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What you REALLY shouldn't leave home without.

http://www.shop.com/Koolatron+12V+Mini+Car+Fan-44626152-58689996-p+.xhtml?sourceid=298

J-Lube

Most of the keyboards out there are cheap enough that you'll spend a good deal of time reattaching keys to them after you've dug them out of the bottom of the dishwasher. SOME of the keyboards will be onhappy that you've soaked the solid state bits in detergent and hot tap water (basically) and refuse to work afterwards, but this should occur more with older keyboards than with newer ones. Some of the newer keyboards just encase the electonics in a plastisol (ish) blister like calculators. You can eventually corrode contacts and damage other parts, but you aren't going to unseat socketed chips.

The short answer is probably not. Don't fall for the GIGANTIC CAN OF SPECIAL COMPUTER COMPRESSED AIR, or the computer wipes and that garbage. Take regular rubbing alcohol, cut it by half (so 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup water). Get a lint free cloth (not a paper towel or a rag)--lens cleaning towels from camera shops work great, and are reusable. Then remove the keys and wipe down the accesible parts.

The rubbing alcohol will evaporate quickly, and you just wipe up the very small amounts of water left.

Alternately, you can buy Flexible Keyboard, but it isn't as cool as you would hope it is.

Do the $7 cards you pick up work with XBOX360? Because Microsoft seems to think wireless alone (no extra 40Gb, no card reader)is worth...wait for it... about $100.

The cheapie @ 75USD:

http://www.provantage.com/microsoft-b4b-00009~7MSS X03M.htm

The fancy ones at $99 USD

http://www.shop.com/op/~MN_740_Broadband_Networkin g_Xbox_Wireless_Adapter,_802_11g,_b-prod-23981381- 32003097?sourceid=3

What do $7 mail-in-rebate junkie wireless cards for PC have to do with this discussion? Nothing.

JON

A good many of those have poor transfers also

I've notice that for older films. This is especialy true for DVD's under $2. As a collector of the cartoons I grew up with, 2 hours of early animation at $99cents a copy is a much better value to me than 1950's rock and roll at $12.95 for 48 minutes of stuff.

Let's face it. I can buy a fairly recent (less than 5 years old) DVD for less than $6 new. Ice age and Ever After I just picked up at the grocery store for 5.95 each. Have you checked the price on 20 year old music on CD's? The RIAA hasn't got a clue. I do buy something other than overpriced CD's.

http://www.shop.com/op/~Dark_Side_of_the_Moon_SACD _CD_(Pink_Floyd)-prod-29774059-38976525?sourceid=2 98 Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Now $32.99 was $47.38

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1015 357 Beatles White Album Your Price: $28.99

http://www.amazon.com/Night-at-Opera-Queen/dp/B000 000OAN Queen Night at the Opera Price: $10.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

Now some older classis movies for comparison;

http://www.amazon.com/Fiddler-Roof-Special-Topol/d p/B00005N7YZ Fiddler on the Roof 17 used & new available from $16.95

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng.gsp?searc h_constraint=0&search_query=star%20wars%20dvds&adi d=0100000031361378202498 Star Wars trilogy 3 movies for about $10 each. List Price: $49.98
Our Price: $33.88

The RIAA can't figure out why I don't buy CD's..

More hints.. here is a list of DVD's at 5.99 Page 1 of 756 titles.
http://www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?N=13326+16 5&Ne=160#Budget+DVD's

Of course, nearly any DVD from Criterion will be around $30. So, the price isn't that big of an issue for me.

There are people who do pay premium prices for premium content. There is a market for Cadilacs and Mercedez Benz, but the real money is in Wal * Mart. Trying to make a Mercedes the standard car of choice is going to have a tough run against the Toyota's.

The HD DVD manufactures are seeing this right now. Hummers were a hot item as was the Escalade. Casino Royale is a hot item, but it's not overtaking conventional DVD's anytime soon much like Hummers and Escalades are not overtaking Accords and Camerys. This is reflected in the number of unsold high priced titles.

Since no one else here seems to actually give results of where to get this stuff, I figured I'd help out here.

