len_mullen

You explained it well. I don't agree. A lot of people think the government should not observe religious holidays. Others are insisting schools give kids time off for muslim and jewish holidays. I say let the businesses and their customers decide when they should be open. If people do not want to work holidays or weekends, it's up to them to find a job that does not require working holidays or weekends. If they think they have such a job, but the employer disagrees, then it's time to look for a new job. It's not up to the government, or a selectman, or even you to decide who can operate a business. That's what I think, anyway. I suspect that if Walmart advertised positions that were required to work Thanksgiving they would have no problem finding plenty of people to fill the jobs. Let those people work

Nothing virtual about this list...Staples: HP 17.3" Laptop w/ AMD A8 Quad-Core, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD (G7-2243US) $399.99 Staples: Lenovo Desktop w/ Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HDD $449.99 Staples: Logitech M185 Wireless Mouse $9.99 Staples: Logitech M525 Wireless Laser Mice $14.99 Radio Shack: Garmin Nuvi 50LM 5" GPS w/ Lifetime Map Updates $99.99 Radio Shack: Gigaware Wireless 2.4GHz Optical Mouse $9.99 Radio Shack: SanDisk 32GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive $9.99 Walmart: Beautyrest Down Alternative Gel Pillow $4.88 = $999.81

First, I see you are happy to see things YOU need staying open for YOU. I think you are being unfair to the employees of hospitals and gas stations -- not to mention police, fire, security, military, etc. Second, not everyone observes Thanksgiving or Christmas. Would you also support closing down services on Jewish or Muslim holidays? The stores are opening because people will patronize them. It should not affect you if someone runs a cash register or stands in line on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. Stay home and observe your holiday as you see fit. Let others do the same. If enough people stay home, the stores will not open. How do you feel about closing stores for the weekend? Saturday and Sunday are both sabath days for some. Shall we all rest for both? As for workers who prefer to be home on holidays, that's between employee and employer. The employee free to negotiate that on the way in and free to leave when if unhappy with working conditions. The only time employers can treat employees like crap is when the employer is paying more than another employer that treats employees well. Having worked a holiday or two in my youth, I always found the experience joyous. Employers were extremely generous with wages and perks and customers were very appreciative of the opportunity to shop at their convenience. I found plenty of time to celebrate with friends and family once my shift was over.

Brian, laptops are vulnerable to every malady that can befall a computer -- even when cared for by an adult. Generally, I try to spend as little as possible on a machine that will get the job done. Another thing to consider is upgrades. These days, it's easy to upgrade a laptop's RAM or disk, but it is virtually impossible to upgrade the CPU, screen, and video controller. Two laptops at Staples interest me. The $300 HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 would be great for a kid. It's inexpensive enough that you won't feel bad when it breaks or is stolen and the specs are sufficient for the kind of activities most people are interested in... Item: 100374 Model: C6N76UA#ABA HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 is perfect for everyday everything! Meet the everyday notebook that’s anything but ordinary. Get exclusive innovations like HP CoolSense to keep you comfortable and HP ProtectSmart which helps keep your data safe from bumps. Enjoy long battery life or swap it out to keep playing without recharging. At less than an inch thin and under four pounds, the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 is perfect for life on the go. •Intel® Pentium® B987 1.5GHz 2MB L3 Cache Processor •4GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory, Expandable to 8GB •320GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection •14.0-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit display (1366 x 768) •Windows 8 I also like the $400 HP Pavilion g7-2243us. Here you have a good screen, good cpu, and good gpu with less disk and RAM than you'd like. Upgrade the RAM and install a SSD for cooler, faster operation. It would be helpful to know where you will likely shop on BF. PS Laptops are about to change dramatically. Touch screens, twist screens, docking stations (for tablets), and Windows 8 will dramatically change the way we compute on the run. Keep your powder dry for the laptop computer you've been waiting for all your life!

The biggest problem with inexpensive LCDs is viewing angle. If I look up the set on my frig when I am at the frig, it is posterized. From across the room, it looks fine. You really want to go out this weekend and see if you can look at the sets you are interested in. As to what will be appropriate in the bedroom, that depends. I sit below and to the right of the set in my bedroom when I am working at the computer. The plasma that hangs on the wall looks great while the LCD it replaced looked horrible -- from that angle.

Walmart doesn't need stores at all. Amazon gets along without them. Half of the time I go to Walmart, it's to pick up something I bought online. Were I king of Walmart, I'd set up tents at the far end of the parking lot and hand out 10x tickets as they were going to have merchandise then ship the merchandise directly to their customers. Then I'd replace the unhappy stores with small pickup and return operations.

