WIRED reports that after the DOW took its 700 point drop back in September business began booming for many Internet psychics. As people watched their retirement accounts and jobs disappear they turned to these Internet mediums to figure out what was going to happen in the coming weeks, even if they wouldn't have taken the answer for free a day earlier. It turns out that this trend isn't out of the ordinary, just like get rich scams ramp up in times of economic crisis, people also lend more belief to psychics and superstition in an attempt to gain some control.

While the rates of these psychics may seem cheap at $2-$3 a minute, a half hour with a fortune teller can easily cost you more than an hour of consultation with a real financial advisor. I'd like to think none of our readers are dense enough to waste money on a false time line for losing or getting a job but some of the deleted comments tell me I'm wrong. Just in case you've been thinking about it; here are six better ways to spend time and money than talking to an Internet psychic.

1. Call a friend and talk about your options over a dinner at home.
2. Spend the $100 on supplies for starting your own business.
3. Purchase resume paper and mailing supplies.
4. Take a hard look at your finances and plan for the tough months ahead.
5. Relax (Don't Do It) - take a break from your troubles and enjoy a favorite movie at home.
6. Read WalletPop.com to find out how others are coping.
   

Even though calling a psychic or answering a get rich quick scheme may seem like an quick solution, it's just an easy way to lose more money. Simply put; don't attach yourself to false hope or spend the money you need to save on Internet psychics.

In August, I discussed how avoiding technology can be costly and dangerous and how McCain was a self-described "illiterate" when it came to the Internet.

Well, that illiteracy has cost the McCain campaign dearly. Money is pouring into Obama's war chest and much of it is coming from the web. Obama's campaign announced earlier this month that they have received money from more than 100,000 people including 50,000 Internet donors -- more online donors than his chief Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, had total donors. And it is growing.

A quick look and it is easy to see why. The campaign sends out provocative video which can be easily be forwarded to friends and family. There is even a feature where you can upload your entire address book and send the page out. Before you exit the site there is the "ask" for money. It's not a big "ask," just five bucks. Many people think nothing of that contribution. Then you receive periodic e-mails from Obama with a personalized greeting.

Slick? You bet. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Obama gets it. He knows how to connect with the public -- especially the under -50 crowd. He recognizes the power of the internet and how to use it effectively. He is the first candidate to really use the World Wide Web to build his coalition and long-term voter loyalty. As his data base builds, he will have direct access to voters to solicit information, money and opinions. He will be able to promote his agenda and get an immediate "read" on voter reaction.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. Receive her FREE e-mail newsletter. Sign up at The People Pro.

It's not that I object to paying for web access while I'm traveling. Yes, I emphatically believe that it enhances a place's image to offer Web access for free, the way running water and heat are part of the package. Still, connectivity costs money to install and maintain, so I can deal with renting as long as the fee is reasonable.

What stinks is how it's dispensed. The billing increments are usually completely disconnected from the reality of how people actually use the web on the road. And that turns a sensible fee into something idiotic.

Hotels. Every place I check into offers the web these days. The smart ones, such as chains like Hyatt Place and Hampton Inn and nearly every privately owned hotel, offer it for free. They see it as an easy way to bait the hook. And I bite. I admit I am more likely to choose a hotel with free access than one that makes me pay. I know I'm not alone in this. But the ones that charge do so stupidly. Access comes in 24-hour increments there.

Now, think about this. You're going to check in at around 4 p.m. at the earliest. And you're going to leave at around 10 a.m. in the morning if you're lucky. That's about 18 hours. Business travelers will spend even less time than that in their rooms.

Last month I took a look at ways to sell your home on the internet, as well as a Realtor's take on going the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route. It was all part of my quest to make an informed decision.

After these stories ran I was contacted by ForSaleByOwner.com, one of the services I looked at in the FSBO website showdown. I was able to speak with Eric Mangan and Greg Healy to get a better understanding of a typical for-sale-by-owner transaction, as well as greater trends in the sell-your-own arena.

Since price seems to be most important in this buyer's market, I asked Greg how the commonly held idea that consumers don't know how to accurately price their homes fits into the option of going the FSBO route. Greg explained that while the issue of home valuation was a valid concern in the late 80's and even mid 90's, the Internet and open flow of data has enabled consumers to get the same pricing data a Realtor would use for determining a valuation.

