Printers. We still have them.

Even though we all try to go paperless, we still get some new paper thrown into our life every week. Bills, reminders, legal notices, checks, ads, and more.

We also keep printing paper. Tons of businesses still want you to fax them stuff. People still want you to print that PDF file and sign it, then scan it and email it back, or mail it in.

That new apartment or house you want to buy or rent? It’s going to require you signing on paper.

Online sites like Amazon and Tinta offer cheaper ink cartridges, resulting in more people going to the alternate shops to get their refills instead of the official stores. Such sites make owning printers an affordable experience.

With 2012 in full motion, you would imagine that the prices of supposedly dying trends would decrease in order to drive up interest and usage.

You and I would be mistaken in thinking that.

Looking at the actual printer manufacturers, I can see that the ink cartridge price seems to be actually going up, or at least not decreasing.

Every store that sells printers has discounts on those printers, online and offline. Almost none of those official manufacturers have discounts on ink cartridges, though.

Why is that?

Why are the official printer manufacturers like Epson, Brother, Canon, HP, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Lexmark, Dell and Xerox selling ink cartridges at such high prices?

Printer prices going down. Official Ink Cartridge Prices going up?

How can a good cheap Lexmark printer cost $45 at BestBuy or Fry’s without discounts, yet the single black ink cartridge costs $23 and the single color ink cartridge costs $25 for that printer when bought directly from Lexmark? That comes out to be more than the price of the printer itself.

You have to go online or into a small store to find cheaper prices, or even cheaper alternatives. Online stores usually buy ink cartridges in bulk, and thus get better prices. They can then pass on the savings to the customers while competing with the ink cartridge companies.

One wonders what the printer companies are thinking. Ink is selling well, so anything they’re thinking is what they’re sticking with.

Is the philosophy “Sell cheap printer and charge a lot for the parts needed to run the printers?” still applicable in today’s world where paper usage is said to be decreasing very fast?

Or is the new philosophy “Charge as much as possible since the era or printouts is fading away!” the new business model adopted by the printer manufacturers?

Either way, the printer companies are not reducing their ink cartridge prices.

This is not a new question. In fact, I’m sure everyone else also goes “Ink cartridge is dead again?” whenever it needs replacing.

A Decade Old Ink Cartridge Pricing Question

PC World once asked the question “Why Do Ink Cartridges Cost So Much?” – back in 2003.

It’s 2012, and official ink cartridge prices have not come down at all. ”Unless you’re buying your ink from a non-official manufacturer, you’re going to be paying more money than the printer itself.

What do you think? Is your printer’s ink cartridge ready to be replaced?

Prometheus is almost upon us.

The Alien Prequel is set to open in theaters on Friday, June 8th, 2012. Or for people like me, at 11:59pm on Thursday, June 8th.

I’m waiting for Prometheus more than any other movie this year. With so many crappy movies coming out, it’s extra invigorating for me to finally see a great movie (or at least a great hope of a movie) come to life this year.

Even Batman as The Dark Knight Rises, which so many people are waiting for, appears boring to me. I loved the first Batman Begins reboot with Christian Bale. Christian Bale was awesome in it, with his entire character portraying a lost human being who is simply angry and hopeless because of losing his parents.

Then The Joker created one of the most interesting characters in cinematic history, putting Christian Bale’s then-and-still ever-weakening-performance to shame.

With all the effort put into trying to make Batman appear philosophical, in the end it’s just a rich guy with a robotic suit fighting bad guys because he is bored with life and wants to feel better about losing his parents. That plot line, the one you just read, appears more normal and exciting than the random gibberish lines they put in Batman just to make the movie sound more intelligent than what it is.

It’s just another Batman movie, and Batman won’t die. You know the ending already.

Prometheus, in contrast, is completely fresh. Ever since the spaceship crash scene in Alien came to light in 1979 (or in the later decades for many of us), everyone has been wondering and dreaming what that spaceship and its content represented.

Now Ridley Scott is giving us the story behind Alien, which will not be related to Alien in terms of a direct prequel. It’s completely fresh, or at least appears to be. It’s a completely different movie plot than the entire Alien series it seems. A different universe, and different life forms completely.

With so many sites and blogs talking about Prometheus, it was kind of hard finding the different official pieces of Prometheus media released by Ridley.

I went around and collected all the trailers here, in one page. Also included is the entire Prometheus film plot that people have been able to gather from all these trailers.

Prometheus Trailers

Here are all the currently available (released) Prometheus trailers. I tried to make sure there aren’t any duplicates, since there are so many of these trailers. Let me know if you spot any duplicates below, and I’ll remove it.

1. Prometheus Official Trailer

   Click here to view the embedded video.

2. Official Full Trailer

   Click here to view the embedded video.

3. Peter Weyland TED 2023

   Click here to view the embedded video.

4. Prometheus Full Trailer 3

   Click here to view the embedded video.

5. Prometheus Trailer 2 Teaser

   Click here to view the embedded video.

6. Prometheus Untitled Trailer

   Click here to view the embedded video.

