A little more than a week ago, Google announced the roll-out of automatic captions, a new feature to online video that uses speech recognition to turn spoken words into subtitles. In anticipation, Steve Baldwin, of Media Post, made four keen insights into video and the web.

Pound cake with real vanilla beans, fondue drizzled with truffle oil, a pasta with slivers of Parma ham. It's such a treat to get to cook with the real deal, isn't it? This year why not give your favorite cook a few of these small luxuries - and ask for

Here's a question for you: Did you shop this past weekend (including last Friday -- AKA Black Friday)? The past three days (the three days after Thanksgiving) are some of the wildest in retail stores each year. Believe me, I know. I used to work for a retailer and even

One of the biggest personal and professional frustrations that I have (and that a lot of others seem to share) is that there’s never enough time to get to the important things we want to do. We want to do things like… + visit an old relative + create a

Today's Best of Money Carnival is now up. Congrats to all participants and especially the winning post (which I had to name since the host didn't), Are You A Gambler Or Investor? (A Flow Chart) (though I wanted to name Five Steps to Six Figures in Seven Years the winner).

Those of you looking for some extra spending money can pick up $25 free from LendingClub for opening an account with them (which is free to do) as a new user. Here’s how it works… 1. Visit Lending Club using this link. 2. Open and activate a lender account (which

The monthly club is an old-school approach to gift giving that's usually associated with fruit baskets or popcorn tins, but the Internet has advanced beyond the Harry and David catalog and into the 21st century. Subscription gifts are available now for everything from artwork to movies and, if it's

Is Twitter getting out of hand? Well, it’s probably subjective, but nobody can deny that Twitter is insanely popular at the moment. Now it seems that the folks who work at Twitter in Japan are interested in charging users a price to access certain subscriptions. The prepaid accounts will

Missed out on the Black Friday discounts? Never fear, Cyber Monday is here! Even though more and more online retailers are starting to get in on the Black Friday sales bonanza, the tradition of Cyber Monday — where we shop online from work and save big — continues to flourish.

Here's an email I recently received from a reader: My mom is retired and lives on the East Coast.  She still lives in the house that I grew up in and wants to put it up for sale this spring since it's too big for her to handle by herself

“Everything created solves a problem.” – Mike MurdockYour eyes see, your ears hear, your nose smells. Doctors solve medical problems, lawyers solve legal problems. Your shirt keeps you warm; your watch tells you the time. Everything created solves a problem.I believe you were created to solve a problem and your

Many of us will be throwing holiday parties in the weeks ahead, but for those who aren't regularly party throwers, it can be difficult to know how big of an invite list your place can handle. This simple formula can help. Photo by dpstyles™. Clinton Kelly of TV's What Not

One of the most anticipated films of the year is James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Last week, we wrote about the film’s interactive trailer (awesome) and now that the release date is just a few weeks away, Fox has really started to amp up the publicity campaign, including new social media outreach.

The workplace is set up to reward extroverts. For example, ENTJs make up only 3% of the population but they comprise a wide majority of the world's CEOs. The bias against introverts in American society is well documented, including research that shows that a spot on the cheerleading team foreshadows

There are plenty of green ways to wrap gifts (brown paper bag, a tea towel, or a reusable gift bag)... but regular ol' twine doesn't exactly scream special occasion. That's why we really love the colorful Divine Twine from Whisker Graphics. • Read the full post at Re-NestRead Full Post

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags. I’m 30

The best hacks are often the simplest. FourEyes3D is one of these, and it takes a pair of standard webcams and uses them to make a stereo video, letting you beam your ugly mug in three glorious dimensions to anyone who can be convinced to watch. Hook up the

Filed under: Business, Google, Microsoft, SearchWhether you like your savings up front or in the form of cashback, the major search engines would love to trade a little dough for your business. Microsoft has been trying to entice people into using Bing for their searches this holiday season by teaming

In our fifth installment of Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide we’re discussing charitable giving. In our 2007 Guide, we suggested charities that you could donate to in someone’s honor. We continue to love this idea and suggest checking out Charity Navigator and Charity Watch to learn about legitimate charitable

Those deal-conscious guys and gals at Gizmodo have rounded up the links to the major sales on Cyber Monday, the day when you don't need to stay up all night to surf and buy from the comforts of our browser. Amazon, New Egg, Dell, and many more stores are doing

This article is the 10th of a 13-part series that explores the core tenets of Get Rich Slowly. Yesterday, for the first time in my 40-1/2 years on this earth, I went ice skating. Initially, I was scared to try, but I eventually gave in to the taunts from my

This post from MSN Money got me to thinking. They quote the annual cost of owning a car as follows: AAA says fuel, tires, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, license, registration, taxes and financing for a year really cost this much: Small sedan, $7,086 Medium sedan, $9,108 Large sedan, $10,972 Minivan, $9,903

A big infographic about the world's favorite alcoholic beverage.View

While Twitter may have taken second place in Bing’s 10 most searched topics of 2009, we’ve now learned that it has become top dog in something far bigger: the entire English language. The Global Language Monitor, which tracks language trends, has once again compiled and released its yearly list of

We seem to have some especially spirited neighbors when it comes to Christmas decorating. As soon as the sun set on Thanksgiving, our festive neighbors flicked on their glittery myriad of flickering lights — BAM! Christmas arrived! Read Full Post

This guest post was written by Dayne, the author of TheHappySelf.com. Happiness can be elusive when life is too complicated. As daily commitments multiply, we find ourselves becoming conditioned to shifting between multiple tasks, creating lengthy to-do lists and juggling complicated schedules.  When we’re not overwhelmed, we may feel

Because I love The Cinnamon Bear so much, I post this exact same article every year on the 29th of November. This year is no different. If you have young children — and even if you don’t — I encourage you to listen to these old radio broadcasts with your

Getty Images My recent Work & Family column provides a window into just how badly many people want to work from home. The column documents growth in the at-home workforce, showing that home-based workers are cropping up in new occupations ranging from radiology and nursing to auditing and teaching.

While I always loved having turkey with my family each year, I dreaded the days that followed. It is my firm belief that the reason turkey is primarily consumed at only three times of year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) is that the thought of more than three weeks of turkey

We hope you've been enjoying our lineup of gift guides so far this year, and there's much more to come! I wanted to let you know that we're writing lots of gift guides on CRAFT, too! Check out Crafty Tools, For the Foodie, Gifts You Can Make, and more

This has been a financially challenging year for many people and quite a few adult children made the decision to give up their apartments and move back home with their parents in order to get back on their feet. If you are dealing with this, consider these tips to make

Netflix DVDs and their envelopes pass from hand to hand, and from home to home, with all sorts of interesting opportunities for contamination. What sorts of bacteria are on them? A Texas local news team set out to find out and discovered...well, not much of anything likely to kill you.

Over at Hacking Netflix, Peter Nelhaus started a lively discussion about how long Netflix subscribers should get to keep DVDs without penalty. Peter feels that Netflix needs to establish some limits -- after you've hung on to a disc for, say, two months, you should be charged the purchase price

Every other Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal growth, personal productivity, or career book. This is a book I wish I had my hands on about two years ago. I was working at a job I liked, but I also felt that there were several directions in which I

Like many, this is the time of year that we do a lot of sorting: socks, photos, receipts and yes, storage. We spent a good amount of time sorting this weekend and lightened the load considerably. If you're in the same boat, jump below for where to take the stuff

There are plenty online TV listing services that detail what programs are showing in your area. Then again, you probably don't care what's on every single channel. Create a personalized TV guide with FreeGuide and skip The Flossing Network. Photo by daveynin. FreeGuide grabs data on only the channels you're

Quite often, I’m emailed about a subject so frequently that I decide that, instead of just writing the same answer again and again, I should just write an article about it so I can point new emailers to the article. That way, not only will they get my response, but

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why. I recently asked whether or not giving makes you wealthier. Turns out it does (makes you happier too -- and boasts lots of other benefits as well.) This piece details

of Thanksgiving Dinner, or what to make with the leftovers.  This post is delayed, btw, because MY family spent most of Thanksgiving and the day after eating things like crackers, ginger ale, and chicken soup, when we were not looking upon all comestibles with a horrified and queasy eye, if

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from David Turnbull of Adventures of a Barefoot Geek. There are two challenges that people face when choosing to live a more simpler life: owning little and wanting little. Yet people fuse these challenges together into a larger “live simply” goal. Unfortunately, they’re

At this time of year every web site and its dog is offering pages and pages of “for her” or “for him” gift guides, but for the seriously challenged shopper you want the ability to input data and get a neat list of suggestions tailored exactly to who you need

Many newer readers of The Simple Dollar haven’t been exposed to the hundreds of great articles in the archives of the site, so this is a weekly series that highlights the five best posts from one year ago this week, two years ago this week, and three years ago this

This article is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker has recently come to realize that there will always be an excuse not to give if you look for one. As the holiday season approaches each year, we’re reminded to reflect on those things we’re most thankful for. Some of these

[ See more under News & Politics or in the History & Trivia category ] Do you know what really happens to your electronics after you’re done with them? If you send them to a recycling facility, there’s a good chance that they’ll actually end up in countries like

There's been a bunch of great music-related kits released recently, just in time for gift-giving season. Add those to an already strong list of tried and true faves, and you've got yourself a lot of options for the sonic experimenter this year. Read on for the rundown - Drum Kit

Yesterday, my four year old son was watching a television program at his grandparents’ home. At our own home, we don’t watch much non-PBS programming at all, so this was one of my son’s first real exposures to advertising. I came into the room after he had been watching for

Here are some interesting thoughts from Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire: Why do so many people hyperspend? Prior to the economic reversals we have recently encountered, most people had similar sets of beliefs about the positive relationship between spending on products and happiness. But in

Black Friday isn't really the top holiday shopping day of the season--the last Saturday before Christmas is. Today, we have Cyber Monday, when turkey-bloated office workers purportedly return to work and spend the day looking for deals online. But is Cyber Monday really the biggest online shopping day of the

Over the last few months, I’ve given a small pile of presentations related to The Simple Dollar, my upcoming book, and other topics. Along the way, I’ve learned several things about what constitutes a good presentation and what constitutes a failure. Here are the seven key things I’ve learned, which

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you

Today's a pretty good day for buying things on sale I hear. Just remember, as time marches, things will get even cheaper, anyhow. And this year, you may already have the perfect gadgets in your hands. I like the "last year's model" and "buy nothing" ideologies. I like knowing that

This is a guest post by Austin Frakt, a health economist and university professor. You can find more by Austin at The Incidental Economist, a blog about personal finance, economics, and health care, among other things. Budgeting is the cornerstone of personal finance. You can’t make a rational financial decision

Ah, Black Friday. The words send shivers down your spine... do they not? We're sure that you're probably napping right now after a 4AM jaunt to your nearest brick and mortar retailer, where you inevitably trampled some children to get your hands on a Zhu Zhu or that super

Black Friday is upon us and retailers online and off have brought out the big guns for the busiest shopping day of the year. While most of the doorbusters are long gone, you can still catch some terrific bargains online. We scoured ads, online deal sites, and our Twitter accounts

Recently, I picked up two Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart French ovens on a special deal. I’ve been slowly upgrading our kitchen implements and I’ve wanted to upgrade our cracked ceramic casseroles with enameled cast iron that can be used over a burner and also thrown in an oven for

The husband and wife personal finance blogging team Not Made Of Money tell you where to go and shove that leftover turkey of yours. Among the five suggestions for budget-friendly turkey recycling is "Thanksgiving salad," which basically involves tossing everything you've got into a bowl and adding all-important mayo to

Here are some interesting thoughts from Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire on how to determine whether or not your net worth is as high as it should be: Simply stated, your net worth [augmented -- assets minus liabilities] should equal 10 percent of your age

For weekday updates of what I find to be some of the most interesting personal finance articles on the web, follow me on Twitter. For now, here are some pieces I found especially worthwhile and some of the carnivals Free Money Finance was in this week and my posts that

As if you needed any other reason than preservation of all sanity to avoid the malls today, we thought we'd remind you just a few of the reasons why we simply love shopping online.

Did you store your Thanksgiving leftovers correctly? Shoving a giant pile of turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce into your fridge isn't correct. Chow has some tips on how to make sure it doesn't look like Thanksgiving exploded in your fridge: put different dishes in different containers. Hopefully you

We still think that shopping on Black Friday is a really, really bad idea, but apparently we're in the minority. According to one recent poll, 54% of American consumers are planning on shopping at some point this weekend. We're hoping that at least some of them are just going to

I go through the world marveling at the objects around us—from lamp posts to toothbrushes to buildings to sailboats—looking for details, craftsmanship, function, beauty, and purpose. If you know someone nutters like that, here are some gift ideas: Click here to see all the gifts in a single page. Objectified:

In honor of Thanksgiving, we're recalling one of our favorite turkey day-themed posts from last year. By: Jette Kernion A few years ago, I wrote a Cinematical Seven on my favorite dysfunctional families in films. Everyone has a crazy messed-up movie family they love, whether it's the Hoovers in

Why brave the crowds tomorrow when you can score many of the Best Buy doorbusters online right now? I’m particularly excited about the $10 Blu-ray movies as we’re transitioning over from DVDs right now. Check out more Best Buy deals on the new online shopping pages! Share this post:

Drop your bags, grab a drink, and grab the XP CD—it's time for the holiday ritual of fixing up your relatives' computer. Here are some tips and downloads to keep handy while you're cursing all the auto-starting crapware. Photo by Justin Marty. For this guide, we're going to do a

WSJ reporter Ann Zimmerman – a retail-sector veteran – offers tips and tricks to finding bargains on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. 11/25/2009

It’s Thanksgiving Day in the United States — my favorite holiday. I like that we set aside a day each year to be grateful for the things we have. I have much to be thankful for this year — I’ve been very fortunate. A lot of this is because of

Budgets Are Sexy's J. Money put together a list of 20 ways to prep yourself for Friday's shopping frenzy. Here's a taste of the post: Shop Gladiator Style - You are going into sale war. You are a shopper on a mission - think of this day as the Olympics

Today, I’m spending the day with my family, enjoying some turkey, taking a nap, playing a few games, and kibbitzing with people I love. Wherever you are today (whether you’re in the United States or not), take a moment to look at the good things in your life and ask

Recently, I wrote a rather lengthy post on my personal/business blog, BrandingDavid.com, where I talked about my thoughts on the current state of the WordPress project. The post got a bit of attention on both sides of the fence regarding what I wrote, and was linked to by a few

Just want to wish you and your family a blessed and very happy Thanksgiving. May we all take a break from talking about money and focus on the things that really make us thankful. Here's my list -- still the same after two years (except maybe the KFC part.) ;-)

If turkey, football, pumpkin pie, a huge parade, and all of those great family members aren't enough to keep you occupied today -- or if you're looking for an excuse to get away from all of those great family members -- more stores than ever are open today, and some

Are you cooking a turkey, but are not accustomed to baking and carving entire animals? You're not alone, and there are hotlines full of helpful and knowledgeable people ready to help you with any and all poultry crises. Or other food safety issues. There's also an app for that--the interactive

For some people, Thanksgiving is as fun as attending a four-day-long paint drying convention. Maybe they despise the work (and pressure) of having to prepare the perfect meal. Maybe they dread the thought of hearing their uncles argue endlessly about things they have no clue about. Maybe they just want

‘Tis the season to use social media for holiday shopping. In fact, data from eMarketer shows that 17% of all consumers are using social media for their holiday shopping needs, and brands are proving to be savvier than ever with their online holiday shopping bag of tricks. Yesterday we highlighted

Here are some interesting thoughts from Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire where he talks about the impact parents have on the money habits of their children: In America, it is not at all unusual for children from modest means to become high-income-producing adults. Then they

The holiday season is upon us and along with the food, festivities and fun comes the joys of traveling. Whether near or far, traveling with kids brings its own set of challenges. Regardless of whether you are embarking by plane, train, or automobile, anything longer than an hour or so

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day (one of the two holidays of the year that are really important to me, the other being Christmas), I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the eight things over the last year that I’m most thankful for. I’m thankful for my family. My

To think, it's been over five years since we last tackled how to get music off your iPod, as opposed to the other way around. Back then, the classic model had only recently added the infamous click wheel (while still rocking the monochrome screen, mind you), iPod nano was

Even though electronics goods are often at their lowest prices of the year on Black Friday, there are still a few tips to help ensure you get not only the best deal, but also some peace of mind once you bring the item home. [Consumer Reports Electronics]

We just don't have it in us to venture out into the shopping madness of Black Friday. Since we're lucky enough to have the day off, we'd much rather spend it at home, enjoying leftovers and catching up with family and friends. If you don't yet have plans and

I think its safe to say that for the majority of people, Thanksgiving is not about goodness and gratitude, but rather, family drama. Until now, I have been pretty much on the outside of this American tradition: The tradition of building up Thanksgiving to be a great family moment and

We teamed with HD Guru Gary Merson again, this time to find the best TVs under $1000. This economy has really shocked prices. Forget the off-brands. You can now get a top-name good-looking 50" TV for $700, and more... Note: Due to the unprecedented price fluctuations seen on TV pricing

Here's a piece from Smart Money that lists six credit card perks and what they're worth as follows: 1. Auto rental collision damage waiver. Value: $10-$12 to $18-$20 a day. 2. Extended warranty. Value: $15 to $270. 3. Purchase protection. Value: Refunds limited to $300 (American Express), $500 (VISA) or

Need some tunes while you're chopping up sweet potatoes and roasting the bird? Check out NPR's Thanksgiving Mix where the hits include: "Quiche Lorraine" (The B-52s), Pass the Peas" (The JB's), "Country Pie" (Bob Dylan), "Savoy Truffle" (The Beatles), "She Don't Use Jelly" (The Flaming Lips), and more.

