Cameras
Sony Cybershot DSC-P31
2.0 megapixels, 1.6-inch LCD, no optical zoom
Date Purchased:  June, 2002
Price Paid:  ~$220
Current Status:  Gave it to a friend of a family member

This was my first digital camera, and I actually took a few really good pictures with it.  Many of my early pictures were taken at lower resolution because I was trying to save space on my memory card.  After upgrading and accepting the fact that digital storage space would always be plentiful, I carried this camera with my through several years of college, summer internships, road trips, and my first year of marriage. 
Canon Powershot SD400
5.0 megapixels, 2.0-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom
Date Purchased:  July, 2005
Price Paid:  ~$300
Current Status:  Still being used by Wendy

I bought this somewhat hastily because I was looking around for a new camera, and I happened to come across a deal for a camera on Dell's website.  I signed up for a Dell Preferred Account thinking I would be getting 0% interest for a year, but was sadly mistaken when I saw my first bill and a $30 finance charge.  I was quite pleased by the size of this camera and the quality of pictures it took.  Battery life was a little lacking. 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5
6.0 megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD, 6x optical zoom, image stabilization. 
Date Purchased:  March, 2007
Price Paid:  ~$200
Current Status:  Sold on eBay for $40

I had been thinking about buying a new camera with more zoom and a bigger LCD, but when I forgot my existing camera for vacation in Hawaii, I was somewhat forced to hastily buy a new one.  I settled on this camera because it had some nice features, and it was pretty cheap.  Although I later read about all the bad reviews it got, it took surprisingly good pictures.  The downside was that it was a bit bulky and its LCD had poor resolution. 
Nikon D40
6.1 megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD
Date Purchased:  January, 2008
Price Paid:  $550
Current Status:  In use

I finally decided to buy a dSLR, and as soon as I collected a bunch of money from Christmas gift cards and found a good deal online, I bought one from Amazon.  It came with the kit lens (18-55mm) and an extra 55-200mm lens.  I'm still learning about this camera and all the great things it can do.  But one thing's for certain:  It takes amazing pictures.  The only major downside so far is that it doesn't have an internal autofocus motor, so it can only use lenses that have their own autofocus mechanism.  This is slightly limiting, but certainly not a deal breaker. 
Casio Exilim EX-V8
8.1 megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD, 7x optical zoom, image stabilization
Date Purchased:  June, 2008
Price Paid:  $200
Current Status:  Sold on eBay for $200

I bought this camera because I wanted something with high zoom.  I got it off eBay (new in box), and immediately took in on a trip to Germany.  I was thoroughly disappointed with the pictures it took.  Many of them were vastly underexposed, leaving certain portions completely black despite the fact that there was full sunlight.  Although, a few pictures came out absolutely amazing and I have no idea why that happened. 
Canon Powershot SD870 IS
8 megapixels, 3.0-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, image stabilization
Date Purchased:  September, 2008
Price Paid:  $235
Current Status:  In use

After using the Casio for a brief period and then selling it, I wanted a good pocket camera.  I decided against high zoom and instead went for something that was highly rated on CNET.  This is a good, solid camera.  It takes good pictures and has a great LCD.  The only problem I've had is that pictures taken while zoomed-in are sometimes out of focus.  But this is more of a physical limitation than an error. 
Sigma 18-250mm Lens
Zoom Range:  18-250mm
Aperture Range:  f/3.5-6.3
Price Paid:  $500

I wanted a lens to replace my Nikon 18-55mm and my Nikon 55-200mm.  This lens does it well, plus an extra 50mm, plus optical stabilization.  It's noticeably heavy, but that's the price you pay for carrying around such a large zoom range.  Otherwise it's fast and reliable and does the job I want it to do.  It has a few optical peculiarities, such as barrel/pincushion distortion, but it's bearable.  Also, close-up shots aren't always focused as crisp as I like.  But the main complaint I have is a physical one:  When zoomed all the way and using the flash (on the Nikon D40 anyway), the lens gets in the way of the flash such that a dark spot appears in the bottom center.  It's easily avoided by zooming in, but that's not always possible.  Regardless, this is a good all-around lens, and I'm happy I bought it. 
Nikon 35mm Lens
Zoom Range:  35mm
Aperture Range:  f/1.8
Price Paid:  $200

I heard a lot about prime lenses and the "nifty fifty," so I wanted to give this lens a try.  It has a fixed focal length, so zooming is done by physically moving closer or farther away from a target.  Because it offers such a large aperture, the depth of field is often very shallow, which is desirable at times but not all the time.  It's fairly good at low light pictures, but I think you have to modify white balance and things like that, which is a step beyond what I enjoy.  All in all, I'm fairly disappointed with this lens. 
#gadgets

Pick a price
When we first signed up for our current cable TV package, it was about $40 per year.  Each year, the price has gone up $10, so we're now paying $60 for the exact same crappy, overpriced, yet practically indispensable service.  I've read on a few websites that cable companies (and service companies in general) will gladly allow you to pay less if you threaten to switch to a different provider.  This is what Wendy tried on Monday.  But after a moderately long back-and-forth discussion, the customer service person wouldn't budge.  So Wendy said, "Here's the thing:  I don't feel like paying $60 when we used to pay $40."  The CS rep agreed and lowered our monthly rate to $40 (for a year, after which we'll do the exact same thing).  So basically, what we have here is a pick-a-price service.  You name your price, they provide the service.  Don't like your price?  Ask for a lower one.  What a concept. #business