7. Prometheus David Beginning Viral Clip #2

   Click here to view the embedded video.

8. Prometheus The David 8

   Click here to view the embedded video.

9. Prometheus – in 1 Day

   Click here to view the embedded video.

10. Prometheus – in 2 Days

    Click here to view the embedded video.

11. Prometheus – in 3 Days

    Click here to view the embedded video.

12. Prometheus International Trailer

    Click here to view the embedded video.

13. Prometheus Extended “STORY” Featurette

    Click here to view the embedded video.

Prometheus Plot

Some awesome person (author unknown!) went through all the trailers, and plotted out an awesome storyline.

Source: Shared by someone (image author unknown) on Reddit

If anyone knows who the actual author is, please let me know! I want to link to you (the author) – you’ve done an awesome job!

Are You Waiting for Prometheus?

Ridley Scott with Noomi Rapace - Prometheus shooting set

Alien was the first real movie, if I’m not mistaken, which propelled the female “gender” into the mainstream action genre. With Alien, people saw Sigourney Weaver as a real star based on her performance. It was a landmark movie in more than just the horror genre.

The current Prometheus talk and interest is no doubt currently riding on the success of the entire Alien (and some “Alien VS Predator“) series and all the trailers and media being released by Ridley Scott.

Will it work? I hope so.

What do you think of Prometheus? Will you go see it?

Which trailer did you like the best? Which is your least favorite trailer?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. As for me: I’ll be seeing the movie the midnight it opens.

Thanks for reading!

I was introduced to Borderlands sometime in 2009.

I guess I completely ignored it back then. It seemed like yet another game in the shooting franchise.

I saw the trailer again in 2010, and decided not to try it at all.

Earlier this year, I decided to finally try it because of many people telling me to play it with them.

I haven’t stopped playing it since then. (not literally, but almost every night before I go to sleep)

The game started as a small game that 2K (the game creator) wanted to simply roll out as a way to have another game in the market.

Borderlands had such a brilliant gameplay experience, though, that it propelled the game to the top charts. A sequel “Borderlands 2” is in the works, and is probably the most anticipated and talked of game of the year.

What started of as a small entry with almost no expected income success rate by the developers turned it into their most sought after game.

With their simple intention of trying something random and small, they achieved one of the biggest jackpots in the gaming industry.

What do you think?

If you’ve played Borderlands, or know about it, what do you think of it?

Do you think it’s the biggest, or even the best, Cult game ever?

Do you think the unique replay value in the game (the willingness to play the game again and again, even after finishing it once) makes it more unique than any other game out there? With billions of guns available in the game, millions of die-hard Borderlands gamers already think so.

One thing learned from this: Try whatever you like, even if it’s small. When you keep trying a lot, some of your efforts will result in something.

The question is: is this just a small cult, or is this actually a favorite on a much larger scale, even if it’s like a cult following?

Please share your comments below. Thanks for reading – I now have to go back to my Borderlands PT2 game.

Growing up, our cities had many power outages every year. Traveling around the world as a child, I experienced even more blackouts, some which lasted several days.

It was always an awesome experience until you were sweating or freezing because of not being able to use the air conditioner or the heater. It was also very adventurous getting ready or doing things around the house. Not being able to watch TV, for the few hours that I did back then on a daily basis because someone else was watching it, resulted in the balcony being visited a lot.

We had a major power outage (blackout) last night, which lasted for hours. These days, power outages are treated with the “WTH! Power outage in 2012? WHAT IS THIS? I’M GOING TO COMPLAIN!” by people, more than “Power’s out again!” that we used to.

At first, it was very interesting to experience the total darkness which we rarely experience anymore. I’m up at nights most of the time already, and I usually (maybe always) like the lights turned off. The light from the monitor lights up the area around me every night.

A power outage was a very beautiful experience, with the monitor light being taken out of the picture also.

Having actual total darkness, with no other option than to have a candle or use a flashlight, is awesome in my view.

Soon, though, I realized that we, the humans, act very differently when electricity is taken away from us.

We rely on electricity so much that we start acting like souls who have never been in the areas where we live. I wrote about 5 things I learned in the blackout on my phone excitedly, and wanted to share it with my The Reasoner readers too.

5 Ways People Act Differently in a Power Outage

Here are 5 ways people act different when there is a power outage.

1. People become very cautious and alert walking in the dark.

   I realized this now, while writing this article. People will actually act very cautious walking around the house during a power outage. When you want to go to the kitchen in the middle of a regular night in the dark, you simply walk over. In a power outage, you act as if you’ve never walked this path before.

2. People love being outside only when the inside is pitch dark.

   I saw almost everyone in the neighborhood sitting or walking outside, including in their patios and balconies, when the power went out. It was a very cool night, so people were most probably outside because the inside of their homes had all of a sudden become completely useless or less attractive to them.

3. Everyone loves candles or flashlights, inside and outside, but not so much when it’s dark normally (without a blackout).

   It was very interesting seeing so many people use candles and flashlights when the power was out. Even on very dark nights and in the middle of the nights when everyone has power, people rarely use candles, and you probably never see anyone with a flashlight at nights anymore.

