For those of you that read my previous Guide to Free Internet Phone Calls or my horrible issues with Packet8 service, you’ll recall that I have long been a supporter of ATT CallVantage service.

Well, I was upset to learn today that AT&T has quietly lowered the monthly rates on their CallVantage service without notifying existing customers of this fact - or adjusting their billing!
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There is a fascinating new service which was just released for general Beta testing 12 days ago that allows you to create a disposable phone number which will redirect calls to your real number - but only for a predetermined amount of time.

I first encountered the site the day it went live, but for some time now I’ve been trying to determine exactly what one would use this for. Now that I’ve had time to digest, I’ve tested the service, recorded the results and posted them here for all to see.
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There seems to be so much confusion out there with regards to the common ritual of tipping that I decided to take the initiative and help clarify the rules when it comes to this long standing practice.

But unlike some other tipping guides I’m not just going to tell you how much to tip, instead we’re going to focus on why people earn the tips you give them, and therefore gain a better understanding as to how much to give.
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The following anti-rejection letter was floating around the Internet so I snagged it and put it here. This would be an awesome strategy for people in certain fields, most notably sales.

If nothing else, it shows creativity, risk taking and guts. I’d have probably hired this person for this letter alone.
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The Australian recently published an article quoting Netanyahu as such:

“IT’S 1938,” said former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “and Iran is Germany, racing to arm itself with atomic bombs.”

The Iranian Bomb has become for Israel an issue of urgency as the international community appears to back away from confrontation with Tehran.

In his address, Mr Netanyahu referred to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s repeated calls for wiping Israel off the map.

“Believe him and stop him,” he said. “This is what we must do. Everything pales before it.”
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The author of this video calls the Hubble Ultra Deep Field photo the “single most important picture ever taken by humanity.” And if you really think about it, I guess he’s right.

After watching this video I don’t see how anyone could believe that our planet is the only one supporting a sensient civilization.

Well, with the exception of those people who don’t believe we’ve even built the Hubble or gone to space… I guess if you think the whole thing is a hoax then you can keep on believing the Earth is flat.
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When Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame died in 1989 before the age of 50 his friends put on a funeral the likes of which have never been seen before.

All I have to say is, if a man can live a life worthy of a funeral such as this, then he’s lived a very good life. Only in my dreams would I ever warrant such a sending off.
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According to CNN, who is quoting Netcraft - the Neilson’s of the Internet world - the Web just topped the 100 million domain name marker.

Additionally, Time Magazine says that Technorati is claiming that 100,000 new blogs are created each day with over 1.3 million posts added daily.
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Those who know me, know that I support the unrestricted development of all new technology. I don’t care if it’s medical, computational, military or any other. Almost all new technology can be used for good or evil, so it’s up to society to determine what is or is not acceptable, and what does or does not need to be regulated.

Take for example the Global Positioning System. This network of satellites encircling the globe has enabled the US military to carry out targeted operations, ensuring military dominance while also sparing civilian lives. GPS also enables civilians a previously unmatched freedom to navigate, measure, map and otherwise understand our surroundings.

The most recent technological innovation involves combining GPS with wireless networking (such as cellular connectivity) to allow businesses, governments and individuals to track goods being transported or even employees or family members.
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Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is credited with saying, after the attack on Pearl Harbor,

“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the re-awakening of a sleeping giant.
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People who judge others without so much as ever meeting them are either better at that than I have been at anything in my life, or are foolish.

If I were in Vegas, you can probably guess which way I’d bet.

Yes, I’m opinionated. Aren’t we all? But I do try to keep an open mind and allow my opinions to change as I learn and become older and (hopefully) wiser. The Thoughts category on OneMansBlog will grow to include little bits of wisdom I’ve been asked to share, or would just like to get off my chest. Happy reading.