Too Lazy to Fail

Since all my wife’s really “important” shows are coming to the end of their seasons, and money is tight, we decided we would cut back to basic cable service ($30/mo saved) and ditch the Tivo ($13/mo).

So I called customer service at 877-367-8486, waited on hold for 10 minutes, then told the operator that we were going to cancel for the next few months in the name of budget cutbacks. She offered to cut my subscription rate permanently to $6.95/mo without any catches: No contract, no extra fees, no obligation to remain as a member.

I suppose it makes sense, since now that my Tivo is out of warranty their only obligation is keeping TV listing information available on the web for it to retrieve. I guess their marginal cost for each subscriber is next to nothing, especially when I don’t even tie up a phone line anymore.

So if you’ve got Tivo, call them up and tell them that the high price is putting a strain on your budget. They may make you an offer you can’t refuse!

From Lifehacker:

$10 Police Flashlight Hack! - video powered by Metacafe

I make no representation of the soundness or safety of this design. Judging from my experiences with other CR123A flashlights, I’ll predict that the lens and/or body of the $4 cheapie flashlight will quickly melt under the intense heat. Also, the overvoltage on the radio shack bulb will likely shorten the service life. Still, I’d like for someone else to try it and report the long-term results.

If you’re looking for a cheap “tactical” (read: candy-bar sized but brighter than a Maglite) flashlight, but can’t shake enough pennies from your wallet to buy the $30 Surefire G2, I wholeheartedly recommend the Brinkmann Maxfire LX, which is available at Target. You’ll still need CR123A batteries, which I usually get at Surefire. Either way, there’s a head-to-head review of the two entry-level lights here.

Newegg has the Kill A Watt for $17.99, plus TN sales tax if you live in the Volunteer State. If you have a PayPal account, use the coupon code PAYPAL10 to get free shipping.

Connect your appliances into the Kill A Watt, and assess how efficient they are. A large LCD display counts consumption by the Kilowatt-hour just like utility companies. You can figure out your electrical expenses by the hour, day, week, month, even an entire year. Monitor the quality of your power by displaying Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor.

I’ve been wanting one for a while, but hadn’t been willing to pay $30 to $40 for one. I’m big on saving money spent on electricity, and I always wonder what the various desktops/servers/lights/entertainment devices around the Simer household cost us to leave on 24/7.

Edited to add: You snooze, you lose! The price as been set back at the original $25.