Sometimes you don’t have cable tv (costs too much), sometimes you are studying all night and miss your favorite shows and sometimes you have a dual ear infection and really don’t feel like doing anything but watching internet televisions cause you can’t sleep.

No matter the reason, there are plenty of options out there to watch your favorite shows or even pick up a new series or two and watch them in their entirety. These are in no particular order - I use multiple sites to find exactly what I want to watch.

Hulu - The latest craze in internet TV is Hulu. I signed up with it in Beta and for it being a third party site, it has the best quality. It’s got old shows (Adam 12!) and new shows (House, COPS) plus you can watch movies and sporting events (missed any bowl game last year? missed the NHL or NBA playoffs this year?). It has full episodes and brief segments of shows. The only downer sometimes is it has incomplete seasons or only season one of a long running show so you start to feen if you are really liking it.

66Stage - 66Stage pulls shows from different sites and puts them in one place for you. It had the popular DivX til those got pulled, but Veoh TV, Youku, Megavideo and Tudou are still there. Not only does the site show you the newest shows and episodes loaded but you can take your pick when it comes to watching. You can stream directly through the 66Stage website. Some of the shows are split into 2 parts, but some aren’t. Movies are available here too. Warning though - use the links on the right, not the ones in the middle. The ones in the middle are paid links for download. I stumbled upon this site after TV-Links went down (which I had used to watch the entirety of Six Feet Under).

Tv-Video.net - Kinda slow loading at first (I use FIOS), but clear video and full episodes of TV shows. Games are here too. Only gripe is the size of the video screen and that sometimes I get cut off (I’m watching on a wireless connection).

CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, AETV - Most stations stream some of their most popular shows as little as 24 hours after it airs on tv. Fox varies the time (House, for example, you have to wait 8 days to view but for COPS and Family Guy you don’t have to wait that long). CBS airs all the CSI episodes (Las Vegas, Miami and NY) and Numbers among others but doesn’t air popular shows like Criminal Minds and Without a Trace. No longer do I have to decide whether to watch CSI or Greys Anatomy Thursday nights - I can pick one and watch the other the next day. ABC airs Greys Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters and has a number of internet only shows that are pretty fun too. I found out about Pushing Daisies through this website (it airs on TV too) and love it. I’ve never really watched through NBC, but they do have some shows available (none of the Law and Orders though).

Netflix - If you have certain rate plans with Netflix you can watch movies and tv shows through their website. The quality is excellent AND it remembers where exactly you stopped so you can start back up again in the same place! It does require that you use Internet Explorer (yeah a wtf I know) and download their player, but that’s the only reason I use IE at all.

There are lots of other sites out there - TIOTI, Streamick, etc etc etc. Try them all out and see which ones you like the best.

photo credit: intenteffect

HarriMac enjoys a well lived life with a large serving of soul. Her special feature, Welcome to Soulville, appears every week.

I’m getting ready to move (again) and I’m really starting to think moving with a bunch of stuff is overrated. You’ve got Uhaul costs, need helping moving things, etc. No matter whether you’re keeping most things or not, you’ve got to get rid of those “other” things somehow, right? I feel your pain.

If you live in a college area, most other students might be moving at the same time you are and they are trying to get rid of things at the same time so no one is buying. Or, people want to give you a crappy $20 deal for that $150 office chair you bought and barely used ’cause you preferred using the futon (not speaking of myself of course LOL). So where to go?

• Try a yard sale – these tend to attract not only other students but families and other people who don’t want to or don’t have the funds to pay full price but want nice things. You get cash money so no worries about checks bouncing or anything.
• Use Craigslist – take a couple pictures throw them up on this free service and let the offers come rolling in. Other online ads for free can be done with Yahoo and Google.
• Try eBay – if it’s big ticket, try eBay to get the price you want.
• Use free newspaper classifieds – paper or online. Many more people read these than might check the online ads.
• Post fliers everywhere – those pictures you took for your online ad come in handy here. Add a phone number or address and see what happens.

If you have no luck selling your items, there are ways to get rid of them without trashing them.

Look up local non-profits, Goodwill and other thrift shops, homeless shelters or other groups that benefit a demographic you can support and offer it up. Some might give a receipt for charitable donations that you can use with your taxes and even better it helps them get items they may not have been able to afford before or provide services that are vital.

My undergrad school used to collect gently used items (clothes, furniture, etc) and have a re-sale in the fall – those in the community and students got what they needed and the proceeds went to fund community service projects. Remember – if it’s not in a condition you would use it in, think about whether somebody else would before you offer it up. Call whoever picks up your trash or the city department of public works and see if they know of recyclers that take items before you send them to the landfill.

Happy moving!

You’ve got a few bucks and want to travel to somewhere that isn’t where you currently are. But you’re a college student (or otherwise broke person) and thus your few bucks are definitely not enough to fly, especially on short notice. What do you do? There are plenty of trains and buses to grab and if you get your tickets early enough (usually a week to three days), they are much cheaper than if you bought them at the counter. If you have a student advantage card, even better!

Buses

Greyhound is an option….if you don’t really need to be anywhere in a hurry and don’t mind backwards systems that may leave you stranded for a few hours (or days). They are cheap, which is a definite plus, but that’s where the benefit stops. Other options are Megabus (they tout $1 fares) or similar systems and in the northeast anyway some merchants (usually Chinatown merchants) have really cheap buses going places like New York City ($30 bucks to get to NYC any day of the week? Awesome). Buses are an easy thing if you want more stops than a train and don’t mind smaller seats. Your luggage is usually your responsibility so don’t transfer buses and forget your bag! Note: if cars aren’t moving on the roadways, buses won’t be either.

Trains

Amtrak is slower than driving, but cushy. Big seats, lots of place to put your luggage and huge windows to look out of. Some trains have electrical outlets at the seats, while others make you use outlets in the club car or pay for a room to get a space with outlets. For the most part, the only stretching your legs will be between major stops. Trains stay relatively on time so even 30 seconds late may make you miss that train. Some train cars are older, but they are all still pretty nice as long as you don’t get stuck next to Andre the Giant or psycho woman (I’ve had both experiences). Your bags will be transferred to the next train for you so only worry about your carry ons. Amtrak doesn’t go everywhere, but oftentimes even the remote places can be reached through combinations of Amtrak and Greyhound or other bus service.

Food

What do you eat when traveling for the cheap cheap price? If you want to continue to save money, you’ll pack your own soft sided cooler with drinks and sandwiches or something else you like to eat (and plenty of cool packs or ice to keep it cool). Otherwise, expect typical quick food fare that will cost you about 5-10 dollars a meal including drinks, but only if it’s a major stop on either line (smaller stations have no food, maybe a vending machine). Amtrak has a club car with food and drinks, but all food on a Greyhound you gotta bring on yourself. If you’re not a fan of fatty foods or greasy foods, you really might want to bring your own food either way.

What’s your favorite way to travel??