Fresh on the heels of introducing its Games Downloads store, Amazon has created a Video Games Trade-In Store. This move will likely take a bite out of Gamestop’s lucrative trade-in business. In my tests, trade-in values seem to be somewhat on the low side but I suppose you can expect to sacrifice some trade-in value [...]

Today Amazon introduced its new venture into digital downloads for games. So far the new Game Download store contains 600 ‘casual games’ that can be played without the need for physical media (remember optical media is dying). Titles range in price from $6.99 to $9.99, with older games costing less. Additionally, games can be [...]

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Lots of food, the start of the college football bowl games and no work for at least two days. It’s also because I give the best gifts. I get to give all the cool, noisy toys to my niece and nephews because [...]

There are only 17 shopping days left until Christmas and if you’re looking for an online bargain you may want to check out ShoppingNotes. This site offers services similar to Savvy Circle, but ShoppingNotes is more versatile. In fact, ShoppingNotes will keep track of any product available online and notify you of prices changes. Searching [...]

I know this is not a typical technology post, but I wanted to say Happy Birthday to all the other Devil Dogs out there! On April 19, 1775, British troops fire on Minutemen on Lexington (Mass.) Common and the American Revolution begins. Then, on 10 November, 1775, the Continental Congress authorizes two battalions [...]

H
ave you ever thought to yourself “I wish I could find out when things I like go on sale online. Everything is so expensive now.” Well, those were the words that launched Savvy Circle, a free online service that notifies subscribers whenever the items they want go on sale! Being a girl who likes [...]

StumbleUpon is a great way to discover new content on the internet. You tell StumbleUpon about your interests and it will show you pages from the internet that you might enjoy (you can try a quick demo if you are wary). The easiest way to use StumbleUpon is via the Firefox add-on (there [...]

If you are a digg.com fan you have probably heard of its competitor reddit.com. If not, reddit is a social news site where users submit and vote on news stories with the idea that the good stuff will float (or uptick) to the top. I have been disappointed in the content that digg [...]

Here are the video podcasts that I enjoy watching on a regular basis. Most of these are available in HD or high quality formats. Be sure to go to the podcast site to find the HD feed and then open iTunes and use the Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast … trick to get [...]

With oil approaching 140 dollars per barrel, there is a lot of talk of peak oil production and the end of civilization as we know it. Well, maybe civilization will come crashing down, but I don’t find this very likely. Read on to see why.

We have made some changes around the Zaphu website recently. One big change is that we are trying out the Disqus comment system. It is only active on new posts, and you should be able to test it out for yourself below. If you like it, go ahead and register at the [...]

Happy Pi Day! For everyone who doesn’t know today is March 14th, or Pi Day (3.14…), and that means it’s time to celebrate. I am a huge fan of all things mathematical, so in honor of Pi Day I will list some fun novelty items that will make your Pi Day celebrations much more enjoyable. [...]

Are you one of those people who must have all the newest gadgets? You have to run to the store the night before something comes out so you can get it as soon as it hits the shelves? Then after a few months, you suffer from “Man, was that a stupid purchase” syndrome. [...]

As I write this post I realize that I have owned the same alarm clock since 1991. My sister and I received identical Sony clocks for our birthdays that year, and I know that she upgraded to something more sophisticated long ago. Perhaps it is also time for me to take the plunge and find [...]

Let’s face it. Right now, there are a lot of mobile phones on the market. Phones for music, phones for texting, phones for email, and every now and then you can find a phone for talking. The problem is that because of all the contracts we’re forced to sign, we can only [...]