Sunday, 24 October 2010

Laser All-in-one


What's not to like here? Four top authors, four top books all on one DVD with all the related practice files included and no Internet connection required! Having 4 books on one DVD, for just a bit more than having a hard copy of one, is a great value. The four and five star reviews on these books are already a matter of record.



My reason for purchasing books is to learn more about particular techniques or features of the program as opposed to reading the entire book cover to cover. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about an electronic book, but the books being in PDF format made searching for topics very easy. Also, I can have multiple books open comparing the thoughts of the different authors on similar subjects. Being on the go, this reference library is very handy, especially when Internet service is not available.



If you are tired of the space on your shelves occupied by books that just collect dust, give this a shot. You won't be disappointed. The Ultimate Adobe Photoshop CS2 Collection: Four best-selling CS2 books - All on one DVD'


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Usb Network Adapters - alfa usb, usb network adapters


As the happy owner of an Alfa AWUS036H 1000mW wireless adpater, I purchased the Alfa AWUS036NH 2000mW wireless adpater for my second computer expecting to be ecstatic.



Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the 2000mW adapter has more difficulty finding, acquiring, and maintaining connections to wireless access points than does the less expensive, supposedly less powerful 1000mW adapter.



Regardless of the combinations of cables, antennas, computers, locations, and updated drivers I tried, the 2000mW adapter consistently found fewer than half as many access points and reported far lower signal strength than did the 1000mW adapter.



Assuming that I'd received a defective item, I contacted a customer service agent at DB Roth who politely handled my call and promptly shipped a replacement adapter.



Unfortunately the second AWUS036NH performed just as badly as the first. Since both 2000mW adapters had exhibited the same behavior and the 1000mW adapter performed perfectly (as has been similarly reported by other Amazon.com customers), I have decided to exchange the 2000mW adapter for the less expensive 1000mW adapter.



DB Roth customer service has been extremely helpful. In spite of a brief misunderstanding over shipping charges, Bianca in customer service deserves very high marks.



Sadly, I can't say the same for the Alfa 2000mW adapter. 2000mW 2W 802.11 G / N High-Gain USB Wireless Long-Rang WiFi Network Adapter With Original Alfa Screw On Swivel 9dBi Rubber Antenna and Suction cup Window Mount dock

This unit is worth the money if you only need a small boost. There is no way to pick up signals at 1-2 miles away for $50.

It may work at best 400'. I extended the range by putting a water bottle over it and putting it on a 15' pole. Spring for the

optional 15' cord, it's worth it. At 150' I gained 2 bars. The extra larger antenna is trash and weakens my signal. The

photo shows two bases, it comes with one. Very simple to install. It works o.k. and not what they say it does. Go for the

magnet mount, the suction cup is a toy.

I would like to point out to all of those who have been dissapointed by this item and would like inform you on possible reasons you may not experience the advertised range. When it is advertised as 1-2 miles, it means 1-2 miles line of sight. So in other other words you can't just put this adpter in any window in locations that have other houses trees or and other objects in the way of the signal and that includes electronic devices that interfere with signal. The antenna is omnidirectional and you will never get the distance out of it that you will with an antenna that only focuses on less than 180 degrees. A good example to reference would be a satellite dish. It is very possible to get great range from any adapter when set up properly physically and and virtually.

I love this adapter and have been gaining 1 or 2 bar signals on every wireless network that comes up. Also you dont need to have this adapter and the built in adapter running at the same time to get a better signal and most of the time they will somehow affect each other and not give you a true reading.

This is a great unit to have. Imagine a wireless signal is like a light bulb. The brighter the light bulb,

the further you can read something, and in this case the greater the range of the wireless. The antenna

that comes with this wireless adapter is great for looking all around you for a signal, but if you need

greater range, get a panel antenna. This way it is like having a spotlight to light up what you want

to see or again in this case, increases you range in the direction you are pointing the panel antenna.

Remember the higher the db number on the antenna, the brighter the wireless signal will be and the longer

distance you can connect.

