Most of the times I saw Eddie Izzard material for the first time were alone, in my apartment, watching YouTube.
The last time I heard Eddie Izzard material for the first time was almost 5 years ago, lying in bed in the dark listening to an audio bootleg of one of his Stripped shows.
Today, I saw new Eddie Izzard material for the first time sitting front row centre in Massey Hall with my two very best friends in the whole world!
I highly recommend it.
I repeat: front row centre. Front row centre. Front row centre!!!
This bears emphasizing not just because holy shit front row centre, but because Eddie Izzard and Massey Hall deserve credit for having a system where an ordinary person with no inside knowledge and no connections, armed with nothing but a readily-googleable fan presale code, can land front row centre seats through normal, official channels! Since I saw tickets to some of Eddie's other shows on stubhub before the fan presale even started, I was very happy to see that Massey Hall was selling properly and aboveboard and "best available" actually meant best available.
Also, I touched the stage of Massey Hall! (Before the show, when the audience was milling around. I just stood up, took two steps, and touched it!)
The whole show went by so fast! The first half felt like 20 minutes (it was an hour and a quarter) and the second half felt like 10 minutes (it was at least an hour). I didn't even retain any of the material for future quoting purposes because it went by so fast! I've already forgotten and then re-remembered some parts, and burst out laughing in the subway because I re-remembered the sacrificial virgins bit.
About halfway through the first act, I hit this endorphin high where I was so close to full belly laughter than I couldn't even laugh big any more. The show ended 1.5 hours ago, and I'm still floating there. I've been grinning basically since 8 pm, and I'm not about to stop any time soon.
Because of the high and the rapid pace of new material and the intensity of experiencing it brand new for the first time live and in person and up close and personal, I can't even review the material! I can't even compare it to other shows! I'll seriously have to buy the DVD to figure out how I like it compared with other shows!
We still really need a way to communicate to Eddie on stage that we're listening with rapt attention. When he was talking about how we use French-derived words for meat instead of the Anglo-Saxon-derived words we used for the animals (cow = boeuf = beef) we were agreeing and listening and waiting to hear what he said next, but he read the room as not following or not entertained or something. Which isn't true! What he was saying was true and interesting and one of my favourite things about English etymology and we couldn't wait to see what else he had to say about it, it just wasn't making us belly laugh.
I normally tweet a welcome to any visiting celebrities, but Eddie arrived right at the peak of the Rob Ford gong show, so I didn't quite feel right about welcoming anyone into this mess. But perhaps it's good thing for a comedian, because it provides a wealth of material! Eddie did a bit about Ford at the beginning and then had smoking crack as a callback punchline throughout. Twitter tells me that in the earlier shows this week, he got 20 minutes of quality material out of it. Imagine walking into a city as a comedian and it hands you 20 minutes of material that didn't exist the day before! On one hand, maybe this will make him like us and come back! On the other hand, I don't want my city to still be so rich in comedy material next time!
Eddie looks absolutely fantastically gorgeous during this tour! Best I've seen him look in real time! The clean-shaven look really suits him, even when he's not going fully femme.
And my absolute favourite part of tonight was that instead of doing the stage door autograph thing, Eddie came back onstage and did a Q&A session! He sat down right on the edge of the stage and took questions from the audience! I vastly prefer that because you get to feel like you're part of a more intimate conversation even if you don't have anything to contribute! I didn't have any questions, so I just sat there and enjoyed and felt like I was getting to be a part of the conversation without the risk of making an ass of myself.
Eddie is so good at including the whole room that even though we were front and centre and really really close to him during the Q&A, we didn't feel any more included in the conversation than anyone else. He was deliberately calling on question-askers who were further back and not giving us any particular attention. All of which was very fair and equitable, of course, I'm just very impressed that he can do that! It's got to be difficult not to favour people who are nearly within arm's reach and within easy conversational distance! (We still got to enjoy proximity and skinny jeans and such, so I feel like we won.)
(I'm also happy about the Q&A in my ongoing tradition of interpreting everything as being the result of my influence as a blogger. Eddie did Q&As earlier in the Stripped tour, but didn't do them for us. I did express my disappointment on the internet that we got stage door instead of Q&A. And this time we got a Q&A! Also, last time I also expressed concern that the tickets available through Ticketmaster weren't the same as the tickets available though the Massey Hall box office, with far better tickets being available through Massey Hall (Massey Hall put us in the second row when Ticketmaster was putting us on the balcony), and this time the Toronto tickets were through Massey Hall only with Ticketmaster not involved at all!)
Next time there's an It Gets Better or Letter To Your Younger Self or similar meme floating around, this evening is something that I am totally going to tell my younger self about. This was like the pinnacle of experience for me.
Eddie did mention in the Q&A that he plans two more tours. I look forward to him topping this. Twice.
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Post your external hard drive recommendations here!
Just over two years ago, I bought a Western Digital Elements external hard drive. I didn't put a lot of research into this - I just had to reimage my computer so I needed something immediately for backup.
It served me well for nearly two years, but then the power supply died. I bought a new one on ebay, but it died just now, after only a few months' use. The internet suggests that this is not an uncommon problem with Western Digital external hard drives.
So I've decided it's time to go for quality. Can anyone recommend an external hard drive that has given them worry-free reliability and longevity?
I don't necessarily need anything with its own backup software or anything, I just need an external hard drive that will work and keep working for years without my having to worry about it.
Suggestions?
It served me well for nearly two years, but then the power supply died. I bought a new one on ebay, but it died just now, after only a few months' use. The internet suggests that this is not an uncommon problem with Western Digital external hard drives.
So I've decided it's time to go for quality. Can anyone recommend an external hard drive that has given them worry-free reliability and longevity?
I don't necessarily need anything with its own backup software or anything, I just need an external hard drive that will work and keep working for years without my having to worry about it.
Suggestions?
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Nanoblur
I recently tried Nanoblur, which claims to instantly reduce the appearance of skin by changing the way light reflects off skin.
