New DVD Player Means I Need DVD's

Just got the Philips DVD Player which also supports DivX format movies for our master bedroom. Now I can archive movies and watch some of the increasing available movies in the more compressed DivX format. The only question I have is how to add subtitle files to the movie DVD's that are burned in DivX format - it's supposed to be as easy as dropping in the subtitile file into the same folder as the movie files, but it doesn't seem to be so easy. Perhaps my DVD player doesn't support DivX subtitles, but I believe it does. I'll have to Google it one day soon.

In the meantime, I guess that means I need more DVD content to watch. The Video Library just closed down on our town's "main street" which was an independent video rental store. Just another sign the local rentals are being killed by downloaded movies, pay per view, fiber optic TV, and the biggie - DVD Rental Services like NetFlix.

I personally didn't sign up for NetFlix yet for some reason. Partially because I was able to get tons of free movie rental coupons for Blockbuster, although it's 3 miles away, about 8 minutes away from our house. Close enough to go, but far enough to not go every week when you get the slight urge to watch a movie. Instead, we usually hit the Tivo Now's Playing list. Another reason why Blockbuster ain't doing so well.

Anyway, NetFlix seems to be the answer as of now, so I headed over to NetFlix and guess what? I was pleasantly surprised that they now offer plans that don't cost $20+/month. They even have plans for $5/month for their budget DVD movie rental plan. Not bad.

Time to take NetFlix for a spin. Millions of people can't be wrong about how convenient it is to rent DVD's by mail with pretty much overnight delivery if you order early enough, right? I think it's like a Tivo thing - most people know about it. A large chunk of people get it. The rest have some inertia, knowning that it's a good thing, they should probably get it, but just haven't. It's just a matter of time. For us, the time seems to be now. :-)

Learn To JAM on the Acoustic Guitar

I picked up the acoustic guitar this year and have been strumming my way through beginner songs. There's a lot of excellent instructional materials out there. Some come with audio and VIDEO lessons which helps with learning how to finger the chords and the different strum patterns.

The basics is to learn a couple of popular chords and now I'm onto figuring out how to read TABbed sheet music with my guitar.

I just came upon Jamorama Multimedia Acoustic Guitar Course which offers a complete course. Seems like a great way to get to the next level in guitar playing risk free (there's a 100% money back guarantee, so it's completely a worthy buy).

It's packed with materials: 153 step-by-step video lessons organized across two high quality books. As well as 259 pages of instruction. Of course you can only learn by playing, so they've included 26 exclusive Acoustic Jam Tracks for you to play along with to help you improve.

How To Add Any Song You Have As A Ringtone On Your Blackberry Cell Phone

Ringtones aren't just for teens anymore. If you have a Blackberry, you can customize the ring to any song or audio file you want. Anyone with a Blackberry Pearl, 8800, 8700, 7100, 7130, etc. can now customize their ringtones instantly. There's a couple of different ways to do it, but for those that just want the easy way out, there's a service that's as easy as 1-2-3.

You just email any song file format (in any format - mp3, windows media, Real Player, wav, iTunes, etc) you have it in and after account verification, it automatically converts the file and sends it back to your email address on your Blackberry. Now you really are going to call it your Crackberry, huh?

Why is this solution easy?

• If you can send an email (which we KNOW you can do if you own a Blackberry!), you can get a custom ringtone for your Blackberry.

• No hardware, cables, syncing hassles.


• No software to install


• You are not limited to a ringtone catalog from a service


• You don't have to use the latest hip-hop, rap, Top 40 song (YES! screams the older readers right now)


• You can take ANY song from your current CD or iTunes library


• You can convert unlimited # of songs to ringtones so you can switch them out later


• Anyone can use it


• Available for all Blackberries on all carriers except Nextel. It works on Verizon, Cingular / AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, Boost, Virgin Wireless, etc.


• It's NOT a subscription service. It's a ONE-TIME purchase for unlimited use.

How do you get it? First, you need a Blackberry Pearl, Blackberry 8800 series, Blackberry 8700 series, Blackberry 7100 series, Blackberry 7130 series phone. Next, you just buy the service and checkout the details of the Blackberry Ringtone conversion service here.

