Book Reviews and Money Saving Tips

Jockey Brand Rocks! I recently made a purchase of some Jockey brand items on Amazon.  They arrived and I was dismayed to see I had ordered the wrong size.  My first reaction was negative thinking now there will be the hassle of a return and this is why brick and mortar is better and what an idiot I am for not realizing the size returned to the default medium when I changed color and yes this is an excellent example of a dreadful run on sentence. Cutting to the chase, there was a Jockey packing list with an 800 number.  I called and explained it was my error and asked what I could do to remedy it.  The delightful customer service rep asked my email address and promptly sent me a free mailing label and told me to re-order the correct size at Amazon.  Talk about Easy Peasy! The product is excellent and now I know the customer service is just as excellent! Kudos to Jockey! If reviewing a product, it may have been received free o...

After a recent Win10 upgrade my Homegroup stopped working.  The computers that not long ago happily shared data, pics and docs now refused to see each other.   Goggling the problem led me to all kinds of useless information.  The solution is actually quite simple.  If Homegroup stops working, you must turn off all the computers that were in the group and start over.  Go to control panel or network, find Homegroup and it will let you set up a new one but you must have all the other computers in the Homegroup turned off for your main computer to allow you to set up a new Homegroup.    (Main computer can be which ever one you  want to use as your main computer.) When you set the new Homegroup up you will get a password for use with all the other computers.  Turn them on and go to control panel and Homeroup.  It will ask if you want to join the Homegroup.  Go through the questions and be sure to share all that you want...

PayPal Failed Me! I am sad to report that after eight days PayPal tech support had no interest or ability to solve my inability to send payment to an illustrator who happens to live in Bosnia. It appears that there is some hidden firewall erected between December 2016 and now that has shut the door on payments to individuals in Bosnia. In an attempt to determine if it was a problem with my system, I used a VPN and thus a different IP address and that did not work. I sent the money to a relative and they were not able to send the money to my illustrator. Paypal told my illustrator that they have no idea why the money won't transfer. This is a young lady that has illustrated many books for me and I was unable to pay her in the method I have used countless times in the past. Western Union was happy to send the money. The $34 fee was well worth the fact that it took me 10 minutes which included the time to set up the account. 10 minutes and $34 vs. a minimum of 4 hours...

Alas PayPal, I Thought I Knew You Well I've been using Pay Pal for years.   Recently I have run into a PayPal wall. I have tried to send money to a book illustrator for one week. I have talked to several tech support people. I have tried two different computers and three different browsers and ALL of the Paypal options to send this money. I have paid this same illustrator as recently as December for her work. Now sending money to Bosnia seems to be impossible. Is there some government boycott or regulation that I am unaware of? I am mystified as to Paypal's inability to solve this problem. A transaction of less than 5 minutes in December has now cost me hours of my time and damage to my reputation due to my inability to pay for work that was done. One of PayPal's customer service reps suggested my illustrator invoice me and I pay her that way.  I just  tried to do that and got another error message. Paypal international payment has a major pro...

Lenovo Flex 4 14.0" 2-in-1 Laptop, Black (Intel Core i5-7200U, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Intel HD Graphics 620, Windows 10) 80VD000FUS This flexible hinge is an interesting concept.  You can use it just like any other laptop.  It can be folded tent like to use it as if it is on an easel.  You can flip it all the way around and make it act like a tablet.  I just downloaded a sketching ap and played with it as if it is a tablet.  The touch screen is suitably touchable.  It allows me to touch rather than click.  It seems reasonably fast but that is expected.  Overall my initial perceptions are very positive.     From the Vendor: Screen Size      14 inches Max Screen Resolution           1920x1080 pixels Processor         2.5 GHz None RAM   16 GB Chipset Brand Intel HD Graphics 620 Card Description...

This is a handy knife.  I particularly like the thumb indent.   I felt it added a control feature missing in many knives.  There is also a non-slip pad that fit my little finger on the underside of the handle.   On the top front there is a indent to help hold the knife when you rock .  Once again I like additional control.  I'm not a chef, I want to keep all my fingers and control features help. From the vendor:  Bottom of Form Multi-purpose 8" Chef's Knife making cooking with ease, control, and accuracy; perfect for chopping, mincing, slicing and dicing Safety touchpoints on top of blade for a more controlled "rocking" motion and comfort rest for thumb/index finger Antibacterial protected and contoured handle for both large and small hands creating hassle-free manuvering High quality X50CrMoV15 German steel, is razor sharp, rust-resistant, durable, tarnish-free and easy to re-sharpen ...

The case seems like good quality.  It fits well and snaps securely.   I like the hand strap that allows you to hold it.  The only problem is there is a touch too much play in the case.  Please note the two white arrows in the photo.  If you are holding the case by using the back strap, the fire tends to torque to the outside. The arrows show how the fire twists.  That isn't the problem as much as if you do put your hand at the edges of the fire, your fingers (at least mine do) may overlap the edge and then impact the touch function.   It is not a reason to overlook the case but if you have large hands, it may be an issue. If reviewing a product, it may have been received free of charge. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Wow!  The description said tool-less and easy install and it WAS!  It took me slightly less time to install the hardrive in the enclosure than it took me to walk to the end of my driveway to get the package out of the mailbox.  The drive slid in, the enclosure closed, I put the cable on, plugged it into my computer and it was recognized before I could pull up explorer.  Slick and easy, finally plug and play is becoming a reality.  $15.00 at Amazon ·                            Compliant with USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) Transport Specifications ·                            Compatible with SATA revision I/II/III (1.5/3.0/6.0 Gaps) drives ·         ...