Sunday, 5 October 2008

Cooking Reference


I bought the UK edition of Locatelli's Made In Italy but the US edition should be identical except the metric measurements are exchanged for American systems of measurements.



Overall speaking, the book is comprehensive and introduces what the author serves at his Locatelli restaurant in London, a little like the UK equivalent of the Babbo's owned by Mario Batali. Loctaelli serves dishes similar to what is served in a typical posh restaurant in early 21st century Milan - arguably Italy's economic centre, and thus if you are in to look for Italian-American fares like meatballs in red sauce or steak pizzaiola, Frank Pellegrino's "Rao's Cookbook" and "Rao's Recipes from the Neighborhood" would be the great alternatives instead.



Based in London now, Locatelli is northern Italian (born in Corgeno near Milan), so his section on risotto is fantastic and more comprehensive than any other "general Italian cookbooks" I have encountered including Antonio Carluccio, Mario Batali, Guy Grossi, or Frank Pellegrino. In addition, Locatelli also spends around 100 pages explaining Italian ingredients, from common ones like tomatoes to delicacies like white truffles. I am impressed with his detailed explanation on making good fresh egg pasta in particular.



A list of typical dishes in the book runs like this:



1. Antipasti: radicchio salad with button mushrooms and Gorgonzola dressing, beef carpaccio, parmesan grissini

2. Zuppa: broccoli soup with ricotta cheese dumplings, fish soup

3. Risotto: asparagus risotto, clam risotto, quail risotto

4. Pasta: linguine with pesto, tagliatelle with marinated sardines, pheasant ravioli, potato dumplings with artichoke and murazzano cheese

5. Pesce (fish): chargrilled tuna, roast brill with green olives and cherry tomatoes

6. Carne (meat): chargrilled lamb with peppers and aubergine (eggplant) puree, veal chop with artichoke and new potatoes, roast piegon, black truffle and garlic puree

7. Dolci (desserts): strawberry and mango lasagne, tiramisu with banana and liquorice ice-cream, amaretto gelato, amaretti and and other biscuits



You will notice as I mentioned above, from this list a lot of the dishes will be restaurant grade, but there are also many simple ones you can try. The only disappointment for me is that seafood dishes are largely absent when compared with other Italy cookbooks. It may be because Corgeno is near the Swiss border and landlocked.



You may find that just like a majority of Italian cooks and foodies, Locatelli belongs to the Slow Food movement, thus some of his comments will be very stridently against the "normal" foods - certainly in my opinion far more outspoken than Batali. Still, compared with some of the extreme voices from the Californian food scene he may not be so resolute as to putting you off.



I highly recommend this book if you are a serious cook and want to finesse your Italian cooking skills. At the least it provides good reading materials for armchair cooks like me. I have known from the online forums a lot of American foodies are interested to source the UK edition even before the American edition was published, so I gather this book should appeal to a lot of US audiences. If you find the book too foreign in tone and expensive at US$60.00, Mario Batali's "The Babbo Cookbook" provides a more American and more cost effective alternative. Made in Italy: Food and Stories

I'm a cook who studied and worked in Italy. Therefore, I can tell you it is very difficult to find a cookbook that conveys the emotion, passion and devotion the Italians have for their cuisine(s), even in Italy. Therefore, the arrival of Giorgio Locatelli's book on American shores is an event to be celebrated.

Chef Giorgio does a fantastic job describing ingredients and recipes and includes histories and anecdotes from his own life, making this book more than just a cookbook; it is a rare gem. It is a gift from a celebrated Italian chef who evokes the experiences of Italian food just as his countrymen (and women) see it, taste it, smell it, eat it, live it, and, more importantly, share it.

Although many recipes are restaurant-grade and can seem intimidating to the amateur cook, there are so many more dishes any experienced home cook can make at home. Plus, Chef Giorgio speaks to the reader with enough confidence so as to make the most intricate dishes "do-able" in your own home kitchen.

Made In Italy also reads like a wonderful tale and you will spend lots of time reading it on your couch in between selecting which recipes to make. You will really start to relate to the chef as well as to the ingredients he writes at length about.

By far, this book, along with Gillian Riley's Oxford Companion to Italian Food AND the classic The Silver Spoon are must-haves for any true Italian cook - amateur or professional. If you're new to cooking Italian food or cooking in general, I suggest you get all three books. Start cooking with The Silver Spoon (just like many Italian brides and young Italian professionals have), graduate up to Made In Italy, and always refer to the Oxford Companion!

Remember, Italian cuisine is a style, not a technique!

This books describes Italian Italian food, not American Italian food. So much less focus on cheese, tomatoes, and pasta - but those bases are covered too. The book is quite wordy, but the text is well written so I don't mind actually. We get a little info on different regions, a lot of info on different ingredients, and a good number of recipes. Really a pleasant book that can be read as well as cooked.

I really love this book. I have watched the tv show with Tony and Giorgio on BBC food. Giorgio have collected the heart and soul of Italian cooking in this book. I would recommend it to all who like the Italian cusine.

It has small lite dishes to the more complex dinner partys. For all who love great food this is a must.



Ciao from The Norwegian Cook.'


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Navigation - motorola droid, car mount


I didn't purchase this navigation mount from this seller.

I bought it from Verizon Store at the time of DROID 2 purchase (Extra discount on phone accessories that makes most of the genuine accessories much cheaper than anywhere else).



Anyhow, it is good to know that Motorola seem to redesigned their navigation mount this time around for DROID 2. Now, you can have your phone stably place on your navigation mount while keeping the case on!



I'm not sure if all the DROID 2 navigation dock comes in a package in a way that the "insert" is already tightly inserted onto its main dock. Well, mine did... and I hated it. I wished if I could have the navigation mount that is usable while keeping the case on.



It took me a while to figure this out...

I actually spent a good one month or so without knowing it and did take the case off every time I'm in my car. Yeah...It was a huge drag... (I still loved it's stability though)



Because of the hassle, I came to very close to just abandoning it and getting an universal navigation mount that would fit my DROID 2 while keeping its case on. And then I found out that Motorola DROID 2 A955 Multimedia Docking Station can be used while I keep the case on after removing the insert (please read my review for the product IF interested)...

And I thought, "Hmmm... so if things worked out with the multimedia docking station, shouldn't it work with the navigation mount too??"



So I tried to see if I could remove the insert from the main dock.

