Friday, 26 September 2008

Physical Therapy - exercise, weights


I've been weight training for years and even do competitive stairclimbing. I bought these with the idea that I would use them to train for stairclimbing.



I'm not a small woman...5 feet 8 inches, 135 lbs, but these weights were almost impossible to keep on my ankles...they just don't seem to be made for an average woman's ankles.



I may pass these onto my husband who is 6 feet 2 and 220 lbs. I would not recommend these for an average sized woman. Valeo AW20 Adjustable Ankle / Wrist Weights (10-Pounds Each, 20-Pound Total)

While ten pounds on each wrist or ankle may not sound too extreme, any extended period of time with these weights on is going to fatigue just about anyone. Having said this, it should be noted that adjusting the amount of weight is a simple matter. Given the range of weight options, the overall appearance is somewhat large and bulky. If you are wearing these things, you really can't hide it. However, if you want to give a turbo shot to your daily walk or other activity, these things can't be beat.

I bought these with the idea of doing various exercises I had been doing at physical therapy. The bulkiness of the individual weights was not what I expected. The first time I used the weights, I had a bruise the size of an orange on the back of my leg.



I still use them, but wish I had different ones.

I use these as wrist weights while using a Nordic Track Ski Machine. For this purpose they are great. I took four neoprene soda can coolers and slit them down the side to use as inner padding, two on each wrist. Stacking a cotton wrist band for sweat absorption, can cooler, can cooler, then pull the wrist weight tight on each wrist and they fit nice and snug and don't move around at all. Took a few times to get the sequence right but now it's a snap. Not sure the material the product is made of will last a real long time but I'm happy with the product and the price is right, plus ten pounds on each arm for an hour will give you an awesome workout.



edit 3-15-09

After using these great weights for a time I can offer some advice on handling. Be gentle with these. If you toss/drop them on the floor after you take them off you'll eventually rupture the plastic sand bags inside and leak sand out a little at a time. Still-- a very nice product.

I'm 5'4" tall and weigh 135#. The weights were way too big for me & slipped off the lower legs & on to the heels. Couldn't make them any tighter. The outside construction is good. However the weight inserts are verly flimsily covered & poorly sewn & very difficult to re insert. I would be afraid that they would split open after a few handlings. If you larger than I & wouldn't want to remove the weights then it's fine. For me it wouldn't work. I have seen other products with insert bags that are sewn much better & out of stronger material. Unfortunately it's not that easy finding 20# ankle weights.

I'm rather large (6'3" and 240lbs) and I needed more weight than the average person.



These fit the bill. They are comfortable and adjustable (2 lbs at a time).



They go well with Jumpsole shoes.



I get a really good workout with these, an X vest, and Jump sole shoes. I walk my dogs twice a day and on at least 1 of those walks I'm loaded with weights. More exercise in less time. These ankle weights are the key to a great workout since you must lift your leg with every step.



I don't know that running in these would be a good idea though. May be bad on the joints. But I'm no doctor.



Great quality and great comfort.

I wanted a set of adjustable weights for physical therapy and strength training for my back, core, and legs. I am a lean female, and I knew that 10lb weight each on my legs were going to be over the top, but I figured it still would come in handy for leg lifts and what not, and for just walking around I can decrease the weights to just 2~6 lbs each leg.



I received the item today, and I must say, while I am impressed how sturdy they look, with adjustable velcro all the way around, it is HUGE. I look like I have gorilla feet, even when I remove 3 weights off from each. They look durable and long lasting, but the velcro is almost too strong to be taking it on and off frequently... in fact my thumb's sore from tring to rip the velcro off.



I think my husband (160~170 lbs martial arts buff) would be happy to make better use of this, but I might need to order something a bit smaller and formfitting for everyday use.

