Happy Birthday to the Internet

The Internet turns 40 years old today. It's all grown up. Who knew?

On October 29th, 1969, "the first two nodes of ARPANET were interconnected between UCLA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and SRI International (SRI) in Menlo Park, California". I suppose the rest is history. Eventually came the now-dead Geocities, broadband, file sharing, social media, pictures of cats and Kanye West memes.

It really is hard to imagine life without the crazy World Wide Web these days. It's just as ordinary as turning the lights on or cranking the heat during the winter. We use the Internet on our phones, personal computers and our video game consoles and expect to be able to do so without a wait or a series of crazy dial-up noises.

I think my first encounter with the Internet was around 1993 or so. My friend was on AOL I believe, and we would log into chat rooms after school and make fun of people. Looking around at message boards these days, I suppose that really not that much has changed. So what about you guys? What was your first encounter with the Internet?

Source- Mashable

Saving Time and Money with the Freezer

As a new home owner, switching food over between refrigerators and freezers has made me more acutely aware of just how bad I am about preserving food. After cleaning out several sets of leftovers, it's hard not to feel like there's more I could have done to freeze the food that wasn't going to get used right away. Using the freezer better not only results in less time preparing food, but also less money spent since you're using the leftovers so well.  I've tried to do this a few times in the past, but I've never been able to find the right balance of time and effort.

I'm not sure if any of you are in the same boat as me, but if you are, I found a recent post on Lifehacker to be fairly helpful when it comes to the freezer. 10 Simple Freezer Tricks to Save You Time and Money has some practical guidelines to follow that will make your life easier. For instance, one of the tips talks about using a chopstick to break apart pieces of frozen meat for portion control. Also, saving hard drives in freezers can help damaged recover lost data, or may at least allow it to boot long enough to get what you need.

To read more freezer tips, be sure to visit Lifehacker. How about you guys? Do you have any freezer or refrigerator tips to save time and money?

Making a Greener Halloween

Like most U.S. big ticket days, it's hard to avoid Halloween. Seeing as how stores start lining up the orange party decorations as early as July 5th, it's obvious that October 31st is a big event for many shoppers. To be honest, I've never been one to dress up much myself, but that doesn't stop me from buying candy like Willy Wonka. Or looking at pictures of robot pumpkins.

Given the amount of consumption around Halloween, it makes you wonder just how much of what goes on is environmentally friendly. Luckily for the eco-minded, we have Green Halloween. Not only does Green Halloween like capitalizing on clever rhyming conventions, they also give great tips about how to make Halloween less harmful to the environment. Their blog has tons of great tips including party activities, masks and even costumes for the kids.

To read more about how to be green this October, visit Green Halloween.

Getting the Most out of the Fridge and Freezer

Even though we are kind enough to provide food and shelter for our household appliances, sometimes they can be greedy and unappreciative, draining precious energy as quickly as taking money out of our wallets. While there are several appliances that act as energy hogs, it's no secret that the refrigerator and freezer are two of the bigger offenders.

The Simple Dollar recently posted an article that gives 7 Ways to Maximize the Value of Your Refrigerator and Freezer. Apparently, there are a few really easy things that everyone can do to start saving money and energy almost immediately. For instance, did you know that moving the fridge away from the wall by just a couple of inches can make it up to 40% more efficient? Likewise, filling your freezer with jugs of frozen water reduces the amount of time that it has to run.

Following some of these steps can lead to some quick savings. To read more about maximizing the value of the fridge and freezer, visit The Simple Dollar.

25 Great Restaurant Deals

The current state of the economy has people trying to save money left and right. Cutting costs during a recession is always a smart move, and businesses aren't immune from the effects, either. In fact, many businesses are offering extra incentives for consumers looking to save a buck.

It seems that restaurants in particular are trying to lure the hungry masses into their doors through great savings and specials. I came across a cool list over on WalletPop that showcases 25 of the Best Restaurant Deals that you can get for your money right now. Some of the specials are an absolute steal, including a few courses at Chili's for two for under $20.

If you're looking for some ways to eat out without having to search the couch cushions for spare change, I'd highly recommend visiting WalletPop to read more.

10 Easy Sun Projects You can do at Home

I'm not always the craftiest of people, but occasionally I like to try my hand at easy do-it-yourself projects at home. They don't always work out so great, but hey, what can you do?

However, I recently came across a post over on Lifehacker that demonstrated 10 DIY Projects that Harnass the Power of the Sun. For any of you sun nuts, there's a lot of great material here that you can easily spend a weekend knocking out. The projects range from using a magnifying glass to engrave cool shapes into wood to charging your iPhone with solar power. There's even a way to convert a lawnmower to solar energy and extend Wi-Fi to your backyard.

Who knew you could do so much with the sun's energy at home? I highly recommend checking out the cool list of do-it-yourself projects. To read more, visit Lifehacker.

How Your Freezer Can Save You Money

For some, the home freezer is a frozen wasteland of TV dinners, freezer-burned leftovers and chunks of ice stuck in the ice maker. If you're like me, there is an unnecessary amount of food each month that ends up getting spoiled in the refrigerator or the pantry, only to be needless tossed in the waste basket. However, the freezer can help. We use it to chill our desserts and get ice to make our drinks cold, but did you know that your freezer can save you money on food, as well as reduce waste?

The New York Times has a great article up about how the normal home freezer can extend the life of your food. Rather than throw food away, you can store it and squeeze the most out of the items that you buy at the grocery store. There are several tips that range for all kinds of food, including strips of chicken, grain, egg whites and more, and how you can use leftovers to make new meals.

To read more about using the freezer to save money on food, be sure to visit the New York Times.

As Seen (and Green!) on TV?

If you are like me, you find As Seen On TV products pretty fascinating. I blame my father, as I get at least one thing every Christmas from an infomercial! However, I came across a blog post recently that made me look at some of the products in a whole new light.

Sustainablog did a great review of Five Greenish Products You've Seen on TV. While the products aren't exactly what you would consider "green" and there is no endorsement of any particular product, I think it's an interesting topic to consider.

Take the ShamWow for instance. One of the selling points is that you can use it for a lot of jobs you would normally reach for a paper towel to do. Anything that can help you avoid using paper products is a plus. On the other hand, it's made out of a "rayon-type" material that may not be so easy to recycle.

Another product mentioned in the post is the Twin Draft Guard, a product that I must admit I have had my eye on. My doors are pretty drafty! They may help to save you money on energy, but there isn't much known about the materials used or manufacturing process.

I think it's important to give products like these a look, especially if you feel like you've run out of "greening" ideas. However, it's a good idea to use them more as a guide to what you want to do next. And if you find something you like that you think might be a solution, be sure to research it beyond what the spokesperson yells at you from your TV at 2 o'clock in the morning.

Resolution Zen

Having trouble keeping those New Year's resolutions? Still trying to come up with some? Check out the great blog Zen Habits.

Zen Habits covers anything and everything to do with simplifying your life and meeting your goals, including topics like: productivity, being organized, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.

Start out with the The Beginner's Guide to Zen Habits, a handy post with links to some of the better posts to start with. Economy got you down? How about The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips For Frugal Living? If you are overwhelmed just thinking about making changes, give Simple Living Simplified: 10 Things You Can Do Today to Simplify Your Life a try. Or if you just want to do nothing, well, check out The Art of Doing Nothing!

If you want 2009 to be your best year yet, I highly recommend taking a look at this motivational blog!