We have a laptop that came with a shoddy wireless LAN card and bought this unit to improve our wireless network reception. Installation was easy, but our laptop refused to recognize the new adapter no matter what we did. After two days of reading forums, my husband finally found out our Zone Alarm security software was causing the problem. We had to uninstall Zone Alarm, install the Alfa adapter, then re-install Zone Alarm. After that, both the adapter and Zone Alarm worked fine. Just wish Alfa flagged security software as a potential problem in their installation instructions or website to save us two days of frustration.

I ordered the Alfa AWUS036NH 802.11b/g/n Long-Range USB Adapter because my laptop wireless adapter (802.11b/g) wasn't enough to pull in the WI-FI signal in the RV park I was staying in. I highly recommend the use of this adapter when trying to boost your WI-FI signal. I went from 1bps to 48bps using the 8dbi antenna extension. I could hardly go from one website to another, but now I am able to download software. It isn't as fast as my dsl at home, but it is a major improvement.

I dont see how they market this as a two watt wifi adaptor. It comes with an added 18? inch attenna. however it doesnt drastically improve interception as one would like to believe. I get a very faint signal six small city blocks away. It's somewhat better than a laptop internal wifi card. wrap a bag around the adaptor and situate it outside a window Add a USB extension cable and you'll be good. There are other long range wifi adaptors from other manufactures that may perform similiar (my assumption)for a better price. However this retailer shipped it emediately way beyond expected arrival (5 or 6 days early) and it included a suction cup for window installation as well as an included long antenna. This is the best place at a bargain price with super fast shipping with this particular product. However, I was disappointed by the range performance for the price paid. I now have wished that I had gotten a wifi "signal repeater" instead. - Usb Network Adapters - Alfa Usb - Wifi - Good Product'


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Kayak Hoist - kayak hoist, overhead garage storage


Very pleased with the quality of the hardware that came with the kit. The instructions were fairly easy to interpret and the whole thing went together in about an hour.

The photo accompanying this product is a bit deceiving since it will not permit the kayak to go as close to the ceiling as shown due to the size of the pully systems and the width of the straps that come with the kit. If the straps could be shortened (they come sewn to a fixed size) you could gain several more inches. As such, our kayak is hanging only about 5.5' off the floor. It's OK, but even knowing it's there doesn't stop you from banging your head every so often.

Good kit for the price. Certainly does the job. Kayak Hoist Canoe Lift Top Quality By RAD Sportz

I compared a few units for hoisting my kayaks to the ceiling of my garage. I found that the hardware in this kit was the same in kits that were selling for a lot more from other online retailers. The installation is not terribly difficult.



You do need to shorten the straps that hold up your kayak if you want to hang it close to the ceiling. The straps are pretty long and if you don't fold them over or shorten them, your kayak will droop pretty low.

It was cheap but it is not effective for efficiently lifting my kayak. The kayak is well within the weight specifications listed but the furthest most hoist is virtually impossible to lift. Also, it doesn't have an independent locking mechanism for the two lines so you have to support the entire kayak and mess with the individual lines to try to get an even lift. Wish I had purchased a more substantial hoist, not worth the trouble to save a few bucks.

The Rad-Sportz Kayak Hoist system is a very nice system to store a kayak on the ceiling. After using my self designed system for about a year, I needed an upgrade because of a new boat. This system caught my eye because it is effective, and also inexpensive compared to many on the market right now. Raising the boats (I have two boats and two hoists) is easy and secure due to the locking mechanism. Lowering it is a bit more difficult, because you have hold one of the two lines (to release that locking mechanism) while you feed out rope on the other. My boats are heavy and this can hurt your hands, depending on how you are holding the lines.



My only other nit-pick is the rope is not the best quality, This rope seems to fray easily and will probably need to be replaced after a year or so. But for the cost, this device is well worth it and I would buy another if I got another boat.