4. People feel excited walking out alone with a flashlight or candle in a complete blackout, but people are scared of the same areas on regular nights during very late hours even with some nearby light around

   It’s interesting how, maybe because of excitement in the first few hours of a blackout at least, people will walk around in very dark areas with flashlights or without much worry, but the same people will be scared of the same areas at night even if there was some distant light shining and lighting up the path a little bit.

5. Not having internet on laptop makes me use my phone to do things I rarely do, like write this essay, without ever feeling “I can do this more awesomely on the laptop!“

   I’ve always wanted phones with bigger screens, and even though the Samsung Galaxy Note is not available for Sprint, I treated my phone (with less than 20% battery) with great respect and admiration that we usually do when we’re on a laptop. With such a power outage, my Evo 4G phone made me feel as if I was simply waiting for the laptop to go online to play Borderlands and watch movies on Netflix.

What do you think?

When was the last time you experienced a blackout? What things do you think people, and yourself, do different during a blackout?

Please let me know share your thoughts or comments below. If you’re having a power outage right now, you’re hopefully using your phone to read this.

Thanks for reading!

Is 2012 the year all of humanity will die?

More and more people talk about the world ending in 2012 like it’s a taboo fad, merely bringing up the topic without actually stating their final opinion on the matter. Maybe most people are still thinking. Maybe most people are reluctant to be labeled as part of the Doomsday cult.

We’re all still alive, dying only of regular deaths. We will all die, no doubt about it. What makes death interesting is a catastrophic event, which none of us alive or in our recent centuries haven’t seen at all.

The talk of death or suicide bores or scares majority of the people. But the talk of a big catastrophic even which is not under our control at all excites people.

People want to talk about it or think about it, but not too much.

It’s like everyone wants to be part of the cool thought that something may happen just because it sounds cool, while not talking about it publicly since the cool groups of humanity, which is the majority, doesn’t talk about such things openly for the fear of being labeled weird.

Regardless of the labels or what others thing, what do YOU think? It’s time to share.

Harold Camping – The Rapture

Last year in May, and then in October, the world (including myself) was talking about the latest of the many infamous predictions by Harold Camping about Rapture Day.

Rapture Day, or Rapture, is considered by many Christians to be the day when Jesus Christ would return to earth and when the faithful Christians will be flown to heaven, literally, while the remaining unfaithful people will be punished by God on earth.

Harold Camping first prophesied Rapture Day to be on May 21st, 1988. When that date came and went away, he changed his prediction to September 6th, 1994.

Once that date came and passed to, he changed his Rapture Day prediction to May 21st, 2011. It was a historic event where millions of people around the world held events on May 20th and May 21st ridiculing the idea.

May 21st came and went. Nothing happened. There was no Rapture.

Harold and his million dollar company, called “Family Radio” which promotes Christianity and Harold’s views, said that they will announce later about what happened.

Well, the announcement was instead about the real Rapture Date: October 21st, 2011.

That day also came and went, and became yet another day of infamy for Harold Camping and any Christian who believed in Rapture day.

In fact, after the October 21s, 2011 Rapture prediction, there is a large growing Christianity population which believes that they have been lied to by Harold and duped into donating money to his company.

2012 – Mayan End of the World

The biggest and most famous predictions in our life is that of the Mayans – they basically predicted, or said (could be 2 different things), that a big catastrophe will happen in 2012.

We have tons of books and dozens of movies cropping out in the last few years regarding the topic, all aiming to capitalize on the popularity of the idea. 2012 with John Cusack, by Roland Emmerich, is the most famous and popular movie example of the new millennium depicting the idea and showing what happens to the world, and why.

In that movie, the earth’s crust is heating up faster than usual, which results in all the earth plates to start moving. Entire continents literally slide, going straight into the ocean or into the volcanic lava that lies below everything in the world. It’s a great movie in my view, and one of the best works on this idea.

But is the entire idea real, though?

More and more movies are banking on the idea, it seems.

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley are starring in an upcoming movie called “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.” The title of the movie is the exact storyline of the movie.

Kirsten Dunst starred in the movie “Melancholia“, which came out in 2011 and only now is gaining more widespread appeal.

The storyline? Kirsten Dunst is a newly wed person who wants to escape everything, including her new marriage, and all the annoying relationships like her parents, so that she can be mentally free before a speeding planet called Melancholia collides with earth and destroys everything.

Do You Think 2012 is the End of the World?

Do you believe in the 2012 End of the World predictions?

Do you think something religious or alien (or both) will happen? Do you think the world will go through some massive change and we will all change too? Or die? Or reduce greatly in numbers?

Or will I be posting about this post next year and talking about new predictions that will stem once 2012 passes without any event?

Please share your thoughts, questions and predictions in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Hitch was a great movie. It showed Will Smith as a relationship expert who made people do the right things to make other people fall in love with them.

There is a famous scene in Hitch where Will Smith is arguing with Eva Mendes at a Speed Dating service in New York.

Speed Dating is where you sit on a table with a random stranger and talk to them only for a few moments.

