Written by Doug Ross

Telecom Analyst Bruce Kushnick has inspected the iPhone’s terms of service and offers some surprising revelations (emphasis mine):

1) iPhone Requires a 2-Year Contract with AT&T.

2) Expensive: Requires $2,280, Over $1,730 in Wireless Costs.

3) Double Billing. You and the Caller Both Get Charged for the Same Call.

4) All Use of the Networks Are Always Rounded Up to the Nearest Kilobyte or Minute.

…This practice is now standard and is anti-competitive. In the 1990’s, phone companies, to be competitive, created “6 second billing”, where the call was rounded to the nearest 1/10th of a minute. This change adds 15+% to the average bill. Moreover, the companies now have all gone to full minute billing, full kilobyte billing, so that they can make an extra minute on almost every transaction…

5) Customers Are Billed for “Network Errors” and “Network Overhead”.

6) Billed Even Though the Call Doesn’t Go Through.

7) Bogus Fees Added to the Bill: Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge

The “Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge” is a made-up charge that should have been included in the cost of service instead of a separate line item. Most carriers are charging this fee, even though it is not government mandated or a legitimate tax. By making it a separate line item, the phone company gets more money and doesn’t have to include this line item in the advertised cost of service. According to AT&T:

“The Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge is a charge assessed by AT&T and is not a tax or government-mandated charge. This charge is subject to change from time to time as the cost of compliance changes…. The purpose of the charge is to defray AT&T’s costs associated with payment of fees and compliance with various initiatives imposed by the government. Please note that costs may be incurred and charged prior to initiation of any of the respective services.”

8) $175.00 Termination Fee.

9) International Messages Are Charged Additional Fees as Are Files Over 300Kbps.

…While it cost[s] nothing extra to send an email overseas using the Internet, AT&T has decided that all messages outside the US or larger than 300 K should cost extra:

“International messages not included. Charges for international messages sent from the U.S. are 20? for Text Messages and 50? for Picture/Video Messages. Additional charges for premium messages and content apply. Messages over 300 KBs billed an additional 50?/message.”

10) Over Your Quota: Get Gouged: 40? Per Minute and 69? Roaming Offnet.

11) The Services Are Not Secure and Can’t Block Your Phone Number.

12) The Current Mobile Email Service Doesn’t Support Attachments.

13) Prohibited Uses and “Unlimited” Sales Hype.

Even though the service is called “unlimited” they are simply using that word as a marketing concept, not an actual service description. You can’t use the service for VOIP and worse “unlimited plans cannot be used for uploading, downloading or streaming of video content (e.g. movies, tv), music or games.” Here are just some of the restrictions [prohibited services]:

* With server devices or with host computer applications, including, without limitation, web camera posts or broadcasts, continuous jpeg file transfers, automatic data feeds, telemetry applications, peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing, automated functions or any other machine-to-machine applications…
* for voice over ip…
* in conjunction with wwan or other applications or devices which aggregate usage from multiple sources prior to transmission…
* Except for content formatted in accordance with at&t’s content standards, unlimited plans cannot be used for uploading, downloading or streaming of video content (e.g. movies, tv), music or games. Furthermore, unlimited plans (except for dataconnect and blackberry tethered) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device

14) Service Is Not Intended to Provide Full-Time Connections: Unlimited is Hype – Don’t use the service too much or the phone company can terminate your service.

15) Wi-Fi Service is Limited – “To ensure that the Wi-Fi Service is not being used fraudulently, AT&T limits your usage of the Wi-Fi Service to 150 uses per month” …Does that mean that if you lose signal a few times during one session, or you are traveling and go between ‘hot spots’ you can rack up lots of ‘uses’?

16) “Offnet” Restrictions – If you have a service and you happen to call other ‘offnet’ services, including wireline phones, or non-AT&T subscribers, you have to ‘limit’ your use, be charged or be terminated.

17) Plan Goobly-gook – …There are plan fees, taxes and surcharges, roaming fees, text fees, Night and Weekend Minutes, Mobile to Mobile Minutes, Anytime Minutes and Rollover Minutes, EDGE/GPRS and BroadbandConnect, offnet, AT&T Video clips, Data Connect Unlimited, WI-FI CONNECT, constraints on ‘unlimited plans including “20% of 6 Megabits offnet”, “150 uses of Wi-Fi”, and other restrictions…

18) Comparing US and Other Broadband Countries: America Is being Laughed At.

Why did iPhone get deployed on a slow, closed network? That answer may not be known, but it is clear that iPhone is being deployed on an old-technology network, and is neither state-of-the-art nor fast. Here’s some info about the [wired] networks… “The median U.S. download speed now is 1.97 megabits per second – a fraction of the 61 megabits per second enjoyed by consumers in Japan … Other speedy countries include South Korea (median 45 megabits), France (17 megabits) and Canada (7 megabits).”

19) The Upcoming Wireless Spectrum Auctions – The upcoming 700 MHz wireless spectrum auctions are underway [and] the bottom-line is [that] America needs open wireless networks, and it should be clear to anyone who is considering buying an iPhone that the AT&T networks should not be the only network for this innovative product.

These types of anti-innovation restrictions make it clear why the incumbent telcos shouldn’t be permitted to bid on the newly liberated 700MHz spectrum.

Go to Save the Internet now and take action.

Update: Tim Wu has more.

Written by Socyberty Photo from citynews.ca

Information no one really thought about and might not be aware of.

Did you know?