The previous comments bout not pulling the boat up far enough are no longer true, in that they have redesigned the system with adjust able straps so you can get the boat pretty tight to the ceiling. I'm 6 foot tall and my ceiling is just over 8 feet and I can walk under my boats.

I had been thinking of building a lift similar to this put wasn't having much luck in finding the right parts. This kit has it all and I'm sure I would't have found the hardware any cheaper.

I mounted the lift brackets on a 8ft 2 x 4 and mounted the 2 x 4 to my garage ceiling.

The straps are universal and as other people have said there too long for most Kayaks, I had mine resewn shorter.

Also, later I may replace the rope with a heavier one, to lift my 65lb. Hobie Outback I have to put on leather gloves to hold the rope.

My garage ceiling is 9' 7'' and I have 6' 8'' under the Yak.

The hoist works quite well. You raise or lower each end of your boat with separate ropes, and can easily raise or lower it evenly. However the force required to lift is substantial for my 60 pound roof top cargo box. A smaller person might find it difficult to lift a 100 lb.+ canoe or kayak. The Brake System works very well and prevents sudden, uncontrolled drops should you lose control of the ropes. Overall this hoist is easy to operate.



The suspension straps provided use a plastic snap together buckle (like on a backpack waist strap). This seems dangerous. I don't believe those types of buckles are intended to be load bearing. It's the weak link in this hoist. I'm going to replace mine with cargo straps that come with a proper load bearing rating.



Installation was easy, I screwed the pulley blocks into a stud that I located in the ceiling by following a line of nails driven through the sheet rock. Drilled a pilot hole for the wood screws to verify I was going into solid wood (very important); the kit's wood screws have bolt heads so you'll need a socket and ratchet, it takes some considerable force, they are sizable screws (that's good- you're hanging a lot of weight off these things). The instructions require you space the pulley blocks a minimum 6 feet apart. That wasn't an option for me given the spacing of storage racks, the garage door, and furnace ducts. So I set mine at 5 feet apart and I'm not having any problems- it operates fine- you should have no worries ignoring this rule if you have a short kayak.



Threading the rope through the pulley blocks and tackle is easy; they give you a drawing to show how. But securing the 2 loose rope ends onto each pulley block is not so easy. They want you tie those rope ends around one of the horizontal bolts that attach each of the pulley blocks to the mounting plates. Problem is you've already bolted it together, it's screwed into the ceiling, and you don't have a lot of room to work with to make some fancy knot (they don't supply a diagram of what type of knot to use). You'll see what I mean when you do it yourself. So I simply ran the rope ends through the hole in the block and tied a simple double knot that prevents the rope from slipping back through the hole. Seems to work just fine.



I recommend you test your installation by suspending your boat just a few inches off the ground for several days before lifting the boat up high into its storage position. Check to make sure the pulley blocks aren't pulling loose from the ceiling, and tug on the ropes suspending your boat to further ensure those pulley blocks won't rip loose. You will note the ropes stretch, your boat will drop about a half inch in the first 24 hours.



Aside from the strap buckles being poor quality, I would have given this 5 stars. It's a slick product that optimizes precious floor space in your garage. - Storage - Kayak - Kayak Hoist - Overhead Garage Storage'


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Ab Workout - abs, abdominal


I was torn between going with the Harbinger brand straps and these. I was more aware of Harbinger equipment being a good brand but decided to go with the less expensive Valeo straps. I was happy to find that these straps are perfect. They have a solid construction, large calipers to fit on any olympic-size bar, and they have a padded clothe interior so they are very comfortable on the arms. I would recommend these for anyone looking for ab straps. Valeo Ab Straps

These abdominal straps are awesome, what a workout! I only have a minor discrepancy with them and it will only affect some users. The D rings aren't big enough to fit over a thick pull-up bar. I prefer the thick pull-up bar because it is easier for me to grip and it's what I always used in the Marine Corps. If you exercise on a thin pull-up bar then these straps will work perfect for you. I'm actually using them in my doorway at home with the Iron Gym, also available here on Amazon. Check them both out.

