Five e-readers for under $175 reviewed.

My daughter recently graduated from high school. Her aunt gave her an Amazon Kindle as a present for all of her hard work. She loves it and reads it as much as possible. This points out just how popular e-readers like the Kindle have gotten over the past few years. With the ability to hold hundreds of books, newspapers and other publications as well as a battery life that can stretch for weeks, it's no wonder e-readers have become so popular.



Once you buy one, you may never get a paper book again.
(source: NPR.org)

 Now, there are many competitors to the Kindle that just might provide a strong experience for you and still keep you on your budget. The National Public Radio website has a review posted of five readers you can buy for less than $175. A couple of them you've probably heard of- the aforementioned Kindle and the Nook. The others have names that are probably strange to most of us (ever heard of Kobo? Me neither).

But the real surprise is the opinion of the author that the quality of these optional e-readers may not be all that bad. The technology has matured and the engineering required to produce a reader that provides a good reading experience.

Go the review here to see for yourself that the world of e-readers doesn't mean you have to buy only a Kindle or a Nook. Other competitors are out there to help you (and my daughter) enjoy reading just about anywhere, anytime.

And remember, you read it here first.

Starting a web Business? There's thousands of products at Alibaba.

Your path to wealth could start here (maybe).
(source: Alibaba)

Turn over just about any product and you're likely to see a "Made in China" label somewhere. Even the keyboard I'm typing this posting with was created in the Far East. However, most of these products are sold by Americans to Americans- but did you ever wonder just how did those Chinese made products make it to our shores?

One way is the website Alibaba.com. It claims to have more than 100,000 suppliers of nearly any kind of product from electronics to patio furniture, toys, clothing, motorcycles, leather products, lamps and nearly everything else you might possibly wish to buy and sell.



See? Anything!
(source: Alibaba)

 I can't vouch for the quality, but in most cases, it seems to be at least acceptable. Be warned, this is not a site for buying one of this or three of that. Minimum orders are required (remember, these folks are both the manufacturer and the wholesaler- they need to stay in business).  The coffee maker you see pictured here has a minimum order of 1088 pieces.

As a business person, it's up to you to make contact with the companies and arrange transport, payment and all of the other details required for transactions like this. Luckily, Aliabab also has an advice section and a member's forum (you don't have to join anything at all to read the forum) that discusses the ins and outs of the import/export business.

But, if you're willing to make some effort, invest some money and work with companies 10,000 miles away, you could be the nest Amazon.com or maybe you just might find a way to make a few extra bucks.

Alibaba will connect you with the manufacturer who is providing you with the widget you seek. Everything else that happens is between you and the factory. Remember, it's in the factory's best interest to provide you with a product you can sell in good conscience so you'll be a repeat customer.

To find Alibaba, click here and remember, you're ol' buddy the Tech Monkey gets 10% off!

I'm writing a new column!

As some of you may or may not know, I work in television news. I've been a news videographer for more than 20 years. Doing this job involves a lot of electronics and gadgets and that is probably where my love of gizmos comes from.

For much of that time, I was a chief photographer- a leader of a staff of video journmalists and expected to be the expert in all things video.

Well, there's a new website in town called the 247 newsroom. It's a website by and for video news professionals and the point is to share and help each other to be better at what we do. Anyone can visit, its free and you might get a bit insight into what goes on in the world of local TV news.

Go here to see it now.

Three days of survival- get a 72 hour kit to help your family in an emergency.

Tsunami- Northern Japan.
Earthquake- New Zealand
River Flooding- Memphis, TN
Volcano- Mt. St. Helens
Nuclear meltdown- Japan
Wildfires- Southern California
Hurricanes- Southern United States

Listed above are 7 reasons why you and your loved ones should put together a 72 hour kit.

A 72 hour kit is a varied assorment of items that provides your family the ability to survive and endure for three days should you find that you are suddenly forced from your home (not likely? The people in the list above thought so too).