A couple BFs back, I wandered into a Blockbusters on my way out of Radio Shack. They were closing up and I bought a couple DVD racks. Great BF deal for me...not so much for them.

Sounds like no...

I lost power again for a couple hours as I finished typing the last post. Ironic, no?

Starting a portable is like starting a lawnmower. Once you have the switch installed, you drag the generator outside, plug it in, pull the cord, then flip the switch inside.

That is a possibility. Keep in mind that the emergency that leaves you without power may result in the natural gas lines being shut off. If I were going natural gas, I'd probably go triple fuel. With triple fuel, you could switch to propane or even gasoline if you lost access to natural gas. That said, I'm pretty happy with my portable gasoline generator. It's inexpensive, self-installed, and reliable.

Seaver, there are three approaches: 1) run a cord from the generator to an electric appliance, 2) run your whole house from the generator, or 3) run a subset of circuits from the generator. You can have a generator installed that switches on when you lose power and switches out when power returns. Consider propane for this kind of hands off approach because gas goes bad quickly while propane has no shelf life. If you just want to power those refrigerators, you can get a portable generator. Mine has five outlets that can deliver power to 110v appliances via heavy duty extensions. I use a portable generator with a transfer switch to power six circuits in my home -- my well pump (two circuits), my furnace, my kitchen (inc. frig), my bedroom, and a circuit of lights that run throughout the house. Two outlets on the generator power my TV dustribution and amplification hardware which is near the generator plus whatever I need to plug in via extension. It's an expensive compromose that keeps me warm, clean, fed, informed, and entertained during an outage. We do not wash or dry clothes or use out stove. We have a grill plus electric indoor appliances (induction surface, fryer, griddle, crock pot). Use this calculator to determine your power needs. Remember that you are warming your house to keep pipes from freezing. I recommend keeping your furnace powered if possible.

We routinely lose power for a week of more. I grabbed a hu5000 generator and a 3006HDK from home depot on BF a couple years back. The whole mess was $718 and we are very happy. My six circuits are well pump (2), furnace, kitchen (frig), master bedroom, and a funky circuit that feeds lights throughout my house. Two outlets on the generator feed my TV amplifiers and whatever I need to plug in (a chainsaw last storm). We're clean, warm, fed, and entertained. When the power comes back, I close the fuel line and let it stall, unplug, and drag back into the garage.

Cabela's Item Price Champion 3500 Watt Generator Weekender Package (earlybird) $279.99 Champion Weekender 3,500-Watt Generator Kit (with wheel kit and cover) $309.99 Gander Mountain Champion 3500/4000 Watt Generator w/ Free Wheel Kit $324.99 Home Depot Tools: Powermate 3000-Watt Portable Generator w/ Manual Start $199.00

No doubt Dewalt makes good tools, but that doesn't make the rest junk. Lots of people who have used them disagree with you (including me). Then there's the cost. Why exactly didn't you get your kid a Dewalt tool? Home Depot Tools: DeWalt 12-Volt Max 1/4-in. Cordless Screwdriver Kit BUY NOW! $99.00 Tools: DeWalt 12-Volt Max Li-Ion 3-Tool Combo Kit BUY NOW! $199.00 Tools: DeWalt 17-pc. Rapid Load Carbide Drill Bit Set BUY NOW! $9.88 Tools: DeWalt 18-Volt 1/2-in. Compact Drill/Driver Kit $99.00 Tools: DeWalt 20-Volt Max (1.5Ah) Lithium-Ion Drill/Driver / Impact Driver 2-Tool Combo Kit $199.00 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-Volt 3-pc. Combo Kit $59.88 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-volt Drill Kit $29.88 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-Volt Lithium-ion Drill & Impact Driver $99.00

Just to be clear, you have to install Playon on a PC (can be the same one you have chrome installed on) and configure it before you can play.

i like the i5 lenovo at staples, but it's not a great deal.

That happens a lot this time of year ;-) I suggest you look at the channels available from Roku and Playon to see if these will keep your kid happy. You can test drive Playon if you have a supported device or if you have Chrome installed on your computer (just go to m.playon.tv). I also like that Playon lets you stream video files off your PC to a Roku. Use DVDSmith and Handbrake to rip all those kids DVDs you can get from Walmart on BF so your kids can watch without handling the media.

mme/deelite, those are good prices... Best Buy Roku 2 XD Wireless Digital Media Player $59.99 Roku 2 XS Wireless Digital Media Player $79.99 Roku HD Streaming Player $39.99 I have a few Rokus and prefer them to streaming BD players simply because they are better supported. New channels are coming onboard all the time and third parties are also developing for them. Should you care about that? Maybe. If you are simply looking for a Netflix, Amazon, or Vudu player, you probably do not care. If you are looking for more, you should. My favorite deal for a Roku is the Playon promotion that buys you a lifetime subscription to Playon plus a Roku LT for $70. Playon adds a lot of channels to the Roku. Plus, this is shipped to you -- no lines or risk of out of stock.

