Recent comments

  • The $25 gadget that keeps my home and family safe.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    I agree. Safety and affordabilty usually don't go together. That's why I admire this product so much.

  • How To Get A Discount Every Time   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Ermos: Air miles my dear, of course!

    But I'll save that for another post....

    Oh and if you want to know how to get upgraded to first class, check out this article written by yours truly:

    http://freedom30.blogspot.com/2007/07/other-side-of-first-class-curtain.html

  • Dump Cake and Other Sweet, Easy Treats   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Here in the South, we do a variation that makes a simple cobbler. Just dump a bunch of fresh or canned)fruit in an 8 x 8 greased pan, dump 1/2 box of yellow cake mix on top, cut a half stick of butter on top of that and bake for 30-40 minutes.

    Our daughter made one for her northern college friends and they were, quite frankly, amazed!

  • The $25 gadget that keeps my home and family safe.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Thanks for the tip. Safety and Affordable, two words that aren't usually associated with one another. This is better than paying $150 for a "bump proof" deadbolt. Plus, if I use the double-stick tape whenever I move I can take it with me. I routinely forward links from your site to my friends and family members; no exception here. Thanks Paul.

  • Beating corporate America at its own game   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Sarah, I couldn't find the Executive Customer Service email address for Amazon on the consumerist.com site. Can you post it please? Thanks.

  • Dump Cake and Other Sweet, Easy Treats   18 years 35 weeks ago

    I'll be that cake would be yummy with pineappple!!

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    One thing to keep in mind is that we don't know WHO actually edited the entries. Yeah, someone at Microsoft edited an XBox entry, but we don't know if it was Steve Ballmer or some peon who does art as a vendor for MS. The identity is made via blocks of registered IP addresses.

    It's still great for laughs, ESPECIALLY when it's from the hallowed halls of Congress. But remember - the corporations did not, as an entity, rise up and make changes. It could be anyone behind that corporate firewall editing Wikipedia.

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    I don't know. I read about this in Wired Magazine last week. Also, the Washington Post. It's been pretty well covered. Suffice it to say that even people who don't read this blog or MaltaStar have probably heard about it.

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Actually, this story has been pretty well-covered.

    MaltaStar was NOT the first to report this. Wired Magazine was. And it's been covered on a variety of news outlets and every blog on earth. Some of the bigger coverage:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/16/AR200708...

    http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3482054&page=1

    http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technolo...

  • The $25 gadget that keeps my home and family safe.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    You cannot enable this unless you are inside the house, and a salient detail often overlooked is that if you are not home and get bumped, there is usually no sign of forced entry so it's hard to claim it on your insurance. The best protection from lock bumping is getting anti-bump locks. You can get them online cheap from companies such as Antibump Locks -- google them.

  • Beating corporate America at its own game   18 years 35 weeks ago

    I'm down. I love beating corporate America at "it is" own game.

  • The $25 gadget that keeps my home and family safe.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    I've never seen a double deadbolt in action, but I can't imagine how annoying it would be to have to dig out a key every time you wanted to open the door. Plus, the safety aspect alone is quite scary. I don't see an issue with the way the Lock Jaw looks actually. When my wife's mom first came over she didn't even notice it until I pointed it out. I think the brass look helps, as it matches our brass fitting.

  • Dump Cake and Other Sweet, Easy Treats   18 years 35 weeks ago
    yum

    my friend's grandma used to make this with cherries & it rocked!

  • Share your brilliant burst (or dashed dream) as a consumer advocate   18 years 35 weeks ago

    One of my prouder moment came when I was able to step in and help an older lady at Circuit City who was being lied to about the benefits of the extended warranty plan on a new TV. It was a young salesman and he was telling her a bunch of crap about how the warranty covers everything including normal wear and tear, which I knew was not the case. When I stepped in, he stuttered and mumbled and starting back tracking real quick. Felt good!

  • Local Flavor   18 years 35 weeks ago

    @ Kathleen: Yes, I'm the blogger Down Under ;)

    As I settle more into my new surroundings (I'm also in the Eastern Suburbs) I find I'm more aware of the differences between my "old" life and the new one here; it's mostly in the details of everyday.

    @ Julie: For some reason, I used to have the perception that small shops were always more expensive (and some are, I suppose) or had lower "quality", and that the "big" stores were simply more convenient and reliable. But, in many ways, it's almost the opposite here: for whatever reason, people are truly neighborly and it's easier to walk into town and form relationships with shop owners. 

