Parallels is not free, but it's an even niftier way to add Windows to your Intel-based Mac than Boot Camp. You can run the two in parallel, as the name suggests, and XP bootup from OS X is a speedy 15 seconds. You can also run Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, OS/2, any versions of Windows back to 3.1, or even MS-DOS.
I'm eyeing the MacBook Pro like a shark circling a sinking cruise ship, wondering if I should eat the first passenger to float away from the ship or if I should wait a while for the ship to sink further and scatter some meatier fare.

***

If, like me, you bought an Epson Inkjet printer in the past several years, you might qualify for benefits from the settlement of this lawsuit. Epson was sued for indicating that ink cartridges were empty before they were really empty, thus driving up replacement cartridge sales (where the profit margins are much higher). I really love the prints from my Epson, but printer manufacturers are like beefy home run hitters or politicians. When they're accused of impropriety, people lean towards guilty until proven innocent.
The settlement offers $45 of credit from the Epson store, $20 by check and $25 of Epson store credit, or 25% off the Epson Store with a max discount of $100.

***

After the tilt-shift simulation craze in Photoshop, next I plan to participate in the HDR photography craze. It may mean lugging a tripod and giant ball head along with my camera to E. Europe, but it should be fun. The best HDR photos have a gorgeous, semi-artificial look.