Broke again...

I am broke again.  Flat busted!  I am sure that is a common thing today.  But we were doing very well with savings until last week.  My wife got an offer to settle a collection that she couldn't refuse.  Yeah, we've had collections, big ones.  But we are now debt free.

I guess we are probably way ahead of most people in that respect.  We have another year on our car loan and we have a mortgage, but that is all.  Next summer we will really be doing well.  I hope nothing major comes up between now and then.  I used to spend like it was going out of style.  After years of debt elimination I want to be a saver.

I am tired of paying interest on everything I buy.  If you get into that cycle, the things you buy wear out and need to be replaced before they are even paid for.  No thanks!  Cash only from here on out.

If I can pull that off I will feel wealthy, even if I'm not.  Just having resources will be a great comfort.

Google Chrome Beta

I'm running Google Chrome 5 Beta these days.  I love to get every new feature as it is developed.  However, it's not all poots and hoots. Once in a while they remove a new feature you love.  Other times they break things that have been there forever.

I was thinking about using RoboForm to keep track of my passwords and help fill out all of those bothersome webforms I use over and over.  Guess what?  It doesn't recognize the Chrome beta as a supported web browser.



Oh well.  I guess thats the price you pay for living on the edge.  Maybe I will find a way to run the stable and beta side by side and use Autohotkey scripts to manage opening them with separate hot keys.  Perhaps I can have the best of both worlds, as long as I keep them separate.

Google It: tablet os

Its really scary, terrifying as a matter of fact.  When I Googled the words "tablet os" the number one result was Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Home Page.  Seriously?  No, seriously?  In 2010, the year of the tablet.  2010, the year that Chromium OS will arrive!

Try it for yourself.  I hope you get a better result.

Yummy 5 Minute Chocolate Cake

Have you tried microwaveable cakes?  There are a few varieties in the grocery store, and they are pretty yummy.  While trawling instructables today, I noticed an article that shows you how to make them yourself from ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

It may take a few moments longer, but if you consider the trip to the store, you might come out ahead.  Not to mention that you get to choose what goes in the mix!

Check out this YouTube video I clipped from the instructables, then go check out the full article here so you can try it yourself.  I know I will.



Original instructable authored by scoochmaroo.

Tablet Wars of 2010

I'm sure by next year we will see a YouTube video with text rolling off into deep space, chronicling the details of the 2010 Tablet Wars.  Until then we all hold our breath and scour the web trying to figure out who will win our hearts and our finger tips.  Fortunately, or not, there will be many sizes, OSes and feature lists to choose from.

I loved the iPad when I first saw it.  (Learn more here via Apple)  That type of thinking WILL change the way consumers use computers.  We are living in the information age, and now that means entertainment age.  We don't have to go home to our televisions to be entertained any longer.  Digital entertainment is beaming all around us.  We need but a portal unto its realm.

That is the reason tablets are back.  Last time it was about business mobility, or at least it was from the best I could tell.  This time its about convenience, and that sells like hotcakes.  That in mind, we have many apt contenders.  They all want to handle our mobile information and entertainment needs for us.  I will certainly choose one; I'm tired of burn marks on my legs from watching Magnum PI on my laptop.

Personally, I think its going to be an Android tablet for me.  I like the open nature.  The possibility of upgrades and changes.  I like the sound of Notion Ink's Adam.  (Learn more here via Gizmodo)  The iPad is sweet, but very limited and controlled by Apple.  I have the need to tinker.  Android it is.  My classic Xbox is now a media center using XBMC.  I use a cell phone as an alarm clock for many reasons.  Who knows what I will turn my tablet into when I get tired of it, which is inevitable.  Android will certainly give me options.

What do you think?

My Place in the Order

So, I recently realized that I belong to a very special class of people.  The Lower Middle People.  Lower middle management.  Lower middle class.  If you were to ask a woman how attractive I am on a scale from 1 to 10, she would probably be generous and answer "4".

There you have it.  I am underprivileged, underpaid and under appreciated.  Balance that with the following.  I fall into a lower tax bracket, can easily get a new job (entry level) and I qualify for loan assistance.

That puts me just below the middle.  This is the reason that I scour for coupons, coupon codes, eBay deals and buy most of my clothing in the "Clearance" or "Damaged" sections.  Its not all bad.  I seem to float along happily while others struggle.

Some clever budgeting, frugality and a little side work provide me with a modest but comfortable lifestyle.  Where do you fit in?  How do you get by?  I do as much as I can for myself, and look for hacks and tips to stretch the lifespan of my out dated crap.

Hello World!

Welcome to Lower Middle.  Here we will discuss many aspects of life.  This is a place for ideas, tips and technology to come together for the betterment of man kind.  Hopefully we can share knowledge and enrich the lives of anyone willing to tinker.

Thank you,

B.J. Blaker

Founding Editor of Lower Middle