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Facebook taking on groupon – Launches Group-Buying Prototype
Facebook is currently testing a new feature called “Buy With Friends,” which allows users to get discounts on virtual goods purchased by their friends.
Here’s how it works: A user makes an in-app purchase using Facebook’s currency, Facebook credits, and shares it in his or her newsfeed. A friend sees the purchase and can then buy the same item at a discount directly in the newsfeed.
Currently, the feature only works for certain in-game purchases of virtual goods. Developers determine the items and terms of the promotion.
Speaking at the Inside Social Apps Conference in San Francisco Tuesday, Facebook’s head of commerce product marketing Deb Liu said that during early tests, more than half of users chose to share their purchases with friends, Forbes reports.
Although Buy With Friends is currently restricted to virtual goods, we can easily envision how this feature could be expanded to include physical goods as well, especially as more and more retailers set up shot on Facebook. The prototype could be Facebook’s way to participate in the kinds of group-buying offers recently popularized by the likes of Groupon and Livingsocial.
Highest Paid Actors of hollywood in 2010
Movie stars fall into that category of earners – and the term is used loosely here – that at times makes executive pay seem like a pittance. Whether they are truly worth all that money or not continues to be up for debate, just as sports fans will continually debate the salaries bestowed up professional athletes. What is certain, however, is that as long as people pay to watch movies and rent DVDs, movie stars are going to continue to earn big money. Many have such star power, sometimes even coupled with acting talent, they can single handedly make or break a film’s financial success. Here is a list of the ten highest paid male actors for 2010, how much they earned during the year and some of the movies that have helped to make them unimaginably wealthy. This list is based on earnings from film revenue from June, 2009 through June, 2010.
1) Jhonny Depp ($ 75 Million):
It turns out mixing Depp’s oddball performance tendencies with a big-budget Disney concept is a recipe for success. The first Pirates movie earned $654 million at the global box office. The franchise has gone on to earn a total of $2.7 billion, and a fourth film is slated for 2011 (in 3-D, natch). Depp’s most recent star turn for the studio, a 3-D update of Alice in Wonderland, has brought in $1 billion at the box office.
Mix Depp’s ability to portray just about any character with the clout of Disney, and you’ve got a recipe for earnings. Depp is now considered an automatic earner at the box office, and his roles in Alice in Wonderland and Public Enemies helped those films earn big.
2) Ben Stiller ($53 Million):
Ranking second behind Depp is Ben Stiller with $53 million. The comedian earns big bucks for films like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and the upcoming third installment in the Meet the Parents franchise because those films pay out at the box office. But Stiller has also started doing smaller, more personal films. This year’s Greenberg, about a lonely man rapidly approaching middle age, earned only $6 million.
Despite that, he is still the second highest earner for 2010.
3) Tom Hanks ($45 Million):
Tom Hanks. Between June 2009 and June 2010 the actor earned $45 million. Much of that came from movies like Angels & Demons and the upcoming Larry Crowne, which co-stars Julia Roberts. But Hanks also earns from films and TV shows he produces. He was behind HBO’s recent mini-series The Pacific and produced 2009’s Where The Wild Things Are.
4) Adam Sandler ($40 Million):
Adam Sandler ranks fourth with $40 million. His most recent film, Grown Ups, started slow but is now Sandler’s third-highest-grossing film of all time at the box office with $230 million in ticket sales worldwide. The fact that his humor can bring in fans over time, in the U.S. and abroad, means studios are willing to pay him a hefty salary.
5) Leonardo DiCaprio ($28 Million):
Leonardo DiCaprio ranks fifth with $28 million. The star went through a period with underperforming films like Body of Lies and Blood Diamond, making it increasingly difficult for DiCaprio to justify his large payday.
But he’s recently turned that around with Shutter Island and Inception. The latter (which hit theaters after our June deadline) is now DiCaprio’s second highest grossing film, behind Titanic, with $700 million so far. DiCaprio will end up making at least $50 million from the film, which should rank him much higher on next year’s list.
6) Daniel Radcliffe ($25 Million):
Daniel Radcliffe will forever be known as Harry Potter, even decades after that film franchise has drawn to a close. It may make it difficult for him to ever get the roles he desires in the future, but it has also made him a multi-millionaire even before he became an adult.
