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Honda Will Release the FCX Clarity in July

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:05:49 -0700

The AP featured news of the Honda (NYSE:HMC) FCX Clarity, a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car. The alternative fuel car will make its July debut in Hollywood California. Several celebrities have already ordered theirs, including Jamie Lee Curtis and husband Christopher Guest.

The FCX Clarity runs on hydrogen and electricity and emits water vapor, though I'm guessing you can't steam your curtains. Besides earning kudos for decreased pollution, the hydrogen car is also more efficient than both gasoline and gas-electric hybrid cars.

The car, however super-green it may be, has some major hurdles. First, there are almost no hydrogen gas stations; only 3 in all of Southern California. Second, the car is incredibly expensive. The last hurdle, Toyota's (NYSE:TM) dominant Prius sales.

You Know You Want to Take the KMM Reader Survey

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:27:26 -0700

Hello, again! I am so happy to be back in front of this keyboard, but blink and you'll miss it, this one's a quickie.

Know More Media is gathering research about our visitors. I encourage you to take the quick reader survey. It should take about 5 minutes.

And for any of those cynical types, this survey isn't will be a real help isn't lip service. The information you supply will not collect dust in cyberspace. It will be put to valuable use. So please, give us feedback. You could probably finish in about the same amount of time it took you to read this post.

I wonder, is cyberspace a vacuum? Anyhoo, if the link didn't work here's the URL, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=M6OQbUDMkluNiS0RHVvI9Q_3d_3d.

Saving Money is Always Good; Check Out The Grocery Game

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:07:10 -0700

Blogs, news websites and television shows alike are abuzz with The Grocery Game, an online coupon emporium that specializes in food coupons. The claim is that if you sign up for a $1 trial membership and "spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors" GroceryGame.com can save you hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill.

The Grocery Game (and teritoday.com) are the inventions of saving expert Teri Gault. The game works by sending you a weekly list, "Teri's List", of the cheapest products at your grocer matched to advertised and unadvertised manufacturer's coupons. Jim Downing, reporter for the online website of the Sacramento Bee, sacbee.com, declared the service a winner. His savings, a mighty significant 74 percent, though he admitted he'll never need 3 cans of pork and beans.

Wendy Burger, in a post on Associated Content said the Grocery Game works but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. It takes time and energy to clip coupons, organize those coupons, and plot a route of several stores to save, not to mention finding storage in your home from all your bulk buys.

I might check it out, especially if I save enough to recover the cost of the membership fee.

Memorial Day Signifies BBQs, Summer, and Higher Gas Prices

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:43:24 -0700

Monday is Memorial Day, the national holiday that marks the beginning of travel season and the unofficial start of summer. This weekend is considered Memorial Day weekend. I pause to ask, who decided all the holidays get an entire weekend? I bet it's a thinly veiled corporate agenda to push people to shop. Anyway, back to Memorial Day.

Memorial Day has a long and storied history dating back to the Civil War and bitter Southerners. In recent history a 1971 federal law cemented the status of several holidays along with Memorial Day, including Columbus Day, Veterans Day, and Presidents' Day. We all used to get those days off, nowadays many corporations only observe Memorial Day because of the days designation as summer's dawn.

American Airlines Institutes New Fees; Travelers Everywhere Groan

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:52:31 -0700

Bad news for travelers everywhere, airlines have found another way to nickel and

dime customers. Starting June 15, customers flying American Airlines (NYSE:AMR) will pay $15 to check their first bag, I'm guessing the amount of the fee is directly related to the number of bags checked. So unless one can pack light enough for a carry-on bag, there's a fee to take luggage on a trip. The fee is only one component of several changes announced today.

American Airlines said the moves, including layoffs in the thousands and a 12% decrease in the number of domestic flights, are necessary to cope with soaring fuel prices. The price per barrel surpassed $130, meaning the airlines are in for another crunch.

I really think this new fee sucks. Last April I took a trip to Miami, flew American Airlines. Being that the flight was cross-country and I wasn't on Southwest or Jet Blue, I expected lunch. What I got was diddly-squat. I was incredulous, I'd have to cough up $7 for a dry turkey sandwich, a red apple, and some potato salad!

