Letter from the editor: Unlimited The Magazine has worked hard to bring to the readers the latest news. We are now trying to bring to you the most complete information in regards to business. The economy has been bad, and it has affected all of us in way or another, so with this edition not only are we going to show you what is going on with that issue but we are going to try and help you find ways to get through it the smart way. We are gathering information from different sources and putting it together for you to use to your advantage. We would like for you to give us some feedback on what you would like to see in our editions, as well as send us what you think will help others. We are very proud to have great people working with us to build this edition and hope to add more to make it even better. Thank you for your support and may you follow us wherever we go I can assure you, there will always be something new to read about that you or someone you know can use to better themselves or their business. Sincerley; Hector Reyes CEO Unlimited The Magazine
Federal Reserve Revealed
What you didn’t know... PG. 10
How the Internet took over PG. 20
Building a GREEN HOME SIPS most asked questions... PG. 6
Internet Marketing
- The Right Solution For Today’s Economy PG. 16
Finally a Real Tax BREAK PG. 8
Unlimited The Magazine will bring you the latest news on making money online, by providing an indepth research of multiple streams of income that will help you achieve your goals to fight the e c o n o m y.
Building a GREEN HOME SIPS most asked questions... 1. What are Premier SIPs? Premier Structural Insulated Panels (or SIPs) are a highperformance engineered wood product with a superinsulating core of rigid expanded polystyrene (EPS), structurally laminated and pressure cured between two sheets of oriented strand board (OSB). When using Premier SIPs for a building’s roof, walls and/or floors, the result is a highly efficient structural building system that is extremely strong, predictable, energy efficient and cost effective. 2. Why should I choose Premier SIPs over stick built methods? Quality - Have you ever looked down a stud wall and noticed how it bends, bulges, twists and cups due to the increasingly poor quality of lumber? This does not happen with a Premier wall. Our walls are straight, plumb and square. The continuous wood surface also offers a sound nail-base for all exterior and interior finishes.
• The insulation is already incorporated into our panels. • The electrical chases are factory installed in the foam, eliminating the time and labor expense associated with onsite drilling. • The walls are flat and plum so the drywall, door and window installers complete their work faster along with a better final finish. • The interior finishes, including cabinetry, flooring, moldings, counter tops, etc. will be installed easier due to the continuous attachment surface provided by the OSB. No more searching for studs or shimming bowed walls. • The engineered advantage of building with Premier SIPs is that they are made with “factory precision.” Perfect panels mean perfect walls allowing a building to be very tight. This reduces the size of your heating and air conditioning unit (HVAC) by up to 40%, giving you immediate savings. And, homeowners will enjoy up to 60% lower energy bills annually. 3. What is the cost? Building with SIPs generally costs about the same as building with wood frame construction, when you factor in the labor savings resulting from shorter construction time and less job-site waste. Other savings are realized because less expensive heating and cooling systems are required with SIP construction.
Comfort - Without hesitation, your Premier home will be one of the most comfortable, quiet and clean structures you will ever own. Unlike a stick-frame home, in which thermal performance is an afterthought, insuThe cost to build a SIPs house depends entirely on its lation is an integral part of a Premier SIPs Home. Air design. Generally the installed cost of Premier SIPs is and moisture infiltration is greatly reduced because the comparable to stick framed construction. But when you exterior envelope is tighter. look at the benefits of labor savings, and less waste, SIPs offer short-term construction savings as well as Peace of Mind - People who consider building their long-term benefits for the homeowner in energy savdream home do so because they want it to be uniquely ings. theirs and to be perfect for a lifetime. Too often, frightened by the horror stories that their friends have told The following is an independent study demonstrating them, they choose to buy a “spec” house instead. these energy savings: Mark Whitaker, an independent In a Premier home the framer “installs” the panel secenergy consultant in Mesquite, Texas, compares SIPs tions rather than “builds” them. This saves time and envs. stick frame building envelopes and projects the sures that the walls are straight and plum. utility cost one can expect to pay based on the type of HVAC system, local utility rates and heating and coolPremier SIPs can positively impact many stages of the ing days. Here is an analysis comparing the operating building process and help you stay on schedule. A few costs of a 1,522-square-foot Dallas home using two difexamples: ferent construction envelopes.