7) Robert Downey Jr. ($22 million):
Iron Man has been Downey’s biggest film of late, but the actor, who has long had battles with alcohol and substance abuse, is a big draw and continues to make successful movies that show off his range. Due Date did average in Box Office
His “Untitled Sherlock Holmes” Sequel in 2011 and The Avengers in 2012 should definatly bring in huge returs to the actor
8) Tom Cruise ($22 Million):
It seems like Tom Cruise has been a top earner for decades now, and the list of successful movies he’s been in is quite long.
His Knight and Day did average at the Box-Office in 2010
9) Brad Pitt ($20 Million):
Like Cruise, Pitt is an aging actor who relies primarily on his looks to land his roles. Despite that, he has begun taking to some offbeat and smaller roles here and there that more firmly cement him among legitimate actors, and he continues to be a big draw at the box office as well.
10) George Clooney ($19 Million):
Clooney’s films seem to do well regardless of quality, not that many of his films have actually been duds. He brings a certainty gravity to all of his roles, even those that are more comedic, that simply forces audiences to take the film seriously. It also leads to big money at the box office.
SOURCE: (Forbes “Highest Paid Actors Of 2010” )
Highest paid actors of 2009
It was a good year for the top-earning men in Hollywood. Seven of our top 20 raked in more than $30 million. To figure out earnings we spoke to agents, managers, producers and lawyers to come up with estimated earnings between June 2008 and June 2009.
Harrison Ford
$65 million
After years of staying on the down low, Ford reemerged this year for Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series that started in 1981. Ford’s earnings on the movie come exclusively from his share of the profits of the film, which earned $786 million at the worldwide box office.
Adam Sandler
$55 million
The former Saturday Night Live star has proved himself to be a solid hit maker with movies like this year’s Bedtime Stories and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, which earned a combined $413 million at the box office. Up next: Funny People, directed by his former roommate Judd Apatow.
Will Smith
$45 million
Smith proved once again that he owns July 4 with last summer’s Hancock. Despite middling reviews, the film grossed $624 million at the worldwide box office. Smith’s status as a global superstar helped keep his downer film Seven Pounds from being a total disaster. The movie earned almost $100 million overseas.
Eddie Murphy
$40 million
Despite the failure of Meet Dave (the film made only $50 million at the worldwide box office), Murphy continues to earn big paychecks for his work in family comedies. That could change if his two upcoming movies, Imagine That and A Thousand Words, don’t perform.
Nicolas Cage
$40 million
The actor doesn’t earn the same size paychecks as some of the other men topping our list, but he works twice as hard. Cage currently has six films scheduled for release over the next two years. Part of the reason for his work ethic could be the fact that he owes millions to the IRS.
Tom Hanks
$35 million
Hanks is one of the few stars who still earns $20 million upfront paychecks for his work in movies like Angels & Demons, which has grossed $407 million for Sony at the worldwide box office. Hanks also makes a nice living producing hits like last year’s Mamma Mia.
Tom Cruise
$30 million
Cruise managed to avoid any embarrassing tabloid moments over the last 12 months, and his movie Valkyrie did better than expected, earning $200 million at the worldwide box office. But the thing that most helped Cruise rehab his image this year was his cameo as an obnoxious Hollywood executive in Tropic Thunder.
Jim Carrey
$28 million
The funny man took a big risk this year on his film Yes Man. In lieu of his $20 million upfront pay, Carrey became an investor in the movie taking one-third of the film’s profits. The unusual deal turned out to be a good one for Carrey. By the time the movie has earned all its money he’ll pocket $35 million.
Brad Pitt
$28 million
Pitt was nominated for an Oscar this year for his work in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and also earned some cold cash from the film, which brought in $333 million at the worldwide box office. Up next: hunting for Nazi scalps in Inglourious Basterds.
Johnny Depp
$27 million
Depp falls to 10th place on our list after earning $72 million last year. The reason: no new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. The fourth installment is scheduled for 2012. In the meantime, he’ll play John Dillinger in Public Enemies and the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland.
George Clooney
$25 million
The star hasn’t appeared in a blockbuster hit outside of the Ocean’s series since 2000’s The Perfect Storm. Instead, Clooney has opted for smaller films like last year’s ensemble movie Burn After Reading. Up next: Men Who Stare At Goats, which was one of the few films to find a buyer at the recent Cannes Film Festival.
