Blog for Accountants and Consultants

South Carolina Driving School Expands

>Fort Mill, SC (PRWEB) April 27, 2012 Woodruff Driving School has launched a new website that spotlights new services and more class locations. The driver’s education school works with students in South Carolina Upstate. Command Partners, a top digital marketing agency, was contracted to design and build the new website for the driving school. The new website was the first step in a new marketing direction for Woodruff Driving School. Woodruff Driving School added Anderson, Boiling Springs, Chesnee, Clinton, Easley, Greenville, Greenwood, Rock Hill, Simpsonville and Union, S.C. to its list of classroom locations. Along with standard driver’s education courses, Woodruff Driving School added defensive driving techniques including USA IPDE and British WHAM. “We are the biggest driving school in South Carolina and are continuing to grow at a rapid rate, said Woodruff Driving School founder Brian Kingwell. “I believe our success comes from the instructors that we employ. They really connect with the students, and they fully prepare each person to take their driving test.” Woodruff Driving School holds class sessions on Saturdays to allow for more students to attend each class. The school is also the only drivers’ education program in South Carolina that provides an insurance discount certificate for each one of their students. “We have kept up with our education so well, we know the routes each DMV takes their students,” Kingwell said. “With that information, we are able to create those same routes for our students. It is definitely a plus to do your in-class and on-road education with the same experienced instructors.” With these additions, Woodruff Driving School is primed to keep growing and to continue delivering excellent driving education courses. For more information visit http://www.southcarolinadrivingschool.com. About Woodruff Driving School Woodruff Driving School is fully approved and licensed through the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. The school and is a proud member of the American Driving School Association. Woodruff Driving School focuses on teaching students in Upstate South Carolina to drive safely and responsibly for life. ...

Source: South Carolina Driving School Expands

Apple CEO Tim Cook seen at Valve HQ, sending rumor mill spinning

Tim Cook reportedly visits Valve headquarters in Washington state the same week that the gaming company posted a help wanted ad for someone with serious hardware skills? Holy conjecture, Batman!

Reports that Tim Cook was seen at Valve HQ have yet to be confirmed, even though they're flying all around the inform-ether today. What's definitely true, though, is that Valve is looking for a couple of hardware geeks for an unknown project, as the job description itself indicates:

For years, Valve has been all about writing software that provides great gameplay experiences. Now we're developing hardware to enhance those experiences, and you can be a key part of making that happen...We're not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here -- help us invent whole new gaming experiences.

So the head of the world's most famous hardware maker visited a popular gaming software maker that's got a secret hardware project in the works. Hmm.... There's a few ways to deal with the rumor mill that springs up around these kinds of things: 1) ignore it all -- deals fall through all the time, projects get shelved, it's tough to know what's really going on until it's arrived, 2) get ahead of it, and then turn it up to 11, get really crazy with the speculation.

The first option is safer, but the second option is more fun. Since it's a Saturday, let's go for Option 2. I'll lay out some of the guesses I've seen that seem to be the most educated and advance some insane theories of my own that are part fact, part fantasy.

First up, Cult of Mac says the whispers it listens to are telling it the long-awaited Apple television will include a gaming console similar to a Microsoft Kinect that relies heavily on motion and voice-recognition technology. Could Apple partner with Steam to develop that part of the platform? Perhaps.

Related storiesApple to unveil 'revolutionary' product this year, says designerWhat's your dream Apple product?Steam gaming client for Mac now available

Then there's the case of the Valve employee's blog that mentions R&D the company is engaging in around "wearable computing." Forbes speculates this could mean that Tim Cook wanted to talk to some of the folks about a possible fall line that could compete with Google's recently confirmed "Project Glass" eyewear with the heads-up display. Seems as good a guess as any -- except for that last one, I think I like the Apple gaming platform better.

But we could certainly get a little more crazy with the theories. Why bother working with a company that you've gotta go all the way through Oregon to get to when you've got enough money to buy the whole outfit and have it shipped back to Cupertino? Or perhaps, given Steam head Gabe Newell's past disdain for Apple, his people finally scheduled an arm-wrestling match with Cook, and because Cook did a trillion reps on the stress balls while working under Steve Jobs, he's totally ripped in the forearm area and easily bested Newell to win himself a gaming company.

