Reviews by Telpher

Telpher says "The safest way to shop online" about PayPal

Telpher — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:58:10 GMT

I was late in signing up for Paypal. I must confess: I was suspicious of the whole thing. A service I pay nothing for, but am expected to share my credit card and/or banking information with, and which acts as a conduit between me and the online retailers I fequent? What's in it for them? About six months ago, I finally caved and signed up. I was ordering quite often from Overstock, and got sick of typing in my 15 digit credit card number...and even sicker of not being able when I didn't have my card handy. So, yeah, I signed up and have been using it regularly ever since. Really, though, there was no way for me to guage how good a service Paypal was - until now.

About two months ago, I ordered a book directly from the publisher - an independent publisher. This wasn't a book that I would be able to get from Amazon or Borders - it was a highly specialized book that had been printed in small batches. The publisher (who I'd never heard of before) accepted Paypal, so I chose that option. One...

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Telpher says "When you absolutely, positively don't care about customer servic" about FedEx

Telpher — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:43:55 GMT

After having two really awful experiences with Federal Express within a month, I feel compelled to write them off, and to write a negative review of their service.

Used to be that FedEx were the go-to guys for getting stuff delivered quickly and efficiently. Their service used to be the gold standard. Those days are long gone. More recently, I've found they're sloppy, don't respond to customer service requests, don't deliver packages in time as promised, and are careless.

Last month we ordered a rather expensive anti-gravity chair to help me deal with a chronic back problem. The online dealer used FedEx to send it to us. We were told to be home between 9 and 5 on a certain day, as FedEx would not deliver without someone here to sign. I stayed home on that day, and never left the house. FedEx never knocked on my door. When I called to ask what the problem was, the person was rude and clueless. He claimed the package had been delivered. I explained that I had been home for every second fo...

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Telpher says "Malaysian at its very best " about Straits - San Francisco, CA

Telpher — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:47:59 GMT

My partner and I have been looking all over SF for Malaysian food. New Zealand is teeming with great Malaysian places, so we got used to eating Malaysian food once or twice a week back home. Here, though, Malaysian food has eluded us. Finding that right in the City's Westfield Mall is a fantastic Malaysian restaurant called Straits really made our day.

The decor of Straits is funky/intimate: dim lighting, a mix of small tables with cushy chairs, and plush booths and ottomans. One wall is exposed brick with huge screens covering large windows facing out on SF's 5th street, and keeping the intimate atmosphere from being intruded on by outside light.

The menu is classic Malaysian, with some Thai/Singapore fusion. Everything is fresh-as-can-be: lovely seafood, the best satay, peanut sauce I've ever had, Nasi Goreng teeming with fresh veggies, chicken, and coconut cream jasmine rice. There's a great cocktail menu, too. I recommend the pomegranate martini. Yum!

One of the greatest things...

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Telpher says "Like watching water boil" about Capresso Electric Kettle

Telpher — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:31:15 GMT

My partner is from New Zealand, where having a counter top electric kettle is a MUST. Having lived in NZ for several years, I got used to having an electric kettle, myself. They're great when you want to make plunger coffee, instead of espresso. Also great when you want to make a big, old batch of tea for iced tea. Or for any time you want to boil water.

It's not all that easy to find a good electric kettle (or "jug" as the Kiwis call 'em) in the USA. Most of them are made of plastic, and don't last long. Their automatic shut-off valves seem to conk out after a few months. And they don't exactly look great.

Enter Capresso's glass kettle. It's great-looking. It boils water quickly and the shut-off valve never fails. Being made of glass, you can actually see the water bubbling up, which is sort of fun. I take child-like joy in this part. I love the Capresso electric kettle. It didn't come cheap, but it's worth every penny.

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Telpher says "Woody Allen is back, sight unseen" about Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Telpher — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:39:21 GMT

I grew up during Woody Allen's most prolific and golden period: the days of Sleeper, Play It Again, Sam, Annie Hall, and Manhattan. And I've loved Woody. He's a New Yorker, as I am. He speaks a language I understand. Over the last 20 years, though, his work has been spotty. There have been long periods of inactivity, some duds, and the occasional great film. I actually gave up on him for a while after Hannah and her Sisters (which I love.)

I'm happy to announce that Woody is back with a vengeance - and with his most fun and satisfying film since Annie Hall.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona tells the story of two young, American women (Vicky and Cristina) who seize an opportunity to spend a summer in Barcelona. The women, who are best friends, are like night and day. One is dark. The other light. Cristina is flighty and impulsive and rebellious. Vicky is serious and analytical, logical and by-the book. When they meet Juan Antonio, a smoldering, attractive, quirky, and extremely charismatic artist...

