Clean that Windows PC with some PowerTools

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If you've used a personal computer for any length of time, you know that it eventually gets slower and slower. There can be a variety of reasons for this, but if you don't keep your computer's files in shape, it doesn't help matters.
jv16 PowerTools from Macecraft Software is a tool designed to keep your Windows PC running efficiently. jv16 PowerTools helps you optimize, clean and tuneup a Windows PC. It handles uninstalling software, cleaning the registry and files as well as many other tasks. You can download a free trial version and see what it does for your PC, and if you decide you'd like to purchase the software, there's a coupon so you can save 20% on the price.

Apple TV Hacking

I haven't even set up my Apple TV yet, so I'm not planning on any upgrades or software modifications, but it's nice to know that other people have figured out quite a bit in the short time the Apple TV has been around. Dan Frakes at MacWorld has a very detailed step by step guide with photos on how to swap the hard drive. It's not quite as easy as just replacing the drive, but it looks like it's a reasonable thing to do if you've got the time -- it takes about 16 hours to copy the disk image from the original to the new drive...

I'd just like to get mine hooked up and working this weekend.

Life Insurance the easy way

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I've got plenty of Life Insurance and I don't worry about it except when I'm driving on the freeway and some speeding nut zooms by a few inches in front of my car. Life insurance is one of those things people don't like to talk or think about too much. It's a reminder that someday we will all die and it also makes you think about what if that happened unexpectedly. I know I'd feel bad about how messy my garage is and all the junk piled up in my office if I left those messes behind for my family to deal with. Life Insurance is for your family in case something does happen unexpectedly. It's good to shop around for life insurance, and SecureInsuranceQuotes.com has online quotes on all kinds of insurance, so if you are looking for Life Insurance Quotes or information about Life Insurance, they've got it. And if you live in New Jersey, like I once did, they can help you with New Jersey Life Insurance, too. SecureInsuranceQuotes.com can put you in touch with lots of Insurance companies, so check them out.

Phoenix - Golden State

I don't think there has ever been a Don Nelson team which was known for defense and although they outscored the Suns 45-33 in the first quarter tonight, I'm still picking the Suns to win. The Suns have already cut the lead in half and they can get hot and really put up the points quickly. The Warriors were hot but I don't expect them to stay hot like that all game.

Free classfieds in the UK

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If you are looking to buy or sell something in the UK, take a look at what they've got at itsmymarket.com The site has a bunch of features like weather, blogs, dating, but they're really about the classified ads. You can find cars, houses, jobs, computer gear -- really just about anything you could imagine -- listed on itsmymarket. How about a 38 GB hard drive for 12 pounds or a computer chair for 10 pounds? You can find those deals and more on itsmymarket.com. If you need to clean out your garage, why not list a few items for free and see what you can get rid of?

Pexagon drives

I have written about Pexagon for PayPerPost at least once in the past. They make personalized thumb drives as well as portable hard drives. Their prices are actually very competitive with any other similar products, but you get the added feature of laser engraving, so your drive could have your name on it or whatever else you like -- company info, etc. They had a booth at Tech Ed and I stopped by and said hello to the guy there and mentioned that I had written about them for PayPerPost. That was nice. They even have a discount for people who went to Tech Ed. which is a nice deal. It may be time to get my own personalized drive.

Blog about your town

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Check out www.LocalTownBlogs.com, a new free service for local bloggers.

I always thought it was a good idea to have a local blog that covered local news and events. It could even become popular among your neighbors! Well, that's the idea behind www.LocalTownBlogs.com where you can get a blog for your town. I signed up for one and once it's set up I'll start blogging about my town, Temecula, California. If you get yourself over to www.LocalTownBlogs.com, you can claim your town's blog, too. It's free and just requires that you fill out a short form before you get started. The site is new and still in beta, so if you get there soon, your town might still be available.

Confirming the info

Last week a neighbor told me that a rape had taken place just a few minutes before I drove past a swimming pool about 2 blocks from my house. I had no way to confirm this so I waited to read about it in the newspaper. I finally found the article today and it turned out that a woman was assaulted while jogging about 1/2 mile from my house and was able to fight off the guy and run away. The attacker was later caught. So the facts were a little different than the neighbor had gotten them. Maybe he listens to a police scanner, otherwise I have no idea how he would have known about it.

Payday loan blog

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Payday loans are those loans you get in advance of getting your paycheck when you really need the cash. Usually these kinds of loans have high interest rates, so they are best used in emergencies only and then only when you know you'll be able to pay back the loan promptly. If you are looking for some payday loan tips, check out the Payday Loan Lowdown blog. It's devoted to payday loans and has tips on managing your finances so you won't need to get a payday loan as well as the rules and regulations which govern these types of loans. From bad to good in a few short steps is a blog entry which addresses the utility of payday loans and offers a balanced perspective on the issue, acknowledging that such loans tend to benefit the owners of the payday loan centers, not the people doing the borrowing, but adding that in an emergency, such loans can be beneficial. I'd have to say that would be the only situation where you'd want to get a payday loan, and then only with full knowledge of the pros and cons involved. If you are in a bad situation financially, a high interest, short-term loan is probably not going to help you resolve that. But if getting some money and paying some bills is going to help you avoid further trouble, and you know you'll be able to pay the loan back, then it might help you out.

Food Bloggers

Blogging about food is pretty popular. SFGate says that some restaurants don't appreciate some of the amateurs who post reviews. Personally, I'd rather hear from a few regular people who offer a balanced review than from a professional who may or may not be able to relate to people who don't eat in restaurants all the time.

If you think restaurant critics from mainstream newspapers, television and magazines are tough on the food industry, you haven't spent much time in cyberspace. Online message boards, gossip columns, city restaurant guides and food blogs are proliferating and having a profound influence on where consumers spend their eating dollars. The once-genteel discipline of restaurant reviewing has turned into a free-for-all, celebrated by some as a new-world democracy but seen by others as populist tyranny.

Get your RAZR from Wirefly for free

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Cell phones are probably one of the most widely used devices in the world as far as new technology goes. The functionality and design that is packed into these small packages is pretty amazing and they continue to get more features while becoming smaller and smaller. Last year's most popular cell phone was the Cingular RAZR by Motorola, according to Wirefly. My wife is still asking for one of those. She likes the thin form factor and all the features like Bluetooth, the color screen and the built in camera. You can get free RAZR phones at Wirefly with a new Cingular account. That's a nice deal considering the RAZR is a pretty expensive phone. My wife would like the red or pink RAZR. I think they all look fine, although I'd prefer any color other than pink myself. Not that the color really matters that much, but if I had a pink phone I'd probably only use it in the dark.

Gators still rolling

I am sticking with my pick of my alma mater, the University of Florida, to win the NCAA tournament. It's not going to be easy, but I think they have the best starting five and the most experience, which should be enough to win it again. Ohio State would be a tough opponent, but Florida has the inside and outside game to beat them. I don't think either UCLA or UNC or Georgetown can beat Florida, but anything can happen in one game and all the remaining teams have the players to win. I think that depth has been the difference between the teams that almost beat the #1 seeds and those teams that won, but at this point, experience will matter more.