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Even as an adult. Some might even say that it’s even more important as an adult because if you don’t get it right, it can cost you a lot of money. Let’s look at an example.

I’m in the market for a newer car. Our 1999 Elantra has been treating us very well, but she’s showing a couple of rust spots. Rust tends to be like an iceberg where you only see 10% of it, the rest is hidden. Even still the rust alone isn’t a big deal. The added factor is that we’ve had some changes in our lives and I need something that I feel more confident in. We’re about to break 200K km on the car and that starts to bring it into slightly more unpredictable territory for me. Combine that with the fact that we only have one car and travel has become a far more vital part of our lives and it all points to a newer car.

I really like my Elantra and all the reviews indicate that the later models are even better than the 1999 model. So I’m leaning very heavily into buying another. That’s where the homework really begins. Now I need to find out what we can afford, what options are we want (A/C is a necessity for us now) and what model year those factors will steer us into. I began shopping around just to see what was out there. There are lots of 2003s available but far fewer in later years which is where I’m hoping to end up. One ad did stick out at me though. It was a one year old Elantra with low kilometres. Just one problem. The price!

If you check the ad, you’ll see that it may seem fairly innocuous until you start price comparing. So where would I price compare a lightly used 2007? How about with Hyundai themselves with a brand new 2008? Yep, that’s right. Lightly used 2007, $25000 + sales taxes at the DMV or brand spanking new, top of the line 2008 Elantra (which is a slightly improved model over the 2007) for $24540 + taxes at the dealership. Now I’m not 100% sure if there are tax savings to be had on the 2007 because I’m not that well versed in the details of used car taxes vs new car taxes, but surely it such a gap that would make the ‘07 a sensible buy? If you want to dig further into the question, the ‘07 is a 5 speed which means it’s standard. The top of the line ‘08 is an automatic. The top of the line standard transmission car for 2008 ends up with a price tag of $22340 + tax.

So that’s where homework can demonstrate its importance. If you were considering a lightly used 2007 Elantra, you could approach this particular ad in one of two ways. You could walk away because you feel the seller has unreasonable expectations or you can approach the seller with what you feel is a fair offer and have facts to back up that position.

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I was wandering the web and came across a piece written by Larry Hannigan in 1971. Given the current financial climate, it’s important that everyone take some time to read I Want The Earth Plus 5%. If those of you in developed countries have ever been bothered by thoughts of the economic disparities in the world, then this will help to explain some of it. If you’ve ever come to the reaslisation that if all of the things you bought were actually made in your country, you wouldn’t be able to afford them, then this is for you. If you’re in the US and trying to protect yourself from the oncoming economic collapse, read this and remember that buying gold is ultimately exchanging your money for the coins in the vault.

I’ve never really understood the complexities of broad financial policies and the role of central banks. The idea of countries being indebted to vague organizations like the world bank always seemed a little off to me. Now I am starting to understand. I Want The Earth Plus 5% will not make you a economic expert by any stretch, but if you don’t understand why central bank reserves exist and how they work, this is as good an introduction as I’ve ever read anywhere. The overall website seems a little out there, but this article really did speak to me about something that I had a strange gut feeling about for many, many years.

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We went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall last night and I’m pretty satisfied with our choice

We weren’t sure what to go see, so we shortlisted a few movies, went to rottentomatoes.com and Forgetting Sarah Marshall was rated pretty highly by a pretty nit-picky crowd. Since we only got around to seeing it now, the theatre was half full/empty (depending on how you look at things) which meant that the burst out laughing scenes didn’t get the uproarious laughter they should have.

If male nudity makes you laugh in a comedy, then you’ll bust a gut in this one. I’m talking about the Will Ferrel style male nudity. There’s a couple of absolutely hilarious full frontal scenes. Aside from that though, the story’s pretty good, though predictable as usual. The characters are fun though and generally well done. I found Bill Hader to be a bit much, but Jason Segel, Mila Kunis and Paul Rudd were pretty good throughout. The one that really impressed me though was Russel Brand. Man that guy had me in stitches with the character he was playing.

All in all, it was a fun movie and if you’re curious as to how your date would react to male full frontal nudity, here’s a less awkward way of finding out.

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It’s been a while since I’ve tinkered with anything so I thought I’d give a new tube for my guitar amp a thought. A year and a half ago I wrote a review on the Vox VR30 I had bought and at the time, the sound sounded decent to me. Well as time wore on, the background hum started getting annoying since I’m only playing at home where I’m keeping the volume at a reasonable level. So I figured I try a new tube in the pre-amp (the power stage is solid state). After a bit of research I found that tubes are like guitars and amps, there’s one for each style and preference. I made a few calls and it turns out that MusicStop fails again… Buckleys pulled through for me though, having a whole bucket of 12ax7 tubes in stock. I stopped there on my way home from work and picked up a JJ/Tesla 12ax7 which, from what I read, seemed to be a decent middle of the road tube.

I have to say the change was tremendous. As it turns out there was just one of those cheap Chinese tubes in there and apparently was the source of 98% of the hum. The leftover hum feels like perfectly sensible background noise when using tubes. While I’m hugely impressed by the improvement that arose from this simple change, I’m not quite finished yet. According to this review of a bunch of tubes, I could actually do a lot better than the JJ. With each tube having its own character, I’ll probably have to try at least one or two more to see which one seems to fit my personal preferences.

The next step is a new speaker which I’ve been investigating for a bit. I’m still tapping a few source for information so I won’t know which I’m getting for a while still. I’ll be sure to post once I have more details on that adventure

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Many times I find that we Canadians share different values than our US neighbours. It’s strange because while it is very difficult to discern a Canadian from an American in many social situations, once a discussion on personal values arises, the lines in the sand begin to appear. It would appear that I share different values with one American on yet another issue. That issue is that of public libraries.

There’s a discussion about funding of public libraries over at Morgan Hill Review that illustrates the division. Whereby the author looks at the situation as a potentially poor use of tax revenue, I personally hold public libraries in much higher regard. The Morgan Hill Review talks about the costs associated with a library as compared to the costs associated with meeting those same needs by putting the same amount of money in the people’s hands.

The author’s arguments are fair, but certainly do reflect what has traditionally been a US principle. The principle is that taxes should be used to provide only the barest of minimums and the individual is left to get whatever else they want. Few would argue that a public library is a strict necessity, so his argument is valid. In Canada we have a tradition of being taxed and tend to be far more accepting of it than our neighbours. As such, I personally see a public library as a vital element to a community. There is a very fair question of usage and it sounds as though the Santa Clara County library may not be as heavily used as others. If so that’s a terrible shame, but a harsh reality. In Halifax, I’ve found the libraries to be very heavily used and well worth the investment, but I can imagine their expenses coming into question if they weren’t well used.

Library relevancy is being challenged in a big way. In today’s digital age, there are now alternatives to the library from the average citizen’s perspective. Just because there’s an alternative to them, doesn’t make libraries irrelevant on its own, but this is the first time that libraries have really had to “compete”. Given that there’s very little organizational culture within libraries that include competition as an element, they are sometimes ill-equipped to meet the new needs and expectations of their communities.

I’m new to libraries as organizations, but today as the US wraps up national library week, I have no doubt that the questions raised over at Morgan Hill Review are being raised elsewhere. My personal hope is that libraries throughout the world adapt and effectively communicate their changes and relevancy to their communities. The millenials are addicted to information and everything I’ve read so far shows that they are some of the heaviest library users out there, but they also are some of the most impatient people when it comes to retrieving information. Their expectations are high so the libraries must step up to the plate and meet those expectations head on. Libraries will survive as an entity, of that I’m sure. The immediate danger though is access in smaller communities as they work to justify their costs and meet their new users’ needs. Their loss would truly be sad.

We, as Canadians, should pay attention to situations like this in the US. While we don’t blindly follow their lead through change, they often do act as a barometer to the winds of change. Taking note of this development can help us begin discussions early, before the situation reaches the difficult stage they are in down in Santa Clara County.

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A while ago, I wrote about what I felt was true genius. I felt the urge to write on that topic because it’s a term that almost lost its definition because it’s used so much. Well I found another word that is tossed around far too often in today’s world. That word is hero.

Between movies, sports and all sorts of other celebrities, the word hero had become sadly diluted in North America. On September 11th and in the weeks thereafter, we were reminded what true heroism really looks like. Many selfless people put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. That is where my personal definition of hero begins. That’s not to say that if you don’t put yourself in harm’s way to help other you can’t be a hero in my book, but it sure does act as a good filter. There’s all sorts of harm out there though. Some known like running up into a burning building as most firefighters do almost on a daily basis and there’s unknown like when workers were removing debris in the midst of foul smelling gases. Today I found a story about a man in the British army who truly and completely showed us all through his actions what a real hero looks like.

This soldier is one in a long line of soldiers who have done this kind of thing before. A soldier diving on a grenade to protect his fellow soldiers does happen from time to time, yet even though you can find other versions of a similar story, I doubt anyone would find them any less amazing, nor any less deserving of the word hero. An act like this goes against the self-preservation instincts that each of us have embedded within our brains. To put yourself not only in a known risky situation, but a known deadly situation to protect others is something we should all take note of and admire.

So that’s what a hero looks like. Today, heroism is 24 years old, wears a British reservists uniform and goes by the name of Lance Corporal Matt Croucher.

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