When it comes to business forecasts and real time business intelligence the mathematics involved can be very challenging and when it comes to sport this can sometimes be impossible especially when you consider how many game day variables can impact a game result.
But cheer up now there is an app for that!
“Hand of god” App allows users to predict the result of sporting events by combining their own intuition with sophisticated statistical analysis of teams.
Hand of god App Screenshot
The obvious downside of equal weights and measures in online retail is both profound and important. A dynamic tax system can serve as a powerful tool for leveling up the playing field… for what a smaller online retailers may lack in buying power and market reach of companies of the size of Walmart and Amazon they can make up for it through government leniency through a dynamic (situation fluency) tax system.
Amazon has changed retail and Amazon knows its size has now attracted the taxman and while they are officially supporting the tax they desire to stop new players from entering the market by exploiting the tax loophole that ironically built Amazon to what it is today.
Amazon officially supports the federal law called the Marketplace Fairness Act which requires that all online retailers collect tax and have agreed to pay it in states such as New Jersey and California but where Amazon does have a problem with the dynamics of the tax law. For the law is very liberal and volume driven as small online retailers would still be exempt of paying this tax in some states.
We all know that Jeff Bezos is one intelligent entrepreneur and his request for the use of equal weights and measures in our tax law through his Washington, D.C., attorney Ted Olson is both fair and reasonable but the question is if its good for America? Being on the other-side of the coin it does seem hypocritical for the role of government is to try and foster competition which sometimes means taxing the larger payers more than one would the little guy. The obvious downside of equal weights and measures in online retail is both profound and obvious for little payers who often lack the buying power and reach of companies like Wallmart and Amazon would still have at least one small tax advantage through this kind of situation fluency tax system.
From Amazon’s perspective it is clear that for one to secure long term dominance they need a uniform tax law that does not discriminate between the size of the online retailer as all would be taxed evenly. So while it was ok for Amazon to get big on this tax loophole they appear to fear a new wave of Facebook driven affiliates doing an Amazon on Amazon itself.
There is no doubt that Amazon is a great company and had served America well but at the same time it is now a significant player and it has now entered the nostrils of the one who is greater (competition watchdogs). The bottom line is clear and that is that a more dynamic and flexible tax system is more practical and can better serve the American consumer by reducing market entry obstacles for new businesses through its volume related tax law giving a rare advantage to smaller players. While Jeff Bezos is right from a purely legal standpoint – the truth is – that if a legalistic tax system is applied equally to all this could have serious ramifications and serve a major blow to competition itself. For in my opinion governments should encourage competition through a flexible tax system for when it comes to price it is competition that ultimately keeps us all honest.
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Article by Peter Malaczynski:
Peter is the chief engineer at HAGOOLE Price Comparison in charge of analytics, statistics and strategic game theory. Follow Peter @HaggleSearch
*Blog post views are my own and not those of my employer [/box]
An Aussie Price Comparison Startup HAGOOLE™ Introducing Competition to the Taxi Industry
Summary: The first taxi payment solution that empowers the Taxi Driver to negotiate on the 10% EFTPOS service charge plus it lets consumers run a virtual taxi meter to make sure they are not being ripped off.
ChargeLess™ Taxi Cash Register is a practical and efficient application which details and calculates the TOTAL taxi fare, including all relevant charges associated with a particular fare, such as the many tolls and eftpos service fees. More importantly if you are a taxi driver or operator and combine this application with a standard business (eftpos terminal) it will make you thousands of dollars!!
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– Easily calculate the total taxi fare, including all tolls, charges and the service fee
– Record values of tolls and charges for future use
– Be transparent before you customer by performing calculations in front of them
– Email or print a detailed Tax Invoice (receipt) generated by the app
– Enter the total taxi fare into your own independent third party eftpos terminal and pocket the majority of the service fee
– Win regular customers by giving them a discount on the service fee charged
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See screenshots of Taxi Payment App Below:
Source: Taxi Payment System
Digital communications have given birth to a new generation of finance companies (see article). Money-transfer agents such as Xoom have drastically cut the time and costs for migrant workers to send money home. Peer-to-peer lenders are matching savers and borrowers, slashing fees and delivering a better deal to both. New foreign-exchange firms are giving travellers access to the prices quoted on wholesale currency markets. Card companies such as Square and iZettle let anyone from yoga teachers to plumbers accept payments by credit card. Firms such as M-Pesa have given millions of people in developing countries access to mobile money.
Creating a financial-tech company is arduous. Whereas it takes less than a day to register a company in Britain, it takes months or years and can cost millions to get authorised as a bank. The number of new banks started over the past decade can almost be counted on one hand.
Source: Economist
Should you invest your hard-earned cash in house on a quarter acre block, or a low-maintenance apartment in the city?
It’s the age-old question that plagues property investors across the nation, and as is often the case when it comes to real estate, there is no clear-cut answer.
When buyers look at a property for themselves the majority tend to go for houses, mainly due to the development potential. A decent block in a growth area then there is the possibility of developing the site –even if only to the point of a dual occupancy – and increasing the yield.
However, this is not necessarily a blanket strategy that applies to all investors. The long-held argument for houses over units has been largely drawn from the belief that “the value is in the land”, as land appreciates and buildings deprecate, and therefore houses are always the premium option.
When trying to decide between houses or units, you should evaluate your options based on “the quality factor”. This means investing in the best quality property you can afford within your budget – regardless of whether its strata titled or standalone.
In regards to units, you need to pick quality developments in quality areas with a good agent, as this provides a desirable property to tenants. This translates to maximised rental returns and minimal vacancy rates, which maximises your income.
[box type=”shadow”]Top three tips for a profitable property investment:
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The forces that influence whether people buy include: basic need, convenience, replacement, scarcity, prestige or apparitional purchase, emotional vacuum, lower prices, great value, brand and name recognition, fad or innovation, compulsory purchase, ego stroking, niche identity, peer pressure, the “girl scout cookie effect”, reciprocity or guilt, empathy, addiction, fear, and indulgence…
Wall Street
Michael write a summary of what you read… give nofollow link to source and post on your twitter account
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