Once the time is up, you get up and move on to the next table where another stranger will then talk with you.

In the event, you receive a scorecard. After each table date, you write down the person’s name and whether you you want to go on a date afterwards. You do this while you’re switching tables.

People who choose each other get to meet again, for a much longer time.

Well, Speed Dating exists in real life too, and today we have a story worthy of a movie.

One of our The Reasoner readers in New York recently attended the SpeedNY Dating events, which is the same exact thing showed in the movie Hitch. SpeedNY Dating and other similar sub-branches are the siblings or co-brands of the larger SpeedLA Dating.

The reader attended such events, found out that the scorecard used at such events was creating confusion for the attendees, and offered a great suggestion to SpeedLA Dating to improve such scorecards.

The response our reader got was unexpected.

SpeedLA Dating booted our reader from their SpeedNY Dating events list.

Read on to see the entire e-mail transcripts of what went down, and how the SpeedLA employees treat people who offer great positive feedback.

SpeedLA Dating Needs No Feedback!

Here is the original pre-face story the reader shared directly with me over IM:

Ok, so at least Will Smith knew the script before he got paid millions to be in that scene. The above is nothing compared to what happened later on.

Following is the entire e-mail exchange from that The Reasoner reader, whose name and e-mail we’ve changed below to say Copernicus instead, that they had with SpeedLA Dating.

The e-mails go from top to bottom (from the first e-mail at top to the replies below it).

I think it’s necessary to start from the top, to show how the entire e-mail communication started. Angela from SpeedLA Dating sent an e-mail to Copernicus regarding his SpeedNY Dating experience.

Sounds cool, right? Yes it does. Very encouraging indeed. Copernicus replied to Angela.

Good question. If your entire hook-up experience depends on a scorecard, you should know how the scorecard works. Interestingly, a new person named Thao replied to Copernicus instead.

Sounds good so far. Copernicus decided to offer a great feedback on how to improve the scorecard.

Thao replied, and was still curious enough to keep Copernicus around.

Copernicus then decided to explain the feedback some more. Notice the politeness, and how Copernicus never loses his cool, whether directly or sarcastically. Why not? Because he doesn’t have to!

This is where things got very…personal for the Speed Dating people. Thao stopped replying, and a third person named Diana from Speed LA Dating started telling Copernicus that he was wrong, and that the Speed Dating system needed no feedback as it was perfect.

Not only that, Diana made sure she mention that Copernicus had so much trouble with such a simple thing.

Imagine if you complained to eHarmony, Comcast, Google or even Facebook about something, and you got the above as a response. You would fancy that the e-mail reaches the pits of Consumerist and the peaks of Reddit, right?

Copernicus replied, very politely and calmly, as if he was not being attacked. What a cool guy!

Cool guy in our view – a total bastard in the eyes of Diana! She replied again with the same tone she carried last time:

Seriously. This is just hilarious. A client for a premium service is offering you feedback like an elegant professional, and you’re replying with the “No one else has complained, so you’re wrong” defensive character?

It’s not a rare experience for SpeedLA Dating, though. Keep reading to see how they receive many complaints on a regular basis.

It shows you that Diana can never, ever talk to new people easily for long without getting extremely mad.

At this point, Copernicus, being a polite customer and still acting cool, decided to simply end the conversation in an extremely polite way.

I don’t understand this guy, really. He’s cool, though he could have made sure she realizes what she’s doing.

Then the final e-mail comes. Diana proves that the best is yet to come. She replies with this:

 
Thanks - sorry we are not a match.
We wish you the best in your dating endeavors.
Diana[>What do you think of Thao, Diana, SpeedLA Dating and SpeedNY Dating?

Thank you Copernicus for forwarding us the SpeedLA Dating e-mails. Hopefully you’ll start finding dates on your own in the hottest clubs and bars of New York. Your coolness in such responses shows that you’re going to find the best of the best with your talks!

And your way of communicating so calmly will also ensure that people like Diana never approach you. That’s a good thing!

Many Online Reviews Accusing SpeedLA of Insulting, Harassing and Stalking Clients who Disagree or Offer Feedback

It seems Copernicus is not the only one facing such employees who can’t handle any form of disagreement or feedback.

Check out SpeedLA Dating on Yelp: you’ll find stories of SpeedLA Dating harassing customers (girls and boys), stalking ex-customers, insulting anyone who complains and bashing anyone who offers any kind of feedback:

What customers think of the SpeedLA Dating, SpeedNY Dating, and all the other branches of the Speed Dating company

What do you think of SpeedLA Dating? Have you ever used it? Will you ever use it?

How would you, the The Reasoner reader, deal with such e-mails from Diana? Would you hire Diana in your organization as a person who deals with customers and feedback? What do you think of Diana’s unprofessional work ethics and her inability to cope with any kind of feedback or change?

What would you, as an employer, do regarding Diana’s continuous belittling remarks towards the SpeedNY Dating customer?

Please share your thoughts, comments, SpeedLA Dating or other similar stores below.

