Book Reviews and Money Saving Tips

I recently purchased a Suncast Hose Hideaway that claimed to hold a 100 foot hose.   I can only assume that 100’ hose was a really, really skinny hose.   I could not get my 100’ 5/8” hose into the box.   The box would be suitable for a 75’ or 50’ hose but 100’ of quality hose does not fit.   Oddly enough my son purchased the same hose box from another store and had the same difficulty.   Extrapolating, I suspect it is the box and not us.   I have had good experience with Suncast products in the past.   I have no complaints about the build quality.  Although I am concerned about the all plastic fitting where you connect your hose, I haven’t used it long enough to determine if that will be an issue.    I also want to point out that in their instructions (which is nice since so many vendors have done away with instructions) they put in bold print, “ and keep hands free from the range of t...

In spite of what we have seen the “Force” is capable of, we can’t just wave our hands in front of Storm Troopers or miscreants and state that “These aren’t the droids you are looking for.”  There are cyberthugs out there just waiting to corrupt your phone.   Protect Me!  Please! Sadly the modern vandal or electronic thief is alive and flourishing.   This article from PCWorld gives some good information on what is coming down the road and targeting our beloved Droid.   Note the mention of Lookout Mobile Security .  This is the same software ap for your phone that I wrote about a few weeks ago.   It may keep your Droid and your peace of mind secure.   If you don’t want to click these links, Google Lookout Mobile Security and install it on your phone.   You can never be too safe in today’s hacker prone society. 

 If you haven't tried an electric toothbrush, you should. This toothbrush brand was recommended by my dentist. I got one and loved it so I got my wife one. We have both noticed a definite improvement in the appearance of our teeth. They feel cleaner too. I have to wonder if these things existed when I was a kid if I would have so much metal in my mouth.  This is a good price too.  Make sure you buy a set of replacement heads too.  I have been impressed with how long of use I get out of a single AA battery.  You can tell when to change because instead of an angry hornet it sounds like a weary bumble bee.   This does a nice job. 

I posted this on July 10th.  On October 15th I received an email from the CEO of Etonic World Wide.  He expressed his dismay over my experience with his company's shoes and asked for my phone number so he could call me to discuss it.  On Monday October 17th Tom Elwell and I conversed for 45 minutes and were on a first name basis at the end of the call.  Tom Elwell is a CEO who truly believes in his company.  One of my complaints was there was no phone number for customer support on the web site.  There is one now.  Tom also told me he had contacted an employee, who was on vacation, to find out why there had never been any response to my emails.  Here is a CEO who is working for his paycheck.  He didn't hand off handling a concern to an underling, he communicated to me himself.  Tom believes in his product and  now I know he also believes in customer support.  I think everyone can accept that a defective product can slip through...

This product seems to do exactly what it claims but somewhat better.   Noting that it was 20% Zinc Oxide, I expected it to be a stark white when applied.   It actually rubbed in better and the whiteness disappeared more thoroughly than some better known brands I have used.   Zinc Oxide has always been the gold standard for protection, thus the stereotypical white nosed lifeguards.   This is touted as acceptable for ultra sensitive skin.   I do not normally react negatively to sunscreen but I do use aftershave for sensitive skin.   This cream did not cause any itching and was not greasy.  I liked the fact that it really did vanish when rubbed into the skin.   I was provided this sunscreen at no charge by Amazon and have posted this review on their site as well.   There was no attempt by Amazon to suggest or imply that I should right a favorable review.   If you read my blogs you prob...

iPuke Why Tablets are toys.   I just read the article in the above link.   Oddly enough I agree with most of it with the exception that it is OK if your tablet is a toy.   I like toys.   A tablet that really would replace my laptop would be great.  On the other hand, I do find my DroidX is useful for things well beyond what I expected and it fits in my pocket.   I carry around a couple of spreadsheets, I can text, I dictate my emails so am not forced to use the teeny tiny on screen keyboard invented for pixie size hands.   I read books on it and exercise my intellect with Words with Friends and DropWords.   I even occasionally make phone calls.   Does it replace my laptop?  Heck no, but it is a wonderful, wonderful toy!

                                    I don’t play computer games beyond bridge and scrabble.   I do not do first person shooter games howevActivision Shame On Your for Call of Duty: World AT War er I have a friend who loves them.   He got Call of Duty:World At War for Christmas.  He wasn’t able to get it going on his computer.  I upgraded his video card to a 256mb video card to meet the specs of the game.  He exceeds all other specifications. Game still wouldn’t run.   I looked at myriad you-tube videos complaining about the game and offering suggestions as well as too many forums to count.   After tweaking and prodding and patching I got the game to run adequately.   Adequately compared to how well it runs on the X-Box.   I spent 2...

I just read an article on Zd net about the new hp tablet.  Since I am dictating this blog I have not yet figured out  how to put long internet addresses in verbally.  If you google z d net .com and mobile gadgeteer. You should be able to find the post "Should we now expect to pay 500 dollars to be tablet beta testers."  Sadly the author has concluded the HP tablet is not a competitor to the apple ipad 2.  Check out his blog post it is very informative.  This post was made by dictating to my droid x.  Perhaps sometime in the future it will actually be quicker than typing.

 Giving credit where due, this was awesome!  I’m a Harry Potter fan so I wanted to go to Universal Orlando to see the Harry Potter setup. The castle was very cool and the ride gave a taste of each of the movies. A disappointing aspect was the wait was over an hour and the first announcement of a single rider line was well after we waited in line for over 30 minutes. The entire Harry Potter section was dramatically overcrowded on a Monday in January with no known school holiday.(see photo) I wanted to buy a Potter theme shirt for my grandson and it was not possible to get into any of the stores. As a matter of fact, there was an hour wait to just get into two of the stores so they could take your money. In addition, the prices were even more exorbitant than Disney prices which are obscene themselves. I did enjoy the dragon duel ride which was a very good pseudo coaster type ride. I’ve been told that if you go late in the day, it ...