Many internet reviewers have said that they experienced instantly noticeable results. However, on me, it did basically nothing. I could see maybe a 2% improvement on my forehead wrinkles when I was wearing makeup, and nothing perceptible when I wasn't wearing makeup. Also, when I applied with with makeup, my eyes somehow looked smaller afterwards.
I also tried it on my elbows and on the backs of my hands (to duplicate tests I've seen people do on the internet), and there was no perceptible difference.
It didn't do anything to mitigate the dark skin around my eyes or my acne scars, which are my primary beauty concerns at the moment. (I suspect it might not be intended to address these issues, although the advertising didn't rule it out.) It also didn't do anything about my large pores, which the advertising did specifically mention.
One thing I did notice is Nanoblur is very matte. Which might be helpful if you don't have your shine under control, but is less useful if you do have your shine under control (which I didn't even realize I do until I tried Nanoblur!) My usual foundation regime (a combination of Cover Girl TruBlend liquid and powder foundations) usually gives me a tiny bit of a good shine - a certain luminosity, for lack of a better word - and Nanoblur slightly suppressed this.
I found it was compatible with makeup when used as directed (other online reviewers reported having difficulty combining it with makeup), and I didn't find it drying (other online reviewers did).
But I didn't find it worth using either. I'm not even planning to keep it for my special occasion makeup arsenal, instead I intend to pass it on to someone else who's interested in trying it to save them the expense.
Many internet reviewers have said that they experienced instantly noticeable results. However, on me, it did basically nothing. I could see maybe a 2% improvement on my forehead wrinkles when I was wearing makeup, and nothing perceptible when I wasn't wearing makeup. Also, when I applied with with makeup, my eyes somehow looked smaller afterwards.
I also tried it on my elbows and on the backs of my hands (to duplicate tests I've seen people do on the internet), and there was no perceptible difference.
It didn't do anything to mitigate the dark skin around my eyes or my acne scars, which are my primary beauty concerns at the moment. (I suspect it might not be intended to address these issues, although the advertising didn't rule it out.) It also didn't do anything about my large pores, which the advertising did specifically mention.
One thing I did notice is Nanoblur is very matte. Which might be helpful if you don't have your shine under control, but is less useful if you do have your shine under control (which I didn't even realize I do until I tried Nanoblur!) My usual foundation regime (a combination of Cover Girl TruBlend liquid and powder foundations) usually gives me a tiny bit of a good shine - a certain luminosity, for lack of a better word - and Nanoblur slightly suppressed this.
I found it was compatible with makeup when used as directed (other online reviewers reported having difficulty combining it with makeup), and I didn't find it drying (other online reviewers did).
But I didn't find it worth using either. I'm not even planning to keep it for my special occasion makeup arsenal, instead I intend to pass it on to someone else who's interested in trying it to save them the expense.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
In my readings about neuroplasticity, I came across a mention of a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, which is a drawing course that uses neuroplasticity principles to improve your drawing skills by strengthening your right brain. I have no interest in drawing but I did want to see neuroplasticity happen, so I decided to try it out. (This is also why blogging has been particularly slow lately - I've had to spend a lot of time drawing!)
Here's what I discovered:
Using my right brain only literally makes my brain hurt! One of the earlier exercises is copying a line drawing upside down. Because it's upside down, it's far more difficult to recognize what you're drawing, so instead of thinking "This is a leg that I'm drawing now" you think in terms of "How do the length and angle of this line relate to the line I just drew?" Because your left brain can't name the parts of what you're drawing, it stops participating in the exercise, leaving it to the right brain only. My poor, underused right brain was not accustomed to this, and the exercise gave me the worst headache I've had since the first day I tried going coffee-free on weekends. If I hadn't known about the neuroplasticity benefits, I would have given up right then and there.
My left brain quickly adapted. When I did that first, painful upside-down line drawing, the exercise was a success in that I couldn't recognize what I was copying so I copied the actual lines far more accurately. However, by the time I got to the second (which was on another day, with at least one sleep in between), rather than my right brain being stronger, I found my left brain had adapted to the exercise and I could recognize what I was drawing far more readily, which defeated the purpose of the exercise and resulted in a less realistic drawing.
My drawing did improve, but not as much as I had hoped. The last pictures I drew were significantly better than the first ones. However, they weren't nearly as good as I had hoped they would be based on the description of what the book was meant to achieve. I wasn't able to enjoy my clear, obvious, significant improvement because the drawings still didn't come out nearly as well as I wanted.
This book helps you see, but doesn't help you actually draw. The core function of the book is to make you see what's actually in front of you - how the lines and spaces and light and shadows relate to each other - rather than letting your left brain fill in the blank. The problem - as with everything physical and tangible - is that I can't always make my hand make the pencil do what I want it to. I draw a line, and it looks wrong. Using the principles taught in the book, I am now able to think "That should be on a steeper slant." But when I erase it and try to redraw it on a steeper slant... it comes out exactly where I put it in the first place! This book doesn't do anything to help with that, and it's currently the biggest obstacle to my drawings coming out the way I want them to.
I'd also hoped that it might give me drawing skills that enable me to do a quick, semi-realistic sketch, the sort of thing I could bust out as a parlour trick. I was picturing sitting and colouring with my fairy goddaughter, and while she makes me a page of crayon scribbles that I will keep forever, I make her a recognizable picture of her dog or something. But instead the process is slow and technical, and requires a subject or model that stays still (which my fairy goddaughter's dog most definitely does not.) It gets results with time invested and hard work, but doesn't give you the ability to improvise delightfully. Much like my music skills, actually.
