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The Best Black Friday Deals

Shopaholics, your favorite day of the year is here!

Whether you’re shopping Black Friday deals online or in-store, We has a list of places that will save you money!

Check out our list of The Best Black Friday 2010 Deals!

Amazon Sale

1. Amazon.com Black Friday Deals

Amazon Black Friday SaleOne of the very best Black Friday sales has just started and it’s from Amazon.com. This year Amazon.com is making a huge push to take on Walmart, Target, and Best Buy by offering their Black Friday sale the entire week. Not only will they be adding new products to their sale every day, but they will be matching or beating the Black Friday prices that you’ll find at the big retailers.

We do almost all of our shopping at Amazon.com because they have the lowest prices and they make it so easy to shop with free shipping and no sales tax. We suggest you check out the Amazon.com Black Friday sale and take advantage of some of the amazing specials they currently have in stock.

2. Target Early Black Friday Deals

Target Black Friday SaleTarget’s 4-day pre-Black Friday sale begins today and you will find a ton of toys, video games, and seasonal deals available to purchase online and in-stores. One of the video game deals that stood out to us was a Nintendo DSi gaming console for just $119.00 both in-stores and online. We are expecting some of these items to sell out quickly, so we suggest you browse the Target 4-Day Pre-Black Friday Sale ad to see if there is anything you are interested in.

The Target Black Friday sale has just started online! The Target has one of the best Black Friday sales this year and we absolutely love the deals they are offering. With that in mind, we think that many of these Black Friday specials will sell out quickly. We strongly encourage you to shop the The Target Black Friday sale right now and take advantage of these deals before they are gone.

3. MacMall Black Friday Sale

MacMall Early Black Friday SaleMacMall’s 60-hour Black Friday sale has just started and it features discounts on a bunch of different Apple products. As most Apple fans know, it’s very tough to get any sort of discount at all on the Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, Mac Mini, or iMac.

During this MacMall 60-hour Apple sale, you can save $50 to $85 off select Apple computers. They are also offering discounts on the iPod Touch, Apple TV, and various computer accessories. To view the MacMall 60-hour Black Friday sale, click here.

4. Sears Black Friday Sale

Sears Black Friday SaleOne of the very best Black Friday sales has just appeared online! You can now shop at Sears and get all of their Black Friday deals. We really love the Sears Black Friday sale this year. They’ve got great deals on tools, HDTVs, clothing, and seasonal items. Just like all of the other sales going on right now, these special offers are for a limited time only and the popular items sell out quickly.

We suggest you shop the Sears Black Friday sale right now to lock in these deals while they are still available for their Black Friday prices.

5. Kohls Black Friday Sale

Kohls Black Friday SaleThe online Kohls Black Friday sale just appeared online. This year Kohls is offering over 400 early bird specials with deals on clothing, seasonal items, housewares, and much more. We highly recommend the Kohls Black Friday sale as they are offering some exceptional savings this year.

As usual, the promotions offered in this day after Thanksgiving sale will sell out quickly so we suggest you shop online right now and lock in your orders while items are still in stock.

Other Great Black Friday Deals:

Cabelas SaleExpress SaleSears Outlet SaleKmart SaleTiger Direct SaleOfficeMax SalePacific Sunwear Sale

Bonus! Hostgator Black Friday Discount: 80% Off Web Hosting


Update: 20% Off (Promotion Good Through 12/31/10)


Hostgator is one of the top shared web hosting providers along with Dreamhost. Although I am not using Hostgator Web Hosting for this blog, I am using it for two of my static websites and I am really pleased with their services and customer supports. I would recommend their services to anyone who is looking for a web hosting account. Regardless of their price, Hostgator is the preferred web hosting service for WordPress platform.

Hostgator Black Friday Discount

Hostgator is providing a huge promotional offer for their web hosting services to celebrate Black Friday. The Black Friday 2010 Promotion brings a huge lucrative offer for those who are looking to buy a web hosting account. This will also be their best deal in 8+ years of hosting. Just go through the details given below to know more about this huge discount from Hostgator.

Hostgator Black Friday Promotional Offer:

The Hostgator Black Friday 2010 Promotion Sale starts exactly at 12:00 AM Friday November 26th, 2010. For the first five years, you will get 50% off on anything you buy with them. The next four hours gives you the biggest discount offer in Hostgator History. They are offering 80% off everything you buy with them in these four hours. Since they have limited this huge offer for just four hours, they will follow the policy of “First Come, First Serve” during this time.

After those four hours, they will be offering 50% off on everything you buy with them until 11.59 PM Friday November 26th, 2010. Using this promotion, you can get 3 years of Hostgator Web hosting for as low as $35.64. You can also get reseller hosting as low as $4.99 per month, so try not to miss out this offer.

