Every weekday, our guide to the Web takes care of business, tackling tech topics that really matter to everybody. From topic definitions to topical rants, Dan Gray\’s pieces inform as much as they entertain.
Yesterday’s piece about air conditioner filters brought an unexpected and interesting response from the gnome-o-sphere. Indoor air quality is an important factor in keeping a happy and healthy household … especially for folks that are plagued with allergies (which seems like half the population this spring) …
Memorial Day lit the blast furnace around these parts. But I resisted the temptation and didn’t crank up the A/C (much to the kids dismay). I trudged down to the basement this morning to replace the central air conditioner filter, in anticipation of the blessed event. After all, maintaining a clean central air conditioner […]
Blame it on the Internet! Canadian pharmacies are a force to be reckoned with: senior citizens love them, drug companies hate them, the US government doesn’t know what to do about them, and thousands of uninsured folks can’t live with out them. The US/Canada price differences for prescription drugs are substantial. Now I never thought […]
The word from Japan is that Canon is shutting the door on film-based camera development. With Nikon stopping production of the majority of its film cameras and Konica’s impending departure from the world of film, call it a trifecta. Que up the rise of the online photo labs, and the digital revolution marches on … […]
If you invested in the Vonage IPO, you could be singing a sad variation of the company’s oh-so-catchy theme song. It goes something like this: boo-hoo boo-hoo-hoo … In the stock’s first day of trading, shares of Vonage dropped more than 12 percent from its $17 offering price, ending the afternoon at $14.85. But that’s […]
Want to to create iPod movies from your DVDs? Don’t want to spend an arm and a leg in the process? Converting DVDs into iPod movies doesn’t have to cost you a dime, my friends. You just need to know where to look for iPod movie creation software. Or who to ask. Case in point […]
Where do you look when you look for cheap laptops? (Hint, it isn’t Wal-Mart … for me, at least.) Apple finally launched their Intel-based consumer level (call them anything but cheap) laptops earlier this week, and the net was abuzz. Get ready to consider an Apple as your next PC …
Why do we choose the brands we choose? Can it merely be attributed to an attractive logo, catchy jingle, or enticing advertising campaign? Or is it something more? When I think of computers, televisions and cars, my brain automatically cues up Apple, Toshiba, and Honda … three brands I’ve had great luck with over the […]
Gone off the deep-end charging computer gear? When for better turns into for worse, credit counseling can appear to be the only way out. If you’ve fallen into troubled financial times, you may be tempted to turn to a credit counseling agency. Be warned: all credit counseling agencies are not alike. A recent Internal Revenue […]
Of all the gifts you can give for Mothers Day, flowers get the nod. More safe than sweets, more personal than gift certificates, Mothers Day flowers, in one shape or form, are a tradition around these parts. Whether they’re bought online or in a good old fashioned bricks and mortar store, a nice little bouquet […]
For most folks, the thought of taking a trip on a private jet falls squarely in the realm of fantasy land. But fear not jetsetterwannabes, that’s set to change in the very near future. A new wave of aircraft are about to take to the skies, with technology and a price point that will turn […]
There’s lots of money to be saved when you switch to a VoIP phone. But be warned: all plans are not alike. That’s why it’s wise to carefully compare VoIP plans - before you sign up - whether you’re looking for the most features or the lowest price. Want unlimited international calling, advanced call […]
The thought of owning a string of your own automatic teller machines (ATMs) holds a purely geeky strictly cash appeal. ATM machines are everywhere. Well, almost everywhere … the almost is where you need to look for opportunities. With a plethora of units — be they indoor ATMs, outdoor ATMs, or mobile ATMs — the […]
It hit me as I shut out the lights in my office tonight. I turned back to look at my workspace and saw a glowing array of green and red LEDs spread across the desks. Even though my computers were shut down, a whole lot of standby power continued to run through almost every device […]
What commercial wins tonight’s stomach-turning award? Why it’s Burger King’s Texas Double Whopper extravaganza! It’s been a while since I whined about my high cholesterol, but things are going well. Although I haven’t sworn off red meat entirely, I haven’t had a cheeseburger in months. Oddly enough, the BK commercial was so over-the-top, it […]
HDTV television brands are bound to boggle your mind … whether you browse the websites, peruse the newspaper circulars, or take that trip to the big box electronics store. When you start shopping for flat-screen TVs, you’ll see familiar brands, brands you’ve never heard of, and brands you might remember from the past. So how […]
I’m a sports photographer wannabe — shooting soccer matches (for the most part) with a Canon Digital Rebel SLR. Overall, I’ve been happy with the Digital Rebel over the past two years. The Canon’s held up well (knock wood), but I’ve run into a bit of a snag of late. Unfortunately, I had to skimp […]