Christmas lists last year were topped by requests for clothing, followed by peace and happiness. The least popular answer was computers. But the past year has brought many changes. Today the No. 1 thing people want is computers. Peace and happiness now comes in second, followed by big-screen TVs, clothing and money. Computers sales tend to come in waves. One of the last great sales surges was in 1999 when people bought systems that were Y2K compliant. On a side note, Clark recalled all the millennial hysteria surrounding wide-eyed predictions about planes falling out of the sky at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 1999. Clark was in the air on New Year's Eve at midnight Greenwich Mean Time doing phone interviews with various radio and TV stations. Some people thought it would be the last time they ever heard from him because they expected his plane to crash! Fortunately it didn't. But those people who bought computers in 1999 now have systems that are the end of their life. That partly explains this holiday season's computer craze.

Folks often ask Clark what they should spend on a computer. Clark believes you can get a nice desktop for $300 and a good laptop for $450. But now a Taiwanese company has announced plans to sell a basic notebook model for the low $200s. The cheap laptop is being called the eee PC and should hit stores within a few months. Meanwhile, the Black Friday shopping sites have begun popping up with their predictions about sale prices on the day after Thanksgiving. According to some, Sears will be selling 32-inch hi-def TVs for $300 and 42-inch plasma TVs for $600. We'll have links to various Black Friday shopping sites for you as we get closer to Xmas.

Minneapolis' Star Tribune reports that sales of extended electronics warranties at Best Buy and Circuit City are down 12 percent and eight percent, respectively. Clark really rejoices in these stats because he hates when these warranties are crammed down your throat by salespeople. Speaking of that, Clark recently bought an LCD TV (on sale) at a major electronics retailer. When the salesperson started his spiel about the warranty and Clark declined, the salesperson dropped him like a hot potato. He actually left Clark by himself to lift the TV onto his cart and didn't even fill out a customer ticket! Clark thinks the man probably acted this way because he may have needed a certain close rate on the customer tickets he writes up. So rather than risk being penalized for not selling the warranty, the sales associate didn't even bother writing up a ticket. At Circuit City, for example, the only way they survive is through warranty sales. Best Buy, meanwhile, reported some $800 million -- more than half of their $1.38 billion in profits -- came from the sale of extended warranties.

Clark says the payback on warranties is worse than on a Vegas slot-machine. In fact, he jokingly advises people to get a quote on a warranty and then go drop that chunk of change in a one-armed bandit. At least then you'll get flashing lights, racket and noise, plus have some fun taking in the atmosphere! But seriously, for every dollar you pay on an electronics warranty, you only get back about eight to15 cents, after you account for depreciation and how quickly technology becomes outdated. Clark thinks you should never buy an extended warranty on computers and electronics. You're a little bit safer with a warranty on your appliances. Finally, keep in mind that credit cards will sometimes double the manufacturer's warranty on electronics. It's like getting an extended warranty for free!

Cross-country communication is very tough nowadays with generational differences in technology preferences. So how do you get emails and photos to someone who's computer challenged? A year ago, Clark read about something called "Presto," made by Hewlett Packard. It's a simple device that prints out photos and email automatically, three times a day. It's like having the mailman come several times every day. Clark got one for his 83-year old mom for her to get photos, emails and calls from family without touching a computer. This is such a wonderful, simple device. It isn’t cheap ($99) but it's very helpful! It even emails you when you're low on printer ink. Check it out at presto.com. Also, here's a bonus: you don't get any spam, because you can control who's able to send you anything.

As you probably know, Clark hates to waste things. He had been using the same pair of headphones in the studio since the '90s. Even though they were old and ratty, he used them until the end of their life. Now he has a new pair, so don't be surprised if he's able to hear you callers a little bit better! Likewise, he holds onto clothes long after they should be thrown away or given to charity. In fact, his wife has to periodically purge their closet and make the old threads "disappear."