[insert shameless family plug here] My Brother-in-law Mike Walker has just started a Black Friday sale on his 2005 Album 'Empty Talker'.  Go to http://mpwalker.bandcamp.com/ to listen to samples for free and then download it for only $1. I think you will enjoy it. Thanks for clicking over and checking

In our third installment of Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide we’re discussing gifts of knowledge. Does someone in your life love to learn? If so, consider the following options as uncluttered gifts this holiday season: Give a classic digital education. The History of the English Language, Physics, and Calculus

Since many of you are reading this during the workday and will be traveling as soon as you leave, I thought I would collect together some of my favorite travel, Thanksgiving, and auto tip articles from various websites. A Holiday Travel Survival Guide A good collection of tips, plus the

This is a guest post from Tyler Tervooren, a long-time GRS reader. Tyler is a practical environmentalist who writes about the overlap of money, sustainability, and personal development at Frugally Green. Have you accepted yet that you’re going to die? Have you? Honestly? We’ve been doing it for thousands of

If you think that just because you’re married now you no longer have to care about your weight, think again! Remaining slim and trim is more than just a question of being attractive to a potential partner, it’s also a question of remaining healthy for the rest of your life.When

We love giving little handmade tokens to guests at parties, but can often underestimate the cost or time involved. Here are some cute ideas for take-aways for your guests that have a handmade appeal, won't break the bank, and won't take a week to do!Read Full Post

Consumer Reports took a survey in 2008 that listed what people tipped the various service people in their lives. They ended up with some very interesting information -- what percent gave no gift at all, how many gave cash (or cash equivalent), how many gave a gift, and the value

Who better to get a gift for this holiday season than the one friend who loves you unconditionally? Whether a dog, cat, rabbit, or fish, all our pets deserve a treat. But how do you keep your house from looking like an aisle at Petco? Find items that fit

Our email inbox has been inundated with food and clothing drives this week, looking for support for the homeless. Even though folks are already overextended during the holiday season, we think this is the best time of year for decluttering.Read Full Post

Paramount Pictures has begun to screen Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lovely Bones, and reviews have begun to appear online. Lets take a look at some quotes from the early reviews: Todd McCarthy at Variety: “Peter Jackson’s infatuation with fancy visual effects mortally wounds The Lovely Bones.” …. “Jackson

It seems like every weekend part of the city — or at least a major street — is shut down for a parade. The biggest parade of the year happens tomorrow. Do you attend or watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade? Is it part of your holiday tradition?Read Full Post

A recent night out with a fellow blogger led to an intense discussion about goal setting. And with the holidays and the new year right around the corner it got us to thinking about how we best lay out our plans for the year ahead and how it usually starts

Here are some interesting thoughts from the preface of Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire: The reason why so many homeowners today are having a difficult time making ends meet goes way beyond mortgage payments. When you trade up to a more expensive home, there is

Know someone that is interested in photography? Or a tinkerer who wants to present their work in a better light? Then we have a guide for you! Here are some project and gear recommendations to help you find the perfect present. Make them a photo with DIY bokeh effects

Gobble, gobble. It's that time to raise a glass of gravy and chase it with a shot of pumpkin pie filling. But before you head into the holiday weekend, let's give thanks to some home trends that make use of the Thanksgiving Turkey. Read Full Post

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you

Shira Lazar is the co-host of Yahoo! TV’s recently launched “What’s So Funny?“, a daily 3-minute show that takes a look at the funniest moments from last night’s TV lineup and lets viewers vote on their favorites. The convergence between the small and even smaller screen continues, as some of

Monica writes in: I used to buy my daughter several new outfits before the start of the school year and then a few more items for Christmas. This worked well when she was less picky about her clothes. The last few years, though, she’s wanted nothing but a few specific

Even though we've been planning for weeks the Thanksgiving dinner we're co-hosting, there's one thing we've been putting off until the last minute: the table decoration. In hopes of inspiring ourselves and you we gathered 8 of the simplest yet still good-looking ways to decorate your table.Read Full Post

Patrick Moran is chief strategy officer at Fuze Box, the company behind Fuze Meeting. He was also chief marketing officer at Mzinga, a leading social media and white label community provider, and led online marketing at Cisco WebEx. Companies of all sizes and in all sectors regularly use virtual meetings

There isn’t much to add to the headline, for fear of spoiling the fun, except to suggest that you watch for cameos by Muppets you probably wouldn’t expect to see. And a warning to put down your beverage while watching, so as to spare your computer a bath.

Consumer Reports lists six steps for regifting the right way as follows: Ensure the gift is something you really can give again. Check the condition. Consider the gift's desirability. Think: Can you get away with it? Wrap it up nice. Explore other options. We're regifters, though I realize not everyone

This holiday episode of No Reservations from 2007 is one of the show's few glimpses of Anthony Bourdain actually cooking in a kitchen. The key to moist turkey, according to Bourdain, is removing its legs ("dismembering a turkey is much like dismembering a human, actually...") and cooking them in

The first step to growing a good career in the face of Asperger's Syndrome is to recognize that this is a social skills deficit, by definition, and work, by definition, is a social skills decathlon. I have written before that for me, the biggest problem at work stems from my

Thanksgiving -- it's the best of times, it's the worst of times. Like most Americans, I look forward to Thanksgiving every year. There's the great food, the family traditions, and the fact that it's all about community and being thankful rather than about how much stuff you can buy

Eco-friendly retailers are few and far between, so it can be tough to find the best in green fashion and design within walking distance. Ordering online is the most efficient way to meet your sustainable style needs, but that’s where the dilemma sets in: by having a product boxed

Over the past couple of weeks, six finalists have been auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each is providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select

Yes, the headline we just wrote for this post sounds a little like those cheesy “one simple rule” online ads. But that’s our headline and we’re sticking to it. Anyway: In her health column this week, the WSJ’s Melinda Beck lists 20 health-related things to be thankful for. Most are

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes. - Marcel Proust The single most important element of personal finance is patience. Financial independence isn’t built in a single day – it takes many years of consistent, patient work to build the foundation

This post is part of the one day blog event “The Spectrum of Personal Finance.” In this event, comic book nerd Brian of My Next Buck, will discuss 8 different emotions (taken from the Green Lantern comic series) and relate them to personal finance. Here at Bargaineering we will be

You probably understand the illegality, not to mention unethical nature, of posting a pirated movie onto the internet - but do you understand the legal ramifications of simply watching a film that’s already been uploaded to the web? Much of my day is spent with teenagers, students at the

This post is part of the “The Spectrum of Personal Finance”. In this one-day event, comic-book nerd Brian from My Next Buck, will discuss eight different emotions (taken from the Green Lantern comics) and relate them to personal finance. Here at GRS, Brian looks at Compassion. One of the most

Image via: Anthonyko on Flickr.com In need of somewhere to travel for New Years? Want to start planning your summer vacation? Now in it's fifth year, National Geographic Traveler magazine has choosing the top green destinations in the world to a science. Many of the locations were chosen for

I haven’t been doing my weekly worth reading roundups consistently yet, and I hope to solve that going forward, so to start us off on the right foot, here are some posts that I found amazing! Sidenote: I was looking at some blogs today on the Top Life Hack Blogs

This post is part of the one day blog event “The Spectrum of Personal Finance.”  In this event, Brian of My Next Buck, will discuss 8 different emotions and relate them to personal finance.  Here at Free Money Finance we will be looking at Death. To view the rest of

Unplggd's has done some of the legwork for all of us, hunting down some of the best home electronics deals available via Amazon for Black Friday, mapping out exactly what will be released at discounted prices on a day-to-day basis over the holiday weekend. Look Ma, no lines! • Read

As Black Friday approaches, a bunch of really great movie deals are hitting the web. We’ll try to bring you a daily round-up of links throughout the week. The following deals are good for this week.  Amazon is also doing a set of “Lightning Deals” which are only good for

We've never been participated in the madness that is Black Friday although we're very intrigued by the idea. It's one of those crazy phenomenons that, being the culture-mad person we are, we feel we should experience once in our lifetime. Our favorite shopping partner has offered to plan the whole

The end of the year is usually when you tip service providers, but if you're on a reduced budget then you're probably going to want to scale back this year. Here are some suggestions from etiquette experts contacted by Reuters. If you've got the money, it's pretty rotten to scale

It never fails: the leftovers of Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll get by on the standard plastic containers or reseal-able bags. But purchasing nice, long-lasting and non-plastic containers will be a much wiser choice in the long run.Read Full Post

Here are some interesting thoughts from the preface of Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire. Let's start with a short summary of what the book is about: [In this book] I detail why so many people who are not rich hyperspend on luxuries. Often they think

With their new mobile coupons feature, Google wants to make it easier for you to access coupons on the go when you're too busy to sit down with the paper and clip coupons. Just in time for the holidays, we've made it easier to find discounts when you're on the

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mary Jaksch of Goodlife Zen. Alleviate world poverty? Isn’t that impossible? There is so much grinding poverty in the world – how could just one of us possibly make a difference? The reason it seems so impossible is that we tend to

Alexandros received an update from Orbitz about his trip and realized that United had changed the time of his flight. For various reasons he couldn't make the new time, so he was lucky to have caught it—not to mention he could have missed the flight entirely had he not seen

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s the least-commercialized major holiday, and the one whose message I most appreciate. On today’s episode of The Personal Finance Hour, I’ll join Jim from Bargaineering to discuss two aspects of this holiday season: the things we’re thankful for, and the importance of giving. This

Recently, several couples in our community started a frozen meal exchange. It’s a really simple idea. On a certain day, everyone in the exchange meets for coffee and brings along a laundry basket full of frozen meals, one for each family, along with any needed instructions taped to the lid.

Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the

Thanksgiving is almost here, so if you're thinking of frying a turkey this Thursday, read through Lextone's instructable for safely doing so. I've never had deep fried turkey; what's your favorite way to prepare a Thanksgiving bird? Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Holiday

When I look at flight attendants I do not see mere mortals. I see heroic flying immune systems. When the zombificating superflu does eventually strike, those who survive will no doubt be ruled by former flight attendants and elementary school teachers. In the meantime, they'll somehow continue working in a

As you saw last week, HD Guru Gary Merson teamed up with Gizmodo to publish the five best TVs you can buy. Today he rounds out the list to an even 10, tossing in more picks in a wider price range, many with better availability than the tippy tops. Here's

"Team Jacob!" roars a trio of dudes in a bar. Drinks are flowing fast. "A typical horrible Monday just became amazing," gushes a woman who's about to go see a private screening of Twilight: New Moon. The crowd moves from the bar to what looks suspiciously like a high school

Today we kick off Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide. Over the next few weeks, you can expect to read posts in the Guide about giving gifts that hopefully won’t become clutter in their recipients’ homes. Some of these Guides are for experiences, charitable giving, kids’ items, consumables, utilitarian objects,

Geeks love cooking and there's no mystery why: it's science you can eat! We spent a week salivating over food gadgets, gathering tips and wisdom along the way. From that experience comes our list of best (and worst) gift ideas: BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as

Update 1: We've added the 9AM PST/12PM EST games below. Get 'em while they're hot, folks! Everyone's favorite Amazonian retailer (after leafcladmailorderbrides.com, of course) has revealed a handful of hints for its pre-Black Friday selection of "Lightning Deals." Starting today at 9AM PST, Amazon will be offering games ranging

The following is a guest post by Bryan Olson, CFA, Vice President, Head of Portfolio Consulting for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. For more than a decade, Roth IRAs have been offering investors a number of benefits generally including tax free growth in earnings, tax free withdrawals assuming you begin

One of my favorite quotations reminds me to be thankful for the little things: To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we

It is that special time of year again, when we spend lots of time in our kitchens, and make fabulous feasts for our family and friends. Whether you are cooking for a crowd, or just having an intimate dinner with your significant other, it pays to incorporate some turkey cooking

Here's my weekly note that the latest Best of Money Carnival is up. Congrats to all participants and especially the winning post, The X-Men Guide To Unlocking Your Financial Mutant Powers. I made the carnival as well with a guest post titled Steps To Grow Your Net Worth When You Don't

Here are some gift ideas for your favorite creative skeptic, guerrilla artist, or depressed teenager. I'm trying to keep it fresh, so if you're looking for some more ideas, check out last year's Culture Jamming Gift Guide too. You have plenty of time before the holidays take hold, so

Planning on doing the big turkey thing this week? Cooks Illustrated, a prime source of heavily-tested recipes and tips, offers a quick (1:38) video primer on safely cooking your bird. You don't even have to skip the stuffing—just heat it in a microwave to a prep temperature of 120-130 degrees

We geeks love us our books. That’s why we had to split our picks into two lists! Check it out, there’s some good stuff here. Click on the gift guide logo on the right side column to see the aggregated GeekDad Gift Guides of this and prior years. Anathem

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags. What kind

If you’re planning on scoring some deals on Black Friday, prepare ahead of time to make sure you walk away happy with what you’ve bought and spent. Below are 12 tips to make your Black Friday shopping trip a success: Make a list Black Friday is not the best

This article is the ninth of a thirteen-part series that explores the core tenets of Get Rich Slowly. You want the best — for yourself, for your spouse, for your family. You want the best car, the best house, the best job, the best mutual funds, and the best savings

Last month I wrote a post entitled ‘What Are Your Eyes Giving Away’. I’d like to follow this with another body language article looking at what our arm signals are telling other people and what other’s arm signals are telling us. We all know someone who is very melodramatic, when

Here's some information that's a good follow-up to our discussion about Americans not being ready for retirement. We'll start with a summary of how most people fund their retirement. Americans typically build retirement savings in three ways, says Laibson. For all of us, our required contributions to Social Security will

We suspect this will be the final round of Black Friday ad leaks -- you know, considering that Black Friday is but a few days away -- but it seems as if the gadget world has saved the best (or at least the biggest) for last. As usual, we're

Every day, you might browse the web without thinking about which browser you are using, or which version you have installed, but with another Zero-Day exploit for Internet Explorer out in the wild, it might be time to reconsider. The response thus far by security experts has been: “Internet Explorer

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and if you are entertaining your friends and family this year, add an extra element of fun to a day giving thanks by giving your guests a fun way to find their seat. Read Full Post

You back up your computers, or at least know that you should. But what about your smartphones? They carry massive amounts of personal data, and are subjected to life-or-death situations on a daily basis. Here's how to back them up: You don't have to use a smartphone for more than

Every other Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal finance book. I quite enjoy reading personal finance books that offer different advice and ideas than the rest, even if I don’t agree with what they have to say. Killing Sacred Cows, by Garrett B. Gunderson, falls into this category. Killing

When I was a young professional, my income was relatively low – substantially lower than it was even five years later. I knew that over time, my income would go up; my career path offered lots of opportunities for growing one’s wage and I was dedicated to my career. So,

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday, and in large part that’s because I spend it camping in Terlingua Ranch and hiking, backpacking, or kayaking in Big Bend National Park (about 15 minutes away from the ranch). I get mixed reactions when I

