Merry Thrift-mas...

I feel like I have partially neglected this blog.  Most of my attention has been with my photography blog which you can see by clicking here or on the link to the right.

I have been only skimming magazines and not really having time to pass things along to all of you, but hopefully that will improve.  I did want to pass along a quick read from USAWeekend that comes with the Sunday issue of many newspapers.  The article is from award-winning journalist and best-selling author, Jean Chatzky who wrote a featured article called "Merry Thrift-mas."  She made some key points as you all head into the home stretch of holiday gift purchases which include:

• Think "Life List," not Christmas list
• Consider what you could buy instead. This is called "opportunity cost" in economics
• Involve other and commit (to spending limits)
• Get more out of gift cards
• Embrace impulse control
• Shop (online) till you drop (limit yourself to 2 hours)
• Think life a recipient, not a giver

For more details click here for the full article: http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20121130/MONEY01/311300005/Merry-Thrift-mas

Related websites:

• Wikipedia entry on Opportunity Cost: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_cost

I hope you found this helpful.  Click here to see how you can support me.

Visit? Around the 4 Corners

In a recent newspaper, there was an Associate Press feature by Karen Matthews titled "Around the 4 Corners:  Modern Life, Ancient Ruins Coexist in Southwest."  This struck home a little bit because we have been planning to visit Mesa Verde National Park at some point and had recently visited the Wupatki National Monument and visited some of the ruins there and at the Grand Canyon National Park.

You can view the entries on my photoblog that are tagged with "Arizona" by clicking here.

The highlights Karen Matthews lists include visits to:

• The Hopi Mesas. This included a visit to a village that dates back to 1150 A.D.  The Hopi do not allow pictures to be taken in the villages.
• Chaco Canyon.  This is located in northwestern New Mexico and is accessible by dirt road.  It is an area that flourished from the 800s to 1100s A.D. and is run by the National Park service.
• Mesa Verde National Park. Yes, we want to eventually get to this place with the cliff dwellings which were mysteriously abandoned somewhere around 1300 A.D.
• Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  This is located in Arizona and includes the White House Ruins trail which is a 2 1/2-mile hike.

Other locations include:

• Grand Canyon National Park.
• Monument Valley.
• Petrified Forest.
• The Painted Desert.

Related websites:

• The original article is posted on-line on multiple sites but here is the Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/travel/ci_21472293/modern-life-ancient-ruins-coexist-southwest
• Hope Cultural Center: http://www.hopiculturalcenter.com/
• Cacho Canyon: http://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm
• Mesa Verde National Park: http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm
• Canyon de Chelly National Monument: http://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm
• Grand Canyon National Park: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
• Monument Valley: http://navajonationparks.org/htm/monumentvalley.htm
• Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert: http://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm

I hope you found this helpful.  Click here to see how you can support me.

Having "the talk" with your senior driver...

It has been a while since I posted to this blog. Most of my attention lately has been with my photoblog. I did come across this interesting article about when to have the "talk" with your parents and when they should stop driving.

Some of the things to watch out for include:

• Unexplained dents and scrapes
• Poor judgment
• Getting lost or confused
• Feeling uncomfortable or anxious while driving
• Delayed responses
• Difficulty staying in own lane
• Close calls or near misses
• Poor attention to signals, signs, and pavement markings

Related websites in the article:

• American Occupational Therapy Association: http://aota.org/older-driver/consumer.aspx
• Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists: http://www.driver-ed.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
• California DMV Senior Ombudsman Program: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/senior/senior_ombudsman.htm
• Eldercare Locator:  http://eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Index.aspx
• AAA's senior driving site: http://seniordriving.aaa.com/

5 Key Talking Points:

• Have an ongoing conversations, not The Talk
• Sharpen skills and seek solutions
• Recruit support
• Plan for driving retirement
• Take your time selling the car

For the on-line article and more details: http://www.calif.aaa.com/westways/2012/09/Pages/retiring-the-keys.aspx

Chatzky: 8 great rules to grow your money

In a USA Weekend issue from a month or two back, Jean Chatzky had written an article called "8 great rules to grow your money."

Here are the major take home points.  For more details, click the link below to be taken to the article on usaweekend.com.

• Bank your windfalls.
• Manage what you can.
• Credit cards don't have to equal debt.
• Don't let your money run out before you do.
• Put your 80-year-old self first.
• Buy experiences, not things.
• Tax evasion is illegal. Tax avoidance is smart.
• Face your finances.

These are all basic and important tenets to live by.

