Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to buying cars. Yours might be different to mine, for instance. In the 16-odd years that I have been driving, I have owned all sorts of cars. My first car was a mk1 Volkswagen Golf, and I think that car might have started my affinity for German automobiles!

I now have a family, and so I need to buy a car that is suitable for transporting them with me. As I’ve developed a taste for luxury and refinement, I have decided that I am going to buy a BMW 5 Series for my next car.

Image via Flickr

You might be wondering why I’ve decided to go for that particular model. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives, granted. But there is something about the allure of the BMW 5 Series that I just can’t resist!

In this blog post, I’d like to share with you what I think the selling points of the BMW 5 Series are. But don’t blame me if you decide that you too would like to buy one!

Here are the simple steps to follow if you want to point the domain you purchased from Namecheap to your Blogger's blog. 

Outside of the obvious staples that are shelter and food, for many people, an automobile is the greatest monthly expense you will incur.  Granted, the convenience, and sometime critical need, of driving yourself around cannot be argued, but it comes with a hefty price.

Of course, the easiest way to save money on your car is simply not to use it. Walking, jogging and bicycling are not only free, but also good for your health. In many places, public transportation is a good option for the budget conscious. But, if you need to drive yourself, there are still ways to cut some corners.

It was 2008 when Matt Mullenweg first visited Philippines for Wordcamp. And I was one of those lucky bloggers who had the rare opportunity to meet Matt, the man behind Wordpress and Automattic. Thanks to the Mindanao Bloggers for organizing the Mini Wordcamp in Davao. I will never forget it. Our picture was even included on a YouTube video featuring Matt (watch till the very end. Hehe.)

Anyway, Matt was here in the country again! Just recently, he visited Manila for a Wordpress Community Meet-up which was attended by bloggers, developers, designers, and enthusiasts of the world’s most popular web publishing platform.

The Official Meet-up venue was at The Globe Tower in Bonifacio Global City. It was organized and hosted by Globe Telecom and the Philippine WordPress community led by entrepreneur and president of the Davao Bloggers Society Andrew dela Serna.

Over 120 members of the local WordPress community gathered to learn more about Mullenweg’s expertise on web technology and online publishing, including his philosophy of giving more people access to publishing and blogging through the use of an open-source software.

When asked about his partnership with Globe Telecom, he shared that Globe saw an opportunity as they’re bringing lots of people online, and which is very complimentary with WordPress’ mission, which is to democratize publishing. He said Globe is doing some amazing things locally by bringing more people on data plans and connecting them to the Internet. :)

In Europe, chip and pin cards have been in common use for over 10 years. With swipe cards, all that’s needed for authentication is a signature, which is easy to forge. The increased security offered by the use of a pin number in chip and pin card was a major contributing factor to their widespread adoption and lead to in-store credit card fraud alone falling by £120 million.

Nevertheless, swipe cards are still the preferred method of transaction in the US and the question as to why has become particularly pertinent in light of the recent theft of 100 million credit and debit card numbers from Target’s databases. There’s no guarantee that chip and pin technology would have prevented this theft from occurring, but the likelihood is that it would have vastly reduced the amount of customers who were affected.

Image Source

How Does Chip and Pin Technology Work?

Each credit and debit card which uses the chip and pin system is dependent upon a small microchip which is embedded in the card itself. When the card is inserted in a chip reader the card owner is then required to enter a pin, which the reader then checks against the identity of the chip. The information contained on the microchip is encrypted, making it extremely difficult for anyone to gain unauthorised access to the card’s data.

The card’s chip will usually protect it from being cloned, but the security of the card is also dependent upon the security of the pin. Pin owners are advised to never write their pin down or tell it to anyone else. It’s also advisable that pins are changed on a regular basis.

Reasons for Not Adopting Chip and Pin

There are numerous reasons as to why the US has not so far adopted the chip and pin card system. The cost of new card readers may well be a contributing factor, as to replace all of the older card readers would entail a significant expenditure. Strong US legal protections for those who’ve been affected by card fraud may have also led to apathy regarding the need to switch over. However, strong protection does not equate to protection and if paying for the changeover is a factor for individual retailers then card reader rental providers, such as Card Cutters in the UK, may go a long way towards mitigating these costs.

The Future of Chip and Pin in America

Americans have long been left at a disadvantage because of the difficulty of relying on swipe cards when travelling abroad in places such as Europe, where chip and pin is the norm. Security aside, this should be reason enough for American banks to issue their customers with chip and pin cards. However, despite the banks’ reticence on this matter, retailers such as Target have begun to issue their own customers with cards containing chip and pin technology in an effort to combat future security breaches. Chip and pin may not yet be ubiquitous with American retail, but there’s no doubt that change is coming.