Then again, maybe we'll soon be seeing a whole new line of games on Steam exclusively designed for the iPad. Or maybe not.

Whatever the conversation was that took place in the Evergreen State yesterday, two things are for sure: 1) nobody writing about it in the inform-ether was in the room, and 2) I'm going to keep using the phrase inform-ether until it's in a dictionary somewhere.

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Source: Apple CEO Tim Cook seen at Valve HQ, sending rumor mill spinning

Fattell Selected as Local My Favorite Teacher Contest Winner at Princeton Barnes & Noble

Mrs. Jackie Fattell from Orchard Hill Elementary School in Skillman, NJ has been named the local winner of the “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest” held at the Princeton Barnes & Noble. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GS_googleAddAdSenseService("ca-pub-83492339"+"76388614"); GS_googleEnableAllServices(); GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-8349233976388614", "NewsArticles_ATF_Center_250x250"); GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-8349233976388614", "NewsArticles_BTF_Footer_728x90"); GA_googleFetchAds(); GA_googleAddAdSensePageAttr("google_color_bg","ffffff"); GA_googleAddAdSensePageAttr("google_color_border","ffffff"); GA_googleAddAdSensePageAttr("google_color_link","2050d0"); GA_googleAddAdSensePageAttr("google_alternate_ad_url","http://www http://www.publicsafetydegrees.com.prlog.org/jsinc/noidx/ads.html"); GA_googleAddAdSenseSlotAttr("NewsArticles_ATF_Center_250x250","google_ad_type","text"); GA_googleAddAdSenseSlotAttr("NewsArticles_ATF_Center_250x250", "google_ad_channel", "1297855608+0633753409+7072525493+0362719149+3793851867+6863560615");GA_googleFillSlot("NewsArticles_ATF_Center_250x250");PRLog (Press Release) - Apr 10, 2012 - New York, NY – April 10, 2012 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that Mrs. Jackie Fattell from Orchard Hill Elementary School in Skillman, NJ has been named the local winner of the “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest” held at the Princeton Barnes & Noble. Fattell was chosen from all the entries at the Barnes & Noble in the MarketFair Mall, 3535 Route 1 South, Princeton, NJ.  Fattell was nominated by Dylan Goldstein.  Students were invited to nominate their teacher by writing essays, poems or thank you letters that share how their teacher has influenced their life and why they appreciate and admire their teacher.  Entries were judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing.  Fattell will be recognized at an event at the Princeton Barnes & Noble where she will receive a

Starting a Startup Business Can Be Done in Two Days Says a New Report...

>Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 19, 2012 A new report from Shoestring Publishing shows how some business startups can be started in a very short time by people without experience, which makes it possible for many people who are currently interested in starting a business to move on the idea and get started http://educationissues.blogreaction.net/aviation-industry-national-economy,413539. The report points out that more people in the USA are starting their own businesses since the beginning of the economic recession, according to Justin Douglas from Shoestring. He says, "An increase of 30% since the recession began in 2010 shows that people are wanting to have independence and in many cases create their own jobs by starting a new business. These new businesses tend to be startups just like the startups we teach about in our courses from Shoestring Publishing. That is why we are providing blueprints for starting these businesses as well as complete training in all related areas necessary to start a startup, including the accounting, legal, marketing and other areas. In fact, all of the teachers of the courses have started these business startups themselves and are teaching from their own experience. This saves a lot of time for anyone trying to learn how to start a business." Mr. Douglas says that most of these startup businesses have benefits that are probably influencing people's decisions and attracting people to start their own startup businesses, including:
100% recession proof Fast to start many businesses (some can be started in less than 2 Weeks) Low start up costs (in some cases, less than $500) No special education or experience is needed Many opportunities are very high paying Be the boss and never lose the job Flexible hours Work in any city Grow at any pace Easy to sell in the future For more information, visit the Shoestring Publishing website. About Shoestring Publishing Shoestring Publishing is the premier online publisher of "extra income opportunities" that anyone can use to earn additional income. Unlike 99% of the so-called "oppo