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why. Today we have a guest post from Money Help for Christians. Those who are followers of Christ are familiar with the final words of Jesus – the Great Commission.  In

Many newer readers of The Simple Dollar haven’t been exposed to the hundreds of great articles in the archives of the site, so this is a weekly series that highlights the five best posts from one year ago this week, two years ago this week, and three years ago this

Filed under: News, Apple, iPhone, Mobile, ListsOn 12/28 I am eligible to switch phones and am rationalizing an iPhone purchase, which is all the more difficult as I just read David Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. The book advocates saving money and paring down expenses, so the $30 monthly data plan

The Consumerist is reporting that two Mac users were denied AppleCare coverage because the owners were smokers. Not because the computers were damaged by second hand smoke, but because of OSHA regulations. According to separate reports, Apple denied coverage for two users in 2008 based on the fact that OSHA

Yesterday, I read a fascinating research paper by Stacy Berg Dale and Alan Krueger (you can read the abstract here) which offers up a surprising result. In a nutshell, once you take a student’s pre-existing talents into account (as shown by standardized test scores), the school they attend has almost

The following is a guest post from Kathryn Katz, an avid cat lover, single mom, internet marketer and professional copywriter. Kathryn is a Certified Personal Finance Counselor and works for Consolidated Credit Counseling Services. Many consumers have suffered from financial difficulties during the recession. High unemployment, upside down mortgages and

Guess the Nook is the Wii of last year - it is already sold out for the holidays according to the B&N Web site. You'll be greeted by the message, "The hottest holiday gift is out of stock. Order the Nook today to be first in line for the

Bright ideas and products in skiing and snowboarding, from a Norwegian hotel built into a mountainside to an inflatable pack that can save you from an avalanche Skiing and snowboarding have always been cutting-edge sports, thanks to renegade personalities and high-tech gear. But this ski season, designers are stepping it

Susan Payton is the Managing Partner of Egg Marketing & Public Relations, an internet marketing firm. She blogs at The Marketing Eggspert Blog, and teaches marketing courses at Marketing EggSchool. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing. We’re a week away from Black Friday and just a few years ago, if you

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you

We've teamed up with the HD Guru himself, Gary Merson, to publish the absolute best five TVs you can buy right now. As you'll see (and might already notice above), there are some surprises on the list. Panasonic Z1 Panasonic's flagship HDTV is its thinnest 54-inch plasma HDTV ever, with

Who wants to spend $500 on a dress that you'll be too fat for the next time you use it? Enter Rent The Runway, the Netflix of online dress rental. Here's how it works: 1. Pick out your dress designed by folks like Diane Von Furstenberg, Hervé Léger and Proenza

Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the

Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard this question several times from various people who find me on their Christmas gift list this year. I’m guessing they’re all thinking more or less the same thing: what do you get for a guy who doesn’t really want anything? So they ask

Twilight-mania just won’t stop! More than 400 million “New Moon” videos have been viewed online, the film is expected to beat all midnight opening records, and Twitter continues to be abuzz with “New Moon” chatter. On Wednesday, we reported that more than 81,000 tweets were sent out about “New Moon,”

Black Friday is a week away, and thousands of markdowns are already announced. Our master list of Giz-friendly deals—a hefty read—includes similar items priced differently at different stores. Keep it refreshed, cuz we'll be updating it all week. UPDATE: We had to add a Page 2 with TVs, Video Games,

There's a funny thing about dads' toys. Very often, kids borrow dad's supposedly grown-up toys and dad plays with toys designed for a much younger demographic. With that in mind, we present the Gifts for Dads list, filled with stuff that may appeal to more than one generation in

New Moon might go down as one of the biggest movies of the year, but it’s also quickly becoming one of the biggest online events ever, at least in the world of online video. Visible Measures, which tallies what it calls the “True Reach” of an online video (the original,

What is rap star (and now cookbook author) Coolio's mantra for perfect turkey? "The mo' injections, the merrier." He recommends botoxing your bird with a syringe filled with tequila, diced garlic, "regular Italian dressing," a dollop-uh (the Coolio pronunciation of dollop) of honey, balsamic vinegar, pepper (measured in dime

I'm done reading my copy of Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire and I'll be posting a bit on it here and there. But for now I wanted to share a general overview of the book's findings  regarding what real millionaires do: Dr. Stanley’s research and

We've all got play dough connoisseurs for children at Cool Mom Picks, so I know that a few of the organic versions I've had a chance to try out recently have some tough standards to live up to.

As fantastic as it is to see far away friends and family for Thanksgiving, it is pretty universally accepted that this is a tough week for traveling. If you are one of the brave souls hitting the road this week, jump below for a quick round up of posts that

If you're one of those people who munches on movie popcorn and placates yourself by rationalizing that as snacks go, it's not all that bad for you, you're just deluding yourself. The L.A. Times cites a Center for Science in the Public Interest report that analyzes the waistline-expanding abilities of

It’s almost time for Thanksgiving, and that means family traditions. But what if your family doesn’t really have any, or you simply want to start your own new ones? This might be the year where it’s your turn to up the heat and put together a Thanksgiving feast. With social

Right now, we're thinking about family, food, fall...and turkey. Here's some stuff we liked reading this week, and maybe you will too.

It's time for another round of The Food Lab. Got a suggestion for an upcoming topic? Email Kenji here, and he'll do his best to answer your queries in a future post. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Turkey Stuffed Turkey View the complete recipe here » Like many things in life,

Black Friday is this week, and unless you like to troll the mall with a latte in hand (confession: we do!), maybe online design stores are your best bet for stylish gifts. Or, maybe you live far from great design shops. Check out our list of favorite online design

By this time next week, most Americans will have gathered with friends and family and eaten the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I’ll be gathering for three separate Thanksgiving dinners during this holiday weekend. Quite often, I’ll see people spend exorbitant amounts of money on lavish Thanksgiving spreads. While I completely understand

The Power HotSpot from Solis takes something good (solar power) and makes it easy to use. For $375, you get a portable solar panel and base unit which puts out a 12 Volt supply. Plug in anything with a car cigarette-lighter adapter and you have gadget-power, wherever you are.

"But it's a harmless tub of peanut butter!" TSA says no. [Photograph: Robyn Lee] Just because it's the holiday season doesn't mean TSA will go easy on the liquid rule. Keep in mind that the following items will not survive the checkpoint for carry-on luggage: Cranberry sauce Cologne Creamy

Your friends and family influence you. They affect the way you view life. If your friends are frugal, it’s easier to be frugal yourself. But if they’re wrapped up in consumerism and materialism, and can be difficult to resist the urge to join them. It’s only natural to want to

Pip mentions a wonderful Adagio tea deal going on right now here. You get a five dollar gift certificate to apply towards an order from adagio teas (and very good teas they are, too). You have to use it for a minimum order of five dollars, and shipping is 3.75,

We’ve needed a new rug for our living room for a long time, but we keep putting it off, waiting for the perfect rug at the perfect price. As our non-urgent search continues, we’ve made some notes of sources that continuously come through with good prices.Read Full Post

For weekday updates of what I find to be some of the most interesting personal finance articles on the web, follow me on Twitter. For now, here are the carnivals Free Money Finance was in this week and my posts that were included: Carnival of Personal Finance - Is a

About six weeks ago, we talked about gathering your mailing addresses and exploring holiday card ideas. So because those things are already done, this week’s task is a simple one — address those envelopes. If you can whip out the envelopes in one sitting — preferably with a mug

Some days I look through old posts, reminding myself of posts that I’ve written that I like and that I should link to. Often, this process serves to let me procrastinate writing while pretending to be engaged in writing. If I were a body builder, this would be me

Yesterday, I was invited by Virgin America to the opening flight San Francisco-Fort Lauderdale and I tested the free in-flight wi-fi, courtesy of Google during the Holiday season (ends January 15th, sigh). It worked very well: the login time is very fast unlike when I had to go through

GamerDeals.net has posted what it claims are Wal-Mart's Black Friday deals and, if accurate, there are some serious savings to be had. Probably the most prominent deal would be the doorbuster on Rock Band 2 Special Edition for PS3 or 360, which will net you the full band kit

Noah reminds us that that everyone, by law, is entitled to get a free copy of their credit report.  This page on his site has some helpful links for doing just that. For all the talk about being responsible with credit, a copy of your own report is invaluable

Here are some interesting thoughts from Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire on how to define net worth. Here are the two ways he defines net worth in the book: Augmented net worth is the "traditional" definition -- assets minus liabilities. It includes ALL assets and

Here’s two things that Big Cinema want: they want you to buy lots of, and stuff your face with, their popcorn and they want the manufacture of that popcorn to be cheap. This is because the concession stand is where they make pretty much every penny, the majority of

Recently, I was reading a great article at The 99 Percent entitled The 40-30-30 Rule: Why Risk Is Worth It. I originally intended to include it in my weekly roundup, but as I thought about the 40-30-30 idea, I found that the connections to careers, personal finance, and life were

It’s clear to me that emotional intelligence is the most important skill for success in adult life. And the consummate career application of emotional intelligence is the sales department. So I’m fascinated by sales. I used to think I’m not that good at sales. For example, I’m an open book—I have

The following is a guest post from Marotta Wealth Management. Dieting and budgeting face similar hurdles in the American lifestyle. Some of us live to eat; others eat to live. Attempting to reduce our spending is every bit as challenging as trying to slim our waistlines. Some shop to live;

In the course of my career, I’ve been involved in over forty interviews. More than half have been in the capacity of the interviewee and the rest were as the interviewer, with an even mix of on-site and on-campus interviews. I’m by no means an expert but having navigated so

If you're one of the ba-zillion unemployed people in America, we're guessing you might be interested in a listing of the best job search websites. If so, we have some good news for you — personal finance blog Bargaineering has such a list which includes the following: Simply Hired Yahoo

Fireplaces are lovely and cozy to sit around but not to great for actually heating your home. Increase the efficiency of your fireplace with these tips and get some of that wasted heat back. Photo by Cornell University Library. The problem with most fireplace design is that a significant amount

Whenever a personal finance writer – or a writer of any kind – wants to make a bold, shocking point, they’ll often pull out an “average” of some set of numbers. That average, when read without further investigation, is often really shocking. Could that really be true? Here are some

We're beginning to think we only throw parties as an excuse to decorate. Most of the time this is easy: choose a theme and a color palette, rummage through saved supplies like crepe paper and vintage tablecloths, find a simple centerpiece, light some candles and go! And when we need

This post is from GRS staff writer Adam Baker. Baker, along with his wife and 20-month old daughter, will be spending the next couple of months exploring Thailand as they continue their recent backpacking journey. Since the start of the economic slump started in 2008, the U.S. government has issued

Just like we have for the past several years (check out last year's entry for more details on what we do), my family recently completed our annual selections in the Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog. In all we contributed to 17 of their 48 options including the following highlights: Hot meals

Mint has a great article on how to protect yourself from getting ripped off by a mechanic. First and foremost, read your car's manual and learn what to ask for when you take it in. Just saying you need a tune up with a modern car flags you as an

Work on Your Money: The Missing Manual continues apace. I’ve finished the first seven chapters (happiness, goals, budgets, debt, frugality, income, and banking) and have just begun on chapter eight, which is about credit. As part of this chapter, I’d love to profile a GRS reader who gets by on

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and for some of us, financial concerns are more prominent this year than any other years in the past. However, that’s not what Thanksgiving is all about. Regardless of your financial means, you could have a wonderful and inexpensive Thanksgiving. In this article,

Tweens across the nation are salivating over Chapter 2 in the ongoing Twilight story a year after the vampire romance struck box office gold to the tune of $384 million in worldwide ticket sales. Current reviews: 2012 Displays Childlike Glee Amid Destruction Military Dudes Abide in Funny Men Who

Here's a free Thanksgiving-themed PDF booklet from Money Management International, a non-profit that focuses on financial literacy. The booklet contains some guidelines on how to plan out the big event, how to save money on decor, and tips on shopping and saving money. Free Thrifty Thanksgiving eBook (PDF) [Money Management

The following is a guest post from Marotta Wealth Management. Retirement planning is even more crucial for women than for men. Although most women are married, 85% outlive their husbands and are alone during their last years. Financial planning must address the unique issues facing older women who probably worked

Andre writes in: I’m interested in replacing a piece of home audio equipment that is experiencing occasional malfunctions, but works OK most of the time. The receiver I’m looking at costs $500 on Amazon. I’m a little conflicted. The more frugal side of me says to not even buy it.

To take control of your spending, you must first be aware of your spending. This mindfulness can be difficult for many people to achieve. GRS reader (and awesome artist) Tsilli pointed me to the work of Kate Bingaman-Burt, who has a unique way of being mindful of the money she

Earlier this morning, I went on NBC in San Diego to talk about the online hysteria surrounding Twilight Saga: New Moon. The segment is embedded below, but given that both Crimson Hexagon and Trendrr were kind enough to provide exclusive (and astonishing) data surrounding New Moon social media mania, we

Shopping Online? Be Wary of Web Seals and User Reviews "If you, like many Americans, plan to do a chunk of your Black Friday and holiday shopping online this year, here are two points to consider (and two new videos to illustrate them)." [Consumer Reports Electronics]

One of the first big information breaks on the secrets of James Cameron's Avatar came back in June when the director himself took the stage at E3 during Ubisoft's press conference to talk about the upcoming video game based on the film. In his now notorious talk, Cameron drained the

Oh c'mon, don't act surprised. It's just the natural evolution of things. Sony already upended the pocket camcorder market by adding GPS to one of its models, and now with Cisco at the helm (who, by the way, is a networking giant), it looks as if Flip Video's next product

Here's a free Thanksgiving-themed PDF booklet from Money Management International, a non-profit that focuses on financial literacy. The booklet contains some guidelines on how to plan out the big event, how to save money on decor, and tips on shopping and saving money. Free Thrifty Thanksgiving eBook (PDF) [Money Management

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we

Sure H1N1 is the trendy flu virus to have this year, but the idea of being sick through the holiday season isn't all that appealing. If you're flying the friendly skies over the holidays, try taking a few precautionary measures. Photo by Michal Osmenda Before you bust out the

Unlike many other Black Friday retailers, Walmart has some legitimately sweet gadget deals going on—like a Magnavox NB500 Blu-ray player for $78 and a whole mess of HDTVs. * Indicates a doorbuster item Computers Acer 17.3″ Blue Laptop w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive and Windows 7 Premium (Online Only) –

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you

In a refreshing move, Toys R Us revealed some November video game deals for Sunday, November 22 through Thursday, November 26, available both in-store and online. Therefore, they won't require you to stand outside in the middle of the night or battle other deal-seekers for possession of a "doorbuster" (which

The following is an excerpt from The Secret Language of Money: How to Make Smarter Financial Decisions and Live a Richer Life and lists 25 guidelines for living your new money story (making your finances what you want them to be.) In the end, your actions are the language in

The New Oxford American Dictionary declared "Unfriend" the word of the year. It beat out hashtag, netbook and sexting, among other nominated words. Oxford defines the verb as: "To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook." I think they should include offline usage, too,

Thanksgiving meals only require 5 a.m. wake-ups if you refuse to make any dishes ahead of the big day. Minimalist food writer Mark Bittman and others suggest lots of stuff you can make many days ahead of time. Bittman's done these kind of simple meal round-ups before—including the 20-minute appetizers

As the holidays approach this year, money is tighter than ever for everyone. When thinking about gifts to give, consider the give the gift of DIY electronics and kits, not only could a loved one learn a new skill but it could start them on a journey to a

Books have an incredible hold on us. As kids, they are our first exposure to many strange and different places and unusual, fun (and sometimes scary) creatures. Reading sparks our imaginations and charges our emotions like nothing else. Just witness the incredible draw that the recent film adaptation of

For the longest time, I didn’t really see the point of taking home movies. I would take some because I’d be encouraged to do so, but they always seemed to just wind up in boxes collecting dust somewhere. Until last night. I was digging through one of our closets and

Do you ever feel like you have way too much time on your hands, and far too little work and life to fit into it? Unless you're a teen on summer break, I reckon it's unlikely! Most of us would love to have an extra couple of hours in each

This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the advisor for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new article to Get Rich Slowly every two weeks. Today at 3pm Eastern, Robert will by leading a

