What’s new in the blogosphere? Let’s see what discussions are afoot.

RT Cunningham shares a unique story with us. He doesn’t have a guard dog, but he appears to have a guard cat. Strangely enough, the cat does not belong to him; instead, it’s more appropriate to say RT belongs to the neighborhood feline.

Trent Hamm from The Simple Dollar offers some sound advice for people looking to save this upcoming holiday season. Instead of buying expensive commercial presents, consider giving home-made meals in jars instead. They add a very personal touch to the exchange and they look great too!

Joseph Planta of The Commentary recently took the time to interview Bob Blumer and the entire conversation is available for download in MP3 format. Blumer is perhaps best known for his Food Network shows, like The Surreal Gourmet. He has a new book with plenty of great recipes, stories, and “surreal etiquette.”

Justine Ezarik is perhaps best known on the Internet simply as iJustine. She has no qualms about saying that she is a huge fan of Apple, so it’s understandable that she loves the new trailer feature in iMovie 11. She loves it so much that she quickly put together a movie trailer of her own and it’s already garnering kudos from Obama and Jobs.

Eric Carpenter clears up a little confusion over the term professional pastor. This term can stir up some controversy, but Eric feels that if a pastor is being paid a salary for his pastoral duties, he is a professional pastor. It’s not meant to be offensive; it’s just a fact.

What did the blogosphere have to offer us this week? Let’s find out!

Free Money Finance offers an interesting case study about a couple who, on paper, appear to be financially sound. After all, they’re earning a million dollars a year, but they’re having trouble making ends meet. The trouble is that they can’t control their spending and they don’t even know where their money is going.

Meg Fowler recognizes the importance of putting in an honest day’s work. She recognizes the importance of accomplishment and being all that you can be. At the same time, she also recognizes that sanity is more valuable than strict hustle. At the end of the day, you only have one brain.

Zac Johnson is already a relatively well known Internet marketer, but he always has something new to learn and explore at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas. In a recent blog post, Zac highlights both the good things and the areas needing improvement with this relatively young blog conference.

Tiff Chow is a video game enthusiast, but she doesn’t restrict herself solely to the mainstream games being released through mainstream consoles. That’s partly why she had so much fun at the IndieCade conference, an event that attracts all kinds of independent developers and publishers. Thanks to services like WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade, these smaller developers have a place to flourish.

Gus Fosarolli is going on a trip and he has secured his Buenos Aires condo for the duration of his stay. It’s not the fanciest of bachelor suites, but it is well-furnished, well-kept, and well-designed. The best part is that it’s only going to cost him $560 for a two-week stay. Compare that to how much he would have had to pay for a hotel room… and the latter wouldn’t have a kitchen either!

What do the bloggers have to say this week? Let’s go on another tour of the ‘sphere and find out!

Josh Rimer gets us started with a very interesting article on the business prospects of YouTube. It may be a good video sharing service for amateurs, but did you know that you can make a million dollars on YouTube? Some of the most profitable content producers on the site make six figures a month from the ad revenue alone!

Susan Gernhart shares a very powerful lesson that many of us have to learn and accept: skinny does not equal fit. A thin person isn’t necessarily “in good shape” when compared to a person who may be a little heavier. Don’t forget about things like cardiovascular health, muscle strength, flexibility, and even mental health!

Trent Hamm approaches a question posed by one of his readers. When it comes to children, what should allowance pay for? It’s good to give your children an allowance to help them learn about money management, but how should those funds be spent? What should be paid for outside of the allowance?

Darren Barefoot, possibly at the behest of his colleagues and friends, finally got around to watching The Social Network. While he believes that Aaron Sorkin did a fantastic job and it’s an “exceptional piece of movie craftsmanship,” the film ultimately comes up just a hair short. After all, it’s only about a soulless schizoid who makes tons of money.

Susan Johnston has some advice and guidance for all the writers in the audience. She discusses how to beef up or slim down your word counts as needed. Did you just write something and it’s not long enough? Maybe it’s too long? Take her advice and adjust your word counts appropriately without adding too much fluff or losing too much substance.

Shelly Tucker asks a very simple question. How many thumbtacks do you need if you don’t allow them to be used on your walls and you don’t have a bulletin board? Are they just junk if you’re never going to use them? There’s something to be said about changing your mindset on these early stages of hoarding.