Next time you’re in LA and SpeedLA Dating, please say hello to Diana, Thao and the rest of the employees for me. Tell them you’ve a great suggestion for improving the scorecard.

Thanks for reading!

© Bes Zain @ The Reasoner- 1995 - 2012 - Permalink - Comment on this

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Instagram, the 30 million user strong mobile photo sharing service, is going to become part of Facebook for $1 billion. It’s the biggest online deal in a very long time, and everyone’s talking.

Some talks are about the high price. Some talks are about Facebook spending too much. Most of the talks, however, are about whether or not this is a good thing.

Many Instagram users are furious, while many non-Instagram users see this as a good service going downhill. Majority of people are doubtful about this buyout because of one single reason:

Instagram will be the first real sub-branch of Facebook.

The association with Facebook is making many Instagram users, who think of Instagram as having a spotless record, consider leaving Instagram completely.

Facebook does not believe in the isolation of services to the few elite, as many iPhone users usually are led to believe (or believe). That is why the beloved iPhone app, which is now available on Android, is now going to be basically a Facebook extension of photos, owned and operated by Facebook.

Regardless of what many of the Instagram users do, all Facebook users will probably end up having the choice of trying Instagram more easily in the future. All Instagram users should also end up having a lot more users to play around and share stuff with. It’s a good thing that Facebook bought Instagram. Here are some reasons why Facebook bought Instagram, why it’s a good thing, and how such things can affect you.

In the end, it’s up to you as to whether or not you want to be part of Instagram after it fully becomes a part of Facebook.

Because, regardless of your liking it or hating it (I’m liking it at the moment – hopefully I won’t hate it), Instagram is going to be a Facebook sub-website soon. All Instagram users are going to become Facebook users, directly or indirectly.

And the process is happening right now.

Is Facebook Buying Instagram to Fight Pinterest and Eliminate Competition?

Believe it or not, Pinterest is in short simply a photo and video sharing site. You simply have the added labels and visuals of a “pin” added to everything, like pins holding some images on a vertical board.

It’s a very nice visual twist to an otherwise crowded market.

Instagram does the same thing, though it does it solely for photos at the moment, and solely via one photo a page format. It’s also a format that works because it’s very simple for the person taking the photos.

Facebook knows this. Facebook also knows that Pinterest is gaining a ton of traction compared to all other new trends. In fact, you may already be seeing Pinterest Pin It buttons around the internet more than any other new social media sharing site buttons on websites.

Is Instagram Facebook’s answer to Pinterest? It’s a great question to ask, and some have already started wondering. Facebook can keep Instagram around as a completely separate identity, focusing solely on mobile media sharing. This could easily stand in the face of Pinterest, while also giving Facebook power to have users outside of the direct Facebook website and brand.

Instagram does what Pinterest does, in a different manner, and much faster.

Pinterest adds the element of reactions to what you do on it, which Instagram doesn’t have. That’s where Facebook can come marching in.

Whose drinking more champagne today than Instagram employees? Pinterest employees, that’s who.

— Sameer Patel (@SameerPatel) April 10, 2012

What better way to focus on the media sharing arena of at least photos, something Facebook places grave importance on, than via two swords and two different approaches? Instagram is solid, already works, and is on the rise. Facebook is going to tap into it directly to promote Facebook, and will use Facebook to promote Instagram to mobile users.

In addition to possibly fighting with Pinterest, there’s another big thing Facebook is doing: it’s eliminating the competitor called Instagram.

Instagram users post on Instagram first, and many times they simply shared a link to their Instagram pages. Each Instagram photo resides on the Instagram domain. Since Instagram hosts the images, Facebook was not getting the first direct interaction. People on the go (hint: majority of the users today) have tons of options to post pics online.

With Instagram’s popularity, Facebook’s own photo sharing popularity for mobile users was being challenged.

Now, even if Instagram does 100 times better than Facebook Photos (with or without any upcoming Facebook and Instagram integration), Facebook still wins. Because Instagram will now be owned Facebook.

Will Instagram start using Facebook Accounts?

According to Inside Facebook, 20% of Instagram users already have Facebook connected to their accounts.

Could the new acquisition mean that Facebook will start having every new Instagram user register a Facebook account in order to use Instagram? Will a Facebook connection be integrated more deeply without requiring a Facebook registration?

The answer is a clear yes, though no one knows how soon such a move will happen.

Gonna get pissed if they ask me to login to facebook to use instagram!

— Dina Adlouni (@DinaAdlouni) April 9, 2012

“If Instagram starts requiring a Facebook login to use it, then we’ll know the answer.”

— Rob Isaac (@rmi) April 10, 2012

Things we can expect from Instagram/Facebook – FB login, more pressure to link Instagram pics, places, events, people, Instagram in timeline

— Dave (@Dave_Buxton) April 9, 2012

Facebook bought Instagram not just to fight off the competition or just to get the Instagram technology and staff. Facebook bought Instagram to buy the highly dedicated Instagram user base also. Such a loyal Instagram user base is what Facebook will use to drive its Photo sharing and Mobile trends across Facebook.

