Hdr-cx160 - sony

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My new Sony CX160 HD HandyCam. The more I use it, the more I am loving it.

It is very convenient to use with a perfect size for my medium sized palm, and the zoom & record buttons conveniently placed on the camera body as well as on the touch screen. The touch screen is pretty good. I would recommend using a scratch guard which makes it easier to clean since it is prone to finger prints. The touch screen interface is very intuitive (one cant go wrong with the interface with Sony) and takes only couple of mins to get used to. I started shooting right after unboxing it. Coming to the most important aspect - the picture. The picture quality of the videos is absolutely stunning. Even under low light (indoors), the picture quality is quite good when shot at FX mode. I generally prefer FX mode (60i) which is actually the second best mode in terms of picture clarity but gives you that extra shooting time with negligible picture degradation as compared to PS mode (60p @ 28Mbps). PS mode is as close to a professional camera that an under $500 camera can get.

With a built in 16Gb memory one can shoot about 90 mins of HD videos in FX mode. I got a Transcend 16Gb class 10 for little less than 30 bucks to make the total to 3 hrs of videos at one go, which imho is quite a decent amount of video. The battery (Sony NP-FV50 V series) that came with it has a back up of little over 2 hours with a mix of record and play back times. I am very happy with these times though. For back up I did buy a NP FV 70 replacement (Vivitar brand); however, it did not work well and I used to get an error message after about 4 mins. I returned it and bought another Sony NP FV 50. I would recommend buying another Sony NP FV 50 battery only if you ever need a back up power (NOT EVEN origniaL Sony NP FV 70).

The sound recording quality is also pretty good. With about 3 hours of recordings so far, although I haven't really noticed the sound recordings in too much detail, I can say that the sound is just perfect. We have enjoyed the picture as well as sound quality of all the videos that we had shot with it.

The small (about 5-7 cms only) USB is fixed on the camera body. I find this feature quite cool since you dont have to remember to carry the USB cable as such (of course, the extension cable definitely helps), as also it is sort of hidden in the camera strap so its not visible and does not cause an hindrance while recording.

Coming to the still pictures, I would say I was a quite disappointed with it in that the pictures are virtually useless. Due to this I have disabled the auto smile shutter which takes a picture automatically when it detects a smile, even when the video recording is in progress. The feature is good, but the pictures are not.

The software that came with it - Sony PMB - is a just about okay kinda software; in that it does what it is meant to do - manage and burn DVDs. You can create DVSs pretty easily with it. However, the number of screen layouts is very limited (only about 5 to be precise), and it does need a decent processing power. However, with HD videos, a decent processing power is anyways a must.

I would have given it a 4.5, but it certainly doesn't deserve a 4; So, I gave it a full 5. If you ignore the still picture quality, imho is not what it is meant for, the other features such as golf shot, slow-mo shot, one touch focus in which the camera focus on an object you touch in the lcd screen and keeps in focus all through the shooting by following it, the more than decent battery back up, you won't be disappointed with this one. I got mine from Costco for $490 bucks with taxes, inclusive of a decent pouch enough to carry its USB extension cable, an additional battery, along with the camera, of course.





5/23 Update on spare battery: Purchased a 'High Voltage' brand NP-FV 70 battery from Digi Acc seller. I am glad that it worked with my Sony CX-160. Initially, I was disappointed since even the Original Sony NP FV 50 did not work with it and I used to get an error message after every 3-4 mins. Digi Acc was prompt to send me a battery that worked. Sony HDR-CX160 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black)

I've owned and tested a new Sony CX series camcorder each year since the CX7. I'm extremely impressed with the Sony CX160 for ground footage. Testing it the other night when my friends rode bulls for the first time ("Dysfunctional Bull Riding" on youtube) I was impressed on the active steadyshot being able to minimize my hand held shaking while the camera was heavily zoomed in. The low lux made the above video super bright even in a dark arena. The external mic is nice to have back on a consumer level CX series camera. I personally don't like the built in USB cable since I tend to mount my cameras in boxes and helmets but for the average joe, it's nice not to look for a USB cable. The other plus with this camera is you can now charge through this cable. Therefore a standard USB charger port in your car or computer can charge the camera. This takes longer than the standard Sony charger but nice in a pinch. I've noticed the USB downloading speeds are extremely slow in this camera. It takes a minute or so to download a 200mb clip from internal memory. You also can not run the footage straight off the camera like you could with the 150.



Speaking of footage. The quality out of this camera is awesome! I'm super impressed by the image quality.



I dropped this down by a point since I use these cameras for skydiving and the optical stabilization (OIS) causes flutter when the camera is in a vacuum caused by certain body positions. I could see this being an issue with people mounting these in certain positions on motorcycles or other fast moving vehicles where there is not laminar airflow around the camera. (youtube "Sony HDR-CX160 Tests"). Sony needs to lock the stabilization optics when the stabilization is turned off!