Here's a piece from Personal MBA that tells how to get a degree from Harvard for $40k or less. The highlights: There’s a little-known back door to getting a Harvard degree: the Harvard Extension School. All you need to do to become a student at the Harvard Extension School is

If you know a geek with a sense of humor and a taste for offbeat stuff, all but one of these products will make a great holiday gift. The last is one you definitely should avoid. BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas,

Yesterday we reported on the collaboration between MySpace and Ustream to exclusively live stream the Twilight Sage: New Moon red carpet for the movie’s premiere last night in Westwood. We knew the live broadcast would be huge given that, within the first minutes, the viewer count shot up to 100,000

American Airlines is beginning to experiment with turning flights into shopping opportunities, reports the New York Times. We're not just talking about in-flight purchases of Sky Mall schwag, either: the paper reports that limousine services, tickets to theme parks and Broadway shows, and train tickets are some of the offerings

[Flickr: ExperienceLA] Thanksgiving is coming up quick and it's time to start thinking about all the fixins' and the main event—the turkey. This year, think about committing to a Heritage turkey instead of your normal supermarket pick. A Normal Bird [Flickr: Martin Pettitt] So what's wrong with most of

Are your pitchforks nice and sharp? Torches soaked in kerosene, ready to burn my house down? If not, I'll wait. Ready? Good, because I'm about to give you five reasons why you should see New Moon, which you may not be aware is the the latest entry in the Twilight

Kiplinger lists seven red flags for home buyers as follows: Poor water pressure. Aside from issues of comfort and convenience, low water flow may indicate plumbing problems, such as corroded pipes that will need to be replaced down the road. Ceiling stains. Something’s leaking. Troublesome doors. If you have one

A reader over at my personal blog Life in a Shoe left me a fascinating link from Generation Cedar.  It seems that the author's neighbors have gone to extremes to cut the power bill for their large house and very large family to just $65/month. Some of their changes were

This morning, April wrote about trying to figure out how much house you need. In the comments, Tyler K. shared a photo of the house he and his wife live in. It has 450 square feet: “Last year our joint gross income was about $170,000,” Tyler wrote, “but we still

As many of you know, Moose Tracks ice cream has been a sponsor of Free Money Finance from day one. And since you're likely a week or so away from some sort of feasting (not sure why I think that, it's just a hunch), I thought I'd suggest you consider

Your geek works in front of a computer all day, but yearns to be outside skiing or something. Here are some gift ideas for that type. (Also, this is a highly personal list, so please add ideas to the comments.) BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as

I really enjoy visiting garage sales, yard sales, and thrift stores. I almost always find an item or two that I’m either looking for myself or I’m sure I can sell on eBay for a small profit. Plus, I’m always amazed at the things other people have largely decided to

A Holiday Gift to All: Recycle Your Old Electronics (and Get Cash Back) Here are some tips for recycling electronics and finding companies that offer recycling credits when you buy new products. [Consumer Reports Electronics]

Are you looking for a customizable sticky notes program for your desktop that can be fixed to blend with your theme? See how Stickies makes a nice addition to any Windows system. Installation The install process for Stickies does not run quite like other programs. As you can see with

If you travel a lot for business, you know it's often not as glamorous as it sounds. Check out one frequent flier's tips on keeping business travel burn-out in check. Photo by katsniffen. Entrepreneur and career blogger Penelope Trunk racks up more business travel miles in a year than some

Pocket camcorders are a hot holiday gift, but due to their nearly identical feature sets, it can be tough to tell which is best—so I tested seven of these humble unitaskers to make your decision easier. You're welcome. Pocket camcorders (AKA mini cams or budget cams, or sometimes Flip cams

Here are some interesting thoughts from Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire regarding the professions that have high and low net worths: Highly compensated physicians, attorneys, and managers of public corporations tend to have low wealth indices; that is, they are highly concentrated in the [lower

How many times have I been weighing flour when all I wanted was to hear the soulful vocal stylings of Miley Cyrus? Luckily, manufacturer Rihanna is working on this $100 kitchen scale due out next year, complete with an iPod dock and 2W speaker (the speaker is hidden under the

Associated Press John just posted on what sort of home features are most desired by jugglers. My family is dealing with these questions  now, as we try to figure out how to reorganize the space in our small house—or possibly do an addition—to make room for our growing family.

I have always thought that blogging is a way to reach your career goals. It’s hard to write a blog if you don’t have a goal. You need to know what blogging success looks like to you, so you know what you're aiming for. Like most goals in life, my

Recently, my son Joe had his fourth birthday. Sarah and I had made the decision that we were going to introduce the idea of an allowance to him after his fourth birthday, along with the idea of saving for specific goals. In order to accomplish this goal, we decided to

Toys and games — what an great category! Is that present for mom or dad, or one of the kids? Does it matter? A lot of these present suggestions really are good for the whole family, cliche or not. Click on the gift guide logo on the right to see

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. For more than a decade, Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has lived in an 89 square-foot home. His decision to live in a tiny house came from concerns about the effects a larger house would have on the environment,

The following is an excerpt from The Secret Language of Money: How to Make Smarter Financial Decisions and Live a Richer Life. Mugger: “Don’t make a move, this is a stickup. Now, come on—your money or your life. [long pause] Look, Bud, I said, your money or your life!” Jack

Insert turkey into violently frothing pit of oil. [Flickr: nukeit1] I've never deep fried a turkey or eaten deep-fried turkey, and after watching these videos of turkey frying gone wrong (that is, they turn into fireballs Satan would be proud of) at Eat Me Daily, I'm thinking, "Yeah...I'm fine

Chances are, you are already planning your holiday shopping. You might even be looking ahead toward Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With retailers still trying to lure customers into spending, this year offers the potential for some great deals on the biggest shopping days of the year. Here are some

Once upon a time, there was a Twilight massively multiplayer online role-playing game being developed called Twilight Online. Think World of Warcraft but for Twihards. They were shut down (one would imagine by Summit, who is making oodles of cash from tie-ins -- have you been to your local Blockbuster

On today’s episode of The Personal Finance Hour, I’ll join Jim from Bargaineering to discuss the wonderful of banking. We’ll talk about online banks, offline banks, savings accounts, CD rates, and more. (We’ll also talk about how to optimize your accounts.) This show will air live at 3pm Pacific (6pm

According to Boy Genius Report, this may be Apple's Black Friday deals. According to this image, they will be applicable only on November 27th. They seem too good to be true: • 25% discount off all Macs. • Up to 15% of all accessories, Apple software, and Apple hardware. •

If you've been a reader of Free Money Finance for more than 15 seconds you've heard me talk about the importance of managing your career. I've offered lots of thoughts on the subject of how you can build/grow/maximize your career, but I haven't dealt a lot with taking risks to

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you

We just discovered a way to painlessly make a digital catalog of our book collection using our iPhone to scan bar codes, which are usually embedded on the back of a book. To learn how, click below.Read Full Post

Over the last few months, I’ve been slowly shopping for a minivan to replace my truck. Since the truck will not seat three young children safely (I could jam them in there in an illegal fashion), I will have to replace the vehicle by April at the latest. That’s on

It seems that “word of the year” announcements have become the de facto way for dictionary makers to grab some social media buzz by selecting a word from our neck of the woods. And sure enough, they’ve done it again, this time with Oxford Dictionary declaring “unfriend” the word of

Here are some interesting thoughts from Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire on how to become wealthy: If you want to become wealthy [the way other wealthy people have], live in a neighborhood where your household is among the top income generators. For example, what if

Remember back in the old days when you used to have to call around to try and find out what various people wanted for the holidays? For many, the practice would appear to now be a relic of Christmas past. Why? Because people are increasingly turning to social networks to

I have found that the best way to manage myself is by asking for a lot of help. The question is, how do you know who to take advice from? The answer is not always intuitive. For example, you'd think that if Bill Gates wants to give you career advice,

Just a heads-up that the Best of Money Carnival is now up. Congrats to all participants and especially the winning post, Abysmal Survey Results: Americans Don’t Understand Basic Financial Concepts. BTW, I made the cut myself with my post titled How to Make Money as a Soccer Referee. One final

Scenario 1: you've got relatives from near and far coming to Los Angeles for the holidays but your apartment runs on the "cozy small" side. Scenario 2: you're traveling to city X to visit friends or family but can't find a place to your liking for an extended stay. What

Don't want to grow up or pay full price for video games? A list of purported Black Friday game deals for Toys R Us has shown up online, with a few temporary price drops that may justify a late night or early morning trip to TRU on November 27. Most

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. So you’ve followed the Short But Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion, and have chosen something you’re passionate about. Now you need to make it a career — but are perhaps a bit lost. I have to admit I was there,

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags. I’m 34

Have you seen Walmart's clever commercial, advertising a Thanksgiving meal for 8 that costs only $20? I had to investigate. I clicked all over Walmart.com, but only a press release spells out the $20 feast.  The complete dinner includes: One 12-pound Grade A turkey* (Jennie-O, while supplies last) Three 11

This article is the eighth of a thirteen-part series that explores the core tenets of Get Rich Slowly. One reason I got into financial trouble during my early twenties was that I wanted everything right now. I looked at what my parents had, and it didn’t occur to me that

The following is a guest post from Danny Kofke, author of How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary. It seems everywhere we look these days, we see something telling us how bad the economy is and how tough times are.  I agree that for some this is

Having mentioned that I'm going to be an orphan at Thanksgiving this year, I've suddenly received a boatload of invitations. It's one of the reasons I love this holiday so much; there's always room in your heart for one more stray. Of course then you realize that your Thanksgiving for

Every other Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal productivity, personal development, or career book. If you’ve been reading my weekly roundups for long, you know I’m a big fan of the Unclutterer blog and its chief writer and editor, Erin Doland. I link to Unclutterer frequently because I believe

Local backup is a useful and necessary part of securing your data against catastrophe, but with the advent of broadband and inexpensive online storage, you've got little reason to not backup critical files to the cloud, as well. Photo by jared. Earlier this week we asked you to share your

A post on a “savings generation gap” at Get Rich Slowly the other day caught my eye. In it, J.D. argued that there’s a “generation gap” between spenders and savers. People who are over some particular age threshold – somewhere around 35 or 40 – tend to save their money,

This is a guest post from Sean Ogle, a former portfolio analyst who is now pursuing his goals of starting a business and seeing the world. You can read more from him at Location180. You can also follow him on twitter @seanogle.  Have you ever thought about doing something different

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why. In the past we've discussed what Christians believe about giving (and how much -- or should I say how little -- they actually give). On a related note, I've even

A lot of people have been impressed with how you can find an app for everything. What about driving yoru car? With this (very) ambitious DIY project you can drive a car with your iPhone. Why use your iPhone as merely an accessory to your car? You can flat out

Filed under: Business, CommercialOne of the challenges small businesses have is in developing trust in their customer base. While some customers are happy to work with the small guy, others need the impression of size to help them feel comfortable that they're not dealing with a fly-by-night organization. This is

On Tuesday, we wrote about the return of Elf Yourself. OfficeMax has been sponsoring Elf Yourself for the last four years and its an early example of successful, web-based viral campaigns. OfficeMax decided to get really meta with the Elf Yourself campaign by creating a flashmob in New York City.

We like free things. So when we heard of FreeFroot.com, where you can register and then enter giveaways for items such as Modern Twist placemats, a Le Creuset skillet and a FLOR rug, we said, sign us up. Plus, if you choose to buy anything from the site, a

Generally speaking, upgrading to Windows 7 is a no-brainer. "But what about my gadgets?" you might ask, eyes watering slightly, "will they be OK?" Yes, yes they will. Here's how to make Windows 7 play nice with all your favorite toys. Your Phone Windows Mobile: To sync with your Windows

Many newer readers of The Simple Dollar haven’t been exposed to the hundreds of great articles in the archives of the site, so this is a weekly series that highlights the five best posts from one year ago this week, two years ago this week, and three years ago this

Thanksgiving is moving ever closer -- and we all know what that means: the day that comes after. That's right, there's nothing more American than following up a day of thanks with a day of hitting the malls, strip malls, big boxes, and virtual shops up for the hottest

Feeling under the weather? Thinking—as you look around your office—that you might be soon? Hone your home remedy skill set with a look at 10 of our favorite DIY cures for illnesses and your body's annoyances. Photo by Robert Couse-Baker. 10. Honey for rough coughs When you've got a bad

In a little less than two weeks, Thanksgiving will be upon us, immediately followed by “Black Friday,” the busiest shopping day of the year. Black Friday is quite often the day that pushes retailers over the line into profitability for the year (from the red to the black), hence the

Here's a great money question (preceded by a fill-in-the-blank statement) from page 209 of The Secret Language of Money: How to Make Smarter Financial Decisions and Live a Richer Life: 1. My current annual income is $_________________ 2. In order to ensure happiness and contentment financially, with no more money

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Sid Savara of Analysis Driven Personal Development. In my life I’ve gone through periods of intense, driven productivity – months where everything fell into place, and my goals almost seemed to accomplish themselves. At the other extreme, there have been times in

This morning, I was doing a bit of advance planning for our dinner this evening. It’s Friday, which is traditionally homemade pizza night at our house, but tonight we were intending to use some left-over beef stew and transform it into a beef pot pie using a pie crust and

Forbes recently looked at the lives of several ultra-wealthy individuals and came up with this list for how to become a billionaire: Their parents had a high aptitude for math. They were born in September. They were either college drop-outs or went to Yale. They worked at Goldman Sachs. All

Life is good. We’re eating healthier, exercising more and we remember to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store. But do you feel as if something is missing? Do you ever wake in the middle of the night, wondering what final piece of the green puzzle will make

The consumer electronics marketplace changes so quickly that it's easy to think you should just upgrade to a new model if your current device breaks. Depending on its age, though, you might want to repair it and wait a few more years. Consumer Reports combined its own data with survey

In a move no doubt inspired by the Movember Movement, Harmonix and MTV Games have revealed that the second DLC album for The Beatles: Rock Band, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, will release the week of November 17. Tracks from the British sensation's eighth studio album, as featured

David A. Kessler, the author of “The End of Overeating”, explains very well how people become addicted to foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt. Like addiction does, this causes people to crave so they eat more and more foods that are loaded with unhealthy ingredients and many

<img src="/images/weblog/2009/11/15japaneseads.jpg" alt="15japaneseads" title="15japaneseads" width="500" height="328" class="centered" /> The announcement that Quentin Tarantino recently starred in a Japanese Softbank commercial has been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/nov/11/quentin-tarantino-japanese-advert" target="_blank">making headlines</a> around the web this week, and I am still not quite sure why people are making such a big deal out of it. It's

In a nation embracing all things green, it was just a matter of time before outdoor places – ranging from parks, parking lots and transport corridors to family homes and university and corporate campuses -  ended up with a “green” rating system similar to LEED for buildings and  energy

The holiday gift-giving season is upon us once again. For many of us, that means stress. What gift can we give to the people we care about that actually means something? Why do the holidays have to be so expensive after we buy gifts for everyone on our Christmas list?

Starting a Roth IRA is one of the easiest — and best — steps you can take to save for retirement. I know I’ve written a lot about the Roth IRA in the past, but I still get questions all the time. People find them intimidating. For example, Lynn wrote

Still listen to the radio? No, neither do we. We made a playlist of the hits of the 70s, 80s and 90s and it’s exactly the same as every commercial FM station, minus the ads. And we don’t even listen to that. If you live in Britain, though, you

We can all appreciate the importance of choosing sustainable items to keep the environment pristine--but that thought will count double when you're wrapping up gifts for the outdoor weekend warrior on your list. Shoes made with minimal waste, breathable athletic gear, recycled fiber hats, and all-weather flashlights will keep

I had planned on leading with a joke about seeing a Christmas movie on the first weekend of November, but GeekDad is running it’s holiday gift guide already, so the glass houses rule applies.  Onward! Fair warning: I teach Dickens regularly, and so am a bit obsessive about the

One of the problems with trying to get out of debt or maintain a budget is that things just keep right on breaking, often before you've even paid them off. Tires go flat, plumbing needs repairing, the alternator in the car needs replacing, the computer goes blank, the belt on

On December 1 the FTC's new "guidelines" on blogger endorsements go into effect. In their usual style of being as unhelpful as possible, the government left the guidelines fairly vague so each blogger has to figure out what to say, how to say it, and so on. This is my attempt

For weekday updates of what I find to be some of the most interesting personal finance articles on the web, follow me on Twitter. For now, here are some pieces I found especially worthwhile and some of the carnivals Free Money Finance was in this week and my posts that

I was wondering what Aimee Mullins was running from, and now I suspect that it might've been these fellows. I'm sure they're great people, being a part of MIT's Wearable Computing team and all, but I would run too. You can click on the picture for a closer look at

Each Friday we choose a Lunchtime Poll topic to get a sense of how Mashable readers feel about the chosen topic of the week. Below are the results from last Friday’s poll, where we asked your favorite Twitter photo-sharing service. Is your favorite service not represented — or not high

One of the most iconic movie images of the 1980s is that of Tom Cruise, clad only in socks, underwear, dress shirt, and sunglasses, dancing to the strains of Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" in Risky Business. Guitar Hero recreated the scene for a series of commercials last

Understanding the many tax deductions can be nothing short of a minefield, and many taxpayers are unaware of the many deductions that can be used to legally reduce your tax bill. This article highlights just a few of the tax deductions that you can claim if your circumstances lend themselves.