Blue Door Networks, LLC Joins Juniper Networks Partner Program

Blue Door Networks, LLC, announced today that it has entered Juniper Networks Partner Program. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 21, 2012 - Herndon, VA, March 20, 2012 – Blue Door Networks, LLC, announced today that it has entered Juniper Networks Partner Program. Based just outside of the Nation’s Capital, Blue Door Networks is a communications and information technologies company that specializes in providing best-in-class solutions for medium sized enterprises.   Blue Door Networks’ new status in Juniper Networks Partner Program reinforces the company’s focus on providing customers with the most comprehensive mobile security solutions. Juniper Networks’ Partner program focuses on particular aspects in delivering high performance networking and security solutions, providing organizations with integrated and interoperable best-in-class solutions.“As a Juniper Networks partner, Blue Door Networks will provide the tools our customers require to manage their critical enterprise networking needs,” said Frank Carlucci, CEO and President, Blue Door Networks. “With a portfolio of proven networking and security solutions that support complex scale, security and performance requirements, Juniper Networks consistently delivers products for building networks tailored to the specific needs of users, services and applications.” Founded in 2011, Blue Door Networks is focused on bringing world class technology solutions to the Enterprise.    With a foundation of employees with over one hundred fifty years of combined experience in the telecommunications industry, their focus is not as a “reseller” but as a solutions provider.  Blue Door Networks has an in-depth understanding of today’s telecommunications challenges – whether they are with the Service Provider or the Enterprise customer.Blue Door Networks offers solutions for Data Networks, Network Security, Cloud Computing, Managed Services, Mobility Integration, Session Delivery Networks, Unified Communications, and Virtualization. They also provide a complete range of support services from IT Consulting, Implementation, Network Management and Optimization, and Maintenance and Technical Support.“We are excited to have Blue Door Networks as part of our Partner Program,” said Steve Pataky, VP WW Partner Development & Programs for Juniper Networks. “We see this partnership as a key step to enable customers of all sizes to effectively manage their network equipment as part of their overall management strategy.”About Blue Door Networks, LLCHeadquartered in Herndon, VA, Blue Door Networks, LLC is a communications and information technologies company focused on delivering and supporting best in class solutions for medium-sized enterprises, across the nation. Our unique combination of flexibility, experienced professionals, industry leading partners and products, a national services and support team, and a focus on the long term, allows us to deliver value at every point throughout the customer experience. The company leverages strong technology and business resources though a flexible, collaborative engagement model to design and build solutions that are open, cost effective, and precisely aligned with each customers need. Blue Door Networks is focused on providing Advanced Networking and Cloud Technologies. Blue Door Networks is a subsidiary of TAM Technologies, LLC. Information on Blue Door Networks, LLC can be found at www.bluedoornetworks.com.About Juniper NetworksJuniper Networks is in the business of network innovation. From devices to data centers, from consumers to cloud providers, Juniper Networks delivers the software, silicon and Communications that transform the experience and economics of networking. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net).Media Contact:Tara BairChief Marketing Officer757.641.4180tbair@bluedoornetworks.combluedoornetworks.com...

Source: Blue Door Networks, LLC Joins Juniper Networks Partner Program

Twitter To Musicians: Share Tweet-Friendly Media, And Skip The Publicists

As South by Southwest transforms from a massive tech party to a massive music festival, Twitter has unveiled Twitter for Musicians and Artists, a page offering tips on how musicians can use the service to connect with their fans.

Even if you’re not a world-famous musician, many of the suggestions will be pretty familiar. (Use hashtags! Reply to your fans!) Perhaps the most interesting thing is the suggestion that artists share their music specifically through links to YouTube, Rdio, or iTunes — in other words, sites whose content is directly viewable in tweets, without having to leave Twitter.

The Twitter for Musicians Page returns to some of the other themes of the site’s latest redesign. For one thing, it promotes the idea that an artist’s @username is their new URL.

Overall, Twitter describes itself as “the artist’s voice empowered”:

Musicians are always surrounded by people who want to tell their story. Whether it’s a publicist, a manager, an agent, a label rep, a journalist or that guy or gal you dated in high school, it seems no one hesitates to share their take on you and your work. But the most powerful voice is your own. Whether you’re celebrating a career milestone or need to clear the air, Twitter is the easiest and most powerful way to get your message across, directly and clearly.

This idea comes up later, when Twitter urges artists to use the service to break news: “You don’t always have to rely on a publicist to say that you’re excited that about your GRAMMY nominations; simply tweet it and share the joy instantly.”