Russell Crowe
Robert Downey Jr.
$20 million
Iron Man grossed $580 million at the worldwide box office, proving that despite his checkered history, Downey is still a draw in the right part. The film’s success allowed him to boost his asking price on Iron Man 2, helping the actor earn $20 million over the last 12 months.
Denzel Washington
$20 million
While starring in blockbusters like American Gangster and Inside Man, Washington has also been honing his skills behind the camera, directing 2007’s The Great Debaters. Coming up next: a remake of The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 and The Book Of Eli about a post-apocalyptic America.
Vince Vaughn
$14 million
The comedian continues to be a solid draw in movies like Four Christmases and Fred Clause, even if his films don’t set the box office on fire. He’s a producer on this fall’s Couple’s Retreat, a comedy that costars Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman.
Ben Stiller
$14 million
The actor had a hit with last summer’s Tropic Thunder, which grossed $188 million at the worldwide box office. Stiller was the star of the film and also the writer, director and producer. He also makes big bucks starring in comedies like Night At The Museum 2, which has so far earned $280 million at the worldwide box office.
Seth Rogen
$12 million
Rogen appeared in four movies over the last 12 months, including Pineapple Express and Monsters Vs. Aliens, in which he was the voice of B.O.B., a blob-like monster. Up next: Funny People, directed by his mentor Judd Apatow and starring Adam Sandler.
Matt Damon
$11 million
Damon makes the big bucks when he plays Jason Bourne in the action series, but brings in less for more serious movies. This year there was no Bourne, so his earnings are coming mostly from his work in the upcoming Nelson Mandela biopic starring Morgan Freeman and directed by Clint Eastwood.
Christian Bale
$10 million
Bale got more ink for his abusive rant on the set of Terminator Salvation than for his acting this year, but he still managed to appear in several blockbusters, including The Dark Knight, which is the second highest-grossing film of all time behind Titanic. Up next: He plays federal agent Melvin Purvis hot on the trail of John Dillinger in Public Enemies.
Will Ferrell
10 million
The funnyman had a rough year. His movies Step Brothers and Semi-Pro under-performed his earlier hits like Blades Of Glory and Talladega Nights. Things got even worse last weekend when his big-budget remake of Land Of The Lost opened to only $18 million, putting it in third place behind The Hangover and Up.
SOURCE : FORBES
The highest paid comedians of 2009
Our ranking of the most valuable comedians is based on Forbes’ Star Currency survey. Conducted in fall 2008, the survey polled hundreds of entertainment industry professionals to rate 1,400 actors on critical financial metrics, such as their abilities to attract financing for films and drive box office revenues.
No 1. Adam Sandler
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 42
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.61 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 10
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No.12
Hollywood’s most desirable funnyman has a long track record of leading silly but profitable comedies, like Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy. Sandler has also flexed his serious chops in 2002’s Punch Drunk Love and 2004’s Spanglish. His much anticipated Funny People, in which Sandler plays a successful Hollywood comedian diagnosed with cancer, should provide another opportunity to blend humor and humanity.
No 2. Will Ferrell
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 41
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.56 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 13
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 15
One of Hollywood’s hottest comedic talents, Ferrell is putting his touch on film, television (HBO’s Eastbound and Down) and the emerging world of Web video (Funnyordie.com). Ferrell recently took to the Broadway stage to satirize former President George W. Bush in a controversial one-man show.
No. 3. Ben Stiller(my fav.)
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 43
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.50 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 15
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 18
Born to comedian parents, Stiller broke into show business on Broadway and later produced well-regarded but little-watched comedy shows for MTV and Fox. He soon branched out into directing (Reality Bites, The Cable Guy), but developed into an economic force in Hollywood after taking starring roles in There’s Something About Mary and Meet the Parents. That film, along with its sequel, Meet the Fockers, grossed $850 million at box offices worldwide.
No. 4. Jim Carrey
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 47
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.42 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 16
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 19
Canadian comic won Hollywood stardom with 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Carrey has since proven himself as a crowd-pleasing funnyman in sophomoric flicks like Dumb and Dumber and Liar Liar, and earned respect as a serious actor in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Man on the Moon. Controversial new flick I Love You, Philip Morris, starring Carrey and Ewan McGregor as prison lovers, premiered at Sundance in January but has yet to find a theatrical distributor.