1. That the tongue of a whale weighs as much as an elephant.
2. By 2003, the number of people who lived together before marriage was a little over 70% as against 5% in the 1960’s.
3. According to a recent study, people who talk on cell phones while driving are as impaired as drunk drivers, even when they use hands-free devices.
4. The number of people with diabetes worldwide rose from about 30 million to over 230 million.
5. The three richest men in the world are worth as much as the 40 most poorest countries of the world.
6. Over the last eight year, at least 130,000 children have been kidnapped for sale, for sexual or labour exploitation or for the removal of their organs.
7. During 2005, there occurred 28 full-fledged wars and eleven other minor armed conflicts, worldwide.
8. According to the wall street journal (USA), up to half of the couples asked admit that they commit “financial infidelity” – lying to their spouse about expenditure they made.
9. In the United States, half of all adults have gum disease or tooth decay. 3 out of 10 people over 65 have lost all their teeth.
10. In Spain about 25% of children are born out of wedlock, 43% in France, 45% in Denmark and 55% in Sweden.
11. About a third of Britons sleep less than 5hrs each night. This makes a person more prone to suffer poor concentration, memory lapses and mood swings. It may also increase the risk of Obesity, Diabetes and depression.
12. There are over 18,000 pieces of plastic floating on every sq. kilometer of ocean today. (UN Environmental Programme).
13. The amount of hours spent by US. Workers every year playing computer games on the job amounted to about half a billion. This is a loss of productivity valued at $10 billion. This however excludes time spent surfing the web at work for personal use.
14. By 2004, every 2 marriages out of 3 weddings failed in Spain.
15. Children who spend extended periods in front of the T.V are more likely to develop communication problems.
16. Every second a child dies because they didn’t get enough to eat.
17. The oldest known living animal is said to be Harriet, a 150kg. giant tortoise living at a zoo in Brisbane, Australia.
18. “Kangaroo care” for babies is when a parent lies back and cradles their baby against their bare chest for an hour or two each day. According to Japan’s Daily Yomiuri, babies who receive such care sleep longer, have improved breathing and put on weight much faster.
19. A survey conducted among individuals from east and south China, with an average of 2.2 billion Yuan ($275 million). The research studied the rich people’s attitude towards faith, marriage, life career and money. It was discovered that a majority of the millionaires hate and love money at the same time. Some said that apart from social status and a sense of accomplishment “annoyance” was the main thing wealth has brought them.

Written by Bart Frazier

To every high-school student in this country between the ages of 15 and 18, this letter is to you. If there is ever something that you should take the time to learn about, it is government.

Why? – you ask. If your idea of government is endless babbling by old congressional codgers on C-SPAN, you’re partly right. The art of government, or politics, is less entertaining than a visit to the dentist. However, hidden among all the babble of congressional rules and yeas and nays that you hear on television, the real secret that is never explained to you in school is that government is force, and government can use this force to violate your rights.

It is through government that other people can take your money, forbid you to visit foreign countries, prevent you from drinking alcohol, mandate attendance in public (i.e., government) schools, and even force you into the military to possibly die in battle thousands of miles away from American shores. In short, you need to be interested in government because government officials can adversely affect your lives in the most serious of ways.

Since government at its basic level is force, what should the role of government be? After all, with force government can act in just about any way that we allow it to, right or wrong. Philosophers have debated the question for centuries, but a sound rule of thumb that has emerged is that government should defend our rights, while at the same time not violate them.

In other words, government should protect us from the violence of others but not initiate violence against us. The government should not be allowed to steal from us, it should not be allowed to enslave us, and it should not be allowed to murder us. In short, it should protect our fundamental rights but not transgress them.

It sounds pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? Government should not prevent any activity that does not violate the rights of another person. However, you’ll see, in fact, that most of the things that government does today violate individual liberty in one way or another. Let’s look at a few examples.

The drug war

One example that all of you are probably familiar with is the drug war. This ought to be an easy one for all of you. You probably have friends who have done drugs, and you may have even heard of undercover narcs in your school. I am certainly not telling you that doing drugs is okay because, as you have been told a million times by your parents and teachers, drugs can and do kill people. At the very least, they can numb your brain and make you stupid. However, what your parents and teachers do not tell you is that government has no right to throw anyone in jail for doing drugs. If someone sits in front of his television and smokes a joint, whose rights has he violated? Nobody’s!

Last year alone, more than 1.8 million people were arrested on drug offenses and, with the exception of those who used violence against others, not one of them deserves to be behind bars. Plain and simple, drugs should be legalized, even the hard ones. As long as people don’t initiate force against others in the process, people should be free to do unhealthy things. That’s what genuine freedom is all about it.

Conscription

The draft is another example of the government’s violation of individual rights, and this one could have a profound effect on you. You may not be familiar with the draft, but you should be, because it is a program the government uses to enslave people your age. The draft is the process whereby the government selects people to be part of the military. If your name is selected, you have no choice – you must obey or be punished. If the country is at war at the time you are drafted, you will go through a short training period and then you will be sent into battle, most likely in some faraway country. On the battlefield of whatever country you are sent to, you will have to kill others in order to survive and you may die yourself, most likely for a cause that’s not worth killing or dying for.

Slavery is one of the most despicable crimes that can be committed against anyone, and forcing a person to fight in an army is among the worst forms of slavery. Not only is the victim’s labor stolen but there is also a good chance he will die in the process. The draft is one of the most egregious violations of individual rights our country has ever committed. If he were alive, you could ask Daniel Webster, who penned a famous essay entitled “On Conscription,” which you can easily find on the Internet.

The idea that the government would draft you may sound far-fetched to you right now, but it is has happened before. Ask your parents about the Vietnam War; they will certainly know people who were enslaved and perhaps even died as a result of the draft. And ominously for you, there is talk in the air of instituting the draft again to serve in the occupation of Iraq. If you didn’t know that, you need to pay more attention to government.

Welfare

Third, contrary to what your teachers may have taught you, government welfare is not charity. It is theft. Social Security is not the warm and fuzzy charitable retirement program that you have been led to believe it is. It is instead a scheme that enables the government to take money (by force) from one group of people – i.e., the young and productive, most of whom are struggling to start families – in order to give it to a group of elderly people, many of whom have plenty of money saved up after decades of work.

Let’s suppose that you are hungry but you have no lunch money. In order to buy lunch, you beat up a middle-schooler and take his pocket change to feed yourself. I know all of you would agree that this would be wrong. Theft is always wrong, no matter what the intention is, no matter how hungry you are.

Yet this is exactly what government does with Social Security when it takes the wages of the working to give to the elderly. The only difference is that instead of beating you up, they use the IRS to take your money. If you don’t pay your taxes to the IRS, government agents may not beat you up but they will send you to jail. How can it be right for the government to take one person’s money and give it to someone else, especially when it is clearly so wrong for anyone else to do so?

