Book Reviews and Money Saving Tips

I am a Nerf fan.  This is my first Nerf toy.   However I have purchased untold numbers of Nerf toys for grandchildren over the years.   The packaging was easy to get into with no wire ties.   All the tie downs were easily severed by a pocket knife.   The sling shot assembled easily and the instructions were clear.   However I would put in much bolder print that the dart has to be loaded into the slingshot prior to pulling back the launch string.   Those of us who tinker prior to finishing the instructions, will be far happier and less frustrated if we see immediately that the dart must be in the slingshot first!   The dart shot roughly 40 feet.   I didn't measure but I did pace it off.   This is quite an impressive range.   The build quality is fine.   My only complaint is that two darts?  Really!  Just two darts?   I am beginning to suspect N...

\   Update Dateline the Next Day: I got a prompt reaction to my initial lukewarm review. Due to that prompt positive reaction and assurance I could get local support, I tried setting up the router again today and got dramatically different results. I "swear" I followed the exact same steps but today it was bing, bang and bong. Everything fell into place. I got great wired speed and was able to see all three wireless bands from a tablet, a laptop and a desktop. My wifi analyzer shows the TP-Link in green. It is at the same level as my Fios wireless and much higher than my Netgear wireless router. The photo from my yard did not come out but the green signal was 25% higher at a 150 feet. So ignore what I wrote below, I have to assume I made some elementary error yesterday because today I am very happy with this router. my apologies to TP-Link I followed the TP-Link Quick Installation Guide and set it up.  My tablet and my three wireless computers saw it and conn...

This is pretty nifty.  It is light and reasonably powerful.  I like the convertibility factor.   It transforms from a stick vacuum to a hand held.   The hand held seems to have substantially more suction than my two existing dust busters.   The steering is a bit tricky, it tends to be a bit of a free spirit when in the stick format.  I found it took a use or two to get familiar with how easily it turns.   I like the fact that the filter is washable.   That is not the case in most of the hand held vacuums I have owned.  The lithium battery should also be a much better power solution than the old ni-cad batteries.  I am a bit dubious about the name, Ergorapido, seems somewhat comic.    From the vendor: ·                         High performance 10.8V Lithium turbo power ba...

The Girl Who Loved Dragons  Link to the Video Trailer for my book. There are tons of action adventure elementary school age books out there.   I don't see enough of them emphasizing girls as the hero.   We need to make sure that 50% of our population grows up knowing they have an internal hero.   If we can encourage girls' imagination to see themselves as victors not victims we are insuring both their own and our own future as they raise strong children of both genders. Charlotte showed her love of rocks in The Girl Who Loved Rocks and in The Girl Who Loved Dragons, Igneous (her favorite rock) the dragon is introduced as her sidekick and cohort for future adventure.  My goal is to meld fantasy and science fiction with humanistic adventures suitable for children in elementary school.  Igneous is a rock or is it? Dragons are fantasy or are they? Aliens are science fiction or are they? Charlotte answers these questions in Th...

I wondered how hard this would be to type on. There is a surprising amount of play/depression in a keyboard that is thinner than my tablet.    The setup was astoundingly easy.   I paired it with an HP Chrome box and it paired right up.   The keys are small  but not substantially smaller than the hardwired keyboard sitting next to me.   The back space key is in the correct spot as I tend to use it a lot due to my less than stellar typing skills.   This is a very usable keyboard.  It is actually smaller than the key board I got to carry with my tablet.   From the vendor: ·                         Ultra-portable wireless keyboard for Android and Windows devices: Ultra-slim, light, go-anywhere Bluetooth keyboard fits easily in a coat pocket, purse or briefcase ·         ...

Linksys AC1200 Amplify Dual Band High-Power Wi-Fi Range Extender with Intelligent Spot Finder Technology and AC Pass Thru (RE6700) Once again Linksys has impressed me.  The setup on this was truly plug and play.   As overused as that phrase was in the 80's, it finally is true.  The longest thing was having to get up and get the password for my router.  Otherwise the install was purely pleasurable.   I have an AP on my tablet and phone that lets me test signal strength.   I walked down to my pool and tested the signal.  I know can sit at the pool and surf the net.  Thank you Linksys!  I now have a strong and useable signal on the opposite side of my home from the router and approximately 100 feet away from the router.  This is a nice product. With the AC1200 MAX Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE6700), you can easily expand the range of your existing wireless router. Simply plug the device into a standard w...

  I am going to assume that velcro is a trademark and that is why this is called hook/loop.  I'm not sure if 3M wants to hear velcro like but that was what came to mind when I opened this.  Regardless of nomenclature, this is good stuff.  It applied easily and is holding my headphones on the front of my computer.  I like having things organized and this should help a great deal.  You get 10 feet for $18.00 at Amazon.   I lightened the hook and loop on the photo so you could see it.  It is holding the cable hoop on the front of my computer. Works great, a little pricey but works great.   If reviewing a product, it may have been received free of charge. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

I'm disappointed.  I had high hopes for this cleaner.  I have some mildew on my pool deck and this seemed just perfect for the job.   I followed the instructions on the bottle and mixed up a batch of higher concentrate suggested for tough stains.   It tells you to apply the product and wait a few minutes for it to work, then lightly rinse it.  The instructions tell you that you "may" need to scrub the area treated.   Well, after a light rinse I saw no change.  Then I applied a relatively diligent scrub with a push broom.  The product then produced a dirty foam which I had hoped meant the mildew was coming up off of the concrete.   I lightly sprayed again and did not see any appreciable difference.   After four series of vigorous scrubbing with a push broom, I did a final rinse.   The mildew is still there.  It isn't quite as dark looking but it certainly isn't mildew free.   I wi...

This drill is very user friendly.  It is substantially smaller and lighter than my current cordless drill.  It came with two lithium batteries and a charger with a nice carrying case for less than $100.00.  That is a pretty good value.  The lightness of the drill enables you to use the handy hook that accompanies it to hang it on your belt without danger of the infamous plumber's butt. (no offense to any of you plumbers, it is merely part of the tool belt culture's humor.)   A nice set of assorted screw driver bits accompanies the drill.   There may be a difference in performance between the 12 volts of this unit and the 18 volts of my older drill particularly when comparing lithium to lithium.  The old ni-cad 18 volt battery was easily twice the weight of the new 18 volt lithium.   With that said, the 12 volt Hitachi is still much lighter and easier on the wrist and shoulder, particularly on overhead work,  than t...