Watch for people scanning prices with their phones on Saturday!

If you see an unusual number of people down at your local Target, Wal-Mart, or what-have-you-Mart scanning barcodes with their smartphones, they're probably using Amazon's Price Check app.  Why would they be doing this?  Well, this Saturday, Dec 10, Amazon will give you 5% off, up to $5 per item.  You can do this for up to three items, thus saving you up to $15!

Thanks to lifehacker for the info!

Above and beyond the call of spousal support

This story from TUAW shows the wife of Rovio's CEO wearing a dress resembling a certain bird.  Can you see the familial lines?  I guess after all the money her husband's game has made, it's the least she could do!  Would you?

Pictures from Rovio and The Hollywood Reporter via TUAW

Something cool if you're a student

Along with its calculation capabilities, Google is now graphing equations!  Below is an example of what it can do.  Just type the (single variable) equation you want graphed and voilà!

Thanks to LifeHacker for the tip!

Why it's called a "Big Mac" and not a "Big Win"

Here are the instructions for setting up your computer (Mac or Windows PC) on McDonalds free wi-fi.  Hmmm... Seven steps, or three?  Which is going to get me back to my fries faster?

Thanks go to Daring Fireball via Cult of Mac (so you know it's biased, but so what?) for this link.

Geez, I wish I could present as well as this guy!

And he's a 6th grader!

When are you coming back from your break?!?

What does it say about a product that's in Beta and you already can't live without it after just a week or two?  Well, right now, it's called Siri, Apple's "intelligent" assistant.  The service was down for a few hours yesterday and it's down again today.  I'm finding myself checking every so often to see if it's back (when Siri's down, it tells you that it can't connect to the network).  And it's not just me either.  Do a Twitter search on "Siri down" or "Siri outage" and there are numerous posts about it.  Do a Google search for the same thing and you'll find any number of stories.

So, anyway, what do I think it says about the product?  I think Apple has a big hit on its hands.  I just hope it knows just how big it is and this is just a pre-release glitch and not what we can regularly expect from Siri.

Why I *need* two iPad 2s!

One of these things is not like the other...

I did a YouTube search for "golf iron shot."  Here are the videos it's recommending for me.  Hmmm...

Things I didn't know I didn't know

I came across this pic while perusing USA Today the other day. Really?  A record for riding a unicycle over bottles of beer?

I thought it interesting enough to take a screen cap and tuck it away, but I didn't think it'd be worth something to post about.  But sure enough, today in the Salt Lake Tribune is a story about another record I didn't know existed:  The Undie Run for "largest gathering of people wearing only underpants/knickers," according to the Guiness Book of World Records.  So there you go.  Two things like that come up; I must have to list them both.

Free games!

So I'm going to date myself a little here, but here's your chance to score some free games!  Yes, they are a little bit old, but I just loved playing Zork on my Commodore 64!

Duck!

According to NASA, an old satellite is going to reenter the atmosphere late tonight (9/23) or early tomorrow morning.  Luckily, most or all of the satellite will burn up on reentry, but there's always a chance that some debris will survive, according to the NASA UARS RSS feed.

Surviving in the wild

I'm totally doing this at the next hotel I stay at on a business trip...

Of course, the question is, how do you just get two raw eggs and a couple of strips of raw bacon?

Thanks to LifeHacker for the tips!

Toughest golf holes in Utah!

A group of sportswriters at the Salt Lake Tribune got together a list of what they felt are the 18 toughest holes of golf in Utah.  According them, this "Mean 18" stretches over 7,700 yards and were selected to create a par-72 "course."   One of the writers wrote about his experience.  Would you agree with their list?

By the way, I've played 7 of the 18, and so far I'd probably have to agree, but eventually I'm going to play all 18 and post the score...  Has anyone played more of them?  What do you think?

I'm pretty sure this is how "I Am Legend" began...

Didn't a genetically engineered cure for cancer start all the mayhem in the Will Smith movie, I Am Legend?...  Actually, it appears to be a virus and not a T cell in the movie, but read on...

Seriously though, this is pretty cool stuff.  The DeseretNews reports on a genetically engineered T cell that attacks cancer cells in advanced cases of a common type of leukemia.  Apparently, the "researchers said they added instructions to a virus for creating a molecule that binds to leukemia cells and tells the T cells to destroy them."  Please read the article for more.  Obviously this is a very simplistic explanation and a more technical explanation can be found here.

I'm sure all of us have been affected in one way or another by cancer.  Any steps toward a cure is a good step.

A Blog made out of trees?

I love this quote: "For those of you under the age of 25, a magazine is a blog made out of trees."

It's from an article (on a blog...) describing how a die-hard professional Windows user (a former editor of Windows Magazine no less!) became an Apple fan-boy.  Here's a hint if you are a Windows user and want to avoid the same fate:  Do not get involved with Apple's gateway drugs!

How the Editor of Windows Magazine Became an Apple Fanboy

Free $2 credit for Amazon MP3 music!

Get in on this quick!  This deal will expire at the end of tomorrow (6/30 11:59PM Pacific) so don't dawdle if you want to take advantage of it.

What is it?  Amazon is offering $2 of credit for MP3 music!

Maybe I'll see what $5 album I can get for $3... :)

Happy Fathers Day!

A little late, but I thought this is a great cartoon!  (I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with me being a fan of the iPad.)

If only my kids were this lucky...

