It turns out, I kept thinking about it and it’s kind of an interesting idea. Why would somebody let shareholders in our their future earnings? For the same reasons companies go public, mainly to raise cash–I guess. Consider a young superstar athlete with no money to attend a school where he/she might get noticed by the pros. Or a wannabe actor that is so funny you think there is no way he won’t make it on the big screen, but yet he or she has no financial means to attend acting classes or even know how to start the process of getting noticed.  What if it was possible to say ok, I want to do this, I’m going public, which would mean investors could buy stock in the person and receive a share of future profits, or possibly lose everything if their investment does a Lindsay Lohan.

I know this is crazy, but stay with me, it’s a conversation starter.  Say you bought stock in an potential actor when he was young and the cost was next to nothing and he blew up, meaning your earnings blew up. You could then sell some of your shares, thinking he’s reached the ceiling of success. Or, you could buy more of his stock.  The individual would still make money by being the biggest shareholder, just like a CEO. He would have the most to gain and most to lose, which I would hope would be a good thing for investors.

Thankfully, this doesn’t exist, because after this article, my stock would have taken a nosedive. And for the record, Jay Pharaoh does a good Will Smith.

Garmin now offers lifetime map updates on a unit for a decent price and lowered the cost of a onetime update. In addition, Garmin offers a one-time free update within 60 days of first acquiring satellites on your device, so don’t wait too long after purchasing to update. Without understanding the cost associated with building these maps, it seems realistic that Garmin customers should be receiving free updates with any device, but I guess that’s out of the question.

The new and improved map update prices are:

• 1 free map update (within 60 days of first acquiring satellites with your device)
• One time map update =  $49.99
• Lifetime map updates = $89.99
  • You will receive up to four (4) map data updates per year.

The secret to improving the quality of your MLB.TV stream is watching it through Boxee, a free software that you can install on your computer to manage your media. In the process of dropping my cable service and relying on Boxee and the internet and over the air HD signals for my media (which I plan to post about later), I discovered after playing the pre-installed MLB.TV app within Boxee, that the quality improved dramatically. It appears that the app within Boxee buffers ahead in the game to allow the better playback, but I’m not entirely sure why it is so much better.

Another advantages of Boxee’s MLB.TV app is that it allows you to watch a game from the beginning, even if the game has already started, acting just like a DVR would.  Also, the app doesn’t play all of those annoying repeat commercials!  Make sure you choose the high quality when you launch the game you intended to watch and hopefully your video quality will be HD quality like mine now is, if only I would have discovered this about 130 games ago : )

On a recent trip to New York City, my wife and I saved $50 on a room naming our price on Priceline and again saved another $60 on a recent hotel room for a wedding near Austin, TX just last week.  When I say we saved money, I actually mean if we were to go to the hotel’s website and reserve the same room or even use another site like hotels.com to reserve the same room, we would not have gotten the rate we did.

How does Priceline work? Well, basically, the commercials are accurate; you simply name your price. However, it can be a little scary because you don’t get to name your hotel, rather, you name the area you would like your hotel to be in (generally this is narrowed down to small sections of cities) and you name how many star hotel you are looking for. After choosing the following two options, you submit your proposal and wait to see if any Hotel’s accept your offer, if they do, then a deal has been made. If not, you can try again by offering more money or lowering your star preference or even expanding the area you would like to stay in.

It’s actually kind of a fun process, I like to start out a few weeks in advance by really low balling my offers just in case I am able to sneak in a great deal, but I generally have found that I get better deals by waiting till close to the date I actually want to be there. Perhaps the logic is that the room would be empty anyways so they might as well fill it, even if they don’t get as much for it.

The only hesitation I think you should have with Priceline is if you are going to be rooming with more than two people. My experience is that they do not guarantee rooms with two beds, but you can request this with your hotel after the reservation have been made through Priceline.  But, this is only a request and may mean you might not actually get the extra bed. So, if you are traveling with three or more people, Priceline may not be your best option. On the other hand, if you are a couple traveling, Priceline will save you money and likely get you into a hotel nicer than you were originally seeking out.

