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All this rain lately has me hoping the drought will end by the summer, so I can entertain the fun thought of getting one of those inflatable backyard pools.

Dollar General has one for $20.

So this inflatable pool includes measurements - 8 feet, 8 inches long by more than 5 feet wide, and 20 inches deep. So at least my feet won't be dangling over the edge. Been burned before by looking at the photo and deducing that, hey, that inflatable raft is plenty big. Then realizing the person in the photo cannot possibly be to scale, unless zapped by a shrink ray.

Then flipping over and over in the lake while trying to get situated on the darn thing as friends laughed until tears rolled down their cheeks (are they laughing with me or at me? Hmmmm.).

My wallet hopes so. The latest effort to dethrone (or at least try to seriously chip away) at the popularity of the touch-screen iPhone is the Samsung Instinct.

Supposed to hit store shelves in June. Price yet undetermined, although it should be significantly lower than the $399 for the cheapest iPhone, or, what I like to call the iCostalot.

The iPhone has been around for 10 months, yet we still have no serious competitors to this day, which is a pretty remarkable run. What gives? Is Steve Jobs harnessing some secret UFO technology from Area 51? Do they run on ferry dust or the tears from his competitors?

Pick up today's News & Record (still a bargain at 50 cents) and get a $5 off coupon at Outback Steakhouse (minimum $25 purchase).

Eye-opening piece by WFMY's sister station in St. Louis regarding whether chain store tech gurus really know what they're doing when it comes to fixing your computer.

"Yowser! I've never seen that before," one Best Buy "Geek Squad" tech tells a TV reporter with a hidden camera posing as a customer with computer woes.

"I really don't know what I'm doing," a Circuit City "Fire Dog" admits.

The TV piece offered some sound advice: Treat choosing a computer technician as if you were picking a doctor. Ask for references and talk to them first.

Turn your clutter, sorry, I mean pre-owned treasures, into cash. The Piedmont Triad Farmers Market is having what it's billing as the Triad's largest yard sale this Saturday.

It's from 6 a.m. until whenever.

Starbucks is giving away 8 oz. cups of its new Pike Place Roast from 9 a.m. noon to 9:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. today.

Any good?

"Pike Place delivers a pretty great cup of joe," a food and dining blogger at the Chicago Tribune writes. "It's got a light fruity and nutty aroma, a smooth feel on the tongue but nice body and no wimpy finish."

Highlights of grocery store deals in the Triad this week:

Harris Teeter has buy 2, get 3 free deals on Pepsi and Nabisco snacks. Food Lion has New York strip steak for $5.99 a pound.

Coupon in today's News & Record that doubles Lowes Foods' greenpoints when you spend at least $75 or triples it if you spend at least $100. You also get five times the value of greenpoints if you spend at least $150. (Coupon expires Tuesday.)

Kmart has a buy 10, get 10 free deal on Gatorade, including the new G2 and Gatorade Tiger brands.

Flowers again for Mother's Day? How about something that really stands out this time, say a brand-spanking new camcorder? And how about a camcorder that doesn't require a PhD in geekonomics to figure out how to use? Tell us why you think your mom deserves one of those easy-to-use Flip camcorders worth $180 and you could be eligible to win one. Deadline is noon May 8, just in time for Mother's Day on May 11.

Submit your entries in the comment section below and please use your real name. The winner can pick it up at the News & Record office on May 9 using a valid ID such as a driver's license.

I'll announce the winner here on May 8.

Miller Lite is introducing a trio of different styles of Miller Lite, called "craft-style light."

But will it fall flat because it leaves beer bargain-conscious consumers in the cold?

The goal, Miller spokesman Julian Green told the AP, is to bank on the popularity of low-calorie Miller Lite to create a new market called "craft-style light." The collection's tag line: "Craft Beer. Done Lite."

"Some may be intimidated by the heavy flavor profile and full calories," Green said of regular craft beers. "So we're providing a new beer that can give you craft-style taste with significantly fewer calories and carbs."