Overall I'm going to keep this camera for ground footage but going back to my EIS based Sony HDR-CX150 camera for extreme sports.



Thx,

Trunk

HYPOXIC Extreme Electronics - Sony'

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Dickies

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I am amazed at how fast these arrived. I payed standard shipping and got the pants within 24 hours. They fit very well. I am pleased they had 29,32's which are difficult to find. They are skinny but not skin tight. The fabric is comfortable but also seems pretty durable. They have a cell phone pocket. I am glad I bought them. DICKIES Mens Skinny Straight Pants'

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Accessories - accessories, work tote

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I am pleased beyond belief with this product and very happy indeed to have thought ahead and ordered TWO of them....the quality, price, workmanship and everything about this product is above my expectations and I will look for this manufacturer if and when I have anything in their line of products to insure similar results. The description and photo of the tote bag is only HALF as good as the actual tote bag. Excellent, just excellent! Port Authority Microfiber Tote, Black

Received my totes this afternoon (Christmas Eve) they are PERFECT! Just what I was looking for.

Thanks so much to the other review writers for recommending this tote. I was weary because of the fabulous price, but what a bargain, I'm glad I ordered two. I'm the type of person who when they find something they really love always wish they had two of them, now I do.

It is everything it is represented as being, roomy, well made, with neat little organizer sections. I especially like the clasp to hook a set of keys on that is attached inside one compartment, no one likes hunting for their keys in the bottom of a big bag. Its got a small place inside for my cell to nest in and plenty of room in the zippered compartments for all my JUNK, I mean stuff...LOL.

You can't go wrong with this one folks. Great Job Andrew Christian!, you might just be a little guy competing with the corporate giants but your product is just as good if not better than what they offer and at a much nicer price point too.

This tote was larger than I expected but who knew I would need the extra room. This tote is incredibly durable and strong though not horribly heavy (until I pile a ton of books in it). The front pocket has a nice organization compartment for pens, and whatever else you want to toss in. The fact that the straps are adjustable is awesome, now I can put it on my shoulder when my hands are full. Love that it also zips close on top so that if it gets knocked over my stuff doesnt fall out.



I bought this in the Dark Red option which if you search amazon you can find and I love it!!!

Last June my "school" bag died two days before the end of the year. I looked around all summer for a replacement, and could find nothing in the stores. I ordered this bag (in gray) the end of August. It arrived the weekend before school started, and was just what I was looking for. It is the color of the dust on the floor where the bag spends much of its time, and zippers, which my old bag didn't. It has enough pockets to store my traveling "office", and has adjustable straps so I can carry it over the shoulder. But the very best thing is that it stands up where ever I put it. My colleague bought a new bag, spent a lot more, and is not nearly as happy with what she got. This product is an A+ for this teacher.

*** This bag just completed year 3 at school, and it still in excellent shape-what a product!

I purchased this tote bag for a trip and I received it three days ago. I actually love the bag, but the interior zipper failed today (after only a couple days) and the top zipper is looking iffy. The zippers are not good. Otherwise the bag is very nice for the price. But if the zippers fail, then I am stuck with a bag that no longer meets my needs, because I need the zippers. I contacted the seller and asked for help. I hope they stand behind their products. I need to have them send me another one without having to pay any more money, or I might as well have bought a higher priced one that had better zippers!

I needed this bag for my work to carry around medical equipment and charts. It was a great price for a very professional and roomy bag. It has been working perfectly, and my co worker are all jealous.

I've been looking for the perfect tote bag for work papers and misc. stuff- this bag is exactly what I was looking for. I'm glad I ordered two. Even after reading all of the great reviews, I was surprised by all of the organizing pockets on the inside. Now I can carry everything I need and know exactly where to find it.

I have used it for overnighters and for my mother's needs during a stay at the hospital. Everything I needed for her information was handily stored in this bag. Filled it up and it wasn't uncomfortable. I may give her this bag for future use. It has pockets to organize with things easily accessible. Thanks! - Accessories - Work Tote'

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Operations Research - operations research, buzz

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I liked this book and learned a lot about a market-research technique that I had hoped might apply to the needs of a small business-to-business company. The book made me enthusiastic about the potential to test product concepts before we spend a lot of money taking final products to market. The approach the authors advocate appears to be able to dramatically reduce risk for companies that are trying to get their offering right. The focus of the book is primarily on consumer-goods companies and their products, though the technique has also be used for B2B offerings.