It didn't come off easily. This is because the gap between the main dock and the insert is practically none and I didn't want to damage the dock body. It was necessary to detach the main dock from the arm before I proceed to the next step.



I used two different kind of flat-head screwdrivers (i.e., one small, one medium) in order to separate the two. I first used the small flat-head to make a small gap between the insert and the dock. And then I inserted the bigger flat-head between the gap and pushed the insert further apart from the main dock). IT PROBABLY THE BEST IF YOU WORK ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOUNT SINCE THE SCRATCHES WON'T BE SO VISIBLE EVEN IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY DAMAGE THE BODY.



It took several attempts before they came apart.

It is a good thing that Motorola built the mount so steadily, but it takes a gentle, yet firm force to separate the two.





Pros:

- Compatibility (Fits DROID 2 with or without a case)

- Durability (This navigation mount does not shake or move once it's placed right).

I use suction cup to mount against the front glass and from the day one (it's been about a month),

it never came off. It's still attached to the glass as strong as the day one.

- Stability (This navigation mount is built very solid and won't come off nor shake the phone).

- You can adjust the angle in anyway you want.

- There is a charging output on the back of the mount. So you can just put the phone in its place and it starts charging as long as you keep the phone on the mount, which is crucial as battery drains while using Google Map Navigation.



Cons:

- It took a while to figure out how to set it up right (Had to use two screwdrivers...)

- Package doesn't include car charger

- Aux cable is no use if your vehicle doesn't have it's input or is not equipped with bluetooth system (just like my old car. I only have a cassette tape player and I would need to get something like this:Xm Auto Cassette Adapter in order to get a better sound.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Product Description:

- This customized car cradle and mount stays put while on the road, automatically triggers a

dashboard application that allows you to easily access your music, internet radio, Google Map

Navigation, and make hands-free calls or connect to your favorite widgets.

- The 3.5mm cable connects with your car's auxiliary port to play tour tunes on your car stereo.

- Includes an insert to allow use with DROID or DROID 2 by MOTOROLA.



Package Includes:

- Navigation/Music Vehicle Mount for DROID 2 by Motorola

- 3.5mm Aux Audio Cable

- Adapter insert for DROID by Motorola

- User Guide Motorola Car Mount for DROID 2 [Verizon Retail Packaging]

This mount works perfectly. It saves you from having to hold your phone while driving and it provides a great viewing angle. The adhesive sticks and stays there. I highly recommend this because it is from Motorola, it fits perfectly and it has the magnet to put it in the car dock mode. the only down side is that it doesn't come with a car charger, but I found that easy enough right on Amazon. Motorola P513 Vehicle Power Adapter MicroUSB Rapid Rate Charger

I recently purchased a Droid 2 and purchased the car dock on Amazon and I have to say I'm quite impressed. The dock comes with inserts so you can use this with the original Droid, the Droid 2 and the Droid 2 with the Motorola case.



I have the case on my phone so I removed the insert and the fit is perfect. I like that I can keep the car charger attached to the dock so all I need to do is put the phone in the dock and drive.



On receiving a phone call all I need to do is hit answer and hands free from there on in.

This does exactly what it's supposed to do. Puts the Droid 2 (Global in my case) phone into the car dock mode and allows me to charge the phone and use the navigation. Just note that the car charger cable does not come included with this dock. With this dock it eliminates the need to have a 2nd GPS device for navigation and since the battery life of the Droid 2 Global is so crappy it also helps keep the battery charged. - Motorola Droid - Car Mount - Dock - Droid Car Mount'


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Wall-mounted Furniture - kitchen organizer, key holder


We keep a neat, minimalist household - however, like every family, we have some things that end up in a small pile in the entryway - keys, address labels, stamps, etc. I wanted a wall mounted organizer (we have a very grabby 2 yr old), preferably with dry erase message board. I looked for weeks but they were usually too big, stuck out too far, and really expensive. I ended up purchasing this small organizer, and adding a $5.00 dry erase board on top - very happy with the results. This is a nice, chic, practical solution for our entryway, great value for the price.

Some helpful details:

- Hooks are very sturdy on item, but I would hesitate to put a coat on it unless item is mounted on stud

- If you are going to use hooks as key hooks, note that they are fairly wide - 3/4" - I just changed one keychain to fit, no big deal but I know some are attached to their keychains

- The 1/4" wooden slat separating the cubby is removable

- Entire unit is about 4.5" deep Umbra Cubby Wall Mount Organizer, Espresso

I was looking for an entry organizer for my husband's and my keys, wallets, etc. I got tired of seeing everything sprawled out on my dining room table. It is very sturdily mounted on the wall. Some people said it wasn't sturdy but I have not had that problem. (Just a tip for hanging this as well as pictures: place a piece of notebook paper on the back of the organizer, and puncture a hole with a pencil where the mount holes are. Use the paper as a template on the wall for exact placement of the screws.) Just the right size for two wallets, two cell phones, two sets of keys. I'm able to hang my sunglasses off the side. My husband even hangs his winter coat on it with no problem. Very convenient, and eliminates the need to search for my keys and wallet when I'm running out the door. Functional without detracting from the decor of my home.

I was looking for an organizer that could hold my keys, keep my wallet, my cell phone as well as mails that I bring into the house as I drop in. This is ideal for that. It comes with two long key hooks to hang key chains. The unit can be mounted on the wall with ease. There is enough room and strength in the wall mount, to hold a thick wallet, a cell phone, an ipod, several keys chains on the hook and several mails and post cards on the back slot.

I have a pretty un-characterized office. I like the modern look of some of the umbra products. I was looking for a coat hanger for my wall and saw this product. It's perfect for putting by my door, hanging my coat, a place for my keys, and phone. It was a bit smaller than what you expect, so take a good look at the picture for scale using the sun glasses and phone. However, It fit perfectly by between my door and my desk. I will say, that it's a heavy duty plastic, not wood.

Product arrived quickly and was just as described. Mounting hardware was supplied and the process to install was smooth and painless. My unit was mounted on a cinder block wall and I have no issues with it pulling away or the hooks bending under load. It's what I ordered, It's what I got, and I'm a happy customer.

The wall organizer works great for holding mail, keyes, etc. I wish it had one more hook but what can I say. I would also have to say it was a lot smaller than expected but it certainly gets the job done. Only con to the item is that the stain/paint on it rubs off very easily. Just nailing it to my wall left red streaks on the wall.