Clark read a TechWorld.com report about how manufacturers of the cartridges we all use in our printers give you a notice that your cartridge in empty when nearly 60 percent of the ink is still left. If you throw it out at that point, more than half the ink you pay for goes unused! So when your computer tells you replace to the cartridge, instead just pull it out and shake it. You'll probably get several weeks more use out of it. After all, manufacturers have a clear financial incentive to shortchange you and make you buy more of their product. What you pay to print per page skyrockets if you throw that cartridge out or recycle it too early. Multi-ink cartridges are the worst because they have individual ink banks for up to three or four colors. Any one of them can run out before the others do. Another way to save money on ink cartridges is to get them refilled. Manufacturers hate it when you do this. Studies haven't yet shown decisively if the refilled ink is good quality or not. So just shake it up, baby! Samsung is one of the few companies that makes printers with a toner saver button that can reduce the amount of ink you use per page by 40 percent. Over time, that becomes a great savings.

Clark was shopping recently for a new computer and he came across one that cost $339 with several rebates. He found one that was $30 more with the same features and only one rebate. That was at Staples. He ended up buying the more expensive one, he confesses, but that’s because rebates are much easier in some stores than others. Staples is one of those stores; Costco is another. But for the most part rebates re a huge hassle. Buy where you know you will get your rebate money or don’t buy there at all.

Would you believe that there is now a computer on the market for teenagers that costs $1,700? It’s called the “Hip E” and it is framed in pink fuzz, graffiti or leopard skin. Kids are fashion plates and they want to make sure their computers are too. But this is ridiculous. You should pay $400 or $500 at most for a computer today. With rebates, it could be less. Even laptops are available for $699 after rebate. So, the marketplace has significantly discounted the cost of computers, and there is no reason to buy one that costs $1,700. If your teen is begging for one of these, buy a standard desktop, go to the craft store and glue some pink fuzz around the frame. You’ll both be happy. The best time to buy a computer is the day after Thanksgiving.

One in four people will probably buy a computer between now and Christmas, according to Investor’s Business Daily. That may sound like a lot, but it’s actually a decrease compared to recent years. So, computer makers have the ability to make a lot more computers than we want to buy. And that means we are going to have a bargain bonanza on our hands. The laptop market is getting cheaper, and the desktop market is dirt cheap. A desktop computer costs less than some televisions these days. Clark recently bought a Linux-based PC for $199. It does the bare minimum, but it works for him. Clark uses the computer for word processing, Web surfing and for his finances. Better yet, the computer is immune to viruses right now because it doesn’t run on a Microsoft operating system. By the end of the year, you will find some great computers starting in the $200’s. Last Thanksgiving, the same machines were at $499. In addition, the features that laptops will have this season will far outstrip what they could do last season. There are several smart reasons to buy a cheap laptop. The first is that no one will ask you about your machine if it’s just the basics. Another reason is that laptops will soon fit in a woman’s purse and can be taken anywhere.

About six weeks ago, Clark talked about some severe price cuts from Intel and AMD. Now, the prices showing up online and at retailers are fantastic. So, if you’re computer is not working for you, now is the time to buy. You can get a great desktop for about $350. You may have to mail in lots of rebates, but that’s okay if you don’t mind a little extra work. You would not want to pay that amount if you’re hoping to use your computer as a sound/video center or if you’re a graphic artist who needs more fancy capabilities. But for the average user, you can buy a computer for that little and maybe just buy some extra memory or RAM. It’s the one area you may want to beef up, usually from 256 to 512 kilobytes or higher. Memory is what makes it run fast, not the chip. What about laptops? You shouldn’t have to pay more than $600 for a standard laptop that allows you to watch movies, too. You can also get a portable DVD player for $150 if you want to lighten the weight of that laptop. Buying a “refurb” or refurbished computer is also a good way to save money on laptops.

If you are ready to buy a new computer, either a laptop or desktop, you may want to wait just a little while longer. Wall Street is in a tizzy because Intel, one of the main computer chip manufacturers, has built way too many chips. So, sometime over the next month or two, you will see some great deals on computers. Fancy laptops will be in the three-digit range, and your basic model will come with wireless access for only a couple hundred dollars. The number of wireless or “WiFi” locations is increasing because setting up Internet access is great for business and it’s cheap.

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In other technology news, Clark has used a small, but growing company called Vonage for his long distance for several years now. But Vonage seems ready for primetime these days. The company has just signed a deal with Circuit City whereby you can buy a set-up kit for $100. That includes all of the equipment and the activation fee. A number of other retailers will jump on board, and some of Vonage's competitors will pop up in retail stores as well. Technology is slowly obliterating the need for traditional long distance and monopoly phone companies. This is great news!