As I got into the book, I was disappointed that the only practical advice the authors offer is to contact them about using their on-line research tool. Good as their tool may be, it appears not to be well suited for the needs of my small B2B business.



I now feel I've paid about $20 for the authors' elaborate marketing brochure, and I have no way to apply what I learned unless I choose to work with their company. Use of books to promote the authors' business is a consistent trend in the publication of business books. I don't object to it if the book provides real value the reader can apply even without engaging the services of the authors' company. This book fails that basic test, as do many other such books. If the trend toward self-promotion continues without regard for the lasting value a book provides to the reader, I think the entire market segment will lose credibility.



By the way, in contacting the authors' company I learned that the cost of their services comes to about $10,000 per study. That's very reasonable for companies bigger or more mature than mine, but its well beyond what we can afford at our stage of growth.



I'll be selling this book soon on the Amazon.com marketplace. I only wish I had bought it there. Selling Blue Elephants: How to make great products that people want BEFORE they even know they want them (English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Mandarin ... Arabic, Dutch, Korean and Cantonese Edition)

The concept of Rule Developing Experimentation (RDE) should prove intriguing enough for any marketing manager looking to dive into the "blue ocean" of unstructured demand and untapped market space. The varying definitions of that ocean have led to RDE, the subject of this illuminating though somewhat presumptive book by market research mavens Howard Moskowitz and Alex Gofman. The source area of study will be familiar to anyone who has read W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne's Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant and Chris Anderson's The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, both works reflecting authors who feel that any venture into the great unknown requires some discipline. Using experimental psychology and adaptive management as their basis of argument, Moskowitz and Gofman offer seven steps toward successful produce launches:



(1) Identify groups or classes of features that constitute the target product.

(2) Mix and match the elements according to an experimental design to create a set of prototypes.

(3) Show the prototypes to consumers and collect their responses on a rating question.

(4) Analyze results using a regression module.

(5) Uncover the optimal product by finding the best combination that has the highest sum of utilities.

(6) Identify naturally occurring attitudinal segments of the population that show similar patterns of the utilities.

(7) Apply the generated rules to create new products and services.



The template is far easier to grasp in theory than in execution, a point validated by the co-authors who assume companies have a clear understanding of their value-add in the marketplace at a most granular level. The most challenging aspect is identifying the right breakdown of product features and then using the appropriate statistical formulas to recognize the response patterns in order to make tangible enhancements. Quantifying the process is an admirable effort by the co-authors, but it seems to apply easier to hard consumer goods than softer services. However, the more constructive argument relates to the shortcomings of the more nebulous findings to be produced from survey questions or focus group discussions, the traditional means of eliciting such customer-generated data. So much qualitative judgment, in particular, by marketing managers constrained by their own thinking, can hamper such findings as to render them next to useless, especially in an established marketplace.



Moskowitz and Gofman point out how established name-brand companies who can afford to invest in RDE analysis (such as Hewlett-Packard and MasterCard) have yielded dividends from the approach. These companies typify markets that have become so saturated that the marketing leadership is forced to come up with new value propositions. This means testing a broad variety of feature combinations, and some may strike you as counterintuitive. It appears that the more combinations tested, the more actionable the findings, all of which makes this a potentially expensive methodology. The co-authors are particularly effective in showing how such thinking extends to design elements, even packaging, in order to assess a product's resonance on the marketplace. At times, I wish the co-authors would have toned down their use of superfluous jargon and their obvious pitch of ideamap.net as the source of their research software, but there is no doubt from this book that the subject of RDE is endlessly fascinating.

This book should have been great. It is about a critical subject (using testing to drive product and marketing choices to better serve/target market segments) and has a pioneer of the field as a co-author. I was predisposed to love it. But Selling Blue Elephants is a complete waste of time. As another reviewer wrote, it is just a blatant promotion for their testing services - and a bad one at that.



Now you might say "Isn't every book just a means to get the author consulting business?" That may be true, but usually the book in question still stands on its own.



This book tells stories of companies using the author's RDE testing approach without conveying any information the reader can actually use or learn from without hiring the authors firm. I get RDE helped Prego come up with chunky sauce. But how? That Vlasic created variants of a basic pickle to better appeal to multiple segments. Again, how? In discussing how RDE can help dissect your competitors products, how do you make statements like "Success in RDE deconstruction of the competitive frame is 80% getting the right raw materials in the first place?" and then not explain at all how the example company did this? ("raw materials" refer to the various components of that made up the competitors offering).



