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.