In my opinion, such “cheapskate accessories” tend to conflict with the theory of cheapskates. A typical cheapskate would just use their fingers to get toothpaste out of a tube or would not open a can of pop if they knew they were not going to finish it. Generally, such products barely work as well as they are advertised and often are trying to fill a product gap that doesn’t even exist.

Here are a few of such of such gimmick items and what I foresee as their actual value:

• Bottle Top – Bottle tops are intended to turn your can of pop into a bottle, which is suppose to prevent spills and extend the life of pop. Will somebody who purchases this actually make the effort every time a can of pop is open to put on this plastic cap? Will it even be clean from the last time? Will they even know where they put it? Finally, if you’re in the habit of not finishing your pop, then consider buying less and purchasing something that already has a cap, like drinks in a bottle (brilliant!).
• Pasta Boat – The pasta boat is supposed to change the way we make pasta by allowing us to cook, strain, serve and steam pasta all in one plastic device. While this may sound appealing, let us first remember microwaving and eating out of plastic is not advised. Second, what is wrong with the strainer we have already purchased?
• Pedi Paws – For all of us with dogs, the Pedi Paw is supposed to be the pet nail trimming solution that we cannot live without. This device is designed to actually file your pet’s nails, which will save you trips to the groomer. While this product may work on the occasional (extremely chill) dog, most of us realize a motorized device to trip their nails is humorous. Again, use the clipper you already have or you will likely waste $20 on a filer that you try once and store.

If a device is intended to save you money, that alone doesn’t automatically justify it as a smart purchase.

Have you used any of these products that have actually turned out to be lifesaver products? Please share….

Thanks to the internet and innovative financial products, consumers no longer have to rely on advice and work of others when making big financial decisions. Somebody looking for a car might browse eBay or Craigslist and buy a vehicle without bloated prices. An investor may choose a low cost ETF fund that puts up competitive returns while avoiding expensive brokerage fees.  I have to wonder, at what point will this logic ooze into house buying so we no longer use expensive realtors? At what point will we recognize that homebuyers are already doing most of the legwork?

Generally, the home’s seller pays the commission that the brokers/agents involved share. This fee is usually a percentage of a home’s sold price, which can severely take a dent out of a sellers profit (assuming there even is one). However, what are they really paying for? I realize there are some people who still strictly rely on a realtor to do 100% of their home search, but nearly everybody I know gets online and searches houses for hours, then, after finding a few houses they want to see, they then call the realtor to request a showing.  The realtor then meets them at the door and lets them in.

Sure, a realtor may have great advice as to a neighborhood or certain qualities of a house, but it’s likely regurgitated from online stats or from HGTV home fashion tips that the home searcher probably already knows or researched. The one really being exposed in the process is the seller. The seller is the one fronting the cost of paying the realtor fees in selling the home, but the buyer is the likely the sole person who found  the house in the first place.  I think the whole process of buying a home through a realtor is one that needs to be evaluated and reformed. Perhaps consumers need a secure and safe way to automate the process of buying a house without a realtor.  The reason most use a realtor currently is the high price of the home and the overwhelmingly amount of paper work involved (usually done through a lawyer and title company, not the realtor) scares individuals away from opting out of a realtor.

Millions of dollars a year are wasted on realtor fees from people who did nearly all of the work in finding the home of their dreams and nearly all of it was fronted by the one actually selling the home. Why is this not scrutinized more? I really believe this is because in the past, people’s homes were actually worth more when they sold them and it was just business as usual, the realtor takes a big chunk of the profits—no questions asked. Salesmen don’t get commission on items sold online, car salesmen don’t get commission for cars sold online, why do realtors still get a piece of the pie when a home is found online?

The main streamers on the market now (including Apples future machine)
is the Roku XR, Pop Box, LG BD550 and Apple TV. How do they stack up?
Well, as far as price goes, the cheapest options are the Apple TV and
Roku players at $99, but the others aren’t far behind at $130 (Pop
box) and $150 (LG BD550).  As far as their capabilities, they vary
more than their price, mostly on what type of files/services they can
play. For example, some can play downloaded files, while others rely
on services like Netflix and YouTube.