How did HP, Vlasic, Prego, or anyone else decide what to test in the first place, who to test it on, what elements to test, what takeaways to follow-up on and what to reject, etc. None of that is covered. Instead you get the equivalent of the power point presentation given by the Underpants Gnomes Where Step 1 is "collect underpants," step 2 is blank, and step 3 is "profit." The book has continued references like "don't worry about entering all the data manually; everything is done automatically if you are using a program such as IdeaMap.NET" (which happens to be the authors' proprietary tool). There is in fact so little info on actually doing testing that should the book convince you to buy their tool, you would still need to hire them to run it for you since there is nothing on how companies came up with the inputs in terms of hypothesis, elements, etc.



With due respect to Moskowitz's work as a consultant -- which if you have heard Malcolm Gladwell describe it is top notch -- Selling Blue Elephants fails as a business book has nothing to do with its sub-header "How to make great products that people want BEFORE they even know they want them." - Operations Research - Investing - Buzz - Marketing'

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Battery Chargers - automatic battery charger, automotive

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First, let me say that this charger performs flawlessly and deserves five stars when it is in charging mode. I have used it for three years and hundreds of successful charging cycles on a dozen different batteries of various sizes and types.



However, on two different occasions and with two different batteries (both brand new when hooked to the charger) I left them in "trickle charge" mode. The batteries were part of an emergency communications station that must to be ready at any time with full batteries. This charger burned up both batteries after three months of trickle charging. This mode is supposed to allow a battery to be hooked up indefinitely and maintain it at peak performance. Not destroy it. Other folks in the emergency communications service use other chargers and leave them in trickle mode for years. DO NOT use this charger for that kind of operation. Schumacher SSC-1000A SpeedCharge Battery Charger/Maintainer with 50-Amp Battery Clips

Battery chargers and I have never gotten along. I actually once sold, what turned out to be, a perfectly good old snow plow truck because I thought something serious was wrong with the engine. The charger showed the battery was good, so I figured it had to be the engine and it was too old and rusty to put more money into it. The guy came to pick it up, gave me $200...stuck a new battery in it, and drove it away. It was a bad charger not a bad battery.



Recently, using what I thought was a more reliable charger, I couldn't get my batteries to fully charge. Rather than blaming the batteries this time, I purchased the Schumacher. I read good things about the brand on the web and took the plunge. I couldn't be happier. This is a hi-tech charger with all the bells and whistles. It is "stupid proof" as well, and lets you know what is going on as it charges. I love it! I am now able to fully charge all my batteries, and the other charger went into the trash. I highly recommend this automatic speed charger.

Build Quality:

* Great build quality. Has the look and feel of a well engineered product, not some cheap stuff.

* I smiled when I lifted it first as it wasn't feather light and appeared to have decent enough weight to it - an indication of a decent power supply.

* This one seems to be rated for marine use and hence should be more resistant to corrosion.

* The connector cables are thick enough and the clamps have enough spring action/grip to them to securely lock on a battery terminal.



Design:

* Very user friendly with direct 1 touch access to most features.

* I liked the case design. Has a neat little pocket to store the power chord and the connecting cables. The chord and the cables do need to be tightly rolled up first before they can fit in the pocket.

* It's got a neat little handle that you can use to hang it up on the wall. Neat design if battery charging is something that you do more frequently and want to have the unit easily accessible, ready to use but out of the way off the floor.



Features:

Well, I haven't used it extensively enough (Used only twice since I got it a month back), but here are some features that were used (and so experienced) when I used the charger:

* Shows level of charge on a battery - both in percentage as well as volts. Big readout makes it easy to read all the numbers.

* Has user selectable 2/6/10 amp charging options - good for most batteries. Would have liked a 1 amp option as well (for smaller motorcycle batteries), but then that's a different product from Schumacher. The 2 amp option, though slightly higher than recommended, worked great for the motorcycle battery though. So this unit really allows charging a wide range of batteries- for motorcycles, cars, boats. Nice to have just one charger around rather then 1 for each type of vehicle/battery.

* The electronics worked just as mentioned. Once I selected the primary amp setting, everything else was handled automatically by the charger electronics. It switched to a trickle mode charge automatically once the battery was completely charged. Neat feature, keeps your batteries from being damaged by overcharging.

* Has a desulfation mode that desulfates a battery. Of the two instances when I used this charger, it kicked into this mode on my car battery which was completely drained and was left in the completely discharged state for quite some time that resulted in sulfation in the battery. This charger automatically detected this state of the battery and desulfated it first and then automatically switched to charging mode once the battery was desulfated and accepted charge. (I will be honest with you - I don't really know the chemistry and process behind this, but I have read that sulfation can render a battery useless)

* Has a cooling fan to keep the charger cool. Not exactly whisper quiet, but not something that's louder than expected (YMMV) for the application.



Reliability:

Have only owned it for a month and used it twice, so can't really comment on long term reliability. But it has worked perfectly on the two instances I had to use it including it's "automatic" features. So, for the price (I got it when it was about 50% of MSRP at Amazon), it's one awesome, feature-rich charger.