No. 5. Vince Vaughn
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 39
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 8.39 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 28
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 32
Chicago-bred funnyman had his breakout role as a wannabe Hollywood player in 1996’s Swingers. Later took on dramatic roles in Psycho remake and Domestic Disturbance. His career has been reignited by collaborations with fellow Bankable comedian listers Ferrell and Stiller in Old School, Starsky and Hutch, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
No. 6. Steve Carell
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 46
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 8.05 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 31
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 36
Now one of Hollywood’s most desired comedic talents, Carell says he once considered a career as a mailman and attorney. Good thing he opted for comedy. Films led by the ex-Daily Show correspondent have garnered both nods from critics and huge box office revenues. Among his successes: 40 Year Old Virgin and Anchorman.
No. 7. Eddie Murphy
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 48
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.66 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 37
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 49
Murphy launched his career with a raunchy stand-up routine but has recently been collecting huge paychecks for his work on movies aimed at kids. His turn as oddball Donkey in Dreamworks’ Shrek series has helped generate $2.2 billion in world box office revenue. The SNL alum also carried successful comedies Dr. Doolittle and The Nutty Professor, as well as appeared in a dramatic role in 2006’s critically acclaimed Dreamgirls.
No. 8. Sacha Baron Cohen
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 37
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.64 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 38
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 50
The Cambridge-educated comedian got his start in university productions of Fiddler on the Roof. Baron Cohen’s career took off after creating the character Ali G, a moronic television interviewer, for a British sketch show. That personality inspired an HBO series, which in turn led to the hugely successful film Borat ($261 million worldwide gross), a faux documentary featuring Baron Cohen as an awkward Kazakhastani journalist touring the U.S. He stars as a flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter in the highly anticipated Bruno, which hits theaters in May 2009.
No. 9. Jack Black
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 39
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.60 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 40
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 53
Show biz lifer made a few bucks as a teenager starring in a 1982 Activision videogame commercial. His breakout role came 18 years later as pompous record store clerk in High Fidelity with John Cusack. During a 2009 Oscars presentation, Black joked that he made much more money for animated work (Kung Fu Panda, Shark Talk) than live action flicks (King Kong, Tropic Thunder).
No. 10. Robin Williams
Age (as of April 10, 2009): 57
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.45 (out of 10)
Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 65
Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 48
Williams launched his career as a wacky alien in NBC’s Mork & Mindy in the 1970s. He later honed his comedy chops as a stand-up and went on to star in big-grossing comedies: The Birdcage ($185 million worldwide gross) and Mrs. Doubtfire ($219 million). He won acclaim for his dramatic work, as well, including an Oscar in 1998 for his role as a sympathetic but tormented psychologist in Good Will Hunting.
SOURCE : FORBES
The fifteen highest paid men of hollywood in 2009
George Lucas
$170 million
With the latest Indiana Jones movie, Lucas continued his streak of poorly reviewed but high-earning sequels to his most famous films from the ’70s and ’80s. Lucas also earns big from a deal with Hasbro that gives him a large royalty on all Star Wars toys.
Steven Spielberg
$150 million
The director had a tough time finding a new home for his DreamWorks studio but finally landed at Disney. He did better personally, earning $150 million between June 2008 and June 2009 partially thanks to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Jerry Bruckheimer
$100 million
Bruckheimer earns millions producing the Pirates of the Caribbean series for Disney. Even without a pirate movie last year, he still managed to come in third thanks to his hit TV shows like CSI and Cold Case.
Jerry Seinfeld
$85 million
The comedian still earns millions from the syndication of Seinfeld more than a decade after the show went off the air. He’s back on the road with a stand-up act, and last year he starred in a Microsoft ad opposite Bill Gates.
Dr. Phil McGraw
$80 million
Despite a 25% drop in ratings, Dr. Phil still brings in the big bucks thanks to his syndication fees, books and speeches. A series of shows with octomom Nadya Suleman helped bring his show some extra buzz.
Tyler Perry
$75 million
The producer/writer/director star continued his hot streak with two new movies: Madea Goes to Jail and The Family That Preys. His deal with distributor Lionsgate allows Perry to keep much of the money from his films. Perry also had a surprise cameo in this summer’s Star Trek reboot.