$25,000 $20,000 $15,000
SIP Energy Efficient Home
$10,000
Conventionally Constructed Home
$5,000
Home Owners Pocketed Savings
$0 5 years 10years 15 years 20 years Estimated Operating Costs @ 4% Annual Cost Increase
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Finally a Real Tax BREAK S
ingle, Twenty three, and father to none. Dependent of none for that matter. Just like any other American, working hard to enjoy lifestyle and accomplish short and long term financial goals throughout the year. And praise God I’ve done it! My income has increased over seven thousand dollars from the year before. A pat on the the back to enjoy the moment then seconds later I think of all the large families contimplating how they are going to spend their abundant return and Mr. “dependent to none” owes the Federal Government more taxes than they have so graciously withheld from him. Or does he? Thankfully this year I was blessed with a knowledable tax consultant from H&L Services; Mayra Azarte. She was able to review my 2008 itemizations and in turn got me money back. Catching dollars I may
have very well overlooked myself. Everyone needs a good tax consultant. For me, H&L services was more than helpful and I would definately recommend them to my clostest family and friends. Thank you H&L. I look forward to working harder this year and am confident you will help me find the tax breaks I’ll need for 2009.
F
or as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the radio control hobby. Blazing fast speeds, spiting dirt, insane jumps, and the joy of knowing you are in contol. The hobby itself has recently been growing at blazing fast speeds as more and more spectators become enthuisiasts. Manufactures such as Traxxas are creating faster and more durable ready to run vehicles and local hobby shops are the backbone of the hobby. When I decided to get back into the fun last year, one hobby shop made it more simple and enjoyable than ever before. Tim Danielewicz, President of RC and ME Hobbies, was a tremendous help. The hobby has changed quite a bit since my highschool racing days and Tim and his staff were with me every step of the way to get me up to speed. RCandME Hobbies is a full service shop and was able to tweak my car to keep up with the pack. So when I heard heard about his recent loss in late December due to an elictrical fire, I had to be there for his re-opening celabration March 14, 2009. Unlimited Magazine was accompanied by The American Red Cross, El Paso Fire Department, and El Paso Radio Contollers. Our staff jumped trucks and intoduced
our magazine, The American Red Cross was accepting donations and held a raffle, The El Paso Fire Department showed up in a nice fire tuck and ambulance, and the El Paso Radio Controllers put on quite a show with mind boggling manuevars with their radio control airplanes and helicopters. Families from all over the city enjoyed the music, a jumping balloon for the kids, and delicious hot dogs and hamburgers cooked up by the El Paso Radio Controllers. It is truly exciting to see a RC and Me Hobbies host such a great benefit event and give back to the border community and American Red Cross. Tim has done a phenominal job of brushing the ash off his shoulders and moving forward to continue to cater to a growing community. The shop’s customer service and welcoming enviorment are second to none. And more exciting events are just around the corner. Already completed is a new monter truck track. Heads up, side by side just like the real trucks. You work hard all day so you owe to yourself to join in the fun. So keep posted at www.unlimitedthemagazine.com for action packed fun you won’t want to miss presented by RC and ME Hobbies. If you are an radio control enthusiast or have been thinking about getting in the hobby, stop by RC and ME Hobbies at 12135 Montwood Drive El Paso, TX 79936, call (915) 855-1300 or to check out the latest deals now, click here (www.rcandme.com)
Federal Reserve Revealed
What you didn’t know...
