Money | Dow Nominal and Inflation Adjusted | www.crossingwallstreet.com

An interesting graphic on nominal and inflation-adjusted Dow trends ...

they're checking their list

Have you bought yours this year?

Telecom | Free 411 Service | Google

This is the best free 411 service I've tried. Avoid those nasty 411 charges from your phone company and use this service instead

Cars | Brand Game | CramerSweeney

Know your cars? Test yourself here.

Work | How's Your Cube | Lifehacker

Find your dream or nightmare workspace here. I'm leaning towards the multiple-monitor workspace with minimal paper clutter ... and appreciate the creative decor of some of the featured shops.

Work | Job Distribution Graphic | Job Voyager

Interesting graphic showing the transition of the workforce in the US

Money | Social Security Strategies | Various

It's your money, you might as well work to optimize it. Here are two discussions on maximizing your Social Security benefits. One from AARP and one from Scott Burns. The AARP article was particularly helpful, in my view.

Weather | Spin vs Zap | NWS

This picture has also been distributed as a photoshopped version adding an oil rig and a caption indicating that it was taken in Texas. Turns-out that the image was from Florida ... lightning capital ... and without the rig. Dramatic enough stuff, I'd say. Would definitely rethink my exit plan after seeing the funnel illuminated by the bolt.

Humor | Ingenuity | TIFI

Ingenious or incomprehensible? Some great use of duct tape and bailing wire here. Not for the code-compliant.

Vacation Planner

Not exactly a staycation brochure ... not sure which one freaks me out more ... the hike to the temple or the shelf bike ride.

Demographics | Boomer Migration | ERS

It's worked pretty well before ... as the boomers go, so goes the money. Interesting research paper on boomer migration to rural areas and small towns ... a potential change in the landscape?

Attitude | Smile & Move (tm) | GiveMore

Politics | Noonan on Palin | WSJ

Love her or hate her ... there's no middle ground with Sarah Palin. Here's Peggy Noonan's (WSJ editorial writer) take on Sarah Palin.

Money | Home Prices | Aspen Daily News

Ready for a dose of unreality? Here's a recent article about home prices in Pitkin County, Colorado ... and of one modest SFR. Comparables? Of a 56K SF home? Oh, yeah!

History | The Fog of War | Google/Sony

KC Thunder, El Gato de Guadalupe

work | where the supply/demand is favorable | wanted

interesting tool to look at supply/demand ratios by location in various occupations ....

music | african thunderstorm + | kim komando

looking for something a bit different ... a well-known tune with a twist?

Health | Healthcare & Ageing Populations | Economist

Another viewpoint on healthcare challenges faced by the US and other developed nations. Do we have the mental toughness to tackle some of the tough decisions that need to be made?

Work | Go West, Young Worker | Slate

The new gold rush ... or maybe I should say the new green rush?

Money | Social Security Strategies | CRR BC

More than one way to finesse social security benefits ... here's the link to a pdf for a summary of some strategies of which you may not be aware. The Boston College Center for Retirement Research has numerous articles, some more academically-oriented than others, available at their home page.

Money | Social Security Strategies | USN&WR

A pretty straight-forward explanation of strategies for dealing with social security benefits for retirees ...here's the link

Money | Possible Savings? | Billshrink.com

A site worth checking-out, especially if you're looking for a rapid way to compare cell plans, credit card plans, even gasoline prices. Claims to be independent. Worth a look.

Education | Reliving High School Daze | WSJ

Many folks say they'd never want to relive their high school years (I sure wouldn't). And this is part of that time that I would not care to repeat. Would you do a rerun of this experience? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124337711110856009.html

Money | Group Insurance | WSJ.com

How big is a group for group health insurance? You might be surprised. Not for everyone, but there's another option discussed in this article.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124338117660756415.html

Life | Care and Feeding of Network Contacts | WSJ.com

haven't yet made the plunge into social networking sites ... but when I do I'll follow some of the suggestions in this article

Work | Starting Over as an Entrepreneur | WSJ.com

Useful approaches in this article for making the transition from employee to self-employed.

Tech | WinLive 1 Free Scanner | Microsoft

What with all the hype over just ONE of the malware worms out there, it's not a bad reminder that pc security is everyone's responsibility. Give this MS free safety scanner a try ... it will try to sell you a subscription, but that's optional. The scan is free. And, if you can't get to the site, that's a bad sign that your pc may be infected.

 

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm?s_cid=sah

Money | Mortgages, Refinancing, Info | Mortgage Professor

This is a great site to get lots of informed, unbiased guidance on residential mortgages. I particularly like the mortgage calculators at this sub-site where you can quickly evaluate the worthiness of a refi ... varying interest rates, points, fees, etc etc. With mortgage rates at a low point, now may be a good time to take a 2nd look at your 1st mortgage (pun intended).