I have two sets of these weights for leg workouts a ten lb. set and this 20 lb. set. This set is 10lb. each thus 20lb. They are bulky and very hard to strap on, they slip around a lot and are not comfortable. I need more then the 5 lb. ankle weights so I put up with these because I really do notice a difference in the workout using these, I just wish they were easier to get on and not so clumsy. The 5lb. each set is far more comfortable on the ankle and easier to put on, maybe I should have gotten to pairs of those and used two on each leg, hmmm. - Exercise - Ankle Weights - Weights - Adjustable Ankle Weights'


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Childs Towel - childs towel, bath towels


It looks nice, and i think i've got something similar to this and it's very very soft. but this one doesn't feel soft at all. it felt like a cheep bath towel. besides that it looks nice and everything else, just not soft at all. Trend-Lab Character Hooded Towel, Monkey

This is the best bath towel we got for our daughter. It makes bath time fun and it looks adorable on her with the little monkey ears. It's a perfect size to last a while also. the bath puppet isn't so important though, it's kind of an afterthought. but it's still cute too.

I bought these for my daughters as the baby wraps were becoming too small. This is really adorable. The pink is as bright as pictured (I was hoping it was be a little softer). The material is very soft and absorbent and we love the matching washcloth mit. The girls giggle when we play in the tub. Great purchase!

This turned out to be a great gift for my grand-daughter. She really loves to take her bath with the dolly mitt and enjoys being wrapped up in the hooded towel. I is a really great gift for a small girl.

I already had on hooded towel for my infant but needed a second when it was in the wash so I purchased this one. This is really well made. It's super cute and better than the first one I had because it thicker and bigger, my 6 month old looks so adorable in it after his bath. - Towel - Childs Towel - Bath Towels - Hooded Towels'


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Judy Garland


After "Over the Rainbow" and perhaps "The Trolley Song," "The Man That Got Away" is one of Judy Garland's greatest hits--and surely one of her signature songs for her later "concert years." No wonder--she sings this faultlessly. She belts it out yet shows restraint when necessary, baring her heart and soul all the while. That certain vulnerability that was within Garland is on display here; and her audiences loved and identified with it. Indeed, the song packs quite a punch; and both the opening and closing lines frame the message of pathos and angst brilliantly.



This is an excellent MP3 download for anyone who doubts that Garland didn't still have "it" or was on the decline after her release from MGM--the song is a masterpiece that in the hands of most songbirds just wouldn't be so powerful and stunning. It's extremely memorable, too; many women--and even some men--can identify with the message of being left behind when someone leaves a love affair--and a deeply sensitive human being with feelings for them all behind.



This is also highly recommended for Judy Garland fans who enjoy her more mature voice. The Man That Got Away'


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Jeep Stroller - stroller, rain shield


This is so great! It fits our graco stroller, our evenflo light stroller, and our umbrella stroller!



We used it for 2 weeks on vacation and we go for walks on cloudy days now that we have it. I love it. It keeps our baby dry and out of the wind and has holes for the air.



Highly recommended Jeep Deluxe Stroller Weather Shield

This weather shield is just what you need. Stable material (used it a couple of times already and I do not have the impression as if it would tear easily). Can get folded back into the provided bag. Is long enough to cover the legs (not quite the feet though) and is generously sized so it should fit any "standard" stroller. The only thing that I do not like that much is that the sides (for the ventilation) open easily. They are just attached by two push-buttons that open up too easily.

This is a good cover and one I believe we will use a lot. We've used it a couple of times now. It's easy to keep it in the stroller and then put it overtop if you need it. Also protects from winds. My toddler doesn't mind it (and he doesn't like feeling confined) as it's clear. The only downside to me is that it has a very strong plastic smell, but my toddler doesn't seem to mind the smell. We've rolled it, etc. and it's held up ok so far, but only had it 2 months and we're just getting into the real rainy season.

Beware of this seller "The Baby's Gallerie". They do not send this product in its original packaging. I am not sure how they can call this a new item when the packaging is missing. They also do not include the Storage bag included to keep stroller weather shield handy and from getting punctured. Amazon should do something about his seller.

