Sears Starts Black Friday Deals Now

Sears Black Friday From Now Until Christmas: 
"HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears kicks off the holidays by celebrating Black Friday deals now -- offering them weekly -- with layaway options for these deals just in time for Christmas. Starting Saturday, Oct. 31, and continuing every Saturday until Christmas, Sears will offer Black Friday deals making gift giving even easier and more affordable with guaranteed best prices through Christmas on the best brands. From home electronics and kitchen and housewares to jewelry and apparel, shoppers will find incredible selections and values for their holiday shopping needs."

Well here's a surprise, Sears is starting to use the dreaded "C" word in their advertising for "holiday" sales. I wonder when the rest of the retailers will start putting Christmas back in their vocabulary? Hey you never know, maybe they'll put up Merry Christmas signs in their stores, and ...... gasp... allow their staff to wish customers a Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays.

It looks like the only up side to this Depression were in is that some merchants are admitting that the time span from the day after Thanksgiving to December 26 is called The CHRISTMAS Shopping Season, and that's the reason people spend money to buy their wares. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that people don't buy Christmas presents for some nebulous "holiday season", they buy for Christmas.

Sorry I'm redundant but I was always a great fan of The Miracle On 42nd Street, it's a movie about Christmas don't cha noe.

N&O Friday freebies

Sue Stock's Friday freebies:
"Friday freebies...
Submitted by suestock on October 30, 2009 - 1:34pm.
It's Friday..."

I know, it's Saturday but I was busy trying to get some personal things squared away.
The coffee samples are always a good find, I save them for when I run out. You know how it is, if it's not on the list you forget to pick some up at the market. I used to think shopping lists were a Senior Moment thing, but I've come to the realization that it has to do living out in the sticks and not being able to walk out your front door and walk in to a supermarket.

Million Dollar Nest Egg

Six Simple Steps To $1 Million:
"Let's face it; we all don't make millions of dollars a year, and the odds are that most of us won't receive a large windfall inheritance either. However, that doesn't mean that we can't build sizeable wealth - it'll just take some time. If you're young, time is on your side and retiring a millionaire is achievable."

I know, I know, at our age we've done all the savings and retirement planning by now. But I thought that I'd Boomer this one so that you can share it with your children and grandchildren. It's very tempting to make a political statement about Congress and ................................ Never Mind

A Slick & Cool Internet Music Player For YouTube

TubeRadio.fm - Music Player For YouTube: 
"YouTube is not only about crazy videos going viral. It’s also a huge archive of videos of the musical kind. From garage bands to the platinum artists, you will find them there. I don’t know whether you have the feeling (or not) that watching music videos is not exactly the same thing as listening to them. Sometimes you just like to be left alone with the tunes. That’s where TubeRudio.fm starts playing."

For all you Golden Oldies fans. It might surprise you that You Tube is a fantastic archive for finding Oldies But Goodies that you don't have in your Vinyl or CD collections. I personally found two songs that I used to have in my stack of 45's when I was in my teens, but somehow I lost them over the years. I also found some Rolling Bones and Animals sound tracks that had somehow become corrupted on my original CD.

While TubeRadio.fm allows you to listen to the videos, a little known web site I found called Video2MP3 allows you to convert the Video to an MP3 file that you can then store on your computer or iPod/MP3 player. That one is a keeper also.

It's Groovy!

Winter Home Emergency Kit

Put Together a Winter Home Emergency Kit:
"Creating a home emergency kit can be a simple to enormous undertaking depending on the level of energy and preparation you want to invest into it. Most people are on the 'Stay warm and fed until the power comes back on' camp, not the 'Prepared for zombie apocalypse' camp, and though it never hurts to prepare for the worst we'll be focusing more on the former than the latter."

For those Northern procrastinators like me, winters coming  and it's time to start thinking about Old Man Winter. LifeHacker had this great article on how to prepare for a rough winter, Global Warming or not.

Are Blind Spots a Myth?

Blind Spots - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com:
"In an effort to reduce lane-change accidents, some automakers are trying radar to eliminate blind spots that could conceal an adjacent vehicle."

