Reviews by a100indecisions

a100indecisions says "Holmes Humidifier is an affordable workhorse" about Holmes Products Cool Mist Humidifier Model HM1200

a100indecisions — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:52:01 GMT

Picked these up on a clearance rack at Target near the end of the season - paid approximately $5 for a double pack. While they aren't the hottest in home decor, they get the job done, and are remarkably easy to clean and refill. The tank is small enough that it is not heavy when 100% full, yet large enough that it can go a few days (on the lowest setting) without being refilled. Even while constantly on, the filters have lasted a good three-six months, and are available just about everywhere for $3-5 each.

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a100indecisions says "Great when it works... which isn't often" about Venta Venta Digital Humidifier

a100indecisions — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:40:46 GMT

My husband and I were in the market for a humidifier after mistakenly thinking we didn't need one living so close to Lake Michigan and leaving our ancient (but wonderful) Sears model behind. We found ourselves in the humidifier aisle at Bed Bath & Beyond, and the nice styling and ultrasonic features sold us immediately. The nearly $200 price tag is what held us back, but we eventually decided that the 10 year warranty and no-need-to clean features were worth it.

And they were, for the first winter. But alas, during the second winter, the humidifier refused to humidify. The digital sensor just blinked and no mist came out. Once or twice, the machine seemed to reset after being turned off/unplugged/new water, but when it became a problem, a quick Google search enlightened us - the "Maintenance Free Box" needed to be replaced. Another Google search helped us track down the elusive "Maintenance Free Box" - for $30 plus shipping! Heck, we could buy a new cheapie humidifier for that price - but...

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a100indecisions says "Bejweled is evil incarnate, wrapped up in a sparkly package!" about Bejeweled 2 for Windows

a100indecisions — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:56:10 GMT

Bejeweled has got to be the most fufilling waste of time ever invented. Who would have thought that the simple act of matching three (or more) jewels by swapping one item for something next to it could be so darn addicting - and suck so much time away from any seemingly normal, non-computer gamer?

Once I start playing bejeweled, I cannot stop. I am always going for the high score - and will start new games as soon as I've "lost" one. I wish that there was a way to make money playing Bejeweled, because if there were, I'd be a millionare.

If you're looking for a casual game you can pick up, play, and quit playing when it's time to do some real work, Bejeweled may be it - but you be testing your willpower once you get hooked. It's hard to pull yourself away when you dont have anything better to do - or your to-do list is full of things you don't want to do.

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a100indecisions says "One Day, One Deal, One Empty Pocketbook" about Woot.com

a100indecisions — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:53:47 GMT

Woot.com has got to be my husband's favorite web site - and it has more power to send us to the poorhouse than any of our creditors. Why? Because for 24 hours, woot.com offers one product at an amazingly low price. Except on Tuesdays, when you get two for the price of one. And during Woot-Offs, where the one product sells until it sells out - and then is replaced by another outrageous deal. (Woot-offs don't happen very often - but when they do, you have to be quick.)

Beacuse of woot, we are now the proud owners of a Harmony 880 remote, four GO-Dusters, a wireless bluetooth headset ... the list goes on and on.

Don't get too excited though - sometimes the woots (and products in the woot-off) are awful. The "random bag of crap" can be just that - or can be an Xbox 360 - you really are pressing your luck when you bid for it. But even if you don't want the product, you can rest assured that the description will be hilarious. And somewhat factual.

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a100indecisions says "it's hard to compete with amazon - but they try." about Quality Paperback Book Club (QPB)

a100indecisions — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:36:56 GMT

Quality Paperback Book Club works the same way all of those mail-order clubs work - you get a bunch of books for a small amount when you sign up (typically 4 or 5 books for $1 each), and then you have to buy a certain number to fufill your club membership.

What's cool about QPB is that they have all genres - but what's not so cool is that they have a limited selection, especially when compared to Amazon.

They offer "Bonus Points" with each purchase that allow you to buy future books at a reduced price - but of late I have found the prices to be about the same as they are everywhere else - and it takes too many bonus points to make them worth anything.