Ron Paul’s HR 1207
scenes, call and write your representative and ask that they support the “Federal Reserve Transparency Act H.R. 1207″. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or 1-877-8516437 Here’s a sample letter you can use: Dear Representative,
Please co-sponsor and/or support H.R.1207, an effort (Transparency Act to audit the Federal Reserve) Now to audit the Federal Reserve. Has 49 Co-sponsors! http://www.voteronpaul.com/newsDetail.php?HRRecently, it has come to light that there is little to no 1207-Federal-Reserve-Transparency-Act-Now-Has-49 accountability to the people on the part of the Federal -Cosponsors-680 Reserve. While the citizens of this country are required by law to give an accounting of every penny they come Federal Reserve Transparency Act - H.R. 1207 - Ron in contact with, the Federal Reserve has never been Paul held to the same standard. During this time of extreme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PC9fkLMZmo economic crisis, the people deserve an accounting of where our money is going. Senator Sanders Grills Ben Bernanke about Fed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUJIG3JNPk0 Currently there are 46 co-sponsors for this legislation, and it is enjoying bi-partisan support. Your efforts The Federal Reserve is the single most pervasive issue in supporting this important legislation would go a long affecting every American and people worldwide with way in proving to your constituents that you not only its ability as a private banking corporation to dilute hold the Federal Reserve to the same standard as you the buying power of our hard-earned dollars through do your constituents, but it would also show that you an invisible tax called inflation. It only recently attract- believe in transparency. Anything less than support for ed attention of mainstream media, mostly because of this resolution suggests that you are in favor of secrecy Ron Paul’s revolutionary presidential campaign, which and a lack of accountability to the people who pay the forced truth into mainstream political discussion. This bills. We pay the tab; we have a right to know where our is a huge opportunity for Americans to support a bill money is going. designed to end the Fed’s stranglehold on America’s economy. Study and support H.R.1207. Spread the Unlike recent bills that you voted in favor of that had word to as many people as you can. Call, write or fax hundreds of pages and just a few hours to read, this bill your Congressman and have him co-sponsor H.R.1207, can be read in under 5 minutes. I encourage you to take which is the most important piece of legislation we have the time to read it, and then move to support it. right now, because it exposes the most criminal fraud in U.S. history. Help save America from the Fed. Thank you in advance for your attention on this important legislation. I have every expectation that you will do right by your constituents and support this meaRon Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve continues sure. to gain momentum. H.R. 1207 now has 49 co-sponsors (as of 3/31/2009)! Sincerely, If you too would like to see Ben Bernanke squirm and finally discover what the Fed has been up to behind the
“This is a huge opportunity for Americans to support a bill designed to end the Fed’s stranglehold on America’s economy.”
H.R.1207 Fax Bomb TODAY!! What is the Fed doing with your money? H.R.1207 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Mj788Ukhc
Madame Speaker,
I rise to introduce the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Federal Click on one of the images below to download a.pdf Reserve has presided over the near-complete destrucversion that you can print out and fax: tion of the United States dollar. Since 1913 the dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy. How long will we as a Congress stand idly by while Need fax numbers? hard-working Americans see their savings eaten away by inflation? Only big-spending politicians and politiEl Paso residents, Sylvestre Reyes’ fax number is 202- cally favored bankers benefit from inflation. 225-5688 Serious discussion of proposals to oversee the FedEVERYONE receiving this e-mail, please join the El eral Reserve is long overdue. I have been a longtime Paso Campaign for Liberty Meetup Group and help us proponent of more effective oversight and auditing of on April 25 at El Paso’s END the FED Tea Party, which the Fed, but I was far from the first Congressman to is part of a national END the FED protest that day! Also advocate these types of proposals. Esteemed former join the national Campaign for Liberty. Please help us members of the Banking Committee such as Chairmen save America for future our generations. Wright Patman and Henry B. Gonzales were outspoken critics of the Fed and its lack of transparency. If you don’t have a fax machine, you can send at least 2 faxes for free per day with www.faxzero.com. And Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has always even though this is a fax bomb, you are free to email operated in the shadows, without sufficient scrutiny or and call as well! I also recommend following up by oversight of its operations. While the conventional exsending your letter & flier via snail mail to all of your cuse is that this is intended to reduce the Fed’s susceprepresentatives. tibility to political pressures, the