No matter how well-intentioned, the government cannot morally take from one person what is rightfully his and transfer it to another person. Charity exists only when a person voluntarily gives his money or time to help someone out. The only moral way to help the elderly, sick, and poor is to freely give your time or money. Good examples abound, such as the work your church or local soup kitchen does.

Social Security, and all other government programs that transfer money from one person to another, are legalized theft and should be abolished. Americans lived without these welfare-theft programs for more than 125 years; our ancestors believed in voluntary charity, not coerced welfare. If you did not know that, you should pay more attention to government.

Gun control

Gun control is another issue that most young people don’t understand because they have been taught that guns are dangerous and responsible for the deaths of countless persons every year. It is true that guns are dangerous, but people are responsible for the deaths of those they shoot, not the guns they use. Guns are only tools, and they are dangerous only in the hands of dangerous or careless people. Keep in mind that every person has a natural right to defend himself, even with a gun, as long he doesn’t violate the rights of others in the process.

I am sure that you have heard of the Second Amendment to the Constitution – it guarantees the natural right we all have to keep and bear arms. In other words, the government is not legally permitted to do anything to take our guns away. When the Constitution was written in 1787, why would the authors want to make sure that we could all keep our guns? Your civics teacher will never tell you this, but the reason is so that we could defend ourselves against our own government should the need should ever arise.

Does this sound crazy to you? If so, listen to what Thomas Jefferson had to say about gun ownership: “What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.” These are not the words of some whacko, but rather of the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence.

You should be extremely outraged at any politician who favors the idea of gun control. Though it seems like a small and meaningless act, taking away guns from the citizens of a country is one of the first steps that dictators take to rule their countries with iron fists. They know that once the people have been disarmed, there is nothing they can do to stop the government from violating individual rights. As long as citizens are armed, politicians will always think twice about doing very bad things to their own people. If you didn’t know why the Founding Fathers wanted you to own guns, you should pay more attention to government.

There are many more examples of the abuses that we suffer at the hands of government, but as long as you learn this one lesson – that government is the biggest threat to the freedom of its citizenry – you are well on the way to becoming an educated citizen and a patriot. There are no parting words more appropriate with which I could leave you than these words attributed to George Washington: “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

That is why you should pay attention to government.

Bart Frazier is program director at The Future of Freedom Foundation. Send him email.

Written by Friedbeef

Laptops tend to lose their charm quickly when you’re constantly looking for the nearest power outlet to charge up. How do you keep your battery going for as long as possible? Here are 15 easy ways to do so.

 

1. Defrag regularly – The less your hard drive spins – less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery. Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems)

2. Dim your screen – Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.

3. Cut down on programs running in the background. Itunes, Desktop Search, etc. All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. Shut down everything that isn’t crucial when you’re on battery.

4. Cut down external devices – USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery. Remove or shut them down when not in use. It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.

5. Add more RAM – This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.

6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD – As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they?re not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.

7. Keep the battery contacts clean: Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.

8. Take care of your battery – Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)

9. Hibernate not standby – Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.

10. Keep operating temperature down – Your laptop operates more efficiently when it’s cooler. Clean out your air vents with a cloth or keyboard cleaner, or refer to some extra tips by LapTopMag.com.

11. Set up and optimize your power options – Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect).

12. Don’t multitask – Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery. Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3’s, set your mind to one thing only. If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!

13. Go easy on the PC demands – The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you’re got a single battery charge – pick your priorities wisely.

14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop – Laptops are getting more and more efficient in nature to the point where some manufacturers are talking about all day long batteries. Picking up a newer more efficient laptop to replace an aging one is usually a quick fix.

15. Prevent the Memory Effect – If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ – Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.

Bonus Tip #1: Turn off the autosave function. MS-Word or Excel’s autosave functions are great but because they keep saving regular intervals, they work your hard driver harder than it may have to. If you plan to do this, you may want to turn it back on as the battery runs low. While it saves battery life in the beginning, you will want to make sure your work is saved when your battery dies.

Bonus Tip #2: Lower the graphics use. You can do this be changing the screen resolution and shutting off fancy graphic drivers. Graphics cards (video cards) use as much or more power today as hard disks – Thanks Andrew

Update 7/7/07: Bonus Tip #1 to give caution about turning off autosave, tip #8 to change information about discharging batteries – thanks to all who pointed it out. Added Bonus tip #2, Tip #1 to add in clause in regards to Mac OSX

Written by Phillip Levin

E3 will have countless games, but there are at least 10 that are the most important.

It’s almost game time. E3 is next week, just days away. And like every year, there’s a lot of E3 talk. What will be the best game? Which platform will have the best showing? Will E3 suck a lot of – well, you know?

We’ve come up with a list detailing something a little different: the top 10 most important games of E3. What was the criteria required for a game to qualify to make our list? It’s pretty simple actually: this list includes only games that E3 2007 will be important for – these are the games that really matter. This is not a list of our most anticipated or most wanted games. It’s not a list of games we think will “rock.” Oh, and just because a game didn’t make the list doesn’t mean we don’t think it will be important. Not every game can make the list. This is a top 10 list, after all. It’s the nature of the beast.

These are the most important games of 2007.

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Epic’s PS3 “Exclusive” Project (PlayStation 3)

Why it’s important: Rumors love to run rampant on the Internet, and one of the hottest is that Epic and Sony are working together on a PlayStation 3 exclusive (and it’s not Gears of War related). Is such a project really in the works, and will we hear about it at E3? Considering the success of Gears of War for Xbox 360, a similar PlayStation 3-only game could translate into some healthy software and hardware sales for Sony’s big, black $600 box.

Halo 3 (Xbox 360)

Why it’s important: We debated and debated with ourselves when it came to whether or not Halo 3 should be on this list. Truth is, after playing the beta, we don’t know if E3’s going to be all that important for Bungie’s third and very anticipated Halo installment and vice versa: is Halo 3 really that important of an E3 game? We’ve had a taste of the multiplayer (and it’s yummy), but what about that single-player campaign? Will Halo 3 take the Chief back to Earth to “finish the fight,” or will the famous Spartan get stuck in a never-ending hall corridor somewhere near another #&$%!*@ Library? E3 probably won’t completely answer that question, but it could give us a glimpse of what to expect.