Or maybe they're glad that they aren't!  (Either way, this is awesome.  Betcha can't look at just one...)

http://waveatthebus.blogspot.com/

GolfWeek's best municipal courses for 2011

Here is a list of the 50 best municipal courses from around the country for 2011 according to GolfWeek.  I've been lucky enough to play three of them, and I should easily be able to get the fourth played this year.  And, they're all in Utah!  Pretty lucky I am, I would say.  How about you?  How many of these have you played?

Year opened, designer(s), Rater's average

1. Bethpage State Park – Black

Farmingdale, N.Y.

1935, A.W. Tillinghast - 8.10

2. Chambers Bay

University Place, Wash.

2007, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton - 7.76

3. Butterfield Trail

El Paso, Texas

2007, Tom Fazio - 6.56

4. Piñon Hills

Farmington, N.M.

1990, Ken Dye - 6.24

5. Torrey Pines – South

La Jolla, Calif.

1957, William F. Bell - 6.21

6. TPC Scottsdale – Stadium

Scottsdale, Ariz.

1987, Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf - 6.09

7. Arrowhead Pointe*

Elberton, Ga.

2003, Robert Walker - 5.90

8. Indian Wells Golf Resort – Players

Indian Wells, Calif.

2007, John Fought - 5.90

9. Highlands of Elgin*

Elgin, Ill.

2010, Keith Foster, Art Schaupeter - 5.86

10. Memorial Park

Houston

1936, John Bredemus; Baxter Spann (1996) - 5.85

11. Soldier Hollow – Gold

Midway, Utah

2004, Gene Bates - 5.83

12. Olympic Course at Gold Mountain

Bremerton, Wash.

1996, John Harbottle - 5.80

13. Laurel Hill

Lorton, Va.

2005, Bill Love - 5.78

14. Haggin Oaks – MacKenzie

Sacramento, Calif.

1932, Alister MacKenzie - 5.75

15. TPC Harding Park

San Francisco

1925, Willie Watson - 5.74

16. Wintonbury Hills

Bloomfield, Conn.

2003, Pete Dye, Tim Liddy - 5.70

17. Torrey Pines – North

La Jolla, Calif.

1957, William F. Bell -5.69

18. Thunderhawk

Beach Park, Ill.

1999, Robert Trent Jones Jr. - 5.67

19. Sleepy Hollow*

Brecksville, Ohio

1925, Stanley Thompson - 5.67

20. Indian Wells Golf Resort – Celebrity

Indian Wells, Calif.

2006, Clive Clark - 5.63

21. Bethpage State Park – Red

Farmingdale, N.Y.

1935, A.W. Tillinghast - 5.60

22. Crandon Park

Key Biscayne, Fla.

1972, Bruce Devlin, Robert von Hagge - 5.58

23. Sunbrook – Pointe/Woodbridge

St. George, Utah

1991, Ted Robinson - 5.56

24. Hideout

Monticello, Utah

2002, Forrest Richardson - 5.55

25. Desert Willow – Firecliff*

Palm Desert, Calif.

1997, Michael Hurdzan - 5.54

26. Indian Canyon

Spokane, Wash.

1935, H. Chandler Egan - 5.54

27. SilverRock

La Quinta, Calif.

2005, Arnold Palmer - 5.52

28. Bowes Creek*

Elgin, Ill.

2009, Rick Jacobson - 5.51

29. Washington County

Hartford, Wis.

1997, Arthur Hills - 5.50

30. Brackenridge Park

San Antonio

1915, A.W. Tillinghast - 5.50

31. Soule Park

Ojai, Calif.

1962, Robert Baldock, William F. Bell; Gil Hanse (2005) - 5.50

32. Olivas Links

Ventura, Calif.

2007, Forrest Richardson - 5.45

33. Aspen GC

Aspen, Colo.

1970, Frank Hummel - 5.44

34. Montauk Downs

Montauk Point, N.Y.

1968, Rees Jones - 5.43

35. Breckenridge

Breckenridge, Colo.

1987, Jack Nicklaus - 5.42

36. Tierra Verde*

Arlington, Texas

1998, David Graham, Gary Panks - 5.40

37. Shepherd’s Crook

Zion, Ill.

1999, Keith Foster - 5.39

38. North Palm Beach

North Palm Beach, Fla.

1928, Charles Banks, Seth Raynor; Jack Nicklaus (2006) - 5.39

39. Chaska Town Course

Chaska, Minn.

1997, Arthur Hills - 5.38

40. Audobon Park Executive*

New Orleans

2002, Dennis Griffiths - 5.38

41. TPC Scottsdale – Champions

Scottsdale, Ariz.

2007, Randy Heckenkemper - 5.35

42. Boulder Creek

Boulder City, Nev.

2003,Mark Rathert - 5.35

43. Harborside International – Starboard

Chicago

1996, Dick Nugent - 5.32

44. Lassing Pointe

Union, Ky.

1994, Michael Hurdzan - 5.31

45. Wingpoint

Salt Lake City

1991, Arthur Hills - 5.30

46. Sand Creek Station

Newton, Kan.

2006, Jeff Brauer - 5.29

47. Inniscrone*

Avondale, Pa.

1998, Gil Hanse, Bill Kittleman - 5.29

48. Neshanic Valley*

Neshanic Station, N.J.

2004, Michael Hurdzan - 5.29

49. Fossil Trace

Golden, Colo.

2003, Jim Engh - 5.28

50. Cobblestone

Acworth, Ga.

1993, Ken Dye - 5.27

* New to list