Bought the Schumacher SSC-1000A for a "weekender" automobile that spends most the time in the garage. As obligations build up, sometimes too much time goes by between start-ups and significant drives to recharge the battery. The last time, the battery completely died... not even a dim glow of the dome light, nothing, zilch, nada. Sometimes the jumpstart devices don't have enough power to crank a very low battery, so I was looking for another type of solution. The SSC-1000A works great. It's a plug-in machine, feeding off electricity from a household outlet. It's compact and lightweight, about the size of a box of chocolates. Connect the SSC-1000A to the positive battery terminal and the ground post (on the vehicle), plug the SSC-1000A into the power outlet, and the charging process begins automatically. Walk away, and in a couple of hours you have a charged battery! There is a display that can alternate between voltage and % of battery power, as well as a selector for charging rates of 2A (slowest charge), 6A, or 10A (fastest charge.) My 0% battery was resurrected to 100% in about two hours using 6A and 10A. There is another selector to choose between regular, deep-cycle, and AGM gel cell batteries.



The Schumacher SSC-1000A works exactly as I thought and hoped it would. I am most satisfied with the purchase and highly recommend the SSC-1000A to others who might be looking for a similar solution. - Battery Chargers - Automatic Battery Charger - Smart Charger - Automotive'

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Funimation Entertainment

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What can I say? This is one hell of a anime series! As one of probably only a few handful of people left who doesn't actually download or watch anime online, I was browsing Amazon looking to add some more anime to my collection, I ran across this one. It seemed interesting enough, so I thought I'd give it a try. Let's just say, when I sat down to watch it, (please excuse the awful pun, 'cuz I just can't help myself) it sunk its claws in & damn if I didn't end up wasting an entire Saturday in front of my TV because of it. Very few anime series have had that effect on me.



Train Heartnet (aka Black Cat) is an eraser (assassin) for Chronos. He is number XIII. He does what he's told, when he's told & thinks nothing of it. That is until he meets Saiya & it causes him to rethink his beliefs & way of life. Sven has the misfortune to keep crossing paths with Black Cat. Eventually they team up as partners to end the evil that is Creed Diskenth, his group the Apostles of the Star & other various villians. I really don't want to get too detailed in my review, as I don't want to ruin it for those who of you haven't seen it. Let me just say this: The story line is GREAT, the action is AWESOME, the heroes are heroic, the villians are deliciously villianous (Creed is an especially sick & twisted evil piece of work)& you will laugh your ass off (or, if your sense of humor in no way resembles mine, chuckle heartily) in several places. This is an anime that both guys & girls will enjoy.



This collection consists of four DVDs with six episodes on each disc, housed in a clear plastic DVD case that is a bit thicker than a standard DVD case. The discs are arranged as two on each side with the discs overlapping a bit. It's NOT my favorite set up, but I suppose it could be worse. Textless beginning & ending songs & trailers are the only "extras".



In short, I loved this series so much that I went back on Amazon & ordered the first run individual DVDs with the starter box. I definitely recommend this series for those who are just getting aquainted with anime, are fans of action anime, or those who just really don't have a lot to do & just want to take it easy & spend the day watching an really good anime. Black Cat: The Viridian Collection

He's one of Chronos' Numbers, an elite assassin who's known for the XIII branded on his chest.



Kentaro Yabuki had a pretty cool idea when he used that for his manga "Black Cat," chronicling the ex-Number's adventures as a sweeper and his attempts to save the world from his former partner. But the anime is a mixed bag -- the overall story arc is scrambled up enthusiastically, but it's full of action and wild comedy (the white cat and his kisses!) and some thoroughly likable anti-heroes.



Sweeper Sven Vollfield is about to nab a notorious gangster when Train Heartnet, the notorious "Black Cat," bursts in and kills the man and escapes before anyone can react. Elsewhere, Train reluctantly befriends a perky young sweeper named Saya, who starts to make him change his views on killing and subservience. Just in time, since he's been ordered to kill a human bioweapon -- a little named named Eve, who Sven is determined to protect.



So Train breaks away from Chronos, declaring that he won't serve anyone. The Numbers attempt to kill him, and his ex-partner Creed attempts to lure him away -- saying that he plans to rule the world instead of Chronos. And to get Train, he'll kill the person Train holds dear.



Months later, Train is roaming with Sven and Eve as a sweeper, hunting down assorted bad guys for cash (but not killing them). Unfortunately Creed's "Apostles of the Star" is giving criminals Tao water that gives them superpowers, and organizing a deadly company that is nearly unstoppable. But the mad Creed is still determined to have Train at his side. The Numbers and Train are both determined to hunt down and take out Creed before he can hurt anyone else, but the Apostles of the Star may be too strong.