Actually, and I'm a little surprised this wasn't mentioned in the article, I bet a lot of people who buy Miller Lite do so because they are also intimidated by the high prices of craft beers, not just the flavor or calories. Yes, we're all counting calories, but Miller Lite comes with a price tag that's pretty easy to swallow, too, craft or otherwise.

So what will the price of these brews be? Not mentioned in the article. Inquiring minds. I'd be curious whether people will spend a lot more money on a 6-pack of Miller Lite simply because it has a "craft" taste and fewer calories than their counterparts, particularly in these tough economic times.

The beers, by the way, all have 110 calories per 12-ounce serving, which is more than Miller Lite's 96 calories. But that's still less than full-calorie craft beers.

Amazon is the latest retailer to offer a rebate to those unfortunate souls who bought an HD DVD player.

The $50 credit offer is only good on units purchased from Amazon (ya don't say) regarding purchases made before Feb. 23. Credit (via promo code) will be honored until April 9, 2009.

Checking my personal e-mail account and came across this really convincing announcement informing me a charity group I've never heard of wants to give me money.

Golly gee, Beaver, nothing wrong with that picture. And it's full of grammatical errors, too.

I guess they don't want to come across as overly polished or too professional because that might raise some eyebrows.

Seriously, do people actually fall for this stuff?

I think I would be less annoyed if they simply sent me an e-mail explaining they want my money, period. At least my intellligence wouldn't be insulted. And I just might give them points for honesty.

If you're not good at gaming, do not try this at home, kids. Otherwise, this could be fun (ahem, in moderation of course).

Whodda thunk: You can legally play online games of skill for cash, as long as it's not a game of luck such as online poker, if you live in the 37 states* including North Carolina where it's legal.

Skillground Games has created a game I'm going to take a swing at called UTour Golf, which you download for free and play as much as you like at no charge. Or, if you're feeling lucky (no, wait, thinking like that is probably illegal), I mean skillful, you can place side bets, er, fees, from a quarter to $100 on skills such as the longest drive, closest approach shot or lowest score for the hole, according to a column in Popular Science. Skillground gets a 15 percent cut.

If you live here you're out of luck:* not allowed in Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Vermont

Insert in today's News & Record regarding a free, one-day pass to Sam's Club you can use Friday, Saturday or Sunday to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Even if you don't buy anything, maybe you can at least get a free meal out of it. We're talking food samples, people!

Holding a burrito in one hand and using your other hand to apply the taco sauce while letting your knee do the driving is a recipe for disaster, not that I would know anything about this.

Hamrick's has a 12-volt wet/dry vac including a DC lighter plug for $9.98 to clean up all that sauce that has christened your seat and floorboard. Pants? Dry cleaners.

So my wife and I tried this hugely popular program called Skype, which lets you make free Internet-based phone calls while hooked to Web cams.

The verdict? Awesome, baby.

Debbie was traveling on business, so we gave it a whirl last night. We liked how you can take still images from the video. Not the greatest quality in the world but still fun. And connecting is a breeze. You don't need to be a computer geek to figure it out.

But what does the future hold for Skype, which has 309 million registered users?

Parent company Ebay is considering selling it, so time will tell.

Here's the scoop: Ben & Jerry's is giving away ice cream during its annual "Free Cone Day" on April 29 in return for donating to charity.

Scott Hoffmann/News & Record
Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield greets customer Marsha Cohen during a visit to the Greensboro shop Dec. 2.

Locally, the Ben & Jerry's at The Shops at Friendly Center in Greensboro and the Palladium in High Point are giving out a free scoop or cone from noon to 8 p.m.

In return, Ben & Jerry's asks that you consider making a donation to charity. Groups that will benefit locally are the Habitat for Humanity of Greensboro, the Greensboro Children's Museum, Habitat for Humanity of High Point Archdale & Trinity and the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.

We're talkin' free comic books people.

Nearly two thousand comic book stores around the world will be celebrating Free Comic Book Day by giving away free comic books Saturday.

News & Record file
Joey Rudzinski, dressed as Superman, and Mason Young browse through comic books in Greensboro during the 2006 event.