For more details, click here: http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20120330/MONEY/303300006/8-great-rules-grow-your-money

Forbes Magazine: MailStop

Here is something interesting that I read in a recent Forbes Magazine.

It is about an app called MailStop that allows users to take a picture of the junk mail that you receive and the app will automatically request the sender to remove you from their list.

It was funded as a non-profit and the funding stops at the end of this year so MailStop will need to find other streams of revenue or additional funding to continue operating.

To view the article on Forbes.com click here: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/0507/technology-postal-service-software-war-on-junkmail.html

To learn more, visit the official website here: https://www.catalogchoice.org/mailstop

To view all the options for subscribing to Forbes Magazine on Amazon click here:  Subscribe to Forbes Magazine

Forbes: MakerBot Thing-o-Matic

I was browsing a recent Forbes Magazine article on 3-D printing.  In this article they discussed how Golan Levin, a Carnegie-Mellon professor solved a problem of connecting a variety of different toys together.


He measured the pieces of various toys to within three microns and with those measurements you can build connecting pieces with a 3-D printer such as the MakerBot's Thing-o-Matic.


Very cool...


Official announcement: http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2010/09/25/announcing-makerbots-new-3d-printer-the-thing-o-matic/

To view all the options for subscribing to Forbes Magazine on Amazon click here:  Subscribe to Forbes Magazine

Visit? Southern California Places to Explore Space

These recommendations are also from a recent Westways Magazine for Auto Club members.

Here are some places to consider visiting if you are interested in learning more about different aspects of space.

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  Started in the 1930s, it offers free weekly tours on Mondays and Wednesdays. jpl.nasa.gov
• Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial. This monument honors Ellison S. Onizuka, the first Asian American in space and one of seven astronauts that perished in the Challenger explosion. onizukamemorial.org
• Columbia Memorial Space Center.  This is next door to the Downey Studios building where all the Apollo astronauts were trained and where the Apollo space capsules were built.  Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  columbiaspacescience.org
• California Science Center. The space shuttle Endeavor will eventually call this place its home. Open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.  californiasciencecenter.org
• Griffith Observatory.  A grand art deco building overlooking Hollywood that features the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Wednesday to Friday Noon to 10 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 10 PM.  griffithobs.org

I hope all of you find these places interesting.

Visit? New Mexico's intergalactic attractions

In the recent Westways Magazine that is published by the American Automobile Association, they had 7 places to visit in New Mexico that all had to do with space (in one way or another).

Here they are:

• Spaceport America.  This is outside of Truth or Consequences and you can take a tour for $59. http://www.spaceportamerica.com/
• Very Large Array (VLA). This has 27 antennas that travel on railroad tracks that can be found 50 miles from Socorro. www.vla.nrao.edu
• White Sands Missile Range. wsmr-history.org
• New Mexico Museum of Space History.  nmspacemuseum.org
• National Solar Observatory. This can be found 36 miles from Alamogordo.  nso.edu
• Apache Point Observatory. Located near the National Solar Observatory. www.apo.nmsu.edu
• Roswell. Information about Robert Goddard and his rockets as well as the Roswell incident. roswellufomuseum.com
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park.  These American Indians built their homes and structures to line up with solar and lunar events.  nps.gov/chcu

For driving purposes, it looks like it would probably require at least four to five days to cover all of these points of interest at a comfortable pace.

Golden Gate Bridget Turns 75 this year

It looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is turning 75 years old in 2012.  They are having a big celebration on May 27, 2012.

For more information visit here: http://www.goldengatebridge75.org/

Westways - Common Breakdown Causes

In the recent Westways Magazine, it described how the fuel pump was a common cause of car breakdowns. 

Here they are:

• Fuel pump. Keep tank at least 1/4 full and change the filter.
• Batteries.  Test them once or twice a year after the third year it was installed.
• Radiators and transmissions.  Use the correct fluid types.
• Hoses and belts.  Be sure to have them visually inspected.
• Tire inflation pressures.  Be sure to check them at least monthly.  The recommended pressures are typically found by the driver's side seat

For more details go to this link: http://news.aaa-calif.com/pr/aaa/auto-club-research-top-needed-230955.aspx

AAA Members-Only Night at Magic Mountain

In case anyone missed this announcement in the last Westways magazine. Members get admission on May 18, 2012 to Six Flags Magic Mountain in southern California for $27 and for $10 more you get access to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Parking is also complimentary.

For more details go to the following website:  http://www.calif.aaa.com/en-ca/find-discounts/Pages/six-flags-member-night.aspx?