Tuesday ToolTalk: Kindle 3G +WiFi

There’s something about a book …

I’ve felt that way as far back as I can remember. I love the feel and texture and smell and weight of a book. And I love feeling the cover yield to you as you crack it open the first time.
It’s those feelings that initially dissuaded me from buying an eReader.

I read any number of product descriptions and reviews. I idled at in-store displays, flipping back box covers, reading all the information. I combed over titles offered by various free and paid websites. I discussed options with my own personal gadget girl, the MonkeyGirl.

When my department gathered recently for a celebration at work, the discussion turned to reading and eReaders. When I recommitted myself to reading a few years ago – a commitment that lasted for about two years – I managed to read 30 or more books during each of those years.

“Thirty?!” One of my coworkers nearly shouted. “Seriously? And you don’t own a Kindle or a Nook or something?” I shook my head. “You should. You’re the perfect candidate for one.”


I’d thought that getting an eReader might encourage me to start reading again. After all, I spend 60-90 minutes a day commuting, much of this time I could spend reading. I used to do it a lot but then the whole carrying a book around thing got a little inconvenient because I already lug a 20-pound satchel (including my laptop) back and forth each day.

So I bought a Kindle, Amazon.com’s eReader. I considered a Nook (Barnes & Noble) and a Kobo (Border’s). With the latter, I was a little unnerved by the state of Border’s financial house. And for the former, I don’t need a backlit screen. I stare at a computer all day. That’s the LAST thing I want when I want to read a book. Kindle uses Pearl (not to be confused with my Pearl), the latest in eInk technology with 50% better contrast and the sharpest text. This also means you can read outdoors – even in bright sunlight – without glare.

I will admit that I was tempted though by the Nook’s color screen and add-on capabilities.

I went with “the whole enchilada” Kindle getting the 3G + WiFi. There are two reasons. First, I don’t have wireless at home and I don’t want to have to wander into Starbucks or make sure I’m in another hotspot to get new reading material. All I have to do is make sure the wireless function is on! Blammo – downloaded!

Pros: It’s light, easy to read, easy to carry. The battery life is great. There are literally MILLIONS of titles to pick from, many of which are free – this includes books AND games. And, new free and discounted material appears EVERY DAY; you just have to watch for it. Lots of blog sites are dedicated to these finds. There are a host of up and coming authors in almost every genre to pick from, too. Combine these with the thousands of classic lit and contemporary titles and it literally puts an entire library into your hand! Items download uber fast, too. Choose a book and you could be reading it a minute later. At the end of the year, Amazon added “lending” capabilities to the Kindle – a prior criticism that sent many to buy Nooks. However, not all materials are lendable no matter what eReader you own.

With the 3G version, you CAN browse the Internet, making a Google search or Wikipedia entry easy to access – but it can be hard to read, not helped by being in black and white since Web pages were never meant for that.

Cons: Books can be expensive. But, hey, you'd pay the price if you were buying a hardcover. Cases can be expensive (both sleeves and covers can set you back at least $30-$50) but I’d say they’re a requirement if you’re taking advantage of the portability. You can’t access free library downloads, at least not instantly. The Kindle uses a MOBI format; most library books come in ePub. But with all the free content out there, this hasn’t been the issue I’d thought it might. (And there is a program, Calibre, that will supposedly translate ePub items into MOBI but I’ve not tried it.) Black and white can be disappointing on games, for me it’s with Scrabble in particular. The Kindle doesn’t have an SD card slot, meaning you can’t increase your memory. (I don’t see this as being a big problem for me.)

Conclusion: For what I want it to do, the Kindle is a great eReader option. I already have about 35 items on my Kindle, including two games. The majority of these items were free. Those that weren’t free were mostly 99 cents with a handful costing more than $3. Not having had it a full seven days, I’ve read a novella, a book and am halfway through a second book. (And this is almost all bus-riding and lunch time reading.) So, it has given me back the gift of reading in less than seven days!

Availability: $189 at Amazon.com (A WiFi only version is available for $139.) You can choose graphite or white.