Facebook may, for the time being, rely on integrating more Facebook account features only, rather than requiring a Facebook account. For now, you can keep using your Instagram account. In the future, you may definitely have an option to merge Instagram with any Facebook account you may have.

Later on, the full integration between Instagram and Facebook is most likely something Facebook has already envisioned.

Facebook will be working its way up to the final effect with Instagram slowly, unlike how Facebook rolls out big changes on Facebook instantly.

You can’t risk upsetting all 30 million new guest users at once. Let them come in, let them enjoy the hospitality, and then let them know that the chicken and beef dinners will eventually be replaced with chicken and tofu dinners.

People reacting to Instagram-Facebook Deal

The reactions to Facebook buying Instagram seems to be actually fiercer than when many iPhone users over-reacted to the news of an Instagram Android App.

More and more people are talking about deleting their Instagram accounts.

Here is the some of the Twitter reaction over Facebook buying Instagram:

I can’t believe Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion! The fun’s over! Time to delete my Instagram account now. Also, what’s Instagram?

— Betty F*ckin’ White (@BettyFckinWhite) April 9, 2012

Go ahead hipsters. Delete the instagram app from your phone. I’m sure that will make the 13 employees who made 1billion dollars really upset

— lizborden (@lizborden) April 9, 2012

Yes, delete your Instagram accounts. Lord knows, you don’t want Facebook compromising the security of your stupid cloud and dessert pics.

— Kim (@kkjordan) April 9, 2012

guess i might as well go ahead and delete my instagram now. the Android ppl weren’t that bad. but frequent FB users are treacherous.

— Trill Gates (@McNyce) April 9, 2012

If you delete your Instagram account, because Facebook bought them, you probably have a basement full of canned foods and flashlights.

— Alex Williams (@alexcwilliams) April 9, 2012

Hey @instagram, how do I delete my account?

— jacobian (@jacobian) April 9, 2012

You should delete your Instagram accountand find an InstaPlasticSurgeon.

— Mohammed (@boo6aa) April 9, 2012

I wanna delete every social networking site besides instagram.

— Mark (@markmontan_YO) April 9, 2012

What’s the point of instagram if you don’t have any pictures and you don’t follow anyone? You might as well delete your account…. #why ?

— Maddison Larkin (@MaddisonLarkin) April 9, 2012

Instagram is a personal expression for me. It’s more than just an app. Anything photographic is. The FaceBook deal totally & royally sucks.

— Graham ‘Logo’ Smith (@imjustcreative) April 10, 2012

The interesting thing to realize is that the number of people not liking the deal still seems to be less than the number of people who are either ok with the deal, or who continue to use the services and talk about it without saying anything against the deal.

The voices are clear: many people hate the deal. Many people are going to stick around. Many people are going to delete their accounts because they hate Facebook. Many people are going to delete their accounts because they’re feeling emotionally upset. Many people will keep using Instagram.

However, compared to 30 million Instagram users, does it matter to Facebook and Instagram if a few thousand Instagram users stop using Instagram? Not at all. Facebook paid $1 billion to get a great photo sharing platform and 30 million users in the photo sharing arena. It’s a great deal to Facebook even if Facebook loses 2 million of such users (a very exaggerated number) and ends up keeping 28 million loyal users in the process.

There has to be a massive revolt or opposition to make any kind of significant change in such corporate decisions. Right now, the Instagram sale is enjoying an extremely smooth sailing.

Will Facebook Damage the Quality of Instagram Apps?

This is something I think should be dealt with very carefully. Instagram App rocks, in my view. The Facebook App does not rock in any manner, at least on Android.

Tons of iPhone users were already furious and vocal on Twitter over the Instagram Android App. For years, Instagram was only available on iPhone and worked almost perfectly, giving iPhone users some fuel to claim superiority over Android users. Now, however, the Facebook deal is making both Android users and iPhone users on Instagram question the Facebook deal.

Will the future Apps of Instagram be as good as they are right now? Will Instagram apps and service suffer because of having to work with the Facebook Mobile Apps teams? I don’t know at the moment. Probably no one does. What do you think?

Take the Android arena as an example. The Facebook Android app is considered by majority of Android users as being extremely buggy.

In fact, all the 1.2 million 5-star ratings Facebook has accumulated for over 2 years is going down fast with the 548,166+ 1-star and hundreds of thousands of other lower star ratings in the last 4 months alone because of the app’s inferior quality, clear indication of a hurried up app, and the Facebook Android team’s unwillingness to engage directly with Android users and hear the feedback.

In comparison, Instagram’s Android app has been out for less than a month, and has gotten higher overall ratings than Facebook ever did in 2 years.

Instagram Android App - 4.6 star rating in less than 2 weeks

Facebook Android App - 3.6 star rating and dropping in 2 years

Instagram Android App has gotten more 5-star ratings in the last 2 weeks than Facebook did in the last 6 months.

Now that Instagram team has been brought under the umbrella of the bigger corporation, will Instagram Apps suffer the same fate as the Android Apps? Will the Instagram team have to follow the Facebook team protocols and guidelines?