Turns out I don't like drawing. I never got to the point of enjoying the drawing exercises. Every time I got to one, I'd be like "Aww, man, I have to draw now!" I found it tedious and time-consuming and got no pleasure out of it. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it - I was in this for neuroplasticity, not for art skills - but because of this I found it a bit annoying when the book suggested that I was probably pleased with my drawing or I probably found this particular exercise enjoyable. In fact, the exercise I found most enjoyable was the pure contour drawing, where you try to visually copy the contours of what you're drawing without looking at the paper. This is a visualization exercise rather than a drawing exercise - it isn't intended to produce an actual drawing and most often just produces a scribble - and I found I enjoyed it specifically because there were no expectations of the end result.
I don't know if this actually had any neuroplasticity effects. I noticed my left brain compensating, and I noticed that after the first couple exercises my brain stopped hurting during the right-brain-only work, but I don't know if that's my right brain getting stronger or just that my left brain figured out a way to barge in and help. Other than that, I didn't notice anything, but the fact that I don't perceive it doesn't mean it isn't there.
Here's what I discovered:
Using my right brain only literally makes my brain hurt! One of the earlier exercises is copying a line drawing upside down. Because it's upside down, it's far more difficult to recognize what you're drawing, so instead of thinking "This is a leg that I'm drawing now" you think in terms of "How do the length and angle of this line relate to the line I just drew?" Because your left brain can't name the parts of what you're drawing, it stops participating in the exercise, leaving it to the right brain only. My poor, underused right brain was not accustomed to this, and the exercise gave me the worst headache I've had since the first day I tried going coffee-free on weekends. If I hadn't known about the neuroplasticity benefits, I would have given up right then and there.
My left brain quickly adapted. When I did that first, painful upside-down line drawing, the exercise was a success in that I couldn't recognize what I was copying so I copied the actual lines far more accurately. However, by the time I got to the second (which was on another day, with at least one sleep in between), rather than my right brain being stronger, I found my left brain had adapted to the exercise and I could recognize what I was drawing far more readily, which defeated the purpose of the exercise and resulted in a less realistic drawing.
My drawing did improve, but not as much as I had hoped. The last pictures I drew were significantly better than the first ones. However, they weren't nearly as good as I had hoped they would be based on the description of what the book was meant to achieve. I wasn't able to enjoy my clear, obvious, significant improvement because the drawings still didn't come out nearly as well as I wanted.
This book helps you see, but doesn't help you actually draw. The core function of the book is to make you see what's actually in front of you - how the lines and spaces and light and shadows relate to each other - rather than letting your left brain fill in the blank. The problem - as with everything physical and tangible - is that I can't always make my hand make the pencil do what I want it to. I draw a line, and it looks wrong. Using the principles taught in the book, I am now able to think "That should be on a steeper slant." But when I erase it and try to redraw it on a steeper slant... it comes out exactly where I put it in the first place! This book doesn't do anything to help with that, and it's currently the biggest obstacle to my drawings coming out the way I want them to.
I'd also hoped that it might give me drawing skills that enable me to do a quick, semi-realistic sketch, the sort of thing I could bust out as a parlour trick. I was picturing sitting and colouring with my fairy goddaughter, and while she makes me a page of crayon scribbles that I will keep forever, I make her a recognizable picture of her dog or something. But instead the process is slow and technical, and requires a subject or model that stays still (which my fairy goddaughter's dog most definitely does not.) It gets results with time invested and hard work, but doesn't give you the ability to improvise delightfully. Much like my music skills, actually.
Turns out I don't like drawing. I never got to the point of enjoying the drawing exercises. Every time I got to one, I'd be like "Aww, man, I have to draw now!" I found it tedious and time-consuming and got no pleasure out of it. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it - I was in this for neuroplasticity, not for art skills - but because of this I found it a bit annoying when the book suggested that I was probably pleased with my drawing or I probably found this particular exercise enjoyable. In fact, the exercise I found most enjoyable was the pure contour drawing, where you try to visually copy the contours of what you're drawing without looking at the paper. This is a visualization exercise rather than a drawing exercise - it isn't intended to produce an actual drawing and most often just produces a scribble - and I found I enjoyed it specifically because there were no expectations of the end result.
I don't know if this actually had any neuroplasticity effects. I noticed my left brain compensating, and I noticed that after the first couple exercises my brain stopped hurting during the right-brain-only work, but I don't know if that's my right brain getting stronger or just that my left brain figured out a way to barge in and help. Other than that, I didn't notice anything, but the fact that I don't perceive it doesn't mean it isn't there.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Brother DCP-7060D: a printer that works
I previously bought an inkjet printer simply because I needed a printer-scanner combo immediately and that was the cheapest one readily available that was small enough to comfortably carry home. However, it quickly became apparent that a laser printer would be a better fit for my needs, so I decided that when the inkjet ran out of ink, I'd rehome it and replace it with a laser printer.
I looked through the Consumer Reports recommendations for all-in-one laser printers (fun fact: you can access the Consumer Reports subscriber website with your Toronto Public Library card! All you have to do is log in through here!) and a lot of them were huge. The smallest one (and only one with a remote chance of fitting into the space where I needed it to fit) was the Brother DCP-7060D. It turned out there was an incredibly good deal on it on NewEgg, so I bought it.
I've had it for a month, and I love it because it does its job exactly right every single time with no fussing or drama! I plug it into the computer, the USB detects it and installs the drivers and it's ready to go without any intervention on my part. I press print, it prints. I want two-sided printing, it auto-duplexes. I accidentally press print when it isn't plugged in or turned on, it prints once it's plugged in and turned on. I press Cancel Job, it cancels the job.
It hasn't once given me any stupid error messages or freaked out for no reason or otherwise failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do. This is the first personal printer I've owned that I can say that about!
I recommend it unreservedly if you have the budget and the space and don't need colour printing.
I looked through the Consumer Reports recommendations for all-in-one laser printers (fun fact: you can access the Consumer Reports subscriber website with your Toronto Public Library card! All you have to do is log in through here!) and a lot of them were huge. The smallest one (and only one with a remote chance of fitting into the space where I needed it to fit) was the Brother DCP-7060D. It turned out there was an incredibly good deal on it on NewEgg, so I bought it.
