Scammy CashMyBux

I reached payout for CashMyBux yet they did not pay me (what's new?). So I wrote them a few times over a long period - any reply? Nada. Today I tried to log in - see the screen shot above. Invalid username? Ha! This just means scam. And apparently they want to milk it for what it's worth. Give the scam a new face lift, change the "s" in their name to "$" and they are off to scam more people. In view of this, I have to assume the rest in their network (the sites are owned by the same boss and advertised as one network) i.e. ClickMyBux, EarnMyBux and MakeMyBux are all scams (though my account still looks "fine" there). Guys and gals... beware!

Travel 4 Pleasure -- What's It All About?

You may have taken travel for pleasure off of your priority list, but it's likely that you just altered how you're going to do that travel. What elements make travel worthwhile, fun, memorable? And let's not ignore that category of 'mandatory travel' that involves business, family crisis, job change, school, etc.

GEORGE CARLIN @ 102 years old

This is an email forward I received that I think is pretty meaningful. But instead of fueling another series of spam (since the value of something is really very subjective), I will post it right here.  George has since departed but his words are here to stay. Enjoy! --- George Carlin on age102. (Absolutely Brilliant) IF YOU DON'T READ THIS TO THE VERY END, YOU HAVE LOST A DAY IN YOUR LIFE. AND WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED, DO AS I AM DOING AND SEND IT ON. George Carlin's Views on Ageing Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about ageing that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. 'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life .... . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.' Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!' May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!! HOW TO STAY YOUNG 1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them' 2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. 3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's. 4. Enjoy the simple things. 5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. 6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive. 7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. 8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. 9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is. 10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER : Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. And if you don't send this to anyone - who cares? But do share this with someone you care. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!! ---

It's just 12 months!

We seem to do things by years -- 12 itsy-bitsy months ... school, bonuses, taxes, subscriptions, holidays, board membership, ... Oh, sure, Mother Nature gives us the earth's journey around the fireball, but does that mean we have to follow suit?

Gmail's new Undo Send feature

Hey friends, check out Gmail's new Undo Send feature! I think this must be one of the coolest labs features ever added. Remember those times when you got too hyper and clicked on Send too fast or accidentally? Well, with this new feature (you have to activate it from Gmail Labs under Settings), you have a grace period of several seconds to Undo the sending. In a way, this is similar to the recalling message function of Microsoft Exchange. However for the Exchange, one important criterion is that your recipient must not have opened that email... so unless you are sending at an hour when your friend is asleep, tough luck there. Besides, both of you need to be on Microsoft Exchange. So in this aspect, Gmail's new Undo Send feature is better. I don't know how they are doing it but I guess they probably just delay sending for those few seconds till you are "ready". And so, this feature will work no matter what emailing solution your friend is using. I don't anticipate myself using this feature more than once in a purple moon but it is a handy one to have so I have turned it on. :)

SpitzTunes -- Rappity, Rap!

Every week when I sit down to pose questions for Spitz Tunes there is a constant question that goes thru my mind. Am I reaching an audience and do the questions cause you to think about music and how it has effected your life, your loves, even your losses?

Your Health ... It's Good for You!

The mind, the body, the family, the society ... let's talk about the bod ... why not, afterall there are mirrors all over the place ... and o yeah, that bod is the container in which we carry our minds around.

Would you play golf naked?

I don't play golf but I do have a glance over the sports pages in the papers. It was the first tee Friday at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship and this guy, Henrik Stenson, apparently managed to get his clothes muddy. Instead of letting it spoil his performance, he gaily stripped to his boxers and continued to play. No one seemed to mind but I thought his exhibitionistic aspect must have been waiting for this opportunity since forever. If myLot lets me attach the photo successfully, then you will see him in his almost full glory. What do you think about him stripping? Should he have done this possibly obscene and offensive act? Should he have just stayed in his clothes? Is this his cheap ploy for quick fame (he wasn't much noticed before this)? Would you play golf naked yourself? Related myLot discussion: Would you play golf naked?

Do you update your Windows regularly?

