I didn't E-File my taxes this year. I've never done it. I'm really not interested in unrelated third parties handling my tax data. I simply don't care how much they swear up and down that they'll hold it in confidence forever, that they won't look at it, that they won't use it to market stuff I don't want to me, and that their promises will hold true when their companies are bought. I simply don't buy it.

I'm soliciting quotes to have a chimney repair done. Of the four places I called, two came over promptly. One hasn't called back yet (though to be fair it's only been a few hours). And one called back promptly, but...he wants to charge me $85 to produce a quote.

Another tradition falls victim to environmental regulations.

Every year, Cornell's freshman architect students build a giant dragon and parade it around main campus. The festivities culminate in the burning of the dragon on the Arts Quad.

Because dragons generally contain varying amounts of paints, glues, and other materials that emit toxins when burned, the event would have run afoul of new environmental regulations in New York banning the intentional burning of substances that are neither wood nor agricultural products. This year's dragon was spared, and a symbolic dragon's nest was burned instead.

The students are rightfully disappointed that regulations quashed part of a cherished campus tradition. It's unfortunate that the regulations don't recognize a difference between habitual or repeat offenses, and very occasional events such as Dragon Day.

I hold out little hope for a regulatory change or loophole, but knowing the ingenuity of Cornell students, I am certain that it is only a matter of time before we see dragons that can be burned in compliance with the regulations.

My sister, who works at the Library of Congress, published an article about her lessons learned helping build the Library's online "American Memory" collection. Congrats Liz!

With the markets and major players collapsing all around us, it's no surprise that surveys have shown declining consumer confidence. Of course, this means that we consumers would rather tighten our belts to make sure we've got extra resources for lean times, rather than continue to spend at or beyond our means, perhaps even recklessly.

Happy Halloween!

This was one of my better Halloweens in recent memory. Rather than be a mere candy dispenser and onlooker, I donned a costume and an alter-ego and participated this year.

Meet Werewolf Pat. He answered the doorbell and spoke with a growl and a gruff voice, taking care to look out the window first to make sure there was nobody under 3 feet tall who might be easily frightened.

Today I witnessed a troubling event on my cell phone. I saw the front display light up out of the corner of my eye, so I picked it up to see what was going on. The phone told me it had just received 49 Megabytes of data. I don't subscribe to any services that transfer data, and I wasn't even using the phone at the time, and this creeped me out a bit.

File this under "Ill Considered" and "Misconfiguration"

Okay, here's one that defies all logic and explanation.

At 2:00 AM, Spike broadcasts Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (DS9). This is an hour-long show including commercials. Comcast in Boston airs Spike on channel 33.

Comcast in Boston also airs EWTN (religious programming) on channel 33.

I've found a great way to shake off the junk charity callers, you know, those "Disabled Police and Firefighter Association" type calls that try to guilt you into sending some money. By now most people who pay attention to the news are aware that these organizations pay telemarketers huge percentage commissions, to the point that donors would be aghast at how little of their donation actually goes to help the cause.