How to get a Terrabyte (1,000GB!) WebHosting Account for Free (1 year)

Here's one deal that really peaked my interest and I'm definitely signing up to try it out -- 1 full year of webhosting completely free after rebate.

There's 2 account options depending on your needs, but MOST humans will only need the smaller package which gives you 1 TERRABYTE of space (that's 1,000 GB!) while the larger package gives you 5 TB of space. They claim a full 1-year money-back policy (pro-rated I believe), so there's really not much at risk here at first glance.

I am about to personally sign-up for this service, so I haven't experienced this web host's services yet. But if you're wondering if this is real, here's a separate example -- I JUST finished a 3-year completey free webhosting promo from 1and1 Internet (the world's largest web host), and it was legit.

Must-Have for Hummer, Suburban & Escalade Owners

If you drive one of those super-sized SUV's like the Hummer H2 or even H3, Suburban, or a Cadillac Escalade, you are paying through the nose for gas right now. And reports from ABC News and other sources already are warning us that gas *will* reach as high as $4/gallon this summer of 2007 (no, that's not a typo!).

If you're one of those drivers that already knows the fact that gas stations pre-authorize a single gas purchase for $50 or $75 and your SUV actually requires multiple swipes to fill up the tank, then you really should do something about it...what you ask?

Use a credit card that gives you back 5% of all your gas purchases. Think of this this way: If you drive your Suburban 15,000 miles a year, that's up to $187 in free cash-back rebates you can pocket just by using the American Express card with gas rebate. (Suburbans have 31 gallon tanks, drive 16 miles/gallon avg, 15,000 miles/year, $4/gallon at the pump. Escalades are worse with 13 mi/gal avg!)

And guess what? You have more than 1 car in the garage, so double or triple that cash-back number!!!!

There are several credit cards on the market that offer cash rebates on gas specifically, American Express has one of the best ones out there -- and now you can apply on the web with a very simple form and get an approval response within 60 seconds.

The Perfect Care Package

There's always one way to make sure the ones you love know that you love & support them...through their stomach!

And a care package is the best way to show that love when they're going through any period of trial and challenge -- like end of school exams. The perfect study care package for your college student or grad school student in the family.

The Popcorn Factory has long been one of my favorite places to order gifts from since popcorn and the other yummy treats they send are always welcomed universally.

From the novel excitement of when the UPS man rings the doorbell to opening the tin full of super-yummy treats that they'd never buy for themselves, and the inevitable envy of all surrounding the recipient when they open the package, The Popcorn Factory is a sure bet to put a smile on someone's face -- when they need it the most cramming for their finals and writing that paper, or even co-workers that are gearing up for that super-duper career changing client pitch or asignment.

Wow, Dale & Thomas Popcorn is Sweet!

They just opened up a Dale & Thomas Popcorn retail store near our home and boy is that one gourmet place. They take the popcorn that I know (good old Reddenbacher microwave popcorn) and take it to another level.

Previously, I used to use The Popcorn Factory (use promo coded MOM5 for $5 off) for sending gifts to others, but I may just have to switch to Dale & Thomas. Perhaps the opening is a sign that we should indulge for a Mother's Day gift! Healthy (semi...or at least the perception is), better then plain old chocolate, and they even have chocolate drizzled popcorn!


It is interesting that the Dale & Thomas website offers a slightly different menu of options and has a lot more gift packages. I do remember receiving a Dale & Thomas popcorn tin as a gift, and their packaging and presentation is excellent.

Who would have thought you can open a store that sells nothing but popcorn and succeed? The local D&T popcorn store was holding a grand opening promotion last time I was there...a whole bag for $4.

Free Love.

Our world has changed because of technology and the internet. Almost everything is being effected by the internet. Dating isn't immune to it either. Internet Dating has gone mainstream. The only problem is that you usually have to pay for the sites and there are multiple sites...so where do you start?

One option is to checkout free internet dating sites first and see if they are reallly utilized by people in your area. If so, it's a great way to test out the venue.

You should also take advantage of the free trials at Yahoo!Personals and other established dating sites on the internet. They give you complete access to the service for you to really see if it is worth the money.

