len_mullen

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.

nevermind

Check Sears right now. If you spend $500, delivery is free. Best prices on good mattresses I've seen.

I notices that RadioShack is giving $10 back in store coupon for each $50 spent. FireHD plus something that costs a penny gets you $40 back (maybe get a battery, fuse, or bag of tie wraps). Seems like a good deal.

Well, that Walmart ad looks good. I like <$100 32" TVs and <$300 50" Tvs. We're a little spoiled. Lots of sales online. As for comparing prices to last year, check the gas pump or your grocery store receipt. Inflation happens when you inject $1,000,000,000,000 dollars into a $15,000,000,000,000 economy. If you don't like the deals, just move on. The rest if us are having fun filling our homes with amazing TVs and computers!

It's in the app store.

You get a lot more than memory for the extra $40. You'll especially appreciate the really good speakers and the HD screen is beautiful. I would get the HD if your budget allows. Scroll down this page for a comparison.

That's a real nice laptop at a reasonable price. Wish it had SSD, blu-ray, and a touch screen.