I've had it for a month, and I love it because it does its job exactly right every single time with no fussing or drama! I plug it into the computer, the USB detects it and installs the drivers and it's ready to go without any intervention on my part. I press print, it prints. I want two-sided printing, it auto-duplexes. I accidentally press print when it isn't plugged in or turned on, it prints once it's plugged in and turned on. I press Cancel Job, it cancels the job.
It hasn't once given me any stupid error messages or freaked out for no reason or otherwise failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do. This is the first personal printer I've owned that I can say that about!
I recommend it unreservedly if you have the budget and the space and don't need colour printing.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Zap2it vs. TV Guide online TV listings
For as long as I can remember, I've been using zap2it.com as my primary TV guide. They could be customized to my TV provider so they'll tell me what's on the channels I actually get and they tell me the actual channel number (unlike the TV listings in the newspaper, where they say it's on channel 5 in the listings and then I have to look it up in the chart to see that channel 5 is really channel 6 on my TV).
However, Zap2it's advanced search function recently stopped working, which makes it significantly less useful to me. For example, as you may have noticed, I'm an Eddie Izzard fan, so I like to know when Eddie's going to be on TV. So I'd use Zap2it's advanced search function to search for "Izzard" under "Cast & Crew", and I'd get a list of every program Eddie's in for the next two weeks. In the absence of this function, I'd have to either look up every single entry on Eddie's IMDB page separately (which is a wee bit inconvenient) or miss opportunities to see Eddie on TV (which cramps my style).
Fortunately, it turns out TVGuide.com's listings aren't powered by Zap2it (as many TV listings are), and they have celebrity-specific listings (like this) that fulfill the function for which I'd previously been using Zap2it's advanced search (and with a much nicer interface too - TV Guide lists every appearance in chronological order, whereas Zap2it would only list the titles of the shows the performer appears in, and I'd have to click on each one to see when it's on.) However, I've noticed a variety of pros and cons of each system:
- TV Guide lets you add movies, or even celebrities (which basically means anyone with an IMDB entry - Jane Austen is in there), to your watchlist, whereas Zap2it only lets you add TV shows. This means that, on Zap2it, if I want to watch The King's Speech, I need to search for it every couple of weeks to see when it's on, while on TV Guide I can just add it to my list and they'll let me know.
- TV Guide's celebrity pages also show you episodes of TV shows that have that celebrity in it, whereas Zap2it's show you every episode of any TV show that has that celebrity in it. For example, Wil Wheaton has been in a few episodes of Big Bang Theory. If I look him up on TV Guide, it will show only the episodes of Big Bang Theory in which he appears. However, if I look him up on Zap2it, it will show Big Bang Theory as a whole, even if the episodes he appears in aren't airing any time soon.
- Unfortunately, TV Guide's watchlist is set up so that it only shows you the next instance of each list item, which is problematic when the item added is a celebrity, who may appear in multiple movies or TV shows. So if Eddie's in one show tomorrow morning and another tomorrow afternoon, the watchlist will only show me the one he's in tomorrow morning (unless I click through to his individual page). But it will still show me the next airing of King's Speech even if it's a week from now. In comparison, Zap2it's "My Calendar" function is set up like a calendar, and tells me which things are on each day. (Unfortunately, it's only limited to TV shows, not movies or celebrities or other search results.)
- TV Guide allows you to add as many channels as you want to your "favourites", so you can have a grid that consists of all the channels you get. Zap2it limits you to 100 (which is frustrating when you get more than 100 channels but nowhere near all the channels). Note to Zap2it: it's not about wanting to watch my "favourite" channels, it's about what's on the channels I get in my cable package. If I just wanted to watch my favourite channel, I'd turn the TV on to that channel.
- However, TV Guide's watchlist shows you what's on all the English-language channels offered by your cable provider, even if you've meticulously set up your favourite channels list.
- The problem is the "English-language" part - TV Guide doesn't show non-English channels (even if they're part of a basic cable package) in those celebrity-specific page. If Eddie is on a French channel, I'll never know unless I try to deliberately search for the French title of everything he's ever been in. Note to TV Guide: some people who speak English do speak non-English languages too!
- Another advantage of TV Guide's watchlist is there's a checkbox that says "New Airings Only", so you can only see episodes that aren't reruns. This is useful if you're interested in new episodes of the Simpsons, for example, but don't want to be informed of every single rerun.
- A disadvantage of TV Guide in general is it doesn't show the end times of programs in search results - you have to look them up in the grid. This is particularly annoying for movies. It will tell you that the runtime of a particular movie is 120 minutes and it will tell you that the movie is on a 9:00, but it won't tell you whether it's on from 9:00-11:00 or 9:00-12:00. As we all know, such things do vary because of editing for television and commercial breaks.
- I think both systems could use a more robust category function. Zap2it used to have a particularly good one, where one of the categories was Fitness. So I used this to find exercise programs on TV (my preferred method of exercising). But they later eliminated the category. (When I switched to Rogers I started using my on-screen guide for this, but lately it's less useful because they're putting entirely too many things in the Fitness category, like reality shows about people giving birth and programs about alternative medicine, so I have to click on every unfamiliar title to see if it is in fact a fitness show.)
Currently I'm using Zap2it's calendar and basic search results primarily but TV Guide's more advanced search results and celebrity pages. I'd probably switch back to using Zap2it exclusively if they reinstated the advanced search function and let us add movies, celebrities, and search results (i.e. anything with Star Trek in the title rather than having to add each Star Trek separately) to the calendar. I'd probably switch to TV Guide exclusively if the watchlist was truly chronological, if they included non-English channels in search results, and if they included program end times in search results.
I'm glad that the two systems complement each other and mostly fill in each other's gaps, but it would be awesome if one of the sites (or both, or a third, completely new site) could add the features it's missing so it meets all the needs I've listed here.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard
I was having some mousing-related ergonomic issues, so I went and bought the Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard.