reality is that the Fed acts as a foil for the government. Whenever you quesFind out whether your representatives in Congress & tion the Fed about the strength of the dollar, they will the Senate are cosponsoring the bill. We’re up to 44 refer you to the Treasury, and vice versa. The Federal cosponsors in the House - I don’t believe there are any Reserve has, on the one hand, many of the privileges of in the Senate. Only fax them if they’re not a cosponsor government agencies, while retaining benefits of priyet! vate organizations, such as being insulated from Freedom of Information Act requests. Join the Facebook cause, Support H.R.1207: Audit the Fed, and invite as many of your Facebook friends as The Federal Reserve can enter into agreements with possible. foreign central banks and foreign governments, and the GAO is prohibited from auditing or even seeing these Auditing the Fed is only the first step towards expos- agreements. Why should a government-established ing this antiquated insider-run creature to the power- agency, whose police force has federal law enforcement ful forces of free-market competition. Once there are powers, and whose notes have legal tender status in this viable alternatives to the monopolistic fiat dollar, the country, be allowed to enter into agreements with forFederal Reserve must become honest and transparent if eign powers and foreign banking institutions with no it wants to remain in business. oversight? Particularly when hundreds of billions of dollars of currency swaps have been announced and Ron Paul introduced bill H.R. 1207 on February 26, implemented, the Fed’s negotiations with the European 2009 with the following speech to Congress: Central Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, and other institutions should face increased scrutiny,
most especially because of their significant effect on foreign policy. If the State Department were SEC. 2. AUDIT REFORM AND TRANSable to do this, it would be characterized as a rogue PARENCY FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERagency and brought to heel, and if a private in- NORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM. dividual did this he might face prosecution under the Logan Act, yet the Fed avoids both fates. (a) IN GENERAL. - Subsection (b) of section 714 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking More importantly, the Fed’s funding facilities and its all after “shall audit an agency” and inserting a period. agreements with the Treasury should be reviewed. The Treasury’s supplementary financing accounts that fund (b)AUDIT. - Section 714 of title 31, United States Code, is Fed facilities allow the Treasury to funnel money to amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: Wall Street without GAO or Congressional oversight. Additional funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer “(e) AUDIT AND REPORT OF Credit Facility and the Term Securities Lending Facility, THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM. allow the Fed to keep financial asset prices artificially inflated and subsidize poorly performing financial firms. “(1) IN GENERAL. - The audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve SysThe Federal Reserve Transparency Act would elimi- tem and the Federal reserve banks under subsecnate restrictions on GAO audits of the Federal Reserve tion (b) shall be completed before the end of 2010. and open Fed operations to enhanced scrutiny. We hear officials constantly lauding the benefits of trans“(2) REPORT parency and especially bemoaning the opacity of the Fed, its monetary policy, and its funding facilities. By “(A) REQUIRED. - A report on the audit referred opening all Fed operations to a GAO audit and call- to in paragraph (1) shall be submitted by the Comptroling for such an audit to be completed by the end of ler General to the Congress before the end of the 902010, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act would day period beginning on the date on which such audit achieve much-needed transparency of the Federal is completed and made available to the Speaker of the Reserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. House, the majority and minority leaders of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders This is the bill itself, H.R. 1207: of the Senate, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committee and each sub-committee of jurisdic111th Congress - 1st Session tion in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and any other Member of Congress who requests it. H.R. 1207 “(B) CONTENTS. - The report under subparaA BILL graph (A) shall include a detailed description of the findings and conclusion of the Comptroller GenTo amend title 31, United States Code, to reform eral with respect to the audit that is the subject of the manner in which the Board of Governors of the the report, together with such recommendations for Federal Reserve System is audited by the Comptrol- legislative or administrative action as the Compler General of the United States and the manner in troller General may determine to be appropriate.”. which such audits are reported, and for other purposes. Sponsor 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, Rep. Ronald Paul [R-TX]
eral
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “FedReserve Transparency Act of 2009″.