The first iPhone was able to bring iTunes integration and all parts of the Internet* to the mobile arena, to the delight of millions. When it was followed up with the App store and the iPhone 3G, millions more were once again enthralled by the ability to surf the Internet, read their email and play games on the go. From the way that the Internet and the mainstream media have reacted, you'd have thought that the iPhone was the second coming of Christ.

It's hard to imagine how we got by without the ability to do these cool tasks for all those years -- Oh wait, I forgot -- the same tasks that the iPhone can do, Windows Mobile users have been doing for years. On top of these shared tasks, Windows Mobile also lets users install any program they want without the need for it to pass through Apple's vetting and censorship process. Unfortunately, loading iPhones with Apple-vetted applications via the App Store has caused many an iPhone to crash. Those who choose to load other software must first jailbreak their iPhone, thereby voiding the warranty.

Don't miss the rest of our series on Overrated people, places and things!

The iPhone looks cool and maybe it even makes you feel cool (in the same way cigarettes do for 14-year-olds), but in the end it is still just a phone. While it has aesthetic beauty, the usefulness of the phone has been overrated by many, helped in part due to the cult of Apple followers who lined city blocks just to shell out for a new phone. Seriously, how good can a phone with all of these features be if making full use of it requires users to break its warranty. Did I mention the iPhone can't copy and paste?

Earlier this year, Yahoo News interviewed Republican candidate John McCain. They asked him a simple question: "What kind of computer do you use? Mac or PC? His answer? "Neither. I am an illiterate who has to rely on my wife."

Scary stuff if you ask me. In an era where terrorists have laptops in their caves and Bin Laden organizes his followers through the internet, the idea of a President who can't log on is terrifying. Not being plugged in is the equivalent of being Out Of It according to Anna Quindlen in her recent Newsweek column. And being OOT just isn't an option for any of us regardless of age.

The majority of Americans ARE online with many older Americans using e-mail for years. My mother is 87 years old and regularily surfs, answers e-mails, and maintains a webpage. She is not alone. Surveys of the older, well educated population finds that three out of four use the internet on a regular basis.

Time Warner Cable Internet has a new get-rich scheme for itself: charging its cable internet customers by how much they upload and download. The company is trying it out just among new customers in Beaumont, Texas. If you go over your limit, you pay $1 per gigabyte.

Here's how CNet says it works: The cheap package is $30, which gets you 5 GB and slow downloads. The more deluxe package is $55 and comes with faster service and 40 GB. Internet providers dream of selling service this way. Time Warner told the AP that 5% of users are bandwidth hogs that use up half the bandwidth.

Most people don't know how much they use, but would do OK with the lower plan. But the huge catch is they'd have to tolerate the slow speed. The slow speed is 768 kilobits per second; fast is 15 megabits per second. And everyone likes to think they'll soon be taking advantage of all new kinds of distracting online technologies and they don't want to close themselves off from the possibility. Especially those who bought a computer with a TV tuner.

If your career or your travel lifestyle takes you into hotels regularly, then I'm sure more often than not you end up disappointed in your hotel room. I'm not lamenting your strike-out in the hotel bar, but more importantly the lack of reliable and affordable Internet connectivity at hotels.

In my experience I have noticed a correlation between the rack rate of the room and the quality and price of the Internet connection. The more your room costs the more Internet costs and often the more painful using it is.

Here are WalletPop's recommendations for the best hotels to get online at.

1. Residence Inn
2. Hampton Inn
3. Days Inn
4. La Quinta
5. Best Western
   

These hotel chains have provided free reliable high speed Internet connections at most, if not all of their locations which rate them high up on the list of chains to frequent.

Imagine that you are the human resources manager for a large firm. One of your most important duties is to find exemplary employees and to mold them into a stellar workforce for your company. One day, your general manager calls you into her office and asks you how you intend to build the very best employee group that your company has ever had. You reply; "I know, we'll offer them a bonus to quit!!!"

It may sound a bit strange, but that's exactly what one cutting edge Internet retail company does. An article by William C. Taylor, former associate editor of Harvard Business Review, explores the amazing success of Internet shoe retailer Zappos. In his writing, Bill Taylor reveals that part of the strategy utilized by this company to build its exceptional work force is; Zappos pays new employees to quit! Bill explains the strategy like this:

"After a week or so in this immersive (intense training) experience... it's time for what Zappos calls "The Offer." The fast-growing company, which works hard to recruit people to join, says to its newest employees: "If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you've worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus."

