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ARCHOS Portable Media Player: Great for Teens or Adults

April 23rd 2009 17:45

This past Christmas, I bought an ARCHOS 605 WiFi for both of my teenage sons. Interestingly enough, it was recommended to me by someone who knows a lot about computers. I had never heard of this portable media player, but it was recommended to me as better than an iPod, which I was what I had originally intended to buy them.

The ARCHOS has been a wonderful product for them. It was less expensive than the iPod and I can choose which add-ons to buy for them. One son wanted Internet access so we bought the web browser plug-in and downloaded the free widgets with it. With the video podcast plug-in we were able to download music in different formats. There are several additional options for plug-in that we have yet to try, although I know my sons would love every option there is including one to play movies. The only downside is that as you add each plug-in, the price does get closer to what you would pay for an iPod.

While most kids are running around with iPods, my boys get to brag about having something different that works better. It has a touch screen, that they love being able to use, and I was impressed with the graphics and the amount of storage available. A nice feature that you don’t see with the iPod, is that with the ARCHOS, you can switch the setup so it will appear as a drive on your computer. That makes it easier for downloads or to remove files that you no longer want on it.

The ARCHOS is more popular in Europe than in the U.S., but you can find places online that sell it. The big chains like Best Buy have not picked up on it yet, but when they do, they will be doing consumers a big favor.

Two thumbs up from me on this product.

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First Book Written

February 10th 2009 01:26

Ok, so I haven't written in awhile, but it’s because I’ve been busy with other pursuits (not to mention the fact that the current economy is depressing even for me). As much as I thought things would start to get better, I’m just not seeing it yet. Right now President Obama is giving his speech so that means no House tonight. I look at this as a good opportunity to catch up on my blog.

So in the mean time, I decided to get my first novel completed and it’s now done. I wrote a novel that falls in the women’s fiction genre.

I’m really excited about this since I have been working on it for quite some time. I have it edited and polished. As difficult as I thought writing the novel would be, I know the hardest part comes next. Now, I’m seeking a literary agent. (Anyone know one looking for new writers?)

What I’m discovering is that this is an incredibly daunting task. Agents are very picky. Don’t get me wrong, they should be when you consider how much junk they receive. It’s just I am trying to figure out exactly the right formula for the query letter that will help them want to read more. I have a feeling a lot also depends on their mood for the day (not much I can do there).

I know you’re wondering what this has to do with my blog. Not much. But hey, like I said before, the economy is depressing so I need to focus on something else.

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A New Year With Lots of Change

December 26th 2008 14:59

I am sad to see the holidays coming to an end. It’s a time to relax and spend time with families. On the other hand, when I look at my investment portfolio (ok it’s mostly retirement investments – I’m not rich by any means), I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. We all knew that this would be a terrible season for retailers. It’s hard to miss it since we hear about it in the news daily. However, now that the shopping season is at an end, we are poised to start the new year on the right track.

We have a new president coming into office in a few weeks. I’m not going to get into politics and talk about whether or not he will do well in the position. However, the fact that we have a new president elected, and soon to be inaugurated, in and of itself brings with it a positive influence on the economy. It may be short-lived, but around the end of January, we should start to see the stock market climb in response to the change.

How long this positive change will last and what kind of long-term effect really depends on the policies that are implemented soon after. I know most people don’t realize it, but implementing policies that will cost investors more will result in a prolonged depression. You see we need these people to invest their money in the economy. If they are afraid to because of tax penalties, then the stock market won’t improve. That causes a chain reaction that just means we will suffer longer. Yes, the higher taxes will go to a number of entitlement programs, but that won’t fix the problem.