Netflix Members Can Stream Movies to Their TV

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:52:19 -0700

Yesterday, DVD-by-mail giant Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) announced a new application of their streaming service. For $99.99 customers can buy a TV set top box that allows subscribers to stream video directly to the television. Netflix already allows subscribers to stream video online, this new technology allowing users to stream

directly to their TV is just the icing on the cake.

Here's the lowdown, (as told to me by the AP and PC World). As of yesterday Netflix subscribers can purchase a small box that connects to the internet (ethernet, or WiFi) and steams video directly to the television. The Netflix box, made by Silicone-Valley start-up Roku Inc., is priced like a DVD player and supposedly just as simple to use. Currently about 10,000 movies are available for streaming, a drop in the bucket compared to the 100,000+ movies available. Best of all, besides the equipment purchase, the service is free for Netflix subscribers.

McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts Both Offer Free Food Today

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:24:21 -0700

Free is a great word all by itself, but when you pair it with another word or short phrase it becomes beautiful. One of my favorite pairings with free is "with purchase," (such fond memories of Clinique Bonus) but that's not the purpose of today's post. Today free is paired with food, two of America's premier fast-food franchises, Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), are giving away free food.

McDonald's is giving customers a breakfast biscuit or Southern-style chicken sandwich if they purchase a medium or large drink. Dunkin Donuts, "world's largest coffee and baked goods chain" according to the press release on PR Newswire, is giving away 16 oz. iced coffees to anyone who asks between 10a.m. and 10p.m. today.

To be frank, the offer from McDonald's doesn't appeal to me, a post on Trans World News didn't paint a flattering picture, butter of the main garnish for both. By contrast, Dunkin Donuts is offering any "original or flavored iced coffee," customers are encouraged to try the "Berry Berry Iced Coffee," a blend of seasonal berries with their coffee. Bet you can guess which establishment I'm most likely to visit.

Research In Motion Announces New Blackberry Bold

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:49:54 -0700

Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) (RIM), the Canadian manufacturer of the Blackberry smartphone, announced the launch of its newest product, the Blackberry Bold. The first major new model since the Curve, the BlackBerry 9000 Bold, which boasts twice the screen resolution of its predecessor, will be available this summer.

The official RIM press release, while lacking photos, details the new features and improvements. For a quicker read, I liked an article on Mobile News International. The UK site noted the new Blackberry lets users "ownload Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint files and edit them directly on the handset" and "allows users to sync their iTunes digital music collections with the device."

AT&T (NYSE:T) announced Monday it is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Bold, which could make for an interesting competition with the still ever-popular iPhone.

Great Mother's Day Gifts on a Budget

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:17:26 -0700

Sunday, Mother's Day, is quickly approaching. Besides my usual reason for scrambling at the last minute to find a gift (it seems I forget it's Mother's Day or Father's Day every year, it alternates) I have the added stress this year of being absolutely, completely, 100% flat broke with no end in sight. So what's a cash-strapped but loving child to do for a great mother when a card just won't suffice?

Google (NYSE:GOOG) of course! A search for affordable Mother's Day Gifts turned up several helpful websites. ABC News featured "Mother's Day Gift Ideas That Won't Break the Bank," Living a Better Life, a money-saving ezine, suggested 18 great gifts, many of them free. About.com directed me to Frugal Living, a blog by Erin Huffstetler. Erin suggested 6 "super cheap" Mother's Day gifts that are "likely to make your mom swoon" without incurring a bill that'll make you swoon.

Here are my favorite gift ideas:

1. Personalized stamps - Frugal Living
2. A family portrait (using old photos) - Frugal Living
3. Personalized family cookbook (your photos, your recipes) from Kodak - ABC News.

Sprint Nextel and Clearwire Merge Broadband Units with Google's Blessing

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:12:44 -0700

Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) and Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) announced plans to merge their wireless broadband divisions. A post on CNNMoney.com reported the new company will be called Clearwire. The $14.55 billion venture will receive an investment of $3.2 billion from Intel Corp., Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Works. Clearwater has an estimated value of $20 per share, giving the companies 22% ownership. Sprint will have the majority, 51%, share. Check out this post on Tech Crunch for a breakdown of the contributions from each company.