For desktop, I think the Lenovo in the Staples flyer is attractive.

cpu? laptop? desktop?

I once had a craftsman 18v drill and trim saw. I loved it. We were inseparable. It worked fine for many years. When the batteries would no longer carry a useful charge, I tried to replace them. Sears had changed their battery 'styles' many times since I had purchased my set and the cost of replacing the batteries approached the cost of replacing the set. Which is what I did. I replaced the craftsman set with a Ryobi. You should buy your DH a Ryobi drill. Here's why... I originally bought a kit. It consisted of a trim saw, a drill, a flashlight, a charger, and a tote bag. Later I supplemented this with other tools that came with LiOn batteries -- the batteries worked with my older tools. A couple weeks back, Ryobi sent me an email announcing new LiOn batteries that last 4x longer. The announcement assured me they will work with all of my older tools. I don't know of any other make of rechargable tools that takes such good care of their returning customers. I highly recommend Ryobi. Home Depot BF ad... Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-Volt 3-pc. Combo Kit $59.88 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-volt Drill Kit $29.88 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-Volt Lithium-ion Drill & Impact Driver $99.00

Anyone seen the fine print on the RD $10 coupons? RS will teach people to actually read the fine print this Christmas. That said, adding a fuse, battery, or tie wrap to the $199.99 Fire HD will get you back four of those certificates via email within seven days and you'll have thirty days to redeem them. If you plan to go to RS on BF, this should not be hard to do -- just order your Fire today to make sure you have the certificates in time. Plus, they usually give early birds another gift certificate... RadioShack BF deals Digital Media: SanDisk 16GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive $7.99 Digital Media: SanDisk 16GB microSDHC Card $7.99 Digital Media: SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card $7.99 Digital Media: SanDisk 32GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive $9.99 Digital Media: SanDisk 8GB microSDHC Memory Card $5.99 Digital Media: SanDisk 8GB SDHC Memory Card $5.99 Digital Media: SanDisk Ultra II SD 16GB Card $12.99 Digital Media: SanDisk Ultra microSDHC and microSDXC 16GB UHS-I Cards $12.99 Electronics: Gigaware 2.1 Multimedia Speakers $11.99 Electronics: Skullcandy Ink'd Earbud Headphones (Black) $8.99 Electronics: Skullcandy Ink'd Earbud Headphones (Blue) $8.99 Electronics: Skullcandy Ink'd Earbud Headphones (Pink) $11.99 Electronics: Skullcandy Ink'd Earbud Headphones (Red) $8.99 Electronics: Skullcandy Ink'd MIC'd Earbuds (Black) $11.99 Electronics: Skullcandy Ink'd MIC'd Earbuds (Rasta) $11.99 GPS Devices: Gigaware GPS Dash Mount & Carrying Case $19.99 MP3 Players: SandDisk 4GB Sansa Clip Zip MP3 Player (Black) $29.99 MP3 Players: SanDisk 4GB Sansa Clip Zip MP3 Player (Gray) $29.99 MP3 Players: SanDisk 4GB Sansa Clip Zip MP3 Player (Purple) $29.99 MP3 Players: SanDisk 4GB Sansa Clip Zip MP3 Player (Red) $29.99 Video Games: Sony DualShock Wireless Controller (PS3) $39.99 RadioShack Fire HD accessories Belkin Metallic Folio with Stand for Kindle Fire HD (Pink) $39.99 Belkin Chambray Folio w/ Stand for 7" Kindle Fire HD (Black) $29.99 Targus Versavu™ Rotating Case for Kindle™ Fire HD (Black) $49.99 Targus Kickstand Case for Kindle™ Fire HD (Red) $29.99 Belkin® Verve Folio for Kindle™ Fire HD (Purple) $29.99 ZAGG® invisibleSHIELD™ for 7" Kindle™ Fire HD $24.99

OK. I read it differently. Agree about pre-measuring. I'd still get the Viera. I don't want to start a plasma/lcd/1080p/720p holy war, but the Vieras look NICE.

It's a 60" Vizio and it's normally $1k. Ignoring the risk of coming home empty handed, what does it cost you to drive 15 hours each way in a vehicle that will transport a 65" set? Get a Discover card if you do not have one. The 5% cashback makes the cost $950. I can't imagine any scenario where driving 30 hours is not going to cost you $250. Even better, get the 60" Viera Plasma for $900 and spend Thanksgiving watching football.