kren

... all gone... i hate having to work!

Question on LCDs. We're planning to get a 32 inch (maybe 37 if sales are good enough) for our family room, along with a Wii. Our current TV stand houses the TV not very high above the ground -- it's about the height of your eyes if you're slumped down in the sofa (which works very well for us ...LOL) ... But, with the Wii, obviously we'll be standing a lot more and looking at the TV. I've heard reports that the LCDs aren't so hot when viewed at angles. Does that also mean from a higher perspective? Should I be looking into either wall-mounting or a new stand or an adjustable TV? Thanks!

What's VIP savings? D'you have to have a Sears card?

I agree that Sprint will turn cartwheels to try and keep you - I called to cancel a year ago and ended up getting 9 months absolutely free -- FREE, no tax, no nuthin' - I just had to remember to call back just before the end of each 3 month period and re-cancel, and they'd make the same 3-months-free offer again. I still canceled at the end of the 9 months (when they didn't re-offer) ... now I have Tracfone and love the ease and lack of monthly bills. I don't use my phone for anything but phone calls, and not more than about 300 minutes a month. If you're like me, the prepaid phones make a lot of sense. If you use your phone for tons of things in addition to phone calls, and run up a lot of minutes, then the prepaids don't make sense. There are Web sites that offer reviews of all the companies, along with user comments, and that will help you narrow down what's best for you depending on where you are.

Only ONE TV???

Gone again. Sheesh!

OK, who can tell me which is the better buy in the Best Buy ad: the Dynex 32" no-name for $399 or the Samsung 32" for $499? Or is there a better deal elsewhere? I'd LOVE not to have to fight the crowds at Best Buy...

I'm amazed. Day after day I read these nightmare stories in the paper about lousy earnings and layoffs and stores in deep trouble because nobody's shopping -- and then an ad like this comes out and I wonder what on earth they're doing. How will that bring throngs of people into your store??

The image stabilized lens is a $300 lens on its own. It will give you the ability to reduce camera shake at lower shutter speeds. The 75-300mm is about $150. If you're using a tripod for both lenses, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but chances are the IS will help you tremendously. The only thing to be aware of with the EF-S, is that EF-S lenses only work in cameras with a 1.6 crop sensor (all the Digital Rebels, and the 20-50Ds) It will not work if you upgrade to a Canon 10D, 5D or 1 - the back of the lens can collide with the mirror and trash both the lens and the body. You can tell an EF-S lens b/c it has the square white mark on it when you fit it to the body. The regular EF lenses just have a red circle.

thanks -- this will come in VERY handy!

Leah, may I suggest renting a good instrument for six months or so? A cheap guitar will have horrible quality and will be harder for him to play (I know, I had a crummy acoustic and it was really hard to press my fingers down on the strings to get good sound -- my fingers hurt all the time and even bled.) The thing that's important when you're starting out is not getting discouraged, and a bad instrument will make it that much harder! You can rent instruments at any decent music store. (I'd still get Guitar Hero though!) HTH!

Thanks Brad. But wow, I am so not impressed. Slim pickins'. And a lot of that stuff isn't even 50% off.

Gina, I also have been holding out all these decades. But when blue-ray won the format wars earlier this year, I figured it would be several more years before Lucas relented and the ultimate was released in *that* format. Since I'm not planning on upgrading to blue-ray for years yet, I decided it was time. (Plus, it looks like we're also getting a new big TV to replace the 20-inch model we've had for 20 -yes, 20! - years). Thanks for the deepdiscount tip, loves30. I'll check it out!

I'm curious -- I've also like the look but never had $$ to spend on them. When you say your feet are getting sore four years in, what does that mean? Do the soles break down or something???

WOAH. katiesmommy01, you are singing my SONG! That's the kind of testimonial I like!!! BTW, did you know that WD-40 will get crayon out of pretty much anything? I called Crayola in a panic five years ago when my 18-month-old went Da Vinci on me all OVER my house ... they talked me down and since then I've never been without WD-40 in the house.