Killzone 2 (PlayStation 3)

Why it’s important: E3 2006 came and went without the slightest peep about Killzone 2, despite that it was one of the most talked about games of E3 2005. There are rumors swirling that Guerrilla Games’ anticipated shooter will make its grand return in playable form this year. There are two questions on everybody’s minds: will Killzone 2 look like the trailer Sony showed two years ago at the PS3 unveiling, and will this be the PlayStation 3’s Halo 3 killer?

LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3)

Why it’s important: The Go! Team theme song for LittleBigPlanet has been stuck in our heads since GDC several months ago. And it’s hard not to think about the cooperative platformer any time we begin to hum the melody. E3 will offer an opportunity for the mass media to get their hands on the game. Is it everything it’s been hyped up to be? Will it breathe life into the user-generated content genre, or will it be overshadowed by big guns like Halo 3, Killzone and Mario Galaxy?

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PlayStation 3 and?)

Why it’s important: Another E3 means another Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer, and that means another chance for Konami to announce the PlayStation 3 exclusive ain’t so “exclusive” anymore. Will the game that everybody and their non-gaming mother thinks is going to end up joining the growing number of one-time PS3-excusives on Xbox 360 actually end up on Microsoft’s PS3-exclusive-killing machine? Only next week will tell, right?

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)

Why it’s important: Retro has a lot to prove with the third Metroid Prime game. The title missed its Wii launch so the team could spend more time developing and polishing it. Was the extra time and money spent on Corruption worth it? What’s more, did the extra months of development time allow Retro to come up with the control scheme that many are hoping will set the first-person standard on Wii? Corruption is not only an important title for Retro, it’s an important title for Nintendo’s next-gen system too.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Why it’s important: It was at E3 last year, and it walked away with Game of the Show from many publications. This year, it’s an important game for one simple reason: the shock factor of the Wii-mote is starting to wear off, and Super Mario Galaxy will have to impress with true great game design. Was Mario Galaxy all that and a bag of chips last E3 2006, or were we all just ecstatic because of the newfangled Wii-mote? We’ll find out next week if the next console Mario game is what we hope it is.

Too Human (Xbox 360)

Why it’s important: Ice bucket jokes aside, E3 2007 is the second chance that Silicon Knight’s Too Human needs. Last year’s demo left some with a sour taste in their mouth, but word on the Interweb is that the Canadian Eternal Darkness and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes development studio has made considerable strides in their development of the epic 360-only trilogy. Do we even have to write “E3 will tell all?” We don’t think so. Moving on?

WiiWare Games (Wii)

Why it’s important: Just a few weeks ago, Nintendo let the cat out of the bag: in 2008, Wii owners will be able to download original Wii games, similarly to how Xbox 360 owners can download original indie games via Xbox Live Arcade. Will WiiWare measure up to the successful XBLA downloads service, not to mention contend with the growingly supported PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3? The only way it can will be through great downloadable games, and hopefully we’ll get a peek at the early WiiWare line-up at this year’s big show.

That One Game We Don’t Know About? Yet (???)

Why it’s important: E3 usually brings with it numerous game announcements. And quite often games unveiled at E3 get all the spotlight. Maybe we know of an unannounced E3 game that we’re not allowed to talk about – one that will steal the show – or maybe we’re just hoping for that out-of-nowhere surprise. You know, the kind that crashes message boards when it’s revealed, as thousands of fanboys rush to claim the game as their messiah. That kind of game.

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Now that you’re done reading, what’s next? E3 2007, that’s what, and AMN will be on hand at this year’s show with hourly coverage, delivering the latest news, hands-on impressions, screenshots, game videos, event photos, interviews and a whole lot more. Don’t miss it.

Written by Mashable Team

Online music has always been popular, and now social networks, peer recommendations and personalized radio stations are helping fans find bands faster than ever before. Here are more than 90 sites for musicians, fans, and everyone who enjoys music.

Internet Radio

Last.FM – one of the most popular music communities around, with personalized radio stations, a stunning array of social networking features, RSS support and lots more.
Slacker – personalized Internet radio which offers a desktop version of the application and a hardware portable music player. Available only in the United States.
ShoutCast – A large directory of Internet radio stations, categorized by genre. Streams work in Winamp.
Live365 – A directory of web-based Internet radio stations – expect popups.
Yahoo! Music – listen to Internet radio and watch music videos on Yahoo’s music portal.
AOL Music – AOL’s take on internet radio. Offers music from XM as well.
Pandora – a very popular Internet radio/community which brings you new music based on stuff you like. Works only in the US & Canada at the moment.
Yottamusic – a huge music library boasting over 3.4 million songs, accessible from your web browser.

Music Discovery Tools

MusicMesh – browse through artists based on their similarities; find tracklists and reviews for albums.
Blogmusik – browse through top lists and listen to popular artists for free.
Musicovery – discover new music with this cool take on Internet radio.

Social Networks

See also: 12 of the Best Music Social Networks

iLike – a community that lets you discover new music based on you and your friends’ tastes.
PureVolume – a “MySpace for music”, albeit with a classier design.
ProjectPlaylist – popular site for sharing playlists and posting them to other social networks.
Imeem – another playlist-sharing community for artists and fans that also supports embedding of tracks on other social sites and blogs.
MP3.com – the famous music site is now a social network similar to MySpace Music.
iJigg – a place for indie bands and artists to post their music, which the users can download for free.
MOG – a place to share your music and video library and exchange thoughts on music with others.
Fuzz – discover new music; artists can sell their music, but there are also free songs to be found on the site.
eListeningPost – convert your tracks into preview files, then sell them and keep 94% of the profits.
ProjectOpus – Music community for indie bands, complete with widgets to post on MySpace and blogs.
Rapspace.tv – social networking for rap and hiphop.
Musocity – a music community with profiles for fans, artists, retailers and music venues.
Haystack – social networking, playlist sharing and band profiles.
Bandbuzz – find and rate music playlists in a Digg-like interface.
Midomi – find songs by humming or singing the tune. Then explore profile pages and network with others.
Buzznet – large pop culture community with news, videos, photos and member profiles.
JukeboxAlive – Upload music and share tracks with friends. Bands can sell their CDs, write a blog and post events to a calendar.
MusicHawk – track bands and see band-related news and reviews, as well as information on gigs and new releases.
ReverbNation – social network connecting bands, fans and venues.
MusicNation – find new music, watch music videos; if you’re an indie/unsigned artist, join for a chance to get exposure or even a record contract.
Grooveshark – an online service that rewards you for sharing, reviewing, and discovering new music (currently in private testing – enter you email address on the homepage to be notified of the launch).
Dopetracks – upload and share your tracks and beats, and record music online.
Funk Player – a music sharing community where authors can upload songs, while everyone can bookmark, select, listen and comment on them.
FIQL – social playlist sharing.
Soundflavor – create playlists and share them with other users; meet people with similar taste and discover new music.
FineTune – pick an artist and receive a custom playlist featuring music by that artists and other related artists.
MusicMobs – browse through playlists and create your own in a simple interface.