"Black Cat" deviates pretty drastically from its original manga -- the over-arcing storyline is scrambled up and parts are removed, the characters are given bucketloads of angst, Train's motivations are dumbed down, the moral greyness is wiped clean, and the entire start of the series is radically different. And due to some random filler episodes (Train and Eve help a bunch of homeless kids?), the last fourth of the series unravels as it tries to cram way too much into too few episodes. And it even adds on an extra anime-only arc at the end, which is hideously anticlimactic and out of place -- and changes the grand finale drastically.



Despite those flaws, "Black Cat" is a colorful action anime. There are brilliant acrobatic fight scenes, using weapon ranging from unbreakable guns to invisible swords, corrosive skin to a razor-sharp floating scarf. The battles can get so explosive that one episode has an entire castle crumbling out from under the characters, but there are long stretches of contemplation and flashbacks. And the entire series is graced with shadowy, elaborate animation full of glowing roses, dark rooms, moonlit rooftops, harsh sunsets and rainy duels. Even dark nights include a luminous soft light.



There's also a lot of angst in here, and a dark undertone runs through most of the series' characters -- even the perky ones have something unpleasant in their lives. Fortunately this is offset by a healthy dose of comic relief, usually from Sven or Train ("Everyone's in a panic over a stupid pet lizard, DAHLING!"), and some straight-faced humor from Eve due to her limited experience with... well, just about everything.



Train is a hero with a mildly split personality, since he seems to be either the angsty abused-killer-since-he-was-six gunman, or a delightfully goofy bounty hunter who can easily eat his own weight in food and milk. Sven serves as a good counterpoint -- an ex IBI agent with a magic eye and a perpetual ulcer over their bills. And the quiet, solemn Eve quickly grows from a "killing machine" to a naive little girl experiencing the world for the first time, along with enough books to overflow a library.



Creed serves as a pretty creepy villain -- he's megalomaniacal, arrogant, and has a massive gay crush on Train based on his prowess as a killer. The Apostles and the Numbers are patchily characterize, but some of them stand out -- the elegant and smart Charden, teenybopper Kyoko, the flirtatious Jenos Hazard, and the beautiful master of disguise Lin Shaolee.



"Black Cat" pads itself with filler (Train's background takes seven whole episodes?) and then rushes through its ending, but it's still an enjoyable action anime.'

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Ball Point - gel pen, great pen

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I'm in charge of ordering pens for my entire company and I've tried countless pens mostly because of sales.

These are hands down the best. They write so smooth, never leaving gaps like cheap papermate pens. The grip is great, the colors are bright and the price is right!

Zebra makes the next best pens but they still don't compare, even the more expensive ones. Pilot G2 Fine Point Rolling Ball Gel Ink Pens, 3-Pack, Red, Blue, Black Ink (31023)

To me, these are hands down the best pens I've ever used. I'd rather buy 50 of these packs than one Montblanc (which I have -received as a gift- and hasn't left the drawer since I tested it).



They just feel comfortable and glide on the paper.



The only bad thing about them is that I never seem to be able to use them all up because people like them so much that they steal them from me!



I've bought dozens and will continue to buy them.

one month ago, I order it, very cheap with free 2days shipping.

This pen is very smooth at writing. I like it.

So I re-order it.

I strongly recommend it.

The only thing I don't like is only one of them is blue. I prefer two blue + 1 red

I like the G2 because it's solid, dependable and doesn't cost too much. My pens get "legs" around the workplace and I also forget them at job sites so there are better pens but would be agonizing to lose them, not the G2. I like the bigger points for notes and making the small drawing. - Great Pen - Gel Pen - Retractable - Smooth'

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Accessories - accessories, cooling

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I picked this up to go with my HAF-932 Case, the style of the cooler matches the case perfectly. Installation was not as complicated as others have written about either on here or elsewhere. Install took me all of 15 minutes, and I didn't even have to remove my motherboard.



Power for the LED is supplied via a Molex connector, both fans plug into a "Y" adapter to plug into the PWM as a single cable. One thing that would be wanted here is maybe some labeling or markings on the fans so you know which one is which. Although When I pulled the fans off for the first time I stuck a sticky note to each one with its direction and orientation written down.



Alright, here is the REAL information that you guys want.

Right now I am running a Q6600 Intel Core2Quad stock speed at 2.4ghz, with everything set to stock my idle temps are around 20-25 C. Full load- 30-40 c.



