adamslogic

538

Want to keep up to date on the election? How about a website that shows you the latest polling data in what seems like a hundred different ways. Then check out FiveThirtyEight.com a site from one of the people behind Baseball Prospectus. I don't even understand all the data displayed on this page, simply information overload. Even though the site is done by 2 Obama supporters it displays the info in an unbiased and scientific way. Look at everything and see how it all should playout according to the numbers. The site garners it's name from how many people make up the Electoral College. Remember that we don't directly elect the President and Vice President. That is what the College does in our Federal system. If you want some more interesting reading check out the Wikipedia page on the subject. This has to be one of the best sites covering the election period. Go check it out.

Oops, Today Show: Guest makes a mistake when talking about Healthcare.

This morning I was watching NBC's Today. They had two guests on the Health and Medicine Segment who were talking about ways to reduce health care costs. I noticed one serious error the male guest Andrew Rubin made when talking about a Health Savings Account (HSA). He stated if you do not spend the money in an HSA you will lose it at the end of the year. That is totally untrue. You never lose the money in the HSA, it rolls over from year to year. You can even keep it if you don't have an HSA qualifying health plan anymore. The whole point of the HSA is to encourage someone to be a smart consumer and therefore help to better control health care costs. By not having unnecessary and sometimes expensive tests or procedures you reduce your costs and keep the account funded. The money in the HSA is intended to fund your care before you reach your deductible and maximum out of pocket with your insurance. It can also fund other day to day and special expenses. Putting money into an account that you will lose at the end of the year is not being a smart consumer. The guest was confusing a Flexible Spending Arrangement or Account (FSA) with an HSA. Any money left in an FSA you will lose at the end of the plan year. But an FSA is intended to pay for regular and expected health care and other expenses such as daycare. Be careful of anything you see on TV, especially any entertainment/news show.

Jerry we miss you!

Have you guys seen the new Microsoft ads featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates? I really think the ad is entertaining.  You can view it on YouTube here. I do remember Jerry saying a few years ago in some interview (maybe 60 minutes) that he would love to start an ad agency. Was he involved in the creative process? He does make a good shoe salesman. Also, I think these ads do point out that Bill Gates has a sense of humor and can poke fun at himself, i.e. he's cheap. This is something that Steve Jobs would never do. We should all be thankful Microsoft and the PC came out on top years ago even if they are losing ground today. I do own 2 Macs by the way and no PCs. But still think if Apple was in Microsoft's position we would all be worse off.  Anyhow back to the ad. If you notice the frequent buyers card Bill Gates holds up it's his mug shot from Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was busted for a traffic offense. You can view the photo on The Smoking Gun website. The only reason I know this is I have Gates' mug on my bulletin board at work along with Michael Jackson and Andre the Giant.  So remember along with giving away tons of money through the Gates Foundation and being a computer industry icon he also has humility. Time for some other people to get a dose of that.