Music Sharing Applications and Widgets

uPlayMe – a downloadable application that lets you meet people with similar music tastes.
DotTunes – share your iTunes collection with friends through your web browser.
Audiozue – A Mac OSX application that posts your recently-played iTunes tracks to your MySpace page or blog.
Sonific – a music network where you can store the music you hold the rights to, and syndicate it to other sites with SongSpot widgets.
Mediamaster – upload your entire music collection and access it from anywhere in the world. You can also publish this music via widgets to any website.
BooMP3 – upload and share your MP3s; unlimited hosting.
Goombah – an application that scans your iTunes library and connects you with like minded users.
Maestro – upload your entire music library and access it from anywhere.

Music Marketplaces

iTunes – Apple’s overwhelmingly popular music download store is a service that requires little in the way of introduction.
Amie Street – music market where music starts with free price, and the price increases as a track becomes more popular (the price never goes above 1 dollar).
Emusic – one of the most successful “indie” music stores, with over 100 million DRM-free tracks sold.
Bleep – high-quality MP3s with prices that are a bit high, but offering a great assortment of quality music.
MP3 Tunes – an online music store offering 30,000 albums and some 360,000 songs in its catalog.
Amazon – a soon-to-come music store which should have a huge assortment of music from big and indie labels alike.
PayPlay.FM – choose between over 1.4 million indie music tracks, and buy them in either MP3 or WMA format.
Beatport – a Flash-based music store with an embeddable player.
Audio Lunchbox – choose between 2 million DRM-free songs in MP3 or OGG format.
Indiepad – buy music from indie artists; if you’re an artist, sell music to people directly on the site.
Indistr – another audio marketplace that connects indie artists with the listeners.
Mtraks – an indie music marketplace with a very interesting and quite strong music collection in store.
MagnaTune – here you’ll find an assortment of music from various genres, ranging from electronica, rock and chillout to metal & punk.
Jamendo – an online music repository offering thousands of albums for free while still protecting the artists’ intellectual rights.
Musicane – buy and sell audio, video and ringtones.
Musiclovr – music search, recommendations and a store. Purchases are made via Amazon and iTunes.
MySpace Music / Snocap – through Snocap’s embedded music stores, bands on MySpace sell tunes to the social network’s huge audience. Bands can also sign up for Snocap independently and sell music elsewhere.

Jamming

Ejamming – jam with other musicians and record music online.
Kompoz – compose music with other musicians. Record a track, then invite other musicians to add their own instruments.
Jamnow – a musical collaboration site where you can jam with other musicians. Jam sessions can be broadcast live.
Indaba – listen to completed music or works in progress and give your feedback; join in the music-making sessions or start your own.
JamJunky – have a song that’s not quite finished yet? Or, better yet, have a dozen? Organize them with JamJunky.

Karaoke

Singshot – the “YouTube of Karaoke”: record yourself singing along to popular music and listen to others doing the same.
kSolo – sing along to backing tracks, and rate the recordings of others.

Remixing

Jamglue – remix your music online and listen to other users’ mixes.
Splice – upload samples, remix them and post them for others to hear.
YourSpins – mix your own version of your favorite track, share it and post it to your blog or MySpace page.

Mobile Music Services

Flotones – a mobile social network which allows indie bands and artists to sell their content for use on mobiles.
Entertonement – a large directory of ringtones, with top lists and categorization for easier browsing.
Mercora – a social radio network that enables you to search and listen to over 3.5 million songs; offers an application for listening to music on your smartphone.

Music Charts

Billboard – home of the Billboard charts, with music videos and reviews.
MTV’s music charts – MTV charts and videos. Videos playable only in the US.
ChartU – a “Digg for music”: vote on tracks to boost them up the chart.

Artist Databases

Allmusic – probably the most comprehensive music database on the Internet. If your favorite artists aren’t there, well, then you’re listening to some pretty unknown artists.
Pandora Backstage – artist profiles and discographies from the personalized streaming service. You can create a custom radio station straight from an artist’s page.

Lyric Databases

AbsoluteLyrics – Lyrics for all major artists.
Hot Lyrics – huge alphabetized lyrics database. Hard to navigate, but lots of content.

Music Search Engines

Qloud – Music search meets social networking. Currently back in private testing once, but Mashable has a review here. The service that launches next may be substantially different, however.
FindSounds – a search engine for sound effects and music instrument samples.
Musipedia – find and listen to songs based on keywords you provide.

Audio Conversion Tools

Zamzar – converts all sorts of file formats, including several audio formats.
Media Convert – a media converter with a huge amount of options.
MediaConverter – a media converter that can be slow and needs polishing, but can sometimes yield really good results.

Miscellaneous Music and Audio Tools

Bluegrind – converts text to audio.
BePopular – find gigs in UK and Ireland and get your tickets.
Getabuz – create voicemail and audio e-cards online.
iden.tify.us – can’t figure out where a certain melody comes from? Identify it with the help of this service.
Houndbite – share funny audio clips from your life with other users, with the possibility to earn prizes.

What did we miss? Extend the list in the comments.

Written by Craig Childs

The hardest part of socializing, for many people, is initiating conversation. However, it is a big mistake to go about life not making the first move and waiting for someone else to do it [in conversation or anything].