So, which media streamer should you buy? It really depends on what
type of content you like to watch and where you get the content.

Pros and Cons of Available Media Streamers:

Apple TV

Pros: The price is pretty good at $99, and like most Apple devices,
they are generally easy to use. Another positive of this machine is
the size, it’s amazingly small and has the neat Apple look we have
come to expect.  Another great option, which we should expect nowadays
is that it handles a WiFi connect.

Cons: The video quality tops out at 720p and doesn’t offer a 1080p.
The content is limited to HD TV shows from ABC & Fox for $0.99/piece,
HD Movie rentals for ($4.99/3.99), and Netflix, iTunes, and YouTube.
So don’t expect to download or stream your content from random sites
with this box.

Roku XR

Pros: The Roku is also fairly small in size and offers more content
types than the Apple TV.  Another plus is that it also accepts a WiFi
connection and will soon have a 1080p upgrade (currently 720p). One
content that stands out from the rest with this box is that it accepts
an MLB.tv account, so baseball fans, this is the choice for you.

Cons: The only available content is Netflix, Amazon VOD, $0.99 HD TV
show purchases from Fox and ABC, MLB.tv, UFC, NBA GameTime, YouTube,
and Pandora.

Pop Box

Pros: Finally, an option where we can download some of our own
content, this machine can play XviD, MPEG-4, MKV, AVI, h.264, and WMV
files. Like the others so far, the Pop Box also a WiFi, but it’s an
optional adapter. Lastly, this machine does 1080p.

Cons: It’s fairly large and slightly more expensive than the others.
It does handle some subscription content (YouTube, Revisions3,
Blip.tv, but not as much as the Apple TV or Roku player.

LG BD440

Pros: This unit has the best audio option with 7.1 audio, DTS-HD MA,
Dolby TrueHD audio (the others all have 5.1 audio). Also, this machine
is a Blu-ray player, which none of the others even have a disc drive
of any kind.

Cons: Again, the content is limited (Blu-ray discs, VUDU, Netflix,
CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Napster). Another major con of this unit
is the lake of WiFi, this will have to be wired to the net. As far as
size goes, it’s a little big, but about what you would expect from a
Blu-ray player.

Included in this document is one excel sheet with different pages for the top 200 picks, top QB’s, RB’s, WR’s, TE’s, and Defenses.  Oh, wait, don’t forget about kickers…

The ratings are from the most recent fftoolbox.com lists.

Good luck..

2010 Excel Fantasy Football Cheatsheet Download

[ UPDATE: 9/28/2010]

1. Christine O’Donnell - Already somebody who wasn’t on the original list, but quickly deserves the top spot.  Christine O’Donnell won a surprising Republican primary in Delaware and has been making the headlines since, with much thanks to Bill Maher. How do you dress like O’Donnell for Halloween? Well, you could go with a classic politician look with a twist–lets say a suit, Congressional looking pin, and a witch hat or broom (don’t you dabble in witchcraft?).
   
2. Steven Slater – Made famous by freaking out on a passenger on a plane, while working as a flight attendant, Slater stole a beer and slid down the emergency exit on a JetBlue flight. Slater adds another reason to consider purchasing the all you can fly deal from JetBlue.  A Slater costume can range from a flight attendant getup to well a flight attendant getup.
3. Michaele Salahi – I guess you don’t have to be invited to the party if you show up dressed as Michaele Salahi. The famous White House party crasher and now apparently a DC Housewife, requires a blond wig and a dress, I guess.
   
4. President Barak Obama – Neither color nor religion is an issue if you decide to dress up as Obama this year. Apparently, he’s black/white and Christian/Muslim. All you will need to pull of the Obama look is a suit, big ears, a birth certificate, noble piece price, graying hair, and low approval ratings.
   
5. Sarah Palin – Sarah Palin says so many crazy things that this costume can go a number of ways. Of course, your going to need the famous glasses and crazy hair, but from their you can go a number of directions. Maybe bring along your pet grizzly bear, fishing pole, a dictionary of made up words, a certificate of congratulations for half a term as Governor or Alaska, a gun (fake) or a lamestream media partner.
   