It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive, but common sense does rule here. Beyond the obvious items like a first aid kit and some food, other items that may not leap to mind include copies of legal documents (driver's license, social security card, insurance documents, etc.), deck of cards, maps, list of important phone numbers as well as feminine hygene products for the fairer sex in your family.

Luckily, there are numerous producers of 72 hour kits for your consideration and the costs range from the $40 area to a couple of hundred dollars. Kits also range in size from one person to a dozen people (for business and corporations). Amazon offers many kits and  the list can be found by clicking here.



A kit like this could mean the difference between thriving and misery.
(source: 24-7.com)

 But even an expensive kit can't anticipate every need, so you need to research both expert opinion and your family's specific needs like medical conditions, age, size and so on.

One list online to consider is the US Government's Homeland Security recommendations for a homemmade kit. Many other sites offer their opinions on the contents of a kit too. Research all and decide what's best for you and those you love. My suggestion is to purchase a quality 72 hour kit and add items that best serve your needs and requirements. Keep it updated and available and keep your family safe.

You never know when disaster will strike- Some of the people listed in the seven examples above had no idea they would need a kit like this...until it was too late. Be prepared.

Open the FBI Vault and access formerly secret papers, documents and other files of the US government.

For the education of  my overseas readers (I have them in China, France and Iran and more than 30 other countries) we have a process of requesting and recieving formerly secret documents from the government here in the United States. It called a "Freedom of Information Act" request. This means that, unless the information  is deemed to be vital to national security, the information must be released to the person or group making the request, even if the information is embarassing to the national government, politicians or other groups.  

Source: FBI

To make this process easier, the US government's investigative department, the FBI- has recently opened a website called The Vault. Contained within the site are PDF images (scanned copies of the original documents) of the most requested investigations conducted by the FBI over its long, storied history- more than 2,000 pages in all. World War II, civil right leaders, Mafia investigations and UFO sighting are but a few of the topics covered and available for viewing or printing out. Not every piece of paper printed by the Bureau is included- just the most commonly requested ones. More documents are added at regular intervals and you are still free to make specific FOI requests to the FBI if you can't find the document you seek on this website.



The FBI's Roswell UFO Memo
(source: the FBI Vault)

 There's no cost, the FBI doesn't ask (or care) who you are or where you're from and no registration is required to access any of these pages. Some of the names and bits of other information (social securtity numbers, phone numbers, credit card information, etc.) are redacted, but all of the rest of the information is right there for your review.

So whether you're from Nevada, Norway or Nigeria, you have the capability to review some of this nation's most historical documents for free, warts and all.

Go to the FBI's Vault site here.

Justice for fun- Listen to Judge John Hodgeman- he rules!

I use my iPod to fill the empty space in my day- driving to and from work, weeding the garden, painting a bedroom or listening to the wife (just kidding, honey). I fill it with all sorts of podcasts dealing with history, science and tech news of the day. But my player is not just filled with serious subject matter, I have more than a few podcasts I listen to because they amuse and suprise me and keep me laughing through my chores and drudgery.

One of my favorites is "Judge John Hodgeman". You might know him as "PC" on the famous Apple ads from not too long ago. Turns out, Mr Hodgeman is a Yale man and is deeply thoughtful and hilarious at the same time. As a bit of fun, he produces, along with some friends, a podcast where he is the judge and presides over a court of silly disagreements. Topics in the recent past have included How to Peel a Banana Correctly, Is a Machine Gun a Robot and Should my Dad Make me Watch Classic Movies. He has a blaiff sidekick who adds his two cents to the case and introduces and explains each case to the listener.

This show is guilty of being hilarious
(source: maximumfun.org)

Each case is real in the sense the people bringing the case are genuine and the interplay is not scripted. No outcome is promised and the only award a "winner" might get is the satisfaction that his/her side of the case is the correct one in the eyes of His Honor, Judge Hodgeman. The banter between the judge and the litigants is snappy and smart and it appeals to the intelectual in me as some of the theories or ideas introduced force me to think on a higher plane and that makes the humor even sharper to me.