I cannot believe how great this product is!! I luv it soo much that it just gives me an excuse to go outdoors! It looks soo rich & my daughter went to sleep in it instantly! The plastic smell was strong but it airs out after a few days!! There are 2 vents that are held together by 2 buttons and I love it! I didn't know the name of my stroller so I just brought it hoping it would fit my stroller... && it was a perfect match! I swear I think this thing fits every stroller! It your stroller has a car seat don't get this product cause it's gonna b to small! This is only made for a toddlers stroller WITHOUT A CAR SEAT!! U will b satisified with ur purchase cause I was satisfied with mine!! Also u can keep this on when you're putting ur stroller down! There r pockets in it 2! Because of this product.. I feel rich when I have it && my daughter is nice & dry =)

In fall and winter we do not leave the house without this stroller shield. It fits almost every stroller you can think of, and also protects the baby from wind, which is perfect for a windy city like Chicago.

I'm giving the Jeep Deluxe Stroller Weather shield 5 stars because it does what it is intended to do. It fits over my lightweight combi stroller very well and snugly and keeps my son dry in our unpredictable Florida weather.

I am not too finicky about looks but even so, this looks great with my Graco Travel System (pretty big among its kind). I can use it either with the complete travel system or just the stroller, without the infant car seat. Works perfectly well for windy weather with good ventilation.

I have the Chicco Cortina Stroller, Hazelwood and wasn't sure how well this cover would fit. It fits well with a bit of adjustment. I've only used it once on a windy day but was pleased with it and my son (6 mos.) didn't seem to mind it at all. It did not cover the foot rest completely, so with an older child that might bother some. - Jeep Stroller - Stroller - Rain Shield'


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Kenneth Cole Reaction


I liked the shirt. I paid 42.99 at Macy's for the white. Now the price is around 29. The sleeves are longer than other 32/33 shirts. I am 5'5" and I had to alter the sleeve length. I took one star for that. These shirts are made in Thailand. The tailoring is OK but not perfect.



I hate this 32/33 size. Why don't these brands make 32 and 33 separately like Jos A Bank, Lands End, etc.. Calvin Klein Mens Silky Poplin Dress Shirt, Dove, 16"/34-35"'


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Wacom Bamboo - graphics, wacom bamboo


Let me start by saying I have never owned a Graphics Tablet before and I am a PC user.



I am a graphic designer and wanted something I could use for cartooning and illustrating. This foots the bill perfectly.



The pen input is fantastic and has twice the pressure sensitivity as the Bamboo Pen. I know, I thought they were the same too, but check the specs on wacom's site.



It is responsive and easy to adjust to. I have only been using it for one week and feel like I have gotten the hang of it. The live area is huge and the size of the tablet itself isn't so big you can't travel with it.



The touch input is fine. I have the new drivers so it seems like a lot of the bugs I hear people talk about are fixed. It is a breeze to surf the web with. I don't use the touch function to draw with, just navigate.



The hot keys on the side of the tablet are awesome, them set (with commands in Photoshop) from top to bottom as follows: toggle touch on/off, Undo, zoom in, zoom out. It really has streamlined my production process.



As far as it being refurbished I can't tell in any way, there were no fingerprints, or scuffs, or anything on it.

It came in the same package as a new one and I got the same software as a new one.



Five Stars. Highly recommend for graphic design or digital illustration use. Wacom CTH460 Bamboo Pen & Touch Tablet (Factory Refurbished)

I bought one of these a few weeks ago at a higher price and it was also refurbished. I can't tell that it was refurbished and it works great. Amazed how good it is. No need to spend the extra money on a new one when the refurbished products perform well.

This piece of hardware works precisely as it should for all intensive and casual purposes. As if the Wacom Bamboo's price wasn't cheap enough,(considering how well it works) the refurbished version is even less of an expense and works in a splendid fashion. Even the frugal should not hesitate in this time and money saving decision. Not only are the other tablets that are offered in this price range lacking in the functionality offered here, but they're also lacking in quality, craftsmanship and durability.



First I would like to point out that this tablet can be used both for program and software use, as well as casual navigation such as surfing the web. This is a great time saver, because the touch function works as a mouse, thus you could easily replace your mouse with this product's functionality, though I'm not recommending to do such. In addition to the active area working for touch functionality, there are also four buttons which can be set to do any number of actions: right click, left click, turn touch function on/off etc.