I went ahead and stepped my CPU up about 10% (2.4ghz->3.0Ghz) Idle temps changed to 24-35 and full load was about 45-55. Compared to the $20 cooler I had in there previously (idle 35-40, load 50-70-freeze) This is a MAJOR improvement, there may be a newer model of this out now, but I love this cooler. Aside from the fact that it looks pretty radical, it has a decent heft and weight. Do not be worried about your motherboard or the fact that you are hanging a massive box off your cpu slot as the mounting hardware keeps everything distributed and even. The parts supplied will fit a rather large range of CPU sockets from AMD to Intel (775 and up). I am glad I got this heatsink as I will be moving it up to when I upgrade my motherboard/cpu again here soon.



In my honest review I would give this product a 9/10



Pros:

Epic cooling

Great looking

dual fans/better airflow

Instantly noticeable temperature differences.



Cons:

Instruction book is for lack of a better term "friggin retarded"

Wish there was marking on the fans indicating direction of airflow

Only 3 LED color choices. (red, blue, Purple)



Included in this review is an image of the heat sink installed and ready to go!

(Ignore the messy cableness, my cable management sleeving is coming in Friday xD)



[...]



Well thats my review, should you buy this? If you are looking for advanced air cooling and frigid temps then I give a full fledged hell yes! Cooler Master V6GT 220-Watt CPU Cooler RR-V6GT-22PK-R1

This cooler is not perfect but is sure is close. A little pricey but performs so well that I don't even miss the few extra dollars I paid compared to the time I would waste researching a cheaper alternative. First off, its not as loud as everyone or reviews say it is. Yes, it can get loud if it has to go into overdrive to compensate for excessive heat from overclock. I have a AMD X6 2.8ghz stock clock speed at 22*c . Highest temp was 26*C. And I do just about everything. comapred to the stock cooler which was 38* idle and in the mid 40s. at 1100rpm this thing is quiet as a mouse, I can't hear a single thing. I even bought noctua fans to replace the dyna loops because how scared I was of all the reviews but i dont need them anymore. The cooler is big but not heavy. on a gigabyte board it will only affect one really tall ram heatsink such as a G.skill rip saw for height clearance. I have the cooler in a cooler master storm scout. i have maybe .5 in of clearance left. Installation took 5minutes. There are a lot of parts and many alternative ways to install it on an AMD proc. I thought the installation was easier than the stock cooler install. Also there is a LED stripe. Overall I love the cooler its beautiful and does the job effortlessly

I have an AMD Phenom IIx4 965 BE 3.4 ghz that usually runs anywhere from 34-36 idle and 45-52 on max load so I hadn't botherd to try to OC it. I changed my setup a little bit so I decided I needed a third party cooling solution.



Original Setup



Phenom II 965 BE 3.4ghz

8gb DDR3

2tb Sata III

1tb Sata II

500 Gb Sata II

600w Thermaltake TR2

Radeon 6870 1gb DDR5



New Setup



Phenom II 965 BE 3.4 ghz overclocked to 3.9 ghz

16gb DDR3

same hard drives

800w CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold

Radeon 6970 2 GB DDR5



Even with the increased hardware voltage and overclocked CPU my idle temps have decreased quite a bit. Idle: 27C Max Load: 35C but I have to add that I also have several fans in the case. CoolerMaster 922HAF: 3 200mm fans (front,top and side) and two 120mm fans ( bottom and back ) but adding the V6 GT brought my CPU temps down to match by system temps.

I have a friend who has an almost identical system and is OC'd to 3.8 using a Corsair H50 liquid cooler and is still reaching 40-45C on max load.



**Edit: I must add that you have to make sure this will fit in your board it is HUGE! The biggest complaint I have found is that depending on your board it may interfere with the closest ram slot.

Just got this CPU Cooler installed, I haven't noticed a difference in idle temp, but I wasn't expecting to. But, I have seen a difference on load. CPU was getting into the mid 70's on load, but now it's barely breaking 60.



So, it's better than the stock Intel CPU. It's louder on load too, but that's ok as long it keeps the CPU cool. To me, it's not that distracting, but is definitely noticeable.



It is a pain to install, I managed to install it by myself, but a helping hand would have been ideal. I was kinda worried about the single bar for retention. I inadvertently brushed up against it when I was making all my connections and it did move a little. Again, as long as it keeps the CPU cool, then I'm ok with it. Also, when I put the fans back on, I had them both blowing away from the CPU by mistake. At first I this thing was a piece of crap when I didn't see any improvement on temp. But once I corrected the fan situation, it's working good. So, keep an eye on the fan orientation when you're ready to put them back on.



This thing is HUGE, so make sure you have room in your case.



I'm only going to give it 4 stars because of how difficult it was to install. - Heatsink - Accessories - Computer - Cooling'

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Narrow Crown Stapler - stapler, staplers

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I have tried the Stanley T250, the Arrow T50 and T50 R.E.D. The Duo Fast CS5000 is by far the best.