We wanted a spot where items could be easily be placed upon entering our home (beats that old conversation, honey do you know where I put the ......) It is easy to install (minutes) and holds just enough. Color is a nice dark walnut. Good price too!Umbra Cubby Wall Mount Organizer, Espresso

This Umbra Cubby Wall Mount Organizer is a great little accessory to have; my main purpose was since I change my bag/purse almost daily & always forget where I put my keys or when I need to put my Netflix orders back into the mail.



So I purchased this organizer to do just that, when I come in the house I put my keys in there right away. If there is anything that's small (i.e. letter wise) and it needs to be returned I put right in so on my way out the door later I just grab & go.



Overall, it's a cute little piece and the espresso color matches perfectly to the color. Only downside is this organizer is rather thin & not as solid as I anticipated it to be. However for my use it'll do just fine.

Awesome little shelf. Does exactly what it's supposed to. Very sturdy. I can fill it with my huge car keys, wallet, pocket knife, watch, phone, and even hang my huge hoodie on it with no problems whatsoever. - Key Holder - Kitchen Organizer - Wall-mounted Furniture - Key Rack'


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Reconditioned Tools - narrow crown stapler, cpo bostitch


I am very pleased with the usual Bostitch quality of product. It is light weight, works well and has a wide range of staples that can be used. I would recommend that you remove and use teflon tape to seal the 1/4" male air nipple, [I discovered a small air leak with mine] otherwise no complaints. It is actually quite nice that the exhaust air is directed back to the rear of the handle next to the 1/4" connector, so no dust blown in the face when working in corners. Factory-Reconditioned Bostitch U/SX150K-1 1/2-Inch to 1-1/2-Inch 18-Gauge Narrow-Crown Stapler with Magnesium Housing

I really love it. Very very light so its good for overhead work and the staples are stronger than I expected. Overall a great tool and pleasantly suprised at the reconditioned quality. (overall i've had good luck with re-conds from Amazon)

Ordered the stapler,arrived right on time.Came in perfect condition.Started using it immediately on some lattice and medium trellis jobs and the stapler performed beyond my expectations.This is the first stapler i have owned and looks to be the only one i will ever need.So easy to load and light in the hand.Any future tools of this type i need will definately be the reconditioned ones here at Amazon.What a great price.All the other ones of comparable quality and specs start at about $150.00.Can`t even compare.All thumbs up...

I'm very satisfied with this purchase. I chose it because of the reasonable price and the oil-less design. The reconditioning is either very thorough or they started with one that was hardly used, because it is indistinguishable from new. I've only used 1" staples so far, but at 90 lb. air pressure and with the adjustment on minimum, it drives them effortlessly and consistently to the same depth, and is a pleasure to use. It doesn't even make much noise. If I were a pro and was really going to use it a lot, one that uses 1/4" wide staples instead of 7/32" would probably be better, because 1/4" staples are available in more stores and in wider variety, but at the rate I'll use them and with the rapid delivery from Amazon, that is a pretty trivial matter for me.

I bought this Bostitch Stapler a few months ago and couldn't be more pleased with it. It arrived within a few days of ordering it and looked like it was in new condition. It is extremely light and small enough to get in those tight spots that my other guns couldn't. I would recommend purchasing this stapler especially at this price.

I received the stapler and was disappointed with the looks of it - it was obviously well used and somewhat dirty with a couple of paint chips. I thought, well it is a refurb after all. I hooked up to my compressor to test it out, and it works great. Light weight and strong shooter. - Narrow Crown Stapler - Cpo Bostitch'


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Inflatable Kayak


I ordered the Colorado for recreational paddling and fishing. I read other reviews and there seemed to a be consistent positive feedback. The price seemed right, so I ordered it. Right away after receiving the item, there were 2 things that disappointed me about the Kayak/Canoe. First, it was advertised that it came with a repair kit. If you consider 2 pieces of rubber without, even a tube of glue, an adequate repair kit then this is a non-issue. The second issue, which might be a deal killer for some of you, was that this model no longer came with "Boston Valves". After Sevylor was purchased by Coleman, they replaced the Boston valves with Double Lock/Mini Double Lock valves, "a proprietary valve used in the Coleman's Airbed line, purported to be easier to inflate and deflate. The "mini" replaces the pinch valve. Coleman claims this give a 14% better retention than the Boston valve." If you buy what Coleman has to say, then again, this is a non-issue. As for the rest of the boat, it seemed to be a quality product. Keep in mind, I've owned Avons and Zodiacs so I do have a grasp as to what quality is when it comes to inflatable boats. For the price, this boat was not bad!!! The seats that came with it seem to be well made. One thing, if you don't want to support Chinese industry, bad news... This Model is made in the land of the sleeping dragon. Yes, the double lock valves bugged me, but I thought I give it a chance on the local lake.



Took my Colorado out for the first time and even did a little fishing on it. The new Coleman valves had me rubbing my face, Curly (3 Stooges) style, when my Sevylor Double pump's nozzle kept on popping out. I put a bit of electrical tape on the pump nozzle to thicken it and it solved the problem. After taking it out on the lake, I found that the cheesy Coleman airbed valves did okay. There didn't seem to be any noticeable air loss at all. Tracking was okay... didn't expect it to be great to begin with, being that it is an inflatable... It tracked better than I expected. When the wind hit, it blew me all over the place... again, something I expected from an inflatable. A bit of advice, if you want to stay in one place to soak up some sun or to fish, get yourself a 2 to 5 pound anchor and it will do fine... I'll be getting one. Another bit of advise, one trick I've learned and tested out was that if you are going to use this solo and are of hefty size like me, put the front seat in backwards and use the Colorado back end as the front. This puts you more in the center and it actually works better when paddling solo. One important thing to remember is that after you play, you have to clean up and this by far, is the worse part of this canoe. After my idiot buddy tipped my Colorado, messing around, the canoe seemed to have very if little water in it. To my surprise, there was quite a bit of water flowing out of the drainage hole after we stood it up on end. There is no way to completely dry it with towels. Be prepared to leave it out for a day to completely dry. I would advise you to bring a nylon tarp with you so that you can wrap it up, haul it home, clean and dry it there, then put it back in it's bag when it is completely dry. If you're thinking of drying it right out of the lake, get out your camping gear cause it's gonna take about a day to completely dry.