Those participating include Acme Comics at 2150 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro.

At that store, comic books being offered include All Star Superman #1, X-Men, Marvel Adventures Spider-man, Marvel Adventures Iron Man, Owly & Friends, Atomic Robo & Friends, Archie, Disney's Gyro Gearloose.

"We hope to have a lot of young customers and parents come by on Saturday," Acme Comics manager Jermaine Exum said in a press release. "Bottom line, kids need to do more reading. Comic books have educational value as tools to increase literacy and vocabulary, without kids even realizing that's what is happening."

Co-worker Tina Firesheets passed along this tidbit regarding a Dillard's ad in today's News & Record (A10): bring in any clean, used handbag and get a discount on any single, regular-price handbag or wallet worth at least $50. Discounts range from $15 if you spend $50-$75 to $50 if you spend $200 or more.

The used handbags will be donated to a local charity.

It's for a limited time only, although the ad didn't elaborate.

Caught a teaser on Fox 8 this morning where they were going to talk about how you might want to consider camping as a vacation alternative if you're looking to save some dough during tight budget times (sorry Fox, I couldn't find the video on your Web site, if it has been posted, otherwise I'd link to it).

KOA campground on the Outer Banks

So anyway, we don't have a tent, and frankly aren't terribly interested in getting one, especially after watching how long it took another couple to set it up one scalding hot summer day at Frisco Woods Campground near Ocracoke a few years back. We stayed in a cool, comfy cabin, air conditioning cranked up, and didn't break much of a sweat unloading our stuff from the car. Our friends didn't fare so well. As I relaxed on the porch with a cold one, we watched as they struggled with the darn thing. Pole A here? No, there. Uhm, no thanks.

As far as good places to rent a cabin in N.C., I would recommend that place. Had a great time there. Prices are reasonable. Close to the beach, although you still have to drive (on the inlet side).

Others? KOA at the Outer Banks. You can walk to the beach while paying a fraction of what you'd shell out at a hotel or cottage. Amenities including bathrooms are clean. Friendly folks. Good hospitality. Good times.

The Junior League of Winston-Salem is having its annual rummage sale this weekend.

The sale will be held at the Joel Coliseum Annex and the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds' education building next door.

More than 20 departments featuring clothing, shoes, books, housewares, antiques and other items will fill approximately 62,000 square feet of space.

Admission ranges from $1 to $5 depending on when you go. Schedule and prices here.

Some U.S. retailers hope to entice you to spend your tax rebate checks through promotions and special marketing campaigns.

RadioShack is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases of $50 or more when a stimulus check or IRS tax refund is used as payment.

Sears Holdings, which includes Sears and Kmart, has a rewards program under which customers who bring their stimulus checks can convert the amount of the check into gift cards, plus receive a bonus gift card worth an additional 10 percent.

So when are you getting yours? IRS schedule here.

Circuit City has the best deal I've seen so far regarding the hottest video game since Halo 3: Buy Grand Theft Auto IV ($59.99) and get a $10 gift card.

Is the game living up to the hype? Gamespot, a source I consider pretty even-handed when it comes to reviews and info. about video games, gives it a 10 out of 10, the first time it has given a perfect score for a game. Not even Halo 3 warranted a perfect score.

Other retailers are offering specials, too. Gamestop will give you a 20 percent boost in the value of your trade-in game if you apply it toward the purchase of GTA IV.

They're also selling a special edition for $89.99, which co-worker Louis Bekoe and GameBuzz Web cast co-host just purchased at Target in Greensboro this morning. That includes a safety deposit box, art book, soundtrack CD, Rockstar keychain and duffle bag.

Louis is already warning co-workers he may be absent for a few days. He won't be missed though. Oh, I kid Louis.

Baskin-Robbins is selling 2.5-ounce scoops of ice cream for 31 cents tonight as part of a fundraiser for firefighters.

Baskin-Robbins is partnering with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation by donating $100,000 to the organization and honoring 31 firefighters from across the country.

The deal takes place from 5 to 10 Wednesday.