In short:

Shared hosting: 0.99$/month

Reseller hosting: 4.99$/month

VPS hosting: 3.99$ for first month

Dedicated Hosting: $34.80 for first month

If you are thinking about buying a web hosting plan for any your online business, then hurry up and take advantage of this unique offer from HostGator on this Black Friday.

Get 80% OFF Web Hosting with Hostgator

Update: The hostgator official website basically can’t open when 80% discount appears. After about 15 minutes all 80% Off Web Hosting has been sold out. there is only 50% Off now.

Other Hosting Black Friday Discount:

60% off web hosting by FatCow!

50 Free Apps We’re Most Thankful For

Collected by lifehacker

As we prepare to give thanks for our delicious Thanksgiving meals (and impending food comas), let’s not forget to pay tribute to the wonderful developers who bring us our favorite free apps.

With a little spreadsheet magic and a few choices of our own, we bring you the top 50 free apps we’re all most thankful for. Whether you’re celebrating the holiday or not, it’s a great list of free software that ought to make for some gluttonous downloading. The popular apps are some of the more obvious, however, so be sure to look further down the list for new free software you may not yet know about. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

The 50 Free Apps We’re Most Thankful For

  1. Dropbox

  2. VLC (Video Lan Client)

  3. Google Chrome

  4. Firefox

  5. Opera

  6. Google Apps

  7. Simplenote and Notational Velocity

  8. CCleaner

  9. uTorrent

  10. Transmission

  11. sabnzbd+

  12. Open Office

  13. Skype

  14. Evernote

  15. GIMP

  16. KeePass

  17. LastPass

  18. 7zip

  19. ImgBurn

  20. Microsoft Security Essentials

  21. AutoHotkey

  22. Pandora

  23. FileZilla

  24. TrueCrypt

  25. Handbrake

  26. VirtualBox

  27. Audacity

  28. Paint.NET

  29. iTunes

  30. Thunderbird

  31. Foobar2000

  32. Pidgin

  33. Adium

  34. avast!

  35. TeamViewer

  36. TweetDeck

  37. Launchy

  38. Quicksilver

  39. Instapaper

  40. ReadItLater

  41. XBMC

  42. PuTTY

  43. Cyberduck

  44. Perian

  45. XAMPP

  46. Windows Live Essentials

  47. Winamp

  48. TeraCopy

  49. Eclipse

  50. MediaMonkey

And that’s the list! Happy downloading, and happy Thanksgiving!

50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do

Written by A. Isaac

We understand that not every guy out there can be a jack of all trades. But at the very least, if you can master these 50 things, you’ll be able to hold your head high at the end of the day.

50 Change a tire

Nothing is more unmanly than having to call AAA or one of your buddies to change your tire. Assuming you have all the right tools and a semi-functional brain, the job should take no more than 10 minutes. Just a friendly reminder though, be sure to cover up the plumbers butt for all the bystanders.

49 Use a charcoal grill

Any idiot can turn on a knob on a propane tank and adjust the heat on a gas grill. But there are many times, especially in the great outdoors, when you aren’t afforded that luxury. Charcoal grilling has become a lost art and frankly, as a fat man myself, I find the food tastes much better. It takes some patience to wait for the coals to turn gray, but the reward more often times than not, is a perfectly cooked piece of meat.

48 Bong a beer

We’re certainly not asking that you relive your college days or go Old School on the masses. Nevertheless, at a tailgate with your buddies, when that beer bong makes an appearance, go Frank the Tank on it. “It just tastes so good when it hits your lips”.

47 Throw a punch without looking like a sissy

Inevitably, at least once in your life, you’ll find yourself in a situation where the fists of fury are required. There’s no need to panic, especially if you haven’t been in a fight before. The absolute worst thing you can do is open up your hand and bitch-slap someone or throw a wild haymaker like a girl. Compose yourself, rotate your fist and drive with your hips. A word to the wise, a straight punch to someone’s nose can get you out of a hairy situation pretty quickly.

46 Fry a turkey

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, there may be no better time to learn how to deep-fry a bird. A tip of the cap to the fine people south of the Mason-Dixon line for making this a popular trend. So grab some peanut oil and watch that bird turn a deep golden brown. You won’t regret it and trust me, it tastes a lot better than that roasted turkey your mom has been making since the 70?s.

45 Hook up the cable

Every guy should learn this, if only to avoid the day long wait for the ever-tardy cable man. In essence, it’s as simple a task as you’ll find on this list. A plug here and there, sticking it in the right hole, turning the right knob. Think of it like sex–put the required parts in, get out as fast as possible, and badabing badaboom, you’re watching TV five minutes later.