Ergonomically, it does the job fantastically. I started using it in mid-March (and started working at home in April) and haven't had any ergonomic owies whatsoever!
My only complaint is I really wish the spacebar extended about a centimetre further to the right. In the existing configuration, the right edge of the space bar lines up with the space between the J and K keys, which means that my right thumb lands right on the very end of the spacebar. (Unfortunately, my Grade 9 typing class, which I took for an easy A as I already knew how to type, drilled into me the habit of using only my right thumb for the spacebar, so using my left thumb greatly slows me down and creates hilarious typos.) I understand that the abbreviated spacebar is a result of trying to cram all the assorted crt-alt-delete-insert-windows keys into the bottom row so the keyboard doesn't need extra columns for all those keys like you have in a standard keyboard
One thing that hasn't caused any problems but seems a bit worrisome is that the keys are very shallow and the mechanisms seem kind of delicate. This means that if a crumb gets into the keyboard, you can feel it under the key right away and it's more likely than with a standard keyboard to interfere with typing. This is good in some ways, because you can detect and remove crumbs immediately rather than having them accumulated like they do in deeper keyboards, but it always seems like the keys are so delicate that something might snap when I'm prying them off. Nothing has snapped yet, so I have no empirical evidence supporting this claim, but it is a general feeling I get. I will update this if anything actually goes wrong, so if I haven't updated it's just me being paranoid so far.
However, it does have a one-year warranty, and it seems to have completely eliminated the sporadic ergonomic issues I was previously experiencing, so even if it turns out it is more fragile than other keyboards, I'd say it's still worthwhile overall. (Although I'd still very much prefer that it be made to last.)
Ergonomically, it does the job fantastically. I started using it in mid-March (and started working at home in April) and haven't had any ergonomic owies whatsoever!
My only complaint is I really wish the spacebar extended about a centimetre further to the right. In the existing configuration, the right edge of the space bar lines up with the space between the J and K keys, which means that my right thumb lands right on the very end of the spacebar. (Unfortunately, my Grade 9 typing class, which I took for an easy A as I already knew how to type, drilled into me the habit of using only my right thumb for the spacebar, so using my left thumb greatly slows me down and creates hilarious typos.) I understand that the abbreviated spacebar is a result of trying to cram all the assorted crt-alt-delete-insert-windows keys into the bottom row so the keyboard doesn't need extra columns for all those keys like you have in a standard keyboard
One thing that hasn't caused any problems but seems a bit worrisome is that the keys are very shallow and the mechanisms seem kind of delicate. This means that if a crumb gets into the keyboard, you can feel it under the key right away and it's more likely than with a standard keyboard to interfere with typing. This is good in some ways, because you can detect and remove crumbs immediately rather than having them accumulated like they do in deeper keyboards, but it always seems like the keys are so delicate that something might snap when I'm prying them off. Nothing has snapped yet, so I have no empirical evidence supporting this claim, but it is a general feeling I get. I will update this if anything actually goes wrong, so if I haven't updated it's just me being paranoid so far.
However, it does have a one-year warranty, and it seems to have completely eliminated the sporadic ergonomic issues I was previously experiencing, so even if it turns out it is more fragile than other keyboards, I'd say it's still worthwhile overall. (Although I'd still very much prefer that it be made to last.)
Friday, March 08, 2013
My experience with Staples
I needed to replace my desk chair and Staples was having a good sale I went into the store and tried out a chair that looked promising, and I didn't perceive any problems with it so I decided to buy it.
Because their delivery times coincide exactly with my normal work hours, I called their 800 number to ask if it was possible to schedule a delivery for a specific day (i.e. an upcoming day when I was schedule to work at home). The very nice man who took my call told me that it was, and took my order right then and there. I was very impressed that I could just call them up and ask for what I want and get it, and thought that their "Easy!" advertising was actually true.
The delivery happened as scheduled, and the delivery people were super nice. The chair came in a box, disassembled, and I found the assembly instructions were less helpful than they could have been. They told which pieces to attach to each other and where to attach them, but they didn't always make it clear how. (More about the assembly and disassembly experience here, framed as a cognitive experience.) I assembled it over a period of several days (I could have done it in an hour or two if I'd had to, but I would have gotten extremely frustrated), but the assembly was ultimately a success.
But once I got it assembled and sat in it for a couple of hours, I realized it was ergonomically unsuitable. The arm rests were higher than my elbows on their lowest setting, and the bulge in the seat back that's meant to support the lumbar spine was taller than my lumbar curve, so it was forcing my back to curve forward not only in the lumbar spine where it naturally curves forward, but also in the bottom portion of the thoracic spine where it naturally starts curving back towards my back. (I'm 5'7", with long legs and a short torso.) I didn't notice this in the store because I was just looking for whether lumbar support is present - it never occurred to me it might be too big.
So I called the 800 number again to ask about the possibility of returning the chair, and I was very happy to hear that not only was I allowed to return it, but they could pick it up from me and schedule the pick-up on the day of my choosing. So I chose my next day off work (which was close to the end of the 30-day return period), and disassembled and repackaged the chair, again over a period of days.
On the day of the scheduled pick-up (a Friday), I pushed the box containing the chair over to the door of my apartment (it weighed about 50 pounds, so I couldn't lift it in the box - I could easily roll the chair on its wheels and lift and carry it short distances when it was assembled in chair form, but the box was too big and unwieldy), made sure my phone line was not in use all day so I'd be able to buzz the pick-up guy in, and settled down to wait. But he never came.
I called the 800 number, and the very nice lady who answered verified that they did have a pickup scheduled, told me that this very rarely happens, and rescheduled the pickup for the following Tuesday. (I was very, very fortunate that my boss let me work at home on the Tuesday on such short notice.)
On the Tuesday I worked at home, again keeping my phone line clear, again not leaving the apartment even for a second between the 9-5 window. But the pick-up guy never came.
