Questioning the Utility of the iPhone and iPod Touch

One of the main arguments most giddy teenagers use to convince parents to buy them an iPhone or iPod Touch is their actual utility for doing useful stuff (such as accessing Useful Crap (Oh my goodness, what a witty comment!)). Their irksome shrieking voices utter flawlessly planned lines that often breach these confines: "There are apps that'll help me do my homework," and "I can become more organized with calendars and stuff," and "I won't have to be on the computer all day to do stuff," and the always effective "BUT WHY!?!??!?!"
Of course, while it is impossible to combat the latter, you may have some luck using pure logic to clash with the other ones. But let me join their side (because after all, I am somebody who wants $300 crap that I'll probably never really use) for a second. It's true; you'll have to concede that there are apps out there that can help kids do their homework. There are study guides and question-and-answer apps and all the other stuff. There are many calendars and event organizers that can really be of great value. And in fact, it's quite possible that you will be able to re-claim the home computer as yours. This cannot be argued. You can even concede that the iPhone may be one of the most utile machines on the planet. I mean, it's got a phone and a camera and all those apps and a GPS; it's geektastical gold.
But that's not what the real question is. The real question is, how often are your kids actually going to use the goody-two-shoes features? Will they be reading up on the day's economic fluctuations or will they be reading up on the latest developments in the Paris Hilton saga? Will they be communicating ideas with friends about the American Revolutionary War or will they be communicating ideas with friends about the next big party? Will they be busy making an agenda or will they be busy popping touch-screen bubble wrap?
These are all questions that must be considered. Well actually, I'll just tell you the answer and save you the hassle. It's always the second answer. Simple as that. No matter how much they whine, "BUT DADDY!!! I WILLLLL!!!" they won't.
So come the holiday season, don't donate 300 bucks to Steve Jobs' plan to take over the world. You can get a workable MP3 player or even an iPod for $100, $150. Then hey, maybe you'll spend 20 bucks on getting them to remember what those obsolete books were all about.

Christmas Feature: Affordable Gifts You Can Give To A Teenage Boy

I'm not going to be vague at all with this; I'm just going to take this topic right on. I'll give you the item and I'll give you the brand and I guarantee you that virtually any teenage boy will appreciate at least a few of these things. And by the way, this is coming from a teenage boy.

Xbox 360

Video games have been in since the 90s but they're still just heating up with great new games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Gears of War 2. And, in my opinion (but apparently not in many other people's), the Xbox 360 is the most advanced and satisfying system for gamers who play more than once a month. The Wii is extremely gimmicky and will get lame after a month and I don't even want to bother explaining how bad the PS3 is.

iPod Touch

Pretty much every teenager has some form of an MP3 player and almost all of them have iPods. Well here's the most advanced one yet featuring internet access, application downloading and a touch screen.

Aeropostale Hoody

Aeropostale specializes in teen clothing and is very trendy right now. Plus, throughout the entire holiday season, this store has been having massive sales of 50-75% off. And don't think clothing as a gift is a bad idea either because it's much easier to select the right hoody than the right electronic.

American Eagle Gift Card

Another highly popular clothing store is American Eagle, which is more expensive than Aeropostale but has a greater variety to choose from. And you can't really go wrong with a gift card, especially one from AE.

Best Buy Gift Card

As electronics get bigger, so do teens' love for them and Best Buy is the nations largest retailer of these. They have pretty much every electronic, from video games to MP3 players to mobile phones.

Sports Illustrated Magazine Subscription

Sports Illustrated is one of the most read magazines in the world and many of their subscribers are quite young. Sports Illustrated pretty much sums up everything happening in the world of sports with interesting articles and statistics as well as many cool photos every week.

Easton Baseball Glove

Baseball is America's favorite pastime and it's not like that changes in the winter (OK, maybe a bit but still). Pretty much every kid in the States has to play baseball whether competitively or recreationally and they all need a quality glove. And Easton's gloves are without doubt the best and just as a heads-up, the Easton Stealth is their top model.

Nike Baseketball Shoes

The Nike Swoosh has become a symbol all across the globe and nothing could be more in than basketball shoes right now. Those two combined really make the ultimate Christmas present.

A Book

Although there is all the other cool stuff, who can forget the humble old book. But don't make it a lame book on how Christopher Columbus found the Americas, make it about a topic that you know they like.

A Music CD

Despite the fact that CDs aren't as hot as they were before, it's nice having an actual item instead of just downloads. Head over to HMV and get something but make sure you know their music tastes inside and out. If they like metal, Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses is good while if they like pop rock, Famous Last Words by Hedley is good.

Christmas Feature: 5 Essential Tips to Christmas Shopping

Christmas is the busiest time in terms of shopping because everybody has to make some type of purchase whether gifts, decorations or food in addition to the everyday essentials that we all need to buy. Thus, you can't just randomly roam around; you have to know what you're doing.
Let me just start you off with a few general shopping tips that can be applied at any time of the year, whether Black Friday, Christmas or Boxing Day:

Top 10 Tips
Top 10 Clothing Shops
Top 10 What Not To Do

Now, for the uniquely Christmas tips:

5. Brand names are important.

Some may not admit it but everyone likes brand names simply because of the popularity (although quality is often better as well). Whether it's shampoo, clothing or coffee, everyone wants the real stuff. And Christmas isn't a time to be pinch pennies; it's a time to show your love and care for people.

4. Hurry in the stores, not on the roads.

I know you're in a rush and I know you have better things to do but for your own safety, don't try cutting through hundreds of cars on your way to the mall to save a few minutes. In the winter especially, it's a hazard because of the slippery, wet conditions as well as the low visibility.

3. Remember to wrap.

Not putting wrapping paper on your gifts makes the recipient feel uncared for so just take a few moments to properly wrap what you give.

2. Shop on weekdays if you can.

The weekends see malls crowded with people each scurrying their own little way, and not caring who they irritate while they do this. On the other hand, weekdays are a lot more peaceful without the stink, heat and crowds of Saturday and Sunday. Parking spots are available and you don't have to worry as much about thieves either.

1. Know what you need.

It's easy to blow a holiday budget and even the most frugal of people can do it. I understand that you want to be a generous as possible but you have to stop at a certain point. So gather all the wishlists, make your own shopping list of things you need to buy for the big party and go armed with these. Inevitably, you're going to spend a bit more but it's always better to have a few guidelines.

One More: Don't be distracted by Christmas displays or events.

There's always going to be Santa Claus visits, special decorations and what not but you have more important things to do. Refrain from strolling around a shopping center examining each little Christmassy item.