlines from WalletPop Partners