Reviews by Friends of dacs

Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

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bkovacs says "Great location and efficient care" about Inova Woodburn Surgery Center -

bkovacs — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:23:29 GMT

My wife recently had foot surgery, and she had it at the Inova Woodburn Surgery Center. Located just 100 yards from the intersection of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Gallows Road in Annandale, VA, the Inova Woodburn Surgery Center is close to my home. I do not know if it is associated with nearby Inova Fairfax Hospital, a huge and highly regarded hospital in this area.

Inova Woodburn Surgery Center supports a lot of different outpatient surgery, taking cases that free up the operating rooms at the hospital. I spoke to a woman at Inova Woodburn and she said that the center used to specialize in eye surgery, but that it now does a variety of surgeries. She said that she appreciated the variety.

As for my wife, she had foot surgery by a foot specialist that she's seen a few times. The physician is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle problems. My wife really likes the doctor but doesn't particularly like his office, which she finds chaotic and inefficient. However, she...

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bkovacs says "It works but it's messy" about Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme lubricant

bkovacs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:23:35 GMT

The driver's door lock on my 1995 Subaru was getting hard to turn with the key, so I decided to get some lubricant for the lock to see if that would make a difference. I remember little spray cans of graphite lubricant at autoparts stores specifically for lubricating locks. However, the autoparts store I went to didn't have those little cans, so I asked an employee. He pointed me at Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme in an aerosol can, which cost $4 for 5.5 ounces.

What it is

Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme is a spray lubricant that uses graphite. Graphite is a crystaline form of carbon -- we're most familiar with its use in pencils. Graphite is actually the "lead" in pencils. Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme has graphite suspended in a solvent. When you spray the lubricant out, the solvent carries the graphite out of the can and the graphite stays behind as a solvent.

Using it

Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme has an agitator ball inside the can, so I shook it for 10 seconds or so. The can came with a long thin...

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bkovacs says "Comfortable, inexpensive orthotic inserts" about Profoot Triad Insoles 1 Pair For Women

bkovacs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:35:37 GMT

My wife has problems with her feet, to the point where she has had surgery on both her feet. (In fact, she had surgery about 10 days ago on her left foot and is still recovering.) To make walking and standing more comfortable, she bought orthotics -- first as prescribed by a doctor, then over-the-counter in stores. Just a couple days ago, she bought a set of Profoot Triad orthotics at Walmart for about $4.65 for the pair. Amazingly, Profoot Triad orthotics are made in the USA, which was the main reason why she chose Profoot Triad orthotics over a similar made-in-China product sold under the Dr. Scholl's label.

What's an orthotic?

An orthotic is a supplimental arch support for the foot. It slips into a shoe (click on the thumbnails to the right to see) and helps the foot maintain the proper arch. When the arch of the foot is correct, the foot's bones can align properly. This will help avoid foot problems such as bunions, which occur when the foot's bones are shifted uncomfortably toward...

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bkovacs says "What coulda been..." about Valkyrie (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

bkovacs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:05:47 GMT

I finally had a chance to see Valkyrie, a World War II movie starring Tom Cruise, and it's a pretty good movie.

Valkyrie is based on a true story about a failed plot to kill Adolph Hitler and end the war in Europe early. I had heard of this plot many times but Valkyrie hangs considerable flesh on the slim bones I knew about the event. Cruise is Claus von Stauffenberg, a colonel in the German army who lost one eye, one hand and a couple fingers of the other hand in battle in Africa. After recovering in Germany, he gets appointed as the chief of staff to the commander of the reserve army protecting Berlin, the perfect position to plot against Hitler. Several other officers of higher rank are also conspirators in the plan and a few others know about the plan but do nothing to stop it. Eventually, von Stauffenberg gets into a conference with Hitler and plants a bomb in his briefcase. von Stauffenberg is convinced that Hitler must have died in the blast and starts Operation Valkyrie to take...

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bkovacs says "Expensive pads are no better than cheaper brands" about Hawk - High-Performance Street (HPS) brake pads

bkovacs — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:36:22 GMT

My brother raved about Hawk brake pads, so when my 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon needed pads a few years ago, I looked for a set of Hawk pads. I found them at The Tire Rack, one of my favorite online stores, at a cost of about $65. At the time (2005), a set of cheapie pads at any autoparts store cost around $30, so Hawk pads were at least twice as expensive. Still, I had dreams of high performance and low dust, so I paid the permium for Hawk HPS pads.

What they are

Hawk sells lots of different brake pads and the HPS is targeted at "spirited" street driving. Most of the rest of Hawk's line is meant for racing or combined street/racing applications. "HPS" stands for "High Performance Street," and the company promised strong braking and minimal dust. Since brake dust looks awful on my plastic wheel covers, I was in favor of low brake dust.

A set of Hawk HPS pads includes four pads -- enough for both front wheels on my car. The specific part number I bought was HB408F.665.

Using them

I installed...