Dick Wolf
$75 million
Despite being embroiled in a lawsuit with NBC, Wolf still managed to earn millions from his successful Law & Order franchise. The original show is poised to tie Gunsmoke as the longest-running prime-time drama in television history.
Simon Cowell
$75 million
Idol‘s meanest judge is also its richest. Cowell continues to earn big paydays for his work on the show. He also rakes it in as the creator of both America and Britain’s Got Talent and his record label reps all show winners.
Bruce Springsteen
$70 million
At 59 the Boss still rocks. His latest tour earned $166 million from 1.6 million tickets sold. He capped off his tour by playing the halftime show at the Super Bowl. Springsteen has been an outspoken critic of the pending Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, saying the deal will be bad for fans.
Howard Stern
$70 million
Stern continues to earn $100 million annually from his Sirius Satellite Radio deal (minus show production costs) despite his protestations that he’ll quit at the end of his five-year contract. Last year the shock jock married his longtime girlfriend Beth Ostrosky.
Harrison Ford
$65 million
The actor stepped back into the spotlight last year with the fourth installment of Indiana Jones. Strapping back on the whip might have been tough work for 67-year-old Ford, but he was well compensated with a hefty chunk of the film’s profits.
Kenny Chesney
$65 million
Despite lukewarm sales of his latest album, Chesney made the list with a monster tour selling one million tickets in 2008. Endorsements deals with Corona and MasterCard don’t hurt either. Chesney can often be seen tailgating with fans before shows.
James Patterson
$60 million
The prolific writer released nine new novels between June 2008 and June 2009 in addition to a videogame based on his Women’s Murder Club series and his first biography, Against Medical Advice, about a man with a mysterious medical condition.
Adam Sandler
$55 million
Sandler’s humor may be lowbrow, but he’s one of the few actors in Hollywood who can still command upward of $15 million to appear in a movie. His two most recent films, Bedtime Stories and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan earned a collective $413 million at the worldwide box office.
Larry David
$55 million
David has made a name for himself as a curmudgeon through his HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm (heading into its 10th season) and his recent turn in Woody Allen’s Whatever Works. But he still gets the bulk of his money from Seinfeld syndication.
12 Cool Apple iphone Tablet Concepts (u guys gotta tell which is the best one!!)
Mac Tablet Concept
Apple Mac Tablet concept by Japanese photographer Isamu Sanada
Apple Mac Tablet Concept
Cool mock up of the much rumored Apple Tablet by Sean Mulvihill
Apple MacBook Touch Concept
Designed by Tommaso Gecchelin, the core of this concept is a technology called iSpine. Like the spine of a book, the tech allows the device to go from a normal laptop with screen and touchscreen board to large widescreen canvas for drawing, presentation or movie watching.
Apple mac tablet concept
iPad Touch Concept
Apple iPad Touch concept designed by Chris Messina promises to offer slick, streamlined experience that feels less like a computer and more like a lifestyle object.
Apple Tablet Concept
Beautiful Apple Tablet concept rendering by Fotoboer.nl
Apple Tablet Video
Video of the much rumored Apple Tablet by MacRumors forum member GoneWithTheWind.
MacBook Touch Concept
Another beautiful Apple iTablet concept design by Isamu Sanada.
Mac iTablet Concept
Apple Tablet concept designed by Adam Benton for MacFormat
Phone Tablet Concept
Clever Apple Tablet concept by Vern Hart looks like a giant iPhone
Mactab Concept
Apple iTablet Concept
dang!!!!! i want all of em lol
4 Smart Ways to Boost Your Teen’s SAT Score (for Less)
The college test-prep industry has turned parental anxiety into a steady cash stream. Private SAT tutors now charge $125 to $350 an hour for face time. Legions of parents drop $1,000 to $1,200 or more on SAT prep classes like Kaplan Test Prep and Princeton Review for their darling teens. And still others pack the kids off to pre-college summer camps, where sample tests are squeezed in between sessions on acing interviews and writing killer essays — and where prices can hit $1,000 or more.
But you might well wonder whether all that money is really well spent, especially during these hard financial times. Do you really have to pay a fortune to help get your kid into a decent college?
The answer, you will be relieved to learn, is absolutely not. “Teenagers could easily do really solid SAT prep without paying anything,” insists Alice Kleeman, a college-information specialist at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, Calif.
