http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/bkovacs Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:59:45 GMT Reviews by bkovacs http://www.viewpoints.com/Intermatic-WH40-Electric-Water-Heater-Timer-review-29a65 For many years, I've run my electric water heater with a timer that allows the water heater to run only at certain times during the day. I installed one for my current electric water heater about 15 years ago and the timer starting making noises that made me think its time was up. So I went to Lowes and bought the Intermatic WH40 Electric Water Heater Timer for about $40 and replaced it last week. — What it is — The Intermatic WH40 is a metal box about 10 inches tall, four inches wide and two inches thick. It has a timer in it that controls a switch, and it's heavy duty enough to handle just about any electric water heater used in homes. In fact, the WH40 is rated at 40 Amps at 240 Volts, which is good for 9,600 Watts of power. My water heater is rated at 4,800 Watts (20 Amps), so it is well within the capability of the Intermatic WH40. — The WH40 contains a double-pole, single-throw (DPST) switch so that it can switch both legs of a 240-Volt circuit. Look carefully... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:59:45 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Intermatic-WH40-Electric-Water-Heater-Timer-review-29a65 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Canton-Racing-Products-CM-15-Billet-Spin-On-Oil-Filter-review-98492 I have a Porsche 968 and it has many excellent things in its favor. One thing decidedly not in its favor is the location of its oil filter. There is no way to remove an old oil filter without oil spilling on various suspension/steering components, then the spilled oil slowly eats away at the rubber seals and bushings in these components. Further, you have to remove an under-engine cover to handle the gush of oil that comes from the removed oil filter. It's a real mess and the guy responsible for engineering the oil filter's location should be forced to come to my home and clean the oil from my car with cotton swabs. — Then I heard of a possible solution: A Canton Racing filter with a removable top, which lets you swap filter cartridges without a deluge of old oil. I eventually got one for my car and installed it. — What it is — I got a Canton Racing CM-15 Billet Spin-On oil filter, which has a part number of 25-282. It consists of a device that pretty... Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:31:06 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Canton-Racing-Products-CM-15-Billet-Spin-On-Oil-Filter-review-98492 bkovacs 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wal-Mart-SuperTech-Motor-Oil-review-5a7d1 I'm sold on the benefits of synthetic lubricants for cars. It's my experience over many years and many cars that it's best to use synthetic oil in car engines. Problem is that synthetic oil costs a lot more than regular (mineral) oil, usually at least twice as much and often much more. Several years ago, I found that Wal-Mart sells its own brand of synthetic motor oil called SuperTech, and it is a great bargain among synthetic oils. — For a long time, Wal-Mart SuperTech synthetic oil cost $3 per quart and $12 for a five-quart container. Like all petroleum products, it has gone up and a five-quart bottle now costs around $14.50, which works out to $2.90 per quart. Compare that to Mobil One synthetic oil, which costs around $5 per quart. — What it is — Wal-Mart's SuperTech synthetic motor oil is intended to be used as a lubricant in modern car engines, and is suitable for any engine built after 1980. It comes in only one viscosity grade that I know about: 5W-30.... Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:37:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wal-Mart-SuperTech-Motor-Oil-review-5a7d1 bkovacs 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pioneer-TS-G1642R-6-5-inch-coaxial-speakers-review-b3c85 I've had good luck with Pioneer car stereo gear, so I looked to that brand first when I wanted to upgrade the factory speakers in my 1995 Subaru Legacy. I had previously installed Pioneer TS-G1641 speakers in another car but that model is no longer available. The replacement is the Pioneer SS-G1642R, which I bought at Wal-Mart for $40 per pair. I installed two pairs in my car. — What it is — The Pioneer TS-G1642R is a standard 6.5-inch car speaker. It has a 1.2-inch tweeter mounted in the center of the 6.5-inch woofer, which makes the speaker a "coaxial" design. The tweeter is not movable or pointable, which is a bit of a disappointment. The woofer is made from plastic, making it fairly impervious to moisture. Since I installed them in the car's doors, being impervious to moisture is important. The speakers can handle 30 Watts of continuous power and my car's stereo is rated at 15 Watts per channel, so that's a good match. The speakers are rated at 4 Ohms. You can see... Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:32:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pioneer-TS-G1642R-6-5-inch-coaxial-speakers-review-b3c85 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Eagle-Eyes-Subaru-Legacy-Headlight-review-333a1 Lots of cars today have elaborate plastic headlight assemblies that get hazy and crazed over the years, which steal efficiency from the headlights. (See pictures on right.) My 1995 Subaru Legacy's headlights were nearly milky white from heavy crazing, and this had to make the lights dimmer and less focused. I decided that good safety practice meant it was time to replace the headlight assemblies with new, clear ones. Online, I found a pair of Eagle Eyes headlight assemblies for my 1995 Subaru for $110 each, which I thought was a very good price. The part numbers of these assemblies are SR015-B001L (left) and SR015-B001R (right). They should fit Subaru Legacys built through 1995 to April 1997. These headlight assemblies are made in Taiwan -- the originals were made in the USA. — What it is — The Eagle Eye headlight is a large plastic assembly that is mostly empty. The front is a clear plastic lens and everything behind the lens is made from black plastic. Inside the... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:34:17 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Eagle-Eyes-Subaru-Legacy-Headlight-review-333a1 bkovacs 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Insomnia-review-4e3d0 I rented Insomnia last night and it was an okay way to spend an evening. There have been several movies with the name Insomnia -- this one is from 2002 and it stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. — Insomnia begins as Los Angeles detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and his partner are brought to Alaska to help solve an unusual murder of a teen girl. After she was beaten to death, the girl's body was carefully cleaned, then dumped. The girl's boyfriend has a history of violence and he's quickly the prime suspect. However, the girl had a mysterious lover that she kept secret and Dormer focuses on finding this person. Dormer is assisted by eager local detective Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), who knows the locals and has studied Dormer's celebrated past as a crime fighter. — Dormer is a great cop but he also cuts corners putting bad guys away, and his conscience is tormented with memories of how he had to break the rules to do his job. Internal... Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:45:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Insomnia-review-4e3d0 bkovacs 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Twelve-Sharp-review-0fdb5 I've now read 12 of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" novels and Twelve Sharp may be the best so far. Featuring mostly the same cast of characters that the previous 11 novels use so effectively, Twelve Sharp is more interesting than most because it gives additional backgound on Ranger, Stephanie's bounty-hunter mentor and favorite daydream subject. — If you've been hiding under a rock, this series is about Stephanie Plum, a less-than-perfect bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. Stephanie works for her sleazy bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, and tries to round up all manner of miscreants from perverts to shoplifters. She's aided by her good friend Lula and lives off-and-on with her main squeeze, Joe Morelli. Helping her learn the bounty hunter biz is Ranger, a mysterious ex-special forces guy who Stephanie finds irresistable. Stuck between Ranger and Morelli, Stephanie is a girl with more choices than any girl ought to have. All of them are funny and often sexy. —... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:37:33 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Twelve-Sharp-review-0fdb5 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-2007-review-24692 On a recent business trip, I rented a 2007 PT Cruiser for two days and put about 125 miles on the car. I would have preferred something smaller and more ordinary for this rental, but the PT Cruiser was what was available. It's not a bad car but it has a few compromises you should consider before buying. The car had about 26,000 miles on it at the time of my rental. — Style — No question, the PT Cruiser turns heads with its retro style. The 2007 PT Cruiser that I rented was painted silver, which is not the color I'd choose for this style -- I think the car looks best in red and black, and maybe a bright blue. — Seating — The 2007 PT Cruiser puts the driver up nice and high, giving a good view of the road. The driver's seat was comfortable and easy to adjust to my preferred position. I thought the back seat was more cramped than I expected. With the driver's seat adjusted for my 5'8" frame, I fit behind the driver's seat just fine. However, there would... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:47:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-2007-review-24692 bkovacs 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Honor-of-Your-Company-review-1d464 I've known of Tom Paxton since I was a folk-music-addled teen, and came to own several of his CDs over the course of time. I've seen him perform perhaps five times, and he is friendly and entertaining in concert. He played a free concert at a local park a couple nights ago, so I went to see him and ultimately bought this book. He graciously autographed it for me. — The Honor of Your Company is a music book containing more than 85 of Paxton's songs, which range from love songs to children's songs to political/protest songs. The first third of the book contains a brief autobiography, sort of wrapped around several of Paxton's earliest and some of his best-known songs. He is probably most known for writing the beautiful sad ballad The Last Thing on My Mind, but also scored big with Bottle of Wine, The Marvelous Toy, My Dog's Bigger Than Your Dog and a few others. (My Dog's Bigger Than Your Dog was the soundtrack for a Ken-L-Ration dog food commercial in the late... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:24:49 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Honor-of-Your-Company-review-1d464 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Oral-B-CrossAction-Pro-Health-manual-toothbrush-review-13285 I was offered a free Oral-B CrossAction Pro-Health toothbrush in return for my unbiased review. I've used the brush at least a dozen times now, so I have a good idea if it will be comfortable for me over the long haul. — I've had lots of dental problems over the years, mostly because I was too lazy and pig-headed to take care of my teeth. My biggest regret is that I didn't take better care of my teeth as a kid, because that would have me in much better dental condition today. All water over the dam, I suppose. I got dental religion about eight years ago and now brush after every meal and snack, maybe as many as five times a day. My teeth -- the gums, really -- responded well to this treatment and what's left of my teeth are in pretty good shape today. — As a frequent brusher, I know that I have to adapt to a new toothbrush on a regular basis. When I first saw the Oral-B CrossAction Pro-Health toothbrush, I wasn't sure if I could ever adapt -- this thing is BIG. It's... Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:57:41 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Oral-B-CrossAction-Pro-Health-manual-toothbrush-review-13285 bkovacs 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Drury-Inn-Overland-Park-KS-review-986b3 On a recent business trip to the Kansas City suburbs, I booked myself into the Drury Inn in Overland Park, Kansas. I'd never stayed at a Drury Inn before and had scarcely heard of the chain, so the name "Dreary Inn" sprang to mind. I wasn't expecting much. I paid $75 per night (plus taxes) for the room for a two-night stay. — — What it is — — The Drury Inn in Overland Park, KS, is a hotel with some rooms available as suites. I had a normal room with a king-size bed, room 504. The hotel has a pool and exercise room, as well as a simple business center for basic writing and e-mailing needs. The front desk is right inside the door and there is a pretty lobby that includes an area for meals and snacks. More about the food shortly. — — In addition to a couple hundred or so rooms, the Drury Inn in Overland Park has ample parking in both a covered garage and an open lot. The hotel is just off Interstate 435 at the Metcalf Avenue exit. (I-435 rings... Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:23:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Drury-Inn-Overland-Park-KS-review-986b3 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Runaway-Jury-review-783d0 If I don't like the characters, I usually don't like the movie. As Runaway Jury edged closer to its end, it struck me that the main characters were clever and resourceful, but not particuarly likable. With the end hovering within reach, motives suddenly clarified and it was completely clear who the good guys and bad guys were. For a legal thriller, it doesn't get any better than that. — Runaway Jury stars John Cusack and Rachel Weisz as a young couple who attempt to sell a jury to the highest bidder. The case is spectacular: The widow of a stockbroker killed in a shooting rampage is suing the manufacturer of the gun used in the crime. The dead man and his wife are very sympathetic but can a case be made that a manufacturer is responsible for the unlawful use of its otherwise legal product? The attorney presenting the widow's case is Wendall Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), who is a courtly but crafty southerner. Opposing him in spirit (if not in the courtroom) is a slick jury... Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:42:50 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Runaway-Jury-review-783d0 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Kingdom-of-the-Crystal-Skull-review-e18a4 God... it's hot out. Sitting inside a chilled movie theater sounded like a bit of heaven on a swealtering Virginia day, so off I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Really, it's an absurd title that promises the film will be about mindless action twaddle. The good news is that it delivers on that promise in spades. — As most of the world knows, Henry (Indiana) Jones is a famous archeologist who occasionally gets up to his neck and then some with field work. In this film (set in 1957), he is dogged by violent Soviet special forces types led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), who could easily be mistaken for Joseph Stalin's dominatrix. Maybe it would be no mistake. One big action scene leads to another as the movie spins dizzyingly to Peru and some hidden temple of doom... no wait, that was another film. In this case, the secret temple of doom has strange crystal creatures, and getting there involves crazed locals, friendly monkeys, huge ants, snakes,... Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:13 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Kingdom-of-the-Crystal-Skull-review-e18a4 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/StarTech-PC-Case-Front-Port-Panel-review-e3fc3 I recently installed a card in my computer that gave me FireWire ports and a couple additional USB ports. The card works fine except that all these new connectors are only accessible on the back panel of the computer. It's much more practical having these kind of connectors on the front panel of the computer, so I looked for a solution and found it in the form of the StarTech PC Case Front Port Panel. StarTech's part number for this product is 35BAYPANEL, and I bought it for $25 at the nearby MicroCenter store. — What it is — The StarTech 35BAYPANEL is a plastic chassis that mounts into a standard 3.5-inch computer bay, such as what an old-fashioned floppy drive might use. My new Gateway computer had such a spot on its front and that's where I mounted this StarTech panel. The front panel of the 35BAYPANEL has two USB ports, one FireWire (IEEE1394) port, one nine-pin serial port and line audio in/out jacks. I really wanted it only for the FireWire port and have wired... Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/StarTech-PC-Case-Front-Port-Panel-review-e3fc3 bkovacs 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/My-Girl-review-6f933 Checking out the TV yesterday, I stumbled across My Girl on one of the HD channels. Not only was a good movie on but it looked great in HD! My Girl is a terrific film for the entire family and it is almost obligatory for kids aged 10-14. There's plenty for adults to enjoy, too. — First, My Girl is a comedy-drama, with quite a few little laughs, a couple of belly laughs and a significant amount of drama. There is a wrenching tragedy about 20 minutes from the end, one that could make the desert sand cry, so be available to discuss issues of life and death with your kids. The ultimate resolution is upbeat but the tragedy in the film is a stunner for both the viewers and the characters in the movie. Be prepared. — Set in the early 1970s, My Girl is about an 11-year-old named Vada, who's father Harry (Dan Ackroyd) runs a funeral parlor. Vada and her widower dad live over the funeral parlor, and Vada can't help but notice all the dead people coming into her home... Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:02:39 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/My-Girl-review-6f933 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Connectivity-1394a-USB2-Combo-PCI-Express-Card-review-94702 I have a fairly new Gateway computer that's really fast, perfect for a task like editing some videos that I've had laying around the house. However, the problem was that the camcorder I borrowed used a FireWire port (also known as iLink and IEEE1394) to feed video into the computer and my computer did not have a matching FireWire port. Therefore, I went to the neighborhood computer store and bought a Best Connectivity 1394a/USB2 Combo card for $45. — What it is — The Best Connectivity 1394a/USB2 Combo card fits into a PCI-Express slot in a standard PC-style computer. Your computer must have a PCI-Express slot to work with this card. The card has two FireWire and two USB ports on its back panel and one of each connector on the edge of the card, where they face the inside of the computer. (Take a look at the picture to the right to see what the card looks like.) The card consumes a single slot in the computer. — Installing it — I had two open... Fri, 30 May 2008 01:13:30 