The BlackBerry app store may be trailing the iPhone and Android app market but it’s got an exclusive that’s sure to leave other smartphone users envious. The official Craigslist app will soon be exclusively available to BlackBerry users. The $5 app created by Movela and Pyxis Mobile will allow users

I’m old-school: I went to the bank to make a deposit today. (I make most of my deposits in person, inside the branch.) While I waited, I chatted with the teller, whom I know from many previous visits. “I’m writing a book about money,” I told him. “What’s the one

Smart Money asks which financial website is best for you and offers up these options: Wesabe.com QuickenOnline.com Mint.com I use none of these myself. I do use Quicken's desktop version mostly to track spending, investments, and net worth, but other than that, I don't use any website to do those

Over the last month, I’ve mentioned a technique I call “the five whys” two or three times. The technique itself is simple: when you see something in your life that’s not working like you want it to, you start asking “why” until you come to something where you can’t say

Ask MAKE is a weekly column where we answer reader questions, like yours. Write them in to mattm@makezine.comor drop us a line on Twitter. We can't wait to tackle your conundrums! Jon writes in: I saw the tweet about sending questions to Make and I've got kind of a

Popular online personal finance tool Mint is not only well-known for its array of money management, personal expense tracking, and budgeting tools, but it is also a popular knowledge resource, mostly via its blog and tools such as Financial Fitness. It makes sense, right? Combine information with knowledge and you

Living in San Francisco, one of the most expensive places in the country, I have learned a lot about budgets. First lesson: I need a budget. Recently, I kept track of my monthly expenditures and was shocked by the number in my “entertainment” column; no wonder my paychecks disappear so

Q: How can I soundproof a door?! I live in a long, narrow apartment. The layout is bedroom 1, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom 2, all connected by a hallway. My bedroom (bedroom 1), used to be a living/dining room, so my bedroom has a door right next to the kitchen.

Kids Eat For is a database of restaurants that offer free meals or specials for kids. Use it to help you figure out where to save money with your family—or where to avoid being surrounded by kids. It's also available as an iPhone and Android app. [via Neatorama]

Filed under: Fun, Games Fullmoon is one of those delightful little games where you almost don't want it to be over. A bit like Portal, I guess. You know the end is coming -- all too soon, usually -- but... you can't stop. The end be damned! You just have

It's time to get ready for Thanksgiving. Stay in budget and manage your time effectively with ShelterPop's pre-Turkey Day checklist. What do you do around your house to prepare? (Photo: basykes)

Here's an email I recently received from a reader: I am currently in a fixed rate mortgage with 27 years left to pay and a balance of $104,000.  My interest rate is 8.62%.  Is it wise for me to try to refinance at a lower interest rate in order to

We'd all like to be a little healthier--especially around the holidays, when food, drink, and merriment leave us a little less svelte. Help the health nut on your list get out of the fitness rut with natural rubber exercise gear; stay hydrated with on-the-go water filters; and ward off

I wondered if this was the place to write about not being frugal and decided to take the risk.    If you are like me, you more than likely have found that the frugal life takes time and effort. Seeking to live below my means, searching for the best deals,

We all know at least one person who's more inclined to exclaim over how great a gift looks than how durable, usable, or sturdy it is. But sometimes you can get beauty that is more than skin-deep. The gifts in our design guide--graphic benches, custom textiles, bright pottery, and

Before he passed away a few years ago, my uncle Ken (who I still miss greatly) was a fanatic shopper at dollar stores. He did most of his shopping at a pair of local dollar stores, where he would buy virtually all of his household supplies and quite a bit

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. For the past couple of years, my husband and I have not exchanged traditional, wrapped-and-Christmas-bowed gifts. Instead, we plan an experience. We started our anti-Stuff celebrations because neither of us could think of a gift we truly wanted. Then we’d each be scrambling

TIME has compiled a fascinating list of the best inventions made this year. We have covered a couple of them on Apartment Therapy before, and want to share the other relevant advancements with you now. Prepare to be inspired.Read Full Post

Here's a piece from MSNBC that says women are increasingly earning more than their husbands. A few of the stats they share: In 2007, 25.9 percent of wives were earning more than their husbands in households where both spouses work, according to the most recent data available from the Bureau

While it may initially seem the only game releasing this holiday season is something called Modern Warfare 2, some titles -- like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II and Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii -- actually have the guts to stand up against the most important game of all time

Last year I traveled almost every week. Some weeks I traveled to three different cities. If you are excited about business travel, thinking it’s a free ticket to see the world, you should stop reading now. But if you are having trouble maintaining your personal life in the face of

Yesterday, we posted a very funny video from College Humor that resolved some classic ambiguous endings in film: The Graduate, Lost in Translation, and so forth. But it reminded me that sometimes these vague endings can be truly irritating and frustrating. I hate sitting through what is shaping up

We're not ones to cast aspersions about your horrible proclivity for procrastination -- heck, we haven't filed income taxes since, like, 2002 -- but if you chose to wait before cashing in on last week's Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures sale, it nearly cost you very dearly. We say

“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” - Arnold Toynbee Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. Following your passion can be a tough thing. But figuring out what that passion is can be even more elusive. I’m lucky — I’ve found my

The iPhone is a remarkable phone for browsing the web, but as for taking quality photos…well that’s debatable. There are a number of applications that attempt to enhance the camera experience, but we’ve just discovered the ultimate iPhone camera utility for serious photographers. The soon-to-be released 8x Telescope with Hard

Here's an email I recently received from a reader: I read one of your older 2008 posts about what order to invest in (meet company matching in your 401k before opening a Roth IRA), and I wondered if you have cash left after that, do you then open another Roth

We all do it. When we know we’re being watched, we’re on our best behavior. We often tend to perform better and we usually tend to make better choices, too. Then, when we think the focus is off of us, we relax and sometimes make different choices. This effect, in

Clay McDaniel is the principal and co-founder of social media marketing agency, Spring Creek Group. Find him via @springcreekgrp on Twitter. The Internet has already radically changed the way we shop. Googling for promotion codes, free shipping, free return shipping, virtual models, live chats with sales associates – it’s all

This piece from MSNBC about bosses that hate employees made me want to ask this question: Have you ever had a boss that's hated you? I've detailed my entire work history, so you all know a lot about my work life. But the one thing I didn't cover is the

Impress your friends and coworkers with these easy-to-make edge-lit holiday cards by Evil Mad Scientists Laboratories! This time around they used PETG polyester, which is easier to cut than acrylic. More: How-To: Make "edge-lit" holiday cards Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Holiday projects

If you haven't signed up for my giveaway newsletter, now's a good time to do so. I'm putting the finishing touches on the November issue and we've got lots of great prizes! They include a $50 SmartyPig gift card, three copies of Quicken personal finance software, one copy of You

<img src="/images/weblog/2009/11/avatartop100.jpg" alt="avatartop100" title="avatartop100" width="500" height="281" class="centered" /> The end of the decade is almost upon us, which means that over the next month or so you can expect to see all kinds of lists counting down the "Best Of" the previous 10 years in just about everything. One of

After turning in my book a week ago, some of my friends who had already published books wrote to me with an interesting point. “After your book is done,” they said, “you’ll find that you go through a bit of ‘writing burnout.’ You won’t want to write anything for a

The right gadgets can save your techie money, time, and energy. The wrong gadgets, on the other hand, slowly decay into a tangled mess of wires, plastic, and electronic materials in the junk drawer. Trust us: These items curated for the green geek--from a build-your-own computer kit, a solar-powered

In just one month this past Summer, Laurel was anticipating at least ten birthdays that required presents. With 3 kids and a busy social calendar, she set out to create an easy (and minimal) DIY gift wrap station. Read Full Post

This is a guest post from Adam Jusko, founder of IndexCreditCards.com, an information and comparison site for credit cards that maintains a list of over 1200 cards. You can follow Adam on Twitter for quick credit tips and opinions. I’ve previously featured IndexCreditCards as “The Only Credit Card Guide You’ll

Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale already stands out in your bathroom: sleek, smooth and fully functional, the very opposite of the sagging meat sack you drag into the shower every morning. Now it can beam your insecurities to your poor Twitter followers, automatically, before you have even thought about brewing

The following is a guest post from Marotta Wealth Management. For those of you interested, I have a similar, though not exact, investing strategy to the one he details below. Exactly a year ago I encouraged you to avoid another lost decade in the markets. I recommended a specific balanced

Over the last couple weeks we have been intentionally consolidating our financial accounts. The credit card I signed up for back in college to get a free t-shirt, gone. The bank account I opened to get a great deal on financing from a local car dealer, gone. It is actually

Is it your turn to host the big holiday meal in your circle of friends and family this year? Or maybe you are the perennial host? Either way, while wonderful and worth it to host such a special gathering, it can get very expensive. We're gathered a whole list

Education is the driving force of modern society and the path of knowledge, that thrill of learning something new, can in and of itself be an exhilarating part of our lives. The benefits of continuing education are wide ranging for the individual and their community by equipping them with better

You'll be getting a shiny $100 gift card if you buy any BlackBerry device through Walmart during the week of November 14th. The deal's valid both in stores and online with the usual catch of a 2-year contract applying. Walmart's BlackBerry selection includes: * AT&T Curve 8310 * AT&T Bold

I am an expert time waster. It’s actually a gift. You give me a block of time, even an entire day, and I can accomplish next to nothing through all of it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll look busy. I’ll sit at the computer and keep typing. I’ll keep

As many of you know, my pal Chris Guillebeau is crazy. He’s been to 119 countries, and he just keeps on flying. He wants to see them all before he turns 35 (in April 2013). As you can imagine, Chris has accumulated a hell of a lot of frequent flyer

There are less than two months until Christmas — do you have a plan for holiday spending yet? Some people have already finished their holiday shopping. Others have been diligently saving all year long. Still others might be dreading the upcoming holiday season because of the cash outlay it usually

Considering a Layaway Purchase? Read This "With so many Americans still struggling financially and reeling under credit-card debt, layaway is likely to be an even more attractive alternative to pay for gifts this holiday season. If you're unfamiliar with the layaway process, here's how it works." [Consumer Reports Money]

From now until January 15th, 2010, Google will offer free WiFi access at 47 airports around the country. As part of the promotion, they'll be collecting donations through Google Checkout for three non-profit organizations and will provide matching funds up to $250,000. But whether you donate or not, there's a

Over at the Mint blog they've posted a list of 10 ways to reduce your car insurance premium. You'll want to contact your current insurer and ask some questions, like whether they offer a discount for paying up front, or if they'll cut you a deal for being a long-term

6 Easy Ways to Get More Fiber "Many of us hear the word 'fiber' and immediately think bulky, coarse, and unpalatable. CR's sister publication, ShopSmart, suggests these easy, appetizing ways to get your fit in your daily serving (25 to 30 grams) of fiber." [Consumer Reports Health]

Over at Lifehacker, I’ve written an article of interest to How-To Geek readers, about how well the default Windows security tools work if you just use a little common sense (and install Microsoft Security Essentials). If you’ve got any geek skills at all, you probably don’t need to bother paying

Sound Mind Investing asks if a college education is still worth the investment. They provide a good amount of data, insight, and analysis and come up with the answer "it depends." (I hate that response too, but it's often the correct one for any sort of financial decision people make

I have a hard time calling this sort of thing a television spot, even though that’s technically what it is. But when you go over a minute and and half in length, I call it a trailer. Maybe we should term this new kind of commercial a “TV Trailer”.

Late last month Amazon announced they’d be making a version of the Kindle software for the PC as well as the Mac. The Mac version has yet to ship, but the PC version is now available as a free download in over 100 countries. Kindle for PC joins the Kindle

I like keeping score. Keeping score is an easy way for me to know how well I’m doing. It lets me judge, in a very clear way, whether I’m improving and whether I’m making forward progress towards my goals. For a long time, I was obsessed with keeping score in

We didn’t think it could be done. In this month’s edition of our exclusive top 10 chart of the most watched web TV shows, Happy Tree Friends was able to beat out Fred, the YouTube sensation, and take top billing with almost 20 million views across episodes in the month

The BigShot digital camera is a kit designed to teach kids how they work while they assemble and use it. It's being developed by Shree Nayar and his team at the Computer Vision Lab at Columbia University. From the site: The camera gives us a powerful means to express

This is embarrassing to admit, but pretty much every time I have a party, I feel totally relaxed until the hour before the guests show up. Once the party gets going I'm fine again, but at that one-hour mark, I inevitably get really stressed out, snap at my husband,

In addition to free airport Wi-Fi, Google has another gift to you this holiday season — aka this flu season. They’ve been working with the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services to develop a tool for locating flu shot providers near you, located at google.com/flushot. The tool leverages Google

Considering a Facebook application renaissance could be on its way, it’s a good time to take a look at some of the apps that managed to make and keep themselves relevant during the Dark Ages. If you’re a music lover, check out this list of 10 great options to consider

Laptops, HDTVs, and some free patriotic music for Veteran's day are but a few of the things you'll find in today's deal roundup. Computer Gear! 23" HP TouchSmart 600t 1080p Multi-touch PC for $974.99 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1,249.99 - use coupon code SVNY56474) 18.4" HP dv8t Quad Edition

It’s that time of year again, so today’s Surprise Giveaway feels especially relevant… Just in time for the season, CardStore.com is offering up $100 Shopping Sprees towards their HUGE selection of personalized Holiday Cards and Thank You Cards to TWO hwtm readers! This should help out significantly with spreading

Neil Gaiman (image: mhpbooks.com) Today, a great geek, literary and comic book icon celebrates a birthday. There is not much that cannot be told about Neil Gaiman that you can’t find on his brooding website or his Wikipedia entry. There is a lot to be told within his great body

photo by Daniel Evanson Daniel Evanson shot this photo of a cute school project that attempted to determine what type of music cats like, fast or slow. Unfortunately their hypothesis was proven incorrect by the disinterested cats. via Neatorama This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via

Way back in 2006, OfficeMax introduced Elf Yourself to the world, and it’s been a viral hit ever since. Last year alone, 35 million of virtual greeting cards were sent out. The site, which lets you affix your head (or even your boss’s head) to a dancing elf body is

Now that the Smith / Spielberg version of Oldboy has reportedly died a well-deserved death (it’s like there’s a real version of The Box out there and some lucky Park Chan-Wook fan pushed the button — do something good with your million bucks, buddy, you earned it!) Will Smith

‘Tis the season for free Wi-Fi. Earlier this morning we reported that Google has started offering free Wi-Fi to holiday travelers at US airports starting now and extending through January 15th. That’s in addition to their free in-flight Wi-Fi holiday promotion with Virgin America. Interestingly enough, however, today also happens

Unlike YouTube, Hulu doesn’t show you the number of times a given video has been viewed. Although the site does have a “Most Popular” section, Hulu recently started offering a bit more insight into viewing trends by distributing “Movers & Shakers” charts (via email) that lists the most popular videos,

Five dollar...five dollar footlooooonggg! So goes the jingle for the Subway $5 footlong campaign whose success has the sandwich chain within striking distance of McDonald's, and is all the more surprising considering that the idea started not at headquarters or in an ad-agency, but was the brainchild of a guy

I've now purchased two sets of car tires from Costco. They are great tires (Michelin) at the best prices I could find anywhere. The first set lasted as advertised and I had no problems with them or the service at Costco. But the second set has been a bit different.

