by Lynn Wegley, InfoManager, with co-editor Fred Showker
What’s Here:
01 Beginning of the end for Amazon Affiliates
02 Templates for MS Word Mix
03 Usenet Newsgroup Readers for OS X
04 Resources for Mac & iOS Developers
05 Default Folder X 4.5.9
06 Best Movies Quiz 1.0
07 Quotes: Simple Economics
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01 Beginning of the end for Amazon Affiliates
If you happen to have Amazon ads on your Web site, as we do, and you’ve been in the Affiliates program, then today’s news may not come as a surprise. However, if you haven’t been following the sales tax discussion, then you should be aware that today, Amazon announced Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, or Rhode Island… along with California, if their Web tax law passes, affiliates will be cancelled. You’re off.
This could add the largest US state to many smaller states that have now received similar letters – and most importantly, Amazon has already begun the termination process for its North Carolina Web publisher “associates”. It seems likely that with the budget pressure in almost every U.S. state, the same language will still appear in many other states’ budget bills without warning.
When California and Texas fall, Amazon will probably feel compelled to shut down the Associates Program all together. End of an era.
Letter from Amazon today:
“In addition, if at any time following your enrollment in the Program you become a resident of Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, or Rhode Island, you will become ineligible to participate in the Program, and this Operating Agreement will automatically terminate, on the date you establish residency in that state. In addition, you must promptly notify us in writing of your Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, or Rhode Island residency, which you may do via the Contact Associates Customer Service form available here.”
More: Amazon is big loser in Web Tax Grab
At the federal level, Illinois’ own Dick Durbin is leading a national effort to change the way sales and local taxes are collected from online purchases. He’s suggested a web of complicated regulations on small businesses, all in the name of “tax fairness.” But back in Illinois, politicians have already tried to tap into the Internet tax base – without much success.
* http://bit.ly/1aHuiwL
Amazon Drops Illinois Affiliates To Avoid Web Tax
* http://tnw.co/ghypsY
Why is Amazon Supporting an Internet Sales Tax?
* http://thebea.st/16NIbcr
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02 Templates for MS Word Mix
Infinite Loop Apps, a developer of high-quality applications and designs for OS X, is expanding its assortment with a brand new product for users of Microsoft Word. Templates for MS Word Mix 1.0 offers a new look for your MS Word documents! The application includes a collection of excellent 60 document templates for commercial and personal use. The templates contain multiple layouts and currently there are more than 140 layouts.
http://www.ugnn.com/2013/06/templates-for-ms-word-mix/
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03 Usenet Newsgroup Readers for OS X
I first used a Usenet ISP called IsleNet when I lived in Honolulu in 1985. For some, it is surprising that UseNet is still around, but others that are more recent to online computing don’t have any idea what it is.
http://www.ugnn.com/2013/06/usenet-newsgroup-readers-for-os-x/
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04 Resources for Mac & iOS Developers
This list by Dave Mark was created to supplement an article for the Loop Magazine. It is an update of a list at the end of the book Beginning iOS 6 Development. I’m sure the update will be about developing for iOS 7.
http://www.ugnn.com/2013/06/resources-for-mac-ios-developers/
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05 Default Folder X 4.5.9
St. Clair Software has announced the immediate availability of Default Folder X 4.5.9. This release makes its award-winning utility for enhancing Open and Save dialogs compatible with Apple’s newly-announced Mavericks release of OS X. It also fixes issues with full screen mode and tagging on Mac OS 10.8 and 10.7. Honored with Macworld Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Award for Best System Enhancement Utility, Default Folder X makes Open and Save dialogs “work the way they should”.
http://www.ugnn.com/2013/06/default-folder-x-4-5-9/
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06 Best Movies Quiz 1.0
evertap’s newest game, Best Movies Quiz 1.0, is off to a great start, receiving almost 15,000 app store downloads on day one. About half of the downloads were from the United States, United Kingdom, and China. The other half was split almost equally between Europe and Asia.
http://www.ugnn.com/2013/06/best-movies-quiz-1-0/
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07 Quotes: Simple Economics
An economist is a man who states the obvious in terms of the incomprehensible.
–Alfred A. Knopf
An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.
–Laurence J. Peter
Ask five economists and you’ll get five different answers (six if one went to Harvard).
–Edgar R. Fiedler
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…and have a great week!
Remember, I invite all user groups to use this column in full or in pieces in your newsletters. Or add a link to your Web sites.
Pau
* Participate: http://www.ugnn.com/post-your-article/
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** THE INFO MANAGER
A weekly column from the mice of Lynn Wegley and Fred Showker.
Lynn is a UGN veteran (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He’s been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he’s been a volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and beyond.
Currently working primarily with the Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth but also works with the Apple Corp of Dallas and is a lifetime member of TUMS, the Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society.
Fred has been active in UGs since 1986, first the AOL UG Forum, then the User Group Network. He spoke at the original AppleWorld in 1987, and served as Apple User Group Advisory Board Member for three years. He founded the User Group Academy and the Appleseeds Foundation
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© 2013, All Rights Reserved. Affiliate User Groups are granted permission to reprint the InfoManager column or excerpts thereof so long as proper credit is given, and a clearly-stated Web link to: http://www.UGNN.com/.
Thanks for reading! We’ll leave the modem on for ya!
