Amazon cuts deal with California on Sales Tax collection
This means that the end of the tax free shopping on line party is starting to end, as Amazon cuts a deal with the state of California on collecting sales tax on sales to customers in the state. For Amazon retailers they should not see this, as it will be tacked on at the end [...]
Could Fake Steve Jobs Go to Jail?
Online impersonators could be fined up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail according to California Senate Bill 1411, which Governor Schwarzenegger has just signed into law. The new law is meant to protect victims of cyberbullying, malicious impersonation – says Senator Joe Simitian, the Bill’s author on his homepage: “E-personation,” said Simitian, [...]
“Why don’t you move it to California?”
It’s a question that I hear probably 6-8 times per “conference cycle” (ie, 6 to 8 times per year for every conference I run): “Why don’t you move Defrag to California?” Now admittedly, my personality bristles a bit at the suggestion. Over the years, I’ve tried to find ways to stay calm — but I’ll [...]
Tips if You Want to Buy a Town
<weekend fun > TorrentReaktor, a (surprise!) popular torrent site supposedly bought itself a town and quickly renamed it after itself. The town of Gar, founded in 1958 by a religious group connected to the Russian Orthodox Church, was bought for 4.5 million rubles ($148,000 or 115,000Eur). Gar is located in the center of Russia and [...]
A tale of two conferences
A somewhat hectic June concluded with my second trip of the month to California. Whilst the first excursion led to Santa Clara and an interesting insight into attempts by Hitachi Data Systems to reinvent its relationship with the wider community, the second journey took me to San Francisco and a pair of events that lie [...]
Only in California: Electronic License Plates May Turn Your Car Into a Billboard
Here’s proof that Governments’ creativity in finding new revenue sources is unlimited, reports The Merc: The California Legislature is considering a bill that would allow the state to begin researching the use of electronic license plates for vehicles. The move is intended as a moneymaker for a state facing a $19 billion deficit. The device [...]
Crowdsourcing Ideas: Apparently Marijuana Is All California Needs
California has several big issues that need to be tackled. Our state budget seems to perpetually be in deficit mode, with drawn-out battles for resolving the red ink. The education system, once a shining jewel in the world, now produced some of the low test scores in the country. The state infrastructure must be upgraded [...]