AND THE VERDICT... LOVED IT (for what it was)!!! If you can, buy a hard shell Kayak or Canoe, they perform better and are easier to clean up after using. On the other hand, if you want an inflatable for portability purposes, This is the one to get. Hardcore Yakers might boast of how much better the hard shell is but try sticking a traditional kayak in the trunk of your Honda Civic on a long road trip because you "MIGHT" run into a lake you "MAYBE" would like to explore. Not to mension finding a place to store a 10 foot plus Yak or Canoe in your apartment or in the hotel room because your paranoid that someone might steal it off the roof of your car... (GET THE PICTURE?) As for the product itself, Yes, I was a bit annoyed at the Boston Valve Issue, but given the price and quality, this inflatable hit the spot. Why pay more for the alternatives, like Advance Elements, Aire, Bic, Sea Eagle... They all will be just as much of a pain to clean and dry out after playing with. Bang for the buck, I would say, the Colorado is my choice. I paid a couple of bucks short of $300 for my boat so do your shopping!!! Also, consider the season you buy these types of products. Summer will influence supply and demand, thus causing prices to vary, so you might pay a bit more than me who purchased my canoe at the dawn of spring. Good Luck and Happy shopping!!! Hey, I just realized I have a cargo van... Now, I'm off to get me a hard-shell Kayak next :oD Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Hunting and Fishing Canoe, 2-Person

I bought two of these boats (Rio and Colorado) for moderate whitewater. They are the same boat and only differ in length to accommodate the number of paddlers. I have now ran 20 miles of mild rivers (Class I and II) with them without any issues. My wife paddles the Rio solo and I paddle the Colorado with my daughter in the front. I am very pleased with both the engineering and material of the boats but need to use them more to see how durable they are. I chose these over the Aire Tomcats because of price and so far I think I made the right choice. I expect the Aires to be better boats but for family use these should work great. If it is needed we will upgrade later on but based on reviews with some reasonable care we should be able to use these for many years. These are very stable but I suspect their limit to be rapids III+ or IV. We will do our first III run this weekend!



So far we have got these stuck in rocks several times (low water levels) with no visible sign of wear. The bottom of the boats is a very tough plastic and seems to be doing its job. As some other reviewers commented these are not really designed for flat water so paddling in flat water or slow moving rivers is manageable but tedious. They track reasonably well in flat water for an inflatable but if you expect hardshell kayak tracking you will be disappointed. The paddle choices depends on the number of paddlers. Two paddlers could handle the Colorado with canoe paddles but I would not want to paddle the Colorado solo or the Rio with a canoe paddle. If paddling the Colorado solo or with a child (my daughter weight 50lbs) you want to invert the seats and paddle backwards as this helps balance the boat lengthwise. It tracks much better this way. If you will only inflate one of these boat you can do with a manual pump but if you have two you definitely want to use an electric pump initially and finish the inflation with a manual pump. Inflating these to the correct pressure without a pressure gauge is extremely difficult so I recommend to invest in a pressure gauge. I bought a "Bravo" and rigged it to my Coleman dual action pump which is a great combo.



The correct kayak paddle length for paddlers irrespective of height is 240cms because of the fat and high side tubes. The problem with this was that paddles this long could not be found locally so we had to order online and wait for the delivery. If you insist in buying shorter paddles locally definitely don't go shorter than 230cms or you will not reach the water comfortably.



My operating procedure for these boats is the following: 1) unfold, 2) inflate main chambers for volume with a 12v pump quickpump, 3) inflate main chambers for pressure with a manual pump with pressure gauge , 4) Inflate seats with the manual pump, 5) tie seats, 6) launch.



After kayaking: 1) take out of water, 2) unplug drainage valve, 3) lift kayak to drain water, 4) dry with camp towel, 5) deflate manually, 6) deflate with pump, 7) dry again with camp towel, 8) unfasten seats, 9) fold, 10) drive home, 11) inflate for volume main chambers, 12) let dry for a day, 13) deflate with pump, 14) fold.'


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Energizer


Hey fellow athletes. If you are using one of the new coded Polar WearLink chest straps, it has replaceable batteries. This is the one you want, and not the standard CR 2025, which is much more common. The size is just different enough that the CR 2025 will not work (trust me!).



Battery works well (of course- its a Energizer) and the chest strap is working like a charm again. Plus the two pack given you a spare for the future. They are pricey little buggers though. Energizer 2025BP-2 Lithium Button Cell Battery (2 Pack)

the batteries are not as pictured. In fact, they are not even in a retail packaging. They are old batteries also.. manufactured in 2006.. I am not sure what the shelf-life is for this battery.

There isn't an expiration date on these.

Item arrived fairly quickly.



Item is not packaged like the image shown. I will post pics.



Item does not have printed expiration date even though website description claims an expiration date, which is concerning.

Convenient, cheap, easy to replace, and these seem to last a long time... What more do you want? I needed them for my speaker remote control, and if you have a product that uses this size I would recommend ordering these as soon as possible - when a store sends you an electronic with a battery already in it often they are really bad batteries and will be dead soon anyway.

They're batteries... They work... end of story.

They were the right kind, and they came quickly... the packaging was completely excessive (an envelope would have done instead of an enormous box (relative to the size of its contents)... but nonetheless, they came, they worked, and now so does my projector remote.'


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Childrens Games - family game, card game


I first saw Cookin' Cookies at a homeschool game day attended by ages 1-6. The kids could not get enough of this game! It's a hoot. And now I'm buying one for our family. Fast-paced, fun, no reading required, practices matching skills and following directions, easy for little ones to play but older ones like it too (even adults!). The way it was played was that each child was given a recipe card and a plastic spoon with a suction cup on the end. Cookie cards were put face down in the center of the table and they used the spoons to smack each card (which then stuck to the suction cup) and they looked underneath to see if it was an ingredient from their recipe card. If it's a rotten egg, they had to put back all of the ingredients they'd collected. The first to finish his or her recipe was the winner. But the kids really didn't care who won. They just loved the suction spoons and picking up the cookie cards. Lunch Box Games - Cookin' Cookies Game

I purchased this game with the expectation that it would be fun for my 4 1/2 year old nephew to play when visiting. It has surpassed my expectations, as it has proved to be quite popular with a wide age range of kids. The adults even enjoy playing it with the kids (for a while) and we've had groups of kids playing it together ranging in age from 2 to 6 years old, and 2, 3, and 4 year-olds with an adult as well. It's great, b/c the little ones can participate without disrupting the game for the older ones. They LOVE it! It is simple to understand, as there is no reading required - just match the ingredients to the recipe card and the first person to get all of the ingredients for their cookie wins. It's entertainig enough to keep the older kids occupied and playing over and over, and the kids can play on their own with little adult participation necessary. Highly recommended, especially if you're looking for something that 3-and 4-year olds can play with kids a few years older.

