The cost of gas continued its upward march today as the Tacoma area set yet another record for the price of a gallon.

A gallon of regular unleaded averaged $3.80 in Tacoma and some pumps even flirted with $4.

Diesel averaged $4.54 per gallon, according to the AAA of Washington.

Janet Ray, AAA's spokeswoman, said prices have been increasing since the beginning of March.

"Pretty much every day is a new record," Ray said.

In a typical year the spring price increases curtail in mid-May and often retreat by June and July, Ray said.

Unfortunately, this isn't a typical year.

"So much of the increase is due to stock market speculation ... it's difficult to project because it looks so different," Ray said.

But when the world gives you lemons, The News Tribune gives you eight ways to turn the money you'd spend on a gallon of gas into something bigger, better or at least tastier.

So what exactly can you get for $3.80 (or less)?

- A pint of domestic beer from Terry's Office Tavern only sets you back $3. Shoot, upgrade to a microbrew for $3.75.

- $2.99 will get a bike tire patch kit from Old Town Bicycle. Fix up that rusty Schwinn and stick it to Big Oil as you pedal to work.

- For the same price, you can also get a gallon of milk at Safeway (Better for your bones than gasoline anyway).

- 15 quarters ($3.75) will buy you 15 giant gum balls. Seriously, that's a lot of gum.

- In the treat department, $2.99 will also buy 15.4 ounces of Almond Roca from the candy maker's Tacoma factory outlet store.

- Drive as fast as you want (Fuel schmuel!) through 15 rounds of Cruisin' World - the car simulation video game at Chuck E. Cheese.

- You may not be able to afford an Incredible Journey, but you can watch the movie on demand from Click! Cable for $2.99.

- And you could, actually, make lemonade. Squeeze a whole pitcher with five lemons (two large lemons for $1.50 at Tacoma Boys).

A penny saved is ... something you’ll probably be spending for postage.

Starting today, the postal rate for a first-class letter has gone up to 42 cents.

The only saving grace from the Postal Service are those “Forever” stamps, which, until today, cost 41 cents. Today, they cost 42 cents. A year ago, they cost 39 cents. And a year from now, they'll probably cost 43 cents, as the rate will likely increase in what is becoming a mid-May ritual.

The cost of mailing a postcard also went up today – to 27 cents.

Among other new rates in effect today, according to Associated Press: a large envelope is up 3 cents to $1; certified mail is up a nickel to $2.70; first-class mail to Canada and Mexico is up 3 cents to 72 cents, and first class to other countries up 4 cents to 94 cents; priority mail flat-rate envelope, up 20 cents to $4.80; and express mail flat-rate envelope, up a quarter to $16.50

But there’s good news also from the Post Office, especially for philatelists, or stamp collectors. This year’s selection of newly minted stamps will include several colorful new entries, including those commemorating the careers of Bette Davis and Frank Sinatra; Disney art; Alzheimer’s awareness; holiday Nutcrackers; tropical fruit; the Olympics; and a quintet of American journalists, including Martha Fellhorn, John Hersey, Ruben Salazar, George Polk and Eric Sevareid.

Notices of the impending death of Boeing's California cargo plane assembly line could prove premature if two prospects for more orders pull through.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has told the Defense Department it may buy three C-17 cargo planes from Boeing. The planes list of a total of $700 million.

In the meanwhile, Congress is considering a bill to authorize the purchase of 15 more of the cargo jets. The Bush administration has not included those jets in its defense procurement requests.

Unless Boeing gets more orders for the four-engine cargo jet, it will shut down the production line, the last large fixed wing plane construction site in California.

Just when you thought Boeing had cornered the market on untimely production delays, Airbus once again is raising the possibility of further delays with its super jumbo jet, the A380.

The 550-passenger airline, already two years late in its first deliveries, has told airline customers it is restudying its projected production rates with the double-decked aircraft.

Airbus has delivered four of the big jets to launch customer Singapore Airlines, but is four months behind in producing the second version of the jet that features a new wiring system.

The original two-year delay came about largely because the old wiring scheme was riddled with problems caused by design incompatibilities between various Airbus plants producing the giant jet. The new wiring scheme was designed to do away with those differences.

But now Airbus thinks it may not be able to produce the jets as quickly as it had hoped.

There's a shortage of iPhones around the country. While that may seem like nothing new, some are saying that means a new version is coming out.

Apple Inc. said Monday its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device’s next generation featuring faster Internet surfing speeds, The Associated Press reports.

The company confirmed that the iPhone is out of stock online, but added that brick-and-mortar stores run by Apple and iPhone carriers including AT&T Inc. might still have units available.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on reasons for the shortage and on Apple’s plans for an update to the device, which is widely expected to be unveiled in June at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The paucity of iPhones for sale in some markets comes as Apple is hustling to meet its goal of selling 10 million of the hybrid iPod-cell phone-Internet surfing gadgets by the end of 2008. So far, Apple has sold 5.4 million iPhones, according to the latest data as of the end of March.

One way Apple’s expanding the iPhone’s reach is by inking deals with wireless carriers around the world, even breaking with its pattern of requiring exclusivity to sell in a certain country.

In the category of what not to do on a plane:

A Southwest Airlines passenger who refused to get off his cell phone during a flight found Dallas police waiting for him Monday, The Associated Press reports.

Southwest officials had summoned police, who met the jet when it arrived at Love Field from Austin.

Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said flight attendants had repeatedly asked the man to get off the phone while airborne.

Police said Joe David Jones, 50, of Austin, was cited for disorderly conduct. Jones did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration bars use of mobile phones when planes are flying due to concerns about interference with navigation systems.

King said airlines can be fined up to $25,000 for allowing cell phone use, and passengers also can be fined.