Every time I go to the car wash they move the settings on my drivers seat, and futz around with the rear and side view mirrors. They do this because they have to drive the car 15 feet into the car wash, and 20 feet from the car wash. I've found a way to easily adjust the drivers seat, but the mirrors took me a few days to get back in sync. I finally ran across this great article from the NYTimes of all places, and thought I'd share it with you. It may be a life saver for someone.

Walmart to offer In-Home Install Crew

Walmart to rival Geek Squad: "Starting sometime before the holiday season, Wally World will be partnering with N.E.W. Customer Service Companies in order to offer in-home installation to customers buying anything from a wireless router to a HTIB. The service plans will be sold on prepaid cards ranging from $99 to $399 in value."

Full disclosure: I shop at Walmart, I dispise the underhanded tactics the Unions are using to organize their employees, I dislike Walmart bashing, I like Walmart better than Target or K-Mart.
That being said, this article made my eyes pop out of my head. First of all, who would let someone from Walmart touch anything electrical, much less a computer or router? Second with the price of computers dropping to zilch point shit, and Home Theaters (HTIB) starting around $300, who would pay $99 to $399 to have one set up for them? Sometimes I thing I'm in the wrong business, or at least on the wrong planet.

Wallpaper Roundup: All Hallow's Eve and Spooky Scenes

Wallpaper Roundup: All Hallow's Eve and Spooky Scenes: "The great festival of candy binging and spooky stories will be upon us soon. Take a moment to browse these Halloween-themed wallpapers to dress your desktop for the occasion."

Another installment of "For those of you who like wallpaper for your computers, this one's for you." This time the wallpaper theme is Halloween, a time that brings out the children in all of us.

Friday freebies

Sue Stock's Friday freebies:
"It's Friday, so let's do freebies!"

Click on the link for Sue Stock's Friday Freebies. This week is not one of her best, but give her a break she tries real hard. Sue is one of our local legends. She started her Shopping/Savings Blog as part of her job as a junior Consumer Affairs reporter for The News & Observer and it caught on like wild fire. She has a tremendous following in the Triangle area and has branched out to include giving courses on coupon clipping and consumer savings tips. It's been amazing watching her mature from "cub reporter" to a "cult leader".
Hat Tip to Sue!

MakeUseOf Web Site Directory

MakeUseOf Directory - powered by FeedBurner

Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. All listed websites are FREE (or come with a decent free account option). No trials or buy-to-use craplets. For more cool websites and web app reviews subscribe to MakeUseOf Directory.

I haven't posted anything technical in quite a while so when I ran across this MakeUseOfDirectory sight I decided to Boomer it. As a matter of fact it has so many great web entries I bookmarked the site for my own use. You'll need some quiet time to browse through the whole directory, but it will be worth it.

I still have to do more research on how to encorporate the FeedBurner feature into this blog, but hey, it'll keep me out of trouble and it looks like fun.

Honda Cub Electric

Greatest Motorcycle In History Goes Electric :
"The world’s greatest motorcycle isn’t a work of art, nor is it a speed demon of any sort. But the 50cc kick-star Honda Super Cub — with just four horsepower and a top speed of 50 mph — is the single most successful vehicle in the history of internal combustion. Honda’s sold more than 60 million of them, and after all that time the Cub is going electric."

Tired of driving that stodgy old golf cart around your Gated Active Adult Community? Well here's the next best thing to buying a Harley Hog and joining Marlon Brando's motorcycle pack, the Honda Cub ;-)

Soaking Cleans Overnight The Easy Way

Dishwasher Detergent Soak Cleans Dishes Overnight - Cleaning - Lifehacker:
"Hell hath no fury like the staying power of baked on food on your pots and pans. Sometimes a soak overnight is required, but to guarantee things will come clean by morning, try turning to your dishwasher detergent instead."

Another great hint from LifeHacker. With only one mouth to feed doing dishes in a dishwasher isn't always the best solution, this tip comes in handy.

Freezer Tricks to Save You Time and Money

10 Simple Freezer Tricks to Save You Time and Money - Winter - Lifehacker: 
"It's that time of year again, when our freezers are filled with the summer's bounty in preparation for the long winter months ahead. Get the most out of your freezer, and learn a few of its other uses, with these great tricks."

Some great tips from one of my favorite sites, LifeHacker. This one is especially good for us singles.

Is saving really for suckers?