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a100indecisions says "As soon as you can afford one, BUY IT" about Kitchen Aid

a100indecisions — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:17:55 GMT

Growing up, I remember my mom had a Kitchen Aid mixer. She didn't bake very much, so it was always the "big mixer" that was buried in a kitchen cabinet. Whenever she needed it to make a cake, we had to crawl into the back of the cabinet, get out the stand part, get out the bowl, and then dig through the drawers of utensils to find the attachments. So I grew up thinking that big stand mixers were more of an annoyance than anything else. I used a hand mixer for a good 10 years before I finally caved in and bought a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I bought it at Costco, so it was significantly less than regular price - and it came with a few extra attachments and a mail-in rebate for a free additional bowl.

Oh.My.God. My mom had it all wrong. That mixer never should have been buried in the back of the cabinet. It should have had prime real estate on the countertop. The Kitchen Aid makes short work of everything. No need to stand there while your arm gets tired holding the mixer for 5 minutes,like...

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a100indecisions says "No secrets when reading the ingredients list" about Canidae All Life Stages

a100indecisions — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:43:06 GMT

We adopted our Bull Terrier from a family that was unable to keep up with her energy levels, and they told us she was on a very strict diet of Iams. A coworker switched her dog to "the raw diet" after learning that some of the ingredients in commercial pet food were given scientific names to hide the fact that they were animal parts of domesticated and/or euthanized mammals. I knew that feeding our dog strictly raw food would be too much work for our busy life, but I didn't want to feed her the cheapest food I could find - or anything that you could pick up at the grocery store (or even gas station). So I went online and searched for the best dog food - and Canidae kept coming up. It wasn't sold at the grocery store - or even at the big box pet stores - it's only sold in smaller, independent pet stores. This means it costs more than Kibbles and Bits, but I feel much better about feeding our dog something made from the same ingredients her human owners would eat. There is nothing artificial...

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a100indecisions says "A Top Ten Party School Can Be What You Make of It" about University of Colorado at Boulder

a100indecisions — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:41:24 GMT

Sure, it's a beautiful campus and only 45 minutes from a ski resort. And Boulder is known as 25 square miles surrounded by reality... which pretty much sums it up. But it is possible to get a decent education at the University of Colorado at Boulder without falling prey to the "party school" atmosphere, or becoming a hippy and dropping out to join Naropa, a Buddhist-inspired, accredited university that just might offer "BasketWeaving" as a course. Just be smart about what classes you're taking, and if you are there to get an education, keep that in mind before you let your weekend start on Tuesday.

CU-Boulder was very good at integrated/cross-discipline learning experience, meaning that a foreign language class might incorporate topics you might expect from the film school. The business school often worked with the school of engineering to produce technical entreprenuers. And it seemed the more specialized the course, the more often you would find someone who was taking the course for...

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a100indecisions says "A MUST for Tablet PC owners, writers, notetakers..." about Microsoft OneNote 2007

a100indecisions — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:36:18 GMT

Microsoft Office OneNote came with my computer, and at first I thought it was a stupid, unnecessary program. Especially because I already had Microsoft Word. I didn't need another word processing program.

And then I used it. The number one feature: AUTO SAVE! Never worry about a power outage, a crash, overwriting the wrong version of a document. OneNote works just like a regular notebook would - once it's written down, it's saved until you decide to tear the page out and throw it away. This makes it perfect for jotting notes when you only have 10-15 minutes to use your computer before sleeping/shutting down again.

Next great feature: notebooks! this lets you categorize your documents by subject, or whatever method you decide to use. I have a few - personal, work, writing tips, project management resources, a journal ... and you have the option to password protect each notebook. within each notebook are pages - which you name by giving them a headline. Everything you type is indexed, so...

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a100indecisions says "Who needs that other phone when you have the G1? Keyboard! Yay!" about T-Mobile - G1 Cell Phone

a100indecisions — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:12:39 GMT

I admit, I don't normally rush out and buy new technology on the first day - it is always full of bugs, and the price always drops dramatically three weeks later. But I ignored all of that and went to the T-Mobile store the day the G1 came out. The difference in my experience at T-Mobile versus what I had heard about that other phone were immense. A coworker told us he stood in line for three hours nearly a week after that other phone had come out. I walked in the day the phone came out, and 20 minutes later, was already syncing up my emails and using the GPS to track our route in the car. Since that day in October, things have only changed for the better - the "Market" now offers both free and paid software downloads - so I can get my casual game fix for free, and pay (.99, so far) for the apps that make my G1 even more useful.

What I like: touch screen, built in slide-out keyboard, ability to make "Shortcuts" to favorite applications, web browser that works on 3G network, music player,...

