Friday, 4 September 2009

Wildlife - security camera, wildlife


I purchased this item to use it as a security camera to monitor my vehicles outside the house and gladly put in jail those who are roaming around our communities stealing our property. This is a great IR camera, the pictures are clear and it works good. But, it does not take pictures thru a glass and it actual range is about 30 feet during nighttime. So, I have to mount the camera outside the house. Overall, very easy to configure and operate. Wild Game Innovations Red 4 Infrared Digital Scouting Camera

Easy to figure out the menus and the default settings make sense.

I set it up and the motion sensor worked but the resulting images were nothing more than some color lines with a lot of white space. Clearly the internal camera is not working.Also, Delay in mentioned in the manual as a setting (30 secs, 1 min, etc.) but they never tell you what that span of time represents. Delay between motion and the picture taken? Delay between one picture being taken and another if there is still activity? A simple 1 line explanation would be very helpful. - Wildlife - Security Camera'


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Children Table Chairs


We've had this table for years, since my daughter was in preschool. It has and continues to serve us well.



HEIGHT ADJUSTMENTS



I bought this table for my kids to do their crafts at when they were toddlers. At the lowest setting, it worked well with the toddler size chairs. Now that they are older, I can raise it to the dining table height and adult sized chairs fit under it. I can raise it even higher to countertop height and put barstools under them or just use them as an extension of my kitchen counter.



It is most stable up to kitchen table height. At countertop height, it wobbles more, but not so much that I'd be worried it would fall apart.



SETTING UP



The table is easy to open up and set up. The legs extend in a snap. It's also easy to collapse and fold up to carry or store, and it is lightweight enough to not fear transporting it.



SURFACE



The surface has been a cinch to maintain. The children have managed to get crayons or markers and food all over it. If a wet towel won't get it off, the Magic Eraser will.



One big problem with the table is the surface is textured, so the children do not like doing homework on it, because it's difficult to write on. Placing a board on the table would be a workaround, but the children choose not to do their writing there.



SIZE



The table does sit four children around it comfortably for dinner. For temporary uses, four adults could sit, but it would not be something to do regularly, as they might normally want more room.



PROS:

+ lightweight

+ easy to set up

+ easy to fold up

+ height adjustable

+ easy to maintain

+ sturdy



CONS:

- textured surface is not good for writing

- narrow table



SUMMARY



I'm glad I bought this table. It's one of those things where I look back and think how well I've gotten my money's worth. I'd buy this again for it versatility and portability. Lifetime Prod. Inc. 4435 4' Fold-in-Half Adjustable Folding Table

I am a mobile DJ. I bought this table to be used when I am DJing. It's just about perfect for that use. When set up it is 4ft. It folds in half when not in use so it's only 2ft when carrying it. It has a handle for easy carrying. It's lightweight and the best feature (for me) is the height adjustment. In the past my table was about waist height so I had to lean forward and bend over slightly to operate my DJ equipment (I never sit when I'm DJing, if the DJ looks bored the crowd's more likely to be bored). After a 4 to 6 hour gig my back and shoulders would be hurting. With this table all the equipment is within arms reach while standing straight up. I've only used it twice so far but it seems pretty sturdy too. It's not "completely" solid but I don't have any fear of it collapsing or falling over.

I bought 2 of these tables, and I'm so happy I did. At the lowest height, I use the table as a laptop table for getting work done while I'm outdoors on the back patio (sitting in an armless lawn chair). The middle height is of course the height of a regular dining table. The highest height is the "counter height" which is good with bar stools, or applications where you need to use a table while standing up. We've used this as a prep table outdoors when grilling or cutting up pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns, etc. (Note that you should not use the table as a platform for a table-top grill, since it's not heat resistant.)



These tables are very lightweight and not cumbersome to carry. They fold in half, and they have a carrying handle. So I can take 2 of these tables with me as I do, walking a mile or so to the train station, for some event or whatever. The table we had before did not fold in half, and it was 30 inches wide instead of only 24 inches like these .... so there was no way I could take that table with me anywhere. I like the narrower width because it makes it lot easier to fit the tables into compact spaces. You can also easily pop these tables in the back of a trunk or a bike trailer. These are versatile, portable, really useful tables.



For an outdoor party, I'm wondering how these might look if I paint the top brown with some gold-tan pattern/texture, to mimic something like flagstone. Or I could just put a table cloth on top, of course.



You can do so many things with these tables! I'm very happy with my purchase.

great table. only one small flaw, pressing both buttons to extend the leg at the same time, while pulling on the leg, takes 3 hands. You can pull one side at a time but it's tricky. Maybe in the next iteration they can consolidate the 2 buttons into one?

