new TV or a vacation?

Here is one way to look at it. A new LCD TV will last for years. A vacation will only last a week or so.

Here is another way to look at it. A good LCD TV will last many years. A good vacation will last forever...

LCD myth confirmed

I just realized the reason why my TV died two months before the two-year Costco warranty was due to expires. It is often thought that home appliances and electronic devices, LCD TVs not excluding, are programmed to die after two years of service. The trick is that I got mine as a floor model, so it probably had worked for a few months prior to its demise. So, I consider the myth about cheap LCD TVs confirmed. It's too bad those floor models are not so easy to snatch!

My cheap LCD story

This is totally inspirational and uplifting. At the time when cheap LCD TVs are getting cheaper and cheaper it appears as if I was able to snatch the ultimate cheap TV. A free one. That's right. Zero dollars. The downside is that I had to return it. Well, here is what happened. Almost two years ago I got a little 19" Proview LCD. It did not even have a HDTV tuner, which was eventually rectified through the purchase of a Samsung DirecTV receiver. I got this unit at Costco for about $300. You'll say that it's not free? OK. Two weeks ago the thing broke down during a baseball game. The big question at the time was how much I'd have to pay the city hall to have it removed. Surprise! As it turned out, Costco extends manufacturer warranty on TVs up to 2 years! I was able to return the unit for full refund. That's what it means to have owned a real cheap LCD TV for almost two years!

Civil War music

Here is a little story that fell through the cracks. It's been syndicated by AP, but I saw it at CNN:

http://cnn.com/2007/US/09/29/civilwar.bands.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

"With darkness settling over the battlefield and soldiers bedding down for the night, the familiar lyrics rose -- music and voices blending from both Union and Confederate camps."

You get the picture. It was disappointing to find out that this little piece of publicity did not convert into visits on the websites of these good bands, particularly 2nd South Carolina String band. I am totally partial to it. So, I will shamelessly plug it right here: