Wise Bread has a fun little article about both kinds of money laundering: the “classic” scheme involving Italian restaurants and dry cleaning establishments, and the “modern” brand of money laundering which usually involves some sort of business in the Cayman Islands.

Note: I do not condone illegal money laundering in any way, and I should warn you that there are very severe punishments that come along with even being a part of such a scheme. But if you’re just curious as to what it means to launder money, then check out the Wise Bread article.

If, however, you find yourself on the losing side of monopoly there’s still hope. There’s a list of tips on how to win monopoly at About.com that may help you the next time you find yourself stuck in the slums of Mediterranean Avenue with no hope of ever reaching the glamour of Boardwalk.

The BudgetBot lets you keep a close eye on your budget by making it available anywhere you have cellular phone service. Using SMS and an AIM Bot, BudgetBot allows you to text-in purchases and check on your balances. “Just spent $50 on groceries? Text 50 h to your BudgetBot and it’ll track it for you. Throughout the month, you can get a report of your progress by texting, for example, rep Jul to your BudgetBot, or get an update on your balance by texting bal.”

You should know, however, that to set up the BudgetBot requires comfort with editing and running a Perl script. It’s not too scary; but it’s not an installation wizard, either.

For full instructions including the script and video, visit Lifehacker.

You are no longer driving the 1969 Ford Galaxy that you did in high school. That cherished old beater would quickly let you know of engine problems with an annoying knocking or clunking sound. Today’s cars are equipped with on-board diagnostic (OBD) computer systems that, among other reasons, monitor vehicle emissions.

Emissions? You could care less, right? Wrong! In addition to federal emissions standards, your car’s emissions are affected by many parts of the engine and the OBD system can let you know of problems from any of the vehicle’s major components.

So what does this mean for me and the bright engine light that is screaming at me? Well, a check engine light can signal a myriad of problems from a bad engine to a loose gas cap. Yes, the problem may be that you did not tighten your gas cap! Do not get you hopes up though as common check engine light problems include:

• Faulty fuel mix
• Engine performance problems
• Electrical circuits
• Drive train
• Emissions sensors (ever heard of the O2 sensor?)

Not more that six months ago, I encountered this same problem with my 2002 Isuzu Rodeo. Shortly after we bought our SUV, we were driving home from a weekend vacation to visit the in-laws when the check engine light blinked on. Instantaneously, I envisioned thousands of dollars going to the pocket of the next greasy mechanic who would be replacing our engine.

I took our car to a local mechanic and he said that he could check what out our car’s OBD was telling is for $20, and then turn off the light and see if it returns. The greasy mechanic met me outside and hooked up his OBD tester to my car. A grim smile came to his face, and I feared the worst. He chuckled, walked back to the rear of my car, opened my fuel door, and tightened my gas cap! Mechanic Joe then said, “That should do it. Tell your wife to make sure the gas cap is tight.”

I was both relieved and angry at the same time. Relieved that I would not be writing a $4,000 check to replace my engine and angry that such a small problem had gotten me into such a tizzy. What is next? Will the light also go on if I run low on windshield washing fluid?

With that experience under my belt, I encountered the same problem a week ago when my wife called me on her drive home from work and said that the check engine light was on again. My first thought was, “Honey, did you tighten the gas cap?” I did not want to pony up $20 again for mechanic Joe to tell me the same thing, but I still wanted to make sure it was not something big.

Searching the internet for some shortcut, I found that AutoZone will check your car’s OBD for free and make sure the problem is not trivial. I called the local AutoZone to make sure they participated in the program and they confirmed the report. I asked if the guy could also turn the light off, and he said that he could not, but between him and I, that I could just unplug the negative battery terminal for 30 minutes and the OBD system would reset.

Thankfully, I saved myself $20 bucks, found out that the problem was minor, and avoided the greasy mechanic. If you happen to be in a similar situation with your check engine light, I recommend:

1. Take your car into AutoZone and have then tell you what the OBD code means. If the problem is major (i.e. transmission, engine), take your car in to be repaired by a trusted mechanic.
2. If the problem appears to be minor, disconnect your negative (-) battery cable to reset the light and wait to see if the light returns.
3. If your light turns back on within a short period of time, take your car in.
4. If the light does not come back on, thank your lucky stars and be glad you avoided being ripped off by a greasy mechanic.

Other check engine light resources include:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/car-guide-2004/engine-light1.asp
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/05/07/139969.html