Unless you have official qualifications in mechanics (or your husband does), buying a second hand car can be fraught with difficulties. Not only will you have to spend time considering all your options when it comes to model and colour, but you’ll also need to keep your wits about you with regards to engine status and any hidden issues private sellers may try to cover up.

For that reason, it’s almost always better to buy used models from a reputable dealership, even if it means paying a little more for your car. While you might have to spend more money initially, you’ll have much more cover should something untoward happen, and so you’re bound to save hundreds, if not thousands in the long run. I recently read on the Big Motoring World Twitter page that the months of June and July are always the best for buying a used vehicle at the best prices, so there’s no time to lose. You need to start your research now to ensure you capitalise fully on this.

With that in mind, the article you’ve found today has been written in the hope of giving you some handy advice that could result in you getting a better deal. Obviously, you should always try to take a qualified mechanic along when purchasing anything second hand, but if that’s simply not possible, the information in this article should help to limit the chances of you getting ripped off.

Look at the history

So long as you’re buying from a second hand dealership, you should have the opportunity to read through the car’s full history before committing to a purchase. This is something you should definitely take advantage of. Don’t start panicking if it’s had a lot of repair work, that is completely normal for something more than five years old. However, if you notice that most of the work has been done on the same area of the engine, this should set alarm bells ringing. Like it or not, some automobiles are just prone to issues, and if the one you’re looking at seems to fit this category, you should move on and find something less risky.

Local law enforcement and highway patrol outfits have become increasingly more effective at cracking down on those who make the terrible decision to drive inebriated. We all see the commercials and electronic road signs stating something similar to “You Drink.. You Drive.. You Lose.” or “DUI Decide Before You Drive”. This campaign has certainly made the public more aware of the dangers associated with drinking and driving and the costs if you are found guilty of the act. Much less has been done to make drivers more aware of the dangers associated with driving drowsy or distracted driving. The facts and figures continue to mount outlining the increased risks of each act. While in recent years, most states have made it illegal to text and drive, many other acts while driving remain legal, and there is very little being done across the country to address the dangers of drowsy driving.

Distracted Driving.. What is it and are we all guilty?

There aren’t many people today who are unaware of the dangers associated with texting and driving. It has become a new focus of many traffic enforcement agencies as the number of crashes have skyrocketed due to this ill-advised act. In many states this has a “primary enforcement” level meaning an officer can pull a driver over without any other offense taking place. In roughly a dozen states, this law is carried over to all hand held phone use which has been more effective in deterring phone use by drivers. Law Enforcement has become increasingly more effective in spotting cell phone offenders but the onus is on us as individuals to keep our phones away and focus on the road.

Distracted driving extends beyond cell phone use in the car. While the cell phone is a principal offender, other acts such as eating and drinking, fumbling with navigation units, spending too much time adjusting the audio, talking with passengers, and grooming or putting on makeup all increase the likelihood of an accident. While the fatalities associated with distracted driving has decreased slightly over the last couple years, injuries associated with such and the number of crashes overall continue to steadily increase. Most alarming is the age group with the highest percentage of distracted driving fatalities relative to the amount of drivers on the road belong to drivers under 20. Not eliminating these habits in the most inexperienced of drivers is a mistake parents and communities must work harder not to commit. However, the onus is again on the driver to understand that while they possess a drivers license, most are far poorer drivers than they realize. Any trip near a local high school around 3pm can surely attest to that.

Globe Telecom President & CEO Ernest Cu welcomes at The Globe Tower 32 high school students who were selected to participate in this year’s Globe Junior Mobile Wizard program.

Go on vacation, enroll in a tutorial class, learn new skills, apply for a job - these are just some of the many ways where students can spend their summer.But for some high school techies they grab this rare opportunity to build their future through Globe Telecom’s Junior Mobile Wizard program. It is a six-week summer program offered to Globe employees' high school children. It gives the teens a chance to learn outside a campus setting and become a part of a real company setting as they interact with customers.

They are tasked to demonstrate and discuss the latest gadgets and mobile data services, as well as other Globe offers and services, providing them the opportunity to assist customers who may wish to apply for the latest postpaid and broadband plans or avail of other Globe promos.

This year, a total of 32 qualified for the program, with 25 coming from Metro Manila, 5 from Cebu and 2 from Davao. The students, aged 15 to 17, are in second to fourth year high school level.