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Telpher says "A Kiwi Gem - and a Kiwi Hero, to Boot!" about The World's Fastest Indian TV

Telpher — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:08:02 GMT

In 1967, New Zealander Burt Monroe decided he would take his 1920 motorcycle, a model named The Indian, to America to try and match the world speed record. He did this with almost no money, no plans, no support...an impossible feat. He did it because no one told him he couldn't.

I loved this movie. Having lived in NZ for several years, I instantly recognized the do-it-yourself, get'er-done mentality of Monroe. The guy beat the odds, showing up at the Salt Flat with nothing but a beat up car, and his motorcycle in tow. His lodging? His car! Have I mentioned that he was in his 60s, had never been to America before, hadn't even registered for the official timing event, and that he had a serious heart condition??? Well, yeah - all of that is true. It's also true that he not only matched the world speed record with his rickety-looking cycle, but his record stands today!

This is a quiet little movie that captures the heart. It made me proud to be a Kiwi citizen, ad to be associated with New...

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Telpher says "Don't leave the mall before stopping at Out The Door" about Out the Door - San Francisco, CA

Telpher — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:33:11 GMT

Located in San Francisco's Westfield Center, Out the Door is part of a wonderful retail experiment: top-of-the-line dining in a shopping mall setting. Among the many upscale restaurants at Westfield, Out the Door just might be my favorite.

Serving up scrumptious, fresh and beautifully presented Vietnamese food, Out the Door is the little sister of SF's more famous The Slanted Door - one of the City's most popular restaurants. Ensconced in the mall's lower level, just a few dozen feet from the subway entrance, Out The Door somehow manages to feel as if it's nowhere near public transport. The design of the place is clean and minimalist: stainless steel tables, all lined up in rows: it's as easy to show up alone and get a table for one, as it is to show up with a group of 20 and all be seated together.

The menu is deceptively simple: starters and shared plates. The starters are large, and most are big enough for two. The shared plates are exactly what they sound like: dishes that are big...

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Telpher says "This Candy is anything but sweet" about Candy

Telpher — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:52:06 GMT

When Heath Ledger died last year, the world lost a great talent. If you doubt this, find the small, obscure film called Candy. I defy anyone to watch it and come away saying that Ledger wasn't destined for greatness.

Candy is the story of Dan and Candy, a couple of young, once beautiful people who have started out life together as hopeful, would-be creative artists, and ended up hopeless, down-and-out junkies. The film follows their descent into the ugliest form of addiction, and makes no bones about showing this awful world, warts and all. This is no afterschool scpecial, and it's not a feel-good movie. Just as there are few happy endings for real-life heroin addicts, there are no happy endings for Dan and Candy, and the film never makes any pretenses that such an ending is likely or possible.

Unlike most relationship movies, which revolve around hope, Candy is a movie about hopelessness. Dan and Candy go to great lengths - depths, really - to get the money they need to fuel their addictions....

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Telpher says "Gas-free getaways from San Francisco" about Caltrain - San Francisco, CA

Telpher — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:22:25 GMT

As a native New yorker, I'm not a driver. I've never even had a license. I'm used to getting around on public transport and walking, and I like it that way. The cost of gas these days makes me even happier that I've lived most of my life getting around without a car. Unfortunately, California is not like NYC, and public transport in SF is nowhere near as extensive or reliable as the NYC subway system. With one exception: Caltrain.

Caltrain connects San francisco to points south, specifically, Silicon Valley.

We started using Caltrain when we first decided to spend a weekend in San Jose over a year ago. The cost of travel from SF's King Street depot to San Jose is $7.50 each way. A real bargain, when one considers the distance covered - about 45 miles. Te regular train takes about 1.5 hours, but the Baby Bullet, which runs as an express train, takes just under an hour.

Caltrain keeps to schedule, has plush, wide, comfortable seats, is air conditioned and is, overall, a joy to ride....

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Telpher says "Style and elegance of a bygone era" about Sainte Claire Hotel - San Jose, California, CA

Telpher — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:59:41 GMT

Stepping into the lobby of the Sainte Claire Hotel is like stepping back in time. Not only is the building, itself, a glorious remnant of days when architecture was a rich art form, but the attention to detail of the hotel staff and management is of the level one would think only exists in movies from the 1940s.

If I had to choose one word to describe the Sainte Claire, I'd have to choose "plush." The furnishings, art, oak panelling, deep pile carpeting - all of it is rich and luxurious. The business center is richly furnished with big, velvet and leather chairs and couches, ottomans, beautiful rugs, and a variety of antiques. A grand piano serves as a focal point, and transforms this room into a jazz lounge after hours. It looks less like a business center than a set from Brideshead Revisited. Oh, yeah, it also boasts a few huge, comfortable desks and chairs and both Macs and PCs with free wireless internet access.

The restaurant on the first floor is top-notch, serving authentic Italian...