I got all this using Froogle, so you could probably to the same:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=Samsung+DTB-H2 60F
http://www.shop.com/op/~HDTV_Tuner_Box-prod-395058 74-52664117?sourceid=3
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=grandtec+tun-5 000

However, I completely agree, the selection sucks and you have to get mostly odd brands.

I got a http://pchdtv.com/ one and I love it for my computer (highly recommended), however, it's also nice to just have a set-top box.

BR burners are already in the price range of current players. See here for a $579 BR burner (dual layer, no less). The cheapest BR player I could find was here for $579. Zero price difference is pretty close in my book.

Note: I'm not affiliated with either of those sites, just did a quick Froogle search.

And just for my 0.02, I vote for Blu-Ray. It's a lot easier to abbreviate Blu-Ray as BR than it is to abbreviate HD-DVD without ambiguity.

Nothing prevents you from hanging clotheslines indoors. Just because it might be a tad more difficult doesn't mean it'll be impossible.

i use kitchen scissors, which are for cutting items during food prep, like small chick bones.

they are very stiff, and do not have a sharp pointed tip to damage the item you are trying to extract. also, if you do use them on food, they come apart for cleaning. very nice.

I have a charger for my cell phone, Nintendo DS Lite, my two digital cameras and an iPod.

Sometimes I will have one for a portable HDD and laptop.

I just purchased a Lapinator and hope that will help when it arrives.

I looked at the site, and it looks like it works by insulating the heat from your laptop from your legs. The problem is that it could also keep the heat in the laptop rather than allowing it to dissapate through the bottom of the machine, making your already hot MBP even hotter. They claim otherwise, but I'd feel a lot more (mentally) comfortable by using something like this, which sits underneath the laptop like the Lapinator but has 3 USB powered fans to exaust the heat.

Want some crystal beavers? here you go.

I use a ventilated car seat cushion folded flat. $10 at your local auto parts store. Keeps me cool and I can sit on it while commuting. Here is an online link: http://ng.shop.com/op/~Comfort_Products_Standard_V entilated_Seat_Cushion_Black-prod-17004563

They produce light efficiently (not THAT efficiently) but don't produce that much light compared to a very simple single-bulb HID or fluorescent tube (by the way, which tube are you basing that "3x" on? T12, T10, or T8? Because T8's are MUCH more efficient that T12's). It takes a HUGE number of LEDs to replace ONE T8 fluorescent tube- and that tube costs a few dollars tops, because it is very easy to make. Right now, a single Luxeon white LED sells in 100-1000 unit quantities for well over $10-20, and produces 1-5W. A T8 bulb will produce 30-40W, and costs RETAIL about $5.

(1)Perhaps you should take a lesson from Apple on "performance per watt" being what matters. ;-) 5W of led power compared to 40W of Fluorescent compared to 55W of Halogen compared to 120W of traditional bulbs under your method would have you thinking that traditional light bulbs would produce the most light. The real unit of measure that matters is lumens. Yes, LED bulbs are expensive right now - but they're decreasing in cost RAPIDLY. A few years ago, White LEDs ran about $1/ea. These days, they're about $.16/ea. As cost continues to decrease, LEDs may eventually become cheaper than traditional bulbs.

They require new reflector designs and light spreaders, since they are a VERY small point source. A lot of work goes into making light sources produce even, smooth lighting that won't generate harsh shadows- point sources make this job a real bitch. Point source also means that despite relatively low heat output the heat is very localized, and that means PCBs must also be heat spreaders, complicating assembly/design/manufacture further. You can't just toss them on a PCB. Companies like Luxeon now sell them on little PCBs with the necessary spreader etc, but now you're not just talking about buying an LED, you're buying a whole assembly for your product...$$$.

(2)Certainly, custom housing adds to cost, but again, as demand ramps up, so will supply, costs will be offset.

Related- while they have a long life before failure, most of the high-output LEDs drop in light output very significantly, within a year or two of continuous operation 10-20 degrees above room temperature. VERY few LED manufacturers disclose this upfront- and virtually ALL the companies hawking LED products fail to mention this nice little caveat. Furthermore, just because the LED is rated to, say, 100,000 hours- doesn't mean it won't burn out because the company that made the device it is part of didn't botch the job on current+voltage regulation, heat dissipation, etc.