I bought this for my son (6) for his birthday, and we played it with his two younger brothers age 4 & 2 1/2, and it's now my new favorite game. Everyone could play it, it was fast moving (I didn't want to poke my eyes out due to boredom!). I would definitely recommend this game if you're sick of boring kids games that last forever!

I bought this game for my son, 4 1/2. He loves cookies, and he loves this game. The rules are simple and easy to explain. My son played this with his grandparents and his cousins, 5 and 8-years-old, and everyone had a good time. The rotten eggs make the game interesting even for the adults.

I bought this toy for my grandaughters and they loved it. They laughed and laughed as they were smacking the spoon down on the ingredients. My daughter-in-law is a speech teacher and took it to school. Her kids had so much fun and she was impressed to see it captured their attention for quite some time.



The packaging is great too because the game comes in a little lunchbox type tin. Very cool.

This is a great game idea. My 6 yr old & 4 yr old played it together & loved it -- easy for them to play together & not boring for the 6 yr old (she does play with her 4 yr old a lot). It's fast paced, and who doesn't enjoy whacking things at that age?? The price is great if you're looking to give a fun gift at an affordable price, BUT. Yes, the BUT... The device that keeps the suction cup you see on the end (bottom) of the spoon is a small metal pin. Within three playings of this game, two spoons are not usable since plastic that held the pin in place cracked & the pin fell out. (the suction cup nub goes into a cup shaped area & the pin goes thru the plastic, thru the nub, and back out thru the other side of the plastic). The poor design is suprising since these spoons were meant to be whacked on the table by toddlers who can't possibly regulate the strength needed-- the obviously use every ounce of strength to stick the suction cup to the card. Not sure why they didn't opt to glue the suction cup or some other way that would not break immediatly. This is the only draw back, and a major one, to this game. Buy at your own risk is my recommendation.

This is a wonderful game! All of the kids I have used this with have absolutely loved it- ages 3-7. Only thing is, with regular use the suction cups on the spoons tend to break off so just teach the kids to use them gently. I've used it both in a structured teaching setting and just for fun.

My son just LOVES this game! He plays it at speech therapy and is so obsessed with it, that we had to buy it for home too! The plastic spoons have broken a few times, so you have to be careful with them, but that would not deter me from recommending this game. Very cute idea and lots of fun.

Love this game but the spoons do not hold up. After the 2nd game one spoon broke at the neck and the suction cup fell off another spoon. I was thinking we could play without the spoons but that took away the fun of the game of smacking the ingredient cards. I'm hoping my hot glue gun will repair the spoons. Also their is a tiny pin that holds the suction cup to the spoon which is very dangerous once the suction cup falls off. I also don't like the box tin. The game tin from another Fundex card game had a pin that held the hinge together. Shortly after opening and closing the tin the pin protruded out of the hinge.



*UPDATE 5/16/2011* I was surprised to find a package from Fundex which contained 4 replacement spoons. I emailed them about the same time I submitted this review. Great service from fundexgames.com even though I did not get an email response from Fundex stating they were replacing the spoons. - Card Game - Preschool Game - Kids Game - Family Game'


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yoga mat bag - yoga mat bag


I have the black mandara hugger mugger mat (which is wider and longer than a standard mat). Not only does it fit in the bag, but I can also fit my block and towel with room to spare--VERY ROOMY :) This was exactly what I was looking for. Hugger Mugger Bella Basic Yoga Mat Bag (Mocha)

This Yoga Mat Bad is a little larger than most. The fabic is ligh and the color is bright. It is also very eash to clean. Snow, ice and salt are issues in our part of the country so after getting a bit dirty during our walk to work out, we took it home and all we needed to do was sponge it off. It looks great.

I absolutely love this yoga mat bag from Hugger Mugger. It is very spacious allowing me to conveniently carry my mat, yoga towel, water bottle, etc. Definitely a great complement to the Hugger Mugger yoga mat!

This is a basic (no pockets or embellishments), but sturdily-constructed, bag that accomodates two mats rolled up together, one of which for me is 84" extra-long, and has more than enough spare room for a water bottle, wristlet and keys. Watch out for the zipper -- mine stuck if zipped too far upon closing, and broke off altogether after about 10 uses. Amazon quickly sent a replacment (thank you Amazon), but much to my dismay, the replacement shares the sticky zipper problem. A design flaw? Unfortunate, because I've always enjoyed good quality from Hugger Mugger products.

Although I am a Yoga fan and have two other bags filled with yoga goodies, I bought this bag to carry and protect my collection of American Indian Flutes. It is well made, soft and I really like the full length zipper. I probably will buy two more for my yoga mat, blocks, etc.

This bag has a great color, and it does the job that it's supposed to. I can even fit my yoga pants and water bottle in here, but it's a little too big. It does not hang comfortably on my back, and it's way too awkward at my side.

I guess it was worth it because I like the way that it looks, but it didn't even come with a yoga mat. - Yoga Mat Bag'


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External Harddrive - portable hard drive, external harddrive


This is probably the least expensive external drive I could find. I bought it specifically for Ghosting/Imaging laptops, and for large file workspace to use between computers. Inside is a Western Digital Hard drive. The case is aluminum and works well to dissipate heat. It does get warm (some might consider hot) during heavy use, but it does not seem dangerous. I checked it with an IR thermometer - it hits about 105 degrees Fahrenheit and doesn't get any hotter. I consider heavy use writing more than 10 GB of data at once. It has an indicator light that changes color to show reading or writing. The included cable is a standard mini-B to Male A. The cable that comes with it is interesting. It has the small connector on one end for the drive, and on the other a double headed usb connector. You will only need the second connector plugged in if you are using usb 1.0 and it is not able to supply enough power. I also had one laptop (could have been a machine problem) that needed the second plug to power up the drive. So...if you only have one usb port this may be a problem for you. But any newer computer or laptop should be able to supply enough power through the one port to power the drive. The cable is about three feet long, so it's not annoying to pack in any bags. It seems to be just the right length for use with a laptop. It has worked perfectly fine with my Macs, Windows, and Linux boxes - no drivers are needed for anything newer than win98, os 9.2.2, ubuntu 6. I use Fat32 format for it's universal acceptance. For the price - you cannot beat this thing - and it's probably better quality than anything close to it's price point. Cirago 80 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive CST1080

I was a little apprehensive about purchasing this item since I saw a couple of bad reviews from previous customers including a DOA which understandably would piss anybody off after anticipating the arrival of your package for over a week, but ultimately I took a chance and to be perfectly honest so far I am very happy with my purchase.

