I had to return some videos to Blockbuster today, and turn in one from Total Rewards to get a free rental, since I was in the neighborhood an all. Kathy said she wanted to see the National Treasure movies, and we hadn't seen either yet. While browsing, I saw this movie Blue State that caught my eye about a guy who wants to make good on his promise to move to Canada if John Kerry lost the election in 2004. I was thinking about getting it another time because I didn't want to pay $3.99 for a rental. I almost didn't find National Treasure until I found a section on the wall of movies that preceded new releases coming up. They had the Indiana Jones movies, and I guess since National Treasure 2 just came out on video, that tied in as well to the theme. I found out that the rental on National Treasure was only $1.99, so I got Blue State for the free rental and paid the $1.99, which was better. I was feeling bad this morning, and this made me feel a little better.

Many people don't really go into shopping for credit cards, they just take what offers they get in the mail or see online. If it sounds halfway decent, what the heck, might as well take it, it's not like there's going to be a different or better offer coming to you, this is as good as you're going to get, right? They aren't aware that there is a place where they can check credit card review, find out which ones offer low interest rates, the best deals on balance transfers, any points and prizes they offer for usuage, etc. Many people are looking for different things when they're looking for credit cards, and at the Credit Cards Club, they allow people to do such comparison shopping to select the credit card that is best for them. Plus, they have different articles with advice on how to get and use credit so that you can get the most from it. Instead of grabbing that credit card offer you got in the mail, thinking it's the best you're going to get, why not look into getting a credit card on your own terms, for a change?

Okay, so he hates getting celebratory messages about his birthday, and doesn't go near a computer, let alone surf the internet tubes. And he'd have a few words to say about that phrase, about how with actual surfing you're doing a physical activity and there's the beauty of nature to appreciate at least, whereas on the internet you're just sitting there like a blob, chasing down gossip, and acting like a ladies' sewing circle, only without the subtlety. In creative endeavors there's always someone that makes you feel like you're just a pretender to the task (John Ostrander once told me his was Denny O'Neil) and Harlan's is mine. I don't go to bed angry and wake up as angry, but I'm working on it. And I'm just someone who pops up here to tell you cool stuff I find online, wail against the latest injustice, and write something to make a few bucks to be able to fight another day. So hopefully the good wishes, vibes, mojo, whathave you will travel out and get to him somehow.
PS: Tony Isabella writes an appreciation of Harlan today.

Many people, when they're talking about sales, talk more about the human interaction side of it. Usually they say that anything involving human feelings and intuition aren't relevant to closing the sale. But with computer programs such as Access Commerce you can utilize this quote and proposal software to increase your revenues and reduce your costs by using the software from the Camelon Software Suite to maximize your earning potential. By increasing your efficiency and effectiveness, you can cut down on costs and increase your profits. And it can work with the custom configurations and specifications of your product so you don't have to try to shoehorn your product into the software.

I guess I should've put this up earlier. I did pause at different times today (including the official 3pm moment of silence) to think of those who gave their life for this country. Despite what you think of the current actions, or past actions, when the call came up, they answered the call, and some gave their all. It's hard to complain about the current problems I'm going through in light of this day. Here's the piece from Mental Floss about facts about Memorial Day. What's interesting is the talk about changing it to May 30th each year so that it doesn't become part of an extended weekend, and some feel that enjoying an extended weekend is part of what it's all about. As Jack Kirby once said, I don't have all the answers, but aren't the questions interesting?

So you've got a blog, and you understand the frustration of clicking to see if anything new has been added and not seeing anything. There's a lot of people in that boat, so that's why they have RSS feeds and things like that. But there's a lot of people out there who don't grasp the whole thing about RSS, having to set up a reader, subscribing, etc. And then there are those people who like the idea of getting mail, even in electronic form, and if it isn't junk mail, but something they actually want. That's where offering something like the Zookoda E-mail Newsletters come in handy. They allow you to send a daily, weekly or monthly summary of your latest blog posts directly into your visitors inbox. Best of all, it's free. Not only that, but you have different options available such as manage your e-mail newsletter subscribers, enhance your blog with custom newsletter subscription forms, design eye-catching newletters to match your blog design, schedule recurring broadcasts for each day, week or month, view real-time open, bounce, click and unsubscribe reports; and access mobile users by emailing blog content in text format. All those options to stay in touch with your readers, develop loyalty to your blog, and expand your audience. So if you're looking to offer something extra to your readers, and it's free to you, try Zookoda today!

Here's another followup, this time to a post I made yesterday about finding low cost prescriptions. Mark Evanier has an update, again it's Snopes to the rescue, they reference a news report that Costco consistently prices their prescriptions a little above cost. He even links this page that lets you look up how much it'll cost to get a prescription at Costco. Best of all, you don't have to be a member, since prescriptions are a federally regulated substance. Just tell them you want the pharmacy and they'll direct you there.

