PM | New PM Software | WSJ.com

Using MS Project can feel like wielding a sledge hammer to drive a carpet tack. Lots more options out there now for managing projects. Here is a recent article on some of the latest.

Oil | Price History | Forbes

A nice graphic on historical price of oil. Check the prices in the '70s. Missed opportunity for the USA. Will we learn this time? I think so.

Money | Social Security Restart | NPR

Here's another article about the Social Security Restart. Concept: take Social Security early and, if your health and assets are still going strong at age 70 (or earlier), pay back what you've drawn and apply for the significantly higher pay-out available at 70. Site includes links to other references plus calculators to evaluate your scanarios.

Culture | US

It sometime seems that the US is like a household run by the children.

Nature | Fear This! | YahooPhoto

I grew up in Kansas City and have seen all the tornadoes that I need to see in a lifetime. This photo is sobering.

Energy | High Oil Prices | BP

Here's BP's perspective on high oil prices. Strikes me as a fairly balanced view of the situation ... see also the link at the end to BP's Statistical Review of World Energy.

No big surprise here. Lower income rural areas are hit hardest. If you live in a relatively prosperous urban area, be thankful.

Pity we didn't learn our lesson from the late 70's and early 80's. I have a hunch the learning is going to be a bit more painful now.

Green | Greenhouse Gas Heresies | Wired

Check-out green heresies from an article in Wired magazine. My top 4:

• Live in Cities - better than suburbs
• A/C Is OK - Less CO2 Than Heating
• Embrace Nuclear Power - climate-friendly large-scale power supply
• Used Cars - huge energy/CO2 cost to make new cars
  

Tech | Google on Your Mobile | AllThingsD

No web-enabled cell phone? Here are ways to get directions, nearby businesses, short web searches via text messages. I've used the service w/ Google and it's slick.

Personal $ | Saving on Gas | AP

Time to revisit all the steps we learned back in 1973-1974 to save gas (if you don't remember, think OPEC oil embargo). Like checking tire inflation, driving more smoothly, removing junk from the trunk, etc. Here's the whole article - time to save gas and money.

Personal $ | Avoid ID Theft Cons | WSJ/Mossberg

Security software is necessary but not sufficient to protect against on-line identity theft. Those of you who've had security clearances will remember the old social engineering game. It's being effectively used to steal identities on-line. Here are some practical suggestions for staying secure and keeping the bad guys at bay.

Personal $ | Tracking Your Money | Mossberg

Here is what may be Version 2.0 software for tracking your expenditures. It's on-line and links with your banking, credit, investing accounts. Security seems to be well thought-out. If you're using Quicken, you probably won't change. But if you're looking for a less time-intensive tracking approach, this looks worth a try.

Personal $ | Identity Theft Bites LifeLock Chief | Yahoo

Remember the guy who pitches LifeLock and publishes his own SSN? Guess what ... multiple ID theft attempts and one success to-date. Bottom line, guard your info. Monitor your credit reports. You can do it for free.

Humor | Engineer's Guide to Cats | YouTube

This video is too true! I was LOL the whole time. If you know about ... or want to know about ... cats and engineers you will definitely enjoy this video.

Personal $ | Find Cheapest Gas | WSJ/Yahoo

From websites to cell phone widgets ... here's some tech tools to find the cheapest gas near you.

Travel | Perils of Flying | WSJ

You may never use the seat back pocket again after reading this article. At least not without checking first. And, if you do, be prepared for what you may find.

PC Security | Avoiding ID Theft Cons | Mossberg

Good advice column from Walt Mossberg. Social engineering is the most sophisticated of the approaches - and the toughest to intercept.

Computers | Backup via Cloud Computing | LA Daily News

I'm going to give this a try soon. Cloud computing is a new wave and seems like a promising approach for backing-up one's PC. Check-out this summary article.

Memory | How to Remember Everything | Wired

A rock-solid way to remember everything you'll ever learn. One hitch, though. You must live your life by this algorithm. See the article.

This says it all ...

Personal $ | Do-It-Yourself Tax Cut | WSJ/MarketWatch

When you get your economic stimulus check, save it. And then check-out this article for more ideas about how to get your personal finances into better shape.

This nation and its citizens can't borrow, consume and spend itself silly forever, now can it? FY2007 Interest on the national debt was $430B or about $3800 per household per year. That's just the interest on money the feds spent that they didn't have. Just for scale, the national debt is $9.3Trillion. The TOTAL subprime mortgage debt in the nation is about $1Trillion. So, subprime mortgage debt is a piker compared to our national debt.

To see how the national debt has changed over time, check-out this graphic (from this website). Unsettling. Who was watching the shop when those administrations racked-up all that debt? Have you told your kids/grandkids how lucky they are to have to pay-off our debts? They may not be thrilled.

Largest Exporters | Economist

I was surprised by these rankings. Amazing that we don't manage to export more than Germany. Not surprised in US being largest importer @ $2Trn of merchandise per yr.

Generic Drugs | The Same? Yes & No | WSJ.com

I always figured generic prescription drugs were close enough to the brand name ones. Apparently, that applies to the active ingredients. Inactive ingredients, which can affect absorption rate, do vary. This can cause significant differences in effectivity. An important article on your prescription meds.

FICO Credit Score | How To Fix | WSJ/Yahoo! Finance

Be sure to check-out the end of this article for tips on how to improve your credit score (and what things you should not do). An especially helpful article if you're about to shop for credit - see the section about moving fast to secure a loan once you start shopping around for rates.

Green Acres II | Lawn to Farm | WSJ.com

From bluegrass to butterbeans. Is this the transformation of the American lawn? With high food prices and looming peak water, this may make sense. Beware of the HOA enforcers, though. They may insist on the bluegrass. See the article.

Money for Nothing | Search Benefits Charities | WSJ

The article itself isn't available on public search but this site has posted it verbatim. Another opportunity to benefit charities @ no cost.

Jonathan Clements | Personal Finance - After 1,008 Columns | WSJ.com

I've enjoyed this WSJ writer for many years ... here is his last article.

Pew Social & Demographic Trends | Inside the Middle Class | Bad Times Hit the Good Life

An insightful if not uplifting report from the Pew Research Center. The American Middle Class has been on the ropes for awhile and this poll highlights many of the issues.

Trip to Oregon

Enjoyed a great road trip to Oregon with stops in Eugene and Portland. Here's Mt. Shasta from I-5 northbound north of Redding CA
Area around Eugene is truly the Emerald Valley - spectacular. Below is a covered bridge along the McKenzie River east of Eugene.
Check-out the moss on the trees along US 20 east of Sweet HomeThe Willamette Valley is lush ... we were a bit early for the tulip festival.
More than one way to get around in Portland - the tram to OHSU.
Nearly the only sunbreak we had in Portland ...
From Old Town towards the Steel Bridge ...
A great trip ... enjoyed Portland and Eugene both ...