It began with a 2-day training at the telecommunication’s headquarters in Bonifacio Global City. The students were then assigned in 7 Globe stores located in several areas in the Philippines.

Truly a great way to spend their summer right? Not only that they were able to learn about Globe products but it also develops their social, business and entrepreneurial skills.

Back in the day when dinosaurs roamed free across the land (OK - I’m exaggerating a little, but it was 16 years ago!), I had just passed my driving test and bought my first car, a battered old Volkswagen Golf mk1.

I seem to remember that it was silver in colour, although at first glance you probably wouldn’t have been able to tell given that the car appeared to be made up largely of body filler and rust! In hindsight, I probably should have saved up a bit more for something that wasn’t a piece of scrap metal on wheels, but even in those days it was a rare sight on the roads, so I just had to buy it!

Image Source

But, I digress. The reason why I was bringing up my old banger of a Golf was because the car didn’t actually have any form of warning system to tell me that my car had a serious engine problem, for example. The only dashboard icons that alerted me to any problems were the battery and handbrake icons.

These days, things are very different. It is now possible for all modern cars to effectively self-diagnose themselves, with most giving drivers a simple explanation as to the reason the problem has occurred.

So, just how do today’s cars self-diagnose themselves, and are they useful at doing so? In this blog post, I walk you through the different systems checks that the cars of today perform.

Ever since the world of smart phones took over the entire mobile device industry, data plans, billing, and charges have been a thorn in the side of most smart phone using consumers. Data usage is never quite as intuitive or simple to navigate as it might be; users must decide how much 'data', or wireless bandwidth, they typically use in a month, and then purchase a plan that includes just that much and no more or less. Then, data users must pay close and regular attention to the amount of wireless connectivity that they are utilizing so as not to go over and engage in large overage charges. If you are unfortunate enough to have to pay these fees, www.kangaroopaydayloans.com can help.

As a result of facing heavy handed data overage charges unintentionally by going over the specified monthly allotment, users have realized that data usage is something to be reckoned with. Just one unknowingly large download or one too many images viewed can mean a mean data overage fee that can push a phone bill up and over the edge. Fortunately, a mass of handy tricks and tips now exists to help frustrated mobile users to reign in and be conscious of their data use. Some of the most useful ways of controlling your use are free, and right at your fingertips if you are savvy with the world of apps.

Apps to Control Your Data Usage

There are a handful of no cost apps now that are specifically designed to make you aware of your data usage, and help you to control your phone bill if it is going overboard. Some of the best will actually turn your data off and restrict it if you exceed a certain amount of usage, and many will tell you exactly what it is you are doing on your phone that is using up all of this data. In this way, you can craft a completely customized phone environment that will make it easy for you to conserve data by closing apps, specifying notifications and alerts, and toggling settings with downloads and images, two of the data heavy aspects of mobile phones.

By using one of these two apps, or a similar one that suits your preferences more closely, you will set up cautious boundaries around your data usage and ensure your stability. By paying close attention to your data limits and having the added protection of a data management app, you will be well prepared for anything on your mobile phone.

Do a simple Google search and you will find thousands of articles that tell you why you should or need to buy a car, explaining the various benefits and reasons why it makes sense to have a car. But how many articles do you see from people that explain why you shouldn't buy a car?

Not that many is the answer! Don’t get me wrong; cars are a useful necessity for many households around the world, but mankind didn't always rely on cars to get them from A to B. Today I am going to look at the other side of the car ownership coin and explore the reasons why you probably shouldn't buy a car!

1. You hate driving

I must admit; I think I am one of those seasoned motorists that are now starting to head towards the “I hate driving” camp! I have been driving since 1998 and, at first, I used to enjoy getting behind the wheel of my car and driving here, there and everywhere!

But today, the roads are somewhat more densely-populated than they were back in those days, and the usual negative points of driving (traffic, road rage, idiotic driving) seems to have grown exponentially.

If you actually start to feel stressed and have raised levels of blood pressure before you even get behind the wheel of a car, chances are you hate driving and should probably let someone else get in the driver’s seat.

2. You hate people

There are two types of people in this world; those that are happy to interact with others, and those that aren't.

Do you spend most of your time moaning about people, going into detail on a regular basis about why people annoy you and how you wished you lived on a small island by yourself with only marine life for company?

If so, you are probably not a people person. Driving definitely isn't for you, as you will most probably spend a large proportion of your time on the road swearing at other road users and getting angry at them.

Do yourself a favour: get rid of those “red mist” moments by surrendering your driving licence!