I purchased these to isolate my lower abdominals, but found that I got a complete abdominal workout without having to do a million crunches etc...

Also, you have the option of adding ankle weights to increase the difficulty of your workout. I attached my straps thru opposite sides of a 4 ft. chain that runs thru the floor joists in my basement.

I would buy these agian. Solid bulid with sturdy rings. Should last me a lifetime with 4 time weekly use easily.

I've used this at my home pull up bar and it works great. Your abs will absolutely burn doing leg raises! Instead of getting distracted by losing grip on the bar, hang off of these ab straps will allow you to do more leg raises and focus on what your after--building solid abs!



==PROS==

- Easy install via "clip on"

- Secure

- Comfortable

- Good value & price

- Extremely high quality, it will NOT rip



==CONS==

- None, it's perfect

I bought these because I wanted to be able to work my abs more than just the 3 days that I go to the gym during the week. The carabiners fit very nicely on my pullup bar in my doorway. The straps themselves are very comfortable to lay your arms in. I think its awesome that you have several choices as to how you can arrange your fingers while holding yourself up. You're bound to find a comfortable position and stick to it. They come out of the package ready to be placed onto your pullup bar, no assembly required. These straps give my abs a more intense workout compared to the stationary hanging leg raise machine at my gym (which does not use straps) and for the price, you can't go wrong with this product.

When I went to buy ab straps I was baffled by the various price range. I have used these straps for a year and expect they will last for years with no complaint. Well made, great product, and a very reasonable price.

These ab straps are seriously made with very large caribiners and wide, padded, washable material. I use them with the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar - Extreme Edition. I've been using these for about three weeks. The only problem I have with the straps is that I need to put a towel down (a hand towel folded over once) to prevent my sensitive skin from being irritated. Maybe after a few washes it might get better and/or my arms get used to them; it isn't a big issue for me to use towels.

These are very well made and sturdy. They easily support your body weight, and they are as comfortable as could be expected for something that supports your weight on this part of your arms. My only complaint is that after a few months use, they still do not collapse when hanging, which makes them about 18 inches wide hanging on the bar. I'd like for them to slide neatly to the side when not in use. That being said, I'm sure I could have purchased a less sturdy pair that would do so.

I almost bought a pair of ab straps for more than double the price these are going for on Amazon. The Valeo Ab Straps are great, very comfortable and sturdy enough that I have no concerns with my 210lbs. hanging from them. - Abdominal - Exercise - Ab Workout - Abs'


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1080p - 1080p, hdmi


I wanted to give this cable FIVE stars. The cable exudes QUALITY. The connector boots and cable are substantial, yet the cable's rubberized jacket is flexible. The folks at MediaBridge are TOP NOTCH and actually return phone calls! (Try contacting the MANUFACTURER of one of the myriad "two-dollar" PVC cables. Good luck!) However, the rubberized boot on the mini-HDMI side of the cable is, unfortunately, a bit TOO substantial. On my camera (as with with many other cameras) the mini-HDMI port is RECESSED behind a protective cover. You remove the cover to access the recessed port. Unfortunately, the boot on the mini-HDMI end of the cable is too thick to squeeze into the notched, recessed opening of the camera's female mini-HDMI port.



HOWEVER, I was still able to use the cable. I simply used an exacto knife to trim off a sliver of the boot (...a couple millimeters). Voila! It works perfectly now and the gold plated connectors fit snugly; no loose connections! Although it's only 30AWG, output is flawless... and the fifteen (15) foot length is awesome. I can now sit an ample distance from a big screen TV, while controlling my connected camera.



Interestingly, one of the other reviewers complained that they had difficulty getting the cable to remain properly seated. My guess is that the cable is not completely inserted into a recessed mini-HDMI port, because the rubber boot is obstructing complete insertion.



I spoke with MediaBridge, and they welcomed the feedback. Perhaps we'll see a revision in the future?