44 Pick-up a woman with a one-liner

“Is that a keg in your pants
because I’d like to tap that”. Regretfully, that line has not worked for me nor any other man since the Cro-Magnon days. But a first impression is indeed important when it comes to picking up women. A cheesy line gets you a drink in your face, a smooth one gets you in her pants. Your move Casanova.

43 Get your money’s worth at a buffet

Like any good strategist, a mapped-out plan of action is needed when you enter the wonderful world of a buffet. Skip the greens and fruits, that is, unless you actually care about living past 50. Go for the jugular right away–the carving station, the chicken wings and every other beast that was slaughtered for this fine spread. A good rule of thumb is to hold off on the heavy carbs until you’ve gotten your fill. Then feel free to enjoy some mash potatoes and mac & cheese. Make sure to leave some special time with the commode nine hours after you finish.

42 Some assembly required

Those three words scare the living bejesus out of 90% of men out there. Do not fear, you don’t need to be Bob Vila to follow simple instructions. The biggest problem for guys seems to be skipping steps and getting ahead of themselves. Don’t be that a-hole. If all else fails, the internet is your friend. Yes, it’s not just there for your daily porn intake.

41 Know your local professional sports teams

You don’t have to paint your face, you don’t have to regurgitate stats, hell, you don’t even have to sport the team colors. But dammit, on command, you better know all the sports teams in your city. Lest you utter the “Boston Yankees” in a bar and get your ass beat by a bunch of Southies.

40 Pour a beer

Perhaps nothing is more annoying than waiting for a frosty one at a bar and having one delivered full of foam. This isn’t rocket science people and you certainly don’t have to be Tom Cruise in Cocktail to figure it out. Tip the glass slightly as you pour that brewed delight. And yes, this is the only time in your life where it’s acceptable to give head.

39 Jump-start a car

Every guy has a friend whose car is in shambles–stalls at red lights, a bad transmission, and of course, a crappy battery. Don’t be the person standing around when the jumper cables come out, lend a helping hand–positive to positive (red to red) and make sure to ground that sucker. Otherwise, you’ll have a catastrophe on your hands.

38 Throw a football

Indeed, you’re no Peyton Manning, perhaps you’re not even as good as the local HS quarterback. Throwing a spiral, however, is as easy as anything in sports. Even if you have small hands and can’t grab the ball on the grip (that’s what she said), it’s still pretty simple.

37 Haggle for a lower price

“Never accept the first price” is something that’s hammered home to every young man by their father. This doesn’t necessarily mean you pretend you’re an Arab merchant and haggle at the local grocery store. But anything north of $100 bucks, in my opinion, is fair game.

36 Tie a tie

Regardless of whether your job entails dressing in a three piece suit, you will have to, at least a few times a year, be forced to wear a tie for a wedding or funeral. We assume you’re not wearing the clip-on variety so you’ll have to do the Windsor knot. It’s not as hard as it looks and again, the internet, especially YouTube, is your friend.

35 Erect a tent

The first time you erect a tent, naturally, it’s going to be confusing. You may even get frustrated to the point where you’ll never camp again. Take a deep breath, find some level ground and pound those stakes down. Work your way from there and you’ll find things a bit easier.

34 Cast a fishing rod

As a kid, it was acceptable to drop your tiny fishing rod off the dock and say “Here
fishy, fishy, fishy”. But as you get older, you’re actually going to have to cast slightly further than two feet beyond the pier. That is, unless you want to watch catch Sunfish and Bluegill your whole life.

33 Build a fire

One of the most satisfying parts in the movie Castaway was Tom Hanks ability to start a fire with two sticks. It’s an amazing feat and one that I’m sure all men would love to add to their repertoire. Nonetheless, in general, the need to build one without the aid of a match or lighter probably won’t arise. But building the fire itself, yea, that’s something you should eventually learn, lest you look like a foolish outdoorsman.

32 Tap and operate a Keg

We hit on this earlier, but a beer full of foam is worthless. If you, by chance, find yourself in charge of keg operation, it’s not necessary to wildly pump every five seconds. Let the beer settle, stop jostling the keg around and have some patience. That frothy goodness will be yours in no time.

31 Use a chainsaw

While working manual labor one summer, I pretended I knew how a chainsaw worked. Easily one of the biggest mistakes of my life. There’s this thing called a “chainsaw kickback”–it’s when the chain catches on something as it rotates and it kicks the guide bar back and up towards you. Well, I wasn’t aware of that nugget of information and almost lost an eye. Thankfully, I was still a young strapping lad and had cat-like reflexes.