I called the 800 number again. The very nice man who answered empathized with my situation, gave me a $20 credit for my trouble, reassured me that I would still be allowed to return it even though we were going beyond the 30-day return period because they had a record of the saga and it clearly wasn't my fault, and rescheduled my pick-up for the Friday of that week. (Again, my boss went above and beyond by allowing me two short-notices work-at-home days in a week.) I also reported the problem to Staples via Twitter, and got a voicemail from another very nice lady confirming that my pickup had been scheduled for the Friday and giving me a different 800 number to call if there should be any problem.
Then, just to complicate things, I got home from work on Thursday to find a voicemail from the pick-up guy, saying he was there to pick up my chair and would come back the next day. This caused a brief panic that the pick-up had been scheduled wrong, but a very nice person at the 800 number confirmed that it was in fact schedule for the Friday.
On Friday, I worked at home, one again kept my phone line clear and stayed in the apartment, and the pick-up guy came as scheduled. He was super nice and took the box away with no fuss even though it was packaged less perfectly than I'd received it.
So here's what I've learned:
- I do not recommend using Staples if you're going to be dependent on their delivery and/or pick-up service and being at home on a weekday is difficult for you. I get the impression that the delivery service is more intended to serve businesses, where there's someone in during business hours every day anyway and if they come the next day instead of the scheduled day it isn't a huge deal. I should add that Staples would also have accepted my return if I brought it into a store, but that was logistically impossible for me because I don't have a car and couldn't lift the box. If you normally have someone home during the day, this problem won't affect you. If you can handle the transportation for the product in question yourself, this problem won't affect you. But if you're not normally home on weekdays and the combination of the nature of the product purchased and the transportation options available to you makes it impossible for you to get the product to or from a store, you might want to look into other stores to see if there are better options out there.
- I do not recommend this Staples Multifunction Task Chair if you're under maybe 5'9". The armrests were too high on their lowest setting and the lumbar spine support was too tall/long for my 5'7" short-torsoed body.
- If you struggle with assembling Ikea furniture, you will probably find it difficult to assemble Staples chairs. The instructions are less detailed than Ikea instructions. The pieces are also rather heavy. I could handle it, my grandmother wouldn't be able to handle it. My parents could probably handle it, but someone with back problems could hurt themselves. However, you might also look into whether the store provides an assembly service. I seem to remember from my initial research a thing where you can pay an extra $10 or $20 and they'll assemble it for you, but I can't currently confirm its existence, and I'm not sure whether I found it on a US or Canada Staples site.
I should add that throughout this ordeal, every single customer service person I dealt with was awesome, and the delivery people were super nice as well. It's just the customer service people in their call centre had no way of making the delivery truck actually come to me, so it caused me quite disproportionate inconvenience. I really appreciated how I could call their 800 number and, with minimal to no hold time, talk to a human being, asked for what I wanted in words, and have them arrange for it to be done. I didn't have to make a special request or game the system, I just asked and they what they do to make it happen.
Except that it didn't always end up actually happening. And that unfortunate disconnect between the superb customer service in the call centre and whatever was going on with the truck is the only reason why this isn't a glowing review and is instead an epic saga.
Because their delivery times coincide exactly with my normal work hours, I called their 800 number to ask if it was possible to schedule a delivery for a specific day (i.e. an upcoming day when I was schedule to work at home). The very nice man who took my call told me that it was, and took my order right then and there. I was very impressed that I could just call them up and ask for what I want and get it, and thought that their "Easy!" advertising was actually true.
The delivery happened as scheduled, and the delivery people were super nice. The chair came in a box, disassembled, and I found the assembly instructions were less helpful than they could have been. They told which pieces to attach to each other and where to attach them, but they didn't always make it clear how. (More about the assembly and disassembly experience here, framed as a cognitive experience.) I assembled it over a period of several days (I could have done it in an hour or two if I'd had to, but I would have gotten extremely frustrated), but the assembly was ultimately a success.
But once I got it assembled and sat in it for a couple of hours, I realized it was ergonomically unsuitable. The arm rests were higher than my elbows on their lowest setting, and the bulge in the seat back that's meant to support the lumbar spine was taller than my lumbar curve, so it was forcing my back to curve forward not only in the lumbar spine where it naturally curves forward, but also in the bottom portion of the thoracic spine where it naturally starts curving back towards my back. (I'm 5'7", with long legs and a short torso.) I didn't notice this in the store because I was just looking for whether lumbar support is present - it never occurred to me it might be too big.
So I called the 800 number again to ask about the possibility of returning the chair, and I was very happy to hear that not only was I allowed to return it, but they could pick it up from me and schedule the pick-up on the day of my choosing. So I chose my next day off work (which was close to the end of the 30-day return period), and disassembled and repackaged the chair, again over a period of days.
On the day of the scheduled pick-up (a Friday), I pushed the box containing the chair over to the door of my apartment (it weighed about 50 pounds, so I couldn't lift it in the box - I could easily roll the chair on its wheels and lift and carry it short distances when it was assembled in chair form, but the box was too big and unwieldy), made sure my phone line was not in use all day so I'd be able to buzz the pick-up guy in, and settled down to wait. But he never came.
I called the 800 number, and the very nice lady who answered verified that they did have a pickup scheduled, told me that this very rarely happens, and rescheduled the pickup for the following Tuesday. (I was very, very fortunate that my boss let me work at home on the Tuesday on such short notice.)
On the Tuesday I worked at home, again keeping my phone line clear, again not leaving the apartment even for a second between the 9-5 window. But the pick-up guy never came.
I called the 800 number again. The very nice man who answered empathized with my situation, gave me a $20 credit for my trouble, reassured me that I would still be allowed to return it even though we were going beyond the 30-day return period because they had a record of the saga and it clearly wasn't my fault, and rescheduled my pick-up for the Friday of that week. (Again, my boss went above and beyond by allowing me two short-notices work-at-home days in a week.) I also reported the problem to Staples via Twitter, and got a voicemail from another very nice lady confirming that my pickup had been scheduled for the Friday and giving me a different 800 number to call if there should be any problem.