Up If there is one disc sure to fly off shelves this week, it's this one. The Pixar film made instant fans out of most viewers, and agonizingly ripped the rest of our hearts out with the love story opening. In her review, Jette Kernion said Up is "a

Star Wars Gangsta Rap: Chronicles Atom.com: Funny Videos | Atom Originals | Star Wars Fan Movies Right about the time a lot of Star Wars fans were getting the sound of Yoda rapping, “I’m a soldja — I thought I toldja” out of their heads, the Star Wars “Gangsta Rap”

Being able to reuse things that would otherwise be trash is obviously good for the environment and keeps clutter out of your home, but it can also lead to some inspired, uncluttered design. Recently, I spotted the Soda Bottle Bird Feeder Converter and was impressed by its simplicity. And, with

For centuries sailors have used stars to navigate around the world. Now space-sailors might be able to use the stars to navigate the universe. Instead of cruising to Mars on a giant tank of oil, we could soon sail through space using the energy from sunlight. The Planetary Society —

From the MAKE Flickr pool Cyrille built this MIDI fader box based on Arduino complete with desktop config software - looks perfect for one-handed live usage. Check out the photoset for the full feature list. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Music | Digg

While we're busying ourselves with arguing about how to replace the perfectly usable book gadget, Intel is right to point out that plenty of people, for whatever reason, can't read at all. Presenting its Reader as a necessity rather than luxury, Intel has shown off its vision for how

Here’s a nice holiday gift from Google (which may point to a service further ahead): the company will provide free Wi-Fi on airports across USA from now through January 15, 2010. Google has worked with Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group, Airport Marketing Income and other companies to provide this free

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Mitsubishi, PSA, Citroen Citroen C-Zero - click above for high res image gallery Last summer, French automaker PSA and Mitsubishi announced that the two companies would partner on electric vehicle development for the European market. Prior to the Frankfurt Motor Show, Peugeot announced that it would market

A post by Kelly Evans over at the WSJ’s Real Time Economics blog caught our eye today. Take a look: Forget frugality. Want to know what the true lasting impact of this Great Recession will be? Then take a look at the kids. A parent’s job loss increases the

The Irish may be a few hours ahead of us Yanks, but that's not stopping us from snooping on their web pages. Dell's long-awaited Inspiron Zino HD has finally popped official over on the outfit's IE portal, and considering that it even made a brief appearance on the US

Image credit: Saint Julia of Corsica, found on DeaconLaz.org (artist unknown) When I posed the question of whether leading by green example can be passive aggressive preaching, I was surprised when commenter Joey claimed that I had eluded that I was a "member of a religion." To me environmentalism

Associated Press The holidays are already here at many retailers. They’re playing carols at the mall, Macy’s is collecting letters to Santa for charity — despite the unseasonably warm weather in the Northeast, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas (and Hannukah!). That heralds a hodgepodge season of

From Recipes [Photographs: Chichi Wang] Pig's stomach and beef tripe are fairly common finds in ethnic markets, but it's not everyday that I come across lamb tripe. Sitting next to an assortment of livers, the packages of lamb tripe were neatly stacked and as usual, dirt-cheap. Without knowing exactly what

Filed under: Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Volvo 2010 Volvo S60 - Click above for high-res image gallery A company's image can be a burden and a blessing. Volvo, for example, remains keen on ditching its image for boxy, lackluster automobiles, but it's eager to capitalize on its reputation for safety.

The lines may have been subdued, but one way or another, it sounds as if Motorola managed to sell quite a few DROIDs over the weekend. According to analyst Mark McKechnie at Broadpoint AmTech, the outfit managed to move around 100,000 of 'em during the opening weekend, with most stores

Filed under: MPG, Ford, USA 2009 Ford Ka - Click above for high-res image gallery Ford CEO Alan Mulally has said a couple of times that he'd like to see the diminutive and highly efficient Ford Ka sold here in the States, though we always questioned whether it would actually

Filed under: Europe, Videos, UK Top Gear ad for the VW Scirocco -- Click above to view the video after the jump It should be well known by now that if you play with suicide on screen, you're going to hear about it. Sometimes it's from prevention groups who want

Yes so we rag on the ubiquitous Elmo merch here from time to time. But the truth is, our heart has always been with Sesame Street which turns forty today. Forty!

The Portable Galactic Empire. Photo: Jonathan Liu The Portable Galactic Empire (PGE) is the first game from Castle Games, released at the beginning of October. I requested a review copy and tested it out in a three-player game. It’s a game that has some great potential, but also has a

Mickey writes in: In the last week, the Dow Jones Industrial average closed at a thirteen month high and, at the same time, unemployment hit double digits for the first time since the early eighties. I thought that the Dow Jones was supposed to represent how the economy was doing,

Filed under: Text, Windows, Freeware As expected, Amazon has launched a version of its Kindle eBook reader for Windows. The software is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7, with a Mac version "coming soon." As an eBook reader, Kindle for the PC is pretty no-frills. It lets you adjust

We already knew that Apple's homegrown Mini DisplayPort connector was being baked into the DisplayPort 1.2 specifications, but now said socket has even more validity in the marketplace thanks to a ringing endorsement from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). As of now, the diminutive connector has managed to comply

From Recipes Note: You may know Carolyn Cope as Umami Girl. She stops by on Tuesdays with ideas on preparing fruits and vegetables. [Photograph: Carolyn Cope] Although Asian pears (also called Chinese pears, apple pears or sand pears) are now fairly widely available, they were new to me a few

The Album Cover (image: Third Man Records) Here at GeekDad, we’re big fans of Carl Sagan, the GOAT when it comes to making science understandable for the masses (IOHO). In September of this year, Mr. Sagan went viral posthumously with the internet hit “A Glorious Dawn”, a remixed-auto-tuned version of

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Peugeot To enthusiasts on the Atlantic's western shore, the GTI badge is commonly associated with Volkswagens. But back east, those three letters invoke memories of hot hatches from Peugeot. The original 205 GTI (pictured above) defined the segment for such iconic follow-ups as the 106 and

That Ricoh GXR camera system we saw yesterday has today become official, and dpreview have gotten on the case to provide an early preview and a set of sample images taken with the shooter. The novelty to this new setup is in the so-called lens units, which contain both

You may not be keeping up with the pop culture phenomenons of blood-sucking vampires, high school glee clubs, and Dan Brown novels, but chances are good that someone on your list is. Stuck on what to buy? Satisfy that craving for all things cultural with personalized movie posters, one-of-a-kind

There are many, many laws having nothing to do with government, that are useful to know because they tell you something about how the universe works. There are Newton’s laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, Boyle’s law, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, among dozens more. Most of these laws have been

What if The Matrix was made in 1905 as a silent comedy starring Charlie Chaplin? It would probably look something like this 7-minute Russian television skit, embedded after the jump. via: io9 Movie Playlist: Quentin Tarantino’s Top 20 Movies To Be Released Since He Became A Filmmaker Cool Stuff:

MirlitronOne explains how to turn a Velleman MK107 LED Running Light kit into a simple 8-step sequencer for use with analog synthesizers. A handy kit hack, but it's also not too much work to build one from scratch. Related: Sequence it!! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read

For Windows users it’s probably all too familiar seeing the Blue Screen of Death, especially in XP. Today we take a look at BlueScreenView which is a free utility to display and interpret the data located in the mini dump files after the BSOD occurs. Blue Screen of Death The

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota, Volkswagen It was a little more than a year ago when Volkswagen, because of Porsche's stock market finagling, briefly became the most valuable company in the world. This was just after it passed Ford for the number three slot in global sales. Now the big company

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Europe/EU Italwin Ducati City Pearl - Click above for high-res image gallery Question: When is a Ducati not really a Ducati? Answer: When it's an electrically-assisted pedal bike made by the Italwing Group. The machine is known as the City Pearl, and it will

Lovers of Snow Leopard, oversized IPS display panels, and Intel's very latest processors, your time for rejoicing has come. Apple has begun sending off shipping confirmations to customers who ordered up their slab of quad-core all-in-one nirvana in October, and the biggest and baddest iMacs should be arriving at their

No matter how few possessions a person has, there are always things we want to keep that we don’t want out on display. Underwear, out-of-season coats and jackets, not-current holiday decorations, cleaning supplies, and Band-aids instantly come to mind as things I don’t really want other people to see when

Image From NASA/LRO For just over 21 hours in July of 1969, two men became the first humans to take a stroll around the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked around the surface of the Moon supported by Michael Collins orbiting in the Apollo 11 Command Module, a

Delayed flights and hold-overs won't tempt you with $10-a-day Wi-Fi this holiday season. That's because Google has bought out web service at 47 airports through Jan. 15, 2010, and offers it free, assuming you don't mind a little soft advertising. As with Google's free Wi-Fi offering on Virgin America flights,

You heard the rumors now it's official: Telus is getting the Motorola Milestone. The Android device is the same 2.0 QWERTY slider already announced for Europe and set to run exclusively on Telus' new 3G+ network in Canada sometime in early 2010. Unfortunately, that means no Google Navigation unlike those

Kindle fans now have one more place they can read their e-books: a PC. Kindle for PC joins the equally well-named Kindle for iPhone and, er, Kindle for Kindle in the list of ways to read Amazon’s digital-rights-managed content. A Mac version is “coming soon”. The application does pretty

Just yesterday the internets were buzzing with the latest design from Art Lebedev: the Rozetkus 3D; a standard wall outlet that expands to support multiple connections with a simple push. Lebedev, you'll recall, made quite a name for himself by taking the Optimus Maximus programmable OLED keyboard from art

This article is by GRS staff writer Adam Baker. Baker recently shared an in-depth video example of how you can save $521 when booking airfare online. Recently my 19-month old daughter managed to get her tiny hands on a ballpoint pen. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a major event. This time was

Magnetic Force Field (image: NASA) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the large news outlets with an internet presence (CNN.com, MSNBC, etc.,) have pared back certain types of news coverage in favor of more popular stories. It’s much more likely you’ll see a headline about Jon plus eight minus

The Alunda Church Choir put their backs into this performance titled "Harvest" using the land-amplifying terrafon instrument. The piece, created by Olle Cornéer and Martin Lübcke, is apparently part of an ongoing series (requiring some very sturdy and determined participants). Read more over at Create Digital Music. Read more

When I first saw this proof of concept synchronized grid of iPods I wondered why somebody would go through all the trouble. I have to catch myself when I think like this. Sometimes it's best to just appreciate the polychromatic glow and short staccato chirping for what it is.

One of the virtues of being a laptop owner is the ability to be a part of the most nomadic of the home tech lifestyles: The desk-less. You can make your kitchen, bedroom or bathroom an instant workspace—but where do you keep your printer? • Read the full post at

Maybe we're just overreacting to a rhythm video game played with real musical skill, but this one's not to be missed. What we have on hand here is a flute, a rather quirky girl, and a microphone-equipped copy of Rock Band, which accepts aural tones as well as button

I generally prescribe to the "small boys are suitably dressed up for the holidays when wearing a cute sweater" school of thought, but sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes even little boys must wear a tie to be suitably (get it?) attired

Just six months ago, my daughters planted seeds from their organic growing kits, re-potted the shoots in Grandma's vegetable garden, and late this summer, they were eating their own little yellow teardrop tomatoes.

I was feeling pretty good about my switch over to cloth grocery bags, until I kept leaving them at home. Well, leave it to Knock Knock to make light of this exact situation on their hilarious Forget This Bag bag.

It's been a helluva couple years for Sprint -- new networks, new platforms, and new acquisitions have all been intermixed with a drawn-out recovery effort that's undoubtedly weighed heavy on the hearts and minds of staff at the company's dual headquarters in Kansas and Virginia. With more (albeit slower) subscriber

At Witz' End: Notes from "The Business of Plugging In" A sampling of thoughts from PEV 2009. SEMA 2009: eVARO plug-in hybrid three-wheeler debuts, returns The golden squid is back. Peugeot BB1 heads to London for a visit The automaker is even offering free rickshaw rides to see the

I purchased my CupCake CNC Deluxe Kit from MakerBot Industries. This machine is from batch #8, and it's serial #000305. Future batches may be slightly different, so don't use this as an exact guide for making your own CupCake CNC. Here's what MakerBot Industries says about this version of

I have a whole category titled More Important than Money. It's where I keep all my posts on the things more important than money -- things like your family, time, and your health. The issue of how important your health is was addressed again in a recent Yahoo article on

Amazon has just expanded the potential audience for its ebook format by a few orders of magnitude with the Beta release of its free Kindle for PC application. Doing exactly what it says on the (imaginary) tin, this will allow you to read the locked-down Kindle format on your

If you’ve made the switch to Windows 7 and use Windows Live Messenger, you might have noticed the icon stays in the new Taskbar. If you are annoyed by this and would rather see it in the System Tray (notification area), just follow this simple process. Show Messenger Icon in

Nokia's Maemo-based future has begun: the N900 is shipping. According to Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the eagerly awaited handset is now en route to at least some pre-order customers. We'll soon see if this new generation of Nokia smartphones will be enough to generate the type of mass-market /

We really want to dislike Google. Such a massive company with unbelievable wealth and control over all out data must be evil, right? But man, free airport WiFi for the holidays? Come give us a hug Goog. The gift extends the Virgin America deal already announced to 47 airports across

The last thing you want to hear about a few short days after a product's launch is a litany of issues plaguing devices in the field, but that's not quite what's going on here -- instead, this looks to be an extension of Verizon's well-known policy of testing the

The Electronic Brick Starter kit allows you to easily connect various digital, analog, and I2C/Uart modules to any shield-compatible Arduino. The kit comes with 10 modules, and the sensor chassis. You can start building projects without the need to solder or breadboard. Just plug, program, and play! Electronic Brick

This has to be a first. Uber popular Twitter account shitmydadsays has already landed 29-year-old writer Justin Halpern a book deal, but today we’ve learned CBS also wants to make a sitcom out of the musings of Halpern’s kooky father. The show will be exec produced by former Will

When you've got the brand cachet of a Bowers & Wilkins, the decision to launch your first-ever headphone will be met head-on with plenty of pre-defined market expectations. But with products spread wide across diverse audio tastes and prices, well, pretty much anything goes. So it's probably no surprise

Could it be? Have our prayer’s been answered? Latino Review is reporting that Steven Spielberg’s Old Boy starring Will Smith is dead in the water. Apparently Dreamworks and original Korean production studio were working together to get the rights to the manga, but the two couldn’t reach an agreement,

We're so sorry, true NVIDIA believers, but that airbrushed "I love Fermi" shirt is just gonna have to wait a little longer to see the light of day, at least according to a report from our favorite chip-centric foreign news syndicate, Digitimes. Taiwanese industry sources say the release of

It has been over a year since I boarded a plane to London to visit the Pinewood Studios set of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Disney’s big screen adaptation of the popular video game. It’s a one hour ride from our hotel near downtown London to Pinewood

While on the set of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, we had a chance to talk to some of the cast. Below you will find our roundtable interviews with  Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton: You’ve done big movies like The Day After Tomorrow and you’ve had some

A-Team fans rejoice, it appears that there will be at least one nod to the classic ’80s action franchise in Joe Carnahan’s upcoming modern remake. The Official Dwight Schultz Fansite has the word that Schultz, who played “Howling Mad” Murdock in the original series, was recently in Vancouver filming

Looks like not all of Joel Silver’s long-simmering DC Comics projects (er, sorry — DC Entertainment) have been recalled. He’s been moving veerrrryyy slowly on a Sgt. Rock adaptation, with a few scripts written over the years, but now finally has some forward momentum. If things go well, we

Are you frustrated with having no quick and easy way to restart Firefox after modifying the about:config settings or a similar action? Now you can with a little bit of extension magic. After Installing the Extension Installing the QuickRestart extension is straightforward with no options to worry about. So, what

True, this ain't the first Dell Mini tablet hack we've laid eyes on -- but what we do have here is a pretty sweet mod by MyDellMini forum member "rock99rock" (must be his confirmation name). In addition to replacing his Dell Mini 9 display with a touchscreen kit, our

This awesome parody of that famous scene involving Samuel L Jackson from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction takes on society and the media’s obsession with the popular microblogging website Twitter. Available from headline shirts for $24, sized small to XXXL. Check out a zoomed in version of the t-shirt design after