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a100indecisions says "Windex Outdoor Window Cleaner Makes a Tough Job Easy" about Windex Outdoor All-In-One Window Cleaner

a100indecisions — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:15:17 GMT

I got a free sample of the Windex Outdoor All-In-One Window Cleaner through Viewpoints, but didn't realize it was meant for homeowners. Unfortunately, I live on the 18th floor of a high-rise apartment, and our outdoor windows are washed by professionals. :)

However, we have 10' ceilings, and our windows stretch almost to said ceiling. Which means cleaning the indoor windows requires precariously balancing on a chair - in corners where chairs don't really fit because the furniture is in the way. This tool made it super-easy and took away the insane balance game I would have to play to clean the windows....

a100indecisions says "OMG - "diet" ice cream treats that actually taste good" about Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches

a100indecisions — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:56:51 GMT

I first bought these Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches for two reasons - they were on sale, and (at the time) I was on a low-carb diet and craving ice cream... and these were the only "diet" things in the freezer case... (yes, it was a long time ago)

With some skepticism, I tried one.

First thought: "Hey, this is the same size as a regular ice cream sandwich."
Second thought: "And it leaves those little chocolate thumbprint marks on my hands just like a regular ice cream sandwich."
Third thought: "Did I grab the right one? Is this thing really diet?"
Fourth thought: "At 120 calories each, can I eat a second one?"

Seriously, they're that good. Take one, put the package back in the freezer, and leave the room before eating - otherwise you will be tempted to go back for more.

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a100indecisions says "Heaven must not have taste buds .. this Apple Crisp is awful" about Mrs. Smith's Heavenly 100 Calorie Apple Crisp

a100indecisions — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:21:23 GMT

I was so excited to see 100 calorie desserts on clearance, that I bought two of these Mrs. Smith's Heavenly 100 Calorie Apple Crisp packages. "Clearance" isn't a bargain if the food is disgusting ... which these are. They are frozen, and are supposed to be warmed in a microwave for 45 seconds prior to "enjoyment." There was no enjoyment - I took two bites and gave up. The apples didn't taste right, and the "crisp" was not only soft, but also tasted a bit like dirt. My husband took one bite and handed it back to me. Both of them went in the trash. And I'm mad I have another box in the freezer....

a100indecisions says "Twitter makes blogging fast, easy, and painless" about Twitter

a100indecisions — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:58:25 GMT

Oh Twitter. At first I thought you were just another fad, like AIM, MySpace and Facebook, that I would be forced to sign up for because everyone else was using it. But as it turns out, I'm the early adopter here - and I signed up because some other service used Twitter for fast & easy updates.

Twitter is like blogging, but you're limited to a certain number of characters per "post" - I think it's around 150. So you have to be concise. But you can update it from just about anywhere, thanks to built in functionality and plug-ins. You can send a "tweet" via text message, via e-mail, via the web interface, even via 3rd party tools for other applications. Which means if you're walking down the street and you see someone who looks a lot like Elvis walk into a costume shop, you can immediately send a "tweet" that says "Elvis just walked into Bob's Costumes on 5th Ave - and he's wearing that ugly cape!".

You can also send direct messages to people, which is why I originally signed up. Twitter allows...

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a100indecisions says "An Old Time Cleaning Secret - Amaze Your Friends!" about Servaas Laboratories Barkeeper's Friend

a100indecisions — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:25:22 GMT

You've probably walked right by Bar Keeper's Friend at the grocery store and never gave it a second thought. Who ever heard of that? Why not just use the other (more famous) scouring powder?

Because Bar Keeper's Friend kicks dirt's butt. I have used it to remove the "scratches" on the bottom of a porcelain sink, the remnants of a de-glazed wine sauce from a stainless steel frying pan, the nasty rust ring around the toilet we inherited when we moved into our apartment (even CLR wouldn't get it off!), and ... well, just about anything I couldn't get off using regular soap and water.

I dont know how mixing it with a little water, forming a paste, and cleaning the messy spots works - sometimes it feels like magic just because I know how many other things I've tried that didn't work.

This stuff is also economical - we bought a 3-pack from Costco more than two years ago, and we're still on the first can. A little goes a LONG way.

