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iTunes Support to the Rescue!!
About a month and a half ago I posted an entry mentioning that I had a complete system crash, and lost my hard drive. Well, silly me has never backed up my music and videos from iTunes. Last night I emailed their support and today they responded. It was actually from a real person too, not just a canned response. So, basically they allowed me to download another copy of all the files I lost with no charge and no hassle. I was actually expecting more trouble. Guess I learned my lesson about backups…
But, there was also something a bit more interesting. They gave me a link showing how to retrieve files from my iPod. This is something that was not originally available and supposedly only available with iTunes 7. I’m not sure when 7 was released. I don’t think it was too long ago.
One of the interesting things is that this “feature” actually came from people being industrious. I’ve seen posts on other blogs going back as far as 2004 where they figured out HOW-TO: Get music OFF your iPod. Anyway, I think it’s great that Apple has finally listened to its customers and has added this option to their software. Even if it is only for media purchased from iTunes.
e-Shops
I’ve decided to add an e-shop to my company: Blackbird e-Solutions. Working with Amazon.com I’ve set up two shops. One that will offer Networking products BbeS e-Shop (beta). The second to offer German language learning tools(software/books)as well as DVDs in German: German Language Products.
Working with Amazon.com is great because I get the benefits of their robust and internationally renowned distribution and purchasing systems. Check it out!
Hershey Chocalate no longer “Made in the USA”
Many of you may have already heard about Hershey laying off workers and moving plants over seas. I was just reminded of it today, so I did a little research to see how bad it really is. I was quite shocked. Here’s a quote from an article I found on line:
They are also closing a plant in California.
They say that they are doing all of this to save money on operating costs. What ever happened to Milton Hershey’s vision? I’m sure he never envisioned laying off the very people that made his company so successful, particularly those in Hershey’s hometown, Hershey, PA. Meanwhile the prices for the amusement park are keep going up. This year the a day pass for an adult is nearly $50, and an evening pass is almost $24!
One-Day Admission
Regular (ages 9-54) $45.95
Junior (ages 3-8) $26.95
Senior (ages 55-69) $26.95
Senior Plus (70+) $18.95
Children (ages 2 and under) FREE
Sunset Admission
Get discounted admission when you come later in the day!
Regular (ages 9-54) $23.95
Junior (ages 3-8) $20.95
Senior (ages 55-69) $20.95
Senior (ages 70+) $14.95
Children (ages 2 and under) FREE
There some links below about what’s happening from different sources:
http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/203995
http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/202988
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18254930&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6
http://www.food-business-review.com/article_news.asp?guid=7B3C7A71-DE26-430F-B5AD-8588E5CFBA29
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/business/17164956.htm
http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1172505303123800.xml&coll=1
How much vacation do you get???
CNNMoney.com has an interesting article ranking the best countries when it comes to vacation time. Including paid vacation and paid holidays Finland comes out on top with 30 and 14 days respectively. The USA is not quite at the bottom with 15 and 10. Although there is a foot note (only for the USA) that states: “These numbers reflect typical practice among large U.S. firms. There is no federal law requiring employers to give a minimum number of vacation days and holidays off, paid or unpaid.” In fact in this study the only countries that ranked lower than the USA were what we would call “developing countries”. Germany comes in with 24 paid vacation and 10 paid holidays. Although, from my own experience, I think that might be a bit low. Especially for Bavaria. Very interesting…