If you’re a fan of the Mozilla Firefox browser, then you’ll be interested to know that a brand-new version is available for download right now. Mozilla Firefox 3 has been highly anticipated for a long time, and comes packed with features designed to help improve your web surfing experience.

Some of these new features include:

– One-click site info
– Web forgery protection page
– Anti-virus integration
– Easier password management
– Resumable downloading
– Full-page zoom
– Improvements in speed, reliability, and memory usage

Mozilla Firefox 3 sounds awesome, but I haven’t downloaded it yet. I usually give these new releases a couple of weeks before I try them out. That way, other users can identify bugs and problems, patches and fixes can be developed, and I can get a better product in the end.

Big Brown fell short in a bid to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years today, finishing last after being pulled up by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the Belmont Stakes. The overwhelming 1-4 favorite, Big Brown had been suffering from a highly publicized hoof injury for over a week, so that may have been a contributing factor in the thoroughbred’s rough outing.

Da’Tara, ridden by Alan Garcia and trained by Nick Zito, was the wire-to-wire winner of the 2008 Belmont Stakes. This horse was a 38-1 underdog, meaning that whoever bet on him walked away with a heck of a payout.

Of course, those who didn’t have money on the race were simply tuning in to see how Big Brown fared. It seemed like he was a shoe-in to win, especially when Casino Drive, Big Brown’s toughest competitor in the field, was a scratch.

But the Triple Crown simply wasn’t meant to be. Big Brown now joins a long list of horses that came up short in this final leg, including Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, War Emblem, Charismatic, Real Quiet, and Silver Charm.

(AP Photo/Denis Paquin)

There are admittedly a lot of things in this world that I don’t understand, and expensive food is one of them. I’m not the kind of person that is comfortable eating at fancy restaurants — not because I don’t know which forks to use with which course, but because I can’t fathom the idea of spending $100-$200 per person on a single meal. The most I can spend without feeling guilty is $50 per person, and that’s only like once a year when we go to Bob Chinn’s for a special occasion.

So when I read about a $175 hamburger being offered by a place called the Wall Street Burger Shoppe, I just had to shake my head in disgust. Who would buy these things?

The $175 burger is made with a Kobe beef patty, black truffles, foie gras, Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms, and — get this — “flecks of gold leaf on a brioche bun”.

It actually sounds pretty gross. If I had to order it, mine would come with ketchup only, just like all the other burgers I consume!

According to the article I read, about 20-25 Wall Street hotshots are apt to buy this burger in a given month, presumably after making a killing in the market. I suppose if you have an outstanding day and earn six or seven figures for yourself, buying a $175 gold hamburger would be one way to celebrate.

It seems like such a waste though…

After an amazing 15-6 start, the Cubs have gone just 3-8 in their last 11 games. The slump has been hard to endure, mostly because they’ve lost a few games in there that they definitely should have won. Hopefully they’ll be able to turn things around tonight against the Reds. Carlos Zambrano is slated to start, and he’s been a pretty consistent bright spot so far this year. He’s currently 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA, plus he’s hitting .250 with a HR to his credit.

So come on, Carlos! Give us a gem and help the team break out of this slump! You and your gold chain can do anything!

Did you hear about the major drug bust at San Diego State University today? Apparently, members of one of the fraternities (probably Theta Chi) at the school make no secret of the fact that they deal drugs like cocaine and marijuana. In fact, according to the news article I read, one of the dumb-ass dealers used to send mass text messages to past clients containing sales announcements and prices. Can you believe that these dealers felt so untouchable that they didn’t even bother trying to cover their tracks? It’s unreal!

Arresting officers in the Operation Sudden Fall sting at SDSU seized two kilos of coke, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, and assorted amounts of marijuana, ’shrooms, amphetamines, and prescription drugs. They also found guns and at least $60,000 in cash, while making 96 arrests (including 75 SD State students).

I know that kids party in school, but wow! I never realized how organized — and serious — drug dealing on campuses has become. These guys had guns in their frat house? That’s pretty scary.

(AP photo)

Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson continues the string of NFL players having well publicized run-ins with the police. According to early reports, Benson was charged in his native Texas this weekend for failing a field sobriety test and resisting arrest. Officers at the scene had to use pepper spray to subdue Benson before dragging him onto shore.

Benson was apparently operating a 30-foot boat on Lake Travis with 15 passengers aboard when he was stopped for a random check. That’s when Benson became belligerent, argued with officers, and refused to don a life jacket or move out of the officers’ boat.

Way to go, dumbass. Not only are you useless out on the field, but you’re also a classless jerk off the field too. Thanks for representing the Bears organization so well!

My PayPal dividend keeps getting smaller and smaller each month, thanks to declining 7-day yield of the money market fund. In the past year, I’ve watched the interest rate on this particular fund slip from a high of 5.23% (or thereabouts) to its current low (since I’ve been involved) of a paltry 2.61%. As a result, my dividend for the month was a mere $11.93, despite the fact that my balance continues to grow.

This totally sucks, but I know I can’t get a better deal anywhere else without tying up my funds for at least 6 months, so there’s really nothing I can do about it. Hopefully things will turn around sometime soon.

One of the hottest blog topics in the past couple of days has been “hypermiling”, a practice that could boost fuel economy in even the biggest SUVs, thereby saving consumers thousands of dollars at the pump.

Hypermiling was originated by Wayne Gerdes of Wadsworth, IL. Gerdes, who used to operate a nuclear plant, says he gets about 40-70 mpg out of his Ford Ranger pickup — considerably higher than the 25 mpg the truck is supposed to get. According to Gerdes, he reckons he has saved about $15,000 in fuel costs since beginning this hypermiling technique several years ago.

How does he do it?