The drive is not loud and does not overheat little other name brands, its an easy plug and play device that has helped me store work documents, music, movies and pics which were slowing down my Mac Mini at home. It's cheap and efficient, exactly was I was looking for.

Well, like a few others who have posted reviews, mine arrived and did not work. Despite having Windows XP (which supposedly makes this a "plug and play" device), my computer would not recognize the drive, no matter what I did. (Yelling and cussing at the thing didn't help, either...but it made me feel better.) The magic box just sat there blinking red-green-red-green-red-green as my computer displayed a "Sorry, Charlie" message.



I should have known better. I used to own a similar drive from another manufacturer, and that one worked for all of 6 weeks or so (conveniently past the return/refund deadline) and then suddenly decided it was going to go incognito and not be recognized. At least this time I have the opportunity to return it.



From chatting with others, it seems like these types of drives are notoriously lacking in quality control in whatever third-world sweatshop they come from. They either work great or not at all -- that's why you see the reviews weighted at the two extremes (1 star or 5 stars) and very little in-between.



So, don't gamble like I did. Avoid these tiny drives like the plague. Spend a little more and get real HDD from a known and reputable manufacturer. If you've never heard of the name (Cirago?), that's the first clue that the odds are against you.

I bought this because I wanted to clean out my computer. Wow, am I glad I did. This little drive is awesome and easy to use, plus it looks nice. I got the one with 120gig which was more than sufficient as my computer is only a 60gig, so I have plenty of room to spare! Handy item that appears to be good quality, especially for the price.

I got this thing, plugged it in, and it installed itself quickly. I just sat back and smiled. It opens easily and fast. Slip whatever you want into it. It doesn't talk back. It doesn't give you a headache. It doesn't make you cuss. It disconnects quickly and easily. Piece of cake, all of it. A fantastic price. Comes with a nice faux-leather case. I love it.

You do need their special cable with 2 USB plugs and the laptop that has 2 USB connectors next to one another, otherwise it seems not to get enough juice (this maybe a general problem for larger disks)

Although the price is fantastic and it looks and feels nice, I still have to give it a bad review. The thing just decides to stop work after a little less than two weeks!



It has an indicator light that shows, Red, Green or Amber.

Red - means it's not ready

Amber - I'm not sure what this means.

Green - It's ready for use (connected).



One day after connecting it to my PC, the red light stayed on a little longer than usual. When the green light finally came on, I was able to browse the contents, but I couldn't open the files or write to the drive.



I tried it on other computers, it came up on some with the same symptoms, on the others... it wasn't even recognised.



It returned it to Amazon for a refund (I definitely DO NOT want a replacement).



In short... You get what you pay for.

I bought this hard drive thinking that it was a good deal, when I received it, it worked perfectly for about 2 weeks.

After that the drive was making some weird noises and finally one week later it died.

I don't recommend this product and I've learned that sometimes when something is cheap, it don't mean that is the best deal.

Runs fast, good size no complaints. Odd 2 Headed USB cable I imagine to get additional power, I did not need to use both heads. Inside a a nice western digits 80 gig SATA drive, That made me happy with this low cost storage solution. - Usb Hard Drive - Portable Hard Drive - Flash Drive - External Harddrive'


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Gift Idea - sheet protectors, gift idea


I purchased these sheet protectors and I feel like they may be the ones that Avery doesn't want to sell to "non-discount" stores. They worked perfectly fine for what I needed. But they didn't appear to be cut right by the 3-ring holes. There were little pieces hanging off of them that needed to be cut. It isn't a smooth edge along that area. It did not effect the three hole punches and it did not effect the area where a paper is inserted. So it is more of a cosmetic issue.

I did not contact the company about this. I purchased other items from this company and have had no problems with them. Avery Economy Clear Sheet Protectors, Acid Free, Box of 100 (75091)

I have purchased Economy Page Protectors for years. They are a budget wise purchase, for use as protection for homework or

reports, also protection for color print copies, for future use in residence decoration and furniture, appliance, housewares and clothing purchases. Are you a Do It Yourself type? Assemble all instructions at least years in advance of needing to do the job and page protectors will keep your instructions fresh.

save the gas the mileage and get out of traffic, if you use these as i do for my autograph collection then simply buy them through amazon instead of having to deal with staples or one of those stores --- much easier...

I was very disappointed with the quality when I bought these. It says they fit 8.5-x-11-inch sheets of paper. My paper is 8.5-x-11-inch and it sticks out the top by a quarter of an inch. A few of the sheet protectors didn't even have the top open, so the paper wouldn't go in.



I ended up going to Staples and buying the Staples store brand, which are much better! :D

We have used the Avery page protectors before & had no doubts of their quality. We were not disappointed & as usual, the service as far as ordering & shipment was wonderful. I would not hesitate to recommend Amazon store to friends and will definitely make it my first stop for future purchases of any type of product. - Sheet Protectors - Gift Idea'


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Hardwood Floor Nailer - recommend, highly recommended


I'm doing a hardwood flooring with 5/8" thick mahogany solid wood on a

couple of rooms. Because the rooms are not flat (both have a couple of

steps) it took 8 days to finish the flooring and renting was as expensive

as buying one. (checked HomeDepot $35/day and another rental company $30/day)



It looks like Porter-Cable FCN200 seems to be very popular, but over $300

made me hesitant. I seriously considered Bostitch MFN200 Manual Flooring

Cleat Nailer, but after a lot of questions to Bostitch and a couple of

dealers, I found out that it can be used only fo 3/4" thick floorings.



So, I went with this pneumatic floor nailer.



I ordered the one that can be used for cleat nails only, but what I

received was for both cleat nails as well as staples, which was a nice

surprise. People said cleat nails would be more strong in terms of holding

the panels to the sub-floor and I ordered bostitch nails at amazon.



Shipping was pretty quick - delivered in 2 days from the order - and the

tools is very solid. 3-4 panels had the nails bent between the panel and

sub floor, maybe because the nailer was not placed correctly. Otherwise,

it worked pretty well.



It has several pad that can be used for different thickness of the

floorings, which was really good for me.