Take the question literally this once. Do you update your Windows regularly? I don't know much about Macs (the computer not the food) but I would assume you get regular options to patch your machine like the case for Windows. Anyway, do you patch your machine regularly by installing those new patches once they are released? For Windows, one way to do it is to just run the update via your Internet Explorer (I know other browsers don't quite work). I used to do that regularly but there came a time when Microsoft started releasing rotten things and my computer went down because of their patches. Sometimes they destroyed my computer; other times my access to the Internet was wiped. I know the patches were the culprits because I did troubleshooting and rollbacks. So now, I just keep my fingers crossed and live without new patches. Better that than have my days disrupted to no end by installing patches that are supposed to heal but end up killing. FYI, I am using original Windows so it's really kinda crappy. So, do you update your Windows regularly? Related myLot discussion: Do you update your Windows regularly?

Must a man know how to dance?

Waltz, Jazz, Tango, Hip Hop, Rumba, you name it, I don't have it. I can't dance for nuts. Someone once described my attempt as one that looked like a wooden puppet being pulled by inept hands. Thanks for the compliment. The topic of dance comes up in movies and TV shows from time to time. There is an underlying assumption that dancing is a prerequisite for a successful, educated and gentleman kind of man. To me, it just possibly means you started feeling h*rny and decided you needed a new skill for wooing girls. What do guys think? What do ladies think? Must a man know how to dance? Related myLot discussion: Must a man know how to DANCE?

SpitzTunes -- Give me a break!

How do we do it ... mass migration to sun, fun, and well, other stuff ... music, music everywhere ... gyrating bods ... let off steam, go back ... have stories for a lifetime ... all good as long as our stupidity is somehow held in check ... is there such a thing as: Break responsibly?

Do you like asking why?

When I was little, I used to often ask why. Adults liked to pat my head and praise me for my inquisitiveness. But really, I just thought "why" was a simple, 3-letter word. Anyway as I grew up, those why-questions slowed to a trickle then drought times often prevailed. Why? Don't ask me. My peers told me that was called "jaded". Deep down inside, I was happy to hear that. It meant I had upgraded myself successfully from 3 to 5 letters. As I grow even older, I am sure my juniors will be able to find a 7-letter word for me. I hope they will because that will mean I have successfully upgraded again. What about you. Do you like asking why? Have you stopped asking why? Why is that? Related myLot discussion: Do you like asking why?

Why does Gmail's attachment bug persist?

It has been so many days and I don't get it. Why does Gmail's attachment bug persist? Isn't Google supposed to be efficient? I know it is not "my" problem, that I might have screwed up my own computer. I have had similar feedback from friends during this period too. It is not some browser thingy instead. :P I checked up Gmail's known issues page and I don't see this issue reflected there. But it can't be that I am the only one who noticed this bug? As it is, every time I send an email with attachment, a mirror copy will appear in the trash. It doesn't actually affect anything except that the perfectionist me will have to manually delete this phantom email with attachment that is from an unknown sender. . . . Okay, so I just filed a bug report myself to see if Google has anything to say (if they are not too busy to reply :P).

Geez, have you heard of office peon?

Earlier, I received yet another of those spam mails urging me to take advantage of one of their 1 million job openings. My jaw almost dropped when I saw this designation - Office PEON! A peon of all things!! This is a word that is so rarely in use. The few times I saw it were all in games set in the medieval period and PEON there was used to refer to a PEASANT i.e. slave, worker, minion, whatever. Yes, officially, a peon can be used to describe a laborer who is obliged to do menial work (source). But c'mon, I personally find the job title of "office boy" somewhat demeaning already. You can't technically "boy" someone who is possibly older than you or even just close to your age. You lord over that poor "boy", make him run all sorts of errands and you can't even bear to give him a proper name. The least you can do is to call him an Office Executive. In this time when titles are cheap, why not be generous and shake off your barbaric roots?

Will you talk before brushing in the morning?