*The Stanley T250 is nice in the hands but lacks the power to drive 9/16" staples fully into hard pine.



*The Arrow T50 is not as nice as the Stanley and lacks power. It also jams a lot.



*The Arrow T50 R.E.D. is the biggest dissapointment. While is has plenty of power to sink all staples into hard pine it is very poorly made. I tried two of them and both jammmed and miss-fired frequently. I think the spring is too weak to keep good pressure on the staples and they do not advance properly. Also, the handle comes apart very often, which is a real pain. It is also large and cumbersome to use.



*The Duo Fast CS5000 is by far the best of all. It has great power to sink all staples. It feels great in the hand. Has great anti-jam clearing, and is the best made of all of these. It costs about $10 more that the R.E.D. but is well worth the price. I returned all the others and have two of the Duo Fasts now.



Great Buy! Duo Fast CS5000 - 20 Gauge 1/2-Inch Crown Compression Stapler

I've just tried both staplers head to head, and the Duo Fast definitely has more power to drive longer staples, and the variable power setting is nicer compared to the "low" and "high" settings on the Stanley TR250.



As a matter of fact, the first Stanley unit that I had drove staples to the same depth no matter which power setting I had selected. This unit was from a newer batch, and the lever and the top of the stapler had hard plastic surfaces. I returned this unit and selected one that was an older build date and did have the rubberized lever and top. With the second Stanley unit, I was able to discern a difference in power between the "low" and "high" settings.



I like the wire guide option on the Stanley; there is no such feature on the Duo Fast. However, the Duo Fast CS5000 easily out-powered the Stanley TR250 in several different materials, using a variety of staple lengths. The Duo Fast has only a 90 day warranty vs. lifetime for the Stanley, but the stapler seems to be well-built and should last a long time. - Stapler - Misfire - Staplers - Narrow Crown Stapler'

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Mika Mobile

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Very enjoyable. It's a cute RPG that will not overwhelm you. Choose 4 characters at a time to go on 5 minute adventures. You start with the the basic Tank-Healer-DPS classes and then build out. You can also recruit new characters and go back to early levels to level them up.



Good Graphics, responsive and fun.



Load times are the only real problem. Battleheart

As many others here have stated this will not install on lg optimus. Just reboots the phone. Very dissapointed in Amazon as this is the first time I have tried their app store and the first app I've tried to install. Back to the android market for me.

Specs: Nook with CM7 SDBattleheart is a real-time, tactical RPG boiled down to 5-10 minute levels filled with combat. Gameplay consists of assembling a 4 character party, picking a level, and killing all the waves of enemies. As you progress you equip better items and choose special abilities.The gameplay is simple tap and drag. You drag from a character to a target and the target is then attacked or healed. Additionally, each class has its own special abilities that can be activated to help sway the battle in your favor.My only real gripe with the game is that the healer character is pretty much a requirement to beat a level. Yes, you could take advantage of the shortcomings of the AI and have a character draw the attacks and dance around the screen while the other characters attack, but this would be time-consuming and boring. Even the bard character can't provide enough healing to eliminate the need for the healer to join. With that said there are a multitude of options for tanks (characters with armor to take the brunt of attacks) and support characters.In the end it's a fun game that offers hours and hours of gameplay.

Have whittled away entire cross-contenintal flights with this surprisingly addictive lightweight hack'n'slash RPG. If you have 5 minutes to kill or 4 hours, this will fit the bill nicely. Controls are simple but effective - including multi-touch to move multilple characters at once - and a single battle never takes more than a few minutes. (Asus Transformer)

This has everything, you can do what you want, no restrictions.

Thats the best thing about the game.



In a battle, is there are too many necromancer, bring in wizard who dont have to chase them and fight.

Too many cyclops? bring in the knights who can take a hit or two and give back.



Upgrade, buy stuff, bring in new recruits and teach them the skill,...total freedom and i am really loving it...



Thanks'

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Contourhd

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The goggle strap mount works great for me. I have roll off goggles so you can see the film holder in the corner of the screen but it is not overbearing or distracting, and would be easy to crop out. Holds the camera securely in place and doesn't vibrate, even for a B-Class XC racer. =)



Gives a nice first-person view of what the rider is encountering. Contour 2600 Goggle Strap Mount (Black)

I bought this for our ATVing and it works great. The padding on the back helps it "stick" to your helmet a little better, and once attached to the goggles, there is no way for you to lose the cam. The only gripe I have is that I wish it was easier to adjust the angle at which the camera points, that part is a little bit cumbersome as you have pretty much have to pop the camera off and "guess" at where you want to reinsert it into the mount.'

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