New pennies
Hooray!  We're gittin' new pinnies

So not only has our entire economic system eaten itself, leaving our government in charge of several of our nation's (and the world's) largest financial institutions, but we're getting new currency that's still a complete waste of time and space and is still worth less than the material used to make it (but it's actually not that bad).  The only thing we can hope for is that our fine government spends less than $30 million teaching us yokels how to use it.  God bless America. #money

Lost and found objects
Wendy and I were walking on a New Jersey beach a few weeks ago and she found an iPod partially buried in the sand.  It was a fairly empty beach, but we still looked around to see if anyone had dropped it or was looking for it.  There was no telling how long it had been there or who the rightful owner was, so we kept it.  Wendy had recently bought an iPod, so we were both familiar with the cost.  Considering the fact that it was full of music, this iPod was probably worth around $300 for the owner. 

A similar thing happened when we were hiking a few years ago.  We hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail and found a camera in the parking lot where we stopped.  It had a bunch of the same pictures I had just taken, so I knew the owner had just hiked the same section as us.  We looked around but didn't see anyone, so we put it in a place to make it more visible, hoping the person might come back and look in that exact spot. 

The thing with lost and found items is that I would gladly return them to the rightful owner.  I have no use for an iPod, especially one covered in sand (though I cleaned it up and it works fine).  And I have no use for someone's digital camera because I already have a few myself.  Personally, I'd rather return the object to its rightful owner, complete with all its digital media (music and pictures).  With most cameras I use, I'll keep a picture on it that says I own it and that if I lose it, it would be nice to have it returned but to at least email me the pictures.  The thing is, digital cameras are a dime a dozen these days, but the pictures are worth quite a bit more.  One time a "friend" picked up my camera and when he saw my identifier picture, he laughed at me.  He's the kind of person that would steal something directly from my pocket, but either way, he wasn't convinced anyone would have the common decency to return it.  I personally would.  I own several small digital products that have a tendency to fall out of pockets, and I have enough money to go buy my own.  If I find one that belongs to someone else, I'll gladly return it. 

So to all the people who own digital cameras, mp3 players, cell phones, and the like, always put a file on your device that says who the owner is and how to get in contact with them.  Or at least use a sticky note. #psychology

Criminally easy (6)
I feel like I have a disproportionate number of opportunities to commit a major crime than most people do.  For example, I just pulled into a parking spot at Target, and I just so happened to be next to a car that was idling with no driver and no one around.  If I was a criminal, this would practically be an invitation to steal a car.  And since I'm not dumb, I'd probably get away with it, at least for a while.  The key is to get in the car and drive away calmly, as if you own it and know exactly what you're doing.  Most dumb criminals would hastily look over their shoulder, jump in the driver's seat, and peel out.  Thankfully, I already have a car, so I have no need for someone else's.  It's like this recent story of the guy who stole a Ferrari because it was sitting at a dealership with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.  Can you really blame him? 

Then there's the whole idea of theft.  I feel like I could get away with stealing anything.  Whenever I enter or exit a store and the theft deterrent system starts beeping, the cashiers and security people always tell me to not worry about.  Either the machine is malfunctioning, or they forgot to remove the tag from whatever I bought.  What this means to me is that the alarm will go off no matter what, which makes it ridiculously easy to stuff a bunch of things in my pockets and walk out casually as the false alarm sounds. 

A few weeks ago, I went to a store to fill up the propane tank for my grill.  The store was set up so that you had to pay in one place and pick up in another place.  It occurred to me after I paid and as I was picking up that there was merely a thread of dignity stopping me from not paying at all and simply telling the guy I already paid.  At another store, it was brought to my attention that I could quite easily buy something, go back into the store with the receipt, and walk out with the same receipt and another of the same product, simply by telling the salespeople, "It's ok, I have a receipt."  Am I the only one who notices so many opportunities to commit a crime? #psychology

On eBay sales
I just sold two old cameras on eBay in under 24 hours.  I'm always amazed at what people are willing to buy from me.  The one camera was purchased recently and hardly used, so it wasn't too surprisingly that it sold.  But the other camera was older and much more used.  It even had a scratched LCD.  But I took detailed pictures of everything I would be shipping, and I even wrote in the description that the LCD was scratched.  Maybe my honesty is what attracts people.  Or maybe it's because I offer the Buy It Now option.  I know I personally never bid on anything on eBay; I only use Buy It Now. 

The only bad part about selling stuff on eBay is wondering how much more you could've sold it for.  I purposely priced the older camera extremely low because it was relatively old, it was used and in fair condition, and there were other eBay auctions for identical cameras in better condition.  I'm surprised it sold at all, much less in under 24 hours (actually it was sold in under 5 minutes), and I was left wondering if I could have priced it a little higher. #business