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Blu-ray players: Mighty pricey

The demise of the HD DVD format has been bad news for both bargain hunters and at least one big-time technology company.

In the three short weeks since Toshiba announced that it was pulling the plug on the high-definition technology, prices for standalone players using the rival Blu-ray format have been headed north. In fact, as noted by PriceGrabber.com, Blu-ray prices are at their high point for the year, at an average of about $400 apiece for the devices. The Sony BDP-S300, for instance, was just a small mocha latte above that level, at $403 as of Wednesday.

Prices … Read more

U.S. energy bills at a 20-year high

You're not the only one paying more of your paycheck to energy bills.

Energy bills as a percentage of income in the U.S. are at their highest point since 1987, according to a report in the Christian Science Monitor. Overall, they are still below the levels seen in the 70s and early 870s, but energy bills in some low income households is approaching 10 percent.

Polls show Americans believe energy prices will continue to rise.

"If it rises much more, it will become a significant problem, particularly for lower-income households," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody'… Read more