Overall, at this price, this cannot go wrong at all and much better

solution than renting one. Akuzuki Top Quality 2-in-1 Pneumatic Hardwood Floor Flooring Air Cleat Nailers and Stapler

I just finished my hardwood flooring project using this nailer. It turned out fantastic. This nailer is solid and durable and during the installation of about 1200 sqft, never had a single issue of any kind.

I got this instead of renting one from a local improvement store. I knew I would spend more renting given my time constraints. I used it to lay about 200 square feet of red oak. I had two misfires, but they were my fault. I ran through 1600+ nails without a jam otherwise. The build quality is not the same as the $4-500 name brand units, but it's not bad, and for me it doesn't matter how the nail gets into the board as long is it gets there. The depth in red oak was perfect, I only hand set a couple where the angle was getting awkward in a corner, and I couldn't strike the head properly.



It was leaking air at first, but tightening down the bolts with the supplied wrench took care of that (several tools are supplied). There were no torque values indicated, so I used "common sense" torque to avoid warping anything. The shoe on the bottom is maybe not perfectly square, but it was never an issue. It would probably benefit from forcing on a bicycle handle grip for comfort, mine was wrapped in a foam tape.



I intend to use this tool for two more rooms, and I feel like it was a good value. It paid for itself in the first room for me, but again, I had only a couple hours per day window to work. I would recommend this item to anyone who wants to take their time without rushing a rental clock. It performed as expected, no complaints. I used 2" Bostitch L nails, but it can handle staples as well.



No problems with the order, the shipping was quick, everything was included.



4 stars instead of 5 due to build quality imperfections, having to tighten up bolts which should have been tested at the factory.

I just received the nailer and used it for the first time this weekend to install 5/8" T&G Bamboo flooring in my son's kitchen. What I received was the dual staple/cleat nailer. After putting on the right foot plate, it comes with 2, I test fired a 2" cleat nail and found it to be too long and risked tearing off the tongue of the flooring board. I went looking for 1 1/2 inch cleat nails locally & when I couldn't find anything but the 2" size, I purchased 1 1/2" staple. I loaded the nailer with the stapes and started the job. The nailer worked great! You need to test fire a few staples to get the right air pressure and tune you "strike" force, but after that it was effortless. I had used a manual nailer previously to install about 500 sq. feet of oak flooring and there is no comparison. The Bamboo was about twice as dense as the oak and using the pneumatic nailer, the bamboo went down at least twice as fast and with less pain! The thing you want to be careful with when nailing down dense Bamboo is that it is so dense and if you are close to the end of the board or edge, you will split it. Pre-drill for yore first 2 rows and the use the nailer. Instead of nails for the first 2 rows, I opted for 1 1/2" headless screws (you can get these at any home store). They worked great & you don't have to worry about dimpling if you use a nail & miss. I'm not done with the project yet, but so far I recommend the nailer whole heartily.

I am a wood-turner that until now has never installed hardwood floors. I had the occasion to help with an installation at a dance studio and decided from that to install a hardwood floor on an addition I had planned. While searching for a pneumatic floor nailer I found this one, and after reading the reviews decided to give it a try. I was happy I did. It performed much better than the one we used for the studio and at a portion of the cost. I would like to also mention the delivery time was great. I saved more than what it would have cost me to rent one for the job and I have it to help friends and family. What a deal.

I'm not sure what I was expecting at half the price of a name brand competitor, but when it came with a carrying case with a spare base plate I was already impressed. The nailer worked flawlessly and is solidly constructed. The bottom plate is slightly longer than other floor nailers I've used so you may have to hand nail an extra row of flooring to get started, but otherwise it's well worth the money. - Highly Recommended - Pneumatic - Hardwood Floor Nailer - Recommend'


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Impact Drivers - 18 volt, cordless


Not long ago a friend gave me an extra DeWalt 18 volt drill he'd come into. I'd been using a 12 volt Makita for over a decade, and I was impressed with how much more torque and battery life the DeWalt had. The same friend also had a DeWalt impact driver from the same series, and again, I was impressed how well this handled mechanical tasks usually relegated to a pneumatic impact driver. But even more impressive was how well the DeWalt worked for driving screws.



A few years ago, the major cordless tool makers started to come out with impact drivers which they marketed not to mechanics, but to carpenters. While today's 18volt cordless drills do a pretty good job of driving screws, they still start to bog down when driving really long screws into hard or resinous wood. The slow, stall, and eventually overheat. But impact drivers don't do this. They work on a different principle, using a motor-driven hammer to repeatedly strike an anvil that drives the output shaft. As the load increases, they switch from spinning to a rapid-fire staccato impact mode, in which every impact turns the screw a bit farther, while the motor continues to spin and bring in cooling air.



I was very pleased to discover that Amazon had a DeWalt impact driver available in a batteryless and caseless package (for those of us who already have a charger and several batteries) for about $125. I purchased mine for a mix of yard projects- this is a great tool for driving the big screws used to tie landscape timbers together- home projects, and motorcycle/scooter maintenance. And amazingly, it's even lighter and more compact than the DEWALT DC759KA Heavy-Duty 18-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit. I'm giving away my Makita 12v drill/driver to a nephew who likes tools and gadgets, and switching 100% to the DeWalt system. Bare-Tool DEWALT DC825B 1/4-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact Driver (Tool Only, No Battery)

I bought this last year after my Black and Decker 18v drill died it's 3rd death. I got it in a 4 tool combo kit on sale at Lowes. I build haunted houses for the Halloween season so most of what I do construction wise is with rough and sometimes very old and hard woods. The woods are also made super tough (like rock) from a chemical that must be sprayed on them to make them fire retardant. I found that before, even with an 18v drill that screws would shear off before going into the boards which made it difficult to make secure connections in the wood. It is hard to make something look old and spooky and still have it be safe so having good, solid tools is a must. Right after I charged the battery I tried this tool out. Wow!! It drove a 3 inch deck screw into an old hardened 2x4 in the blink of an eye!! I had never used a tool like that. It quickly became a favorite of mine on the jobsite. I used it hard and it never once let me down. I bought it toward the end of the build so I only got to use it on a few hundred screws but never a disappointment. I'm looking forward to using on this season's build as well as in my volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone who builds.

I bought this tool to add to my dewalt collection. I have had the 18volt dill for years and did'nt think that I need an impact driver. I was wrong. I am using the impact more that the drill for driving large screws. It make the jobs much easier. The driver was shipped by a third party and I received it in just a few days. I was very impressed. This is an excellent tool if you do lots of repair work with 2 by lumber.