Of course, artists who see Twitter as their “true” platform for interacting directly and authentically with fans, and for breaking news, aren’t just building a following — they’re driving attention and traffic for Twitter itself.

Twitter has been periodically rolling out how-to pages like this, starting with a general Twitter 101 page for businesses, and, more recently, specialized sites like Twitter for Newsrooms.

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Source: Twitter To Musicians: Share Tweet-Friendly Media, And Skip The Publicists

TouchMD and PatientNOW Announce Direct Integration and Marketing...

>(PRWEB) March 16, 2012 TouchMD offers a complete system for medical practices to take patients visually through a consultation with photos, videos and education. Patients can even view the consult from their home or office through the secure website, myTouchMD http://www.extraplay.com/members/profile-blog-display.php?id=10370&blogPID=7790&tabID=6.com. And while in the comforts of home patients can explore other procedures and products available from their Doctor. During a controlled study a practice manager in Southern California reported, her doctors are closing 26% more when patients participate in a consult with TouchMD. A new customer of TouchMD wrote “We are having GREAT success with our TouchMD product - our consult to surgery rate increased by 14% in the first month alone”. The strategic partnership with PatientNOW provides direct integration with one of the best EMR and practice management systems for cosmetic surgeons. Their EMR software becomes a central repository for everything in the medical office. With the streamlined integration with TouchMD it only makes sense to push photos, consents and other material to PatientNOW and make it part of the patients permanent medical record. This partnership allows medical practices to be more efficient eliminating duplicate data entry and allowing a single location for all patient data. Now a patient coordinator can push or pull photos directly from PatientNOW into TouchMD, sign consents and gain great education using touch screens to show patients before and after photos, educational videos, markup patients photos and generally help the patient to fully understand the procedure. According to Jerry Jacobson, CEO and Co-Founder of PatientNOW, TouchMD is changing how plastic surgeons consult and communicate with their patients. This revolutionary system from TouchMD helps patients see and fully understand any cosmetic procedure and feel comfortable with t

CompareCards.com Announces Student Scholarship Essay Contest

>Charleston, SC (PRWEB) March 13, 2012 CompareCards.com, a leading service for consumers to compare credit cards and manage their personal finances, has announced its $1,000 Student Scholarship Essay Contest. The submission period will run through May 29, and the competition gives students a chance to express their thoughts on topics in student debt and personal financing. The college experience provides many educational opportunities for students outside the classroom, and one of the most valuable lessons they can learn is financial responsibility. Grades in this subject don’t end at graduation either as credit scores and financial matters follow students well beyond graduation and impact their future in many ways, including the determination of future interest rates on car loans, mortgages and other important items. “Students can certainly utilize credit cards effectively to assist with tuition and other college fees, while also establishing a good reputation with lenders that will be great for their future,” said Chris Mettler, president and founder of CompareCards. “Our essay contest gives students a chance to explore this topic closely and learn how making financially responsible decisions can be beneficial throughout their lives.” To participate in the special CompareCards.com $1,000 Student Scholarship Contest, students must be graduating high school seniors, or freshman or sophomores in college and between the ages of 16 and 21. Eligible contestants can enter by submitting a 500 to 1,000 word essay answering one of these important financial questions: 1.    What is the positive impact that debt can have on a student? Is there a positive impact?
2.    If you are awarded this scholarship, what will you do as a student do to be financially responsible in college? To enter the contest, submit your essay to Chris Mettler at chris(at)comparecards(dot)com with your name, birth date and "CompareCards.com Scholarship" included in the email title. Please mention your current high school or college in the body of the email. The deadline for submission is a May 29 and the contest winner will be announced on June 1. Submissions will be assessed by the CompareCards.com team and evaluated through a fair and unbiased judging process. The winner will be selected based on who has written the essay that is most compelling and beneficial for other students to read. Please pay close attention to grammar and use language that is clear and articulate. CompareCards.com is a multi-dimensional service for users to compare credit cards side-by-side and utilize additional site features to manage their own credit more wisely. With recommendations that put the consumer first, CompareCards.com provides crucial information for students as well as families, business travelers and others looking for guidance on credit card deals and other financial concerns. For more information on the contest, visit the CompareCards.com blog or watch the CompareCards.com YouTube feature. For more information on CompareCards.com, along with details on its services for consumers, just visit http://www.CompareCards.com. About CompareCards.com
CompareCards.com serves as an efficient navigational tool in the ever-increasing space of online credit card offerings. Started as a listing resource for consumers, the site has expanded steadily and now serves as a multi-dimensional service for users to compare credit cards side-by-side and utilize additional functions to manage their credit. The site analyzes details on more than 100 leading credit card offers and has been mentioned in Business Insider, ETV Public Radio, CBS Money Watch and MainStreet.com. ...