I’m not sure, though I hope Instagram is given the full freedom that made it what it is today. Every corporate purchase results in the company which is being bought to undergo changes and to start following tons of brand new rules. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out throughout the next few months, or at least through 2012.

If the Instagram team is allowed to do what they’re already doing, then it’s a good thing.

If the Instagram team is told to follow or practice what the Facebook Apps team does, then it may not be a good thing at all.

The Facebook Android team should be learning and following the Instagram Mobile Apps team, and not vice versa.

What do you think of all this?

I think Facebook buying Instagram is a great deal. It shows the first such big move by Facebook in expanding in a different, fresh and very strong area. I think it’s an exciting and fresh move for both companies and the user base also.

Buying Instagram may be the first real fresh decision Mark Zuckerberg has ever made.

It’s such a big and fresh move, that Facebook has publicly stated it may not make similar moves anytime soon, or ever.

In the end, what is your view about all of this? Did you like Instagram before Facebook bought it? What do you think of Instagram now?

Do you think this deal is bad and will hurt Instagram users? Are you going to delete your Instagram account?

Please share your thoughts, comments, or any Instagram photo reactions to this topic below. Thanks for reading!

I was recently interviewed by Ashley Barron.

The interview was a great way to share what I think about the different topics of blogging, monetizing online and focusing on getting things done.

That interview also indirectly resulted in this very article.

One of the things I said in the interview revolved around the concept of being passionate about blogging and other things in life. I am passionate about many things, and I day/night/constantly dream like crazy.

Thoughts about different things, including thoughts about being passionate about different things and actually having the feelings that I’m passionate about different things, are everywhere in my life.

I said in the interview “For me, passion is less important than focus.” That is one of my most important realizations in life.

Thinking may be the most important thing in my life. However, I need to do more than just think.

Focusing on the action on what to do with the passion, taking action, planning out the next steps, and anything else to do more than just having a passion helps much more than simply having passion.

Recently, Jeff Ashcroft read my interview via Twitter and responded to it, saying that passion is everything. Here is what Jeff tweeted, and what I replied with:

@jeffo332 thanks for the reply Jeff! Passion is great, though if one doesn’t focus on the passion practically, it’s useless. Right?

— Bes Zain (@besz) March 5, 2012

It was an awesome tweet by Jeff. It’s true too: Passion results in a lot of important ideas, dreams, and hope. I dream all the time, and I have passion for different things almost every hour of the day.

However, passion to me is less important than focus for one sole reason: passion is simply an idea, or a feeling.

Passion and other thoughts are great, though if one doesn’t focus on the passion practically, it’s useless.

Without actually doing something about a thought, passion remains just that: a passion, an idea, a feeling. It’s nothing more than just a thought.

Focus VS Passion

Passion is an emotional feeling about something. That “something” could be something physical in the world, or an idea in your head. Passion is awesome.

Simply having passion is not enough, though.

You need to be able to act on that passion. You need to be able to do something about your passion and to turn the passion into something practical.

Take this article, for example. I was passionate enough to think about writing this article almost a week ago:

@dcPriya thanks Ashley! I’ve a blog post coming up explaining that point in detail, specially with the awesome tweet by @jeffo332

— Bes Zain (@besz) March 5, 2012

However, until yesterday when I actually wrote this post, that small idea was just that: an idea. Only when I focused on it and did something about it did I make that passion and idea useful.

Doing more than just having a passion?

Here are 5 of the many reasons why I consider focus and related things to be more important than just having a passion.

Do note that all of these reasons stem because of the passion, yet they’re far more important and can be applied to anything in life, including things you’re not yet, or never will be, passionate about:

By Mark Hunter

1. Acting on things you’re passionate about turns them into something more useful.
2. Focusing on and planning your passion makes you realize what you want, or don’t want, to do in life.
3. Taking steps towards turning things you’re excited about lets you know whether or not such things are worth pursuing.
4. Your ideas, dreams and passions become more epic once you start acting on them.
5. Having the ability to turn passion and thoughts into a reality is more useful than just being able to think and have passion.

Everyone has the ability to think, yet not everyone thinks. Being able to think about things helps you understand more.

Everyone has the ability to be passionate about things, yet not everyone tries to. Being passionate about something allows you to be excited more.

Everyone who thinks and has passion has the ability to act, yet not everyone acts on thoughts and things they’re passionate about. Doing something about your passion allows you to make life happier and more useful.

How do you Focus on your Passion?

What do you think of this? Do you think doing something about your passion or anything in life is more important than simply having passion itself? What are you doing about the things you’re passionate about?

It is interesting to realize that thinking and having passion can be considered actions and focus, compared to not thinking and not having any passion.

Please share what you’re thinking in the comments below, so that your passion and thoughts about this topic can be turned into a real and useful comment.

Thanks for reading!

Whatever you do, online or offline, your body basically dictates how you feel doing it.

Your body’s condition also strongly influences how well you do things, online or offline.

Too tired while playing a game? You won’t enjoy the game as much. Too sleepy while watching a movie? You’re not going to remember or understand the movie that much. In physical pain while working? Well, your work is probably going to get affected.