You can download the episodes on iTunes or in the Zune Marketplace or you can go to the website directly and play each episode there, no iPod required- although a speaker is necessary.

You can hear the entire list of shows by going here to listen to the funniest courtroom you've ever heard and you'll find it to be your newest "guilty" pleasure.

Court's Adjourned.

Eat Cheap- Spend a few bucks at Restaurant.com to save big bucks at your local eatery!

There are two things I love in this world besides my wife and kids: saving money and eating out. If I can do both at the same time, even better. Lately, what with gas prices going sky high and my new job, money has been a little tight lately, so when I was on the lookout for different ways to save money and still do what I love, my friend Allison came to the rescue.

Thank you Allison!
(source: unknown)

She told me about Restaurant.com. Here's an example of how it works: Buy a $50 gift certificate for $10 from the long list of restaurants in your area. They have a contract with Restaurants.com to accept the certificate and in the unlikely event your certificate is denied, you'll get your money back. You can search for a place by name or zip code.

Is it legit? Allison seems to think so and has used the service several times with full satisfaction. Also, the site has more than 18,000 "likes" on Facebook, so that's promising.

There are a few minor catches: all are local restaurants (no chains that I could find), Drinks are not included and the tip is to be computed before the discount is taken- although this is standard for all discounts. Finally, you have to spend a up to certain amount before you can redeem the certificate (easy with a family). This is Ok with me as we have several locally-owned favorite places we frequent and one well-liked Mexican restaurant three blocks from my house is on the list, so you can be pretty sure I'll be buying a certificate soon.

BTW, if this seems like a commercial for the site, it isn't. I have no connection whatsoever with Restaurant.com. I just love saving money and feeding a family of five ain't cheap and if there's a way to keep a few dollars in my pocket and frequent a local business, I'm in.

Go to Restaurant.com here and don't forget to tip your waiters!

Movie trailers- see both current and future releases right now!

Spring is in the air and Summer is not far off and for many fans these seasons are are great time to catch a movie and be swept away by Hollywood magic. One of my favorite times in a cinema is to see the trailers for movies about to debut at my local theater.


This very theater was my local movie house as a kid.
(source: modbee.com)

 But you don't have to pay $8 to see what's coming in the next few months. For movies lovers like me (and you), Yahoo! offers a movie service that debuts trailers and clips from future releases for your enjoyment. Most of the trailers are for film just a couple of months out from release but a few are from film scheduled for much farther out and at least give you an idea of what is in production for Christmas or even summer 2012.

Now, there are other websites that offer a similar service, but for my money, Yahoo!'s movie website is the easiest to navigate, simplest to use and provides a better overall ecperience for me when all I want to do is see the darn trailer!

You'll be able to see clips from movies like the new Pirates of the Carribean installment, Captain America, Apollo 18 and Kung Fu Panda 2 (that last one is for my kids- really) , plus more are added every day. If I had to guess, I'd say that 50 or 60 trailers are available for current and future releases. You can also buy tickets, get the latest news and photos and see blogs on films and Hollywood.

Go to Yahoo! Movies to see the trailer that catches your fancy. After all, if you're going to spend an ever increasing amount of your money for tickets, a little research can help you make a better choice.

Shhhh! Movie's starting...

The Family Handyman magazine and website- the DIY person's secret weapon.

Our last house had what my wife calls "potential". In our marraige, this is shorthand for "the husband is in for a lot of work to get this house just the way the wife wants it". When we purchased the home, it was the model home for the development...in 1967! Very little had been done in the way of modernizing and it was up to me to develop this potential. The kitchen, bathrooms, entry and other parts of the home needed a major redo. As a do it yourselfer, I'm average, but there were times when I need just a bit more information or a handy tip or two to get the result just right.

Ladies love a guy who is handy- that's what
my wife tells me, anyway.
(source: TFH)

Luckily for me, the answer is just a few clicks away. For decades now, the national magazine The Family Handyman has been a fixture on store shelves and is well known for clear, easy to follow instructions for all manner of home improvement projects, from toilets to drywall to plumbing and roofs. The problem is keeping all of these publications organized according to subject and then having it available when you need it.

