You will learn important lessons like: sizing your TV to optimise resolution, whether to choose LCD vs plasma vs LED and why you don’t need to spend money on a 240Hz TV. So make sure to check out the following link before you shop. [HDGuru]

In fact, they went so far as to call in the same crowd-control experts that help to keep things under control at major events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics. Each store will have its own game plan, but the vast majority of locations (not just Super Centres) will be open for 24 hours starting on Monday, November 26 (Thanksgiving) and ending the next day in the evening. That way, Walmart hopes to prevent mammoth crowds from gathering outside the store waiting for the doors to open. They are also putting many of the most popular items behind displays, where employees will supervise lines and hand out the products to customers in an orderly fashion. Additional workers will be stationed outside the store to help direct foot traffic.

Because of incidents like the one at Walmart, the National Retail Federation has, for the first time, put together a list of guidelines aimed at crowd-control in stores. Of course, even with all these precautions, I fear that this year will bring more horror stories about deadly violence erupting between crazed bargain hunters. [NYT]

You’ve gotta order between 10am and 1pm, and it’s not cheap: You’re talking like a $US15 delivery fee, unless you’re an Amazon Prime member, who’ll get it for only an extra $US6. (Then again, if you’re stuck inside with swine flu, $US15 is a pretty small price to pay to stay wrapped up in blankets in bed while somebody else fetches your shopping list.)

The new service is being tested in seven cities: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Seattle are the first, with Indianapolis and Phoenix coming later. [Bits]

Here are a few choice excerpts from Regretsy; just a taste, mind you, no substitute for a visit. Be careful, though, because the amazing site is not always safe for work. Looking over the entries makes me wish it were as fictitious as Kasper Hauser’s brilliant—but mercifully fake—SkyMaul.

Whenever I hear “Michael Jackson”, I immediately think “baseball”. Well technically, I think “Little League”, but you know what I’m saying. [Link]

Usually I just use the guest towels when we’re out of toilet paper. [Link]

You know what goats like? They like grass. They don’t like having leopard outfits strapped to their sagging haunches like Kim Cattrall. [Link]

Santo trompas de Falopio! Who wouldn’t want to curl up with the stuffed reproductive organs of Mexico’s most famous bisexual surrealist? [Link]

It goes without saying “Santo trompas de Falopio!” is my new favourite expression of surprise. Hit the site for way more where this came from. [Regretsy (NSFW)]

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Hmmm, it looks like our beloved Best Buy has a lot of fine prints asterisks. But do I really care? I like the conclusion on how it really works: You get a “free” toaster oven after spending $US24,000 on purchases, and by then “the thrill is gone” because you “realize the game is fixed from the beginning. Time to find better ways to save, like buying less stuff.”

I can’t agree more. All praise Jess Bachman—one of our favorite infographics designers. [Mint.com]

All you have to do (eventually, when the site’s launched) is fill in details like brand preference, your budget and Measy will throw a bunch of questions about the product category at you. For TVs, you’ll get questions about viewing angle, but for cameras, they’ll ask about picture quality and whether or not you can record video.

It’s a smart idea, and as long as the questions are thorough and the database of products is complete. On the other hand, we’ve answered quizzes before, and they told us we were more like Elliot from Scrubs, when we are clearly more like Turk. [Measy via Tech Crunch]

The Yoke Shopper secures several shopping bags and allows users to sling them over or across their shoulders. Obviously, this frees up your hands and prevents the handles from digging into your skin. Although, if you are a big eater you will probably have to strap a few of these things on—which will just end up transferring the pain from your hands to your shoulders and lower back. [Yoke Shopper via Red Ferret]

BlackBerry Bold, Storm and Curve 8900 users have exclusive access to the new iDumpit application. iDumpit is an online clearance outlet providing Australian consumers with access to quality brands at bargain prices. Products available at iDumpit range from sunglasses to sportswear, fridges to office furniture, jewellery, luggage, audio and even wine and bottled water.

Users of the free application will enjoy a personalised shopping experience with access to more than 25 categories of products at a significant discount to the Recommended Retail Price (RRP). iDumpit application users can set their personal product preferences so that they will be automatically alerted when any of their chosen products are on special, which will be reserved for BlackBerry users for the first 24 hours. Hmm, I’m picturing lots of high-fives and screams of “marketing coup” over at iDumpit.

Further features of the iDumpit application include scheduled reminders for regular purchases, ability to select favourite items for repeat purchases and secure, fully encrypted payment gateway via SecurePay and PayPal

Blackberry-using shopaholics, bargain hunters, and those in desperate need of retail therapy sans borders, get your iDumpit app here.

• Why You Should Buy a Refurbished Laptop: Just because a laptop isn’t brand new doesn’t mean its worthless. Refurbished laptops are a great way to get all the hardware you need on a budget.

• Why You Should Stop Buying Your Laptops Fully Loaded: Don’t be tricked into buying a computer fully loaded from the manufacturer. Doing the upgrades yourself can offer lots of value.

• Why You Don’t Need Fancy Gym Gadgets and Memberships: Getting in kick arse shape doesn’t require expensive gym memberships and equipment.

• Screw the Recession: How To Spend Less and Get More: Saving money doesn’t always mean making big sacrifices. These tips can help you streamline your tech spending at home.

• Green Tech Upgrades That Boost Home Values and Reduce Bills: Investing in these tech upgrades for your home can actually be profitable in the long run.

• Why You Can’t Complain About The Price Of Today’s Gadgets: Let’s put things in perspective here. You actually have it pretty good these days when it comes to the price of gadgets.

• The Real Cost of Upgrading to Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Before you make the jump to a new OS, make sure you are buying smart.

Unlike that philosophy class you’re taking, Smart Gadget Shopping 101 is actually useful in your everyday life. So be prepared—we don’t scale your marks here.