Tech Crunch author Erick Shonfeld wrote about the impetus for the merger. WiMax, a telecommunications technology aimed as shaking up broadband access as we know it, is "promising" and still in its "early days," yet it's valuable enough for several different multi-billion dollar companies with very different aims (you know, besides making money) to contribute significant funds.

3-1 Odds Big Brown Wins the Kentucky Derby

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:16:04 -0700

The 134th running of The Kentucky Derby, one of the most prestigious horseracing events in the world, will be held Saturday at Churchill Downs. An entry on Wikipedia said the race is first in a series comprising the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The one and a quarter mile race, popular with gamblers, is known in the U.S. as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports."

Let me just say, I'm not a fan of horseracing; I pity the horses, the jockeys are troubled, and I find some of the traditions pompous. That said, I didn't realize the sport and specifically the Kentucky Derby, were so popular. There are websites devoted to all Kentucky Derby winners. We're talking fansites, not ESPN people.

Odds are 3-1 on a colt named Big Brown to win the Kentucky Derby. If that happens and all 20 horses race Big Brown and his owner's will win a purse of $1,451,800 [source].

China Will Soon Have World's No. 1 Economy

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:26:28 -0700

Fortune Magazine, an offshoot of CNNMoney.com, featured a story about China's quickly approaching role as world's foremost economic superpower. Geoff Colvin, senior editor at large, said "a recent study by the economist Angus Maddison projects that China will become the world's dominant economic superpower much sooner than expected - not in 2050, but in 2015."

Entitled "You have seven years to learn Mandarin," Colvin posited China, king of cheap imports, will soon overtake the United States in "technology, brand building, [and] finance." Colvin said if the U.S. finally bows to China as world economic superpower it will end a "125-year run." Who was the world's No. 1 economy before the United States assumed the crown in 1890? China, of course.

Food Prices Likely to Increase for Two More Years

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:51:52 -0700

CNNmoney.com featured a story on the front page about food prices. CNNMoney.com senior writer Parija B. Kavilanz reported experts expect food prices to continue to rise for at least another 2 years, though there will not be a food shortage. According to Kavilanz experts attribute the prices to worldwide increased food consumption and the diversion of crops likes "corn and soybeans for alternative fuel production."

Most experts agree the agricultural market is a five-year cycle. According to Chris Hurt, agricultural economist at Purdue University, prices increase in the first two to three years and level off by year four. 2007 was the first year of this cycle, which means supply should be begin to catch up with demand by 2010.

Forbes Releases List of World's Top Models

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:27:16 -0700

Forbes released their ranking of the world's top earning models. Forbes compiled the list by guessing each models "earnings over the past 12 months." Writer Kiri Blakeley goes on to say "Where necessary, prestige and relevancy of campaigns, editorials, fashion magazine covers and the opinion of those in the industry were taken into account."

Brazilian beauty Gisele Bundchen earned first place, having earned an estimated $35 million. Bundchen's earnings more than double the income of second place media-mogul/supermodel Heidi Klum.

Most of the models on the list were high fashion rather than commercial. I wonder why Tyra Banks didn't make the list. I suppose she isn't technically a model anymore, but she must earn more than number 15 Liya Kedebe's estimated $2.5 million.

Computer Maker Cloning Mac's is Selling Machines

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:59:36 -0700

Psystar, a Mac computer clone company, has sold a machine to at least one customer. A story on Forbes.com noted A West Virginia man who will identify himself only as Patrick ordered a Psystar machine preloaded with Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) critically acclaimed operating system Mac OS X Leopard. He's posted photos and video of his new toy on Gizmodo.

Story author Brian Caulfield said the Mac doppelgangers are a fraction of the cost of a comparably equipped Mac. The idea that Mac's are expensive is a significant roadblock for consumers looking to make the jump off the Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) bandwagon.

As the Forbes story noted, lots of companies build computers, Psystar is different because it will load almost any operating system you choose, including Apple's newest incarnation. This appears to break Apple's licensing terms, which say no Mac software on non-Mac hardware. What remains to be seen is whether Apple will file a lawsuit.