But The Family Handyman has all of this solved for you...and for free! Virtually thousands of "how-to" articles are kept on The Family Handyman website for your perusal and printout. Need to know about power tools? Sure, it's in there. What about installing a home theater? No problem- it's there too. Just about any topic is covered and in the unlikely event you do happen to stump the search function, you can always join the FH online community where someone is certain to have the information you seek. To search for your particular subject is easy- at the top of the homepage is a large search window- simply fill it out with words matching the topic of your choice.

Personally, I have used both the magazine and the online home of TFH to help me renovate three bathrooms, drywall an entry, plant just the right flowers at just the right time and ensure that the ceiling fan I was installing was done safely and correctly. Go to The Family Handyman website here to save time and effort and make you the DIY hero of your house.

BTW, I showed my wife the 1st draft of this post and she said it had "potential". Sigh...back to work!

Lifehacker.com- Tips for making your life easier.

A hacker is someone who changes and adapts technology for their use and convenience. A lifehacker is someone who changes and adapts anything for their use and convenience.

Need to make a computer stand out of chopsticks? No problem.

Want to make a lamp out of a can of Tuna? Sure.

How about the secret tricks that makes iPad work better? Yup. A lifehacker can do all that and more.



(source: Lifehacker.com)



Want to be a lifehacker too? Simply go to the Lifehacker.com website for thousands of tips, tricks and hints to make different facets of your life easier and more interesting. Topics tend to lean somewhat on the tech side, but there are still thousands of entries for such non-tech topics like cooking, decorating, relationships, car repair, hair care and on and on.

Most articles are short, but detailed enough to achieve the article's stated goal. If needed, videos are embedded in the site and several topics are added each day.

If you have a tips you would like to submit, Lifehacker makes it easy with a large, blank window at the top of the page. Who knows? You might be the one explaining how to paint a bathroom with 3 band-aids, a paper towel and some dryer lint.

Go here to see Lifehacker.

Print your custom message - literally anything you want to say on a coffee mug!

My wife likes things "just so". She orders salad dressing on the side because "they might put on too much on it". Whatever- if that's what she wants, then that's what she gets- I like a happy wife.

It's that kind of specific, custom "I want it a certain way" kind of approach that the good folks at Cafe Press have used to build a successful business. They specialize in imprinting your design onto the usual t-shirts and coffee mugs. But that's not all- you can have your design printed onto bags, pillows, hats, baby clothes and even underwear. Yes, I said underwear.

What if you don't have a design ready? No problem. Cafe Press has a web page especially created to help you make your custom item. Using their site, you can write, import or otherwise make any custom item you wish.

This is a great idea for a few mugs for a small business or a t-shirt promoting your kid's run at class president.

You can order one or a hundred of anything and soon you too will have your message on a t-shirt.

I wonder if "Monkey Simple Tech" will fit on a pair of boxers?

Go to Cafe Press here to find out.

Quick! Stop me before I spend again! Photography store heaven for shutterbugs

As a professional photographer, I am by definition looking for the next new thing. Lenses, batteries, lights, cameras and the idea of purchasing all things photographic makes me all warm and gooey inside with anticipation.

And the best company I know to keep feeding that addiction of compulsive photography spending is B&H Photo. Located deep in the heart of New York City, I have literally spent tens of thousands of (other people's) dollars purchasing all manner of video and camea ephemera. They literally have everything and anything one might need to capture an image on film, memory card or other recording media. All of the goodies are here too, from Gorillapods to gobos and other things that are named with made-up words (BTW, both of those previous objects are real).

The only downside I can see from using this company is the NY attitude from the phone salespeople may sometimes be a bit shocking to the fragile southerner or the innocent midwest consumer. But, my experience with dozens of purchases has proven them to be honest, reliable and upfront with all of their offerings. So, if you're a little hesitant doing business with them..."Forgedaboutit!"

That was the best NY accent I could write. It really was.