It’s Playtime: Making Memories’ The Slice

I’ve got some vacation time scheduled pretty soon during which I’ll be tearing into This D*mn House once again; planning for that time is well under way. But this weekend, I get a reprieve (except for yard work).

I’m going to a baby shower for my boss on Sunday. But Saturday? The morning and early afternoon belong to the Monkey Girl and scrapbooking. What a great way to start off the weekend of an incredibly goofy week!

I’ve been scrapping for more than 12 years. (You likely don’t know that.) I have an incurable love of tools. (If you’ve been reading the blog for any amount of time, you no doubt know that.) It would seem then that eventually these two worlds would converge. Well, that happened a few weeks ago.

It happened when the mother, of all people, pointed out a really low price on a cordless die-cutting machine by Making Memories, called the Slice. (It was part of a huge sale at Tuesday Morning’s.) I’ve seen this machine on TV, online and in stores. But last night, I got to see it in action because I now own one!

The Monkey Girl is the queen of the Cricut. It’s a very cool machine, but I’ve always felt like I needed to possess an engineering degree to know how to use it and I have to bug the Monkey Girl through each successive step to ensure that I don’t break it!

I took the Slice out of the box, read the instructions and little more than 5 minutes later, I was cutting letters and shapes! (You can see some of my handiwork in this photo.) In fairness, I’d read tons of reviews both before and after I bought the Slice. I heeded several of the warnings I’d read. I am happy to report that I experienced none of the problems that I read about in 20 to 30 percent of the reviews.

While I am not yet completely versed in its operation (it also has a draw and an embossing function), the only problem I’ve really had so far is that I don’t know how to easily judge where to place the Slice to maximize the paper I’m using. I misjudged mightily only once.

On another cut, I managed a bit of overlap. But other than that, I had no problems with cutting the letters and shapes OR in removing them from the cutting glass. The only other complaint would be that the instructions are less than comprehensive. And, instead of being contained in a single booklet, they’re spread out between a booklet and several single sheets of paper.

Granted, you can’t program a word or phrase in a single cut like you can on the Cricut – unless that’s a shape on the disc. (I’ve not tried that yet.) And, while there apparently is a hands-free adapter, you have to hold it while it cuts. (Not the case with the Cricut which cuts unassisted.)

The Slice cuts so quickly though that it’s not that big a deal to do letters individually or to hold it in place while it works. Especially when you consider that I paid less than half the price of a Cricut and the design cards cost half as much as the Cricut cartridges. The “bundle” I bought came with a cartridge and I bought another one last night on Overstock.com after failing to score any of the three I had bid on at ebay.com.

Unlike the Cricut, the Slice:
· Weighs two pounds.
· Fits into a smallish handbag-style case. (Making it very easy to store.)
· Can be used with or without the power cord (if you’ve let it charge up for at least an hour) No scrambling to find an outlet or messing with extension cords to use it!
· Works with cartridges that are not much bigger than a postage stamp.
· Can cut items only up to 4 inches as the machine itself is only 5 inches wide. (This may be the dealbreaker for most people. But after cutting at 1- and 1.5-inch settings and cutting a 4-inch tag, I can’t imagine that it will be too limiting for me.)

I cut out a tag and about 20 letters of varying sizes and the little machine still seemed ready to do more. I also found that Overstock.com sells lots of Slice products and they also had the best price for the carrying case for it AND for a 12x12 cutting glass.

So, um, yeah. I’m a little addicted now. You've been warned ...

Review: American Red Cross Emergency Radio

It’s not even officially summer yet and we’ve already been in a fairly constant battle with thunderstorms. Just in the past week Arkansas, Oklahoma and Ohio were hit with severe weather including flooding.

And, just days ago, right here in metro St. Louis, a letter carrier was struck and killed by lightning. So, severe weather season is already well under way.

I used to have a little battery-operated television that came in pretty handy during the many weather-related (and some not) power outages we seem to have around here. Now that TV has gone HD though, it’s essentially worthless. And, unless you have a smartphone with Web access there aren’t many ways to tell what’s going on when severe weather strikes and the lights go out.