Bill goes on to say; "Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit! Why? Because if you're willing to take the company up on the offer, you obviously don't have the sense of commitment they are looking for."

I think this strategy is absolutely brilliant. In the short term it's a picayune expense when compared to the long term costs of having a person on payroll who dislikes or even resents being there. It's an endlessly compounding investment in employee morale, resulting in a group of employees who can look among themselves and say "we really do like working here."

It would be my guess that Zappos reaps more than 10 times its investment in this strategy by just reducing absenteeism and increasing productivity, among other ancillary benefits. This is just one more prime example of how setting aside conventional wisdom can quickly vault a company to unprecedented success in the marketplace.

It was a great day in the North woods when we laid our 56k dial up modem to rest and undertook the next phase of our Internet entrepreneurial experience, or so we thought. We took the plunge, shelled out half a grand and had HughesNet mount a satellite dish on our front deck. "This'll be great," I told my wife, "We'll finally be up to speed." Little did I know, at that milestone moment, that my blood pressure was going to rise much faster than my download speed has.

The installation went fine. The fellow was thorough and adept. With his independent contracting work I have no issue. The problem lies in the service I receive from my new ISP. Suffice it to say that I almost wish I had my dial-up connection back.

Since hooking up to HughesNet, I'm sorry to say, we fail to successfully complete 1 out of 3 page loads. Messages such as "The server is busy," and "The connection has timed out" have become all too familiar trade words.

At first I thought the situation was par for the course. I assumed that our ISP was outrunning the outlying servers. However, that notion quickly faded as I did a bit of further testing and experimentation. It is my conclusion that the problem is specific to HughesNet.

The Daily Deal for February 24, 2008

You've waited for him and he's here at last. A garden gnome in realistic full color is shooting the moon. As if the pose isn't great enough by itself, this little pointy capped pixie can be had for the astounding price of just $12.95 plus $5.95 for UPS ground delivery shipping. If you purchase eight of the little buggers, you can have them shipped for free! (limited time free shipping offer).

I found this whimsical gnome at Perpetual Kid by comparison shopping via the amazing NexTag website. If a booty bearing woodland citizen isn't quite what you had in mind for a garden pal, NexTag has comparison prices on thousands of other home and garden items.

This feisty garden gnome will be the talk of your garden. Your ceramic bunnies and wooden twirling cardinals will just love him. Your neighbors will probably turn green with envy. Even the mail carrier should get a chuckle. You can also take him to work and place him in your cubicle, but you might want to stash him when your boss's humorless lumbering footsteps approach your work station.

He's the perfect gift for your green thumbed friends who have everything and he can serve as a gardening reminder also. Remember that old gardening rule: Plant above ground crops by the full moon.

Most everyone knows by now that there's money to be made in blogging, yet there's much confusion about how to do so effectively. You've heard all the hype about Google Adsense, and that's a fine option for some people, but honestly folks, unless you can develop content which is undeniably brilliant and original, trying to make money with Adsense can be like putting up a lemonade stand in a McDonald's parking lot.

You can make pretty good money blogging if you are a fairly talented writer and you are willing to pound on the keyboard and knock on some doors until an Internet media outlet takes a chance on you. There's also the possibility that you could land a blogging position by being a dedicated commenter in the comments section of an active mainstream blog. The fact of the matter is, that's how I got my gig.

If you want no-frills DSL, AT&T finally has your answer. It's next to impossible to find on their website, but thanks to some good news reporting, consumers are now finding the $20 DSL deal.

As part of the conditions AT&T agreed to in order to complete its acquisition of BellSouth, the company had to start offering standalone DSL by the end of 2007. "Standalone" means that you can now get the naked DSL and skip all the landline costs you don't want, if you're a consumer who has decided to ditch the landline and go all cellular.

But of course, AT&T doesn't really want consumers to know about this deal or take advantage of it. They'd rather that you continue to believe you must pay for a landline in order to get their DSL service. So they've hidden the special deal on their website. If you can find it, you'll get a downstream speed of up to 768kbps for $19.95 a month, with a one-year contract required.

Take the deal while you can get it. AT&T is only offering this because of the agreement when buying BellSouth, and they're only required to offer it for the next two-and-a-half years.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.