That doesn’t mean your kid can get away without any prep time. But the experts are united in their belief that studying for the SAT and ACT on the cheap can be just as effective as pricey classes.
Here are four free or cheap tools can help you shrink the cost of test prep.
1. Test-Prep Web Sites
- The number of test-prep sites on the Internet that are free or reasonably priced has exploded. One wildly popular free online resource is Number2.com, which provides students with ACT or SAT questions and then tracks their progress.
Number2.com allows parents to monitor their teen’s SAT progress — or lack of it — without nagging. Every week, Number2.com can send a parent a progress report that shares the amount of time a student spent on the site, and the number of questions the student tackled, as well as the percentage answered correctly.
Our Pick: One of our favorites is ePrep, which combines paper-and-pencil test-taking with an online grader and mini video lessons. The two Princeton University graduates who launched the site believe that students do best when they complete practice tests with paper and pencil — just like on the real test day. When students transfer their answers to an online grid, however, the work is instantly graded — and cofounder Karl Schellscheidt provides a Web video explanation for each of the answers. It’s a great approach for the YouTube generation. Cost: $99 to $599, depending on length of access and quantity of sample tests.
Kyle Morse, a mother and associate admission director at a private boarding school in Princeton, N.J., is a huge fan of ePrep. After using the service, her son Keith improved his total SAT score by 300 and did better than 96% of test takers on the math section. Morse says that because ePrep can sort questions by subject subset, students can identify the areas they’re having particular trouble with. “It’s so personalized you aren’t wasting time reviewing something you already know,” she says.
2. Online Vocabulary Lists
- In an ideal world, teenagers would improve their vocabulary by digesting classic literature and other challenging reading material. Many teens, however, don’t want to spend their summers wading through Crime and Punishment, which leads us to Plan B: special SAT drills. (The ACT doesn’t test vocabulary.)
Word-list help is just a Web search away. Type “SAT words” into the search engine and you’ll find lots of free lists of vocabulary words. One Web site that we like, SparkNotes, has compiled the 1,000 most common SAT words — from abase (to humiliate) to zephyr (gentle breeze).
Our Pick: Your teen can study vocabulary and help fight hunger on FreeRice.com. Every time he or she correctly answers a vocabulary question, the site’s sponsors donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nation’s World Food Program.
3. Help from the Test Makers
- Both the College Board, which is the source of the SAT, and ACT Inc. will happily inundate your teenager with free test materials.
Among the College Board’s offerings is a daily SAT question, delivered by e-mail. The Web site also offers printable practice tests, and tips for answering questions in each of the SAT’s three areas: reading, math and writing. (If your teenager has just six weeks or so to prepare for the SAT, ePrep’s Schellscheidt suggests focusing on math and writing, the two sections where last-minute cramming is most likely to boost scores.)
The ACT site provides limited free practice opportunities for its 215-question exam, which covers four subjects: math, reading, science and English. There is also a special page with tips for the optional essay question. You can gain access to full practice tests by paying $19.95 at ACT Online Prep.
One word of caution: The ACT is less coachable because it relies more on the high school curriculum. But students can, and probably should, supplement their classroom lessons by extra study before the test.
Our Pick: A cheap source for practice tests is the runaway bestseller, The Official SAT Study Guide. (List price is $21.99, but as of today, the 3-pound book was selling for only $12.86 on Amazon.com.)
4. In-School Prep Classes
Lots of high schools offer inexpensive in-house prep classes. Some schools hire their own faculty or outside teachers for their programs. Other times, schools work with national test-prep firms such as The Princeton Review and Kaplan, which can offer significant discounts for in-school classes.
And try having a conversation with your high school’s counselors. They can sometimes get deserving students comped for what would be an expensive outside test-prep program.
Amazing Facts about India !
Q. Who is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems?
A. Vinod Khosla
Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today’s computers run on it)?
A. Vinod Dahm
Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Aziz Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6th position now.
Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail?
A. Sabeer Bhatia
Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
A. Arun Netravalli
Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard?
A. Rajiv Gupta
Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?
A. Sanjay Tejwrika
Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.
Q. We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives.
There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are Indians.
You may know some of the following facts. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented ‘zero.’
3. The world’s first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word “Navigation” is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan’s works dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.
9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from Inida. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053.
10. According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
13. Chess was invented in India.
14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India.
15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilisation).
16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
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