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Connectivity-1394a-USB2-Combo-PCI-Express-Card-review-94702 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Owens-Corning-Supreme-AR-shingles-review-df692 My house was built in 1978, although I bought it in 1993. Shortly after 1978, but well before 1993, the previous owner built a detatched two-car garage that is my home away from home. In that garage, I spend many happy hours underneath cars and bent over engines, keeping my (and the occasional neighbor's) wheels running. — I knew the garage's roof was in need of attention but didn't know just how bad until I climbed up to take a look. As you can see in the first picture, it was covered with moss and other plants, and the shingles were cracked, chipped and just plain worn out. I decided to take the long Memorial Day weekend to replace the roof on the garage. My wife and I painstakingly cleaned off all the moss and debris, then nailed down new shingles: Owens Corning Supreme AR shingles, which I bought at Lowes for $15.90 per bundle. My roof took 23 bundles of shingles to complete. — What it is — Owens Corning Supreme AR shingles are standard three-tab roof shingles.... Tue, 27 May 2008 02:00:41 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Owens-Corning-Supreme-AR-shingles-review-df692 bkovacs 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Music-and-Lyrics-review-25fd3 One of the great misconceptions regarding movies is that guys don't like romantic comedies. Well, I'm a guy and I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy. In fact, if I were to compile a list of my 10 favorite movies, The Goodbye Girl would be on it and a few other romantic comedies would be contenders, such as  Groundhog Day and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Another (somewhat lesser) misconception is that guys don't like Hugh Grant in movies. Wrong again in my case, as I think Grant is tailor made to be the lead in romantic comedies. Something about him makes me laugh just watching him walk down the street. — Therefore, I had high hopes for Music and Lyrics, a (what else?) romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Bottom line is that it's an okay movie that would have been better if Grant, Barrymore and others were better singers. — In Music and Lyrics, Grant is Alex, a washed up pop star from the 1980s who was in a disposable band... Wed, 21 May 2008 15:01:19 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Music-and-Lyrics-review-25fd3 bkovacs 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Home-for-the-Holidays-review-32f07 My latest Netflix rental was Home for the Holidays. Starring a lot of people I enjoy in movies (Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning), it sounded like an off-beat look at a dysfunctional family at the holidays. However, after a fine start, it spiraled into disappointment and stayed firmly there. — This film had a good start and decent-enough premise, but it's sunk by wildly annoying characters. Claudia (Holly Hunter) loses her job, gets a bad cold and learns her teenage daughter is about to have sex for the first time, all on the day Claudia has to go to her parents' home for Thanksgiving. Claudia adores her idiot brother Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.), who is so annoying and anti-social that you want to kill him. He badly needs a haircut, too. The other relatives come from central casting: The ditsy father who is mostly in another world, the chain-smoking alcoholic mother who knows what's best for everyone, the perfect and... Mon, 19 May 2008 14:55:54 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Home-for-the-Holidays-review-32f07 bkovacs 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wireless-Extenders-zBoost-YX500-PCS-Cell-Phone-review-707b2 I wanted high-speed Internet service at my house in the mountains and I wanted it cheap. The usual services (from a cable TV company or the phone company) aren't available at this house. Meanwhile, I work for Sprint Nextel and have access to very cheap wireless high-speed data service (called EVDO), but the catch is that there must be reception. To improve my reception, I decided to get  the zBoost YX500-PCS cell phone repeater by Wireless Extenders (Wi-Ex). I bought it from a cell phone repeater specialist on the Internet for about $225. — What It Is — The Wi-Ex zBoost YX500-PCS is a complete system that includes an indoor repeater, outdoor antenna, indoor antenna, cable and some hardware to hook it all up. There is hardware to attach the antenna to the wall of your house (inside or outside) but there is no other antenna mount. The antenna provided with the zBoost YX500-PCS is an omnidirectional model, meaning that it picks up equally well in all directions. ... Fri, 16 May 2008 14:04:50 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wireless-Extenders-zBoost-YX500-PCS-Cell-Phone-review-707b2 bkovacs 3