Few things can be more frustrating when you’ve successfully located a flashlight or radio in the dark only to find the batteries dead. We’ve had very good luck with hand-crank flashlights. So, I decided to invest in a hand-crank radio, too. I chose the American Red Cross MICROLINK FR160 by the Eton Corporation.

I was immediately shocked by its size: it’s very small, barely filling up my hand. But don’t be fooled by its size. While it was DOA out of the package, a few handcranks later and both the radio and the flashlight came to life.


The hand crank tucks conveniently into the back of the radio, an antenna folds across the top and the light is housed in one side of the radio which features not only AM/FM but also NOAA Weather band.

While 90 seconds of cranking can get you 30-40 minutes of low-volume radio play, you can also let it charge by its solar panel. Just 8-10 hours of daylight yields three to five hours of run time. This option makes it a particularly handy item to take camping, to the beach or on a picnic. And, it can be VERY convenient, if you find an evening power outage lapsing into the next day.

Using a USB cord for your cell phone, you can also use it to crank some air time. (Caveat: DO NOT use this on an iPhone. I’d say don't use it on a smartphone AT ALL. You risk damage.) This is the weakest feature of this unit by far. You need to crank 10-15 minutes to get a single minute just on a featureless phone and if you tried to use it on a smartphone, you'd likely fry the phone! Hopefully, if you’re in this kind of an emergency situation, there’s a much easier way to call for help!

Overall, this is a good product to have. It’s small and convenient to take on the go and easy to stow away when you don’t need it. Some cursory cranking can get you both light and radio broadcasts – without batteries. The solar option is a big plus, too, for longer term use.

At $30 (available online at Home Depot, REI, others) it costs enough that you will want to get some use out of it. But, it's inexpensive enough that when you do need it, you'll consider it money well spent.

Tuesday ToolTalk: Black & Decker FLEX

My love of tools is widely documented. And, I think I’ve long since established what the best kind is, be it manual or power: multi-functional. So, it was with great joy that I discovered a few weeks ago that Black & Decker had sent me one of their new FLEX cordless cleaners.

This thing is like a Dustbuster – on steroids. In fact, the company says it has 40 percent more suction power than a Dustbuster. It’s compact, lightweight, has tools attached in a handy caddy, has a hose that stores neatly beneath it (and extends up to four feet!) and is easy to empty and clean. (I’d advise emptying the reusable cup and shaking out the reusable filter after each use if possible.)

I’ve put it through a variety of tasks including:
· Auto interior – First on my list had me vacuuming Pearl’s interior. A few hard to reach spots were no problem when I pulled out the crevice tool. And, dusting the dash and going over the leather was easy too, when I flipped up the built-in brush on the suction nozzle.
· Hard floors – Quick messes (spilled cereal, cat litter off Toby’s feet, sugar that popped through the bag) were no challenge on wood, laminate or ceramic tile surfaces. I tried all three.
· Carpet – We don’t have carpet upstairs anymore, just throw rugs. I attached the pet hair tool and was amazed at how much it was able to suck up. (Hair that our Kenmore vacuum left on the floor!) Even the mother, who is not easily impressed, gave it a thumb’s up.
· Stairs – One of the few places we do have carpet is on the basement stairs. It was great to be able to vacuum the stairs and not worry about losing my balance or about a full size vacuum tipping over.
· Drapes, upholstery – I flipped the brush into place and quickly took dust and lint off of velvet boxes, heavy draperies, and canvas throw pillows.
· Other hard surfaces – After we got finished putting up the tree and decorating the mantle, there were bits of debris all over. The FLEX made quick work of that mess.

One complaint – and my only complaint about the FLEX – is battery life. The operative word is “quick.” A single charge will give you somewhere between 5 and 7 minutes of fairly decent suction. Definitely enough time to do an average car interior or to suck up a small mess.

It may last another minute or two beyond that but with continually decreasing suction. That by itself wouldn’t be so bad except you then need to wait another 20 hours or so to use it again! Either increase the battery life or make an adapter you can use to finish what you’ve started.

