December 2009

Real estate sales for 2010 instead of 1980

Two years ago I started a post about the need for better ways of selling real estate. We were fresh off the real estate search. Having had several bad experiences trying to talk us into sub-prime mortgages and houses we couldn't afford I thought it was time for a change. Now two years later everything has changed and yet nothing has changed. Here's what I wrote at that time:

We've recently been on the real estate roller-coaster. Having had a "prime" loan and house for several years through the growth of the market we're cashing out at a decent time. The challenges of buying, however, are making me think a lot about the need for real reform in the way we buy and sell real estate. It isn't even so much the buying and selling exactly, though that needs help too, but it is the process of finding a place that really stinks.

Twitter gets hacked by Iranian Cyber Army and Google gets it all on cache

A short time ago Twitter went offline following reports that the site had been hacked by a group posting under the name Iranian Cyber Army. If you're quick you can head over to Google and get a cached copy of the page minus the graphics. This screenshot came from Google's cache a short time ago.

This may be one of the first times such a high-profile hacking incident was caught, nearly in real time, by Googlebot.

Cowboy Christmas 2009 in Las Vegas

If you're in town for the National Finals Rodeo or just want to do some shopping Cowboy Christmas is one of the best times you can have in Las Vegas. And contrary to what the ads say this part of what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas.

  • The Las Vegas Convention Center hosts the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show which is open 10AM - 5PM daily from Thursday, December 3 through Saturday, December 12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center this show bills itself as "longest running and only “Original” gift show of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo." The convention center is easy to get to on the Monorail as well making it hassle-free to get to.
  • My personal favorite the Ariat Country Christmas Western Gift Expo returns for the 16th year at the Sands Convention Center and runs from Friday, December 3 - Sunday, December 13. Their site doesn't give hours but it's safe to assume they will be similar daytime hours. The Ariat Country Christmas is the only of the three to be open on Sunday Dec 13.