Aamas 2004 blog

Archive for August, 2010

Why can’t all email programs work as fast and nifty as the iPod touch?! I can open my email, answer five emails and return the device to my pocket before macbook’s OS loads… as for loading windows on my laptop–in that time I can answer a whole day’s emails, bruch my teeth and weed the garden! I’m hooked–all emailing should be this easy.

KitchenAid Pear Cook s

No matter how many times I read this book, I am drawn in by the imagination, the creativity, and the enchantment of the tale of Artemis Fowl. The first in a set of five books, I resisted the lure of a 12-yr-old criminal-mastermind for a while, thinking the book too silly for my age. Now I run to the store the moment a new book in this series appears.

Artemis Fowl has a plan to gain back the money his father lost when he disappeared a year ago. Aided by Butler, his body guard, Artemis devises a plan to steal gold from the fairies. Young enough to still believe in magic, but old enough to construct a devious scheme, few could pull off what Artemis is about to do.

Our fairy heroine, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit, is the test case for allowing female elves to join the Lower Elemental Police recon unit, and she has been having a very bad week. After being attacked by a troll, she attempts to carry out the ritual to recharge her magic, but instead is captured by Artemis and Butler, thus beginning the hostage crisis.

Filled with interesting characters and an excellent usage of magic and technology, Artemis Fowl is a book that readers of any age should enjoy. My favorite part is how Colfer integrates magic and technology, instead of ignoring one in favor of the other, like so many urban fantasy writers do. Instead, Foaly, the centaur super-genius, uses technology to shield magic from human scanners and stay one step ahead of the Mud People.

The book is rich with detail that will keep the reader coming back. It’s been a few years since I last read the book, and I was amazed at how many things I didn’t remember and how I was still enthralled by the action. Even my roommate, who tends to feel that she is above reading “children’s” books, eagerly reads every new Artemis Fowl.

With the release of The Lost Colony, right now is the perfect time to pick up a copy of this classic and reread it. Then continue on to The Artic Incident, The Eternity Code, The Opal Decep
iComp USB2 A B

The omron pedometer is the best I have used. It is accurate and does not count every jiggle. This is the second one I have bought. The first one lasted for several years.
German Blue Bone Yard

The product does not meet my expectations. There are better choices than that of Sony.
Sony VAIO VGP AMC7

We had received a small “apartment style” bagless vacuum cleaner as a wedding present three years ago. We were fed up with the constantly clogging filters, and when the wheels broke, we needed to get a new vacuum. My wife didn’t want to spend a lot of money, and I didn’t want to deal with filters all the time, so we went for this one.
It’s powerful! It’s cheap! Maintenance is easy. My wife vacuumed up a washcloth and broke the belt, and it took me about five minutes to replace. It gets the dust out of our throw rugs and off the floor. It’s also relatively light for a full size vacuum.
Drawbacks are that it’s a bit noisy, a bit hard to maneuver in tighter spaces (but then one should probably be using the extension hose), and that the beater roller still spins while the hose is in use (hence the vacuumed-up washcloth!). It is ideal for our three bedroom apartment.
A huge value for the money.
Duragadget Leather carry case

I absolutely love this thing.I don’t know how I ever survived without it! I love the convenience of being able to run anywhere on road or off without worrying about tracking my distance. It really motivates me during my runs too.
Garmin Nuvi 1350 Accessory

This is a great addition for those day trips – when you just need a enough food for a couple of meals. It’s easier to carry than many and keeps the food fresh and clean. There are 2 bowls – one for the food and one for water. The bowl is a little small for water – dogs tend to scatter the water when they drink from a smaller bowl – but it’s perfect for a day or two.
Travel tainer

In need of reading material for my long flight home from India, I picked this up at the Bangalore airport. You’d think that I would have been much too tired to read, but this was such an engrossing read that I managed to finish the whole book well before landing in SFO! An entertaining, funny, and relatively quick read, I can see this getting turned into a movie someday.
Classic Straight USB Cable

The 305 does exactly as advertised. I use it to record pace and heart rate so I can reflect back to determine how to improve.
Aten Technologies CS1708 8

I have had the 120 GB version of this for over a year. It works wonders. I use it with a powerbook that has a pretty small hard drive (relatively). I use it as a media drive and it almost coninuously playing either music or movies.

As for it being noisy, I have it in my living room a few feet from the couch. You can hear it, but it is a subtle wirl. Doesn’t bother me at all and it runs when movies are playing.

Oh, and it is really built well. I have nocked mine around a lot. It has a strong metal frame and a stable base.
LaCie d2 FireWire Hard