I'm biting the bullet this year, after waiting for decades, because it doesn't look like the ultimate 6-DVD boxed set is coming out any time soon. My kidz have never seen the movies (!). So how cheaply can I get the first set (Star Wars, Empire, ROTJ)? Where? And since there are several versions -- remastered, digitally enhanced, etc etc. -- what are people's preferences? I'm kind of a traditionalist and want the original movies, so I think I know which way I'm heading (yes, Han did fire first!), but am open to debate! TIA

People with hardwood floors (not laminate) -- do any of these steam cleaners get *really* dirty floors clean? I have four kidz, two dogs, a cat, and a truly messy DH and after 10 years, I'm thinking the only hope for our hardwood is refinishing ... and I'm not gonna bother with that until the kidz are much much older. I have the Hoover Floormate, which gets the surface clean but doesn't remove the ground-in stuff, if you know what I mean. I can get more off with elbow grease but if I had that kind of time, I wouldn't be needing machines ... LOL.

I'm not in the market for something this big (32-37 is as big as our living room will allow) but this seemed pretty cheap. Panasonic VIERA TH-42PZ80U 42" Widescreen Full 1080p HDTV Plasma Our Price: $869.99 Free shipping. No sales tax. LINK: http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/EP38159995.htm?bct=t13104503 update: $857 shipped @ Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00142MUDS/

FWIW, I don't think the Amish have anything to do with it.

It doesn't dumb the computer down. It's running Unix, which is a darn sight smarter than DOS ever was (and yes, all the much-vaunted upgrades of windows are still just shells over DOS.) Unless you're using the command line and hacking the registry and writing PERL, I can't see any reason to not make the interface as seamless and beautiful as possible.

dirtmcgirt79, i suggest flowers. and a massage at the nearest spa. it works wonders!

Hah, the way the economy is, it's gonna have to be 90% before I bite!!!

FWIW, Horizon is not a brand I buy. I'm not a fan of their "organic" practices, and there's been a boycott of them for a while now. Check this link out for the details: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060911/featherstone Yes, I believe the ultra-pasteurization process is what allows for the monthslong expiration date.

Update: We got the DS, got the 25% off deal (which reappeared) and she was ECSTATIC. She fell asleep in the car last night on the way home from a trip to Grandma's and when DH carried her upstairs, her fingers were still going in her sleep from "Guitar Hero."

black dragon -- i agree completely with your points. the lack of software on macs can be a deal-breaker if you *need* something. but i have yet to find something written for the PC that isn't emulated near to perfection for mac. (and, er, it runs better on the mac than the native PC app <g>) I also agree that the accessories aren't as cheap. But, by and large, you don't *have* to use Apple peripherals. I bought a Mighty Mouse and returned it as soon as I realized I could use the Microsoft mouse I already owned. That's the beauty of Macs -- they work with the non-Apple stuff! Just try the reverse... The stability is key for me. I have too much to do and too little time to waste on puttering around with balky computers. I used to not mind, but now I get really angry! The other day I had to get a photo from a flash drive onto my husband's computer -- omg, the time I wasted, because for some reason the drive kept crashing the computer! It worked perfectly in every other computer I've ever used it in. Grrr. lot-narth -- new macs almost NEVER go on sale. Here are the exceptions: just before a model or OS upgrade, you might get a tiny discount. Or a rebate (I got a $100 one just before the MacbookPros updated). Or a free peripheral thrown in, like a printer. The other way to get some $$ off is to buy refurbished from Apple at pretty good discounts, and definitely to use the educational -- or CORPORATE -- discount. Check the Apple site; many large companies are listed and you can get a discount if you work for that company. I also got the corporate discount because of where I work -- it's identical to the educational discount. So I got a whopping $200 off on a $2000 computer (that is including tax). I would be very surprised to see Macs on sale on BF. Again, it does depend on what your needs are -- and you need to make sure that if you need to tie in to some other system (like a university's network, e.g., or telecommuting), your Mac will be compatible. All that said, I'm so lovin' working on my computer these days. And it's been a long time since I enjoyed it like this!