Then, just to complicate things, I got home from work on Thursday to find a voicemail from the pick-up guy, saying he was there to pick up my chair and would come back the next day. This caused a brief panic that the pick-up had been scheduled wrong, but a very nice person at the 800 number confirmed that it was in fact schedule for the Friday.
On Friday, I worked at home, one again kept my phone line clear and stayed in the apartment, and the pick-up guy came as scheduled. He was super nice and took the box away with no fuss even though it was packaged less perfectly than I'd received it.
So here's what I've learned:
- I do not recommend using Staples if you're going to be dependent on their delivery and/or pick-up service and being at home on a weekday is difficult for you. I get the impression that the delivery service is more intended to serve businesses, where there's someone in during business hours every day anyway and if they come the next day instead of the scheduled day it isn't a huge deal. I should add that Staples would also have accepted my return if I brought it into a store, but that was logistically impossible for me because I don't have a car and couldn't lift the box. If you normally have someone home during the day, this problem won't affect you. If you can handle the transportation for the product in question yourself, this problem won't affect you. But if you're not normally home on weekdays and the combination of the nature of the product purchased and the transportation options available to you makes it impossible for you to get the product to or from a store, you might want to look into other stores to see if there are better options out there.
- I do not recommend this Staples Multifunction Task Chair if you're under maybe 5'9". The armrests were too high on their lowest setting and the lumbar spine support was too tall/long for my 5'7" short-torsoed body.
- If you struggle with assembling Ikea furniture, you will probably find it difficult to assemble Staples chairs. The instructions are less detailed than Ikea instructions. The pieces are also rather heavy. I could handle it, my grandmother wouldn't be able to handle it. My parents could probably handle it, but someone with back problems could hurt themselves. However, you might also look into whether the store provides an assembly service. I seem to remember from my initial research a thing where you can pay an extra $10 or $20 and they'll assemble it for you, but I can't currently confirm its existence, and I'm not sure whether I found it on a US or Canada Staples site.
I should add that throughout this ordeal, every single customer service person I dealt with was awesome, and the delivery people were super nice as well. It's just the customer service people in their call centre had no way of making the delivery truck actually come to me, so it caused me quite disproportionate inconvenience. I really appreciated how I could call their 800 number and, with minimal to no hold time, talk to a human being, asked for what I wanted in words, and have them arrange for it to be done. I didn't have to make a special request or game the system, I just asked and they what they do to make it happen.
Except that it didn't always end up actually happening. And that unfortunate disconnect between the superb customer service in the call centre and whatever was going on with the truck is the only reason why this isn't a glowing review and is instead an epic saga.
Monday, December 17, 2012
How to slide the edge guide in an Epson Stylus NX130
In the paper tray of the Epson Stylus NX130 all in one inkjet printer, there is a grey slidey thing, apparently called an edge guide. It needs to be slid to the side so the paper will fit in.
In order to slide it side to side, you have to squeeze it while sliding it. It won't move if you don't squeeze it.
I'm blogging this because I had a hell of a time finding this information when I needed it.
(Note that this is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of this printer. I bought it because I needed a scanner and a printer on short notice and didn't have time to research or comparison shop, and this was the cheapest one that was small enough in the box for me to carry. It does the job, but printing is slower and noisier than it could be. I would have preferred to do more research and buy a faster, quieter, better-quality laser printer.)
In order to slide it side to side, you have to squeeze it while sliding it. It won't move if you don't squeeze it.
I'm blogging this because I had a hell of a time finding this information when I needed it.
(Note that this is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of this printer. I bought it because I needed a scanner and a printer on short notice and didn't have time to research or comparison shop, and this was the cheapest one that was small enough in the box for me to carry. It does the job, but printing is slower and noisier than it could be. I would have preferred to do more research and buy a faster, quieter, better-quality laser printer.)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Ahh Bra is good for sleep, but not recommended for everyday
At the more sensitive parts of my cycle, I like to wear a bra to sleep. I'd always used old sports bras for this purpose, but they've gotten stretched out enough that they're useless even as sleep bras. So I was once again in the market for something wireless and not too confining, but also not too expensive. I saw the Ahh Bra advertised on TV and thought it was basically the right idea, and I was able to find one on eBay for under $5, so I decided to give it a try.
It is extremely comfortable and holds everything reasonably in place without being too confining, so it's ideal for sleep. It fulfilled the need for which I purchased it and I certainly feel I got my money's worth given the very low price I paid for it.
However, I do not recommend it for everyday wear. I didn't feel sufficiently supported in it for daytime wear (my first instinct was to fold my arms under my breasts), even though my breasts didn't end up moving as much as I felt like they were going to. It also does nothing for my figure. I don't know if it compresses the breasts or if it's just the shape they land in, but my bustline certainly looks smaller than it does in a regular bra or even without a bra. I also found that the material of the cups is too thin to disguise the nipples in a white shirt, which is the whole reason why I started wearing bras back when I was 11 in the first place.
I should add, as context, that I like wearing a bra. Based on the advertising, the target audience of the Ahh Bra seems to be people who find it irritating to wear a bra. It might still be a useful product for the target audience because it is, quite literally, better than nothing. It provides some support, and it has none of the characteristics that, the commercials claim, make bras annoying. It would be comfortable enough for my 11-year-old self, who absolutely hated having a band around her ribs, although it doesn't obscure the nipples enough to meet her needs.
If you want lift, shape, support, or modesty for everyday wear, this is not for you. If you want a sleep bra without regard for appearance, or otherwise want to limit your breasts' range of motion without wire or tight elastics, this may be for you.
It is extremely comfortable and holds everything reasonably in place without being too confining, so it's ideal for sleep. It fulfilled the need for which I purchased it and I certainly feel I got my money's worth given the very low price I paid for it.
