Review Online

Knocks Your Socks Off Samsung LN52A750

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:43:56 +0000

Over the last year and a half, I have had nearly 10 different 50" class 1080p sets in my home for evaluation (it's a long story - too long to address here). They've been from Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and Sharp. Without a doubt, the 750 series Samsung has been the best overall performer with both SD and HD inputs. The pictures are very accurate right out of the box if you switch over to the preset "Movie mode" and very little calibration is needed. It handles motion extremely well (120 hz refresh rate) and there is very little color contouring. Off axis viewing is amazing for an LCD and on par with most plasmas. When you add in the overall efficiency in operation (225w power consumption vs. over 700w for an equivalent sized plasma) it gets even better.

The "Touch of Color" aesthetic is nice but not a really big thing. One improvement might be to bring back the swivel base which has, for some reason, been deleted from this model. Other than that, I give this unit "10 out of 10"!

Torker LX 24 Inch Unicycle : Great Starter Uni

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:29:36 +0000

Ok, I got this in February of 04, it is May of 04 now and I can ride fairly well. First off, if you have ever contemplated learning how to unicycle- GO FOR IT- I can't describe how much fun this is and how rewarding it is to be able to do it at all.

Second- there is this crazy growing community of unicyclists out there doing trails, trials, jumps, gaps, and freestyle stuff out there. Check out unicyclist.com to chat with them and take a look at the pics and videos in the gallery. Unicycles are for more than clowns and jugglers!

Anyway. this is probably the cheapest starter uni I would go with. It should last me a year or so before I want something beefier for off-road- and there are great choices out there for that kind of stuff, just not carried by amazon.com yet. Also, you can get away with putting a bigger tire on this for off-road- I switched out the stock 24X1.75 tire for a 24X2.1 schwinn stingray tire, and my guess is that a 24X2.3 would still clear the frame.

Teva Sport Sandals History

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:26:38 +0000

Mark Thatcher was the inventor of Teva sandals. While working as a rafting guide in 1982 he noticed the lack of proper shoes for river activities. Sneakers would become heavy when wet and would take days to dry and thongs (the only kind of sandal available at the time) would slide off feet very easily.

Thatcher fashioned a thong-style sandal with nylon ankle strapping, thus creating the first sport sandal. Thatcher patented his invention, found a manufacturer and began selling the "amphibious utility sandals" by himself, selling only 200 pairs the first year. Although it was an effective piece of watersports footwear, it proved less effective for regular sports as the first Teva users often complained of blisters between the first and second toe caused by the thong-style strapping system. However, the following year a sudden high demand of Teva sandals arose as young Americans found the sandal highly fashionable.

It was then when a partnership was made between Thatcher and Deckers Corp. Deckers eventually got exclusive rights to Tevas including patent #4,793,075 for the basic design (granted 1988) and a trademark for the brand name. The sandal was redesigned, creating the Universal Strapping System. The first model was called "Hurricane" and it is the basic design of all Teva sandals.

On November 25th 2002, Deckers acquired the worldwide Teva patents, trademarks and other assets from Mark Thatcher, the Company's former licensor and the holder of the Teva patents.

Teva would continue to thrive and grow under the supervision of the Deckers Outdoor Corporation.

Excellent Cyclocomputer

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:16:01 +0000

Installation was quite easy. It is worth the trouble to download the user manual from cateye.com however. The font size on the included sheets is a strain to read.

While the handlebar/stem mounting bracket is great, it is possible to over-tighten the bracket which may cause the "touch screen" functionality to not work correctly or at all.

On my last two rides the trip data has spontaneously reset to zero. The "touch screen" feature is really an electro-mechanical operation of a button on the back of the computer when one presses on the bottom of the unit. I suspect that I may still have the bracket a little tight. I have asked Cateye for an explanation of other possible reasons for this "spontaneous reset" but they have not yet had a chance to reply.

Nice fenders - needs some redesign

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:14:20 +0000

These are overall nice bike fenders. Beings that most new bikes consider fenders optional these will keep you dry. Installation was easy. Problem, I feel, is in the design. The support brackets are adjustable. That's good. The extra portions of the support brackets that are not used are an eyesight sore. That's bad. They should be designed so that the adjustment is at the wheel and not at the fender. In this way the fender has a nice clean look. The extra that is not used at the wheel could then just be nipped off with a wire cutter. I could be wrong but that's my opinion.

Excellent basic wired cyclocomputer

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:12:42 +0000

The BC906 replaced three cheapy Chinese-made cyclocomputers. Two lasted a year and the most recent I gave up on after 3 weeks. I then decided to buy a quality wired cyclocomputer - and the BC906 fitted the bill. I chose wired because I found wireless was affected by my flashing LED headlamp - the flashes were interpreted as speed when the two were adjacent.

I'm very pleased with the BC906 - it's accurate, easy to fit (no tools required), and highly legible. It's easy to set-up although the pictogram-based instruction book is not particularly easy to follow and could be better.

It doesn't have a backlight or ambient temperature - nice-to-have but not essential features. I chose it over a similarly featured and priced Cateye because the BC906 had a larger, clearer display.

Highly recommended.