Most people sleep at least once in a 24-h cycle. When they wake up, they either feel refreshed or as bad as before. But the point here is that they all wake up with bad breath (lol). I am not talking about those cases of persistent bad breath due to genes, dental problems or poor cleaning habits. Even if you are a goddess trapped in a mortal body, bacteria will probably congregate on your tongue anyway to lay out mats and have picnics. And after finishing all the coke and chips, all the litter will likely be left where it was. After all, bacteria are not known to be too responsible an entity. The first thing I need to do when I wake up is to rinse my mouth. I refuse to talk until I have done so. If you want to ask me questions, wait until after. It is not that I am scared of repulsing you 10 yards with my breath alone but I don't want to deal with the taste of rusty cans and soiled plastic wrappers left overnight by the bacteria. I do know people who never brush their teeth. Well they do brush but they tend to be on the thrifty side. So assuming you do brush your teeth at least once daily, will you talk before brushing in the morning? Yes? No? Who cares? Related myLot discussion: Will you talk before brushing in the morning?

Would you step forward to help a tourist?

You notice a person a few strides away from you. He is studying a map. If you take out a coin and flip it 1,000 times, it will come up Head just once, meaning he is a geography student and 999 times Tail, meaning he is a tourist. This tourist looks lost and might perhaps appreciate some help. Would you step forward to help him? Or would you look away and hope he will not come to ask you? Or will you actively walk as far away from him as you think "safe"? Me? I will probably do the last or at least the second. (And you must be thinking now: Geez, I never realize Wizzy is such a scoundrel as this! Whatever I think of him, I never expect him to be so unhelpful!) Ouch. My ears hurt. Well there is a reason for my apparent "un-helpfulness". You see, I am absolutely clueless with directions. 9 out of 10 chances that I will probably not know what that tourist is asking. I love to help but that's only valid if it is within my means. Yes, you will probably point out that I have a 1 in 10 but hey, Wizzy prefers to keep embarrassment to a minimum. So, let's hear from you now instead? How would you react when you see a tourist fumbling? Would you step forward to help a tourist? Related myLot discussion: Would you step forward to help a tourist?

Do you like it when people ask your age?

How old are you? 28. Father with 2 sons: Oh gosh, you are in the prime of your life. So young, just like a baby. I hate it when people comment on my age this way. 28 is certainly not young in my opinion. I feel as old as a wrinkled potato and I hate people reminding me of it. How old are you? 28. 18 yr old teenager: Geez, I am so sorry! Uncle, I didn't mean to probe... I just thought you might want to do soccer one of these days but... guess you are too old for it. Oh thank you kiddie. I have been 18 yr old before so I don't need you to remind me of the stage you are currently at. Either way my age is perceived (I have yet to come across a response that says it is the perfect age for whatever), I would rather the question be not asked in the first place. It also irks me when people like to ask me my age (whether deliberately or otherwise) during my birthday meals. Then they will start to try calculate it out l-o-u-d when I try to shrug it off. Somehow, some people just don't get it. So, do you like it when people ask you your age? A resounding YES!? A sombre no? Do you desperately try to raise the question yourself? Do you pretend your ears are stuck? What is your thought on people asking you your age? Related myLot discussion: Do you like it when people ask your age?

Do you tend to make mountains out of molehills?

"Hey, you forgot to turn off the tap again." As if you have always remembered yourself... "The heater, dude! Off the heater after you shower!" As if you have never forgotten... "You did not do what I asked you to do again!" As if you always jumped to do my things... Let's think back. Have you ever yelled at someone or blamed him because he forgot one thing or another? Maybe you told him to wipe his shoes on the carpet before coming in. Maybe you told him to bring his dishes to the basin even if he is not going to wash them. Maybe you reminded her 10,001 times to screw the tap tight after use. Do you tend to make mountains out of molehills? The above may be relatively trivial on their own but they are often the start or trigger to a full-blown quarrel. It only takes a spark to get the fire going. Give an argument life and soon both of you will stomp off in anger. So, do you or do you not? Do you snap at others' little slips? Do you try to put aside the negative emotions instead? What say you? Related myLot discussion: Do you tend to make mountains out of molehills?

SpitzTunes - What's New

It's Sping break here in Florida ... shops open up, beer is ordered, craziness happens ... and music abounds! Without music the Spring break would be sprung. Maybe in the next convo or two I'll give ya some Sping breakiness!?

Will you get into a garbage truck for $200?