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bkovacs says "Works well... but be careful." about The Works The Works disinfectant Toilet bowl cleaner

bkovacs — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:21:17 GMT

My wife bought a bottle of The Works, a toilet bowl cleaner that we had not previously seen. We wanted something that would take care of rust stains and hard-water scale, which are a problem at our house in the mountains. My wife thinks that it cost $2.50 for a 28-ounce bottle.

What it is

The Works came in a plastic bottle that has a bent neck, making it easy to squirt it up under the rim of the toilet. What shoots out is a thick bluish liquid, which has a pleasant mildly perfumed smell. The active ingredient is 20-percent hydrogen chloride -- more about this in a moment.

Using it

As I said, the design of the bottle makes it easy to squirt the thick liquid under the rim of the toilet bowl. A few seconds after squirting the liquid under the rim, we swished The Works around the bowl including down below the waterline. Any rust and scale dissolved immediately, and the bowl was quickly sparkling clean. And I mean that this process just took a few seconds -- The Works made the bowl clean in...

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bkovacs says "Bad accents and weak sizzle" about Captain Corelli's Mandolin

bkovacs — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:16:27 GMT

I found Captain Corelli's Mandolin on an HD channel and saved it for a rainy day. Yesterday was that day.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a WWII love story, set on an off-the-beaten-path Greek island called Cephalonia. Dr. Iannis (John Hurt) is the physician on the island and his pretty daughter Pelagia (Penelope Cruz) studies medicine with him. It is 1940 and war is starting to swirl around Cephalonia. Pelagia's boyfriend Mandras (Christian Bale) soon becomes her fiance and goes off to war in Albania.

When Mandras is gone, Italian soldiers land on Cephalonia and take over. However, these Italian soldiers are much more lovers than fighters, and they spend the day at wine, women and song... lots of song. Leading the soldiers is Captain Antonio Corelli (Nicolas Cage), an opera-singing and mandolin-playing artillery officer, who ends up getting billeted with Dr. Iannis and Pelagia. Pelagia is furious that the enemy is staying in her home -- until Captain Corelli's charm and culture melt her...

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bkovacs says "Confusing caper" about Duplicity

bkovacs — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:45:08 GMT

Like many others, I've been waiting a while to see Duplicity, a stylish caper/romance film starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. When all was said and done, I was a little disappointed. Duplicity could have been much more fun than it was but it mostly ended up being confusing.

Claire (Julia Roberts) and Ray (Clive Owen) first meet at a US Embassy party. They quickly have an encounter and one is relieved of some secret documents. This confused me quite a bit, since I thought that the spy services of the US and the UK cooperated extensively, and the documents that were stolen seem like the sort of thing that would be shared in a heartbeat. In any event, Claire and Ray bump into each other occasionally afterward, with the same sort of questions and responses thrown at each other. Both leave their country's spy services and go to work for large corporations. Working together -- or are they? -- they get wind of a BIG product announcement. Will they steal it and sell it to the highest bidder?...

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bkovacs says "Good corporate-quality LCD monitor" about Dell E198FP 19 inch LCD Monitor

bkovacs — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:24:34 GMT

Although I already had access to a widescreen Dell LCD monitor at my work, I grabbed another LCD monitor when a co-worker started working from home. I wanted to see how the monitor my co-worker abandoned in his corporate cubicle compared to the one I already had. This new monitor is a Dell E198FP, and it sells for about $300 new.

What it is

The Dell E198FP is a 19-inch LCD monitor with the old-fashioned 4:3 aspect ratio. This means it is not a widescreen monitor. The E198FP measures a true 19 inches from corner to corner, and it comes with a simple stand that lets you tilt the monitor up and down. It weighs about 8.5 pounds without the stand, making it light enough to easily work with many desk and wall mounts.

Otherwise, the Dell E198FP is pretty basic -- a standard no-frills LCD monitor that you often see in a corporate setting. In addition to an on/off switch on the front bezel, there are three pushbuttons used to navigate the monitor's on-screen menus.

The E198FP has only a single...

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bkovacs says "'Gran Torino' is a great ride" about Gran Torino

bkovacs — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:49:42 GMT

I think most reviewers get one point wrong about Walt Kowalski, Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino. Everyone remarks that Walt is a racist, and he certainly uses strong language that we associate with racial intolerance. However, Walt is more of a "timist" than anything -- his beef is not with the race of the people around him, but the time in which he is living. Walt would prefer to turn back the clock to a time when everything made sense and his beloved 1972 Ford Gran Torino ruled the streets with gas-gulping muscle.

Walt lives in Detroit, in a neighborhood that has just about completely gone ethnic. Gran Torino opens with Walt at his wife's funeral, while the extended Hmung family next door celebrates the birth of a child. Walt fights the changes of time with a string of obscenities and slurs that are actually... well, funny. When Thao (Bee Vang), the timid Hmung teen next door, tries to steal the Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, Walt stops him with his Korean War...

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