Body not feeling fresh? Your thoughts through the day will also not be as exciting.

Like many other things, your body sweat (ewww!) also dictates how you feel and how well you do in both online and offline things.

Lucky for you, studies have been done to help you figure out how much you sweat, why you sweat and what you can do to avoid sweating.

Sweat: The Big Picture

Here’s the sweat infographics you can actually remember easily. The next time you want to do something, keep in mind the following to avoid sweating or to reduce it. Pay special attention to “The Products You’re Using” section. I didn’t know greasy food would cause you to sweat more.

Via: Bye Bye Excessive Armpit Sweat

What do you think?

What do you think of the above info? Will you change or start thinking about certain things in life to start sweating less?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below, thanks!

2012. Today marks the day when so many of us will start hoping for an awesome 2012, compared to 2011 at least. We have new plans, new goals, new dreams and new wants. For me, New Year Resolutions are simply a way to start acting on things in life on a certain date. This is like a push: giving yourself and thinking of a specific date, today, to start doing things.

Our needs may remain the same, though our wants are changing. A few years ago I wrote on how setting achievable goals was not as useful as we usually think. It seems setting New Year goals offer no help unless the goals we’re setting focus on our entire life, and not just 365 days of our life limited by a calendar year name.

Here are my 2012 plans that I’m working on to create an impact on my life that will last forever. The focus is on simplifying the complexity I’m adding to my life, and the complexity that is my life.

For My 2012 New Year Resolutions, I’m Going to…..

1. Have a 100% happy, simpler life
2. Reduce physical clutter:
   1. Convert everything to a digital format when possible, like all forms of letters, receipts, books, into something online like Evernote or Google+ Photos.
   2. Keep only the absolutely necessary papers around in paper format, like legally-required-to-be-on-paper Driving License replacement printout or the passport.
   3. Throw away everything physical that is unneeded, like papers, books, letters, receipts, pens, decoration pieces, boxes, bags, etc.
   4. Keep only a minimum number of clothing apparel in life: maximum of 5 shirts, 7 t-shirts, 5 trousers/pants/jeans, 3 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of slippers, 5 pairs of socks, 2 hoodies, 2 coats, 2 caps/hats, 3 towels, 2 mufflers (scarfs) and 1 watch.

      (I’ve never done this before. I wonder if this is still too much? Let me know in the comments below.)

   5. Keep a maximum of 2 sets of hygiene essentials, like 2 soaps, 2 sets of shampoo and conditioners, 2 towels, 2 sets of shaving blades, etc.
   6. Have only one electronic item for each category, like only one cell phone, only one laptop and no desktop, only one camera, etc.
   7. Get something new only when I’ll throw out something I already have, online or offline.
3. Reduce digital clutter:
   1. Reduce the number of info sources in my Google Reader.
   2. Cancel, delete or make a list of all my online accounts I don’t need, like ICQ, Skype, YouMail, PageOnce, or my multiple Hotmail accounts.
   3. Uninstall and delete everything on my computer I don’t need, like games I don’t play anymore or regularly, programs I don’t use regularly, etc.
   4. Keep only one version of any digital item. For example, if a file is in Evernote, delete it from my email OR from my computer.
   5. Consolidate backups of the digital life. For example, combine DropBox, CrashPlan and my Documents folder to all be together and work together.
   6. Simplify and focus on a few core Besizm Network sites. The Reasoner is one such example, where I’ll be simplifying things more in terms of designs and usability.
4. Achieve things in life by reducing mental clutter and distractions:
   1. Not say “I’m Sorry” or “Sorry” unless I really am and unless I should be. This is related to “The Lie Called “I’m Sorry!”“
   2. Be 100% myself by being 100% humble, by avoiding manipulation, by not lying and by not exaggerating.
   3. Take action or make plans on things right away, even if it is to start them in the most basic form and to plan the next step for the future.
   4. Say “No” always when the answer is “No.”
   5. Finish or get rid of all incomplete plans and memories in life.
   6. Work on my Network content first, and then focus on any extra things. For example, I’ll be focusing more on producing content and will work on improving the visual designs only after I’ve done the content posting part.

With the exception of money and happiness, I’m trying to reduce down everything to the basics and bare minimum. With a simplified life will come a more focused happiness and more flow and value of money. With a more focused happiness and enthusiasm, there will be more direct results in life and also towards money. With extra peace of mind, there is be more things to enjoy in life with happiness and money, and fewer unnecessary or unwanted things to get boggled down by.

2012 New Year Resolutions - What are yours?

What are Your 2012 Resolutions?

What have you decided for 2012? What are you planning for 2012? Will your 2012 be the exact same as 2011? What are some of your goals, wants, needs, resolutions, etc?

Can you suggest anything I can add or change in my plans? For example, is the number of clothes I’m thinking of holding on to still too much to keep around? Am I missing something in trying to simplify things?

Do you have any goals that are similar to mine, or the exact opposite (like you wanting more stuff online or offline)?

Please share in the comments below. I’m now going to go and find out all the clothes that will be thrown away.

Thanks for reading!