The day was bright and the birds were chirping. Next to this scene of beauty, a crowd was forming around a garbage truck. Yup, one of those vehicles carrying refuse stinky beyond words and if you are lucky, maggots and fleas as well. A lady was yelling at the truck driver, insisting that he gets in to retrieve her lottery ticket. Apparently, she had thrown away her winning ticket by mistake. The crowd got larger and the commotion got louder. After all, who isn't excited when talking about a huge sum of money? And since the lady was clearly reluctant to search the garbage truck herself, one of those there offered to help. The prize money was $10 million and he said he will offer his effort for just $100k. That lady turned around and said he was insane. She won only $200 so how can she pay him $100k to retrieve the ticket? Everyone there did a big BOO on her since given the noise she was making, everyone assumed she had won the top prize. But she retorted, "Isn't $200 MONEY?" If it were you, would you go on a garbage truck adventure and search among the rubbish for $200? Do share your thoughts. =) PS.: This might have happened in real life but my source is a scene in a show I watched. Related myLot discussion: Will you get into a garbage truck for $200?

Quotes: Obstacles

Moms on Net

Young mothers are an enormous and growing segment of social media. If you haven't been to any of the sites, you might want to take a moment. Generally these sites are genuine and active. One I ran into the other day is TwitterMoms. Not yet sure how Twitter plays with the site. I constructed this convo based on the recent posts at TwitterMoms.com.

Mediacorp Internet Radio closed - what a shame

Oh boy, am I disappointed... over my side, I have been recommending Mediacorp Internet Radio to my friends. I told them how cool this service is and that this massive jukebox is my first choice of music. Well yesterday, I felt like listening to radio and I got hit by an error message. I thought nothing of it, thinking it was just a temporary service disruption. But today, the same thing happened so I clicked on for the details and realized they had terminated the service altogether. The site used to be at www.smartradio.sg and it has apparently been shifted to www.digitalradio.sg (I had to do a search to dig it back up). Whichever, Mediacorp is no longer providing music via the Internet. Not since a few days ago on 1st Mar 09. I think it is a real shame as the Internet has a much wider reach than mere FM. So the company wants to go retro? Mediacorp thinks cavemen rock? I see. Really, I am beginning to see great future in this company. Update: Today, I realize from a newspaper report that I have wronged Mediacorp. Apparently they have been "forced" to close their online streaming stations. It seems that Mr. Rips has decided to impose a licensing fee on them should they wish to continue, a fee that is supposedly 5 figures per station per year. Granted that it is still not a lot for them, nevertheless I don't recall seeing any advertisement on their online streaming. From a free value-added service to paying just trying to be nice... so, I can understand where they are coming from. As such, Mediacorp, please accept my apologies for wronging you.

How bright is your computer monitor?

On Monday that was the start of this new week, my table lamp went down. I felt almost as blind as a bat that had lost its ears. So I went all over the place looking for the replacement tubes but nowhere could they be found. So half-sulking, I have to make do without the extra light next to my monitor till I decide to brace myself for another session of tube-hunting. That brings to mind how reliant I am on this lamp. During the day when the light filters in through the blinds, all is fine. But when it gets into the night, the overhead lamp provides insufficient light for my computer activities. I have tried to tweak the brightness setting of my monitor. Yet, my eyes still feel uncomfortable no matter what through the entire range of brightness 0 to 100%. How bright is your monitor? I am curious what your brightness setting is (I think the default is 50% brightness). Practically everyone I know seems to find no fault with the monitor brightness and I never hear of anyone needing an extra lamp like me. So, is your monitor setting at 50% default brightness? Or have you customized it to your comfort? Or you never knew you could adjust the brightness? Or you knew but didn't know how to change it? And do you need an extra light like me? Or... ? Related myLot discussion: How bright is your computer monitor?

The proper way to close a site

I checked out Buxout and it is no more. Yet I don't feel angry or anything because at least, we are not left out cold. Here's their message: Buxout Closed We apologize for closing, but we paid out all our capital and revenue has drastically slowed down over the past month. We are afraid we do not have the resources to continue running the site. Any questions or concerns can be directed to support@buxout.com Thank you for being a member of Buxout.com

Does NeoBux think it is the mafia?