30 Paddle a canoe/kayak

You’d be amazed at how many people can’t perform something as simple as sticking an oar into the water. Listen very carefully, because I’m only going to pass on my wisdom only once. If you want to turn right, stick your paddle on the left side of the boat, if you want to turn left, stick your paddle on the right side. That’s some aquatic knowledge right there.

29 Choose a scotch/whiskey

Age, region and blend are the three most important factors in choosing a quality scotch. In general, if it is not at least ten years old, it’s not worth your time. A single malt is certainly preferred, but you’ll have to dish out a few extra bucks for it. And yea, if you get a chance, try one from the Islay island region. The taste is a bit smokier than others but the strong flavor is worth it.

28 Drive a manual car

Admittedly, I suck at this. The first car I ever drove at fourteen years of age was a stick and I nearly crashed into a church. It scarred me for years. Despite that, I can operate a manual at the most basic level. Sure, I probably couldn’t go more than a few minutes without stalling like an idiot but in a bind, yea I can pull it off.

27 Pick-up a girl using your dog as a wingman

You’ve no doubt heard that a dog is a man’s best friend, and like any friend, a dog should be willing to be your wingman when needed. So if the chance arises where a woman is nearby, give your cuddly buddy some tender love and care. A scratch behind the ear and some rubbing of the tummy will score you some brownie points with the ladies.

26 Know how to navigate a road trip

We’ve become spoiled brats with our GPS, Google Maps and Mapquests. It’s essentially America’s lazy way of traveling. Ask somebody how to get to a store five miles away and they’ll plug it into their phone. No really, I’ve seen it happen and it’s embarrassing. Just wait for the day when you’re on a road trip and the damn satellite goes out. Watch how dumb you’ll look when you can’t read a simple road map.

25 Perform CPR

Not to be a Debbie Downer here but this is a stone-cold fact. If you’re not in the medical field and your performing CPR, you’re more than likely doing it on a friend or family member. Not a random stranger on the street, but somebody you love and care about. Do yourself a favor and spend five minutes a year reviewing this. In the end, it may very well save a person’s life.

24 Iron a shirt

You can’t always expect your wife or girlfriend to be around. Same goes for the local dry cleaners. If you spend any time traveling whatsoever, you’ll know that a shirt will get wrinkled in your luggage. Instead of looking like a slob, grab the hotel ironing board and start moving and grooving. Toss a little starch on those collars too.

23 Shine your shoes

You’re supposed to look your best from your head all the way down to your toe. So while most men may actually think your hair says a lot about you, a scuffed-up dull shoe has the same effect.

22 Do at least ten push-ups on command

Ten seems to be a good round number here. If you’re not able to perform at least ten reasonably solid push-ups, we suggest holding off on the McDonald’s value meals for awhile. Oh yea, keep that butt down too, none of those sissy push-ups.

21 Dance

We’re not asking that you pull out your best Fred Astaire impersonation. We simply ask that you function on the dance floor like a normal human being. Ditch the robot, the sprinkler and every other asinine dance move you learned in the 80s. Keep it simple stupid–some basic movies to the left and to the right and a dip here and there for the ladies. That’s it.

20 Play poker

No, I don’t mean online poker–there is literally no skill involved as you furiously click a mouse several thousand times an hour. I’m talking about staring someone in the face, knowing their bluff, and pushing all your chips in the middle of the table. You don’t have to be a pro to win a big hand, you just have to play your cards and the man, correctly.

19 Parallel park

Those who live in the country will rarely have to face this task. However, if you live in an urban setting, parallel parking is a must. Generally, it’s a matter of time and patience, something most men seem to lack behind the wheel. Fellas, you don’t need to do it on the first time, if it takes you two or three runs at it, no biggie. Just get the job done.

18 Unclog a toilet

While most toilet problems can simply be fixed with a plunger, there are times when you’re going to have to get down and dirty. Grab a snake and dig in because, for some reason, your wife thought it was a fantastic idea to shove a whole period’s worth of tampons down the commode.

17 Upgrade at a hotel

In the service industry, a “Benjamin” can go a long way. This applies, not only at the local strip club, but when you’re trying to get an upgrade at a hotel. Being casual about it is your best bet. As you slip them a credit card, stick the bill underneath and give the receptionist (hopefully a nice young lady) your best smile. You’d be surprised how often this works.

16 Rally after a big night of drinking

Everybody seems to have their own hangover remedy–a cup of coffee, a Gatorade with two Advil, perhaps some Chaser. I won’t sit and preach to you because, simply put, everybody’s body reacts to booze in different ways. What I can tell you is this
man up. If you need some caffeine, brew a whole damn pot. If you need to hydrate, hook an IV into your arm. Just get through the first few hours and worry about that raging headache later on.