In the interim, if your mini-HDMI port is "flush" with your camera's body, this is a great cable (and length) to purchase. If your camera's mini-HDMI port is recessed, you may need to modify the cable boot with an exacto knife or dremel tool (...or roll the dice with an alternative cable). Mediabridge - High Speed Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable - Category 2 Certified - 15ft

Connectors are good quality and fit well, including into the recessed connector on the Panasonic FZ-35.



The extra length is nice as I can sit on the couch and see the TV.



Image quality is excellent. Previous experience with Mediabridge HDMI cables suggests that this will remain a top-quality cable as it ages.

It is what it is, a cable. It works as stated, and does it well. I have no issues transmitting 3D blu ray to my TV from the mini HDMI port on my video card. Don't waste money on monster cables, these work the same and 1/10th the cost.

Bought this for my Camcorder. I needed the extra length and I have other mediabridge cables

and they all work great.

You save a lot buying from Amazon over retail stores. I wanted the Amazon Cable but it was

backordered for 12 weeks so this was a couple bucks more.

The only thing I don't care for and is that when the camcorder is plugged into the cable

the weight of the cable pulls down on the camcorders internal plug.

I solved this by using velcro on the tripod to hold the cable up.

I think it's the weight of the ferrite cores that causes this.

At least it's an easy fix. Also the plug on the Mini end is a bit big it would be nice if

it was smaller like the full size end.

I bought this cable because the Canon HF 21 does not come with an HDMI cable. I have purchased Media bridge cables before and they work great. The Canon cable is shorter and more expensive (very expensive).

This cable has a good build quality and has interference filters.

If you have a TV that is HDMI-CEC aware, you can control playback from the TV remote. I have a Samsung 46" 2009 series and it works very well.

One thing to be aware of- if you turn on the camera in RECORD mode, you will get a lot of feedback from the TV, so just mute the TV.

The 15 foot length allows plenty of working room, so you can record the family and have them see themselves (the picture will be reversed-you are not looking in a mirror.) - Hdmi - Hdmi Cables - Mini Hdmi - 1080p'


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Dimmer Switches - dimmer switches, aube by honeywell


The product here is GLOSSY and not Matt. I accidentally bought the Matt one and was very happy to find this. The switch is well built and the styles matches other lutron dimmers and Claro plate cover. These are not the same as the typical leviton rocker as the build quality is better and the rocker isn't as wide so it matches the distance of Lutron maestro dimmers and all other switches. Lutron Claro E Switch 15 amp SP, White - Dimmer Switches - Lutron - Wall Timer - Aube By Honeywell'


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Fishing Equipment


Although not an expansive collection of every knot in the world, this book contains a library of many useful knots for nearly every fishing application. It's descriptions of the knots are clear and illustrated quite nicely. It certainly contains more knots than I would ever use in my lifetime.



If you're looking for every obscure knot in the universe, look elsewhere. If you want a simple description of knots with clear illustrations, then you've found a winner with this book. It's one that I will refer back to for many years. Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Lines, and Leaders

Nice book. BUT - I don't agree to be "complete" book for knots and information. Nice pictures, but again lack of knot varities or quantities. Some knots are complicated and don't show detail information or enough steps to finish the knot. They are missing some very good and important knots. Again - it's a good "not so comlete" book.

In knot tying I would definitely say that a picture is worth 1,00 words. The pictures are horrible. They are in black and white which wouldn't be that bad, but they decided to use a black background along with black rope to show you how to tie a lot of the knots. You can't distinguish between the rope and the background half the time. I would not suggest wasting your money on this. You are better off googling the knots and learning them at home. They have way better animated videos on how to tie which ever knot you are looking for online.

This review is for the Kindle Edition. I was excited to have a knot book that was always on hand. I read the table of contents and knew of 1/2 dozen knots that were in the book, that I've used before and needed a ready reference for. Unfortunately the Kindle Edition of this book is not worth getting. The diagrams are illegible. They consist of dark gray line on a light gray background and you can't distinguish what is being done with the line. Big disappointment. I've already emailed amazon to return (It took me longer to figure out how to do that than it did to decide to return it).'


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