Paul Michael's blog

The disappearance of real America - my guest post at Zen Habits

I'm not one for believing in fate or destiny, but the timing on this was spot on. After just finishing a terrfiic documentary called "America Unchained", about one Brit's quest to

How to refill an ink cartridge with a small piece of tape

Is your printer lying to you? If you own a Brother inkjet printer, that's probably a big yes. As Slate magazine reports, a clever chap over at fixyourownprinter.com has discovered

Opt-out of the wasteful $26 billion phone directory industry

In this day and age of the internet, free Google 411 and a host of other paperless directory services, what use do the big, fat phone directories serve? I don’t know about you, but

Watching ads could be your ticket to a fortune.

Unless it’s Superbowl Sunday, most people don’t sit around watching ads (well, I do, it’s part of my job). But what if watching ads was turned into a lottery ticket? That’s the pre

The Jury Duty Scam – coming to a phone near you?

My wife forwarded me one of those “hey everyone, don’t fall for this” emails this morning. I get one from a friend or relative at least once a week, and usually they’re well-meanin

What clearance price is your Achilles Heel?

Some people are suckers for bargains of any kind. Others, well, even a genuine FREE offer is difficult for them to take up. But most of us, myself included, have a magic number. It

Will Guns Change the Way eBay Auctions Operate?

The more I talk to people about eBay, the more they are annoyed by one simple fact; the auctions are not, well, auctions any more. Auction sniping and the ensuing last-second biddi

Laptop travel kit - FREE after rebate

Sweet deal. Circuit City is currently offering a very handy Nexxtech Laptop Travel Kit for $39.99, which comes with a $40 mail-in rebate. If you're someone constantly on the move o

Ugggh, (hic) I justss gotta eat some(hic)thing; my top 10 homemade drunk snacks.

Most of us have been there (when I was in college, I was there 3 times a week during my first year…sorry mum and dad). You go out with your buddies, have a few beers and by the tim

Are your new tires really 6-year old ticking time-bombs?

Check the tires on your car. How do they look? Plenty of tread, no bald spots, no wear and tear? If that’s the case, you’ve probably got a great set of tires with years of life lef

Concession stand treats – a license to print money.

I was at a local fair recently. The kids were hungry, I was thirsty and we all wanted a snack break. But my wife and I knew we’d have to pay the price. At events like these, you’re

BOGO on The Dark Knight (or any other film you'd prefer to see...if there is one)

Quick, simple deal for all you movie fans out there (which is most of you I presume). FANDANGO is once again doing a BOGO offer on movie tickets, which means you can get a free tic

Are some lives so empty that an iPhone 3G will fill the void?

In certain parts of the world (Russia comes to mind), people have stood in line for hours just to get some food. It’s messed up, but I get it. If standing in line for hours will re

Emergency food supplies for the lazy skinflint

Anyone who's read Linsey’s great article on freezer emergencies will already have a great head start on saving your food, should the worst happen. But what about another solution a

The financial wisdom of Fight Club

“The first rule of Fight Club – We Do Not Talk About Fight Club.” Everyone who’s seen the movie remembers that. But what about something Tyler Durden, the anarchist extraordinaire,

McCain or Obama? Who’ll be better for your wallet?

I want to keep this factual. This is not an article on who should be the next President, or as these campaigns usually go, who shouldn’t be President. This is a simple presentation

Is the Wii Fit a cheap workout?

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fitness nut. I don’t like exercising, it always seems like a chore. But what if it wasn’t? What if it were, dare I say it, almost a game? That’s what Wii

“Make your own Twinkies” and other secret recipes by the Food Cloner Dude.

Todd Wilbur is a name you may well have heard before. For lack of a better word, he’s a copycat…and a cool one at that. From homemade Twinkies to homecooked Big Macs, Todd can recr

“Free” category on Craigslist to be renamed “Haul away my old, bulky, broken crap for free.”

I used to love the “free” button on Craigslist. There were some killer giveaways on there, including things like antique movie projectors, great toys for the kids, ornaments, lamps

FREE 2GB iPod Shuffle from Compass Bank

Key Bank clearly did very well from their iPod promotion, because Compass Bank is now running almost the exact same deal. With Compass Bank though it's a very cool 2GB iPod Shuffle