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Telpher says "A perfect weekend of jazz, at a bargain basement price" about The San Jose Jazz Festival

Telpher — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:45:07 GMT

My partner and I decided to take the train from San Fran down to San Jose over the weekend for the annual, three-day San Jose Jazz Festival. It was a last minute decision, so we were expecting huge throngs of people and really expensive hotel rooms. That couldn't have been further fromt he truth.

The SJ Jazz Festival has been going strong for 19 years. In years past, it was a totally free event. This year, they decided to charge admission, to help cover the vast overhead. Unlike other music festivals, the cost of admission is incredibly low: $10 per day, or $25 for a three-day pass. Admission means unlimited admission to any of the 8 stages, not to mention to the many Jazz Fest events taking place throughout San Jose: jazz clinics, presentations, exhibits, and a three day pub crawl, featuring live jazz at bars and pubs all over the fine city of San Jose. The cost of all of this was included in admission. It gets better: anyone staying at a San Jose hotel for the event was entitled to an...

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Telpher says "Ten Reasons To Love The Apple Macbook" about Apple MacBook Notebook

Telpher — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:06:43 GMT

My first personal computer was an Apple SEII. Self-contained, 8" screen, no graphics, green text on a black background. I think it had a 512K hard drive. I kid you not. I then moved on to a PowerMac. Eventually, I was forced to use an IBM-based PC, for professional reasons.

Now, all these years later, I'm back to Mac, and thrilled about it. I love my new Macbook. Here are some reasons why:

1) The MAC interface. Remember when people stood in line to buy Windows 95, because it was new and innovative? We Mac lovers had a laugh at that. Windows 95 was just a rip-off of the user-friendly, drag-n-drop interface Mac had been using for ages. All these years later, Microsoft still hasn't managed to keep up with how easy the guys at Mac make it to do things. With a Mac, everything is right before your eyes, and it's gorgeous to look at.

2) The magnetic cord. You know how, if your laptop is plugged in and sitting on a table, someone might easily knock it over and break it if they pass by and...

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Telpher says "A snail could have made this move more quickly!" about RFM Moving/Hauling Services - - San Francisco/Daly City, CA

Telpher — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:40:00 GMT

My partner finally rented a small studio space, and decided to clear our apartment of all art-related items. The lot came out to about eight boxes, one large easel, a few portfolios and canvases, and one small wooden cabinet. A small move, but still a move, since the studio is on the other side of the city. We don't have a car, and the studio is one long flight of steps up, so we decided it made the most sense to hire a mover. Seeing as we weren't even moving an entire room (the items listed had been living in a corner of our bedroom for two years) and were all packed up and ready to go, right by our front door, we figured the move from our apartment into a van should take no more than 20 minutes, if that. We do, after all, live in a building with an elevator, and there's a parking space reserved for movers right out front.

After many phone calls, my partner decided to go with RFM Moving and Hauling. Like most movers, they have a minimum of two hours. Fair enough, we figured - it's hardly...

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Telpher says "Their motto must be "The Customer is always WRONG"" about AT&T High-Speed Internet

Telpher — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:28:40 GMT

We signed up with AT&T high-speed Internet when we first moved here. it made sense, since AT&T was our phone company, and they offered a bundle price. What a mistake!

Over the years we've had several problems with AT&T, but the problems we've encountered over the last 10 months have really taken the cake.

The Trouble Starts

One November day my high-speed, wireless internet service just stopped working. I turned on my laptop and was unable to connect to the 'net. I called AT&T customer service (after spending no less than 20 minutes on the AT&T website, where they keep their customer service phone number well hidden, in an attempt to get consumers to do everything for themselves.) I spent close to an hour on hold before finally getting through to a person. The person I was eventually connected to turned out to be a sales person, not a techie. Lovely. She transferred me to a techie. About ten minutes later, I had a techie tell me that my modem router was shot, and that I'd need a new one,...

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Telpher says "TV Treadmill: watch without being a couch potato " about Smooth Fitness Smooth 9.45 Tv Treadmill

Telpher — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:20:09 GMT

I'm a tv baby. The tv is on in my apartment all the time. Half the time I'm not even watching, just keeping it on for background noise. That's what happens when you grow up in a noisy house with lots of family, and end up having no kids.

I'm also working on getting healthier, and the fact that they've installed a gym right in my apartment building makes this all the easier. All I have to do is take the elevator down tot he lobby and the gym is right there. Luckily, the folks who set up the gym really thought it through. Instead of installing one tv, permanently tuned to MSNBC (as is the case at so many gyms I've gone to), they've set up the gym with machines -bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, stairmasters - that each have a built-in television. The treadmills they've installed are Smooth 9.45 TV Treadmills. Private tv, with basic cable, that I can watch and listen to on my headphones, as I do my daily 30 minutes of fat-burning/cardio!