To find B&H Photo, go here.

The eight most frustrating words a consumer can hear: "Your call is important to us-please hold"- Here's a solution!

Aaaauuugghhh!

I just got off the phone after traversing the infuriating phone maze of my cable company's customer support phone line. "Press 1 for English, Press 3 for billing, Press 5 for more options"

I wish they had a "press 9 for electric shock" for the person who invented this system!

So, while I was on hold (67 minutes!) I had the opportunity to surf the web for some kind of relief for this frustration of being kept in phone limbo while I waited for anybody to finally pick up the other end so I could pay them money!

Not me- But I feel his pain

What I found was a great website created by a consumer who was as frustrated as me in getting a human to answer my question. Get2human.com has gathered all of the "secret phone codes" for getting to a real person as fast as possible. The site also contains the tricks of using voice prompts to accomplish the same thing. Hundreds of companies are listed from the Fortune 100 to little operations most of us have never heard of.

This kind of site could cut your wait time drastically and spare the inventor of phone limbo a few electric shocks.

Oh, what the heck: 9999999999999999999999999999. Boy, that felt good! You can feel good too by going here.

Hey- I just found $50 in your dresser drawer!

You know that old baseball card collection sitting in your garage or that twenty year old video game console gathering dust in the attic? Did you know that someone will actually pay you money for those?

It's true and it's easy to do. Ebay is one of the better known companies on the web and Ebay members offer for sale everything from million dollar homes to wooden clothes pins to WWII fighter planes. These folks are selling their unwanted goods on the internet and you can too and it's free to join. Ebay gets a cut of the sale (a small one) and the rest goes into your pocket.

Ebay is not an online storefront like Sears.com or Amazon. The majority of the sellers are just normal folks like me and you. In fact, it's in Ebay's best interest to make it as simple and carefree as possible to sell your junk...er, treasures on their site. Tutorials and books on the subject of selling on Ebay abound, but the best place to start is at Ebay's official beginner's page located here.

Try selling an unloved widget or two then, once you have the details figured out, start scouring the house for that old rug, Aunt Millie's rocking chair and that awful owl lamp your mother-in-law gave you after you moved into your first house...oh, sorry- that was me.

P.S., I got $19 for the lamp...don't tell the wife!

Looking to save money on travel? Take a Kayak.

I like to travel, but with a family of five it can cost a pretty penny. Car trips are pretty much the limit for us, but sometimes we manage to muster up enough scratch to actually fly somewhere and a cruise may be not too far into our future (I hope!).

As I've pretty well established on this blog, I am a cheapskate and I'm always on the lookout for the best deal anywhere. Travel is no different. I'm willing to pay for a quality vacation, but I'm not looking to overpay  just to see an enormous mouse or dip my toes in an ocean. One of the most useful sites I've found to save on a vacation is Kayak.com.

Offering the lowest prices on flights, car rentals, packages, cruises, hotels and more, Kayak scours the internet for all sorts of deals and values and gathers them in one place for your review. They offer worldwide destinations and last-minute bargains you can grab for pennies on the dollar.

Travel hasn't gotten cheaper. Far from it. But when using Kayak, travel may have just gotten smarter.

To board your flight for a few dollars less, check out Kayak here.

If you're looking for a new job, This is the Web Site for You. Indeed it is!

There are literally hundreds of websites catering to the job searcher looking for any kind of employment(Monster, Careerbuilder, HotJobs) and there are those that serve far more specific occupations and industries (JournalismJobs, Higheredjobs).

You could spend all day looking through each and every site one...by...one- until your eyes are bloodshot or you could just go to a job seeking website with the unlikely name of Indeed.com.

I've been thinking all morning how to descibe this site without comparisons to Google, but I can't, because that's pretty much what it is. Enter any kind of search word having to do with your job interests as random as "bread", "manager" and "blue" turned up job offers in places as diverse as Maine, Virginia and Tennessee. You can also search by location (via state, city, zip code and region), salary, company, posting date and many more. An advanced search option gives you even more choices to refine your search for optimum results.