Conclusion: Gets an A+ for performance and versatility, a C- for battery life, and a B for overall value. A great holiday gift idea as the FLEX is at home in the kitchen, the car or the garage.
Cost: $65-$70 at most stores and online retailers.

Full Disclosure: I accepted an offer to join the Black & Decker New Products Team and as a result, received the product described above for evaluation. I did not receive any additional compensation for participating in this program.

My Two Cents: DAP Caulk Products

Winter is upon us! And while the calendar still says that, technically at least, it’s fall, the time to get weatherizing is now.

I took advantage of some unseasonably warm weather in the past few weeks to do just that, using a few different products from DAP. Sealing out the cold is a great way to increase energy efficiency and to just plain old stay warm.

I used bright white DAP Dynaflex 230®, a latex sealant that can be used indoors or out, to do a bit of sealing around doors and windows. Weatherizing is important, too, especially on outdoor surfaces, so I also used it to seal up some gaps around the wood frames I’d placed around the posts recently added to our deck. The caulk went on smoothly and evenly and was a snap to clean up.


Next up, I used the clear version of DAP®3.0™ sealant to fill in some gaps on the storage shed. I chose this as a test because the shed gets hit with all of the weather changes. And since it’s a place I hope to keep dry, I thought it would be the perfect test site for this product in particular. Why?
While it takes 24 hours to completely cure, it can be exposed to water (i.e. rain) in as little as THREE hours. This was a major plus for me as I applied it on the last dry day before an evening thunderstorm touched off an entire week of rainy days! It claims to be applicable in “all weather and sub-zero applications.”

While I can’t attest to the sub-zero part, I can tell you that this stuff sets up quick. It was rained on within less than five hours of its application and when I checked on it the next day – during which it continued to rain – it remained just as smooth as when I’d applied it. No wash-off!

DAP®3.0™ sealant is paintable (with latex paint), won’t shrink or crack and is both mold and mildew resistant. (Again, we’ll follow up on this in the spring.)

Both products are available in colors (3.0 in clear or white only) and cost between $4 and $5 a tube. While that’s a little pricier than the average caulk, so far I’ve found them to be worth it. They’re available at most hardware and discount stores. To get more information on home weatherization, visit http://www.sealyourhome.info/.

Full Disclosure: I accepted an offer to join the DAP Weatherization Team and as a result, received the products described above for evaluation. I did not receive any additional compensation for participating.

Tuesday ToolTalk: Procaulk

As far as a long list of “As Seen on TV” products goes, I’ve had a pretty good track record. Unlike the mother, I buy these things already laced with a healthy dose of skepticism. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t.

I don’t know how many times she has said, “We need to try that,” after seeing a product hawked on TV. She’s a consumer marketer’s dream. So, it’s not surprising then that she recently used a Kohl’s gift card to buy two such products. (They were on sale, 2/$20.)

One of the two was the Procaulk. Skeptical doesn’t begin to cover my reaction.

You may recall the recent bathroom debacle with the tub surround. Well, putting in a new surround meant removing the old caulk and putting in new. This was a job done by Lawrence. I decided this might be the perfect time to put this product to the test.

Procaulk comes with a tube of caulk, which I’m sure is a fine product, but we already had caulk expressly for the tub. The kit also includes a caulk remover/scraper, an applicator, and two spreaders. (These remind me a little bit of the scrapers you buy for the Pampered Chef baking stones, but with little notches cut into the corners. Didn’t do much to reduce my skepticism.)

Admittedly, I botched my first attempt. Lawrence didn’t do much better. Then, I saw him inspecting the notches and adjusting his grip. The second bead of caulk spread evenly. “This thing works pretty good,” he said as he used it throughout the rest of the tub.

The caveat: Practice. There is a trick to it. I still haven’t completely mastered it. Lawrence’s advice: “Hold it at an angle and don’t press too hard.” I’ll get some more practice in the not too distant future as I’ll have to rip out and replace the caulk when I reglaze the tub. Lawrence says if you can ice a cake, you can do this. (Not in my skill set, surprise, surprise. Who died and left me Betty Crocker?!)

Even so, the product scores a two thumbs up from Lawrence and that’s good enough for me.