Pollution Free Electricity!

I just switched my electricity provider to a pollution free provider, with 100% of the electricity generated by wind. And the amazing thing is that I'll actually be paying less for pollution free electricity than for my previous electricity. In the last six years, I've watched my electric rates skyrocket from 9.2 cents/Kwatt-hour to 15.2 cents/Kwatt-hour. During that same period, pollution free electricity stayed constant around 15 cents/Kwatt-hour.
I would have never expected pollution free electricity to be cost competitive to non-pollution free electricity, but it has. There are two main reasons for this. First, non-pollution free electricity is generated from non-renewable resources such as natural gas. With natural gas prices rising significantly in the last few years, electricity rates rose with it. Because no non-renewable resource is consumed with pollution free electricity, the cost should either stay constant or decrease (due to advances in technology). The second reason for the higher prices is due to deregulation of the electric companies. Deregulation should bring more competition and result in lower prices, but it hasn't. With deregulation, electric companies are less likely to invest in new power plants because recuperation of the capital costs are not guaranteed.

Wii

A friend of mine recently purchased the Nintendo Wii and I played it last night. It was defintely an interesting experience. The new controller/remote is unlike any other game system's controller and I think it will attract many buyers. It was definitely fun playing with the new controllers, but I wonder if the novelty of it will eventually get old.

I still do not know anyone who's purchased a PS3, since all the stores are out of stock and they are too expensive on ebay. Sony should have stocked more for the launch since I think people will buy the Wii over the PS3 due to its availability (and lower price).

Regardless, I think all 3 consoles (360,Wii,PS3) will all do decently well. The xbox360 has been on the market the longest and already has a firmly established base. The Wii has the uniqueness of the new controllers and a lower price point than the other consoles. The Wii is also geared toward a broader market, which will attract consumers who otherwise wouldn't have purchased a gaming console. The PS3 has the most computing power and will eventually have the best graphics, which serious gamers demand. The PS3 can also play BluRay movies (resulting in much higher console price) which is a nice plus.

TV shopping

I was browsing for a new TV when I saw this. It looks cool, but it's outta my price range...