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Daily archives for January 24th, 2007

File Taxes Online

Jan24
2007 Written by Editor

I don’t know about you, but whenever January gets here, I immediately start thinking about taxes. I start getting my receipts and other paperwork in order, and I anxiously scan my mail each day as I wait for my various 1099 and W2 forms.

My tax situation has been pretty straightforward over the years, so in the past I’ve always been able to file my own returns without the help of an accountant or anything like that. I tried some tax filing software one year, but felt that it was too complicated to use and wasn’t worth the $59.99 that I spent on it.

This year, I’m looking to file my taxes online because all my friends have told me that it’s easier than dealing with paper forms and there’s a better chance of getting a refund quickly (if one is due, of course). I thought that sounded like a good idea, so that’s probably what I’m going to do.

As you might expect, there are lots of websites out there that offer tax return services. I spent some time sifting through a few of these sites and discovered a good one called esmarttax.com. There are several things that separated eSmart Tax from the other sites I viewed.

First of all, eSmart Tax lists their prices for their most popular services right on the front page of the site. I could see at a glance that it costs just $7.95 to file a 1040EZ and that state returns cost just $12.95. There aren’t any hidden fees or anything like that, so you’ll know going in exactly how much you need to spend to file your returns.

Second, the eSmart Tax online tax filing software is easy to use. You can give it a test run by either viewing the demo on the site, or registering and testing out the software without actually submitting a return. Either way, you’ll get a good idea of how the software works and how easy it is to enter your data.

Third, eSmart Tax offers many advanced features that help ensure you’ll be getting the biggest return possible. For example, you can run different “what if” scenarios to see which one lowers your tax liability the most. I think this sounds like a great feature that I would definitely use often!

Overall, esmarttax.com looks like a winner as far as online tax services go. Give them a try this year!

Posted in Services

Cartier Santos Watch

Jan24
2007 Written by Editor

I’m not much of a jewelry fan, but I do love wristwatches. Though I can’t afford to buy the expensive timepieces that I really want, I still try to purchase a new watch at least every other year. One of the favorites in my collection is my Cartier Santos, which I bought several years ago after careful consideration. These are the points that I looked at before making my decision.

  • Looks: I don’t care how expensive a watch is or what name is etched on the face of it — if it doesn’t looke good, I’m not going to wear it. Fortunately, the Cartier Santos isn’t lacking in this area. It has a two-tone stainless steel bracelet accented with 18k gold, a square dial, and Cartier’s trademark sapphire-capped push piece on the side.
  • Function: The Cartier Santos is an automatic watch that requires neither a battery nor winding in order to work. It gets its power from motion, so as long as it’s on your wrist, it will operate just fine. At first, I liked this aspect of the Santos, but it got to be annoying after awhile. I have numerous watches and I like to rotate them, which means that I always have to go through the process of adjusting the time on my Santos prior to wearing it because it stops if I leave it sitting for more than a day.
  • Price: The Santos is an expensive watch for me, but I don’t think it’s even on the radar when it comes to truly upscale timepieces. But looking at this watch from the point of view of an average consumer, I’d say that it’s not really worth the $3,000+ price tag. The name simply doesn’t have the same cachet as, say, Rolex, so in retrospect, I think I should have gone with an entry-level timepiece from that company instead.

And that’s precisely what I would recommend to you. If you’re going to spend this amount of money on a watch, I’d look at Rolex or Omega rather than Cartier. Although I liked my Santos when I first bought it, I’ve gotten tired of it and haven’t worn it in at least a year.

Posted in Products

Football Message Boards

Jan24
2007 Written by Editor

Football is my favorite sport, and with my hometown Chicago Bears headed to Super Bowl XLI, I’m ready to talk the team up wherever I can! There are a couple of football websites that I visit regularly, but I don’t really interact on any of them because the community members don’t seem very nice or pleasant.

However, I just found a relatively new NFL message board site that looks very promising. The forum is at footballboards.com and has only been around for about six months, which means that there probably aren’t that many established member cliques and newbies would be welcome.

I like the layout of the boards and how the forums are divided by the different divisions. It appears that there’s a nice amount of activity on the boards right now: not so much that it’s impossible to keep up, yet enough so that it’s worthwhile to visit several times per day. Oh, and there are boards for college ball too, so this site definitely looks like a keeper!

Posted in Websites

The Ladykillers (2004)

Jan24
2007 Written by Editor

Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors, so I’m usually up for watching anything that he appears in. The 2004 film The Ladykillers, which was produced and directed by the Coen brothers, slipped under my radar at the time of its release, and I pretty much forgot all about it until recently. I did want to see it eventually, however, so the last time I was at the video store, I picked it up. Here’s what happened.

Hanks stars as professor G.H. Dorr, a classical scholar who presents himself as a true southern gentleman. One day he knocks on the door of Mrs. Munson (played by Irma P. Hall), a widower who has a room to let. Professor Dorr explains that he needs a place for his band to practice, and after inspecting Mrs. Munson’s cellar, says that her home would do just fine. Mrs. Munson agrees to take him in as a boarder.

Little does she know that the Professor’s “band” is a band of criminals rather than a musical band. Instead of practicing songs, what they really intend to do is tunnel through the clay walls of Mrs. Munson’s cellar all the way to a riverboat casino that docks near her home. Then, with the help of their “inside man” Gawain MacSam (Marlon Wayans), they plan to abscond (as the professor would put it) with more than $1 million in cash.

Despite the professor’s meticulous planning, things don’t go as smoothly as they should. The rest of the film deals with the various snags and obstacles that come up, and the ways in which Dorr and his gang try to overcome these problems.

I thought The Ladykillers got off to a somewhat slow start, but I stuck with it and really warmed to the whole story. Films by the Coen brothers are always hit or miss with me, so I was worried about the prospects of actually liking this one and was surprised at how enjoyable it actually was — especially after reading some of the mixed reviews from professional critics.

Yes, the characters were over-the-top, but they were supposed to be. I for one loved seeing Tom Hanks step out of his usual everyman role and play the quirky professor. I wasn’t very familiar with the supporting cast, so don’t have anything to compare their work to, but thought they were all pretty good in this film.

Overall, I give the movie 3 stars out of 5. It wasn’t the Coen brothers’ finest film, but it’s still entertaining enough to be worth watching at least once.

Posted in 3-Star Movies, Comedy/Dark Comedy

Get the Most Out of HDTV

Jan24
2007 Written by Editor

If you have an LCD or plasma television, then you’re already enjoying many of the benefits of HDTV, such as incredible picture and sound quality. But there’s a chance that you might not be getting the most out of your television, particularly if you’re still using analog cables. Instead, you should try an all-digital HDMI cable if your TV is compatible. With this kind of cable, you won’t experience lost picture and sound quality because of signal conversion issues, which ought to make a noticeable difference in your viewing pleasure. Check it out!

Posted in Products

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