TIME magazine – $15 per year or $25 for 2 years + Ultrasonic Weather Station Clock

My TIME magazin subscription expired a couple of months back and I did not renew because they did not give me old rate ($25 for 2 years). They offered me a renewal rate of $30 for 1 year (or $50 for 2 years) which was not good enough for me. Looks like the $25 for 2 years deal is back again and I subscribed again online. I would definitely recommend the $25 for 2 years option. NOTE: Do not forget to cancel the auto renewal before your 1 (or 2) year subscription period expires.
1. TIME – $15 per year or $25 for 2 years + Ultrasonic Weather Station Clock (BEST DEAL)
https://subscription.time.com/storefront/subscribe-to-time/site/td-monthnonsenior1110.html
2. Kmart – $16 per year
www.kmart.com/time-magazine/p-071V001640310000P
3. TIME – $30 per year (regular subscription rate)
https://subscription.time.com/storefront/SubscribetoTimeMagazine/site/td-56for30hardoffer.html
https://subscription.time.com/storefront/subscribe-to-time/site/td-semallaccess0313.html
4. Amazon – $30 per year
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007BK3L/ref=mag_var_36599999_365

Best Groupon GoDaddy deal – $70 for $25

This is the best GoDaddy deal I have come across.
1. Buy $70 GoDaddy credit for $25 at
http://www.groupon.com/deals/go-daddy-com-december-baton-rouge (expires Dec 30, 2012)
Note: $30 GoDaddy credit for $10 is also available
2. Add $70 GoDaddy credit to your account at:
http://www.godaddy.com/redeem/groupon.aspx
3. Use one of the following codes to get discounts on your cart. Use trial and error, see which code works best for you. The best news is that the $70 GoDaddy credit is stackable (i.e. can be combined with other GoDaddy coupons).
GDBBREN8 (good for .com renewals)
rev7 (best for .org renewals)
GDBBA547
gd50bbpd5 or bb5020d5
gdx1236g
gdbb776
cwm7
4. Check out and make sure to apply your $70 GoDaddy credit during checkout
I just bought the $70 Groupon GoDaddy deal and here are my savings:
$132.60 (8 domain renewals) – rev7 GoDaddy coupon = $70.25 – $70 GoDaddy Groupon credit = $0.25
So basically, I bought $132.60 of domain name renewals for $25.25 i.e. a savings of $107.35 or 81%!
References:
http://www.fatwallet.com/GoDaddy-coupons/
http://www.slickdeals.net/permadeal/86892/
http://www.retailmenot.com/view/godaddy.com
http://www.godaddypromocode.com/

7-Zip – Free open source program to open zip, tar, gz, tgz files

I use WinZip to open most zip files. But it does not work with Linux compressed files like tar, gz and tgz. For those, I have been using WinRAR. However, I am not a big fan of WinRAR and above that, it only comes with a 40 day trial version. So, I was searching for an open source replacement. It appears that 7-Zip is a great file compression software. I just tested and it works great with gz and tgz files.
Download 7-Zip 4.65: http://download.cnet.com/7-Zip/3000-2250_4-10045185.html
Official website: www.7-zip.org/

Vista Disk Management Console (diskmgmt.msc)

To launch Disk Management Console in Windows Vista, use Start > Run > type “cmd” > type “diskmgmt.msc”
I added a new internal IDE hard drive as an external hard drive using an IDE hard drive enclosure. Previously, I have been using Partition Magic but it appears that it does not work on Windows Vista. I researched a bit and found that Windows Vista comes with a disk partition utility called “Disk Management Console”. I was however, unable to find it in the Vista Control Panel. I finally figured out that you can launch the Disk Management Console in Windows Vista by typing “diskmgmt.msc” in the command line. Disk Management Console is also known as Logical Disk Manager.
Related Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disk_partitioning_software
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_Disk_Manager

NPR by phone – dial 202-609-7549

I found this out a couple of days back. If you missed the daily NPR news update and have only access to a phone at the moment (ex: on the road), you can get the latest NPR hourly news update by calling 202-609-7549.
Related websites:
www.npr.org/services/mobile/mobilewebandmobilevoice.html
www.npr.org/services/mobile/blackberry.html
Note: This is NOT a toll free number and long distance charges / your mobile minutes will apply. I usually call this number on weekends or between 9 PM to 7 AM (so that I do not use my daytime minutes).

(Kill) Bill is dead

Bill (David Carradine) of the “Kill Bill” movie series died today at the Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel in central Bangkok, Thailand. He was in Bangkok to shoot his latest movie – “Stretch”. He was 72.
David Carradine as Bill in Kill Bill 2
David Carradine as Bill in “Kill Bill 2”. Courtesy: Yahoo! Movies
From the New York Times:

“David Carradine, an enigmatic actor who never outran the identity he earned in “Kung Fu,” the 1970s Chinese-western television series that made him an unlikely cult hero — even though he also starred as Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby’s 1976 film biography “Bound for Glory” and, more than a quarter-century later, played the title character, a cunning assassin who becomes a murder target, in Quentin Tarantino’s twin thrillers, “Kill Bill” Volumes I and II — was found dead on Thursday in a hotel room in Bangkok, where he was filming a new movie. He was 72.”

08/08/08 – Olympics start, 17000 marry in Beijing

08/08/08 – The Beijing Summer 2008 Olympics officially start today. In addition to that, 17,000 couples in Beijing got married today. Great day to get married and to remember, indeed.

Image Courtesy: NY Times
“Couples said they were moved by national pride, but also by the Chinese enthusiasm for numerology. The Games began on Aug. 8, 2008, and the series of eights — eight sounding like the word for “fortune” — is irresistibly propitious.”

Two worlds, just across the street

An insightful article and a good read. Highlights the ever widening gap between the growing Indian upper middle class and the poor who live next door.

Image Courtesy: NY Times

“These enclaves have emerged on the outskirts of prospering, overburdened cities, from this frontier town next to the capital to the edges of seam-splitting Bangalore. They allow their residents to buy their way out of the hardships that afflict vast multitudes in this country of more than one billion. And they reflect the desires of India’s small but growing ranks of wealthy professionals, giving them Western amenities along with Indian indulgences: an army of maids and chauffeurs live in a vast shantytown across the street.”

Read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/world/asia/09gated.html

Blair joins Chase

“LONDON, England (CNN) — Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left office last June, has taken up a part-time job with a Wall Street bank on an estimated $1 million salary.
Blair will work with JP Morgan Chase, a firm with assets of $1.5 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. He will advise the bank on global political and strategic issues, a company statement said.”
Read the full article at CNN.com

Black Friday Deals websites

The Black Friday Deals for major stores are available at the following links:

  1. http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/
  2. http://www.theblackfriday.com/
  3. http://www.blackfridayads.com/

This year, I don’t plan to wait from 4 am outside a store to get a good Black Friday deal. I will pay a couple of dollars more and instead buy it online.
And if you do not know what Black Friday is, it is the day after Thanksgiving (Nov 22 this year) when all major stores have major sales and discounts. This is when the shopping season actually starts and the shopping season continues till Christmas upto the New Year. The “black” part comes from the fact that companies went into the black (i.e. profitable) after being red (i.e. not profitable) due to the large Black Friday sales. More info about Black Friday is available on this Wikipedia page.