The U.S. Government is offering up to two $40 rebate coupons per household, but are running up to six weeks behind in getting those coupons out. So they are urging everyone to order the coupons before the end of the year. That's tomorrow.

'Apply. Buy. Try.' So says the dtv2009 site. Do it now. Here is a list of the coupon eligible converter boxes.

All of this is especially important if you intend on dropping your cable service, and picking up an HDTV antenna, fully capable of receiving the appropriate frequencies and HDTV signals. "Plenty of high-definition TV is available for free, over the air," reports Wired's Gadget Lab, in the '12 Good Gadgets for Hard Times.'

In addition, you could also visit Hulu and/or Joost and watch your favorite shows online and on your own time, for free.

Leo Babatuta, the author of 'The Power of Less,' has written a new book called, 'Thriving on Less.' The print edition is due to come out in a few days. But its companion is available for download as a free ebook on his booksite. Be sure to visit his ZenHabits blog as well. We highly recommend it for those willing to start afresh in 2009. Thanks to Lifehacker for the heads up.

Steve Jobs will NOT be delivering the Keynote Speech at MacWorld in January.

In fact, it will be the last time Apple will be at MacWorld after 25 years.

Is Steve alright? I am sure the rumors of his health getting worse will start circulating once again...

As TIME reports, "Apple is Jobs and Jobs is Apple."

"The announcement itself was about as shocking as hearing that Barack Obama would be skipping the Inauguration and sending Joe Biden in his stead."

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Big Three auto makers. Mostly not complimentary. Especially when their CEOs are flying in private jets to ask for bailout money. But did we really expect them to drive the cars they make?

One of the Big Three, Ford, is featured in a post by Amber of Altitude Branding entitled 'Case Study: Ford’s Approach to Social Media.'

Scott Monty, the head of social media at Ford says, "Strategy first ... tools immaterial ... Second ... understand the rules of engagement before you take part ... And finally, know that many customers simply want to be heard." Sounds great!

Regarding companies contemplating an investment in social media, he adds, "Start by listening. Understand what’s being said about you (and your competition) before you decide to do anything. Decide if it’s right for you. If your customers or target audience aren’t participating, then maybe you don’t need to."

Here's a case of one such competitor not heeding Scott's advice ...

Adam at A Media Circus relates to his Mercedes experience when referring to '7 Ways to Get Me to NOT Join Your Social Network.' Mercedes apparently has a seven-step process to join their branded social networking.

Is branded social networking a good idea? Should it be a part of the company's social media strategy? As for Ford, doesn't the whole idea of positive brand association go out the window when negative news is splattered all over the pages of the traditional media?

We have to admit, when Apple came up with the MacBook Air laptop about a year ago, we didn't think 'thinnovation' was the right way for Apple to go. Dismissing the DVD drive in favor of coming out with the thinnest (and possibly the lightest) laptop in the world was controversial. And at best, this laptop would be a secondary device for most. Or so we thought.

Sure we had the same reservations when Apple decided not to include a floppy disk drive (click for some nostalgia) in the original iMac series, one of which by the way we still own (in blueberry, but in hindsight wished had the cranberry). But we got over it fast. At least in that case, the floppy drive was being replaced by the CD/DVD drive, unlike the MacBook Air with no built-in media drive.

And just a few days ago, we were taken aback when Wired's Gadget Lab posted, 'Five Useless Gadgets You Should Throw in the Trash Right Now,' declaring we should give up our printer. "The forests will thank you for it" said the post.

And now Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion predicts what was only a matter of time, and inevitable, "that in the US almost all forms of tangible media will either be in sharp decline or completely extinct" in five years. And he is not just talking about print, "but all tangible forms of media - newspapers, magazines, books, DVDs, boxed software and video games." He gives us several examples as proof.

So there you have it. Most everything is accessed or downloaded online, whether it's software or music. No need for CDs/DVDs. "When was the last time you bought a CD?" Rubel asks. Will you too soon be living totally 'media green'?

Save a tree, please do not print this post unless necessary.

Have you ever seen or heard a really great idea and thought, "I sure wish I had thought of that"? The reverse is true as well says Adam Broitman, Director of Strategy and Ringleader at 'crayon,' in iMedia Connection.

Adam points out six stupid marketing mistakes that some agencies, as well as the corporations on the receiving end, keep making over and over again.

The first is one that we've noticed quite a lot on Twitter ourselves. A one-way brand presence with no interaction that Twitter is supposed to be used for. British Airways is given as the example of such an abuser of this social channel.

Among the others is also one we agree wholeheartedly, businesses should think in terms of their web presence, not their website.

Adam rightfully concludes, "this article outlined a variety of marketing mistakes, but most of the mistakes were not in the ideas themselves -- the mistakes were in the execution.

Tiran Dagan of Scattered Atoms recently posted about an interesting experiment in viral marketing: Honda carved grooves on a section of road in Lancaster, California so that when you drive over it, the tires generate musical sound effects.

The grooves have been repaved since then, due to complaints from nearby neighbors. I guess they (the neighbors) should've been consulted on the musical selection. A little bit of interactivity would not have hurt in this instance. And everyone would've lived happily ever after.

Next time you are stuck in traffic in the non-carpool lanes, imagine how the slow version of the latest rap song would sound, now that you can make out the words.

Wouldn't it be easier if Honda simply provided a transponder, complete with a glow-in-the-dark Honda sticker, so that the lucky beta demographic pool would get to drive the toll road shortcut for free, especially during these hard times?

Should we stop teaching kids handwriting? So says Anne Trubek of GOOD/Magazine.

She claims, "This is absurd: I am a college professor and a freelance writer, and the only time I pick up a pen is to sign a credit-card receipt," as she tries to validate that repeatedly being told your handwriting is bad makes you grow up to be a bad writer at best, or hate writing at worst.

We may disagree with her reasoning for reaching that conclusion; however, we do agree that with the advent of digital devices so dormant in our daily lives, and when the larger debate is about whether texting using a touch screen keyboard is easier than using the tiny buttons on the latest handheld, it's a wonder why we continue to teach not only handwriting, but even the memorization of the multiplication table.

What do you think? And what will become of all the handwriting analysts?

Nine million digital picture frames were sold in 2007, and that number is expected to jump to 40 million by 2010, most equipped with Wi-Fi.

So why not offer news, sports scores, weather, stock quotes, and yes, advertising. Another interactive medium. Another win-win.

We're in the business of finding new ways for people to interact with our clients' advertisements. And this latest one activated via motion, or Bluetooth, captures our wild imagination.

According to Inwindow Outdoor, cutting edge ideas require cutting edge advertisements. "Typically, when people walk away from an ad, their thoughts soon move on to other things. Now, with Bluetooth, they can take a reminder with them on their cell phones. The format can range from images, to sound and even video – creating a lasting impression of the message delivered quickly and seamlessly to almost any cell phone."

This creative medium has great potential, as well as futuristic implications, for event and venue applications.