Thursday Bram poses an entirely different kind of question: Should freelancers remain freelancers? Moving in the freelance realm certainly affords some freedoms compared to regular jobs, but it still has its limitations. At some point, should you move on to something else?

The Network Hub‘s Eriko is new to Vancouver and she’s excited to explore everything this city has to offer. One of the bigger highlights thus far is Korean pork barbecue. The delicious flavors entice her into the restaurants every time she walks by and she’s thinking of holding a BBQ session at her friend’s place too!

Bonnie Sainsbury of Left Brain Media knows a thing or two about marketing and promotion. She also happens to know three different ways to monetize your blog. There’s nothing wrong with making some money from your blog, so you may as well explore your options.

Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar has worked out some math for us to consider. What are the mathematics of renting a movie. Going to the brick-and-mortar video store is not as affordable as it used to be, so does it make more sense to pay for an unlimited Netflix subscription instead? Or are there even cheaper options?

What’s new in the blogosphere? A little bit of everything!

Chris Bibey is a fellow freelance writer who I greatly respect, which is why I think his recent post on writing rates is noteworthy. He asks whether your rates are negotiable. You typically can’t haggle at Best Buy, but nearly everyone does it when buying a new car. For freelance writing rates, I think the negotiation has to be a two-way street. I’ll agree to a lower rate if you’ll agree to higher volume or some other incentive, for instance.

RT Cunningham chimes in the recent Katy Perry controversy regarding the segment she had on Sesame Street with Elmo. Many parents are up in arms about her choice of outfit, but RT disagrees. In his post on cleavage and augmentation, he says that it was likely just one big publicity stunt. If that’s the case, it worked.

Miss 604 lets us know about the upcoming haunted trolley tour in Vancouver. Every Halloween, visitors are taken around the city to visit “real” haunted houses and hear murderous tales. The regular price for a ticket is $35, but if you quote “Miss604″ while booking, you get five dollars off for tours between October 8 and 15.

Dragon Blogger recognizes that technology plays a very important role in our lives, so you shouldn’t take these purchases lightly. As such, he describes some tips on how to buy a laptop. Are you paying attention to the processor, battery life, screen size, memory, and other important features? An extra $100 investment can go a long way!

Joseph Planta approaches a rather touchy subject in his recent interview with Ezra Levant. They touch on the hot topic of Canada’s oil sands, looking at “our hypocrisy when it comes to our oil consumption, where we purchase it, and who benefits from it.” Levant wants to use the oil sands, but Greenpace and others think otherwise.

What did the blogosphere have to offer this week? Let’s have a look around and find out!

Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo have apparently been enjoying a fair bit of success with their book and now it seems that they’re going international with their efforts. Darren has just discovered that the book has been translated into Portuguese for the Brazilian market. That’s incredible! Just wait until Chinese, Spanish, and French versions get announced!

Luke McKinney recognizes that sports play an integral role in our society, so it only makes sense to do everything we can to prepare for the big game. For many, that could be NFL Sunday. For others, it could be golf, tennis, hockey, basketball, baseball, or any number of other sports. Whatever the case, the gadgets listed in Luke’s post will certainly make for a more enjoyable day on the lounger… like the remote that doubles as a bottle opener.

JP Holecka, who you might know better through social media spheres as jaypiddy, was recently able to reverse a parking ticket thanks to the power of the iPhone. It was a bogus ticket to begin with, but the power of technology allowed him to provide suitable documentation to prove that the ticket was bogus. Well done, sir! I’d imagine that many of us could do the same with other smartphones too, but it’s great to know that we can use tech in our favor.

John Biehler is slowly getting up there in years. As he anticipates his fortieth birthday next month, he takes a moment to provide his birthday wishlist. No, it’s not a list of gadgets he wants you to buy; it’s more like a rant on the Canadian landscape when it comes to entertainment, technology, and communication. Nokia can indeed do better, but I don’t think Nintendo will change their position any time soon.

Tyler Ingram has had quite the eventful last few weeks. He got engaged to his sweetheart and he’s back to school full-time. That doesn’t mean that he’s necessarily neglecting his photography interests either, as evidenced by a brilliant West End rainbow picture that he took recently. School is different than work, he says, but he’s able to manage thus far. Kudos, Tyler!