6. Levi Johnston – How can I not include Levi after Sarah? Levi is another easy costume to put together, it’s just going to take a few accessories to tip off who you are supposed to be. Some options could be to bring a “pregnant” partner to play as Bristol Palin, a Playgirl, or a “Vote for Levi” for Mayor sign.
   
7. Bristol Palin – I hate to put all of these back to back, but they play off each other so well. Bristol is a costume that like all of them probably can go a number of ways. You could be pregnant, carry a People magazine, or have a priest almost marry you throughout out the night (there is always a priest at a Halloween party).
   
8. Rod Blagojevich – Close friends call him Blago, we call him crazy. Blagojevich requires a nice mop of hair, a suit, $500 tie, credit card debt, jail jumpsuit, or a “Your Fired” sign.
   
9. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) – Scott Brown became an instant household name with his surprise win for the late and I will say Great Ted Kennedy. He’s no ordinary Senator, however, he landed on the Hill’s most attractive people list and once was featured as the “Sexiest Man” in a centerfold piece. Again, take this costume how you’d like…
   
10. Tea Partier – This costume might be a little more expensive depending on how you look at it. It could range from a tea party character dating back to the Boston Tea Party or pick out a person in the crowd at any tea party rally and give yourself a prop that gives your costume away. Perfect props could be anti-Obama signs, political signs with misspelled words, and a copy of the constitution or bible.
    
11. Justin Bieber – If you don’t know him, ask your kids, if you still cant find out who he is then Google in him Incognito. I suppose all you need to do is have the Bieber hair due, which is pretty much flat across your forehead slightly to one side and make sure your constantly throwing the hair out of your face. Oh, and you should probably be short and wear extremely tight undies to get your voice at the right octave.
    
12. LeBron James – Normally I don’t think he should be on a Halloween costume list, but after the bizarre year he had how can he not?  [Warning: Do not dress up at LeBron if your going to be going to a Halloween party in the entire state of Ohio]
    
13. Brett Favre – I’m willing to guess this will be the last year Favre makes it on a Halloween costume list, but never say never with Brett. Perhaps a dip in your mouth, a Vikings jersey tucked into tight Wrangler jeans, a walker, and an indecisive drink order all night will work perfect to pull off the Favre.
    
14. Tareq Salahi – Michaele’s husband is not nearly as famous of the two White House party crashers, but definitely will be showing up at parties this Halloween. I’d venture to guess it will be the biggest couples outfit this year. Don’t be afraid to go with a polo outfit.
    
15. Glenn Beck – The man who can compare nearly anything to the Nazi Germany days should be an easy costume to pull together with things you probably already have. The glasses he wears when giving his professor like lectures are a must. If possible, some type of chalkboard, a gold endorsement, and constant chin grabbing.
    
16. Elizabeth Warren – Ok, this costume may only work if you live in the Washington DC area. It was Warren’s idea to have a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which has recently been created by Congress, and Warren is now a leading contender to get the job. An Academic with, well, an academic look, Warren is a pretty easy costume to pull off. This is either a bust or a hit costume, depending on the party.
    
17. Elena Kagan – Sticking with DC fame, President Obama’s successful Supreme Court pick Elena Kagan, cruised through the confirmation process with relative ease. With her sexuality in question and her love for softball and constant short jokes (even from Obama), Kagan can easily mimicked with a homemade Supreme Court robe.
    

Who are we forgetting?

I got a drain snake for about $4.00 at Harbor Freight Tools, which will last forever, compared to an $8 bottle of Drano that might be enough to clear two plugged drains. It is without a doubt cheaper in the long run to manually snake your clogged drain and I feel like it does a much better job as well because you are actually pulling all of the junk out of the drain rather than trying to force some of it down the drain.

So the next time you see a drain snake on sale, snatch it up and give it a try.  Don’t worry, it doesn’t take a DIY’er to unclogged a drain, just a snake and few minutes.

