I bet there are going to be lots of people moonwalking in a Michael Jackson costume! I've already heard of a couple of look-alike contests for Halloween parties.

I like all kinds of music, so between KUBE 93 and STAR 101.5, I can pretty much find something I'm interested in. For newsy stations, I'd have to go with KPLU, too. Anybody have a favorite morning show?

Tough one... I'm leaning slightly toward Sean Penn. I mean, Milk, All the King's Men, Mystic River....but then again, Matt Damon gave us The Departed, The Good Shepherd and the Bourne series (wasn't a huge fan of the Ocean's movies). Sean Penn gets into the minds of all of his characters and plays them to a tee, as dramatic as they are.

Lower prices!! I can endure rude customer service and late flights if I know I'm getting the best deals available. I fly pretty often, and those ticket expenses add up quickly. And now that the holiday season is approaching, I'm going to need all the steals and deals I can find!

Why is everyone hating on Wal-Mart so much?? Say what you want, but in this recession, that company is getting the last laugh. People will do what they have to do to save some bucks! Maybe their customers aren't as welcoming as they could be and maybe the floor aren't always spotless, but their products are CHEAP. Target has some higher-end things, but both stores sell a lot of the same products and I'll bet they're cheaper at Wal-Mart than Target. I'll deal with attitudes and lines if I know I'll be leaving the store richer than I would if I shopped at Target.

For those of us who have bought Vicks VapoRub for our children and are now reluctant to use it, read thisbefore you sigh about how you wasted money on the ointment: apparently, the VapoRub also clears some cases of toenail fungus?! And it actually works, more or less, based on the reviews from various people who have tried it. I guess you learn something new every day....

I'd rather have a basic, working phone with Verizon than the latest and greatest phones (like the Pre) with Sprint! They ALWAYS make mistakes with my bill (it was $100 over last month!), and then their billing and customer service people actually have an attitude when I call to get my balance adjusted! It's not my fault if they don't like their job. I'm so fed up. AT&T and the iPhone are calling my name....

@ Anonymous - 40 years, wow! The company should give you a "loyal customer" discount! Did you start using it as a child? Find that it works better than the other over-the-counter choices?

That article says that the study was conducted when an 18-month-old baby had Vicks applied "directly under her nose to relieve cold symptoms." Ugh! Not only is that not safe, but isn't it way too strong for a baby? They're sensitive to everything at their age, and you can smell that stuff from a mile away. I stay away from it.

In terms of hiring, the current job situation in this country does suck, but it's hard to deny the variety of green jobs that are needed and are emerging. There are tons of sites that lists green professions and companies; here's a particularly thorough one - http://www.greencareersguide.com - it lists jobs from wind power to solar power to environmental science to "cellulosic biofuels," and "other" (lawyers, consultants, etc.). No matter what one's background is, it seems like everyone can be qualified for at least one green position, which in itself makes the green industry a permanent part of the U.S. job sector.

The PC World article makes some good points. As a Mac owner, why should I even bother with the new Outlook, if in a couple weeks, I can upgrade to the new Snow Leopard OS, which is compatible with Exchange? Apple's Mail, Address and iCal are perfectly fine, and it costs a whole lot less to upgrade to the new OS rather than buy the new version of Outlook. I don't think all of Office 2010 is irrelevant for Mac users - they can make good use of Word, PowerPoint and Excel - but Outlook 2010 for Mac is.

Just last week, Microsoft released nine security updates, due to a vulnerability with Office Web Components, which affected Office and Windows, among other software. The company said that many of the security issues it has experienced this month are related to ActiveX controls. The article says that "many of the holes could be exploited just by getting a user to visit a Web page that has malicious code. 

"All of the ActiveX issues patched this month could be easily exploited and can impact even the average computer user," [Symantec senior research manager] Greenbaum said in an e-mail. 

Hopefully, Office 2010's new security feature, Protected View, will help prevent that, as users will be able to view a suspicious webpage without exposing their computer to any harmful codes or viruses.

Selecting the "maybe" option.

Anyone know about this - I heard a rumor that Google is going to either release specific details or actually update Google Docs with its promised "night and day improvements" on the same day that Office 2010 is released next year. Not sure how Google is preparing for that, since the date has not officially been announced, but strategic move, if true.

Lacking motivation, thats_what_she_said? Here's a fun site that I stumbled upon - think PerezHilton meets http://Lucky.com, with a little bit of http://EW.com? It's gossip news with a purpose! It discusses celebrities' environmental causes and how they're living a greener lifestyle, plus tips on how the average person can be fashionably (and affordably) green, and any other entertainment-related green news (local events, movies, music, etc) that can inspire people to change how they live. And it's not so boring and granola-ish (lol @themiamigrrl). Check it out: http://www.ecorazzi.com.

Ha, I have to agree with David Lazarus - somehow, I don't think politicians are going to win votes by rallying for higher gas taxes and parking fees, either. But, like he said, it's not completely a lost cause, especially in terms of getting people to want to take public transportation. The column says that "construction of new rail networks must be accompanied by a commitment to higher-density cities and suburbs in the form of more condos and apartment buildings near transit hubs" and that since "jobs and homes are spread so far and wide, it's almost impossible to imagine getting around many metropolitan areas without a car" - both of which create a dilemma for train development, but, in the meantime, what about buses? A more extensive bus system - one that has frequently traveled routes - through spaced-out metropolitan areas is one temporary solution to logistically getting people in those areas to the nearby transit hubs. The purpose of taking mass transportation is defeated if people have to drive to the train station (or bus station) because there is not a stop near their home or job; easily accessible bus stops would attract more riders. And although more buses means more pollution, it also means fewer cars on the road.