Bar Keeper's friend is one of many "old-fashioned" cleaners - like......

a100indecisions says "I hated to vacuum....until we got a Dyson" about Dyson Vacuum - Upright All Floors Bagless Cyclonic Vacuum

a100indecisions — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:13:55 GMT

Seriously, I hated to vacuum. From unwinding the cord to pushing the loud thing around, i would rather pick up the obvious bits of dirt with my hands than drag the vacuum out. But when we got a Dyson, that changed. First off, how cool is it that you can *see* the dirt swirling around in the glass tube? Second, there are no bags to change, and the aforementioned glass tube is extremely easy to empty - so there's no excuse for not vacuuming because the bag is full. The Dyson is light and easy to push around - and it is super easy to switch from the regular vacuum mode to the attachment mode, which means i can do all of the surfaces at once. It picks up dirt so well, our carpets look brand new again - and I've used it to "sweep" the kitchen floor too - it does a better job than the broom, too, as there are no little lines where the dustpan meets the floor.

I admit I thought it was a little pricey when we picked it up, but we got it on sale, and Target was offering a free $50 gift card with......

a100indecisions says "Promising in theory, boring in practice" about Bold Games Professor Brainium's Games Games for Nintendo Game Boy DS for DS

a100indecisions — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:42:01 GMT

If you judge Professor Brainium's Games by the copy on the back cover, it's awesome. If you actually play it, you'll discover that whoever wrote the copy must have been writing about a different game. The in-game instructions are horrible - for example, one of the available games is "Go," and the instructions tell you how to place pieces on the board and how to win, but they don't explain the object of the game. After 5 minutes the computer player was beating me 3-1 and I had no clue how to make a comeback.

Mahjong is OK, but there are issues there too. The board is small and doesn't take advantage of the DS's two screens. The help/zoom/hint icons are too big, and in many of the configurations, they cover a few of the tiles - so the Professor's head pops up and prompts you to choose a help menu, when you really meant to select a tile.

Suduko was clunky, the Mind Bender game is lame (guess the color combination?) and the math-suduko hybrid was not explained well enough for me to play it. I...

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a100indecisions says "Planet Puzzle League is MORE addicting than Tetris ever was!" about nintendo Planet Puzzle League

a100indecisions — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:18:24 GMT

When I got Brain Age 2, there was a little flier in the package that said if you like this, you might also like ... and Planet Puzzle League was one of the suggestions. It looked like one of those mindless block games that are great for when you're waiting in line, for a movie to start, or you just can't think of anything better to do, so I was already intrigued.

Unfortunately, it took over a month to find the game - apparently either folks think it's really popular, or nobody has heard of it - I think I finally settled on a used copy - and since then, it has not left my DS. All of my other games are jealous - they haven't been played in months.

Planet Puzzle League is MORE addicting than Tetris - do not pick it up if you have things you MUST get done. I thought that the option to play a timed game would be a saving grace - you have 2 minutes to get as many points as you can. There are three different play modes, so I figured at most, I'd take a 6 minute break and then be back to work.......

a100indecisions says "Caramel Delight is missing the caramel flavor..but not the fiber" about General Mills Fiber One Caramel Delight

a100indecisions — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:19:23 GMT

Fiber One's "Caramel Delight" cereal makes getting your fiber easier, but it does not taste as good as the other products in the same line. I was expecting "Caramel Delight" to have a powerful caramel flavor, but found it lacking. It's not that the cereal is inedible - it tastes fine, but the flavor gets a little lost once you add milk. It's like you're eating "healthy" cereal - the "clusters" options make it much easier to feel like you're indulging and taste much better. Just be warned - don't eat too much. Don't snack on it like it's popcorn. It's got fiber, even if you can't taste it - and your body will let you know when you've had too much....

a100indecisions says "Tastes great, less filling... Which can be a bad thing!" about Fiber One - Chewy High Fiber Snack Bar

a100indecisions — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:29:20 GMT

Fiber One bars are awesome. If you weren't told they had fiber, you wouldn't know it. They taste just like junk food should - but they're good for you, and relatively healthy. The chocolate chip version is better than the other flavors, but it's also the first one to go when they are on sale. They taste sooo good, it is easy to forget that each bar has 35% of your daily fiber allotment. Which you will discover the first time you eat one and go back for a second. Now you're at 70% of the recommended fiber intake, and since today's processed/fast-food culture makes us lucky to hit 50% RDA, you WILL experience gastro-intestinal upset. It would be in your best interest not to enter a crowded elevator. :)

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