Here are some tips from an article I read:

• Don’t let your engine idle for too long, and turn it off completely if you need to idle for more than 10 seconds
• Fill your tires to the maximum rating as printed on the sidewall
• Don’t weigh your vehicle down with excess cargo in the trunk, backseat, etc.
• Use the lowest weight oil allowable for your vehicle
• Decelerate when approaching stop signs and red lights
• Try to cut down on air conditioner use
• Don’t drive above the speed limit
• Change your air filter once a year

These techniques sound interesting, and I think I may give them a try. The only ones I actually use now are not driving above the speed limit and not accelerating to stop signs and stop lights. I want to try inflating my tires more, changing my oil to a lower weight, and changing the air filter.

If hypermiling can double my car’s mpg rating, then these small changes will be worth it. I can’t wait to try!

I usually don’t write about economic issues beyond my household budget, but I think this warrants mentioning. The Federal Reserve has announced that they’re cutting the federal funds rate by a quarter point, down to 2 percent — the lowest it has been since 2004. This marks the seventh rate cut since September 2007, but experts believe that the size of this latest cut shows that Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke isn’t likely to continue his policy of slashing rates.

After the Federal Reserve announcement was made public, banks wasted no time in cutting the prime lending rate to 5 percent. This means consumers and businesses will have cheaper credit at their disposal, which could help ease some of the problems caused by the housing crisis and general cash shortages.

In all honesty, I have no idea how the Fed’s rate cuts will affect me. I don’t have any loans tied to the prime rate, and I don’t really have any investments to speak of. Will this rate cut impact prices at, say, the grocery store? Again, no idea. Maybe I should have paid more attention in Econ 101!

Today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s. I forgot all about this annual “event” until I read about it on a community newspaper website, so it’s probably too late for me to go out and get one. There’s no Ben & Jerry’s near me; the closest one is about 20 miles away in Oak Park, and that’s just too far to go for a free cone — especially with gas prices where they are now. Plus, even though I like several Ben & Jerry’s flavors, I’m not absolutely wild about them, ya know? Baskin Robbins is good enough for me, lol!

Jerry had the day off from work, but since we didn’t feel like going out, we decided to continue our spring cleaning efforts in the house. We’ve hauled out a bunch of junk so far, like old baby furniture that my son hasn’t used in years, broken toys, and anything else that we haven’t used in a long time. I hate the pack rat mentality that compels people to hold onto stuff just because it’s still in working condition. If you don’t use it, then either sell it or dump it!

We worked most of the morning, took a break to go out to New China Buffet for lunch, and then got right back to work again. Now at 4:30pm, the house feels clean, uncluttered, and ready for the fresh air of summer! I love it!

Happy birthday to the Bard! Playwright William Shakespeare, the bane of many a high school student’s existence, was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate, as many historians disagree on the actual date of his birth. Since no one can prove which date is correct, Shakespeare’s birthday has traditionally been observed on April 23. Why? Because he died on April 23, 1616, so people appreciate that symmetry.

Anyway, I didn’t mind reading Shakespeare in high school and beyond. Some of my favorite plays are Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and The Merchant of Venice, plus I just love most of his famous quotes and passages.

For instance, I had to memorize the “Tomorrow” speech soliloquy from Macbeth for a high school test, and I still remember it to this day, a whole 15 years later:

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.

The PayPal Money Market Fund dividend snafu from January was finally corrected on Feb. 7. I received an additional payment of $14.62, which brings my total dividend from last month up to $15.67.

That’s not bad, considering the fact that the 7-day yield has been declining for the past few months. In fact, it dropped once more and now sits at just 3.76% — a far cry from the 5.23% that it was at when I first joined the MMF one year ago.

I would of course love to be earning more than 3.76%, but that’s not gonna happen without putting my money at risk (which I won’t do). I can’t even get a 6-month CD for a better rate, so I guess I’m staying with the MMF for now.

I was chatting with one of the other managers from my FF league last night when the following question came up: Which is more insufferable, the 2007 Patriots running up the score every chance they get, or the surviving members of the undefeated ‘72 Dolphins team allegedly popping open expensive bottles of champagne every year when they learn that their record still stands.

Basically we were trying to decide whether we’d prefer rooting for the Pats to go unbeaten this season or if we’d rather have the ‘72 record stand.

I think I’m leaning towards the Dolphins here. That surprises me a little because I actually liked the Patriots before this season. Tom Brady used to be one of my favorite QBs of all time, and I even have a #12 Patriots jersey that I bought a couple of years ago. I also liked Randy Moss back in his early days with the Vikings, so it’s hard for me not to be happy with the way he and Brady are scoring at will.

But the way the Patriots team as a whole has been sticking it to opponents this year has left a bad taste in my mouth. It’s not just that they’re winning by incredible margins each week; it’s that they’re doing it in a classless fashion. The most defining moment had to be when Wes Welker caught the go-ahead TD pass in the 4th quarter against the Colts and turned to the defender to scream, “You f—ing suck!” right there on national television.

Yeah, tons of class there.

But either way, it’s not like I have a vested interest in how this season turns out for the Pats. Still, it would be nice to silence the likes of Welker, even if it’ only for one week.

I think I’m one of the few people out there that don’t belong to any kind of credit card rewards program. I just have a regular old card — not gold or platinum or anything like that — and I don’t get any cash back or other bonuses when I make a purchase. This seems like a big waste to me, so I’ve decided to apply for a new card.

I spent the afternoon comparing a few of the Best Reward Credit Cards that are available right now at CreditCardSearchEngine.com, and have narrowed down my options to a couple of cards that seem to be exactly what I’m looking for. I hope to get my applications submitted by the end of next week, so maybe I’ll have at least one new card at my disposal in time for holiday shopping!