This isn’t to say you must always be the first in everything or spark up conversations with everyone you see. What should be said, though, is once you get good at starting conversations, a lot of other things will progress in the way you want; such as networking and your love life.

The Benefits

First thing is you should acknowledge why it is a good thing to be able to initiate conversations with strangers or people who you don’t know well.

• 1. You’re not a loner with nothing to do.
• 2. You look more approachable if you are comfortable approaching others.
• 3. Meeting new people means developing a network of friends or peers which leads to more knowledge and experiences.

You can only learn so much alone, and I’m sure you’re aware of the benefits of learning from others. Being able to distinguish the ‘good from bad’ amongst a group of people will help in building a suitable network, or making a fun night.

Good Vs Bad

All people are good in their own way. Being able to have a good time with anybody is a worthy trait and something to discuss another time. However, if you have a specific purpose while in social situations you may want to stick with people who are suitable.

This means distinguishing between people who might suit you and your ‘purpose’ from those who probably won’t. This can require some people-judging, which I am generally very opposed to. However, this does make approaching people all the more easier.

It helps to motivate the conversation if you really want to know this person. Also, you’ll find your circle of friends and peers grows to something you really like and enjoy.

The Rules

I don’t have many rules in this life, for conversation or anything; but when it comes to approaching strangers, there are a few I’d like used.

• 1. Be polite. Within context, don’t be a creepy, arrogant loudmouth or anything. Acknowledge that you are in the company of strangers and don’t make anyone feel uncomfortable. First impressions mean something.
• 2. Keep it light. Don’t launch into a heartfelt rant or a story of tragedy. We’re out to have fun.
• 3. Don’t be a prude. This just means relax. This isn’t a science and conversation isn’t a fine art. Talk to people like you’re already friends.
• 4. Be honest. Be yourself. People can tell.

Who To Talk To?

I’m of the ilk that likes to talk to everyone and anyone. Everyone has a story and good personalities. Some are harder to get to than others, but if you’re on a people-finding excursion, like I usually am, then everyone is pretty much fair game.

That said, if you’re out at a function and you want to build a network of people in your niche, you will want to distinguish those people from the others. Find the ‘leaders’ in a group of people or ask around for what you’re looking for.

In a more general environment, like at a bar, you will want to do the same sort of thing. Acknowledge what you actually want and try to distinguish suitable people. Once you find someone, or a group of people, that you want to meet and talk to, hop to it.

Think of a few things you might have in common. What did you notice about their dress sense?

Confidence

The most important part of initiating conversation is, arguably, having confidence. It should be obvious that without any amount of self-esteem you will struggle. Having confidence in yourself and who you are makes this job very easy.

If you find yourself doubting your worth, or how interesting you are, make a few mental notes of why you are interesting and worth talking to. There is no question you are. You just have to realize that.

What do I do? What is interesting about it? What are my strong points and what are my weak ones? Confident people succeed because they play on their strengths.

Across The Room Rapport

This is rapport building without talking. It’s as simple as reciprocated eye contact and smiles etc. Acknowledging someone else’s presence before approaching them goes a long way to making introductions easier. You are instantly no longer just a random person.

As discussed in last week’s How Not To Suck At Socializing article, there are things you can do to make yourself appear approachable. This doesn’t necessarily mean people are going to flock to you. You’ll still probably need to initiate conversations.

People notice other people who are having a blast. If you’re that person, someone will acknowledge it and will make the ‘across the room rapport’ building a breeze. If you’re that person that is getting along great with their present company, others will want to talk to you. This will make your approach more comfortable for both parties.

The Approach

When it comes to being social, the less analytical and formulaic you are the better. Try not to map out your every move and plan too much. Although we are talking about how to initiate conversation, these are really only tips. When it comes to the approach, though, there are some things you should keep in mind.

Different situations call for different approaches. Formal situations call for something more formal and relaxed ones should be relaxed.

At a work function, for instance, be a little formal and introduce yourself. People will want to know who you are and what you do right away. This isn’t to say you should only talk about work, but an introduction and handshake is appropriate.

If you’re at a bar then things are very different and you should be much more open to unstructured introductions. Personally, I don’t like the idea of walking directly to someone to talk to them. It’s too direct. I like the sense of randomness that comes with meeting new people.

However, if there is rapport already established, go for it. If not, take a wander, buy a drink and be aware of where people are. If there is someone you would like to talk to, make yourself available and not sit all night etc.

When someone is alone and looks bored, do them a favor and approach them. No matter how bad the conversation might get, they should at least appreciate the company and friendliness.

Briefly, Approaching Groups

When integrating with an established group conversation there is really one thing to know. That is to establish the ‘leader’ and introduce yourself to them. I mentioned that before, but here is how and why.

The Why is the leader of a group conversation is probably the more social and outgoing. They will more readily accept your introduction and then introduce you to the rest of the group. This hierarchy in a group conversation is much more prevalent in formal situations where one person is leading the conversation.

A group of friends out for the night is much more difficult to crack. This may even be another topic for discussion, but one thing I know that works is initiating conversation with a ‘stray’. It sounds predatorial, but it works.

More often than not this occurs without intention, but if you do really want to get into a group of friends, your best bet is approaching one of them while they are away from the group and being invited into the group.

It is possible, like everything, to approach a group outright and join them. However, this is almost an art and requires another specific post.

Topics Of Conversation

Other than confidence, the next thing people who have trouble initiating conversations lack is conversation! So here are a few tips to get the ball rolling.

• 1. Small talk sucks. It’s boring and a lot of people already begin to zone out when questions like, “What do you do?” or “What’s with this weather?” come up. Just skip it.
• 2. Everything is fair game. If you are in the company of someone and a thought strikes you, share it. “This drink is garbage! What are you drinking?” “Where did you get that outfit?”
• 3. Opinions matter. This is any easy way to hit the ground running in conversation. Everyone has one, and when you share yours, another will reveal itself. The great thing about this line of thought is that you are instantly learning about the other person and what they like, dislike etc.
• 4. Environment. The place you’re in is full of things to comment on. The DJ, band, fashions; start talking about what you see.
• 5. Current Events. Unless it’s something accessible or light-hearted, forget it. Don’t launch into your opinion on the war. If your city has recently put a ban on smoking inside venues, like mine has, ask what they think about it.
• 6. Speaking of smoking. If you are a smoker in such a city, you are in luck. Although there is the inconvenience of being ostracized outside to smoke, you are instantly thrust into a group of like-minded people. Consider this possibly the easiest forum for flirtation and new conversation.