There are tons of books on internet dating that you can check out in the bookstore too. But basically registering for the free internet dating services is no-risk and something worth checking out.

Nice deal on a new laptop

Friends are always asking me about laptop recommendations. These days, you don't have to pay a ton for a laptop. And it also doesn't mean that you'll end up with a laptop that weighs a ton! :-)

This week, I spied a pretty good configuration on a Toshiba Laptop
at Office Depot.

Here's the basic features that make this $600 laptop a good value in my eyes:

• Intel Pentium DUAL-CORE processor
• 1 GIG of DDR Ram (decent - some are coming with 2GIG's lately, but you can definitely get away with 1GIG and you can always upgrade the memory later)
• 120 GB Hard Drive (could be more, but it's decent)
• Windows Vista PREMIUM pre-installed
• WiFi is built in (B & G flavors)
• 15.4" Widescreen - a great display

This is definitely one to consider.

$5 buck is $5 bucks.

If you have any toddlers in school, you're doing the same thing I am -- going on the birthday circuit every weekend. 16 kids = 16 bithdays. Plus some birthdays from last year's class + some birthdays from outside of school, etc.

That also means that I know the aisles of Toys R Us better than the aisles of Best Buy or other stores I'd rather be in...alas, at least there's $5 bucks to make me happy...

It's About Time You Tried FIREFOX

Everyone used to use Internet Explorer as Microsoft seemed to rule the world forever. And then you started to hear about FireFox. Now, it's definitely reached a critical mass and worthy of everyone to take it for a free test drive as a web browser.

Try it, you just might like it!

Tax Procrastinators are Rewarded: Microsoft TAX PREP SOFTWARE + USB Drive for $9!!!!!!

Staples has absolutely cheap Tax Prep Software on super sale this week like: H&R Block's TaxCut PREMIUM FEDERAL Tax Prep Software + STATE ...some of the sofware packages come with e-filing included!!!!! Plus you get a free USB flash drive!

Designed for taxpayers who want to file Federal & State returns
Improved guidelines to import tax info more easily and transfers your federal data to your state returns
The H&R Block TaxCut on sale includes a FREE 32MB Flash Drive

CHECK IT OUT!

They also have other software for FREE or cheap, like Microsoft Money DELUXE version completely free. Or Norton Anti-Spyware software, again competely free. Or Norton Antivirus for only $9.99...

P.S. For the truely lazy, don't forget they offer free shipping on orders over $50 (usually next day, if you order early enough) and also if you're a Staples Rewards Member (free to sign-up), you get free shipping on ALL purchases, without the $50 minimum!

How to Get Into Museums Free In NYC

I just got back from a multi-day conference in midtown New York City. It's always refreshing to go into the city for a meeting or conference -- you feel the city alive all around you as soon as you step out onto the sidewalk.

But this week, it was more hectic than usually. There were tourists everywhere! You could tell who were the NY'ers -- they weren't walking on the shoulder-to-shoulder sidewalks all arount Rockefeller Center. They were the ones walking in the street around the cars, just trying to get where they were going...quickly. The ones that were clogging the sidewalks all had their heads pointed up, mouths wide open, looking at the billboards and high towers above in Times Square.

One common site are the guys in RED JACKETS with the city bus tours, trying to hawk tickets for the hop-on/hop-off double decker bus tours of the city. I'm usually successful in brushing them off without hassle. But this one guy kept following me and trying to sell me a ticket -- even after I said I wasn't a tourist. But I did learn something -- and I was completely shocked...

Can you believe how much people are willing to pay for the tour buses? Over $50/per person! That's $200 for a family of four, and you don't even get to go INTO any of the attractions you drive by! WOW. I was amazed.

Little do these people know that there are tons of ways to save money on tourist attractions. One of the better ones is getting a NYPass. Basically, if you're pay for the NY Pass, you not only get to hop-on/hop-off those red double deckers all around town as you please (you'ld be paying that fee anyway!), you get admissions into over 40 different attractions and museums around town for free.

