I mistyped a digit on my credit card last time I was shopping online and the site promptly told me the card number was invalid. But there's no way it had time to check with the bank. Is there some secret coding system for credit card numbers that they used, and if so, what's the scoop?

This is a random bit of trivia, but why the heck do they call the day after Thanksgiving "black friday"? Seems kinda racist to me, but I'm sure I am thinking about it wrong...

Dave, help! My kids are telling me that the only thing they want for Christmas this year are Zhu Zhu Pets. As a parent, however, I'm clueless. What the heck are Zhu Zhu Pets and why are my kids so obsessed with them??

I might be last to this particular party, but before I start shopping on the Web I want to know: is it safe to shop online? I mean, really safe?

I'm a big fan of eBay and am convinced that with some work, attention to detail and a bit of luck, I can create a profitable home business buying and selling on eBay. My question: what are your best tips for getting good deals on eBay?

I lost an auction on eBay, darn it, and a few days later got an email from the seller offering me the chance to buy the item for my highest bid as a "Second Chance Offer". I am very leery of these communications because eBay is cool, but it's also a hotbed for fraud in my experience. How the heck can I figure out if the Second Chance Offer from this eBay seller is legitimate?

I erroneously bid on two eBay auctions for the same item and won both. D'oh! I asked one of the sellers if I could just cancel, and he did so instead, but now I'm wondering if it's legit?

Hey Dave. When it comes to tech stuff, even in the names that I read in product reviews on your blog, there are all of these companies I've never heard of. How do I know if what they're making is any good?

Hey Dave! There are all these great deals on computers this Christmas season. How do I know which computer I should buy?

I am a law student and have completely switched over to a laptop for all of my notes. My laptop is bluetooth and I use a bluetooth mouse. My question is do you know of any bluetooth pen devices? Sometimes it would be helpful to draw things by hand, and the regular mouse doesn't cut it. I want a pen-like device that can act as mouse. Hopefully it would be small, portable, and bluetooth.

Giving a loved one a laptop can be a great experience. As with any gift, the impulse comes from generosity and a wish to improve someone's life; but unfortunately, there are times when any well-intentioned gift can go badly wrong. With laptops, in particular, it is easy to make a small mistake that can be remedied only by outright exchanging the laptop; and that can mean some hassles at best, and at worst it might cost you a big restocking fee. Follow these ten tips and you can be sure that your gift will be the hit of the Holidays this year!