(3)Given that even the poorest made LED will probably outlast even some of the best made Florescents, I don't see where you're complaining. Also, you should check out the Forever LED bulb sometime. The manufacture offers a lifetime guarantee that the bulb won't burn out - ever. Sure, they bulb is $20, but that's trivial compared to the millions of traditional bulbs that'll burn out between now and forever. :-)

http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p19829218?sourceid=3

I know everyone thinks they are the second coming of Christ, and they do have some wonderful applications (like traffic signals and car brake lights)...but they're not the end-all be-all.

Sure, they might not be the second coming of Christ, nor are they the end-all, be-all - but, they're probably the best lighting source available in modern times...

I have been trying the two step frying method, but haven't achieved satisfactory results. Could you share more detail about the first frying session, such as how long for what mass of fries in what volume of oil, what do you do with the fries immediately after? Also, do you have a second pot of oil kept at the higher temperature, or do you work with one pot?

    I tend to cook around 3 pounds of potatoes at a time in small batches, using a kitchenaid french fry slicer (sorry- can't find it on kitchenaid.com) to keep the fries uniform. Since I have been using one pot-- actually have moved to using a wok with a bit over 2 liters of oil, I fry at about 300F until the fries float, put them on a cooling rack to drain, and continue until all fries have been fried at 300F and drained. I then fry them at about 360F again in small batches until they float/look done, drain, and season. Unfortunately they are greasy. Could you perhaps give me some pointers?

ps-- for reference, I use good russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut with skins on, and soak in water overnight, and drained with salad spinner before frying. Yes, I am willing to take extra steps to achieve extraordinary results. I haven't had homemade fries as good as those made at restuarants, county fairs, etc, but I know I can do as well or better. And steak fries make my wife happy, which is better for all of us, I think ;)

Thanks!

Bob

You mean like a Bidet/toilet combo unit?

Like the ones they've sold for a few years now?
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Need Referals?
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Looking for a pyramid? Join the conga!

http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-~andy+warhol+cans-p11 367443

I furnished an apartment for less than $100.

That's nothing. I got a pretty nice mountain bike for only $39.99

Build or find an enclosure. Doesn't have to be fancy, just big enough and reasonably well sealed.

Not only will you have to worry about dust, but possibly insects and rodents. If it's feasible, set it up so it draws in air directly from outside and into the enclosure (optionally exhaust the air to the outside as well). Failing that, get a decent filter and a stronger fan to pull the air through it. A large automotive air filter will probably be sufficient and those are fairly cheap. Suck air through the filter, don't blow into it.

Keep the enclosure under positive pressure (Blow air in) to keep dust from sneaking in any cracks or seams. Very little wiring would be needed for a remote power switch so you can turn it on without opening the cabinet, and a small access door with a decent seal to access drives/ports. (Don't have any ports exposed if you don't want them clogged with dust!)

I honestly don't see cold weather being a problem. Moisture might be, though... you don't want condensation inside the case! Using a chemical desiccant of some sort will help keep the moisture out of the way and hopefully eliminate the need for a heater or leaving it on all the time to prevent condensation.

First link on Google that seems to actually sell the stuff retail. Reusable packs are best so you don't have to keep disposing of the stuff.
=Smidge=

So what? I gave one of those to my 8 year old neice for her birthday. Er, wait, what are we talking about again?

Just keep some road flares or an Emergency Light Stick under the bed.

That should do the trick.

I live on my laptop and it's an older IBM model, so the battery life is pretty rotten. My solution has just been to find a plug. If I'm on the road, I keep a power converter in the car and plug the laptop in so I can run at a full charge. It's also good for keeping the three-year-old entertained on a long car trip.

I suppose that it could be worse. Companies like Coke and Pepsi might entice us to shop at our local AMPM or CircleK more often with a chance to win money or something. At the absolut wurst they could embed advertising into our very content and change the nature of our speech to suit their needs.

Or isn't that being done already?