I did lots of research and settled on the 255W – an oldie but a goodie! The market for GPS devices is mature, and this basic unit works extremely well. I used recently on a trip in rural areas in the North East US and it worked flawlessly and reliably. The voice directions are useful, but the map directions provide the critical information for turns. It doesn’t come with a mini USB cable, but I have about a dozen so no problem there. It is useful to charge the unit from a PC. It does not display that it is charging when connected to a USB port – but in my case it was. The only feature that I could use would be to download routes from a PC, but alas, this feature isn’t available. I don’t need it for commuting, only drive in pursuit of leisure activities, so traffic, etc isn’t needed. For my needs, and for around $120, this was a very solid choice. Read more »
Streamlight 66118 Stylus Pro Black LED Pen Flashlight with Holster
I purchased one of these a couple of months ago. Liked it so well that I bought several more for Christmas Presents. They are awaiting wrapping, but this morning I conducted an unplanned test on mine. Saturday is laundry day around here. The lady I live with cooks, I do laundry. Put a bunch of shirts, multi-colored winter weight, in the washing machine, and let it run while I went in to town for a newspaper and the mail. Came back, emptied the washer, hung or dried the shirts as appropriate. Took a look into the washer tub to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind. OH NO! My nice new flashlight, and a ball pen. Checked the light. It worked! Opened it, dumped the batteries on a table, and looked inside the light. No visible water. Left the opened light and the batteries on a table, to make sure they are good and dry. They were the original batteries, still worked … guess my 7.5 hrs is not up yet! Am not sure I would go skin diving in shark infested waters, using the light to repel sharks, but I will make sure I have it with me on rainy days! And the pen? It was a souvenir giveaway from the Rockingham County Fair, but with a Parker Gel ink refill. The pen WAS wet inside, but the refill had not leaked, and worked after I dried it off. Read more »
GoPro HD Helmet Hero
The kit comes with connectors for connecting the camera up to an HDTV monitor (component video) or a TV monitor (composite video). A neat feature in the menu is that you can flip both the video and still photos so you can shoot with the camera upside down without a problem. Cons: The quick release mounts have a bit of wiggle to them. The back of the waterproof case can be difficult to lock closed. The menu system is a bit troublesome to use as there are only two buttons and three LCD characters to use. Once set you’ll not have to go into the menu very often. Future: There’s a connector on the rear that GoPro plans on using for an external battery or a monitor. Neither are available at the time of this review but they are being worked on. In use on the trail the mounts worked very well. I used the suction cup primarily to mount the camera to my windshield, bumper, side body panel, and side window. Across rugged rocky trails the camera held firm and the video came out very well. The simple interface was easy enough to use. One button to turn the camera on and select the mode and another to stop and start the recording. Read more »
Rome: Total War
Finally, taking a page from Ender Wiggin, I abandoned my two cities in Italy and shipped in four other armies to go after Rome, take the city, and win the game. Sure, it looks strange just to control Rome and nothing else in Italy, but I had been making no progress for THREE DECADES by the game clock (LOL). Because I have proven myself to be pretty inept when it comes to the real time strategy battles, I have been sticking to the basic strategy campaign game and having the computer automatically resolve battles. At some point I might get more ambitious and try to fight things out like a proper general, but I can still up the ante on playing the campaign game. You can go with no, low, medium, or high advice; both the campaigns and the battles can be easy, medium, hard, or very hard. There are also options for playing Arcade Style, having the computer manage all settlements, and following AI characters. If you want to practice on the real time battles, you can pick a historical battle, customize one, or do some quick ones for practice. Read more »
Hairspray (2007) (Ws) (DVD)
In realizing the situation, Tracy decides to organize a protest march. Offering their full support are Seaweed Stubbs (Elijah Kelley) and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), who also hosts the once monthly Negro Day on “Corny Collins.” This aspect of the story was interesting, mostly because the seriousness of the Civil Rights Movement was successfully given a light-hearted spin. It was in no way offensive–if anything, its message was made even clearer. A number of subplots weave their way through the film. One of the most important involves Tracy’s mother, Edna, perfectly played by John Travolta. There’s a refreshing complexity to this character that I wasn’t expecting; she’s a housebound laundress who uses her weight as an excuse to hold herself back. But with the love of her husband, Wilbur (Christopher Walken), and with a little help from Tracy, a newfound self-esteem begins to emerge. One of the film’s most enjoyable scenes is of Edna’s fashion makeover, a highly choreographed number that shows her in her best light. Read more »
PCMicrostore Apple iPhone Black Leather Texture Horizontal Holster Carrying Case With Belt Loop And Clip
I tried a lot of cases before getting to this one. I was thrown off by its price. I tried other, more expensive cases like DLO, Belkin, CaseMate and Griffin. None came close to the look and quality of this case. I’m not sure why its so cheap, but they’ve got a good thing going here. I’m amazed how real the “pleather” looks and feels. One of the reviews mentioned that the case was overly tanned and the smell was overwhelming. This was true for about two days. The smell is completely gone now. I really like the fact that its a magnetic closure. This was my biggest complaint with the DLO case. Its looks were great, but who wants to rip open a big velcro strap in the middle of a meeting to get your phone out. I have my iPhone in a Shield poly case (also highly recommended) to keep it from getting scratched when its not in the case. The iPhone with the poly case fits nicely into the holster. It requires just the right amount of force to get the phone out. I’ve only had this case for a couple of weeks now, but it looks like it will hold up well. Even so, if I go through two or three of these a year its still a heck of a lot cheaper than one of the other cases I’ve tried. Read more »
Thundershirt Dog Anxiety Treatment Wrap, Large, Heather Grey
Our Sheltie has worn the Thunder Shirt during several recent storms, and it has greatly reduced her barking and seems to have lessened her anxiety during them. It has not totally stopped her barking or nervous behaviour, but she seems much more at ease during storms. We’re very happy that the shirt helps relieve her fear. If you know Shelties, you know that they are very vocal so we weren’t really expecting the shirt to completely stop her barking. Will always rely on one of these shirts with any of our dogs that show stress and anxiety. Read more »
Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless Steel
I had been looking at this since my grandson was diagnosed with Celiac disease and can’t eat ANY gluten (wheat, rye, barley and most oats). I tried 20 times to make bread in my old machine but the settings wouldn’t make a good loaf of anything without gluten! Then I saw this machine with the Gluten-Free cycle and it worked beautifully! My first loaf was high and light and just the way my wheat bread used to be! Gluten-Free folks your wishes have been answered! It’s easy to use and easy to clean too! Read more »
Drinkwell Original Pet Fountain
Both of my cats love this fountain. Cleaning it isn’t fun but it isn’t that hard either and cleaning the fountain is well worth the joy that the fountain brings my cats–plus my cats no longer jump up on my sink to hog all the water while I brush my teeth. Read more »
Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Now I can take good pictures fast . Big change from non-SLR cameras I was using before. Excellent camera for the price. Read more »