As for the pen, it's use is superb and greatly improves workflow and increases efficiency of tool use, especially in programs like Photoshop. The pen only becomes active when it's within an inch or two of the active area, and is set on the screen as a direct ratio, so if the pen is held above a corner or center the active area, it will appear in a corner or center of the screen. So if you have a rather large monitor I would suggest getting a larger tablet (I have a 21-in and no complaints). Functionality in the pen has also been maximized by adding buttons to it for clicking, so there is no need to use touch function for clicking and dragging. On top of that, an eraser has been added to the back of the pen which is recognized as such in Photoshop, Illustrator, and other graphic programs.



In regards to the active area itself, it's fairly tough and durable, it senses over 2000 points of sensitivity, and can even recognize when multiple fingers are on the surface; this in particular allows the use of panning, zooming, and scrolling through touch function. The surface is made not to scratch and so long as you aren't trying to reach the upper-limit of its sensitivity (2048) it shouldn't.



As far as needs for improvement, they're really minor. I scratched the surface once trying to figure out "how hard is too hard" but the pressure I was applying was most certainly excessive, I haven't found a need to actually press that hard while working on a project. Aside from that the nibs may wear down faster than expected but it's really no problem seeing as how Wacom provides three complimentary nibs as replacements.



All in all I would have to say that this product is well worth the price and a fantastic alternative to an intuos in terms of price, and a great deal compared to competitors tablets in the same price range which I've seen easily scratch. As if tat wasn't enough, the product comes with a complimentary Photoshop elements 7! So what are you waiting for? Add this to your cart, purchase, and unleash the digital artist inside!

I am a fan of Wacom digitizers and I in fact already had one of this model and was happy with it. But this seller sold me a heavily used item with a fraying cord,it quit working after about 2 weeks. I contacted Wacom about service options to find that this item was registered to someone in Asia and had never been reconditioned by anyone authorized to do so. They assured me the would have record of it if it had been... So I am out 30.00 for the repair.

I purchased one of these tablets to try at my work place. I was surprised to see it packaged in the original box with the Photoshop Elements software and other original items. The sticker on the box indicates a one-year warranty. There were no marks -- looked brand new. Set-up was easy.



I use two monitors at work. The touch and pen can be mapped separately. I set touch (mouse mode) to operate across both monitors and mapped the pen to just the primary monitor. If you map the pen to both monitors then the tablet area is halved such that each half is mapped to a monitor. The pen mapping is absolute meaning you don't have to back off, move over, then back to tablet like picking up a mouse several times to move across a wide screen. Touch, however, is more like the mouse function but is actually best that way, in my opinion. Both of my monitors are wide screen format but not the same size. Still, mouse functions work great using touch across both screens. Within Outlook e-mail, Adobe Acrobat Reader, MS Word, Excel and most other programs the two-finger scroll works fine; I can even scroll in web pages or the bookmark window of my Firefox browser. Pinch zoom in and out works in most applications I have tried. I love moving about with one finger then tapping the second finger to bring up a pop-up menu similar to clicking the right mouse button.



In Photoshop, for me the pen sensitivity is fine, but I am relatively new to pen operation. I can't believe I have used Photoshop for over 6 years now without a pen! For a traveling professional this tablet would travel nicely and offer the added bonus of the larger touch pad (larger than laptop) for mouse movement plus gestures.



The four buttons down the side can be set to just about anything you like. I set them to CTRL. ALT, SHIFT, and Left Click. (You will want Left Click, probably on lower button, so you can use your thumb to click in order to drag over text or move a window easily.) Same flexibility goes for the two buttons on the pen. The pad can easily be configured for left- or right-hand operation. I like turning on the click sound to indicate when my pen touches the tablet. The little LED light on the side is nice; it turns a brighter blue as you touch the tablet and red when the pen is sensed.



