Not being terribly interested in computer viruse myself, but recognizing the widespread need for protection against them; I decided to bring up the topic of anti-virus software to the Money Well Spent team. The whole deal is rather complex, so I’m going to let you listen to the discussion in the podcast if you’re interested in this topic.
A few recommendations that were made were:
Norton Anti-Virus
McAfee Anti-Virus.
What’s a better way to spend your day than dropping by the local music store, picking up Type O Negative’s October Rust album and driving through river valleys in the fall when the leaves have changed?
Well maybe getting married. Or getting cybernetic limbs if you were born without arms.
but that’s about it.
This particular Type-O album is a fantastic piece of music for driving, especially when all the leaves have turned their gorgeous post-mortem shades of red, yellow, brown, what have you.
Find yourself a cute girl, or boy [hell if you’re listening to goth music you might not be that particular, heh heh], hop in the car and start driving. And with gas prices now dropping down to the wonderfully affordable price of $2.25/gallon, you haven’t much of an excuse!
I promised John that if he followed the advice of this pick and didn’t either A) enjoy the experience, or B) directly benefit from it, I’d buy his copy of the album off him. This should act as a convincing display of my resounding confidence in my pick for this week.
When I was 14 and saw the movie Full Metal Jacket for the first time, I found myself thinking “man, I really wish the guy playing Animal Mother [Adam Baldwin] was in every movie and television show ever made”. Although thankfully for the majority of the world’s population not all my wishes come true, [No really, believe me, this is a very good thing] Adam Baldwin does finally co-star a wonderful television series called Firefly.
This is one of the best new shows I’ve seen in a number of years. Joss Wedon’s directing is fantastic, the storylines are quite interesting, and the character’s personalities are so strong and entertaining in each episode that the genius of this show is difficult to deny.
As a testament to my appreciation for Firefly, I’ll say that I’ve despised Joss Wedon’s other work [namely Buffy the Vampire Slayer], but was struck with an unbiased love for this show.
Check out the best Sci-Fi-Western-Comedy-Drama ever made for a mere $30:
Don’t like sports, but like sports? Check out the Minnesota Rollergirls! This is THE sport for nerds, sports fans, feisty grandmas, sheep falling from airplanes, dirty old men, married couples and my pet banana. You can’t go wrong when you have 30 hot girls on rollerskates elbowing each other in the face, now can you?
Check the website for the BRUISE GALLERY, evidence that this sport is for real. And if you’re not in Minnesota, check the Internet for your local rollergirl teams.
Keeping your car running smoothly is a big deal if you have a job, a girlfriend, or a band. I only have one of those, but I still need to keep my car running.
For under $50 you can get your very own spark plugs and wires for most vehicles. I wouldn’t recommend doing the work yourself if you are inexperienced, as you’re apt to do some permanent damage to your engine; but if you have a friend who’s willing to help, [or if you’re a cute girl who lives near males] invite them over to help you swap out the plugs and wires. It’s not particularly difficult work, you just need to know how to do it proper, lest your vehicle become angry and explode.
For under $100 you can get a shop to replace your fuel filter, which improves fuel efficiency as well as makes your car run smoother. Check your owners manual for the suggested frequency of replacement.
And with your free time you can do simple things like cleaning your air filter, changing your oil, or flushing your coolant. These aren’t as much fun as say, throwing sheep from airborn C-130’s, but they are useful ways to spend your weekend afternoon, and then you can justify spending the money you saved on some shiny new hippy kicking boots.
I’m generally a proponent of the component home stereo system, but this week I have a cheap fix for a bedroom lacking surround sound. The Sony 5.1 channel 600 watt home theatre system with 6 speakers is only $199 at Best Buy. Watch your favorite Chuck Norris movies in surround sound before bed!
For under $100 you can pick up a Braun Syncro Shaver. It’s an electric shaver with self-cleaning capabilities. Shave your face! Your dog’s belly for better belly scratching! Or fun designs in your head for that punk rock look.
A good way to spend $50 is to donate to the Red Cross. With all the hurricane disasters locally, and earthquake disasters internationally, utility of conscience is served by giving cash to the Red Cross. Help out if you can.
My pick for spending my free time this week is Art galleries.
My pick for under $250 is a Car Audio Deck that plays MP3s.