I make jewelry and needed a table for my first trunk show. This was the perfect size, easy to transport and easy to store in my storage-challenged condo. The adjustable height gets my products up to the customer without them having to bend or stoop. My only challenge with this table is adjusting the legs by myself -- hard to slide them out while holding the buttons down. I'll figure out a way tho....or just have someone lend me a hand. All in all, it's a great product!

The table arrived on time, in good condition and I was pleased with it. There is only one little problem, and it's probably just my built-in clutziness. When I opened it up, laid it on its side and lifted it to standing position, it kept folding on me. But yeah, perfect little adjustable craft table. I use mine for my laptop so I can sit in my recliner and keep my feet up. It just slides right up to me, wide enough to fit over the arms of the chair.

Recommended.

I bought this table for camping, for extra counter space for cooking. I didn't buy it through Amazon but at K-mart and for only $35.00. It works just fine and with the adjustable legs, you can use it as a dinning table if you wanted or needed to.'


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Gadget Sets


The product is well made and matches the Corelle Chilli Red Hearthstone dish set very well. The napkin holder could be a little larger but overall works fine. I recommend the product if you plan to purchase or already own the Corelle dishes! Corelle Napkin Holder, Spoon Rest, Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, Chili Red

I ordered kitchen rugs from Amazon that I thought may match this set. So, I was holding my breath when I ordered this, and boy was I a happy camper when it came. Not only is this a beautiful set, IT MATCHED PERFECTLY!!! I am "oh so" happy.

Although I only needed to replace a broken pepper shaker from an existing set of shakers, spoon rest and napkin holder, I found a the duplicate set that contained the salt/pepper shakers, spoon rest, and napkin holder for $4.00 less than I could have ordered the shakers alone. But that's good because I'm sure the cat will break the other things as soon as he can, and this way I have spares. I was very pleased with the ease of ordering and the fact that they got here so quickly. I would recommend this site for future purchases.'


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Portable Mouse - laptop mouse, travel mouse


It's very compact but very well sides and I have big hands. The quality is pretty good, feels sturdy and nice punch with the buttons. The mouse wheel is great, it's actually the same size as those on full sized mouse so there is no problem using it. The retractable cords are also very well made.



Highly recommended. Belkin USB Mobile Retractable Mouse (Grey)

The mouse is very compact. But it feels well built and really tracks well on all the surfaces I have tried. I had a less well built mouse before that did not track as well on certain surfaces. I am happy with this purchase.

I have this mouse in pink from Target.

I think I'm in love with it to an almost inappropriate extent; it handles well, the retractable feature is easy and handy and the size is perfect to pop it in my shoulder bag when I'm on the go.

But I'm going to have to agree with some other reviews- the clicker is loud!

The mouse works great but it only lasted 30 days. I read another review that stated the same thing. :-( At first i thought it was an isolated incident but this is my 4th mouse. THIS PRODUCT IS COMPLETE GARBAGE!

I had this mouse 108 days as a backup. During that time it was stored in a desk drawer and brought out for use with my Netbook about four times. On the fifth time it worked fine. I walked away from the machine for a few hours and returned to find it's little red light out. That was it. Game over. Junk.



I've had a Kensington retractable mouse for two years that has travels every day in a backpack and been all over the country. It still works. I'll replace this backup mouse with another Kensington.

Nice little mouse, but I have had two now, and neither has lasted a year. Before it goes down completely, it starts stuttering... have to move it twice to get it going. My 2nd just stopped working after maybe 7 months.

loved the mouse, but had it only a short time and it stopped working. i couldn't figure out why, then i discovered the little pads on the bottom were missing. I don't know if or where i can buy more, but i only have 2 out of four. so i put one at the top and another at the bottom and lo and behold -- it works again.



if anyone knows if these are sold separately anywhere please respond...

This Belkin mouse it pretty cool for its size! Im a college student and I needed a small yet usable mice to go along with my Toshiba Satellite A505 laptop. I did not want to spend too much money on the mouse because it would be only used for a laptop, i could have paid about $10-12 more for a larger full mouse. But for the price its good quality and really good for college kids and for a traveling person. The retractable cord is ideal for a traveling person and for a college student as myself who is always having to unplug things from her laptop on the desk to take it to class. The scroll wheel is nice for a mouse this size. Optical sensor mainly used to indicate that the mouse it on. Mouse is great on all surfaces pretty much...the track ball moves very well. I love the fact that there is no SOFTWARE to install. Overall great, I would definitely buy another one. - Portable Mouse - Belkin - Travel Mouse - Laptop Mouse'


