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Archive for the ‘reseña’ Category

it’s about the legacy: PrimeFilm PF7250u Slide and 35MM Film Scanner

Posted in paterfamilias, reseña, tagged on December 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Because I’ve grown to trust the Costco buyers, I didn’t hesitate to snag this gizmo online when my furtive attention fixed itself upon the need to secure the slides and photos our family had accumulated.

Many hours of digitization later, I have no regrets.

I rock with delight as I discover slide-bound memories one at a time in the process of scanning them into the iPhoto library of my MacBook Pro. iPhoto or the software that comes with the PrimeFilm PF7265Ou permits the rescue of legacy-rich but tragically underexposed (or overexposed) slides.

I could hardly be more enthusiastic about the value of this product. You can go upscale and secure greater control of your images, as a friend urged me to do. Or, you can tread the economical path and come away, as I have, one very happy scanner-camper.

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problem solved, Spirits of Chewery defeated: Orvis TouchChew Dog’s Nest bed

Posted in fauna, paterfamilias, reseña, tagged on December 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Our two Rhodesian Ridgebacks are not particularly determined chewers. Yet every once in a while, always while no humans are home, the Spirit of Chewing visits our abode. Havoc ensues.

After trying all manner of cheaper alternatives, we settled upon the Orvis TouchChew Dog’s Nest bed, one oval the other rectangular.

Problem solved. Rosie and Sammy love their new beds—although their embroidered names have not proved to them persuasively which dog belongs in which bed.

Better yet, the Chew Spirits have fled, frustrated—nay, vanquished!—from the neighborhood.

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to each his own: Orvis Hardware Door Frame Containment Gate

Posted in paterfamilias, reseña on December 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

We’re a family of dogs, cats, people, and multiple stories. Peace and harmony depend on each of us staying where he or she belongs.

Enter the Orvis Hardware Door Frame Containment Gate. We use this exceptionally well-built pet gate at the bottom of the stairs that lead from the ground floor to the second. Dogs belong below, cat above, people on both.

The product is sturdier than anticipated. WIth a little practice, those of us who enjoy movable thumbs are able to let ourselves through the gate with a full load of laundry in one arm and just one hand for gate operation. Over the years we’ve owned many ‘dog gates’. This one is the best.

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inexpensive quality: HP OfficeJet 6500 all-in-one (wireless version)

Posted in reseña, tagged on December 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

For mostly sentimental reasons, I have an attachment to HP printers. I do wear them out with some predictability. When the time came to replace my recently defunct all-in-one model, I moved up to the wireless version of the OfficeJet 6500.

After a frustrating start, during which it seemed I had joined the legions of (user-group-savvy) customers who were frustrated with an initially slow wireless connection, I have settled down to a life of tranquil satisfaction with my 6500.

I use the scanner and printer regularly, though not the fax feature.

The first thing to note is the exceptionally low price of all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax units in general and the low barrier to entry into the world of HP quality. Simply put, you get enormous capacity at a very low price. Now the business model has evolved in the direction of hitting you hard for printer cartridges, so there is a sticker shock to be suffered, albeit a delayed one.

The OJ 6500 produces truly fine print quality. It sets up and meshes well with my MacBook Pro. I have not had paper jam issues, which strikes me as an improvement on previous generations of printers and all-in-ones.

Aesthetically, I find the mostly-black-clad unit to be quite handsome.

I can’t imagine a potential buyer with home or small-office needs going wrong with the HP OfficeJet 6500. Pay the premium for the wireless version and you won’t regret it.

It just does what it says it does, providing quality at a very modest price.

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cool-weather cycling gloves: Louis Garneau 2009/10 Gel EX-Z Full Finger Cycling Gloves

Posted in reseña, thin rubber on December 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

When the weather turns chill but not yet icy, it’s time to get out these Louis Garneu full-finger cycling gloves. I reckon them useful down to about 30 degrees. Below that and you need sturdier stuff.

The EX-Z pulls on easily and provides good comfort. They are well-constructed and should last a few seasons, use limited to their weather window.

Nor will the break the bank.

After a few months of acquaintance, mine feel like old friends.

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cold feet: Louis Garneau Stopzone Tech Shoe Covers

Posted in reseña, thin rubber, tagged on December 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Really cold-weather riding calls for warmer stuff than the Louis Garneau Stopzone shoe covers. But rainy weather and your garden-variety start-of-winter stuff will be cheerfully warded off by thise waterproof covers.

They pull nicely over shoes, leaving the business parts of the underside of them uncovered so they can get on with their work. A zipper and a velcro strip makes sure the product stays where it belongs. Durabilty seems reasonable and the $25 price is smack in the value category.

A good thing for tender toes.

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let the blind see: Bike Peddler ‘Take a Look’ eyeglass mirror

Posted in reseña, thin rubber, tagged on December 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I was skeptical that a product with this low price tag could adjust to my glasses and required angle of vision and prove sturdy enough to qualify as a keeper.

I was wrong. Bike Peddler’s Take a Look eyeglass mirror does both.

It must be said that an eye-glass-attached mirror is not for every cyclist. Some body types—mine included—make it difficult to get a helpful angle of vision over the hunched shoulders of the in-action cyclist. A handle-bar-mounted mirror has some advantages here.

Yet the dexterity and light weight of the eyeglass approach has its compensating virtues. I’ve trained myself to glance up slightly and focus on an 11:30 clock position to gain security that no car or other cyclist is on my left flank before I pass or turn left. A little effort makes the ‘Take a Look’ an ally in the battle of the road.

It would be too much to call this a revolutionary product. Yet, price and capacity combine to make it a potential game-changer. Skepticism not firmly in my rear view mirror, I’m a fan.

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cool head, safe head: Trek Interval bike helmet

Posted in reseña, thin rubber, tagged on December 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

This stylish value-point bike helmet is all I expected at the mid-fifty-dollar price point and more.

I’m especially impressed with the snug and comfortable fit. Ventilation is adequate or better, though I have not yet summer-tested the helmet.

The Interval comes in a nice assortment of colors. I purchased the white one. I like the style very much.

A winner, without breaking the bike-gadget budget.

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seeing the road ahead: Tifosi GS Tyrant cycling glasses

Posted in reseña, thin rubber on December 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Though I tried on the highly-recommended Oakley Jawbones in my local bike store, I told myself I needed a few more months of serious riding to prove to myself the cost aligned with my commitment. Having drawn that rather philosophical line in the sand, I moved on to shop’s low-end alternative: the Tifosi.

Having now broken them in via cold-winter riding in Indianapolis, I can say that they are a comfortable, solid, and more than adequate armament for the cycler’s eyes. I attach an adjustable mirror to mine. The Tifosis provide a solid platform for this gizmo and do not shift at all on my head under the added weight. (more…)

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soft landing: 24 (Season Six)

Posted in reseña, tagged , on December 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

By the time Jack finds himself walking away from his beloved Audrey and staring at the ocean over which a new sun rises, neither guns nor brains can save him. Jack has come to his end.

Or so we would conclude if we did not know the penchant of 24 writers for making the impossible become plausible.

Along the way, Jack has saved a blooded United States of America and, arguably, its constitution. One of the elements that makes Season 6/Day 6 powerful is the insight into ‘politics as the art of the possible’ when the possible has been circumscribed beyond precedent by men who are prepared to do anything to advance their cause.

Action, it seems, begets contemplation which begets drama. (more…)

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