The Mess That Greenspan Made:
"It's hard to disagree with the basic premise of Jon Markman's commentary today over at MSN Money, one that casts a rather dim view on those who are content to settle for paltry returns on their savings accounts while enriching the banking sector in the process."
Naturally, the proposed solution to no longer being a sucker is to buy a stock fund, preferably one that has low expenses.
That strategy would have worked quite well this year. Last year - not so much.

My take is, Next year - "Forgedaboudit".

F Troop Bloopers

Don't ask me where I came across this. While it's not outrageously funny, it is mildly amusing and brings back some good memories too.

Habits That Cost You Big Time

Yahoo! Personal Finance: Calculators,Money Advice,Guides:
"What dark corruption might be lurking behind your daily money routines, imperiling your road to wealth? What every day activities may be threatening your financial health? Here are seven:"

This is an eye-opening article that can save you some real money without cramping your style. Bank fees are real killers, $35 doesn't seem like much but if you calculate how much money you would have to have in a money market account to generate enough interest to cover it, you'd choke.

Unlimited Free Cellphone Calling

Make Unlimited Free Calling on Your Cellphone with Google Voice : "The idea is that if you only use Google Voice to send and receive calls—and you set Google Voice so that it only displays your Google Voice number when it rings, all of your calls will be free, and you may never need to use another minute again. Each carrier is different, so we're looking at what each plan looks like, and how to use it with Google Voice to get free calls."

I've been a land line user of Google Voice for about a month now and it works out great. I plan on getting a cellphone as soon as I place the house on the market to facilitate the sale and move. Because of that, this article in LifeHacker caught my eye and I thought I'd share it with you. The trick is to get a Google Voice account, they are a little scarce these days but if you have a friend who has one you can get a referral from them.
Good Luck!

Ending The Happy Hour

From Sudden Debt Blog - Ending The Happy Hour: "Regular readers know that I am a 'deflationist', i.e. I believe that the current Great Recession is already characterized by asset and credit deflation, which will likely deepen and widen further before the global economy rebounds.
Needless to say, this view is not shared by several academic analysts and gold-standard theorists - and most definitely not by commodity speculators who, however, are mostly talking their 'book'. Some even mention the possibility of hyper-inflation, a la Weimar Republic."

I've been waffling on this issue of  Inflation vs. Deflation for quite some time.
My first reaction was that with all the money being printed it would certainly cause hyper-inflation. No one has said this but you could consider the housing bubble as an example of hyper-inflation. It's global and has effected the economies of Europe, Asia, and of course the good old USA.
On the other hand, a lot of the financial arguments made for deflation are logical and well put together. The trouble with that theory is that it's biggest fans are Bernanke and the gaggle of dolts we call our elected officials.
The one thing that bothers me about both positions, Inflation and Deflation, is that it is based on a model that doesn't apply today. During the Great Depression all of the monetary systems were based on Gold, while today they are based on "fiat" currency. I find myself agreeing more and more with a fellow blogger who aptly observed "I fear that Mr. Bernanke, a Great Depression theorist, is a general trying to fight today's war with yesterday's tactics and weapons. It reminds me of the French wasting enormous resources to build the Maginot Line before WWII, only to see it immediately by-passed by Guderian's blitzkrieg panzers in 1940. I hope Bernanke and friends are not as  short-sighted."

Note to myself: Get off of this economic theme, too much gloom and doom.

Phoenix Foreclosures

Flood of foreclosure resales overshadow housing data:
"The ZIP code 85007 in central Phoenix, which houses more than its share of Arizona blue bloods and political insiders, was largely unaffected by area foreclosure activity in 2008, even as neighboring ZIP codes saw home values lopped in half. But this year, the median home price in 85007 collapsed, falling 76.5 percent in the first eight months, according to analysis by The Arizona Republic."

