When I first made the foray into the weird, wild, and wacky seemingly otherworldy dimension known as the webbernets back in 1998, the online experience mainly consisted of checking e-mail, posting to USENET and messageboards, and browsing a handful of sites. Taking in video content wasn’t hard to come by, but it certainly didn’t have the ease of access that is available today; there was no YouTube and many of us nerds were still rocking 56K modems.
But nowadays you’d actually have to actively not want to see video in order to not find it–it’s everywhere. YouTube knocked down the door, but Hulu took online video to the next level by allowing entertainment-seekers to legally watch network and cable programming with only a minimal number of commercials. Hulu has evolved so much that we recommend that the free service can be used in lieu of paying for pricey cable, but we recognize that laptop displays (which typically fall be between 10 inches and 17 inches depending on if you have a netbook or desktop replacement) can be a bit on the small size. Therefore, we’ll show you how to export the free Hulu content to a big screen, so you can ditch cable altogether.
This rather long (but hopefully insightful) intro was crafted to demonstrate that blind purchases where one doesn’t analyze the usefulness of a product, and cost you big bucks. Mama Wilson could have made due with a netbook, a low-cost, lightweight mini-notebook designed for anywhere web access. We’ve touched upon netbooks in previous post, but never delved into their fruits. Consider that oversight rectified as we’re going to take a look at the new $349 10-inch Acer Aspire One. I know what you’re probably thinking—a PC under $400 has to be crap, right? Slow down, cowpoke. The Acer Aspire One is a kickin’ little netbook, and show we’ll show you why the vast majority of PC users in the hunt for a new computer need some of this slickness in their lives. The Acer Aspire One doesn’t have the mind-blowing specs of other computers, but chances are the “meager” specs are all that you need. Let’s break it ‘down, Mac.
The recession is in full swing. The stock market is staggering. In these tough financial times, penny-pinching is en vogue, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun to meter the grim forecasts. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite low-cost activities that are sure to bring a few smiles and take the pressure off the wallet or pocketbook.
A few years ago, I decided to cut out the overpriced advertising circus that is cable TV. It was way too expensive, as I was living in the Lower East Side (where I also paid way too much for a bedroom), and made less than $40K–besides, most of the shows were crap anyway. I’ve been pretty happy since, although there are definitely times when I just want to come home and veg out to thirty minutes of mindless sitcom. Sometimes a DVD just doesn’t cut it.
