Tax time, does anyone look forward to it? Maybe you would if you knew about all the tax breaks you can catch. CNNMoney ran down ten goodies you shouldn't miss out on, including a few that are brand spanking new!
You can take a 30 percent credit up to $2,000 for the cost of solar water heating or photovoltaic equipment in your home. You can get a 10 percent credit up to $500 for insulation and heat-reducing metal roofs, and up to $200 for energy-efficient windows. Labor costs, though, don't count.
Among the miscellaneous deductions you may be eligible to take:
- Travel costs for job interviews: If you interview for a job in your field, you may deduct the costs of transportation, food and lodging.
- Phone use: You may deduct business calls made on a personal cell phone and work-related long-distance calls made on your home phone.
- Subscriptions for work-related publications
- Dues for professional association memberships
10 don't-miss tax breaks - [CNNMoney]
Google takes aim, fires at Microsoft Office Posted Feb 22nd 2007 11:00AM by Dolores Parker Filed under: Business, Internet, News, Office, Productivity, Web services, Google, Microsoft Google just launched Google Apps Premier, a suite of subscription based business applications taking direct aim at Microsoft's business owner market share. They have already signed up mega corporation Proctor and Gamble Global Business Service as a charter member and more are expected to follow suit. The service is $50 per user account per year (free for trial until April 30th), and includes phone support, additional storage, and a new set of administration and business integration capabilities. The premier edition will include the standard features of Google Apps including GMail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and IM. Another goodie Google announced today, is the inclusion of Google Docs and Spreadsheets in both packages. You can see how the two packages compare by clicking here. We want to know, where's the presentation software? If you're going head to head with the Microsoft behemoth, PowerPoint is surely a must have in the corporate world. Naturally, this announcement has generated the usual grumblings of Google hegemony and security concerns, issues raised by people concerned that Google is set to take over the world. These concerns will continue to be scrutinized in the months to come as the innovative Google extends its never ending reach into our personal and work lives. Office isn't mortally wounded however, we can only imagine that some execu-drones in Redmond will be having a 2 Maalox lunch this afternoon. We'll have more to say on how today's announcement squares with Microsoft Office, so stay tuned.
The Skimmer – 100 km/h ground effect recreational water toy February 22, 2007 Recreational vehicles will come in many different forms in the future as a raft of developing enabling technologies spawn new categories of technologically-enhanced ground, water and aircraft – not only are these traditional categories splintering, but there are new variations of toys for big boys, some of which will develop their own categories – craft like the part boat, part sled, part ground-effect Tupelov aerosan, the Bionic Dolphin and Sea-Breacher, the SeaPhantom, a host of recreational submarines such as Deep Flight, the amphibious Quadski and the list just goes on and on of new RVs that break out their own category. One emerging area of enormous promise is that of powered ground-effect RVs – we've already seen human-bearing inflatable towable water kites such as the Kite Tube and the Manta Ray and the now dormant Sharkski but with light weight, high power and computer-aided design, the concept of an affordable powered ground-effect vehicle for under US$50,000 is within reach. The Skimmer is a small jet-ski like ground-effect airplane that starts in the water and can be flown over sea, rivers and lakes, steered partially by handlebars and partially by moving one's body weight, similar to the way a motorcycle is ridden. With a maximum speed of 100 km/h and maximum flying height is 1.5 metres, the Skimmer offers maximum excitement and minimal fuss, because no flight papers are necessary. Dutch product designer Roel Verhagen originally conceived the Skimmer concept as an entrant in the 2005 Braun Prize.
The 32 knot eXplorius HydroFoil Sailing Yacht from On the Water (165 articles) February 22, 2007 Innovation is abounding in the marine area at present with some enthralling concepts hitting the internet of recent times, with Industrial Designer Arnold Freidling's Hydro-Foil sailing yacht "eXplorius" being the latest. With wind speeds exceeding 10 knots, the underwater wings lift the hull of eXplorius out of water, reducing friction and displacement to a minimum. Gliding over the waves at sailing speeds of up to 32 knots, this yacht makes transatlantic trips for two to six 'maritime jetsetters' possible. So far the eXplorius is a design project, but during the development of the project, Freidling consulted with a marine engineer, so his yacht concept is very realistic. He is currently seeking investors who are interested in taking this design concept to market. Arnold Freidling studied at both the University of Art in Braunschweig, Germany and the California State University in Long Beach. He graduated in 2006 with high distinction after the completion of his master's thesis, which was the eXplorius Hydrofoil Sailing Yacht. The eXplorius was awarded first prize of the inaugural Pininfarina Design Award in 2006. The annual Pininfarina Design Award was initiated in 2006 for young creative talents covering the three categories Building Design, Transportation Design and Industrial Design. Arnold Freidling can be contacted here.