Think of this like going to the doctor’s office. You often will list all of the symptoms you have and the doctor has to determine what could be causing those symptoms to really fix you. Too often, a doctor will just treat your symptoms though leaving you continuing to feel miserable or never really recovering. (We can’t all expect to be treated by Dr. House.> from the TV show.) The same is true about many entitlement programs. They treat the symptoms and don’t really solve our problems long-term. I’m not saying I have all of the answers, but I do believe we need think about the long-term effects of the decisions that will be made and start treating the actual disease. If you eliminate, or alleviate, the real problem, the symptoms start to dissipate on their own.

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To Buy or Not to Buy

December 5th 2008 02:00

Ok, so a lot of people are asking: HAVE WE HIT BOTTOM ON THE STOCK MARKET YET? If we haven’t, we’re pretty darn close. I am reading many articles on websites like the Motley Fool and the Wall Street Journal which indicate that may have gotten as low as we are going to go during this economic crisis. Things may just be looking up.

I have discovered that this is a good time to invest in stocks for pennies on the dollar – literally. I have taken the move of buying a few of them. I haven’t bought enough shares to get rich, but it won’t hurt

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Out of Business

November 17th 2008 03:37

I have noticed more and more businesses are closing shop in this bad economy. Bad for them and I feel sorry for the employees, but hey I am taking advantage of those great sales. Circuit City is closing a number of stores in my area and just got a great deal on a new TV and a few other electronics. These are things I hadn’t planned to buy and probably wouldn’t in this economy, but given the deal I got I couldn’t resist.

I know this is terrible but in this economy, I have been spending more money on energy and food. This means I have had less to spend during the year on extra or luxury items. So at this point, I really need to watch for the extremely great deals

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Lose Your Job? Go Back to School

November 6th 2008 03:07

I am a big supporter of higher education. In reality, I think that it is your ticket to so many opportunities. To start it can increase your lifetime earning potential. The problem I see is that so many people think that education is not for them. I disagree.

It does take motivation and commitment to complete a degree. Your best bet is to find someone who can provide morale support. I won’t lie. There will be times when you want to quit, but think about the end rewards

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Can Government Fix Our Economy

October 21st 2008 01:52

The government is pumping a lot of money to try and correct things quickly. It’s helping a little bit. More than anything, it’s creating a perception that it’s a good thing. You don’t see the market climbing or the housing prices rising again. The stock market is still not seeing large jumps. Things are becoming more stable but it will take more time before we reach the end of this.

We turn to politicians and expect them to come up with a quick fix when things don’t go the way we want. No matter what they tell you, no one politician can really do a lot to fix the economy. Not a Democrat or a Republican

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Dreaming of the Big Bucks

October 7th 2008 00:21

Wow, what a drop in the stock market we’re seeing. For the first time in four years, we have dropped below 10,000. I remember the days when we hit 10,000 and we were hearing about the records being set. Now they are even saying that it could be another year before we see significant improvements in the economy.

I pulled my money back a few months ago and moved it into safer investments. Now I’m seeing this as being the perfect time to get back in. Sure it may go a little lower, but I’m thinking it will definitely go back up in the long term and I as a long term investor I have time to wait. Short term investors like my in-laws are sticking with their CD’s and that works too

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A Financial Crisis

September 30th 2008 02:04

The news media keeps talking about the U.S. being in a financial crisis, but are we really? Lending criteria have been tightened. That much is true. However, it is only more difficult for those that are not credit worthy. Banks are not making loans to anyone like they used to. Now, you really have to show that you can repay the loan.

Those people that show that they can repay a loan – they have a good job and good credit – are able to get what they need. They can still buy homes and cars

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More Bail-Outs

September 18th 2008 03:21

So the federal government is once again bailing out financial institutions in the United States. I have resigned myself to the fact that this is, in fact, probably a necessary thing. I don’t particularly like it but let’s carefully consider what would happen if they didn’t. Remember throughout this that deposits in our banks are insured through something called FDIC.

Should these mighty financial institutions be left to fail, we will start to see people get scared about their deposits. This would lead many people – out of fear – to withdraw their savings from the banking institutions

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April 2009

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February 2009

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December 2008