Here's a list of some of the places you can get into free, unlimited times with a New York City Pass:

• American Museum of Natural History



• American Museum of the Moving Image



• Applause Tickets



• Astroland Amusement Park



• B&H Photo–Video– Pro Audio



• B.B. King Blues Club & Grill



• Bloomingdale’s



• Bronx Museum of the Arts



• Bronx Zoo



• Brooklyn Botanic Garden



• Brooklyn Children's Museum



• Brooklyn Museum of art



• Carnegie Hall Tours



• Central Park Bicycle Rentals & Tours



• Central Park Zoo



• Century 21 Department Store



• Change Group New York



• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises



• Cold Stone Creamery



• Empire State Building Observation Deck



• Empire State News Store



• Gray Line New York



• Harlem Spirituals Gospel & Jazz Tours



• Helicopter Flight Services Inc.



• Sightseeing Tours



• Historic Richmond Town



• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum



• J&R Music & Computer World



• Junior’s Restaurant



• Keith Prowse



• Liberty Helicopter Tours



• Macy*s Herald Square Visitors Center



• Madame Tussaud’s New York



• Madison Square Garden All Access Tour



• Manhattan Mall



• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)



• Museum of Television & Radio



• National Park Service of New York



• NBC Experience Store



• NBC Studio Tour



• New York Aquarium



• New York Botanical Garden



• New York Hall of Science



• New York Helicopter Sightseeing Tours



• New York Skyride



• New York Transit Museum



• New York Water Taxi



• New York Visions Sightseeing Tours



• Noble Maritime Collection



• On Location Tours



• Planet Hollywood



• Prospect Park Zoo



• Queens Museum of Art



• Queens Zoo



• Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour



• Rockefeller Center Tour



• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum



• Soup Man



• South Street Seaport Museum



• Spirit Cruises



• Staten Island Botanical Garden



• Staten Island Children’s Museum



• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island



• Immigration Museum



• The MTV Store



• The New York City Police Museum



• Tour at Lincoln Center



• United Nations Tour



• Van Cortlandt House Museum



• Walkin' Broadway



• Wave Hill



• Whitney Museum of American Art



• Woodbury Common Premium Outlets/ShortLine/Coach USA Bus



• Wollman Rink



• World Yacht Dining Cruises

If you're visiting NYC anytime soon (or Philly, they have passes for that city too), buy a NY Pass BEFORE you come and keep the money in your wallets...

Free Wifi @ Starbucks and other places

Got your wifi-enabled laptop, but no place to roam? T-Mobile is handing out FREE 30-day trials so that you can connect at any Starbucks, Borders, Hyatts, etc.

Enjoy!

Fly to Ft. Lauderdale for $8 (NOT A MISPRINT!)

Yes, you read the title right, for the price of 2 Lattes at Starbucks, you can get to Florida on Spirit Airlines!

http://www.spiritair.com/welcome.aspx?pg=salesinformation&number=284

Perfect For Father's Day + Your Wallet: $1 Ties from Amazon.com

Father's Day is around the corner, and there's something so perfect about getting Dad the ultimate cliche present -- the TIE!

Here's a way to have fun, save money and get that perfect gift for Dad -- Really Wild Ties for $1 at Amazon.com! [S&H is $4.95/ORDER, not per item, which isn't that bad].

There are some really WILD TIES that are probably worth no more than $1 for Easter Bunnies ties and other humorous characters like Santa, cartoons, etc.

Then there are some more "respectable" ties that are repeating patterns of much smaller images, like this neat read/blue one with little fishies!

If you dig a little deeper, you'll find 14" boys' short clip-on ties for $1 that are perfect for the little man in the house.

There are over 140 different items for a buck. And if you're in need of some cufflinks, you can pick a pair up as well for only a buck! This is going to be a great Father's Day!

25% Discount on iTunes (i.e. $60 iTunes Gift Card for $45)

25% Off Apple® iTunes Gift Cards means that you can get $60 worth of iTunes.com pre-paid gift cards for only $45 from BestBuy.com.

Basically, you buy Three $15 iTunes Gift Cards, and you'll get one more free. These are great stocking stuffers, graduation gifts, perfect for Mother's Day or Father's Day, etc. Right now, iTunes carries over 3 million songs, so there's definitely something for everyone.