Exiting Conversation

Although I’d like to write a full post on exiting strategies for conversations you don’t want to be in, here are some tips.

The first thing is don’t stay in a conversation you’re not interested in. It’ll show and will be no fun for anyone. Be polite and excuse yourself. You’re probably out with friends, go back to them. Buy a drink. Most people will probably want to finish the conversation as much as you.

Likewise, you could start another conversation.

Written by Aaron

I’ve never really given this any thought whatsoever.

I’ve seen this presented in a smaller scale, but it’s rather dazzling to see it presented this way.

I certainly thought this was enlightening. Didn’t even realize we knew much beyond our sun ..

It’s a big universe.

(Click to see bigger picture with our sun)

Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky.

It is more than 1000 light years away.

The universe is so vast it is not comprehensible by the human mind. It would be like an ant trying to understand the wonder of the internet? It can’t be done.?

The universe humbles us as it should.

Written by Jeaux Janovsky

Like any community that draws active fans, the comic world has its share of controversies. While each point of contention might not be enough to fragment the comic world and send it spiraling into cataclysm, they often stir the pot enough to send readers yammering on-and-on for months.

Collected here are some of the most interesting controversial comic occurrences from recent years. And as an added bonus illustrator Jeaux Janovsky has drafted original artwork to stir the pot a little on his own.

1. Nine Eleven Comic

Sept. 11, 2001 is a day we all remember. Various comic artists, writers and professionals from the comics industry came together to use art and comics to express their support and grief.

Comics of Note:

9-11: September 11th, 2001 (Artists Respond), Vol.1 was put together by Dark Horse, Chaos Comics, and Image Comics.9-11: September 11th, 2001 (The World’s Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember) Vol.2 was published by DC Comics

Marvel Comics: Heroes (a poster book), A Moment of Silence (four wordless stories
inspired by true events of 911 of varying perspectives), The Amazing Spider-Man #36 (this issue shows how Marvel Universe Characters, such as Spider-Man, Captain America, DareDevil, Magneto, deal with the aftermath of the 911 attacks).

Alternative Comics published 9-11: Emergency Relief, talented creators in the Alternative and Independent Comics Scene banded together for this book with all profits going towards The American Red Cross.

2. Stan Lee Defies the Comics Code Authority

Stan Lee received a letter from the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare requesting a story informing people about the dangers of drug usage. He responded with a controversial storyline in Amazing Spider-Man issues #96-98, in which the Green Goblin’s son, Harry Osborn, is hospitalized for abusing LSD. The Comics Code Authority didn’t like that and refused to put their seal on those particular issues due to Drug Usage. Never mind the fact that the storyline took an anti-drug stance. Stan Lee, along with Marvel Publisher Martin Goodman, gave the CCA a metaphorical middle finger and decided to run the storyline anyway, without the CCA Seal gracing their cover. The comics ended up selling
extremely well and were highly regarded for their socially conscious endeavors. The CCA later loosened their neckties and the code a little in order to permit negative depictions of drugs.

3. Infamous Green Arrow Heroin Storyline

The 70s were a time to confront drugs and their dangers. Marvel had their Spider-Man LSD story, DC had the infamous Green Lantern, Green Arrow storyline in which Green Arrow’s Ward and Sidekick Speedy was addicted to Heroin. This ran in Green Lantern, Vol.2 in issues #85-86, and despite earning a congratulatory letter from the Mayor of New York (at the time), John Lindsay, the comic was received poorly probably due to the mature topic and artist Neal Adams’ habitual trouble with deadlines. Ultimately, this all led to the cancellation of the book by issue #89 in 1972.

4. Northstar: First Openly Gay Superhero

Northstar resides in the Marvel Universe. Originally part of Alpha Flight, Canada’s answer to the X-Men, Northstar later became a member of the X-Men – if only briefly. His special Mutant power is that he can fly and move at superhuman speed. Originally, his creators writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne imagined Northstar as being homosexual, and would occasionally allude to and insinuate his homosexuality. Though his character was created in 1979, Northstar didn’t openly reveal his homosexuality until 1992 – that’s 13 years. He came out in a storyline in which shortly after returning to Alpha Flight, following a stint in the Olympics, he adopts an orphaned baby who is unfortunately infected with HIV. After the child dies, he comes out to his teammates and the public that he
is gay.

Alpha Flight #106 caused quite a buzz, and attracted the attention of the mainstream press, and quickly sold out in a week. Unfortunately, it caused quite a controversy and was quietly buried under the rug until the series ended in 1994.

By the time Northstar joined the X-Men temporarily in 2002, views on Homosexuality changed tremendously. Writers were incorporating his sexual orientation into storylines ranging from a homophobic Juggernaut, to tackling Northstar’s crushes on teammates Colossus and Iceman.

5. Mike Diana: First American Artist to be Convicted of Obscenity

Florida Artist Mike Diana’s Controversial Zine, Boiled Angel, contained graphic and extremely shocking views of many of America’s nightmares and problems. It dealt with issues of child abuse, date rape and religious corruption.

In March 1994, a Florida judge found Diana guilty of publishing, distributing, and advertising obscene material. They commented that his work “lacked serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” because it didn’t compare to such works as Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” or Picasso’s “Guernica”.

Diana was sentenced to 3 years probation, during which time his residence was subject to search and inspection , without warning or warrant, to determine if he was in possession of, or creating obscene material. He was to have no contact with children under 18, undergo
psychological testing, enroll himself in a journalistic ethics course, pay a $3,000 fine, and perform 1,248 hours of community service.

Mike Diana’s story has inspired an off broadway play entitled, Busted Jesus Comix. The play borrows many particulars from the legal case and punishments meted out to Mike Diana, while the character of the comic artist in Busted Jesus and the background story are entirely
fictional.

Written by Sally Wadyka

Grocery shopping seems like a harmless enough activity. It’s a chore, but it’s one that most of us do at least once a week, without giving much thought to what’s going on behind the scenes at the supermarket.