I have long been a loyal DeWalt costumer, especially when in comes to cordless tools like the 18v drill I purchased 6 years ago. That drill quickly became my favorite tool and has seen constant use since. In fact I was so happy with the drill that I did not see any reason to buy an impact driver, until a couple of projects I was working on required me to drive a large number of constuction screws and lag bolts. My drill was able to drive them but not as easily or quickly as I would have liked, so I decided it was time to give the impact driver a try and my only regret it that I did not buy one sooner. This driver is by far the best power tool I have ever owned. It is absolutely necessary for driving lag screws or anything comparable but also preforms so much better in less demanding tasks like running deck screws. I have discovered that it is also quite handy for boring large holes even though that is not the intent behind the tool. If you put an Irwin Speedbore bit in this thing it will chew through 4 by lumber in no time. Using the driver for boring has saved my wrist on a number of occasions as those Speedbore bits require quite abit of torque to run and if the bit binds up while using a regular drill all that torque gets transferred to your wrist. Now that I have a set of Irwin Speedbore and Spade bits plus a decent hex drill bit set my drill is relegated to drilling metal and the occasional pilot hole.

This driver is also much better at removing rusty and stripped screws than my drill, just another unexpected bonus.

Without exception this is the one tool that goes with me to every job. - Dewalt - 18 Volt - Impact Drivers - Cordless'


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240hz - hdtv, 240hz


Go this TV two weeks ago and so far it has been working great. Replaced a 57" DLP and the picture looks amazing, deeper blacks and crisper picture (although not as bright but that was expected). Wall mounted it on a swivel mount so we could see it in the kitchen but since the viewing angle is so great we haven't really had to turn at all. I also have a two year old 42" Panasonic Plasma(85U) which is an excellent TV but this one is leaps and bound better surprisingly. Did some 3D watching and gaming over the weekend and amazed at how good it looked, now I just need to get 2 more glasses. Even the 2D-3D conversion works well on some shows, adds a little depth but not much. The VieraCast is alright, I have a HTPC hooked up already so I have only used it to see what it is like. The only one I might use is the weather app but it takes forever to update so it is kind of pointless. Overall it is a beautiful TV and I would recommend it as a great bang for the buck in the Panasonic line up. Panasonic VIERA TC-P60ST30 60-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

[[ASIN:B004MME774 Panasonic VIERA TC-P60ST30 60-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV]



Normally I would not give out any reviews but after seeing the clarity of this TV, I could not resist to spread the word. Bought this TV after reading through various A/V forums and reviews. It is the best TV for the dollar amount. Nothing else comes close. Just follow through the calibration steps mentioned by one of the reviewer and this TV will become your neighbors/friends envy! Though I did not care about 3D capability, it was simply spectacular.



-Ebjoy

Panasonic plasma t.v.'s ROCK. Nobody comes close in plasma. This is the 2nd I have bought in a year. I put this in the media room for size reasons and could not be happier. Everything from shipping to set up was a breeze. The shipping co. even brought it up stairs and took it out of the box. Have not used 3D yet but everything else performs great. Perfect picture and love viera cast. Remember if buying plasma there is no substitute for PANASONIC.

I originally was gravitated towards LEDs, purchased a Sharp 60" LED since it was the only 60" LED in the market early this summer, but was not convinced with the pictures and although it was 240HZ, there was frequent blur. I then tried a 55" Samsung LED (mid range), and again same problems. I returned both, thanks to great retailer with a great return policy. I came to the conclusion that LED TVs are only good if you get the high end ones which would be double the plasma prices ($2700+). So, I decided to just go back to Plasma since I owned a 42" panasonic plasma and pictures were great and looked real. I was deciding between Panasonic, Samsung, and LG plasmas and was monitoring prices. I then heard that Panasonic had the best video processor and always rated higher than the others, so found a great deal and never looked back. I like that it's 3D ready. Now waiting for the prices of the 3D glasses to come down, not in a rush to get these. Speakers are fine, you can live with them, but I'm looking for other options, to provide a better experience.

I'm trying to figure out good settings for a bright room, so if anyone knows good/optimal settings for a bright room, please let me know.

So in purchasing this tv I originally had some problem with what I thought was the panel and flickering and pixels along edges and outlines of objects and people. I am changing my review to 5 stars from 3 stars to update what has transpired since the purchase.



Even with standard definition cable the image is good. Not like HD or blu-ray, but a nice image. The problem I encountered from changing from my older panasonic viera to this one was since it is HD, it noticed the lower signal strength of the cable coming into the house that the 480p screen did not really pick up.



I'm still not sure why a standard DVD player shows such a bad signal, but the Oppo 93 I just purchased was great.



I hooked up a new Oppo 93, and I have to say the picture is amazing! So rating has been changed to reflect this. Others that have the same problem, check your cable signal strength as a possible source. This screen will pick up any problem.



I guess the one thing I will say is the option that the tv has to solve this problem did not work for me, so maybe the signal strength to bad for the tv to solve internally in custom mode.











Old Review - can be disregarded. Just left to show change from 3 start to 5 star.



I purchased my 60 inch ST30 for a steal of a deal after I promised myself I would wait for a while to see how these new models were performing.



No green blob, no fluctuating brighness, none of the other concerns that people have been observing and reporting. I felt really lucky. I performed the panel prep as some sites recommend and used the calibration settings specified for custom mode.



My set is hooked up to a HD cable box, standard DVD player and a Denon AVR 891 receiver by HDMI cables, and component for the DVD.



When watching cable and movies, the outlines of objects (stationary and slow moving) have a very pixelated look to them that have a variety of colours and make the image look out of focus... Almost like the outline is flickering. So unlike a lot of reviewers I can't be happy with the PQ even when Im not being picky about a product I spent so much money on at a good price... It is not the problem some sets have for flickering with fast moving objects as my son and I were watching Barney and he was standing still at the time!



My other complaint is the hours that Panasonic Concierge service has in Canada for customer support. It is only 9 to 4:30 EST, monday - Thurs so if I'm on the west coast, as I am, I would have to leave work at 1:30 just to call when the office closes!!!! To me that is not customer support as most people watch their tvs in the evening, and can't take time off work to deal with a problem during the day!!!!! No other option besides doing that!!!!!



I will be filing a remedy ticket with Panasonic to see about fixing the problem and will edit this post if the problem is solved. - 240hz - Hdtv'


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