Do you really need that new gaming system now?!

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Sony's Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii will be sold just before Thanksgiving. And, as usual, supplies will be limited. So Gamestop and EB Games will be taking preorders within the next week or two. But do you really need to get that new system that was rushed through manufacturing? Look at Xbox 360. People who were among the first to buy it are having problems with the units as well as getting it repair under warranty. Microsoft has only recently agreed to repair units bought before January 1st of this year.

You know, we don't always need to be the first to get version 1 of everything. Let the market settle, let the bugs get fixed and let the price drop to more reasonable levels. Being first isn't always better.

Branson to popularize space travel

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Branson constantly amazes with his businesses: Virgin Records, Virgin Phone service, Virgin Airways. And he plans to build a space travel business as reported here:
"Branson unveils part of spacecraft, seeks to popularize space travel" I can't wait! Hopefully it will be in the next few years!

Amazing the Power that is of the Earth

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"Alaskan storm cracks giant iceberg to pieces in faraway Antarctica" Can you believe that a storm in Alask caused such an ocean swell that it travel over 8000 miles in six days to the Antarctic and STILL had enough energy to crack an iceburg! I imagine that a lot of surfers are wishing that they could have ridden that wave. Take about hang time! Our planet is an amazing place.

When you're not in the top ten ....

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... you have to try harder. I say that because, by 2:00 pm today, I had made it into the top ten posties of PPP. By the time I got home at 6:30, I was out of the list. So close yet so far ... The day is not done but still, I felt like I accomplished something and now lost it. Back to the writing board...

Iranian video game targets U.S. tanker

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I guess that it's to be expected that, in the propaganda battle, each side would target their youth and appeal to them through videos. We in the US have our games that battle all sorts of evil in the world. Now Iran has its version of battling evil. "The game, "Counter Strike," invites players to plant two bombs on the oil tanker to sink it and make the strait of Hormuz impassable, the Jomhouri-ye Eslami daily reported."

Will simply reveal the aggressiveness of the teen years and make things better in the world? Kinda doubt it ....

Security fix for older, unsupported Windows

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Last week, Microsoft rushed out a patch to fix a serious security flaw in XP and Internet Explorer Browser. Unfortunately, not all of us are using Windows XP. Some of us are still working with as Windows 2000 and ME and even Windows 98! GASP! Are we to remain vulnerable to hackers? Not according to CNET. They report that
Security pros patch older Windows versions.

Honda gives frightened parallel parkers a hand

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If you hate parallel parking, Honda is working to win your business. They have developed a automated parking-assist system and will be selling it for about $450.

Think that Gambling Prohibition ...

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... will work as brilliantly well as the alcohol prohibition of the 1920's? On Saturday, Congress (mainly Republicans) hustled through a bill that outlaws US banks and credit card companies from processing online bets. President Bush is expected to sign the bill this week.

Being an election year, I guess this is one way to appease the religious voters. We'll see if Democrats can stop this and do it their way: by taxing it to death. Either way, if you're a responsible gamer or a gambler, what are you going to do?

New Set of ... Air bags?

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"A woman in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse survived a car crash thanks to her silicon breasts which acted as an airbag, Standart newspaper reported Monday."

Keeping you abreast of breaking news, I want to be very *up front* with this one. We all know how breast implants can cause auto accidents by guys rubber-necking for a view. But this is the first time I have heard of anyone getting implants as a safety feature. I have heard about how certain parts of the chest area can 'cut glass' under certain circumstances. As far as protecting you from breaking glass, well that's something else. If I were to choose between getting hit in the face by an air bag or getting slapped from staring at some body's "air bags", I would have to pick a bust in the mouth as a much more pleasurable option. Anyway, when they asked that woman if she was any worse for the accident, she said that she had the breast time of her life. I hope that I never get too old and suffer from mammary lost.

Microsoft will sell a cheaper XBox 360 ...

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... in Japan.That's does us in the US a lot of good! Japanese get to buy their 360 for $255 and we'll get it for ... whatever Ebay has it for, I guess!!