German architect Jakob Tigges has unveiled a plan for a 1,000m tall faux mountain at the site of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, and his supporters are taking it rather seriously. Dubbed “The Berg,” the snow-capped colossus would be the world’s largest man-made mountain and would serve as a

John Boiles, who earlier this year showed us how to control an RC car using an iPod's internal accelerometer (and also how to control the lights on a dance floor in more or less the same way), is a member of Austin, TX, based engineering collective Waterloo Labs, who

Len Wiseman has signed on to direct Nocturne for 20th Century Fox. We don’t know much about this project other than the few little tidbits included in The Hollywood Reporter’s announcement piece, so lets look at what we know: Post Apocalyptic: The story is set after the end of the

Because what the world needs now is yet another mobile operating system, Samsung has announced its foray into the field with Bada. Not much to reveal at this point other than some key PR speak: the name means "ocean" in Korean, the company's committed to "a variety of open

Although Moxi hasn't really taken a piece of our heart, it has kept its promise of updates with the third one due just before the holiday season. The most notable news today from Moxi's new owner Arris though is a new three tuner HD DVR, which we believe is

Parallax has a new MCU module optimized for robotics that looks pretty cool. The Propeller Robot Control Board provides all the necessary base circuits needed to build a very powerful mid-size robotics platform. The control board has an on-board USB serial interface to facilitate programming and communication with the

A Monsters Inc sequel has been rumored to be in the works for the last couple years. But that might not be the case after-all.. or atleast not with writer/director Pete Docter at the helm. When talking to New York Magazine about Up, Docter let it slip that he is already

Giles Turnbull @ The Morning News has a fun article about the family Nomenclature for LEGO... He writes - It’s a scene that is replayed by kids and parents everywhere. And it’s the starting point for a unique quirk of language: Lego nomenclature.Every family, it seems, has its own

You think maybe the cats at NVIDIA are a little hot to trot on the tablet concept? Not only did Mike Rayfield (the company's general manger of its mobile division) spout off on a "3G capable touchpad" a few months ago, but CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has been spotted in

Google making Waves across all its Apps? If true then this integrated"work in progress" also hints at the importance of Wave to the future of Google. Verizon takes another swing at AT&T, puts iPhone on the Island of Misfit Toys Why not just sack up use a real iPhone,

Before Liz Lemon and Peggy Olson struggled with single life in the big city, two strong, unrelated, independent women named Wanda Wayne and Sheneneh Jenkins ruled the cable airwaves (and contraceptives). And I’m not sure what zillionth worm hole Richard Kelly opened up last weekend with The Box, but

Earlier today a rumor broke that Rachel McAdams is in talks to join Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 as the anti-hero/love conflict character Black Cat. We didn’t know if this was true, or just another one of the countless internet superhero rumors. I still can’t confirm the validity of the

T-Mobile is now offering unlimited voice for little enough cash through its Even More promo these days that it's officially bidding myFaves adieu, spelling out the final chapter of one of the better-known plan packages in the US wireless biz. It won't go away completely -- the myFaves app will

Have too many Roombas and don't know what to do with them? Instead of letting your cats ride on them or taking pictures of how they work, why not make a real-life Pac-Man game? Thats what a group of enterprising engineers from Colorado State University did with Roomba Pac-Man.

It's not quite as sleek as some homebrew-minded handhelds, or as full-featured as some others, but anything that hearkens back to the days when videos games were measured in bits gets a few points in our book, and this new Neo Slim 3000 looks to have things well covered

Yes, you read that right, so stop rubbing your eyes and tell me - wouldn’t you do the same thing if you were him? Despite a pretty solid ring of secrecy around the production, we know that Del Toro and team are deep into the development of their Hobbit

Gorgeous teacup Stirling engine, spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool. From MAKE magazine: Check out MAKE, Volume 17: The Lost Knowledge issue! Buy your copy in the Maker Shed, Subscribe to MAKE, or Access the Digital Edition (if you're already a subscriber). We have a teacup Stirling engine project

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, BMW Click above to watch the videos after the jump For a company that earned its reputation years ago as "the Ultimate Driving Machine," BMW's more recent efforts seem to have been based around inherently less sporty vehicle formats - SUVs and wonky looking crossovers,

Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA The idea of paying for your insurance by the mile is not new. MileMeter, in Texas, offers pay-as-you-drive (PAYD) rates and California has been using mileage brackets to set insurance rates for years. A new, more precise PAYD system is under

Filed under: Concept Cars, Misc. Auto Shows, Motorcycle CR&S DUU Concept-- Click above for high-res image gallery Those of you who had the stomach to sit through Terminator Salvation with your eyes open will remember the mototerminators that launched themselves from the legs of the giant collectors. Those were actually

A little later than previously alluded to, but Navigon's finally rolling out live traffic update to its MobileNavigator iPhone app. Same prices as mentioned before, it'll regularly be $24.99, but for the next four weeks, it's only gonna ring up at $19.99 for lifetime use, no monthly fees. Not

Mania is reporting a rumor that Rachel McAdams has met with the producers of Spider-Man 4 to play the role of Black Cat. The female cat burglar has long been rumored to be part of the next installment of Sam Raimi’s big screen Spider-Man series, although there has never

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Alfa Romeo, UK Autodelta Alfa Romeo Brera S and 159 J4 3.2 Compressore - Click above for high-res image gallery Alfa Romeo has proven itself capable of crafting some of the most achingly beautiful automotive works of art on the road today. Unfortunately, their

First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG straightens up and flies right AMG's first crack at creating a supercar from scratch proves Mercedes' in-house tuning division isn't just about big engines and powerslides anymore. First Look: Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept Bugatti's first modern sedan is enough to make you weak

Rising to prominence in the street art scene throughout the early aughts and now bustling inside the mainstream with shoe deals and bewildered news reports, the California artist known as Neckface is a fascinating subject. For one, much of his art was and remains illegal via the defacing of billboards

In brewing, wort is "the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars that will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol" [Wikipedia]. At a certain point in the brewing process, you need to cool down your wort.

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury In 2006, Ford began to shrink its dealership network in order to more efficiently align its distribution network. Three years later, it appears that the hardest hit are the company's stand-alone Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. While there were 619 Lincoln-Mercury dealerships nationwide just a

[Image: Food Mayhem] With fried chicken, bacon, and other fatty comfort foods feeling a renaissance, it makes sense that mayo would jump on board too. Nostalgia sells, and Hellmann's, perhaps the king of the mayo brands, is capitalizing on that. As Ad Week points out, their recent ads recall

Filed under: Hybrid Things are looking up for Azure Dynamics these days. After inking a deal to help Ford with the development and production of the Transit Connect BEV next year, the company has a new order for its hybrid delivery vans. FedEx has signed up to take on another

Well, the OpenOfficeMouse rightly caused a bit of skepticism when it was officially announced earlier this week, and it turns out it is something of a fraud after all -- just not the way you might think. Yes, the multi-buttoned mouse is still all too real (in prototype form,

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Dodge, Humor Stonehenge, Rosebud, The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd - all have confounded us with their hidden meanings. And to that list we now add the logo for the Dodge Viper. Somehow it has eluded us for years that, when turned upside

We’ve featured many of artist Eric Tan’s creations in past Cool Stuff columns: we’ve spotlighted his work for past Pixar productions, X-Men, LOST, among other things. Tan has been creating a series of posters for the Indiana Jones film series. You can see his Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom posters in

Filed under: Car Buying, Minivan/Van, Work, Mercedes-Benz Last year, there were 350 dealers selling Sprinters, but the signs in front of those dealerships had the word "Dodge" on them. Now that Sprinters have been pulled from Chrysler's pipeline, Automotive News reports that Mercedes-Benz has established its own U.S. van subsidiary

Walt Disney Pictures has released the first of three new theatrical banners for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Want to see more? Disney is asking fans to join The Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MadHatterSubjects) to “help prepare his army!” Apparently The Mad Hatter is giving

Whenever a Moto with triband HSPA hits the FCC, we're naturally going to end up scouring the documentation -- what can we say, it's in our blood -- and today we've found a model claiming to be the rumored Motus. As a refresher, this is a device we'd heard

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Daily, North America A big piece of the end-of-life plan for lithium batteries is recycling and there is only one place in North America currently capable of carrying out that procedure. That facility, owned and operated by Toxco Waste Management in southeastern British Columbia, experienced a

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Toyota Soccer moms, NASCAR dads and empty-nesters rejoice! It looks like Toyota is going to debut its 2011 Sienna minivan in Cali next month at the 2009 LA Auto Show. Although the minivan market doesn't get a lot of playtime on enthusiast websites, the

Do you fancy yourself a charming, camera-happy, good cook? Well then Bravo wants to meet you. To apply for Top Chef's seventh season, click here [pdf]. The application deadline is December 4. Send in your forms and video or bring them to one of the open casting calls coming up.

[Photographs: Adam Kuban] Matt's Big Breakfast 801 North 1st Street, Phoenix AZ 85004 (at East McKinley; map); 602-254-1074; mattsbigbreakfast.com My recent pizza tour of the West Coast included a quick, 22-hour stop in Phoenix, where, before leaving town, I visited Matt's Big Breakfast. The eponymous owner is Matt Pool,

Filed under: Classics, Budget, Minivan/Van, Europe, Volkswagen In 1974, this 1965 Volkswagen Type 2 (a.k.a. 'Bus') was stolen from Washington State. Fast-forward to October 19 of this year and custom agents at the Port of Los Angeles open up a container bound for Europe only to rediscover said van. Somehow,

There's no official word on this yet, but the inimitable Michael Arrington says that Google's up and purchased VoIP company Gizmo5 for "around $30 million in cash." You know, pocket change for the crew in Moutain View. The deal would presumably bring Gizmo's SIP-based VoIP talents to Google Voice, taking

Rusty Pans: Is that from an upscale cookware store or the garbage bin? [TFS] Hot Dog-iversary: Pink's Hot Dogs in L.A. celebrates 70 years. [FFM] Not a Taco Truck: It's the Arcelia Taco Bus in Houston. [Eating Our Words] One Dolla: McDonald's may add a $1 breakfast menu in

Filed under: Motorcycle 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 - Click above for high-res image gallery After months of rumors, grainy spy shots and leaked information, Ducati has finally pulled the wraps off its 2010 Multistrada 1200. As with the original MTS, Ducati wanted to create a machine with sportbike-level performance that

It's been awhile, but we've got ourselves a brand spanking new OS X update in the mix, 10.6.2 for Snow Leopard. So far the biggest change here seems to be fixing that nagging guest account deletion bug -- and thank goodness for that. As for whether or not it

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault, Europe/EU Kangoo be bop Z.E. - Click above for high-res image gallery Last week, Renault announced it will build the Twizy EV in Spain starting in 2011 and plug-in vehicle batteries and the Zoe Z.E. in France in 2012. But Renault's push to bring electric cars

CPSC About a million Maclaren strollers have been recalled after a dozen children reportedly had their fingertips amputated by the stroller’s hinge mechanism. The recall includes all nine models of single and double umbrella Maclaren strollers, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Associated Press. (The

Jake has posted pics and info on Steampunk Workshop of another maker's build of Jake's Wimshurst machine, a project featured in MAKE, Volume 17. Jake writes: ...This is a very elegant machine and some of Bruce's innovations make it superior to my own! Here's what the builder, Bruce, says

From Instructables user ModMischief comes a great tutorial on building this impossibly clever one-person trompe l'oeil costume. As she says, "[w]hy choose between dressing as a sexy mermaid or a scary pirate when you could be both!" Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Wearables

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Middle East Turkey's Onuk Sazan - Click above for high-res image gallery Need a reason to support Turkey's bid to become part of the European Union? Look no further than the Onuk Sazan, a brand-new sports car that depending on the engine might just

It's that time of year when folks head into the kitchen more frequently--whipping up a dish to take to a party or a holiday gathering. It's also around this season of socializing that our spice rack tends to double in size. If your pantry can't keep the new surplus

From Serious Eats: New York [Photo: Carey Jones] Chef Ana Sortun is no stranger to spice. Chef and owner of Boston's Oleana and the James Beard 2005 Best Chef: Northeast, she has won numerous accolades for her daring Mediterranean-inspired cooking, drawing in spices and flavors both traditional and experimental. And

The guests have arrived, the wine has been poured and the lighting is perfect. But wait, something is missing. Oh, yes -- sparkling conversation and merry laughter have not yet arrived. All you hear are crickets. Read Full Post

It's just like the old riddle: what looks like a Hero, thinks it's an iPhone, and does double-duty as an old-school FM handheld? Why, it's the TVG3 -- and when combined with some prototypical shanzhai flair, its (con)fusion of attributes from all over the cellphone space make this one

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Acura, Honda 2001 Honda Accord - Click above for high-res image gallery Over the last year, Honda has recalled roughly 444,000 vehicles to repair overpressurized airbag inflators in certain 2001-2002 Honda Accord, 2001 Civic and 2002-2003 Acura TL models. According to the automaker, there has

Note: Over the weekend I visited Montreal and thanks to Katerine of the Epicurean Life, forgot what it felt like to be hungry. Stay tuned this week for my snapshots from Montreal. [Photographs: Erin Zimmer] Calling a pastry "buttery" seems a little redundant, but the Kouign Amann, is like a

With all the channels on broadcast TV and cable—and the inevitable episode repeats—it's hard to sort out what's new or worthwhile. Let us sort it out for you so you don't miss anything worth watching. Times may vary with region; check your local listings for exact hour and channels. Monday

From Recipes "Somehow, the eggplant comes off with a distinct smoky aroma that you'll swear must have been cooked over charcoal." [Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger] Eggplants always amaze me. They're my favorite vegetable to cook with since they can be manipulated in such exciting ways. This recipe from Chow grills them

Cook the Book: New Classic Family Dinners: quack, rebeccadiamond, Ron Manley, Monelle, and lucylucy. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to all who entered.

Ricoh's been getting some love on its spendy GR series of late, but this new direction for what's apparently slated to debut as a new "GXR" system is a wild one indeed. Basically, the camera comes in two parts, a body with an LCD, storage and accessory shoe (which

The King of Pop’s legendary Sega Genesis adventure is coming to Wii, says the European game ratings board. The Pan European Game Information website has listed Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker as an upcoming game for the Wii’s Virtual Console download service. Moonwalker was one of the better licensed games of the

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai, Luxury, South Korea Hyundai Genesis Sedan - click above image for high-res gallery Allow us to set the stage. The year was 2009, the month was February. The U.S. economy, which for months had been showing signs of springing a leak, was now

Industrial design lab GR recently launched a clever new product called the ‘Aqua Jar’ that transforms any plastic bottle into an easy-pour pitcher. Formed from biodegradable and recyclable plastic, the attachment perfectly fits the universal coil of any plastic bottle, creating an attractive and sturdy mount allowing for water to

Humberto writes in to point us at this handy use of the Google Voice transcription feature. In his Voice2LED Project, Josh converted a simple LED sign into a voice-activated one by connecting it up to his phone number. It turns out that when you leave a message on a

Filed under: Etc., MPG Garmin EcoRoute screen shots - click above for image gallery At last January's Consumer Electronics Show, Garmin announced a new optional extra for its Nuvi GPS system. The Eco-Route adds the ability for 1xxx series Nuvis to display a variety of vehicle information about what is

The following is a guest post from Marotta Wealth Management. The availability of easy credit does not encourage financial virtue. Five minutes of credit card indiscretion literally can undo a life of financial responsibility, just like flirting at a bar with an available stranger can threaten marital fidelity. You are

Okay, so we're total suckers for tilt-shift perspective manipulation, and since we've run a fair number of snippy attack ads lately, we thought we'd try and clear the air with this impressive new spot from HP. Part of the relatively-new "Create Amazing" campaign, it's a miniaturized international tour through

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Europe, Videos, Luxury The Bewerp Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS -- Click above to watch the video after the break Fittingly, it appears that the Bewerp Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS went for a cruise on Halloween night, which would give passers-by the perfect opportunity to ask the

It’s been a long time since I shared a good self-deprecating story about my own financial foolishness. Let me remedy that today. For the past month or so, I’ve been buried deep in writing my book. (I have bookhead, I tell Kris — my mind is wholly absorbed by this

