I finally got tired of the Big Banks and their outrageous interest charges and fees. A printed disclosure from Citibank stating that interest on my credit card could be as high as 29.9% was the last straw. I never carry a balance, but was nevertheless offended at those charges. As a result, over the past few days I…

@iComment10: Well, first off a cold shutdown of the desktop through the overnight will generally save electricity (money, oil, and carbon).

I do essentially the same thing, but without the need for boxes. All my program icons sit on the top left. New material that needs to be handled and/or sorted is on the lower left. Working project files and folders get lined up on the right. Always-in-need files and folders are on the bottom right. Stuff that I'm…

@Chrismith: I mentioned this above, but I'll add it here. Try a utility called Shock desktop that saves your icon locatioons and then snaps them back in position on command. It's been favorably reviewed on Lifehacker (do a search), or download it from [www.docs.kr] I've been real happy with it.

@jaym.dfw: Try Shock Desktop. It saves your icon locations and snaps them back in place upon command. It's been reviewed favorably here on Lifehacker (do a search), or simply download it from [www.docs.kr]

I handle seasonal room rentals and check perspective tenants against a basic Google search. It allowed me to identify one applicant as potential trouble, with multiple forum complaints about unwanted womanizing and physical abuse. It also identified some pretty serious and chronic deception on his part. That's not the…

The router was replaced last year and I upgraded to an 'n,' but the wireless desktop and netbook are both 'g,' and the cable internet service is slow, so I don't get any benefit from the 'n' router. Still, when I needed to upgrade I went with the faster 'n' version thinking the rest of the parts will be upgraded at…

My primary worry about upgrades is compatibility with other programs or extensions (Firefox, mostly). I also hate being interrupted when I'm trying to do something, or nagged to restart (Window, etc). I like upgrades that are offered as an option, with an option to reboot at a time of my choosing (no nag, please). I…

That's interesting. I got hit with a similar warning while traveling around the United States last summer. It said I was trying to access my account from an unusual IP address. It was a minor hassle, but I was pleased to know the account was being monitored for suspicions activity. I'm guessing that was a trail of a…

Intro to FORTRAN back in about 1978. I was a communication major, and not at all interested in computer programming, but I had to take either that or BASIC. I liked the way writing programs forced me to think logically and orderly. It was a real challenge until I started reading "Zen And The Art of Motorcycle…

I teach snowboarding at a major Vermont Resort (Okemo), and hand a business card to just about every student. Cards help build return business, and they improve tips. They also establish a relationship with the client that can extend into the summer season. The back of the card is blank so I can write a quick reminder…

I get three weekly local papers delivered free by mail, and read each of those. They are without question the best source of local news in my rural area of Vermont, with one of them outshining the rest. For real news about the world the only source is the internet. For that, I use the Yahoo news page for general…

I really like "Hide Labels from Subjects" when I'm working on my netbook, but would like to see those labels when I'm on my desktop. I wish that lab feature could be turned off and on by session.

@wickedcupofjoe: I have a Google profile, and the option isn't there. Nor is it in my dashboard. I have not done anything to activate Buzz, so it might be that options don't show until you actually use Buzz, or it might be that the opt-out feature is being rolled out over time...my gmail link to Buzz seemed to show up…

At one time I was managing freelance photographers at a large media company. It was time to evaluate the rate structure, but we were in a wage freeze and the company refused to hike freelance rates. So, the photographers "settled" for overtime, something we hadn't paid before. That was a fun one...the freelancers had…

I tried to use it for a communication within a qusi-government committee. Unfortunately, the nature of Wave allows a quorum to exist at any time, and that appears to run afoul of Vermont open meeting laws. There ought to be a feature where regular people without a special Wave account can watch a Wave without being…

Mine is set for portrait display at 768x1024

@aaron.johnson: send me an email at "emailtombuchanan@gmail.com" and I'll add you to my list. I've got about 20 available invites.

I look at the mutual friend list, and see what part of life connects us. Then I’ll consider if I want to allow a friendship. One of the terrific things about Facebook and related social networking programs is that they expose me to people I don’t know directly, who are often vastly different than me. I like that…some…

@flpwch: Pen and paper received an honorary mention at the bottom. That's still my favorite way of doing a rough outline, or to build a quick to-do list.