Since I'm planning to move to Arizona next year, I've been constantly checking the Real Estate market out there. I ran across this article in the Arizona Republic today and thought I'd post it so that you too could see whats happening to the real estate market in "fly over country". To the uninitiated a 76% drop seems mind boggling at first, however as fast as the prices are dropping now, at the peak of the frenzy they were rising 5% per month. Funny, nobody complained when prices were on the way up, it's only now that they've started dropping down to earth that you hear the outrage. I have friends in the area so I started looking at two very large and very nice Active Adult Communities, Arizona Traditions and Sun City Grand, about five years ago. Unfortunately  the prices were rising to fast I was priced out of the market and had to put my plans on hold until now.
The reason for moving is that since I've officially retired, all of my friend and business contacts in Durham have left the area and I decided that an adult community was the best way to meet new people and start a new life. There are some adult communities in the Durham/Chapel Hill area, but they are more like semi-assisted living facilities, and at 65 I'm not quite ready for that. A lot of people have told me that I shouldn't leave the "City Of Medicine" at my age, but the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix like Duke is expanding its facilities because of anticipated rising demands in the area (read More Boomers retiring). My logic is that I can draw equity out of my current house by buying down, I'll live in a neighborhood that is conducive to meeting people, and like Durham, I'll have top-notch medical facilities close by.

CrimeReports Maps

CrimeReports Maps Out Local Crimes:
"If you want to check out a neighborhood you're planning on moving to or just want to see how things are looking in your corner of Sunnyvale, CrimeReports mashes up local police reports with a map of the area."

I tried this out on my home address and thankfully nothing showed up. Some people might like this for keeping track of what's happening in the neighborhood, but I'm sure most people don't want to know ;-)

Peugeots Latest Quirky Electric Car

Peugeot draws inspiration from the 1940s for its latest quirky electric car design:
"It may not give you 'The Drive of Your Life', as its makers Peugeot may try to claim, but the latest micro electric car is creating huge excitement in the automotive industry.The Peugeot BB1, a cross between a scooter and a car, is powered by two electric motors which are mounted in the rear wheels."

I'll tell you the truth, I kind of like the car but I agree with one of the posters that it's not good for open road travel. However as an ex-Long Islander I would have given anything to use it as a station car, cheaper and more comfortable than the bus. I'm sure that there are a lot of Urban and Sub-Urban uses for the BB1 other than Express Way driving. As a matter of fact this car would work well for me in Durham NC as a grocery getter, which is all I do right now with my car.
I wouldn't mind the 1940 version of the car that is pictured in the article, but then I'm the kind of guy that had an old VW Bug  that I bought used in '72 and drove it until I got a new '82 Volvo. I then proceeded to drive the old BolVo until 2004, twenty two years, not too shabby.

Reminder Tools for Forgetful Minds

Reminders - Lifehacker:

"Tweak your workflow and inboxes all you want, but your mental memory might always be the weakest link in your day-to-day life. These 10 tools take some of the workload off your brain, and prevent a few forehead slaps."

Actually this article isn't about The Dreaded Senior Moments, but it's comforting to note that even the younger folks fall prey to "forgetfulness". The article contains some down to earth ways to remember "those little things that you'll regret forgetting just as soon as it's too late."

Pancake Breakfast

I usually don't do Public Service announcements, but I just received an invitation from an old friend to an event sponsored by the Tobacco Land Kiwanis of Durham NC, and thought I'd share it with you. It is an "All You Can Eat" Old Fashioned Pancake and Sausage breakfast at the Durham Armory Nov.3rd and 4th. The event benifits the Tobacco Land Kiwanis' local Children and Community Programs. For tickets call Wendell Hull (919) 416-1086. Tickets are $6 for adults, children under 6 admitted free.

This is the first time I've written anything about Boomers and Community Service, but now that I think about it, the subject is so relevant I'll do more of it in the future. Volunteering for a lot of my friends is a way of life, a hobby, a need to share, you name it, the list of reasons for doing it are endless. The venue that they use varies greatly, Churches, Business Groups, informal social groups, and structured national groups like Kiwanis.

What about you? If you have any stories about volunteering, or just want to make some comments I'll be glad to hear from you.

Wallpaper Roundup

Color Splashes and Cooler Days: 
"Fall is a colorful time of year and the vibrant hues of fall foliage and holidays lend well to livening up your desktop. Take a stroll through our collection of fall-themed wallpaper to find a new look for your workstation."