I’m happy to report that it does actually keep the coffee warm, but not hot. Basically, for me it keeps the drink warm enough to drink, which is exactly the purpose in the first place. They do serve USB coffee cup warmers that plug into a USB port on your computer, but I have read that these don’t really produce a whole lot of heat. The candle warmer will heat up your mug to the point where the bottom will be pretty hot to the touch.

So if you are looking for a gift to give a coworker or you just hate cold coffee, then try buying a cheap candle warmer, just don’t forget to turn it off, burnt coffee smells…Choose from the most used tags in Post Tags

Should we all be switching to Dominion is the question. Consider the following before making a decision:

• If you make the switch by September 17, 2010 and your one of the first 25,000 customers who enrolls, you are guaranteed a rate of 9.67 cents/kWh until May 2011. So essentially a year’s worth of cheaper electricity.

• Currently BGE’s rate is 11.901 cents/kWh, effective through September 30, 2010 and the rate will be reduced to 10.083 cents/kWh beginning on October 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011.  Basically, because BGE is lowering their rate starting in October, the difference in rates for the year if you switch would be 0.413 cents/kWh—not a whole lot of difference really.

So, should you switch? I guess it doesn’t hurt because nothing really changes as far as your service, billing etc., just your rate, which will drop 0.413 cents/kWh.  Also, after the promotional period, you have the option to continue with Dominion or you could switch back to BGE. At that point, you could just do another rate comparison and make a decision in 2011 based on which company will have the lowest rate (I was told that the average Dominion rate currently is 11.33 cents/kWh, higher than BGE’s “normal” rate for the year).

So for a guaranteed reduction in electricity with no real change in service and no fees to make the switch (I was also told on the phone that all of the fees associated with delivering the electricity that you see on your bill will remain the same), I don’t really see a reason not to switch to Dominion—at least during the promotional period.

[Update: 9/16/2010]

Upon receiving a letter from Constellation Electric offering a deal to compete with BGE and Dominion Retail, I thought it would be worth updating this post to compare all of the deals.

Here are the deals compared:

• Dominion
  • 9.67 cents/kWh until May 2011

• BGE
  • 10.083 cents/kWh beginning on October 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011

• Constellation Electric –
  • 9.55 cents/kWh (If you sign on for 1 year)
  • 9.45 cents/kWh (if you sign on for 2 years)
  • In addition, if you are enticed by gimmicks, Constellation Electric will also offer you a $25 or $50 Target gift card for a 1 or 2-year commitment. (Maybe you should use the Target gift card for some weather stripping)

For relatively cheap (usually around $15) you can get a set of metal collar stays of different sizes that will last you forever.  The weight of the metal collar keeps the collar flat and crisp and unlike plastic ones, they will not bend and get disfigured over time. When your collar starts to the wrap around, it really ages the look of your shirt, so don’t toss it and buy another, straighten it up with a collar stay.

Before I get into the details of how to change your car’s oil, here are a few answers to common questions of first time oil changers:

Where is the cheapest place to buy oil? Generally, Wal-Mart tends to have some of the best priced oil, however, many auto stores will run specials on 5 quarts of oil and a filter, so keep an eye out for those.

What type of oil should you buy? Your vehicles manual will tell you the recommended type of oil to use for your vehicle, there is a reason they choose a certain type so I suggest abiding.  Generally, I use 10W30 or 5W30 and I do get the high mileage oil for my car that has over 75,000 miles.

Should I use synthetic oil in my vehicle? If you’re not currently using synthetic oil, you generally can switch to it.  The advantage is it is better for the engine and can go longer in-between oil changes. However, I don’t recommend synthetic oil for older vehicles with a lot of miles because synthetic oil flows better, which may lead to leaks in an older vehicle (this is my experience anyways).

How often should you change your vehicles oil? If you are using good quality synthetic oil, it’s recommended you change your oil every 5-7k miles or six months (I usually change it around 5k). If you are using normal oil, it’s recommended you change it every 3-5k miles (on my older vehicle not using synthetic oil, I change it every 4k miles).