49 Cosponsors [as of 3/31/2009] Below is a complete list of cosponsors:
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 2/26/2009 Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] - 3/19/2009 Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] - 3/10/2009 Rep Bachmann, Michele [MN-6] - 2/26/2009 Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] - 2/26/2009 Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] - 3/16/2009 Rep Blunt, Roy [MO-7] - 3/24/2009 Rep Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] - 2/26/2009 Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] - 3/17/2009 Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] - 3/19/2009 Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] - 2/26/2009 Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] - 3/17/2009 Rep Chaffetz, Jason [UT-3] - 3/6/2009 Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] - 3/26/2009 Rep Deal, Nathan [GA-9] - 3/23/2009 Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 3/9/2009 Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 3/6/2009 Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] - 3/18/2009 Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5] - 3/10/2009 Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 3/23/2009 Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] - 3/5/2009 Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11] - 3/30/2009 Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-8] - 3/11/2009 Rep Heller, Dean [NV-2] - 3/6/2009 Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 2/26/2009 Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] - 2/26/2009 Rep Kingston, Jack [GA-1] - 3/6/2009 Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] - 3/19/2009 Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] - 3/11/2009 Rep McClintock, Tom [CA-4] - 3/6/2009 Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 3/19/2009 Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] - 3/24/2009 Rep Paulsen, Erik [MN-3] - 3/30/2009 Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] - 3/19/2009 Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] - 3/10/2009 Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 3/19/2009 Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 2/26/2009 Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] - 2/26/2009 Rep Price, Tom [GA-6] - 3/10/2009 Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] - 2/26/2009 Rep Rohrabacher, Dana [CA-46] - 3/6/2009 Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] - 3/23/2009 Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 3/26/2009 Rep Stearns, Cliff [FL-6] - 3/6/2009 Rep Taylor, Gene [MS-4] - 3/6/2009 Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] - 3/30/2009 Rep Wamp, Zach [TN-3] - 3/16/2009 Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 2/26/2009 Rep Young, Don [AK] - 3/6/2009
To encourage your Representative to cosponsor HR 1207 Urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 1207
Internet Marketing
- The Right Solution For Today’s Economy By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Diane_G_Salema]Diane G Salema Internet marketing is effective and, more importantly, it is affordable. The latter consideration is especially relevant, given the current economic malaise. The temptation to cut marketing budgets during a recession can be overwhelming, but it would be the wrong move. In fact, past experience shows us that companies that continue spending on marketing during bad economic times realize important gains in the marketplace when the economy recovers. Consider the recession of the early 1980s. A study of 600 companies showed that businesses that maintained their marketing spend had higher rates of sales growth during the recession and in the three years that followed it. In fact, in 1985, those companies saw sales growth of 256% compared to companies that had cut back on marketing and advertising. The same trend holds true for the 2001 recession. Companies that kept marketing through the tough times saw their market share increase by 2 ½ times the average when the recession ended. Your company may realize the importance of marketing during a recession, but may still need to cut costs. That is what makes Internet marketing so essential. Internet marketing is multifaceted and versatile. Yes, you can spend a bundle on pay per click (PPC) advertising, but you don’t have to. You can just as easily take advantage of newer (and more affordable) trends in Internet marketing. Or, you can choose a combination of pay per click and traditional SEO, which tends to cost little or nothing to implement. Here are just some of the many tools that an Internet marketing firm can offer you:
• Keyword research - Decide whether to aim for a local market, like Toronto, or whether to take a more regional focus, like GTA or Ontario. • Link building - Generate valuable incoming links to your site and see your Google ranking improve. • Pay per click - Ad writing, keyword research, and management of the entire PPC campaign. • Social media marketing - Learn how to use social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn - to build your brand. • Copywriting - Get great search-engine-optimized content for your site. • Articles and blogs - Use blogs to talk to your customers, and write search-engine-optimized articles to create links to your site. • Optimize your site - Make sure it appeals to customers, is easy to use and helps you close the sale. With Internet marketing, you are not limited to any one of these tools, nor are you required to use them all. This versatility is one of the main benefits of Internet marketing - you can customize a marketing plan to your needs and tailor it to your budget. We are in the midst of a serious economic downturn, but that does not mean that your business can just disappear and expect to bounce back when the economy does. You need to maintain your presence in the marketplace - in good times and bad - and Internet marketing is the most affordable way to do it. For more information on [http://www.wolf21.com/ search-engine-optimization/]Search Engine Optimizaton and [http://www.wolf21.com/pay-per-click-advertising/]Pay-Per-Click visit wolf21.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles. com/?expert=Diane_G_Salema http://EzineArticles. com/?Internet-Marketing---The-Right-Solution-ForTodays-Economy&id=1924090
“Click Here for Inventory”
How the Internet took over T
wenty-five years ago the Internet as we now know it was in the process of being birthed by the National Science Foundation. Since then it’s been an information explosion. From e-mail to eBay, communication and shopping have forever changed. 1World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee created user-friendly “Web pages” that could travel over the Internet, a network built to shuttle research between universities. The world logged on: 747 million adults in January.