15 Spot fake breasts

You’ll have to trust your eyesight on this one because it’s rare that you’ll be able to grab and feel for yourself. Personally, my rule of thumb has always been what I call “the jiggle factor”. If a woman can jump around or even walk without those things bouncing up and down, chances are, you got some silicone in your sights. Breasts are fatty tissue after all, and if fat aint jiggling, it aint real.

14 Choose the right urinal

There are unwritten rules for male public bathroom usage. No peeking, no excessive talking and by God, choose the right freakin urinal. If you’re the first one in, you DO NOT choose the unmanned one in the middle. The farthest one away from the door is your only choice. After that, it’s like a trip to the movies. Try to leave as many spots open between you and the next person.

13 Sew a button

Unless you’re some physical freak that regularly keeps themselves in shape, you’re going to gain weight as you get older. Gaining weight evidently leads to stretching out a shirt and snapping a button off. A simple thread and a needle is all you need. Remember, it doesn’t have to look pretty, it just has to work in a bind.

12 Unhook a bra with one hand

This is a daunting task if you’re a bit clumsy or lack any dexterity in your appendages. If needs be, practicing on a dummy or mannequin isn’t the craziest idea, although, it’s highly embarrassing. Our tip for you is pretty straightforward–reach back there and use two fingers. Actually wait, nevermind. That’s for something else entirely.

11 Open a bottle unconventionally

Not everyone carries around one of those fancy bottle openers on their keychains. One day, you’ll need to use a lighter or a hard surface to pop that baby open. Whatever you do, avoid the drunken rage of trying to pry it open with your teeth. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself at the dentist in the not-so-distant future.

10 Talk your way out of a traffic ticket

George Washington once stood underneath the cherry tree and uttered, “I cannot tell a lie”. Well, luckily for good ol Georgie, he never had to to talk himself out of a traffic ticket before. Beg, borrow, cheat, re-enact an event–anything it takes to avoid a $200 fine and taking it up the rear from your insurance company.

9 Off-road without flipping the ATV

First off, wear a helmet. You can only control an ATV so much as a beginner and you’re better off not becoming a vegetable. The most common mistake people make is taking a hill diagonally as opposed to head on. That’s the easiest way to lose control and inevitably, flip your vehicle.

8 Buy a gift for a woman

Those crotchless panties might seem like a great idea at the local porn shop, but if you ever plan to get laid again, you might have to be a little more thoughtful. Here’s an idea gentlemen, listen to what she has to say. It’s a novel concept, I know. Most women are willing to tip-off their likes and dislikes in normal conversation. If you’re willing to stay attentive for a few minutes, it hopefully will pay off sometime down the road.

7 Surf the web anonymously

We’re certainly not advocating you become a subscriber to every porn site imaginable, but there will come a time when you’ll want to peruse a few sites without someone else knowing. A few things you need to know: One, learn about proxies and two, clear out your cookies, cache and delete your history every time you use the web. That may very well tip off people to what you’re doing, but hey, at least they won’t know you enjoy Japanese anime porn.

6 Spot a liar

Unfortunately, the one person you’ll really need this type of wisdom for is your significant other. Yes, if your wife or girlfriend continually comes up with cockamamie stories of where she’s been or if she’s conveniently spending the night at her friends house, you have a serious problem. Confront her and ask direct questions. If she can’t look you in the eye or tries to change the subject constantly, well then, my deepest apologies fellas, you probably have a cheater on your hands.

5 Drive in crappy conditions

Be it rain, snow, sleet, hail, or even just muddy conditions, as a man, you have to be able to handle the elements. So adjust your driving accordingly. The absolute dumbest thing you can do is to try and be a hero. Your ultimate task is to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ without killing yourself. If that means driving 30mph, so be it.

4 Change a diaper

You may not have kids of your own, but inevitably, one of your buddies or siblings will impregnate a woman. Don’t think you’re in the clear here, because at the very least, you’ll be forced to babysit once. Stock up on the Huggies, the wipes, the powders and hope to God that kid isn’t lactose intolerant.

3 Make a drink

A few shoots of smooth liquor, a splash of juice and a lime wedge is all it takes for a solid drink. Nothing fancy, pretty straightforward and to the point. Once you start tossing around bottles and mixing stuff you have no idea about, yea, that’s when you’re asking for trouble.

2 Shave

Unless you plan on sporting the Grizzly Adams look for the rest of your entire life, you’ll need to put a razor to your face every once in awhile. Remember, up and down, with and against the grain, but never, EVER sideways.