Stop Animal Abuse

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:27:20 +0000

Animal abuse is intentionally causing an animal unnecessary harm or distress. Animal neglect is denying an animal it's basic needs, such as food, water, sanitary housing and any needed veterinary treatment. Both animal abuse and neglect are illegal in many countries including the United States. If animals are being physically harmed or caged improperly the owners/trainers are breaking the law.

Know that there are charities in many counties whose aim it is to stop animal abuse both nationally and internationally. By supporting them you can help stop abuse to animals. See External Links.
Contact an animal charity. Many animal charities can advise you, based on the laws in your country, if you find an animal mistreated. Some have a phone line you can call.
Contact the county Sheriff to determine what law agency has jurisdiction.
Record all observations of cruelty. Write down the time, date, circumstances and persons involved immediately. Put the date at the top of your notes and initial each page.
Contact appropriate authorities ID'ed in #1.
Prepare to be called as a witness.
Offer to provide notes to prosecutor.

How to Be Nice to Your Pets

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:25:35 +0000

Everyone needs to know how to be nice to their own pets! Here are a few tips to being nice to your pets and other animals.

Groom your dog or cat a lot. Cats and dogs love to be groomed. And scratched. But if they do not like it, don't do it; that will just make them hate you.

Feed them not too little, but not too much either. You have to distinguish between the times they're genuinely hungry and the times they're just trying to get food.
Clean their food and drink bowls at least once a day. It's the same as with us. You wouldn't eat out of the same plate for one whole week, and you wouldn't drink out of the same glass, cup, or mug for a month!
Give your pets attention. Pets want as much of your attention as possible, dogs especially, however, this attention should be on your terms. In general, acknowledge your pet's existence; even saying "Hi , how are you doing?" Clearly they won't understand what you're saying, but at least it shows that you see them.
Take dogs on walks. Most dogs don't like being holed up in a house or in the same backyard all day long; they like to get out and explore. They can also meet other dogs this way; if you only saw other people when you went on walks, wouldn't you enjoy them too?
Physical contact is very important to the socialization of animals and makes them much more friendly. Play with your pet, stroke them or just sit on the grass and goof around.
Never treat a dog like a child. A dog is an animal and needs leadership. Don't pander to insecurity, instead be strong and lead by example.
Do not do anything to hurt it such as kicking or hitting it!
Take it to the vet regularly. Your pet may not like it, but in the end, it's better to cause a bit of discomfort now than to find out later that it has a bad case of worms that could have been stopped awhile ago. Reward it once in a while.

Good Controller for PlayStation 3 Wireless Sixaxis Controller

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:16:50 +0000

There's a lot of good about this controller. The sixaxis feature is intriguing, the PS3 button lets you access the menu, power on/off etc but once you get the Dual Shock 3 controller then go back and play with this again, you'll have a bit of an empty feeling. The good news is that the DS3 release means the price is dropping on this controller. The bad news is no charge cable is included, so you might need to buy another one. BTW, you don't have to spend $12 at Best Circuit, google "USB mini B cable", and you can pick one up for a song and dance.

Fantastic seat, even for a short rider

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:07:05 +0000

As other have said, this seat is easy to install, comfortable, and easy to steer with, but the best part is that it fits me at only 5'4" tall. Most of the front seats are too wide for my small frame Giant Cypress ST, but this one fits well and I don't have to splay out my knees to ride with it.

I took this seat into my local bike shop and they were really impressed as well. They had heard of it, but never seen one. They were certainly converts!

The Best Multiplayer Game Ever.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:18:23 +0000

I went from playing the Original Super Smash Brothers on the N64 to SSB Brawl. The biggest transition is getting used to the new wii control style. This game allows you to choose from 4 different controller styles, and then map the buttons on the controller to do the action you define. (Yes, you can save the button configuration so you don't have to enter it every time.)

My first thought while playing this game is that it's much more serious than the original. The music, items, and even characters have a serious overtone. This could be good or bad depending on the game experiance you're looking to achieve.

That being said, I really like this game for a few reasons:
- My wife can mash buttons while I try to do combos and special attacks and we both do just fine. We also enjoy playing.
- I love the idea for "King of the Hill" with Nintendo characters.
- Easy to learn to play and enjoy, but it will take a while to master.
- It's the same idea over and over, but it's never the same.

If I could change one thing...I wish a player could choose the character they use in the adventure mode. (As opposed to a choice between 2/4 characters.)

Worth the money? Yes!

Greatest game of all time

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:17:05 +0000

I'm not going to write a huge review of the gameplay because it tops almost any other game ever made, without remorse. The graphic's, score, story, and every other feature meet all expectations and anyone who says otherwise is being overly critical on a game that they would have probably been critical on even if it weren't this good, just because of all the hype.

This game truelly marks the beginning of a new era in video games, where it finally attempts to and succeeds at reaching a viable artform. Mr Kojima, I know you will not read this, but I want to thank you with all sincerity for giving me one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of my life, one I am sure to love reliving years down the line.

