It's nearly Independence Day here, and 4th of July celebrations are sure to ignite. As a kid, I used to love running around with sparklers, pretending I had rockets for arms and was blasting my way to the moon. What, that isn't normal? Well, now I'm older but still just as geeky about my holiday celebrations, so finding fun and wacky tech gadgets suited to this holiday was a piece of cake.

Or a stick of dynamite? There should be a better cliché for this. Anyway, I bring you the Fourth of July Tech Gadgets, including a solar iPod-charging bikini, megatech party blimp, and Star Wars GPS. "May the Fourth be with you" applies here, too, I think. Read More …

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week we have NBA and NFL lockout news, the debt ceiling debate, ways to make money by walking, the Oxford comma, dollar coins and jumping penguins. Read More …

As consumers, we are bombarded with thousands (okay, that's just a pulled out of thin air estimate...) of purchasing decisions daily.  Or maybe weekly.  In any case, which cell phone to buy, what plumber to hire, where to get the best sushi are just a few of the questions your average shopper might have to deal with on any given day.

Fortunately we can turn to a variety of sources to assist us in obtaining the best value for our hard-earned dollars in the form of customer reviews.  Need to know if that Italian restaurant near work serves authentic marinara or stuff that tastes like Ragu?  There's a review for that.  Wondering whether you should go with the Nikon COOLPIX vs. the Canon PowerShot for your nephew's graduation present?  There's a review for that as well.

No matter what you searching for--new chiropractor, new computer or new car--here is a run down of the best review and rating sites to help you Read More …

Just recently, I wrote about PNC Bank and Sesame Street teaming up to teach children about spending, sharing and saving money and now more institutions are following suit.  It's good to see that most people are finally realizing that teaching our young ones about money is just as important as potty-training. Read More …

^{Image by castle79 via Flickr}

Turn off the oven! It's officially summer and (at least here in Los Angeles) it's HOT.

After a rather unpleasant experience last week when I foolishly roasted some bell peppers for our dinner and thereby raised the temperature of the whole apartment, I started thinking about cooler ways to cook.

Here are a few ideas I came up with. Read More …

So you've got a horrible cold or your just can't stand the dry summer heat or maybe your lips just hurt real bad and you're in need of something to ensure they don't get so chapped all the time. Humidifiers work wonders for any of these conditions. But you're not just in the market for any old average Joe humidifier--you want something kind of ridiculous but also kind of cool, definitely something Japanese-inspired and easily available to fool your friends and coworkers.

I bring you such a device, my friends: the Cup Noodle USB Humidifier. Read More …

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week, J.K Rowling goes independent, Americans are poor at saving money, unless they play video games--which is possibly a cash cow, "Cars 2" might not be so good, and people are painting their animals to look like other animals. Read More …

If you're wondering what kind of classy, edgy, techy super present to get Dad for last minute Father's Day gifts…I'd highly recommend you don't read this blog post. But if you want to see some amusing ideas that you can grab to make him laugh or get Dad geeked out, look no further. These Father's Day gift ideas are sure to make your pop smile, possibly make your mom cringe, and some are even--gasp--useful!

This week includes iPad accessories, a trimmer, and even a calculator that doesn't run on your average AAs. What does it run on? Well, you'll have to read on to find out. I know, the mystery of it might drive you insane. Read More …

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week we have ways to avoid online scams, a blogging scam artist, ways to clean up your credit score, the economic troubles in Greece, Pandora is rich, and the last post (promise!) about Anthony Weiner. Read More …

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week we have credit card fraud news, things to get for free and for a dollar, the presidential election season, NBA lockout news, Anthony Weiner (groan), and crazy cat ladies seem to be getting younger. Read More …

I recently learned that The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) does not authorize FDA to approve cosmetic ingredients (except color additives that are not coal-tar hair dyes), and that cosmetic manufacturers can pretty much put whatever they want into their products, except the few that have been prohibited. The next time you head to the drugstore to pick up your favorite lotion, face cream, or any other beauty product, you might want to take a look at the ingredients list.  The list is usually quite long and most of the ingredients you probably can't pronounce. Read More …

Summer is here, woohoo!  Hot weather, long days and the need to cool off go hand in hand with water games for kids.  Kids, and even adults, can have a blast in the yard, in a pool, at the lake or at the beach playing with water. Get your squirt guns ready! Read More …