1 Make a mean breakfast

Every man needs to learn how to make breakfast for one very reason. If you want that chick you hooked up with the night before to come back, you need to either a) be stellar in the sack or b) cook the most incredible breakfast ever. We’ll guess you’re no Peter North, so, throw on an apron and fry up some bacon and eggs buddy.

10 of the Best iPhone Apps

Written by David Pogue

From left, SoundHound, FakeCalls and Dragon Dictation.

From left, SoundHound, FakeCalls and Dragon Dictation.

I noticed that the No. 1 most e-mailed New York Times article for all of last week was Bob Tedeschi’s list of great iPhone apps. It’s still on the most-e-mailed list. Wow—hot topic, eh? O.K., fine—two can play that game. Here are my top 10 iPhone apps.

1.  Dragon Dictation (free)

Speak to type. In general, excellent accuracy. After the transcription appears, one tap slaps the text into an outgoing e-mail message, text message, Twitter or Facebook update. Or just copies it to the clipboard. Not as good as dictating directly into any box where you can type, as on Android phones. But much faster than typing with your finger. My review is here.

2. Ocarina ($1)

People complain about their kids becoming addicted to their gadgets. But on long rides, I’m delighted that my son and daughter spent hours practicing this bona fide wind instrument. Blow into the microphone, learn the fingerings of the four “holes” on the glass screen
beautiful music. It was one of the first apps I reviewed.

3. Google Mobile (free)

Speak to search Google’s maps. Now with Google Goggles built in: Point the phone’s camera at a book, DVD, wine bottle, logo, painting, landmark or bit of text, and the hyper-intelligent app recognizes it and displays information about it from the Web.

Bonus suggestion: Google Voice. Hot off the presses! This app finally surfaced on the app store after a year and a half in limbo, as Apple mysteriously refused to approve it. But it’s here, it’s sweet, it offers free text messages, cheap international calls, free transcripts of your voicemails, and a raft of other useful features. I reviewed it just this week after its release.

4. LED Light (free)

The LED “flash” on the iPhone 4 is incredibly powerful; you could practically light up a runway with it. It’s fantastic for reading menus and show programs in dim light, for inspecting plumbing and car parts in narrow spaces, and for removing splinters. Unfortunately, turning it on involves opening the Camera app, switching to video and turning on the video light. Right? Not anymore. Just open this app to activate the LED instantly—bright and easy.

5. FlightTrack Pro ($10)

Incredible. Shows every detail of every flight: gate, time delayed, airline phone number, where the flight is on the map, and more. Knows more—and knows it sooner—than the actual airlines do. Better yet: the Pro version auto-syncs with Tripit.com. You book a flight online; you forward the receipt to [email protected]; and Tripit puts the flight details into FlightTrack Pro wirelessly and automatically. You never do any data entry at all. I reviewed it last year.

6. FakeCalls

When you tap this icon on your Home screen (it’s disguised and labeled only FC), in about ten seconds, your phone rings. It’s a fake call from—anyone you’ve selected in advance. (I have mine set to Barack Obama, but that’s just me.)

The simulation of the iPhone’s traditional incoming-call screen is perfect—ringtone, contact info, Mute and Hold buttons, the works. Ideal for extricating yourself from difficult situations, like meetings or bad dates.

7. Line2 (free)

Gives your iPhone a second phone line with its own number—one that makes or receives calls over WiFi when you’re in a hot spot (no AT&T minutes!), or over AT&T when you’re not. Unlimited texting, unlimited calling, $10 a month. I’ve reviewed it several times, most recently in September.

8. Twitter (free)

Most free Twitter apps are a bit on the baffling side. This one is the official app from Twitter, Inc., and it’s simple and clean.

9. SoundHound (free)

Beats Shazam at its own game. Hold this app up to a song that’s playing on the radio, or even hum or sing the song, and the app miraculously identifies the song and offers you lyrics. It’s faster than Shazam too.

10. Bump (free)

If you and another iPhone owner both have this app, you just bump your phones together to exchange business cards. Sadly, it’s gotten a lot more complex as it’s matured, to the extent that a buddy and I could barely figure out how to store the received “card.” But although there are many similar apps, this is the one most people are most likely to have already, making bumping extra convenient.

What else is on my iPhone? Red Laser. Glee. Kayak. FlightBoard. OnTime. The New York Times, of course. Skype. Kindle reader, B&N eReader. Dictionary. Facebook. WeDoodle. TEDPlayer. Mint.com. FingerFoos. Scrabble. Remote (for Keynote). SpawnHD. FourSquare. Pandora. MobileMe apps (FindiPhone, iDisk, Gallery). Yelp. Flickr. And about 65,000 little games and fun apps deposited by my kids on car trips.