Source: CompareCards.com Announces Student Scholarship Essay Contest

Apples new iPad gets unboxed, benchmarked early

Apple's new iPad may not be hitting store shelves until Friday, but it's already been cracked open and benchmarked.

Meet the new iPad box, same as the old iPad box (mostly).

Apple's new iPad doesn't hit stores until Friday, but that hasn't kept it from ending up out in the wild first.

Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn today posted photos and a video of the new iPad for the first time outside of Apple's unveiling event last week, and ahead of reviews from CNET and other news outlets.

While there aren't any surprises to be found in the packaging or packing materials, the site did run the device through its paces in the popular Geekbench software by Primate Labs where it scored a 756. As MacRumors notes, that's very close to what the iPad 2 pulls in (751), however the test is not set up to evaluate graphical performance, which is where the new model surpasses the old one.

Also noteworthy: the test confirmed the new iPad has 1GB of RAM, up from 512 in the iPad 2. A report from The Verge following the new device's introduction last week claimed as much, however that's not a spec Apple lists.

Related stories Unboxing the iPad 2 (ZDNet) New iPad comes with 1GB of RAM, report says Mystery white iPhone sports 64GB, multitasking tweaks White plastic iPhone 4 pops up, possibly '4S' model

This is the latest in a series of early Apple product grabs for Tinhte. It's the same outlet that got a hold of the iPhone 4 ahead of its official announcement, as well as a 64GB iPhone 4 model last April ahead of such a model arriving with the iPhone 4S.

The new iPad goes on sale this Friday at Apple's store as well as a handful of retail partners, including RadioShack and U.S. carriers AT&T and Verizon. Apple has already shipped out units to many who preordered the device last week, however those packages are being held until release day.

In case you're itching for more unboxing, Tinhte has posted an unboxing video, which is embedded below:

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Source: Apple's new iPad gets unboxed, benchmarked early

FSW Funding Ups Ante for Entrepreneur Scholarship

Firm pledges to provide opportunity to ASU students for third year FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 09, 2012 - PHOENIX, Ariz. – Arizona State University alumni and founder of FSW Funding, Robyn Barrett announces the renewal of the company’s scholarship program for the 2012/2013 school year. The scholarship, which honors and encourages entrepreneurship is offered to all students, including those in master’s degree programs. “We are pleased to continue the Entrepreneurial Scholarship into a third year and are looking forward to providing continued support for young entrepreneurs as they receive their education,” said Barrett. “As our business continues to grow, we look to increase our community involvement and encourage future entrepreneurs who are vital to our economy.”Recognizing the increasing costs of tuition, Barrett is pleased to be in a position to increase the scholarship award this year to $2000. The firm has also upped the minimum GPA requirement to 3.00.Applicants are required to submit a 500-word essay explaining the importance of being entrepreneurial, a letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or employer, a current resume and an unofficial transcript. Students are not required to demonstrate financial need or be enrolled in a specific major to be considered in the scholarship selection. Applicants must be enrolled as a full-time student at ASU Tempe, West, Polytechnic, or downtown Phoenix campus. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2012.FSW Funding is committed to increasing the scholarship fund by donating a percentage generated through the acquisition of new clients each year. Barrett introduced the company scholarship program in 2010 with a $1000 award. Submissions can be made online through the scholarship listings at scholarships.asu.edu or by emailing robyn@fswfunding.com to request an application.About FSW FundingFSW Funding, headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a leading factoring firm that offers flexible and affordable lines of credit to small and mid-size business-to-business and business-to-government companies. For more information, visit www.fswfunding.com or call 602.535.5984# # #A full-service public relations and marketing firm that provides comprehensive, strategic marketing, publicity planning and implementation for a variety of industries. Our greatest strength is not talking about us – it is talking about you!...

Source: FSW Funding Ups Ante for Entrepreneur Scholarship