Indeed.com finds all of these positions by constantly reviewing virtually all job posting websites available and harvesting them for your review. New sites are added all of the time and checking back reguarly will reveal new positions and opportunities for you. The best part? Say it with me now: It's free.

Man, how I love that word.

Is your Windows software not performing to your standards? Go here for help!

Most of us have Windows. No, not the "look through" kind installed in the wall of your house, but the kind installed in your computer at this very moment. Windows is often seen as a kind of voodoo that "just makes stuff work". But, it's not really that at all- instead, think of it as a tool that allows you access to the information you desire, like an interstate highway. As such, you have the ability to use it as you will, picking and choosing how you use it instead of it using you.

With this unusual philosophy, you now have the mindset of making your Windows program do what you want it to and the site that will help you to achieve this is called Paul Thurrot's SuperSite for Windows.

Thurrot is a nationally known Windows expert whose site is a deep internet encyclopedia of all versions of Windows, tips, tricks, fixes, finessing, reviews, optional additions, Microsoft's other programs and even a sprinkling of Apple news too.

The good news is that this site is written in monkey simple English that makes concepts and step-by-step instructions easy to comprehend and follow. If you can't get your Windows question answered here, then you probably have no where else to go- it's that good.

The site is here.
He also has an entertaining website for those of you looking for something slightly more in depth and technical. Go here to download and hear it.

"What kind of payments you looking for?" - a guide for auto shoppers and those who love cars

I hate buying a car, which is weird, because I love cars themselves. I used to dream of '64 1/2 Mustangs, '70 Chevelles, AMC Javelins with a 401 cubic inch big block and even came thiiiiiiis close to buying a 1967 VW Karmann Ghia (but that's a long story).

One site I found combines a love of cars, trucks and all things that go zoom plus extensive and accurate pricing, common sense buying tips from former auto dealers and hundreds of reviews of the latest models. The name of that site is, oddly, Edmunds.com.

Long term tests, video reports and opinions from loyal readers all combine to provide the reader with an enormous amount of information for the potential auto shopper. This is the site to go to for the uninformed or new car buyer. the site is split into a drier, factual half and second half that has the look and feel of some of the country's most popular enthusiast magazine.

Drive over to Edmunds now and get ready for new entertaining ride.

Amazon ain't just a river in Brazil

Begun by Jeff Bezos who was so broke at the beginning he used a door for a desktop (legend has it he still does), the company began in the mid-1990's as a book store, offering millions of titles.

Today, Amazon.com has grown into an online shopping giant, with hundreds of thousands of products (millions?) for sale. Not just books anymore, although those are available still, but music CDs, videotapes and DVDs, software,consumer electronics, kitchen items, tools, lawn and garden items, toys & games, baby products, apparel, sporting goods, gourmet food, jewelry, watches, health and personal-care items, beauty products, musical instruments, clothing, industrial & scientific supplies, groceries, and more (my fingers are cramping from writing all of these!).

Shipping is often little to free and prices are some of the lowest you'll find anywhere. Selection is virtually limitless and the customer service is world-class. Chances are, if you're looking for a rare, hard to find Hungarian widget with floral decoration, Amazon has it in five colors.

Click on the link to go shopping now.

How the big box thing under the desk works

Let get down to basics here: How exactly does this computer thing work, anyway? I mean, you push the button, the box whirs and buzzes- maybe a beep- and it's ready for use.

But, let's look under the hood of the anonymous box near you and see what makes it work.

There's a silver thing there, a bunch of wires here, a little box with a fan in the corner. What do they do? How do they work together? How do all of these gizmos make your screen come alive?

These are a bunch of unanswered questions and, as well know, I'm not the guy to give you the answers. But, thankfully, I do know where to find the answers. The good people at howstuffworks.com knows how a computer works. So, click on this link and we'll find out together what the litlle box with the fan in the corner does.

Note: Don't really take your computer apart and touch anything. You could get a  nasty shock. Don't ask me how I know this...