How we shop has become a science that’s studied endlessly. “Market researchers have worked for years to come up with ways to make sure shoppers see as many products as possible, because the more they see, the more they buy,” says Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat: An Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating.

So to make yourself a smarter shopper, learn about the top tricks and other secrets lurking at the supermarket.

1. The shopping carts have cooties.

According to studies done on shopping carts, more than 60 percent of them are harboring coliform bacteria (the sort more often associated with public toilet seats). “These bacteria may be coming from raw foods or from children who sit in the carts,” says Chuck Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiologist at University of Arizona. “Just think about the fact that a few minutes ago, some kid’s bottom was where you are now putting your broccoli.” According to studies done by Gerba and his colleagues at University of Arizona, shopping carts had more bacteria than other surfaces they tested-even more than escalators, public phones and public bathrooms. To avoid picking up nasty bacteria, Gerba recommends using sanitizing wipes to clean off cart handles and seats, and to wash your hands after you finish shopping.

2. Dates are open to interpretation.

Except for baby formula and food, product expiration dates are not required by Federal regulations (some states, however, have their own rules requiring product dating). Labels that give a “Best if Used By” date are more of a suggestion than a safety issue-the food will taste best if eaten by the date on the label, but won’t necessarily be unsafe if eaten after that. If a product is stamped with a “Sell-By” date, that is how long the store should display it. Once you bring it home, perishable products (like meats) should be kept refrigerated and used within a few days. For more detailed charts explaining the shelf life of various products, go to USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

3. Kid-friendly food is purposely placed within their reach.

Anyone who shops with a child (or several) in tow has to keep an eye out for products the kids grab and toss into the cart. “I always tell parents never to bring a kid to a store,” says Nestle. “The packages with the cartoons on them are often placed on low shelves where even toddlers can reach for them.” A trip down the cereal aisle will confirm this. “Sugary cereals are at kid’s eye level, while the healthier, all-bran options are usually on the highest shelves,” says Tara Gidus, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. It’s the same situation at the cash register, where candy and gum are strategically placed to encourage impulse buys by adults and kids can easily grab low-lying products.

4. They cut up food so they can charge more.

In the produce department there are luscious-looking slices of pineapple and melon, veggies cut up and ready for cooking or salads. At the meat counter, chicken breasts and beef are cut into chunks and marinated-ready for immediate grilling. There’s no denying that these pre-cut foods can make life incredibly easy. And nutritionists agree that if they get people to eat more healthfully, there’s nothing wrong with them. But realize that you’re also paying a tremendous premium-sometimes up to twice as much as uncut versions of the same food-just so you don’t have to bother picking up a knife.

5. Good-for-you foods require bending and reaching.

Not surprisingly, grocery store eye candy (which sometimes is actual candy)-those foods with enticing come-ons and delectable photos on the packaging that aren’t on your shopping list-are prominently placed to encourage you to reach for them. Even in the pasta aisle, you’ll find the most popular noodles (including packaged mac and cheese) at eye level. Look up to the highest or lowest shelves if you want to find healthier whole wheat options.

6. End-of-aisle displays are there to distract you from your mission.

“Food companies pay the stores to place their products where they can be seen most easily-such as in a display at the end of an aisle,” says Nestle. That prime real estate is likely to hold high-profit items or grouped items (such as marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers for s’mores) designed to inspire impulse buys. And although sometimes those aisle-ends are used to promote sale items, we will buy even when there is no discount. “People are 30 percent more likely to buy items on the end of the aisle versus in the middle of the aisle-often because we think what’s at the end is a better deal,” says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating.

7. Bargains aren’t always a bargain.

Who can resist an offer like “buy five, get one free,” or “three for $1”? Apparently, very few people can. “Any time you see numbers in a sign, you’re likely to buy at least 30 percent more than you may have purchased otherwise. “So if you go looking for soup and the sign says “limit 12 per person,” chances are you’ll purchase several more cans than you intended to buy,” he says. And of course, if you buy more than you need, it’s not necessarily a bargain. Or worse yet, it could lead to over-indulging. “Mindless shopping leads to mindless eating,” says Wansink. “Once the stuff is in the house, you’ll eat it whether you really want it or not.”

8. You’ll walk the store the way they want you to.

There’s nothing haphazard about the layout of your grocery store. Sure, some of it is practical (like refrigerated cases along the periphery or meat cases in the back by the store’s loading dock), but some is carefully calculated to help you part with more money. Walk in the front doors and chances are you’re faced immediately with hard-to-resist items (not on your list) like fresh-cut flowers or just-baked loaves of bread. Just try walking past them en route to a carton of milk without tossing something extra into your cart. In fact, research has shown that 60 percent to 70 percent of what ends up in our carts is unplanned.

9. The salad bar can make you sick.

Raw produce at the salad bar, pre-made salads at the deli counter and other pre-cooked prepared foods all have the potential for harboring harmful bacteria (like E. coli, salmonella and Norovirus). “The biggest contributors to unsafe food are foods that are held at unsafe temperatures, handling of food by individuals with poor hygiene, and refilling partially used containers of perishable food with fresh food,” says Michael Doyle, Ph.D., director of the Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement at University of Georgia. He recommends that consumers pay attention to cleanliness, freshness (all prepared food should be thrown out if not sold by the end of the day), and way food is stored (cold foods need to be kept at 41 degrees or below; hot foods at greater than 135 degrees). As for those bulk bins of candy and trail mix-while it might be a bit gross to think about people reaching in and “sampling” the goods with their dirty fingers, according to Doyle, the risk of catching anything from them is very low. “Harmful microbes are not likely to grow in bulk-bin foods because most of those foods do not contain enough moisture to support microbial growth,” he says.

10. They don’t always clean as often as they should.

Health inspectors routinely visit supermarkets to look out for the red flags that may signal unsafe conditions for your food. But you can do a little snooping yourself. Flies in the produce or meat departments could be depositing bacteria on raw food. Roaches scurrying across the floor could also be harboring dozens of different diseases. And of course, check the shelves and products for dirt and grime-cans that are covered in dust may be an indication that they’ve sat around past their shelf life.