Happy apping!

Bonus:This Video Will Blow Your Mind (Probably)

The 5 Most Profitable Drugs They Never Cure You

Written by Jason Parham

In this week’s cover story, writer Keegan Hamilton investigates the controversy surrounding ibogaine, the experimental hallucinogen drug that has helped kick meth and heroin addictions.

Ibogaine is illegal, even though its power to cure addicts has been proven. Hamilton’s story describes the many reasons the medical establishment and the government are wary of Ibogaine, despite its benefits, but one of them really stood out:

Because Ibogaine is an outright cure, drug companies want nothing to do with it.

Martin Kuehne, a chemist at the University of Vermont, is quoted in the story, saying, “Pharmaceutical companies don’t like cures. Really, they don’t — that’s the sad thing. They like treatment. Something for cholesterol or high blood pressure that you take for years and years, every day. That’s where the profit is.”

When we read that, a light went on. The worst thing for a drug company is a pill you take that completely cures you of your ailment with one dose, right? Where’s the money in that?

So, with that in mind, we thought we’d test Kuehne’s theory, and look at the five most profitable drugs in the United States.

Guess what they all have one in common? They never cure you.

1) Lipitor (2009 gross revenue: $7.5 billion): Designed to lower cholesterol, Lipitor uses statins to decrease LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increase HDL cholesterol levels. Studies indicate that high cholesterol increases one’s chance for heart disease, the leading health problem in the U.S.

2) Nexium (2009 gross revenue: $6.3 billion): This well-marketed drug decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach, but it’s not an instant cure for heartburn.

3) Plavix (2009 gross revenue: $5.6 billion): Nobody likes a nasty blood clot, and this drug prevents that from happening, particularly after a stroke or a heart attack. The downside: Plavix increases your chances of small-injury bleeds and, if drinking alcohol, heightens your risk of stomach and intestinal bleeds.

4) Advair Diskus (2009 gross revenue: $4.7 billion): For asthma sufferers, a twice-daily inhaler to reduce the swelling in your respiratory system. Helps keep attacks from being more severe.

5) Seroquel (2009 Gross: $4.2 billion): Rounding out our top 5 is Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug that treats schizophrenia, severe depression, and bipolar disorder by altering chemical activity in the brain.

Bonus: TIL the continents can be rearranged to form a chicken

Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving

Written by Allie

Packing all of your belongings into a U-Haul and then transporting them across several states is nearly as stressful and futile as trying to run away from lava in swim fins.

I know this because my boyfriend Duncan and I moved from Montana to Oregon last month.  But as harrowing as the move was for us, it was nothing compared to the confusion and insecurity our two dogs had to endure.

Our first dog is – to put it delicately – simple-minded.  Our other dog is a neurotic German shepherd mix with agonizingly low self-esteem who has taken on the role of “helper dog” for our simple dog.  Neither dog is well-equipped with coping mechanisms of any kind.

When we started packing, the helper dog knew immediately that something was going on.  I could tell that she knew because she becomes extremely melodramatic when faced with even a trivial amount of uncertainty.  She started following me everywhere, pausing every so often to flop to the ground in an exaggeratedly morose fashion – because maybe that would make me realize how selfish I was being by continuing to pack despite her obvious emotional discomfort.

When the soul-penetrating pathos she was beaming at me failed to prevent me from continuing to put things in boxes, the helper dog became increasingly alarmed.  Over the ensuing few days, she slowly descended into psychological chaos.  The simple dog remained unfazed.

Unfortunately for the helper dog, it took us nearly a week to get everything packed up.  By the time we were ready to begin the first part of our two-day journey to Oregon, she seemed almost entirely convinced that she was going to die at any moment.  She spent the entire car ride drooling and shaking uncontrollably.

But the simple dog seemed to enjoy the trip.

Even though she threw up seven times.

She actually seemed to like throwing up.  To the simple dog, throwing up was like some magical power that she never knew she possessed – the ability to create infinite food.  I was less excited about the discovery because it turned my dog into a horrible, vomit-making perpetual motion machine.  Whenever I heard her retch in the backseat, I had to pull over as quickly as possible to prevent her from reloading her stomach and starting the whole cycle over again.

But as far as the simple dog was concerned, it was the best, most exciting day of her life.

It wasn’t until we stopped for the night in Umatilla that the simple dog became aware that there was any reason for her to feel anxious.  But at around two o’clock in the morning, the simple dog finally realized that something was different and maybe she should be alarmed.