I logged in to NeoBux today and guess what? It cleared my account of all my money and suspended it. And look at the word "permanently". I would have expected that the suspension is of a temporary nature. After all, I did not do anything such as cheating or running an auto click program. All I did was to not worship it every moment of my life. To suspend a member due to inactivity is bad enough already. To make the suspension permanent (and wipe out the earnings in the account), this is really unacceptable. And so, I have to tag this as a SCAM no less. I urge all NeoBux members to start making payout, collecting it then quit. If payout is too far away, then just forget about the site altogether. It is so easy to slip into inactivity for any number of reasons and there is no reason why we should let a mere PTC site lay claim to our liberty. For freedom! $#@!

The A-Z of X Factor

Here's a A-Z posted by my friend, Diana at myLot under the moniker mysdianait. Though she wrote it with reference to myLot, I thought it is applicable to real life if you read between the lines. Enjoy! :D --- Active users are those who visit discussions by their friends. Be friends with everyone. Comment back to those who respond to you. The more you comment the more others will respond and become your friends. Discussions merit at least one response. If a user has taken the time to create a discussion he deserves to be rewarded, even those that are violating. A helpful user who informs why the discussion is not within the rules will win a friend. Every user is unique and a*star* in his own right on MyLot. Fun makes time pass quickly. The more fun you are having the more time passes. Give thought to those who respond when you comment back to them. Help the new users. Be friendly with them and they will be your friend. Imagine yourself in a room full of myLot users when you are here. Look for those standing alone in a corner and give then a smile by responding on their discussion - a smile wins you a friend! Join in and comment when you see fun! Keep reminding yourself that you were new once. Leave a question even when you respond or comment, That way the user will come back. Make it interesting and create curiousity. New users come to join in. Help them as soon as you notice them. Original discussions gain more attention. If the topic you are thinking of starting has already been discussed then skip it and go and respond to one by another user instead. Praising another user will boost his confidence and you gain a friend. Quickly commenting on your responses when they are posted means the user could get back to you immediately and continue responding back and forth. Respect those who respond by commenting something different each time making them feel individual. Sharing your tips with others will win you more friends every time. Talking with others as though they were sitting with you makes it more friendly. Understand the queries of others by remembering you were once new. Viewing profiles helps you realise a lot about others. Warn your friends through Private Messages when you see them making mistakes, If they lose then you will to. X factor is YOU!!! You have over 160,000 waiting to be your friend. It's up to you too. Zoos are made up of all sorts of animals but they all get on - we can too here on myLot!

Obama -- Health Care -- Help!?

People in the U.S. spend $2.4 trillion a year on health care, or about $7,900 per person. That's more than twice as much per capita as in other advanced countries. But few would claim those dollars are buying good value. The costs are a staggering burden for taxpayers, employers and families, and the recession is leaving more people without insurance. Three perspectives on the Health Care issue: The main problem with the health care system is that costs keep going up -- We don't need to rip up the existing health care system and start over -- Decent health care ought to be a basic right.

Can you bear to order pizza in the rain?

The sky was dumping buckets of cats and dogs but I didn't care. I was snuggled tight beneath my blanket, enjoying the feeling of warmth in an air-conditioned room. Yes, it was raining outside but the extra chill and booming thunder only add to the coziness. While I was lying there and wondering if I should force myself to wake up to the new day, my stomach started to grumble like Grandpa Thunder. I felt like eating pizza. Let's see... shall I order one from Pizza Hut? Or Canadian Pizza? Or...? Yet it struck me then that it would be quite wrong of me to satisfy myself that way. It was raining, I wanted a pizza and somebody had to deliver it. Over here, all deliverymen for takeaways ride bikes. How safe is it to ride a bike in the rain? How comfortable is it for them to get into their cold and stinky raincoats to brave the weather to send me a piping hot pizza? I felt guilty just thinking about that and so, I got up and cooked myself a plain bowl of instant noodles instead. So here's the question I like to pose to you. Having read my rationale above, can you (still) bear to order pizza in the rain? Related myLot discussion: Can you bear to order pizza in the rain?