Created by Marc Andreessen and others, Mosaic was the first widely-used multimedia Web browser. Spin-off Netscape Navigator ruled the ‘90s until Microsoft’s Internet Explorer took off around ‘98. 8eBay Thanks to eBay, we can
2E-mail Tech’s answer to the Pony Express . Programs such as 1988’s Eudora made it easy to use. Inboxes have been filling up ever since. Nearly 97 billion e-mails are sent each day. 3Graphical user interface (GUI) Most computer displays were blinking lines of text until Apple featured clickable icons and other graphic tools in its 1984 Mac. Microsoft’s Windows took GUI — pronounced “gooey” — to the masses. 4AOL AOL turned people on to Web portals, chat rooms and instant messaging. Early subscribers paid by the hour. AOL once boasted 35 million subscribers. It bought Time Warner for $106 billion in 2001. 5Broadband The answer to the drip-drip-drip of dial-up, highspeed Internet service fuels online entertainment. About 78% of home Internet users in the U.S. have broadband, up from less than 1% in 1998. 6Google So popular it’s a verb. The search powerhouse, with a market capitalization of nearly $149 billion, perfected how we find info on the Web. Google sites had nearly 500 million visitors in December. 7Mosaic/Netscape
all now buy and sell almost anything (skip the body parts). eBay has 230 million customers worldwide who engage in 100 million auctions at any given time.
9Amazon.com Jeff Bezos’ baby began as an always-in-stock book seller. It survived the tech bubble and now is the definitive big box online store. It was the second most-visited online retailer in December, after eBay.
11Instant Messaging LOL! Web surfers began to “laugh out loud” and BRB (“be right back”) in the mid-‘90s, with the launch of ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger. Millions use it to swap messages and photos, even telephone pals. 12Yahoo! Stanford University graduate students Jerry Yang and David Filo created this popular Web portal in 1994. It remains a favorite for email, photo sharing (it owns Flickr) and other services. 13Compuserve/Prodigy In the 1980s, they became the first mainstream companies to offer consumer Internet access. CompuServe was more for the geek set; Prodigy was more for the masses. 14The Well The precursor for social networking, the Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link, founded in 1985, was the original (now longest-running) virtual community. It gained popularity for its forums. 15Vices Regulators scrapped plans for a .xxx domain, but vice remains one of the Net’s biggest businesses. Online gambling, illegal in the U.S., topped $12 billion last year; online porn was $2.84 billion. Searches for “Paris Hilton video” return about a million hits. 16Spam/Spyware Unsolicited e-mail, and software that watches your Web habits, mushroomed from annoyance to menace. Junk e-mail now accounts for more than 9 of every 10 messages sent over the Internet.
10Wi-
fi Have coffee shop, will compute: Wireless fidelity lets us lug our laptops out of the office and connect to the Net on the fly. More than 200 million Wi-Fi equipped products sold last year.
17Flash Adobe’s Flash player is on 98% of all computers. Seen a video on YouTube or MySpace? Then you’ve probably used Flash. It animated the Web, spawning zillions of online cartoons and videos. 18Online mapping tools MapQuest started saving marriages in 1996 by offering turn-by-turn directions. Followers such as Yahoo and Google beam directions to cellphones and offer satellite images of neighborhoods.
19Napster Created in Shawn Fanning’s dorm room, Napster let more than 26 million people tap into a free database of music. Record companies shut it down. In its wake emerged legitimate download sites, such as Apple’s iTunes. 20YouTube The video-sharing site, bought by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, ignited a user-generated revolution online and introduced millions to the delights of Stephen Colbert, Chad Vader and Lonelygirl15. 21The Drudge Report Matt Drudge’s news site helped break the Monica Lewinsky story in 1998, paving the way for politicallyminded bloggers everywhere. He claims to have about 500 million visitors a month. 22Bloggers The more than 75 million Web logs have changed how the world gets its news. Bloggers have challenged the traditional media, lobbied for and against wars, started debates, and posted far too many pictures of their pets. 23Craigslist Craig Newmark’s gathering place for (mostly) free classified ads changed the way we find apartments, cars and dates. The site relies on users who supply friendly neighborhood information — about 14 million ads a month. 24MySpace This online hangout has replaced the mall as a home away from home for teenagers. The site has more than 173 million personalized pages. News Corp paid $580 million for it in 2005. 25Gaming and virtual worlds More than 19 million globally pay to explore threedimensional Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft and virtual communities such as Second Life, which let players do business or just hang out. Both use the easy connections fostered by the Web to build communities.