My video-game-playing friends must be hoping this is a hoax or a tease. The new Sony PlayStation 3 will reportedly cost $499 or $599, depending on the size of the included hard drive. It certainly comes packed with features:
The PlayStation 3 is powered by the “Cell” processor, which Sony boasts makes the machine 35 times more powerful than the PlayStation 2. It will support Blu-Ray storage devices, which hold significantly more data than today’s DVDs, as well as seven wireless controllers, and has outputs for two high-definition televisions (HDTVs). The PS3 will also offer a free online network.
I’ll be skipping this one. I’d waste too much time playing video games. The last video game console I owned was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) which I received when I was 9 or 10 years old. About once a year I download a NES emulator, load up The Legend of Zelda, and play through several of the adventures.
Here’s what was printed on a slip of paper I found inside my Chinese food fortune cookie:
A friend in the market is better than money in the purse.
When I was your age, sonny, I could go to the pictures for $5.25.
CNN Money takes a look at money in the movies. They take some classics like Midnight Cowboy, Psycho, and Austin Powers and evaluate prices for services or products mentioned in the films, and determine how much the same would cost in 2006 due to inflation. The author then determines if the price is a good deal in today’s terms.
Here are some hints:
* The bounty to kill Jaws is a bargain.
* The hotel in Psycho is overpriced.
That’s the advice of the decade, isn’t it? Well, it’s also a pretty funny Saturday Night Live skit with Steve Martin. The skit’s a parody of those book infomercials for financial products we see all the time. Looking a little deeper, it’s also a slight commentary on the marketing of common sense.
Well, I saw the clip linked on It’s Your Money, but to view the video hosted on Salon, the viewer is required to watch a short advertisement and have Apple Quicktime.
Here’s a more accessible version of the skit, hosted on YouTube (and therefore probably unauthorized), and requiring only Flash player.
According to a survey of more than 1,000 adults, financial responsibility is more important to a lasting relationship than sexual compatibility. For both men and women, sex ranked last when compared to faithfulness (#1), honesty (#2), financial responsibility (#3), and sense of humor (#4).
Financial troubles ranked even higher when people were asked what situations put the most pressure on relationships. Problems paying bills tied with in-law troubles as the top sources of stress.
From this, I conclude that managing your finances well leads to better sex. As you and your partner achieve financial responsibility together, the survey shows the link to strong relationships, and with strong relationships come better sex.
I haven’t had much to write about lately. I’ve been quite busy at work and with school work. The good news is I should be finished with my master’s degree in September. There have been some good and some bad aspects of my program, and I plan on giving it a lot of attention on the blog, following commencement.
Now, I’d like to run with the meme (from AllThingsFinancial, Chrees’ World, My Open Wallet, Financial Train Wreck, and Stop Buying Crap) and answer the Viking call, “What’s in your wallet?”
For a while I stopped using a wallet, and kept only the essentials in a small credit card case and a money clip. It was kind of frustrating, so I switched back to a wallet. I’ve managed to stuff quite a bit in there without it getting huge. I keep it in my coat mostly, as keeping the wallet in my pants pocket gets uncomfortable.
Here’s what I have:
* Driver’s license
* AAA card (I’m a member of AAA Plus, and every year it has paid for itself in service)
* Health and dental insurance cards (Aetna)
* Citibank Dividend Platinum Select credit card
* Wachovia debit card
* Two back-up credit cards (I can’t imagine I’d ever need them)
* Wegmans shopping card for grocery discounts
* Borders reward card — I bought a lot of gifts this past holiday season there
* Three (do I need this many?) Metrocards for the New York subway system
* Two frequent customer cards at Blimpie — I don’t eat there anymore
* Assorted receipts (gas, groceries, check deposits)
* $49 in cash
Somehow I managed to get on the mailing list for AARP, the Organization Formerly Known As The American Association Of Retired Persons But Now Known By Acronym Only. I probably put down a fake date of birth on an unrelated website that asked me for my age many years ago, and now every few weeks I get junk snail mail from the organization courting my imminent membership.
The mailings offer me all sorts of protection with no necessary medical exams. Perhaps I should hold onto the junk for twenty years (you just have to be 50 or older), because they may change their policies in the mean time. I will always have the “But it says on my application…” excuse.
I’d be worried if in twenty years organizations still accept paper applications through the postal service.
I hope everyone has a happy holiday! There are many, many things I’m thankful for. Sure, it’s great to have a job and have money coming in. Most importantly, I’m thankful for the wonderful, supportive people I’ve met online through this blog as well as through my other blogs. I met my girlfriend through one of my websites, and I’m happy, but surprised, she’s put up with me for so long. I’m also thankful for my wonderful familiy.
But this is a blog about personal finance, not touchy-feely… feelings. The topic for Thanksgiving Day is inflation, and if you check the television, you’re bound to see and hear about monster inflation today. I’ve posted some evidence of monster inflation which you will see if you continue reading this blog entry.
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