Ever had a minor little problem with your car that annoyed you, but wasn’t worth actually taking it in to the shop to fix? Well, you need to get on over to Car-Part.com and search junkyards for replacement/used parts!

This site will actually search for both new and used car parts anywhere in North America and let you know where you can get it, how much it will cost, and even how far away it is from you. The junkyard enters the digital age…

Virtually every retailer now days offers “price match guarantees” and purchase protection after the sale in case you find a lower price within 30 days. But when was the last time you actually kept an eye out on the prices for something after you bought it?

Yeah, that’s what I thought… and the retailers are counting on people making the purchase and never looking back. Well now there is a great little service called Price Protectr that allows you to specify the Web site of the item you purchased as well as the date and price, and it will watch that product for 30 days and notify you via e-mail if it finds a lower price.
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According to the Epoch Times, in five years, the U.S. government will cease to use SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm) and convert to a new and more advanced “hash” algorithm, according to the article “Security Cracked!” from New Scientist.

The reason for this change is that associate professor Wang Xiaoyun of Beijing’s Tsinghua University and Shandong University of Technology, and her associates, have already cracked SHA-1. This marks the fifth straight encryption method that Xiaoyun’s team has broken (SHA-1, MD5, HAVAL-128, MD4, and RIPEMD).

What does this mean for the rest of us?
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As previously mentioned, I’ve been using Kayak for travel planning for some time now, but I actually just discovered a new feature that is one of, if not the, best tools I’ve yet seen for helping to plan vacations that involve air travel.

The Kayak Buzz section offers a very cool, Google Map enabled shopping comparison tool which overlays destinations onto a regional or world map. The site lists the top deals for any given period of time and generally helps you decide where to go on vacation.
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In a couple of weeks we celebrate Thanksgiving. That special Thursday in America each year where we give thanks for the following weekend’s shopping frenzy. The Friday following Thanksgiving is therefor known as “Black Friday”.

That’s right. For one weekend each year people lose their minds completely and run up untold credit card bills which they will spend the next year trying to pay off so that they can do it all over again.
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Yesterday I purchased a new Garmin Nuvi 660 portable GPS receiver to use in my new vehicle. So far, I’m going to have to give this little unit a rating of 8.5 out of 10.

Things that are fantastic about this unit:
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Sometimes it’s just plain easier to search for art online from the comfort of your own home than to go driving all over town. So, here is a quick guide to buying art online.

Before we get started, another great option is to find your nearest fine art show and go check it out. There are usually around 200 artists in attendance and you might just find a real quality piece of work that you can be proud of.
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There is cool… and then there is awesome! This falls into the latter category.

Northern Tool just announced that they are selling parking meters for $200.

Man, I can think of all sorts of devious things to do with one of these, but even if I weren’t going to wreak havoc on public streets, it would be way cool to have one of these in your garage.

Ok, it might not be so much of a secret as simply a relatively unknown service… but SecretPrices.com has got some great deals!

Other sites which I’ve used extensively in the past track sales and special offers, but SecretPrices goes one step further. They also list available coupons and additional discounts which drive the prices down even further.
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This portable chaise looks like it would be an awesome addition to any back yard pool and would double as a fantastic beach chair. I don’t have one, but sure would like to try it out.

They claim it is made with an aluminum frame and weighs only 7 lbs. It comes with an adjustable pillow and the seating surface is nylon fabric.
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Live near an open body of water? Want to get a workout and lots of attention? Well, here you go.

The Hydrofoil Water Scooter from Hammacher Schlemer will set you back about $500, but the thing will go 17 MPH across the surface of the water, so really that’s less than $30 per MPH.
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It’s true. There is nothing like making a few $Hundred grand a year. But almost as good is buying stuff for half what its worth!

So, being the excellent consumer I am, The Man has compiled a list of 8 great tips for saving loads of cash. I’m not being paid a dime to make these recommendations, I’m just sharing a bunch of services which have saved me a cumulative ton of money in the past.
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