For those of you who like wallpaper for your computers, this one's for you. I happen to live in a three season area so I get to have a beautiful fall season. But for you folks in Florida or out west, these will remind you of home. When I was younger (when Plato was a pup) a few of my friends and I would take a weekend trip up to Hunter Mountain to see the fall foliage. It always amazed me that we'd leave Queens and all the trees were green, we'd ride up the through-way and watch the trees change colors as each mile went by, and when we arrived in Hunter most of the trees were bare. The ride back was just as amazing, only in reverse.

Portable Hard Drive with USB Dock

My Passport Elite | Ultra-Portable Hard Drives with USB Dock, Capacity Gauge And Drive Lock Indicator: 

"One of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, Western Digital (WD) has launched its new ultra-portable My Passport Elite portable hard drives, which feature a convenient USB dock for storage on the go, as well as illuminated capacity gauge and drive lock indicator that let users check at-a glance how much space is left and whether their data is secure or not."

I have two external HDD's on my home network, one USB one ethernet, and they work out well for my SOHO PC needs. Traveling is a different story, I own two  old  vintage laptops with limited disk space so I've been looking at these personal portable hard drives for quite some time.  The security functions work out great when you're traveling, and it has quite a bit of storage for your pictures, music, and videos. Keep your eyes open for some pricing deals on this one by following the Bargain Blogs listed on the left hand column. For those of you who are more technically orientated, it's also possible to put a Linux OS on one of these drives and use it to boot any computer you come across in your travels.

No Knead Bread

I ran across this video a few years back and thought that with everyone cutting back to save money I'd share it with you. It's from the NYTimes and it's by Mark Bittman, a.k.a. The Minimalist. Mark shares the recipe on how to make no-knead bread, where the secret is letting the time do the work. The recipe was made famous by The Sullivan Street Bakery (NYC my home town) and has been reproduced and modified on many a baking web site since the video and NYTimes article were published. I use the recipe myself for both bread and pizza, and I highly recommend it. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I prefer active dry yeast to instant yeast which seems to be in vogue these days. Active dry gives the bread/pizza a better taste than instant. The ultimate is cake/block yeast, but unfortunately it is almost impossible to find in "beautiful downtown Durham" or most anywhere for that matter.

Baking bread at home saves hundreds of dollars on groceries every year. With this easy method, you can still have that deliciously crusty-on-the-outside, moist-and-chewy-on-the-inside, rustic bread with out the gourmet price tag.

Reverse Mortgages

Declining home values squeeze Reverse Mortgages:
"Declining home values have put a serious squeeze on one of the mortgage market's most popular and fastest-growing financing concepts: the Federal Housing Administration's reverse mortgage program for seniors 62 and older. In a letter to reverse mortgage lenders Sept. 23, FHA Commissioner David Stevens said his agency must reduce the maximum amounts seniors can receive on reverse mortgages because of a $798 million estimated deficit in the program in the coming fiscal year."

I don't know about you but I've always felt that these financial vehicles were a bad deal for both parties.

1. The banks made them thinking they could rob seniors of future equity growth in the house. What a shock when they found out that real estate doesn't always go up in value.
2. The seniors made them thinking it was free money, but never considered; the Medicaid implications of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, other tax benefits associated with having a mortgage, and complicated inheritance issues.

The last 15+ years of tinkering with housing by the Federal Govt. has turned out to be a disaster. 

Grand kid's first bike without the training wheels

Gyrobike's Gyrowheel stabilizes bike without the training wheels:
"Being the fine physical specimens that we are, even from an early age, we of course had little trouble learning how to ride a bike without external help, but we're sure **some hapless child out there will welcome the Gyrowheel as salvation from the embarrassment of training wheels. The 12-inch wheel (a 16-inch version is in the works) replaces a standard front tire and has an adjustable-speed spinning disc inside, powered by a rechargeable battery. The idea is that you get the kid started on a high stability setting, and step them down until they're not using the gyro at all. It goes on sale this December and should retail for around $100. Video of it in action is after the break."

For you grand parents out there, here's something to make Christmas magical for the grand kids. Check out the video in the article, it is awsome. I'm working on a method that will allow me to embed a video directly into the post. Check back in a couple of days and I should have a YouTube video up and running.