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High Heel Shoe


I absolutely adore these boots. I've got calves, and finding tall boots that actually fit and look good isn't always easy. These fit true to size in my case, and were surprisingly comfortable and easy to walk in. I'm seriously in love with these boots, and they sure did grab some attention. :) PH423-CHASITY, Color: BLACK, Women's US Size 7

My wife was very excited to get these boots. They were the perfect length for her foot, and they are very nice looking. The problem was the actual shoe part of the boot is extremely wide from top to bottom, meaning if you have thin legs/feet, there will be a giant gap that looks very awkward once the boot is laced up. if the whole thing was flimsy from top to bottom, this wouldn't be a problem, but the part where the foot goes is solid and cannot be adjusted, so when the upper part is drawn in the shoe poofs out. It's hard to explain but it basically means if you have skinny legs/feet this will not look good on you. We shipped them back and the company gave us a full refund so we were only out the shipping costs which we were satisfied with. It would have been sooo nice if they had fit her right though...

First of all, I love these boots! I usually can't wear tall boots because I have calves, but because the ribbons can be adjusted I can zip these up no problem! That's my favorite part; I see so many boots I would love to have but can't wear because they're designed for people with skinny legs. I also got extra ribbons in red and black from Spike Angel, and I thought that was just great. They're very sleek, sexy, and will definitely garner some attention!



However, like all pretty heeled shoes there come some challenges. The first being that they're not a comfort shoe; I wore them for about five minutes and the pain made itself known quite quickly. It could just be because I'm not used to such tall, skinny heels (I'm used to ones like Demonia's 220 boot with a thick sole and heel)), but just bear in mind they will require some definite breaking in. They're also very hot, but anyone familiar with patent leather will already know this. And lastly, it's kind of hard to sit in them; the back comes up so high that it digs into my leg right at the back of my knee. I can't cross my legs like normal, and even have a hard time standing up in them.



I guess that's just the drawback. I love them enough that I'm not going to send them back; I knew what I was getting was not going to be comfortable. It's just something anyone with heels has to live with :)

I ordered thses boots because I saw them and I instantly fell in love with them. I was not disappointed at all when I got them!!! They look exactly like they do in the picture.....and I also got the extra black and red ribbons with them. The possibilities are endless with these boots, and if you like them at all...THEY ARE WORTH EVERY DIME!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE these boots! Very comfortable and super sexy. I was stoked they arrived loosely laced to save me the time of lacing them. So until I decide to switch out the pink laces with the red ones that also came with it....I won't be needing to lace them up. All you need to do is tighten and tie them once then use the zipper to get in and out! This was a GREAT purchase at a good price!

Got these boots yesterday. Unlike the other reviewer I only got the red and pink ribbons, no black ones. Oh well. I am sure you could buy those ribbons anywhere to make these boots match any outfit. I love the way they look and feel. I would recommend this boots. I love them.'


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Digital Video - 1080p, benchmark


I suppose I really should have chosen a different title for my review as I have not tried the Digital Video Essentials one; however, I have tried Avia, one from Monster, and of course the THX and Disney optimizers that come on various dvds, and this one makes those look like a joke. It's easy to navigate through the various test patterns, and within each pattern is readily available help information with correct and incorrect examples to give you an idea of what you should be looking for. I found the majority of them easy to use and helpful, though I must confess that with a couple of them (I think one was the chroma one) I couldn't tell any difference, either with the examples or with the actual test pattern. Additionally, some of them (e.g., the cadence ones) seemed to me essentially pointless in that they tested performance aspects not readily correctable; however, I suppose they would be useful for deciding whether or not to keep or return a product. With this disc, I was able to dial in a noticeably improved picture. I personally don't care about the lack of audio test tones as I leave audio calibration up to Audyssey and my receiver, but the DTS Master Audio and to a lesser extent the Dolby TruHD clips are fun. Oh, yeah, and they include the blue filter glasses too, which is great. Not having the glasses included in any of the calibration discs I have bought previously, until now I had always just skipped over those patterns. I highly recommend this calibration disc. It has given me confidence that I am getting the best performance possible from my setup. Spears & Munsil High-Definition Benchmark Blu-ray Disc Edition [Blu-ray]

Im an dedicated reader of "Home Theater" magazine and they wrote an article for this BD. So being the enthusiast I am, I purchased this BD with in minutes of reading the article. I'm glad it did! Spears & Munsil have definitely set the standard for HDTV calibration. I have used other cal BD's and they were great, but none come close to this one. The BD offers a array of test patterns to calibrate/adjust your TV. It even prove that my TV "Cine-motion" feature was better turn "off". They are also video in 7.1 Dolby HD and DSP HD to test your surround speakers. They dont offer test tones, thats my only complaint. But don't let that stop you from getting this BD. I'm still a fan of ISF calibrations, but if you don't have $400.00 to invest in a full "ISF" cal, then I would highly suggest you buy this BD.