[Image: Threadless] In a world ruled by vegetables, making salsa is a deadly process. $25 on Threadless Related Pancakes Mountain T-Shirt, Plus Other Pancake Outerwear Cute T-Shirt Alert: Cake Is Awesome The Icecreamator T-Shirt Salsa recipes

Play family-friendly music games like Lego Rock Band and Band Hero and you’ll play along to songs by rock superstars like David Bowie, Elton John and Queen. But you and your kids will also get stuck rocking to some of contemporary music industry’s dullest offerings. Last week, MTV and

NXT's flat-panel speaker technology doesn't get an awful lot of love these days in the high-end audio realm, but that's not to say some outfits aren't putting it to good use. Take SMK-Link Electronics, for instance, who just pushed out the most spectacular must-have product ever for the traveling

How much DJ culture will two dollars get you? If you’re ambitious and don’t mind digging through bargain records on your hands and knees, you might find two sample-worthy LPs in your local record store’s 99-cent vinyl blowout bins. Otherwise, consider Hip Hop All Star, a bargain-priced app for

Remember the gorgeous Anthropologie-inspired Owl Baby Shower that we featured last month? Well, there were tons of inquiries about how to make the adorable owl stir sticks that one of the shower hostesses – Jesi Haack from Jesi Haack Weddings – made for the party. When I asked Jesi

Quite a few readers simply tune out when I mention investments. They don’t believe the topic applies to them at all. “How can I possibly worry about investing when I can barely put food on the table?” they’ll ask. The answer is simple: virtually every single person has the resources

I suppose there’s no small amount of irony here. The original trailer for the upcoming revamp of The Wolfman didn’t work nearly as well as the later, more music video-like version, which featured the sort of pseudo-industrial rock that you might expect to hear accompanying an Underworld or Paul

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Performance, Bugatti, LuxuryFine Art Masquerading As A Sedan Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept - Click above for new high-res image gallery Bugatti invited us to the first unveiling of its new 16C Galibier Concept on U.S. soil at a special event in Southern California last week.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Legislation and Policy, NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle), USA Wheego Whip - click above for high-res image gallery Low-speed, neighborhood electric vehicles are an interesting case. No one thinks of them as "real cars" - although the Wheego Whip, above, tries to be the Cadillac of NEVs -

NVIDIA's feud with Intel may be at an all-time high these days, but it looks like the company isn't about to go as far as to produce its own Intel-compatible x86 chip, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. That word comes straight from NVIDIA's always talkative CEO Jen-Hsun Huang,

From Recipes Note: Jessie Oleson (aka Cakespy) drops by every Monday to share a delicious dessert recipe. [Original artwork and photographs: Jessie Oleson] Cliché as it may sound coming from a Seattleite, I must confess to feeling a small thrill around this time of year when Starbucks rolls out their

Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagon, Europe, BMW, Luxury 2011 BMW 5 Series Touring - click above image for hi-res gallery Looky, looky - it's another piece of future German metal disguised to look like MC Escher on peyote. But what is it? Well, unlike the never ending back-and-forth between the

Part of the story angle behind Grant Heslov’s directorial effort The Men Who Stare at Goats is that the film is based on a true story. Usually I ignore that sort of background when first approaching a movie — I want a film to work on its own merits,

2009 Cadillac Converj concept - click above for high-res gallery After much hemming and hawing, General Motors will reportedly build a version of the Cadillac Converj, the gorgeous but awkwardly named extended-range coupe concept first shown at last year's Detroit Auto Show. According to The Detroit News, the Converj

"Everyone likes Mexican food and everyone likes Chinese food, so why not combine forces?" [Flickr: R. E. ~] Name: Don Chow Tacos Vendors: Dominic Lau and Lawrence Lie. What do you sell? Chinese-Mexican fusion Twitter: @donchowtacos Location and hours: For now, Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.,

Wait a minute -- you say you've been longing to get your hands on an overpriced netbook that you can use upside-down? Well, kids, the time is drawing nigh. Mere days after the Litl Easel Webbook went official we've become privy to a lengthy video of the bad boy

Located in downtown Philadelphia right above the Suburban rail station, the Comcast Center has been awarded the title of “tallest LEED certified building in the US” after earning a Gold Certification for LEED-CS (Core & Shell). The obelisk-like 58 story tower is covered in high-performance glass and sunscreens, and features

Thanks to a bit of a shoe obsession, I really don't need any excuse to buy new shoes for my kids. But when I heard that the The Mini Social, a cool members only shopping site and past CMP fave will be offering amazing deals on some of our favorite

Upstart company you've never heard of suddenly selling not one but two ebook readers in the US? Yeah, these are rebadge jobs, but at least one of 'em -- the PocketBook 360 -- is a slightly new variation on a theme. From the looks of it, this one is

"The West Coast has hoppy IPAs, the Midwest has a strong tradition of pilsners and lagers, but the South has no real (craft) beer tradition." [Photograph: Carolyn Lilly Wilson] Sean Wilson has a vision for the beer scene in the American South. Using heirloom grains and other ingredients from North

From Serious Eats: New York Who is the tastiest cookie of them all? [Photo: Robyn Lee] Let's be honest: it's hard to make a bad chocolate chip cookie. Anytime you've got something sweet, warm, and chocolatey emerging from the oven, odds are, it's going to taste great. And yet there's

Sometimes it seems like no cuisine is as underappreciated as Greek cuisine. It's a food culture with a long and glorious history of fresh Mediterranean ingredients, but why has it been relegated to the ranks of soggy spanakopita and wilted Greek salads, heavy with greying black olives and stinky feta?

Writing about frugality is trickier than it looks. There's always someone who has more/less or spends more/less. Few consumer commentaries satisfy both. Does your family income (or expenses) fluctuate? Ours, too. What makes good financial sense one year may not be the right strategy for the next. When we were newly married

The Progressive Automotive X-Prize is heating up as the May 2010 start date approaches, and one of our favorite entrants is the eVARO, a three-wheeled plug-in hybrid from Future Vehicles Technology. The sleek electric vehicle can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 5 seconds and purportedly reaches 275 mpg

Want more free stuff? Today we’re giving away 5 copies of DisplayFusion Pro, a multiple-monitor taskbar and desktop wallpaper rotating application that we’ve been fans of for a very long time. And it now supports Windows 7! It was more than two years ago that we first highlighted DisplayFusion as

This year we're teaching the kids more about the joy of giving, so I wanted them to think of something they could make for their (mostly girl) cousins. Then along came the jewelry making kits from Bijoux in a Box and bam, problem solved.

From Recipes This is actually the Greek Cobb Salad from Michael Psilakis' restaurant Kefi. [Photograph: Robyn Lee] When I deiced to tackle How to Roast a Lamb by Michael Psilakis I made the mistake of thinking I had to make a special trip to a Greek neighborhood to procure hard-to-find

What is water? According to Look Around You, it's impossible to describe, but they carry out a few highly controlled experiments to unlock the mysteries behind this element, H-twenty. Watch this video after the jump. 'Look Around You - Water' Look Around You is a BBC comedy series from

I've suggested that one way to make some extra money is to turn our hobbies into incomes (in fact, this is one of my 11 great ways to earn more money). In addition, I've noted that my son and I had become volunteer soccer referees but were thinking of looking into

Back in 1979, Winooski, Vermont, a town that often experiences -20 degree weather in January, proposed building a giant dome over their city to help reduce energy costs and keep warm throughout the winter. Thirty years ago, we were experiencing an energy crisis with rising oil prices, and people were

This piece on vacation days made me want to ask all of you: How much vacation time do you get? The numbers in the article above include both vacation days as well as holidays. Workers in Lithuania and Brazil led the pack with an average of 41 days off per

My recent experiences traveling across country gave me more appreciation, or disapproval, of the lengths airlines are now gong to empty the wallets of travelers. The flight industry once positioned itself as luxury travel, with a variety of free amenities, but the industry takes the opposite approach now. Yes, it

In George Lucas’ first film THX 1138, the future of the world is an ascetic’s paradise of monochromatic environments, clean lines, barren surfaces, and shaved heads. A similar future is portrayed in Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. In both movies, the future is sanitized, impersonal,

See it bigger here » [Photographs: gregnog.com] Captain Yaar is a comic about a pirate who doesn't do much pirating. Instead he dreams up fanciful doughnut sandwich concoctions, only to have his little bird sidekick smack some sense into him. [via janelle] Related Pickle Recipe Comic Snake 'N' Bacon

You don't have to be a die-hard chef to appreciate the aroma of a simmering pot of stew, a perfectly-crusted pie, or a flawless tomato fresh from the garden--so whether you're shopping for your just-married cousin or your brother with the finely-honed palate, our foodie guide has the kitchen

Here's a post to let you all know that the latest edition of the Best of Money Carnival is up today. Congrats to all participants and especially the winning post, Travel Hacking for Noobs: How We Save Hundreds on Airfare, Get Free Accommodation, & Make Money while Overseas. For the

As any teenager who's ever feigned excitement over a pom-pom reindeer sweater on Christmas morning can tell you, buying clothes for other people can be--well, let's just say, a little hit or miss. Don't want to give a closet full of duds that go unworn? We're with you--that's a

Maddy from Inspired Bride and Amanda from Bake It Pretty recently put together this absolutely stunning “Winter Wonderland” themed dessert buffet… seriously, how gorgeous is this?! Better yet, they’ve broken the buffet down into a series of detailed DIY posts for each individual element – from the winter wonderland

“The shortest answer is doing.” - Lord Herbert Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. Too often we get stuck in inaction — the quagmire of doubt and perfectionism and distractions and planning that stops us from moving forward. And while I’m no proponent of a whirling buzz

In the original “Saying farewell to a hobby” post, I talked about how to decide if you’re not really into your hobby. Letting go of a no-longer-active hobby can be difficult, especially if part of your identity is wrapped up in that activity. (I know I still think of myself

We love Maclaren strollers (as do millions of moms) so we're pleased to see them conducting a voluntary recall of all Maclaren umbrella strollers.

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags. What is

Reading goes hand in hand with creating. The importance of reading is to understand the arc of a story and how to convey information, lessons and emotions. To inspire reading sometimes you need to involve your children in the creative process behind a book. How it is made, the story

This article is the seventh of a thirteen-part series that explores the core tenets of Get Rich Slowly. I struggled with debt for over a decade. I made several attempts to tackle the trouble, but nothing seemed to work. Compulsive spending was part of the problem — I bought anything

View original image Emergency! You’ve fallen off the productivity wagon. You’re tired, you’re feeling down, you’re procrastinating, you might even be a little hungover, and you feel like chucking that to-do list in the bin. We’ve all been there, and more often than not when you’ve lost your momentum

Back in high school, there was this guy. Older brother of a friend. We were all over their house for a birthday party or whatever, and he was back in his room playing Super Nintendo games using something none of us had ever seen before. It was a Doctor

I remember the kind of mother I thought I'd be before I actually had a kid. I was going to be the kind of mother who put the ix-nay on processed foods, video games and television.

Every other Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal finance book. Over the years, I’ve professed a ton of admiration for Thomas Stanley and William Danko’s excellent personal finance book The Millionaire Next Door. It was the first book I reviewed on The Simple Dollar and it’s still one I

I often tell myself, "Self, I love to travel, but I hate forcing myself to sleep in places that don't have satin sheets." That's where the Dreamie comes in. It's like the secret hybrid of a sleeping bag and a Snuggie. Only in satin. And you, blessedly, can't walk around

2008 Unitasker Wednesday: The jumbo jerky works gunThe Jumbo Jerky Works Gun is some sort of mechanism that makes forming jerky easier. Perfect time to organize your garageAutumn reminds me of the time of year when my mother would predictably ask her three sons to clean up the garage. Organized

Marti writes in with a question about the second step of Your Money or Your Life: Step two, and I’m sure you remember, is about figuring out what hourly wage you’re actually earning at your job, once you factor in the commute, clothes for the job, lunch food and fast

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why. The title of this post is not mine. It's from an MSN Money piece that lists nine places that accept credit cards that you might not expect to do so.

Many newer readers of The Simple Dollar haven’t been exposed to the hundreds of great articles in the archives of the site, so this is a weekly series that highlights the five best posts from one year ago this week, two years ago this week, and three years ago this

“It’s been a long time since you shared a recipe at Get Rich Slowly,” I told Kris last week. “What about that pot roast recipe?” she asked. “You love that.” “Yes. Yes, I do,” I said. This guest post from my wife may be the best thing I’ve ever shared

Sometime back, Leo Babauta from Zen Habits talked about how doing less and being less productive could benefit your work and life. He talks about spending less time doing quality work and have more time for fun.Taking inspiration from Leo, I thought it'd be nice to take a break from

About a year ago, my mother decided to re-do the guest bedroom in her home. Before starting out on the project, she outlined her project to several of her friends, not asking for a single thing beyond advice. The end result? One friend gave her a crib. Another friend gave

Gamers who want to try out Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning now have as long as they’d like to do so. Mythic has extended the duration of the MMO’s free trial period to “endless.” That means that curious players can futz around with the game’s 24 different careers to

Reach For Your Wallet Dept.: On Wednesday, World of Warcraft began offering two virtual pets — the first in-game items sold for real-world money in Blizzard’s MMO. The Pandaren Monk (above left) and Lil’ KT cost $10 each from the Blizzard online store. When you buy them, they bind

Got milk? Okay, perhaps you do, but do you have secret 8-bit milk? No. The folks behind Battle For Milkquarious, the improbably funny rock opera based on hair band milk spokescharacter White Gold, have tipped us off to a secret hidden in the site. At the movie’s title screen,

People who own older versions of Sony’s PSP have been playing Dissidia: Final Fantasy for months. I for one didn’t like Dissidia very much, so maybe it’s their loss. But early adopters who grabbed the PSP Go when it came out on October 1 have had to wait until

Christmas can easily become such a stressful time of year -– too many events and not enough blank boxes on the calendar, too many people on the gift-giving list and not enough in the wallet.  Too many expectations, real or perceived, and not enough hands to do it all. 

In the old days, kids had to rifle through their parents’ dusty record collection to discover new and dangerous music. Now, they’ve only got to play Lego Rock Band. The new family-friendly rhythm action game from Traveller’s Tales and Harmonix came out Tuesday for the Xbox 360, Wii and

This week, the Independent Games Festival announced the list of entrants for the group’s 2010 competition. Judging will begin soon, and the winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference in early March. I’ve been an IGF judge for a few years now, and it is consistently one

Final Fantasy Gaiden: Four Warriors of Light is billed as a role-playing game from the old school. And it is — but not in the way you’d expect. Released on October 29 in Japan, this Nintendo DS game is created by Matrix, the development house that did the 3-D

College student Kyla Gorman has been awarded $10,000 by the Penny Arcade Scholarship Program, the site said Monday. Established in 2006, the Penny Arcade Scholarship is an academic grant that recognizes one student with the potential to positively affect the games industry. Gorman intends to use her money to pursue

In 2003, shortly after getting married, I had an ambitious goal of saving for a 20% down payment on a house by the end of 2007. Over the next year, I did make some savings progress, but I kept falling behind my milestones. Eventually, fed up with myself, I gave

I hadn’t realized how attached I was to Bill, Zoe, Francis and Louis until I downloaded the demo for Left 4 Dead 2. As it turns out, the characters, settings and tone of the original Left 4 Dead have really gotten under my skin. The sequel will be available

In its November issue, Consumer Reports listed the percentage of consumers who had changed spending practices since the recession hit and planned to continue them once it's over as follows: Buy only what you need -- 44% Put less on credit cards -- 42% Invest more safely -- 38% Put

Now that my book is finished, I’ve decided to embark on another big time-consuming project, but this one is a little different. I’m a big fan of online banks. I think they’re an incredibly powerful tool for helping you with your personal savings. For a long time, I’ve wanted to

SAN FRANCISCO — The new trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time emphasizes the movie’s videogame roots. Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince clambers up buildings, takes massive flying leaps over rooftops and, yes, even does some wall jumps in the clip, released Wednesday by Disney. The high-flying

Here's a piece from MSN Money that says most people marry their financial opposite. They break the situation down as follows: Most people say their ideal mate would be someone whose money style is similar to their own. Despite this preference, people tend to marry their financial opposite. The more

In general, people want to make financially responsible decisions when they go shopping. Often times, I look at two apparently identical items that priced differently.  On some occasions, the difference between two products is as obvious as the price.  The question is: should you buy the cheaper item or the