Weight loss - Lifehacker

Five Best Weight-Management Tools:
"There's no magic bullet for fitness and weight loss—although most would argue 'eat less, move more' is a excellent starting point. One pattern that is definitely prominent among the comments of Lifehacker readers in our call for contenders for this week's Hive Five, however, is that if there is a magic bullet for weight loss, it's tracking. Whether you're using a spreadsheet, a notebook, or some of the great web and mobile phone-based solutions you'll see below, the biggest element in our readers' weight-loss success has been tracking their food intake and exercise activity."

I felt I was getting too Gloomy Doomy with the economy stuff so I thought I'd lighten it up (no pun intended) with some health news. Since almost everyone I know is trying to lose or control their weight, this article on management tools caught my eye and I thought I'd pass it on to you.
Enjoy!

World Bank In Trouble

Could 'Run Out of Money' within 12 months - Telegraph UK:

"The Bank, whose job it is to support low-income countries, has had to hand out so much cash in the wake of the financial crisis that its resources could run dry within 12 months.

"By the middle of next year we will face serious constraints,” said its president Robert Zoellick, as he launched a major campaign to persuade rich nations to pour more money into the Washington-based institution."

Well here's something else for Boomers to worry about in our Golden Years.

I wonder which country will be asked to step up to the plate and contribute the lions share of money to the World Bank? I wonder whose country's politicians will be tripping all over themselves proposing funding bills for "the great humanitarian effort" to save the World Bank? My prediction is that whatever country it is, it will be a Herculean Bi-partisan Effort to give away more of that country's dwindling assets.

You get the point.

Economy Down But Chip Sales Up

Sales Of Potato Chips Thriving In Recession:

"It seems that those of us who aren't chewing our nails these days are busy chewing potato chips. Chip sales have leaped by 22% since the economy started to go south, according to market research firm Mintel, which compared 2007 market data against its own market estimate for the category for full-year 2009."

I can't figure out why the sales are up, the price per pound on those things are outrageous, you can buy a pound of chop meat cheaper. When I do buy them, it's generally my local Kroger brand, they are as good as the national brand, but 1/2 the price (on sale of course).

 I will tell you one thing, supermarket Seniors Discount Days are getting very popular around here, with a %5 discount it's small wonder. Krogers is Tuesday, Harris Teeter is Thursdays and Food Lion is empty all week because it doesn't have one. I've even noticed that Targets food department is devoid of gray haired people because they're all buying on senior's day.

I'm sure you've noticed all of the pictures in my posts lately. Well it's because I've just learned how to insert them using a nifty text editor function, and I've also found that Google and Bing have a large collection of images to choose from.

Google Web Site Experiment

I'm thinking of setting up a Google Web Site to supplement my knowledge of Internet Publishing. It could also be a good way to make some extra cash by teaching people how to create their own Blogs and Web sites.

I had originally intended to graduate from Google Blog to a more robust blog platform called WordPress, but I think I'll hold off on that until I try Google Sites.

Google products have a few things going for them:

1. FREE
2. EASY (if you stick to basics)
3. TEACHABLE
   

You can't ask for anything more, did I mention FREE?

The Dark Side Of Debt

Introducing a new product, "Insurance": 
"The boys at The Economist are once again sounding the alarm over hedge funds, derivatives, and now dark matter. No, not the chimerical good will and brand value used by some supply-siders to rationalize away the huge trade deficit - the dark matter in this case is debt. As in the current cover story, The Dark Side of Debt.

There are three stories in the current issue about the new dark matter that is driving the world economy - there may be more than three, as the entire magazine has not yet been reviewed. Surprisingly, all three are in the public area of the website, available to passersby at no charge. The cover story starts the ball rolling, wondering what a low-interest rate world hath wrought."

Let me preface the following remarks with the statement "I am a capitalist, I've always been a capitalist, I will always be a capitalist".
BUT......... these guys are killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

More Health Tips

Five hospital secrets you should know:

"While most patients check in and out without incident, there are plenty who haven't been as lucky. On average, one person at every hospital is harmed by a drug error -- every day, according to a 2006 study by the Institute of Medicine. It gets worse. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that roughly two million people a year get hospital-related infections, many of which are potentially lethal. About 195,000 patients die each year from hospital errors, according to healthcare ratings firm HealthGrades."

It's amazing how many health related articles I've run across this week. But then again, it beats all the other depressing news the media is throwing our way.