How to Change the Oil in Your Car

Step 1: Raise Your Vehicle

The first thing you want to do is jack your vehicle up and support it securely with jack stands.  Or you can use ramps like I used in the picture.  If you will be using jack stands, make sure you vehicle is in park and put wheel chocks behind the rear tires to make sure it won’t roll anywhere.

If you know you’ll be doing more than just one oil change, you might want to invest in ramps (usually around $40).  I feel a lot safer under the vehicle compared to jack stands and it’s just a lot easier to pull up onto the ramps.  [Tip: Have a helper guide you up onto the ramps so you don’t overshoot them.]

Raise your vehicle to access the oil tank.

Step 2: Warm Up Your Vehicle

If your car is cold, let it idle for about 10 minutes or however long it takes you to get the engine to normal operating temperature. When the engine heats up, so does the oil, which allows it to drain better.

Step 3:  Drain the Oil

Locate the oil tank under your vehicle.  Usually it is located right next to the oil filter and is plugged with one bolt.  When you have located the oil tank, position an oil pan underneath it, but slightly ahead of the bolt plug. This is because when the bolt is removed, the oil with spit out about a foot because  of the pressure.

Loosen and remove the bolt with an open ended wrench or a socket.  The bolt usually falls into the pan on me, if this happens to you make sure you remove it right away so you don’t have to fish around in the oil for it.  Let all of the oil drain out and then put the bolt back and secure it tight, but be careful not to over tighten it, this can lead to stripping the bolt.

Loosen the oil pan bolt

Let the oil drain into an oil pan

Step 4: Replace the Oil Filter

Some people only replace the oil filter every other time they change the oil, but I replace it every time (oil filter’s only cost around $2-$5).

Locate the filter under the vehicle and place the oil pan underneath it (they usually look like the one in the picture) and simply loosen and remove it with your hand. If you are unable to loosen it with your hand, you can purchase an oil filter wrench for around $10, which will break the old filter loose with ease.  As you can see from the picture, I used an oil filter wrench.  [Tip: Once you loosen the oil filter, let the oil run out for a little bit before completely removing. In addition, immediately after you remove the filter dump the oil left in the filter in your oil pan.]

Before securing the new oil filter, pour a little bit of oil onto the rubber gasket and spread it around with your hand to lubricate the new gasket.  Then simply screw the new filter in place, it only needs to be hand tight.

Loosen the oil filter with a oil filter wrench if it's to tight to remove it by hand

Remove the oil filter

Rub New Oil around the gasket with your finger

Step 5: Replace the Oil

You’re almost done, now all that is left is to replace the oil.  Unscrew the oil cap on the engine head and place a funnel in there, which helps pour in the new oil. Check your vehicles manual to see how much oil your vehicle holds, it is usually around 4 ½ – 5 quarts.  Once you’re done filling the oil, lower the vehicle or drive it off the ramps and let it run again for a few minutes. After the car runs for a little bit, check the oil and add any if you need to. Lastly, check under your vehicle to make sure no oil is leaking [Tip: Don’t let oil that is still hanging around from when you drained it to trick you into thinking its leaking out.]

Replace the oil to the recommended level

That’s all there is to it, in less than 30 minutes you can change your car’s oil, save yourself a few bucks, and ensure your car’s is getting quality oil.

Generally, with most things like fantasy football, I figure if it is worth your time then it is probably worth your money.  So, if you really enjoy playing fantasy football, paying $50 to be in a league is probably a bargain. If you hate it, then of course, it’s probably a waste of your cash.

If you think about it, most buy in fees for fantasy football leagues are relatively low and usually less than the cost of one ticket to an actual NFL game. However, unlike the cost of a game ticket, fantasy football supplies entertainment throughout the entire football season. So if you favorite team is having an awful year or your team isn’t playing on a Monday night, you may still get into a game just to see if your fantasy players can tear it up.

So for a total of around $50 to get into a fantasy football league you are likely getting entertainment out of otherwise completely meaningless games to you, weeks of trash talking (in good fun of course) with your friends of co-workers, and you may even end up winning some if it back. Is fantasy football worth the money? To me, without a doubt, it is.