    A genuinely good relationship between buyer and seller can be priceless.

  • The $25 gadget that keeps my home and family safe.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Unfortunately double-cylinder deadbolts (key to enter and exit) have been outlawd in many States by their fire marshalls and / or building codes. There is a ton of research available where innocent people have perished in fires because they were not able to get out quickly enough...or so panic-striken ;they could not find their key or the key hole in time. The coordination required to disengage Lock Jaw from someone breaking a window and reaching in would be much more of a challenge than simply unlocking a key, which would defeat the purpose of a double-cylinder deadbolt. Quick escapes, in the event of a fire for example, was one of the utility features that we wanted to provide.

  • How To Turn A Video Game System Into A Gym Membership   18 years 35 weeks ago

    Thank you, Nora!

    I have no need of this, seeing as i'm only 13, but my sister on the other hand, spends lots of time and money, going to a gym.

    I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear about it!

     

    Thanks again, darlin'! 

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    In response to John's comment: isn't it more like corporations are getting larger and larger, including media outlets who should be reporting about corporate misconduct?

    If a corporation has interests in several areas, one of them being news (online or print), how can you expect an unbiased report on the activities of that corporation's other interests?

    I don't think it's getting harder for them to "get away with it"; I think it's getting harder to find out about it.

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    To say that blogs and YouTube level the playing field of organizations that spend billions on PR is hardly accurate. After all, exactly how many people will read this article? Or the article in the MaltaStar? A few thousand? Wikipedia may be read by many more people, but not using the Wikipedia scanner, so disinformation is still out there. Look at the last election. A smear campaign with blatant lies about John Kerry and his Vietnam service seriously affected the vote. No hard evidence was ever presented, just word of mouth. Many blogs and news services tried to right this, but their collected tiny voice could not compete with widespread media buying and large scale PR spending. So are things getting better? Well, maybe it's easier to find information but finding out the validity of that information means doing a whole lot of digging. And most people don't do that. They just sit back and take what they're given. I'm sure that as an informed and intelligent reader, you find it much easier than most to discover the truth. But in general, I think it's far more difficult for the average Joe to know what's going on.

  • The Great Whitening Hype   18 years 35 weeks ago

    That's a great point, April.  Thanks for reminding us about the basic make-up of these products.  One of the reasons why I like the over-the-counter strips is because they have the baking soda, peroxide, and breath-fresheners in one.  And because I absolutely gag using anything you have to swish around in your mouth, the strips are a must have for me.  But most people would do just as well with a basic, natural remedy.

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    ...these days, finding that truth is getting harder and harder.

    Umm...hello? Isn't this an example of how finding the truth is getting EASIER?

    I always get irritated when people talk about how "things ain't what they used to be" when things are almost always getting better. Corporations are often evil, yes, but it's getting harder and harder for them to get away with it. Platforms like blogs, Wikipedia, Youtube, and even the plain ol' web level the playing field because everybody can participate.

  • The $25 gadget that keeps my home and family safe.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    A deadbolt that is keyed on both sides will solve the problems of a youngster letting herself out and prevent someone from breaking a window and unlocking the thumb latch. Plus I thnk it looks better.

  • The Great Whitening Hype   18 years 35 weeks ago

    I'm amazed at how much people spend on products which have been backed by expensive ad campaigns. One of the best things for cleaning anything (teeth included it would seem) is bicarbonate of soda/baking soda. It's really cheap and works a treat.

  • The Student Who Created a PR Nightmare Via Wikipedia   18 years 35 weeks ago

    This kind of editing is why many colleges and universities don't allow Wikipedia to be used as a reference.

  • XBox 360 - Don't buy one until 2008.   18 years 35 weeks ago

    This is one of the weirdest articles I have read in a while. Dont buy a 360 until 2008... How can anyone say that with Halo 3 coming soon, Gears of War already out, and the ultimate..Bioshock! Its the games, not the repair bill you should care about. I have had a 360 since launch, with no issues at all. Yes I have heard of others with similar issues, but I have sent 2 ps2's in for repair also.. so lets all go tell people to buy a Ps3.. that will do it,, send them to an unproven console. We dont even know yet if they are gonna break.. Then there is nintendo.. buy one,, its that simple,, a great system.. I ahve never snet a nintendo system in for repair,, ever! yeah my original nintendo holds games using a salad tong in the slot, but hey, it still works. I dont care what people do, but you biased opinion on what people should buy is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.. just proves that anyone can be a writer on a website....