This game had better beat grand theft auto 4 for game of the year as well...great game that is, but when you couple gameplay that is slightly better and a story that completelly blows away the laughable load of crap the "story" is in that game, you can't debate who the winner is. Snake, R.I.P. wherever you are =*[

Addictively Handy for ASUS Eee PC 2G

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:03:44 +0000

Before I get into the good stuff, though, there are a couple of caveats. I don't think these amount to problems with the device, since they're natural consequences of its design rather than flaws, but they're probably important to note. The main caveat is that I doubt the Eee would be adequate for anyone as a replacement for a full-blown, up-to-date desktop or laptop PC. The screen real estate, storage capacity, and keyboard are all a little too tight for that--a consequence of the unit's small size. As always, choice of a computer is never just about power, though: it's about finding the right balance of features, size, weight, and cost for an individual's particular needs. The second caveat is that if the features you need are ones that the Eee provides out of the box with the pre-installed operating system, it'll certainly work well for you from the moment you turn it on, no worries at all. However, while it's possible to add great flexibility and functionality to the device by adding and tweaking software, you'll need to have or gain a basic working knowledge of the Linux operating system to make that happen, unless you want to buy and install a copy of Windows XP (which opens another can of worms...). The version of Linux that comes pre-installed on the Eee really is fantastic, and any decently intelligent person who's willing to spend some time learning, experimenting, and surfing some user forums online for solutions can learn whatever he/she needs to know in pretty short order. But, if you're not already familiar with Linux, there will be a slight learning curve involved if you want to add software, etc.

What I happened to need was a device that would act as something about halfway between a laptop and a PDA. I'd lugged laptops around before and got sick of dealing with the weight an bulk (even with smaller, lightweight models). They generally supplied plenty of computing power, but many times I'd just opt not to carry the weight around. More recently, I tried a high-end PDA (a Palm Tungsten T5), which was excellent for what it was, and was OK handling a number of pc-ish tasks, such as word processing with a fold-out keyboard. It had two problems, though: the tiny screen made any sustained writing tiresome, and was too small to allow for any fine editing or page design, and the web browser, though it enabled me to access simple email, etc., couldn't handle most web pages easily--especially the portal for the intranet at my work, which I use all the time.

So, what I needed was something that would essentially give me a size and weight comparable to that of a PDA, but give me functionality, especially in terms of word processing and web access, much closer to that of a full laptop. In this niche, the 2gb Eee really shines. So far, with a minimum of tweaking, I've been able to add a number of software solutions for different things, such as mindmapping, note-taking, and web page design (all important to me, since my line of work is academic), and I've also been able, with the help of a 4gb SD card, to add a number of sweet open-source games, and even figured out how to convert DVD's into files playable on the Eee, which makes it a great little video player. I've also added the capacity to read ebooks (something that comes with the 4gb model), and in that regard I think, for usability, the Eee rivals Amazon's kindle in some ways: it doesn't give you the nice e-ink display, but it does give you ebook reading functionality _plus_ near-full laptop functionality for a much lower price tag. For my purposes, that's worth the trade-off.

In any case, right now my simple 2gb Eee, with a 4gb expansion card, is serving the functions of a pda, laptop, portable gaming system, and portable audio and video player--like a Palm, laptop, iPod, and PSP all in one package that's about the size and weight of a trade paperback book. That's a whole lot of bang for $300. I'm hooked.

Enjoy it while it lasts Boogie Board

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:01:29 +0000

We had a party with the Splash Bomb Water Slide w/ Boogie Board. The kids really enjoyed it. There were about a dozen children ranging in age from 3-8. They had a blast sliding down the slide both on their bellies and on the boogie board. About 6 kids have also played with it one more day and so far, so good. The only thing that is irritating is that the slide and the pool part keep coming apart since it is just velcroed together. I also do not expect this will last all that long, but the price was good and the kids love it.

A LOT OF FUN!!!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:59:09 +0000

This is another toy from BANZAI that has serious problems with altering their images to make the product look bigger than it actually is. The slide did not seem to be much different than the picture, but the pool was much smaller than it appears to be on the box. My 4 year old hits the end of the pool everytime he slides down the slide. (but he doesn't care, and it certainly does not hurt because it is soft and bouncy)

But seriously, my son loves this slide and it keeps him busy for hours at a time. I have to bring him his lunch and he sits in the pool and eats it. The sprayer is great and fills the pool up fast and keeps it filled.

So far the durability is wonderful. My son (40 lbs) stands on the wall of the pool and jumps in. The wall sinks in a little bit but still gives him enough leverage to jump away. My son also battles the sprayer and climbs up the slide and hangs on the wall of the slide. It has stayed in great shape thru all of his rough play.

Here are a few tips for people interested in buying this item:

1. Buy a little tikes rolling storage bag ($30-40) built for bounce houses. This fits perfectly in it and you won't have to worry about trying to stuff it in the tiny red bag they give you.

2. When you are done with using it, let it deflate and then tip it over so all of the water can drain.

3. Make sure you put this on level ground. Our yard is so lop-sided only one side of the pool filled up. (didn't stop my son from playing)

4. Don't pay more than $250 for it including shipping. My 4 year old loves it, but I don't know if he'll even be interested in it next year.

5. Have fun watching your kids enjoy this toy!!!!