Sony XBR6 52" is perfect after Spears & Munsil.

I have mixed feelings about this disc. I bought it expecting a simple to use disc that you pop in your Blu-ray player and calibrate your TV according to the different tests that are performed.



It's not quite that simple. First off, a large section of the tests appear to test items on your TV that you have no control over. This is confusing to those new to "calibrating" your TV. There should be a section called "This will test stuff you can fix" and "This will test stuff you can't fix" to clarify. Example: a section will say "you should not see stepping of shades in the following test" and then refers to NOTHING to fix the problem. Ok, my TV is showing the stepping or sectioning of shades, so what do I do to fix it?



Also, the disc comes with what looks like 3-d glasses that are blue-ish in color. Nowhere, I repeat nowhere, in the booklet does it explain what these do. It refers to a "blue filter" in the booklet at one point, but it does not say it's the film that came with the disc and that you should, oh, you know, put it up to your eyes in some of the calibration tests!



A helpful manual or booklet would remedy all of the issues I've experienced thus far, but the booklet is simply made for those who have done calibration before.



I did perform the brightness, contrast, and coloring tests with relative ease - and this did improve the picture on my TV. But it doesn't look better to the point of paying for this disc. I even reverted my changes back to how I had it before and could make an argument that it looked just as good.



Another complaint - most TVs nowdays have built-in adjustment features that automatically change the brightness, contrast, back-light levels, sharpness and other items. The booklet doesn't even tell you you should probably turn these off, as they counteract the progress you are attempting to make with the calibration. I fiddled with the disc for an hour before realizing the TV was adjusting to the picture by itself.



I understand TVs and monitors but I still feel like I'm lost with this disc. I know what brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, black levels, geometric warping, sharpness and all that stuff is - but I can't seem to get the hang of this disc. That's bad. Better instructions are needed for those who don't do this as a hobby. 3/5 stars.

This technical Blu Ray is a great reference to have when doing your own home calbiration of your TV. For years, people have had to use (and it was an excellent product for the time) the Joe Kane Video Essentials set up. It first came out on Laserdisc, then on DVD, then (briefly) on HD and is now available on Blu Ray. Ironically the Blu Ray version was the cheapest of all ( LD and DVD versions sold at $49.95 retail) What makes this disk special is that it is $10 cheaper than the Blu Ray version of Kane tech spec Blu Ray (Suggested Retail is(or was)$39.95) is that you get everything the Blu Ray DVD essentials disk (in sound and technical specs) But you also get a prgram designed with Blu Ray in mind. The DVD essentials series, by comparison, was the same old Laserdisc version, re-done for each new medium, with little, if any, bnew material for the specific medium. (The DVD version was the exact same as the LD version except the chapters were different becasue you didn't have to flip the DVD over as you did the laser disc.) This disk was actually produced in Hi Def for Blu ray. Spears and Munsil is a West Coast Company and they have produced a DVD version in the past. This Blu Ray version expands on the older title by adding technical test patterns for deinterlacing performance ( you cant use it on SD TVs) All test patterns have been recreated in 1080p for the best calibration. A booklet of tech term glossary and descriptions has also been included along with a pluge test tool

(The Krane discs supplied you with a 35mm film strip tool)that resembles a pair of 3D Glasses. An added bonus is that if you are using HDMI cables to send both audio and video information to your receiver ( or 5.1 capable TVS)you can watch the Promotional trailers for both Dolby Digital HD and DTS HD master audio and calibrate your system. As an added bonus (and I consider a plus over the Kane productions) is different video clip examples showing you the differences of types of video displays (described in detail in the booklet) and a short video clip at that plays when you first put the disc in that is a video mnntage of great sights of the Pacific Northwest. The easy access menu system is also easier to understand and navigate to the desired chapter. Kane's DVD is still is technically sound as always, but this is a better product in that it was produced with HD equipment and is more user friendly than the Kane product - Benchmark - Blu-ray Disc - 1080p - Blu-ray'


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Makita - planer blades


I'm a pretty experienced do-it-yourselfer. My old planer blades were dull as dirt, and I flipped the bladeheads around to the sharp side (the double-edged type). They promptly broke off, nearly damaging my planer. I had installed them correctly, in case you're wondering. So I paid a little more and bought these solid, single-edged blades and couldn't be happier. I needed to look up the manual online to be certain the installation was correct but they work flawlessly and make me wonder why I never tried them before. They are the only ones I will buy in the future. Makita D-17217 High Speed Steel Planer Blade Set - Planer Blades'


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