The Smooth 9.45 TV Treadmill is the nicest treadmill...

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Telpher says "Revisiting a Childhood Favorite, and a Minor Disney Classic" about Escape to Witch Mountain

Telpher — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:36:40 GMT

These days, Disney Studios bring to mind images of high-tech, computer generated animation that is almost unrivaled in terms of realism. That's all well and good - I love Shrek as much as the next guy. When I was growing up, though, during the 70s, Disney was known also for live action films that were appropriate for the entire family. My sisters and I spent many a Sunday afternoon at matinees with our parents, watching Disney's cornball, good-natured, harmless movies...usually featuring stars from yesteryear. Some of those movies were pretty awful, but most of them were entertaining to kids and at least tolerable to adults. Of all the live action films to come out of Disney's golden age in this medium, the one I remember most fondly is Escape To Witch Mountain.

The premise is one that any kid is likely to latch onto: through a convoluted series of events, two young orphans (brother and sister) come to realize that they're not human, at all, but alien children who were stranded when the...

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Telpher says "The best things in life really are almost free" about White Rain Energizing Citrus Shampoo

Telpher — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:38:36 GMT

I used to spend a lot of money on shampoo, until someone who worked for one of the large soap companies told me that many of the products we see on shelves are made in one place, packaged differently for different companies, and sold at all different prices. I also worked for an organization that marketed their own, affordable sunscreen, and I know for a fact that they bought from the same manufacturer that many high-priced cosmetic companies bought sunscreens from. So, yeah, eventually I got it into my head that spending a fortune for shampoo was pretty much the same as throwing my money away.

About a year ago I found myself completely out of shampoo, which rarely happens (I usually have a full bottle as a back-up.) I went to the closest Walgreen's and, it being close to the end of the month, realized that I only had a couple of bucks on me. As luck would have it, White Rain Energizing Citrus Shampoo was only $1 for a 20 oz bottle. I figured, "What the heck?" A year later, and I'm still...

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Telpher says "Llanview returns to its former glory" about One Life To Live

Telpher — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:02:11 GMT

Soaps are among my guilty pleasures. I've watched them since I was a kid, which means I've seen actors come and go, and some really, really insane and stupid stories play themselves out.

One Life to Live is the master of the absurd,when it comes to daytime tv. Long before it became campy to cast apes and little people, OLTL was spinning nutty storylines about dual personalities, alternate universes, fictional blood types and, yes, even time travel. Over the years, this nutty show has provided some of the campiest, juiciest, most fun daytime tv, ever. Surprisingly enough, it's also offered some really fine acting and some really great, very human storylines.

During the last 5-10 years, soaps have gone downhill. Writers have catered to a younger audience, sacrificing their solid, long-standing fanbase. This has been a real shame. It's gotten so that many of the shows I used to watch are inhabited by characters that have absolutely no history. if there's one thing about die-hard soap fans...

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Telpher says "Watching a genius At Work - and Play" about Stevie Wonder

Telpher — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:19:10 GMT

Let me start this by putting it out there: Stevie Wonder is a genius. If you don't think so...don't bother reading further, because I'm just going to gush over how much of a genius he is.

I've been to lots of concerts during my life, and seen some really remarkable live acts of all types - Van Morrison, The Who, Eric Clapton, Bon Dylan, Gilberto Gil, Johnny Mathis, The Buena Vista Social Club, Mary J. Blige.....but attending Stevie Wonder's live show was like going to church. A church where every member of the congregation was singing and dancing and busting with joy. That's what Stevie Wonder inspires: joyful glee. He inspires young and old, people of all ethnicities. I looked around and saw parents and children, even grandparents. People of all ethnicities....the people in front of us were Russian, the people next to us were black, on our other side was an East Indian couple...I'm hispanic, my partner is from New Zealand. So much diversity and, yet, so much in common.

The man still...

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Telpher says "An oasis in an unlikely spot - with a few minor hitches" about Hotel Avante - Mountain View, CA

Telpher — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:40:38 GMT

Over the three-day weekend, we took the short train ride down to Silicon Valley to catch Stevie Wonder in Concert. We'd decided, in advance, to me make a weekend of it. Silicon Valley isn't much of a vacation region, but I always like checking out new places at least once. I found out about Hotel Avante through the concert venue's website.

The Region

Silicon Valley is the center of all things tech in the USA. Mountain View is home to Google. It's a town that busy as all heck during the week, with business men and women from all over the world visiting for professional reasons. During the weekend, it's a sleepy suburb. For this reason, the business hotels, which are pricey during the week, offer great rates during the weekend.

A Quirky Hotel

Hotel Avante is part of the Joie de Vivre family of boutique hotels. It's small, and very quirky. As soon as you walk in, you'll notice it's different. The decor is very upscale, retro 50s design style - Scandinavian furniture, color combinations...

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