In the end, I highly recommend this Pen & Touch tablet from Wacom so much that I just received my second refurbished unit in like-new condition and hooked it up to my home computer! - Tablet - Art - Wacom Bamboo - Graphics'


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Portable Audio - fiio e5, portable


I have always lowered my expectations of portable music players due to their convenience. They have always been exciting in some way, but lacking in another. My best headphones could not be driven directly from media players, and the ones that could, always seemed to have that "portable" sound, meaning all the frequencies were there, but something was still missing. This little amplier allows me to hook up my venerable Grado SR200 and my super-comfy Sennheiser HD580 with little trouble to my 30GB Zune. I set it to "classical" in the preset eq. I usually encode my music to either WMA Lossless or 256 MP3. This combination blows away any of my accepted preconceptions of what low cost electronics could do. I am aware that there are more optimized and far more expensive solutions out there, but what is the fun in that? This little amp is well built, has outstanding battery life, and includes all the accessories you'll ever need to make it work. It you don't mind looking like a space cadet carrying around full-sized headphones with your media player, this thing will give you 85% of the experience of a mid-priced home system. I highly recommend it to anyone who dislikes in-ear earphones and misses what music really sounds like. At this price, there is no way you can go wrong. Fiio E5 headphone Amplifier

I really like this little device. It does add some depth and bass to my HTC Incredible Smartphone. I use the phone as an MP3 player and the E5 provide a bit more Bass Boost. Don't expect too much from the unit, but it does help. Overall worth the $20 price.

I needed something that could boost the output volume level of my TV so I could run on the treadmill with my earphones without disturbing my family. The volume was not load enough, but this little guy did the trick. It boosted my volume up with no sound distortion. I would highly recommend it.

I have spent more money than this trying to build my own headphone amps, and they didn't have rechargeable batteries, USB power or a tiny form factor. Nice improvement in sound quality using Grado SR-80s, especially on the lower end, everything just sounds fuller and tighter.



The one downside is that the amp tends to pick up lots of EMI noise when it's plugged into a USB port that is plugged into a computer. I wasn't really surprised by this, because computers are really noisy and I have a little experience with electronics I know EMI is a pain, and cables/wires basically act like antennae, and I can't really expect anything this cheap to be immune. So for my purposes I have one permanently plugged into my desktop computer and I power it from a USB<->wall power adapter (think iPhone or Kindle power adapter) and that provides wall-powered and noise free operation.

I've had this amp for a couple of weeks now and it has been great. I have noticed quite a large improvement in the max volume and a decent improvement in the sound quality (quite impressive for $21)

I bought this primarily because while listening to my Zune in the car through the auxiliary input, even with the car stereo and Zune volume all the way up, I could not really hear most music if my windows were down. I bought this and now at about 75% max volume, I can cruise at freeway speeds and enjoy even the quietest of songs. I also noticed that the sound was...more full...I'm not an audiophile really so it's hard to explain, but it just sounded better in general. Maybe this is a placebo effect, but for the low price, just the volume enhancement was worth it.

I will say that with my Grado SR80i headphones (which I highly recommend as well) there was not as much improvement in sound quality as the headphones themselves seemed to work as much magic as can be squeezed out of the Zune. With the default earbuds, I experienced the fuller sound though, but I hate earbuds so my testing was not very extensive with them.



As for battery life, I use it a couple of hours every day and just charge it when I charge my Zune (every few days) no problems so far, but it's still a bit early for that to be an issue.



Also, due to its small size, it is completely unobtrusive while in a pocket.



I may have found what I'm giving to my friends as a Christmas gift this year.

I bought my E5 in November 2009. It lasted 4 - 5 months with very light use before the battery died completely.



Until it died, the E5 was a fun device and I did not regret purchasing it. I used it with a Sandisk Sansa Fuze and Atrio M8 earphones (32 ohm). The E5 did not increase volume much, but it did extend the bass and give the sound more "depth". The tradeoff was a certain amount of hiss. Sometimes the music sounded better and sometimes it didn't. Classic rock sounded good. Classical didn't. For a mere $17, I thought the E5 was a reasonable purchase.



And then the battery died. The purple light goes on when charging, but turns off immediately when the amp is disconnected and the device will not respond to presses of the on/off switch.



I'm disappointed with my purchase. - Portable - Fiio E5 - Amplifier - Headphone Amplifier'


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