CNET's Best Free Security and Spyware programs

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Here is CNET's latest list for the best in free Security and Spyware software. I use most of them myself and highly recommend these programs!!
latest free software

Anousheh Ansari returns to earth

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Anousheh Ansari, the first woman space tourist, returns to Earth. In her blog, she talks about several interesting events in being the first space tourist, including difficulties of space hygiene

Welcome home, Ms. Ansari! Bet that shower will feel good!

the state taketh

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The state owes me $2500. You would think that it would be easy and honorable for them return what they have taken from me. But no, I have had to work with my CPA for a over a year to try and resolve this issue. And then last month the state said that I OWE them $1000 and began garnishing my wages this month. So frustrating! This week, I began to draft a letter to my representatives in the state government and the state secretary of the treasury. To my surprise, the account department at my job received a letter saying that they stopped the garnishment. No explanation. I haven't even heard from my CPA as to why this change. Is it a good thing? You would think so, but as much grief as I've gone through, I just feel suspicious...

getting out of debt!

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The self proclaimed King and Queen of debt have a blog about how they are paying off their debt. Not only have I bookmarked this site but I've also tagged it to myweb.yahoo for everyone to find. Wereindebt.com talks about their personal battle with their debt and includes several excellent links to debt reduction sites and blogs. This is what I've been looking for, information to reduce my outstanding balances in the quickest time possible. If you're coming out of a back breaking divorce or your spending has gotten out of control, this may be the link for you!

Who will be first, Carolina or California?

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Early Monday morning, both sides of the border between North and South Carolina felt the earth move. A couple of weeks ago, Florida felt the same earth temors. So I’m going to start buying up water front property in the Carolinas now! Well, of course it’s not water front … not just yet! But if I can get a couple weight watchers convention scheduled with a Richard Simmon’s “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” reunion in both states, I figure that I’m three or four jumping jacks away from having the Carolinas break off into the Atlantic. Take that California, you skinny bunch of tofu eatin’ nuts! Who's shakin' it now?

Earthquakes in the USA - Past 7 days
Recent Earthquakes - Last 8-30 Days

saving on life insurance

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Going through my divorce, I agreed to maintain the current amount of life insurance (term) BUT I was able to make my youngest the beneficiary. Of course, I wanted to have something for my two oldest but my premiums with my current companies wouldn't allow it. So I went through Accuquote and was able to find triple the payout at half the cost! You should look into this if you need to save some money while looking out for your family.

hit or miss

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I can't believe how lucky I was today in my writing opportunities. If I hadn't been sick, I would have missed two chances that totaled $45. Part of the problem is the popularity of the program. With over 3000 members now, it doesn't take much to fulfill a posting quote. After that, all that remains are opportunities for high effort with a reward of low pay. How motivating is making $2 for an hour's work? Still, two dollars is two dollars. For motivation, the bigger picture of building two bucks upon two bucks until a hundred can be made. And with a hundred ... well, that's almost a month's worth of grocery, or a couple of week's worth of gas. Still, it is frustrating to know that I may be missing out because of other factors. It is a matter of working smarter, not harder.

Chamonix-Valley

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I spent my high school years nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. During my sophomore year, we had an exchange student from France. While he enjoyed our skiing and rock climbing adventures the Presidential mountain range, he would continually regale us with tales of majestic mountains of Chamonix Valley, France. I had forgotten all about his stories until I came across the mention of Chamonix on the Internet. Thanks to the Wide World Web, I was able to visit this site and see how truly majestic it is. I even used Google Earth to zoom around the mountain range and the town. Since it is part of the Alps, you can easily see how it is the extreme skiing capital of the world! Extreme? How about death defying! And yet very enticing to try:


Anyway, it has a beauty that I need to visit while I still can. Next year maybe? We’ll see…

enjoy yourself!

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It's wonderful to have a government so concerned with your money and what you do with it. Here's my part to be a rebel. Are you a responsible adult? Is the money that you earned with your blood, sweat and tears yours? Well, here's a gaming site looking for adults who don't need to be told how to live their lives:

Praying Mantis Porno

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The female praying mantis is known to eat the male during mating. This explains why there are very few praying mantis porno movies --- that money shot is a killer! Imagine having to direct the love scenes. In the heat of the moment, she whips around and tears the head off of her lover. "Cut! Cut! You know what I mean! Stop filming! Look, Love, I need less anger, more passion. Think you can do that? Very good. Now, I need another actor. Alright, you guys, quit cowering in the corner. This is your big chance for stardom (especially if you survive.) You! You with the T-shirt that says 'REAL MENTIS PRAY' Get over there and show what a real man...tis is made of! What? ha ha Yes, I know I definitely will when she rips your head off. Never mind that! Just get your huge bulging ... eyes over to her and let's make a porno!!"