This particular dog is not anywhere near the gifted spectrum when it comes to solving problems.  In fact, she has only one discernible method of problem solving and it isn’t even really a method.

But making high-pitched noises won’t solve your problem if your problem is a complete inability to cope with change.  Unfortunately for everyone involved, the simple dog did not understand this concept and she went right ahead and made an interminable amount of noise that was just invasive enough to make sleeping impossible.

After an hour of failed attempts at comforting the simple dog, her constant, high-pitched emergency-distress-signal became a huge problem.

I tried to communicate my displeasure to the simple dog, but communicating with the simple dog usually goes like this:

She was going to make that sound forever if she felt it was necessary.  We tried everything from spooning her to locking her in the bathroom, but none of it was even the slightest bit effective.

The simple dog made the noise all through the night and was still going strong the next morning. When we were loading the dogs into the car, the constant, high-pitched sound emanating from the simple dog finally broke the helper dog.  The helper dog wailed in anguish, which alarmed the simple dog.  In her surprise, the simple dog let out a yelp, which further upset the helper dog.  And so it continued in a wretched positive-feedback loop of completely unnecessary noise.

When we finally arrived at our new house, the dogs had calmed down considerably.  Unfortunately, it had snowed the night before and there was still snow on our front lawn, and that was enough to catapult both dogs back into hysteria.

The simple dog had either never experienced snow or she’d forgotten that she knew what it was, because when we let her out of the car, she walked around normally for about seven seconds, then she noticed the snow and her feeble little mind short-circuited.

At first, the simple dog was excited about the snow.  She started prancing around the yard like she was the star of a one-dog parade – her recent personal crisis overshadowed by a haze of enthusiasm.

The prancing turned to leaping and the leaping turned to running chaotically in stupid little circles. Then she just stopped and stared at the ground.  There was a visible shift in her demeanor as she realized that she didn’t understand snow and it was everywhere and she should probably be scared of it. She started making the noise again.

Not surprisingly, the helper dog interpreted the snow as a sign of her imminent demise.  But she was so exhausted from worrying about all of the other signs of her demise that she just gave up and accepted her death.  She peered up at us, half-buried in the snow.  Her eyes were filled with pain and helplessness, as if she thought we had summoned the snow for the sole purpose of making her sad.

We decided that it would probably be best to bring the dogs inside.

As a condition for allowing us to have dogs in our rental house, our landlady made us promise that we wouldn’t let the dogs scratch the wood floors.  We didn’t anticipate it being a problem because it hadn’t been in the past, but as soon as our dogs set foot in the house, they morphed into perfectly engineered floor-destroying machines.  They started sprinting as fast as they could for absolutely no reason – skittering around in circles to avoid running into the walls.

We finally corralled them in the bedroom and shut the door to give ourselves a little time to regroup and come up with a plan.  Until we could get some rugs or convince the dogs that it was unnecessary to sprint around chaotically for no reason, we would need to find some way to prevent them from scratching the floors.  What we ended up doing was going to the pet store and buying two sets of sled dog booties. It was the only way.

It is easy to imagine that a dog who has recently experienced a dramatic upheaval of its formerly safe and predictable life might not react well to suddenly having strange objects attached to all four of its feet.  This was most definitely the case with the booties.

The helper dog panicked and started trying to rip the booties off with her teeth.

I scolded her and she reacted as if I’d ruined her entire life.

But at least her immobilizing self-pity kept her from chewing the booties off.

The simple dog just stood there and looked at me in a way that would suggest she didn’t realize her legs still worked.

They had to wear the booties for two days.  Those two days were filled with the most concentrated display of overemotional suffering I have ever witnessed.  The simple dog spent most of her time standing in the middle of the room looking bewildered and hurt and the helper dog refused to walk, instead opting to flop her way around the house like a dying fish.

The entire ordeal was punctuated by the simple dog’s high-pitched confusion alarm.

We were beginning to think that our dogs were permanently broken. Nothing we did helped at all to convince the dogs that we had only changed houses and our new house was not, in fact, some sort of death-camp and we weren’t actually planning on killing them to fulfill an organ harvest ritual.  Despite our best efforts, they continued to drift around in a sea of confusion and terror, pausing only to look pitiful.

But while we were unpacking, we found a squeaky toy that was given to us as a gift shortly before we moved.  We offered the toy to the dogs.  This may have been a mistake.

Upon discovering that the toy squeaked when it was compressed forcefully, the simple dog immediately forgot that she’d ever experienced doubt or anxiety ever in her life.  She pounced on the toy with way more force than necessary, over and over and over.  The logic behind her sudden change in outlook was unclear.

But at least she was happy again.