Guide to finding the right tax preparation software

It’s that time of year again. Tax time. Not fun, by any means. But thanks to technology, tax prep programs and special Web sites, it does get a little easier each year. If you’re ready to start on your return, I found a Website that offers some great suggestions on finding the right prep package for you.

The all-new Software.com tax center offers reviews and guides to the various brands of tax preparation software available for instant download along with comparison charts. It’s an easy-to-use resource for people seeking more information on tax software, and whether its best to download a stand-alone program or use an all-online service.

You fill in your requirements and it works through the different products available until you find the appropriate tax software option.

There’s also lots of resources you can find in the site, on everything from what is deductible to how to back up and save your computer preparation work. If you need expert help, you can even get a free phone call with a real life tax expert to help you do your taxes right, with the right forms and deductions.

Meantime, here’s some other tax tips. This site promises to help you save taxes by setting up an online business.

And this site tells you how to lower your taxes by finding legal and proper deduction loopholes.

Here’s my video on the guide to finding tax prep software:

Turn your electronic junk into cash

As we upgrade and replace our electronic gadgets and cellphones, the dilemma many of us face is how to dispose of the electronic rejects. There are lots of recycling centers but a new one offers a twist - it actually pays you for your electronic cast offs.

The site is called My Boneyard and it offers one of the more innovative ways to dispose of our no longer needed electronic gear.

It takes in used computers, monitors and the like, as well as mobile phones.

Type in the brand name, model number, carrier and condition and it tells you how much its worth. Then, if you want, it sends you an email with a prepaid shipping label.

Send the electronic reject back and they in turn send you a prepaid Visa card with whatever the market value of the used gear is.

The site makes its money by ether refurbishing and reselling the gear it takes in, or recycling it.

Bottom line is you get rid of your gear, get some spending money and know that your electric junk isn’t polluting the environment. A good deal all around.

Valentine’s Day online and for tech

Websites:
Juliet Shops www.julietshops.com
Romeo Shops www.romeoshops.com
iTunes www.itunes.com

Stumped for a Valentine’s Day gift idea this year? Never fear, we have some suggestions sure to help cupid and please every Romeo and Juliet out there.

Where else to start but JulietShops.com, a site that helps women find special Valentines gifts for their Romeos - like flashlights, golf books, icebuckets and… how about this… a stereo iPod docking station and toilet paper holder for the bathroom. $99.

For the guys, there’s the companion site - RomeoShops.com. Same drill here, but romantic gifts. How about the Raspberry Honey Dust set for $26.99. Dust in on your honey and she smells like honeys, with a touch of raspberry. OK…. There’s also an assortment of other items to get her… Cashmere pajamas… chocolates, truffles..jewelry…soaps… andles and the like.

Here’s a cool idea. Over at the iTunes store they’ve put together a whole bunch of Valentine’s Day love songs to download…from Frank Sinatra… to Romantic Jazz to Hip Hop Love Songs. I didn’t know there was such a thing.

And there’s one more item, just in time for Valentines Day. The first pink iPod nano. Available online and at Apple stores.

Video Sharing from the War

Sites:
MySpace videos http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids
YouTube videos http://www.youtube.com
syBlip http://www.blip.tv
LiveLeak http://www.liveleak.com

Technology has changed a lot about wartime but personal technology like video cameras and laptop editing gear in the hands of soldiers is being used in some rather creative ways to show the folks back home what’s happening… the good, the bad and…the silly.

Go to any video sharing site these days and do a search for Iraq or Afghanistan and you’ll find a lot of material captured - without official permission - by soldiers. Some of it is dramatic. And some of it has shown some wrongdoing but a lot of it is foolish and fun… of lip syncing and dancing.

The Navy tried to ban a video taken aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan but it’s everywhere, showing a bunch of female sailors in a very slickly produced put on of their macho male counterparts dancing and singing all over the massive ship.

All over the Net are similar videos, from Iraq, where the image of heavily armed combat soldiers dancing in a war zone makes for silly fun.

Soldiers get bored and with not much do in their down time, video cameras clearly fill a void.