When someone's looking to go to college, there's a lot of detective work on their part. Sending away for brochures and literature, talking to recruiters and students, maybe paying a visit to the college. But what if there was a way to do it online? By selecting the criteria that is important to you and narrow down the field to find a suitable list of possibilities for college. You can do that with hotels, so why not be able to do that with something you're going to spend more time?

With myUsearch you are able to do that, and for a change, have the schools come to you. Plus, you might find out about a college that you didn't previously consider. Given how this is an important part of your life, shouldn't you consider every possibility?

Remember yesterday when I told you that bananas were going to be extinct? It looks like it won't be the case, according to Snopes. Thanks to Laura again for the good news. I still have the links to both stories because they are fascinating reading.

Pragma is an industry leader in telnet and ssh technology and offers the most popular telnet server for Windows. They are just the software needed for Telnet Client. With computers, it isn't enough to have a great product. It is also reliable and secure, which is a necessity.

Mark Evanier writes about the problems people have affording medical care. More important, he points to some stores that offer low cost prescription programs that could help. He links to the ones offered by Ralph's (west coast grocery chain), Wal-mart, and Target (links at the link). I recalled other stores offering the program, and here's the ones I found for Meijer (superstore in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky) and Kroger. There may be other stores and chains that offer a similar program, so you might check their websites. Or ask around, maybe ask your doctor.
Until the politicians wake up and stop taking money from the medical industry to keep the gravy train rolling, it's things like this we have to do. These programs, I think, were designed to stop the flow of complaints about the high cost of medication, especially how other stores adopted it. All too often, businesses will say they can't do something, they'll go out of business, have to close down, etc. etc. Until somebody else does it, and all of a sudden they can do it, too. So let's keep the pressure on, and spread the word about things like these. I don't think change will happen if just sit there and take it.

I don't know about the Penny Arcade game. It took a while, but I got the hang of the turn-based combat. But I'm stuck (which isn't the first time it's happened) and I've scoured the game area trying to find what is needed to get unstuck, to no avail. This game is more frustrating to me than fun. And this isn't the first video game where the frustration outweighed the fun. I run into a dilemna: try to figure out the problem and play it through, or quit and feel frustrated I wasn't able to complete it. I can't think of a game where I've played through where I thought it was a good thing, other than to get past the stuck part. But either way, I feel bad for what I do. I guess it comes down to whether I want to spend any more time with this game, and I don't.

Of course, there are those out there who say the key to losing weight is to eat less and exercise more. One way to exercise is with one of these ellipticals, an exercise bike that works on some of the problem areas that you want to reduce, and have a fun time doing it. And as always, consult with a physician before undertaking any kind of exercise program.

There's a lot of things on the market to help you lose weight. They sound so good, but there's something telling you that there's got to be a catch, but you don't know what. How do you get to the bottom of things? One way is to read reviews like this Anoretix review and for other diet supplements, and another is to consult a physician before starting any kind of treatment.

Well, this is one for the record books. There's a campaign going on to save a show before it even gets on the air. Given that's it's going to be on Fox, I can see the concern for hair-trigger cancellation. But as Augie DeBlieck Jr (who originally wrote about this) said, they're going to look silly if the show stinks.

If you're part of the police force and you're looking for a good source for your gear such as rifle slings, clothing, other equipment, and more, this is the place to go. They offer live support where they can answer your questions and you can enter your cell number to receive text message coupons or specials not available anywhere else!

After the long cut scenes of Metal Gear Solid 3 (I admit I lost interest after play switched from Snake to the other character) one wonders how long the cut scenes in Metal Gear Solid 4 will run. According to this article, they approach 90 minutes. This time you can skip and pause them, but if Hideo Kojima wants to make a movie, why doesn't he?

This weekend marks the start of summer, and a lot of people are taking the 3 day weekend to get away somewhere. But what if you're planning something a little longer? Money is tight with prices going up, and what little you have for getting away needs to be stretched as far as you can. That's where some planning and studying will come in handy with the help of a travel website such as TravelHERO.com. You can search for the best deals on hotels near Disney World, or if you're wanting to pay a little more for a better location, you can do that, too. You don't get that many chances to get away on vacation. Some won't get to go at all. Don't just play it by ear, do some planning an look for the best deals for what you want.

I first heard about this years ago when Catherine Yronwode was writing columns for the Comics Buyer's Guide, and sadly the news is still not good. Bananas are going extinct. And there isn't anything we can do about it. The article has all the details and history. Is this another instance of chickens coming home to roost for mankind?

For many couples, the next step is to add to their family and bring a child into this world. Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't as easy as it sounds. It can bring stress and frustration to an otherwise healthy and happy relationship. But if you're in the Chicago area, you don't have to deal with the frustration alone. With the help of Dr. Randy Morris IVF is a fertilization clinic that wants to work with you to find out what may be causing the setback in your adding to your family and devising a solution that will allow your relationship to take the next step and grow. You don't have to deal with the stress alone. Let them help you.