We reported last week on how feebly powered, fuel-sipping 1990s-vintage hatchbacks have been lighting up the used car market recently due to skyrocketing gas prices. In an interesting twist to this phenomenon, I actually benefited myself somewhat from this hysteria when I had to sell my beloved natural-gas-powered 2006 Honda Civic GX last week on eBay, turning it into one of the smarter investments I made all year.

A rust-dappled Hyundai for $3,000, a clapped-out Geo Metro for $5,000, and a censurable Ford Festiva for six grand? Welcome to upside-down world. The rising price of dinosaur champagne has already decimated the large-SUV business, and now the realities of gasoline economics are elevating what was once the lowliest segment of the used-car market into Croesus' territory.

The whole world can talk for free...except for the last few days. Skype, the eBay-owned Internet phone service, was unexpectedly taken down last week by a software bug, leaving loads of users unable to log on, including myself. I've been using Skype since the beginning of the year, and have had almost no trouble with the service. Whether I'm calling landlines, mobile phones in China, or other Skype users, the quality is typically great. Sure, I've had a couple of echoes here and there, but most of the time I'll just ask the person if I can hang up and call again, and when I do, it's perfect. 220 million people worldwide use Skype, and there are usually 5 to 9 million online at a given time, but I haven't seen numbers on how many people lost access last week.

Skype has now explained the problem. On Thursday, a huge number of its users' computers re-booted at the same time after receiving a set of routine software patches through Windows Update. This basically crippled Skype's network resources, creating "a chain reaction that had a critical impact." The company insists the outage didn't stem from anything malicious, but I'm sure there were more than a few telecom bigwigs who were happy with the news.—Gregory Mone

You pay big bucks for your devices, so why shouldn't you decide what they do?

I knew when H20-wiz Dave Prochnow suggested a $75 PC project that it'd be popular, but I had no idea how popular. My failure to get the promised "more info" online before the article hit newsstands has resulted in a flood of letters from readers eager to get started. Nothing makes a DIY editor happier, so I'm glad to say the info is now online, with some extra details from Dave, as well as some new sources for the parts. It seems we'd driven so many people to the original sources that they sold out. In the article, we also asked people what they'd do with a cheap PC and have gotten several great responses, which I'll post up here this week. Here's one from reader Mike Creamer:
I bought all the parts you listed ($62 because I bought a couple of parts used on eBay). I have a hinged wooden box—a pretty lacquered thing—in which I'll assemble the PC. This is going to be exclusively for Skype. I'll attach a USB handset and use it to call my sister in Tennessee for free. I gave her the software and a handset for a gift, and we use the Skype software to keep in touch, but talking in front of my computer is a drag. With this setup, I can keep the tiny Skype PC in the living room and talk to her in comfort. Thanks for the inspiration!

Another reader wrote to remind us that Puppy Linux is a fine alternative to the Damn Small Linux OS we recommended in the article.

Have a cool use for the cheap PC, or a way to make it better or cheaper? Let us know in the comments below. —Mike Haney

Make a Wall-Mounted PC

Cost: $200
Time: 4
Hours
Easy | | | | |
Hard

The British branch of the online automotive auctioneer eBay Motors is tackling one of the more curious potential problems of global warming: dirty cars. As England suffered through one of its hottest summers in more than a century-one in which draconian water-use restrictions went into place in drought-stricken areas-eBay decided to challenge a U.K.-based automotive think tank to find a way to keep cars squeaky-clean with less water.

It looks like Bubble Wrap, but BlastWrap isn't for cushioning eBay shipments. A BlastWrap-lined garbage can will dissipate a backpack-size-bomb blast in less than one thousandth of a second. The wrap's 2.75-inch compartments are stuffed with heat-treated perlite (the foamy pellets found in potting soil), a volcanic glass. The beads have a strong internal structure of sealed, air-filled cells. When a blast occurs, the cells are crushed one by one, minimizing damage to the surrounding area, while fire extinguishants snuff the fireball.