However, I do not recommend it for everyday wear. I didn't feel sufficiently supported in it for daytime wear (my first instinct was to fold my arms under my breasts), even though my breasts didn't end up moving as much as I felt like they were going to. It also does nothing for my figure. I don't know if it compresses the breasts or if it's just the shape they land in, but my bustline certainly looks smaller than it does in a regular bra or even without a bra. I also found that the material of the cups is too thin to disguise the nipples in a white shirt, which is the whole reason why I started wearing bras back when I was 11 in the first place.
I should add, as context, that I like wearing a bra. Based on the advertising, the target audience of the Ahh Bra seems to be people who find it irritating to wear a bra. It might still be a useful product for the target audience because it is, quite literally, better than nothing. It provides some support, and it has none of the characteristics that, the commercials claim, make bras annoying. It would be comfortable enough for my 11-year-old self, who absolutely hated having a band around her ribs, although it doesn't obscure the nipples enough to meet her needs.
If you want lift, shape, support, or modesty for everyday wear, this is not for you. If you want a sleep bra without regard for appearance, or otherwise want to limit your breasts' range of motion without wire or tight elastics, this may be for you.
Sunday, September 09, 2012
Excellent customer service from Reitmans
I've been shopping at Reitmans for over a decade, and in all that time their size small shirts have always fit me perfectly. (Q: Small? WTF? A: I have narrow shoulders, and the shirts tend to be stretchy enough to accommodate the rest of me.) So I did something perhaps a wee bit irresponsible: I bought a lovely new blouse without trying it on. Then I did something even more irresponsible: I removed the tags before I put it on. My only excuse is that I had 10 years of empirical evidence that it would fit perfectly, and I was fully expecting that I'd put it on and wear it to work that day. But I got my comeuppance: it didn't fit as well as it should have. It was roomier than usual, and I find a slimmer fit more flattering.
I went back on to the store and tried on an extra-small, which fit me perfectly (which is seriously WTF - I am not extra-small by any possible human standard). So I asked to exchange the one I'd bought for the extra-small.
Reitmans doesn't normally do exchanges if you'd taken the tags off, but, fortunately, the saleslady made an exception for me. This made me very happy. I've had other stores be assholic to me when I'd made an honest mistake, so it made me feel good and safe and welcome that they understood that I'd made an honest mistake. The fact that Reitmans permits its sales staff to use their judgement in these kinds of cases creates a much more positive environment for customers, and is an excellent way to get repeat business.
Meanwhile, the moral of the story for customers is try on shirts at Reitmans this season, especially if you prefer a slimmer fit.
I went back on to the store and tried on an extra-small, which fit me perfectly (which is seriously WTF - I am not extra-small by any possible human standard). So I asked to exchange the one I'd bought for the extra-small.
Reitmans doesn't normally do exchanges if you'd taken the tags off, but, fortunately, the saleslady made an exception for me. This made me very happy. I've had other stores be assholic to me when I'd made an honest mistake, so it made me feel good and safe and welcome that they understood that I'd made an honest mistake. The fact that Reitmans permits its sales staff to use their judgement in these kinds of cases creates a much more positive environment for customers, and is an excellent way to get repeat business.
Meanwhile, the moral of the story for customers is try on shirts at Reitmans this season, especially if you prefer a slimmer fit.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Complaints about baby toys: LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table
My Favourite Little Person, who is now eight months old, has a LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table, which you can see in action here. (I don't know the people behind the video, I just googled it up.)
It's enormous fun and I had a great time sitting down and figuring out what all the things do. I can see it having significant longevity as a baby toy, and later on being reappropriated as the control panel of a cardboard box spaceship or something. However, there are two points that I think would be detrimental if this toy does work as a language acquisition tool like it's supposed to.
1. Use of vocal scat. When the toy is set to vocabulary (by turning the pages of the book in the middle), it says the word that corresponds with the action you're doing. For example, if you open the door it says "open". If you close the door it says "close". When you press the green button it says "green". When you press the red button it says "red". When the toy is set to music, each manipulable part of the table plays a little tune, with a reasonable electronic approximation of a different instrument for each one.
Unfortunately, one of the instruments they chose is vocal scat. You can see this at about 1:50 in the video linked above. When the door is opened, the toy sings "BOPbadoobadooba". The problem is that "BOPbadoobadooba" is a sequence of phonemes, just like words are. How is the baby supposed to conclude that "open" means "open" but "BOPbadoobadooba" doesn't mean "open" and is just nonsense? I'm sure the manufacturers of the toy will point out that the scat only happens on the music setting, not on the vocabulary setting, but I doubt a baby would understand that. (Can they even process they idea of music and language as two discrete entities?) After all, if babies acquired vocabulary only when we wanted them to, we wouldn't have to worry about swearing in front of them. If this toy does in fact help language acquisition like it's intended to, are we going to have a generation of children who think that "BOPbadoobadooba" is a synonym for "open"?
2. French word order. In the Canadian version of this toy (which is not the same version shown in the video), you can switch it between English and French. When it's set on French, the vocabulary function says the French equivalents of the English words used in the English vocabulary function. The problem is with the coloured shapes. When you press each coloured shape, the toy tells you both the colour and the shape (you can see this at about 1:06 in the video linked above). For example, when you press the green circle, it says "Green! Circle!"
The problem is that, in French, it says the French equivalents of the exact same words in the exact same order. In other words, when the English says "Green! Circle!", the French says "Vert! Cercle!" However, as we learned in our very first year of elementary school French class, French colour adjectives go after the noun, so the correct word order is "cercle vert".
The manufacturers would probably point out that the words aren't intended to form a phrase, and it is in fact clear from the intonation that it's saying "Vert! Cercle!", not "vert cercle". However, I question whether a baby could grasp this nuance, especially since adults tend to use funny intonation when talking to babies. Regardless, using correct word order would add value. (It's like if the English said "Circle! Green!" You'd probably be thinking "How hard would it have been to just switch the order?")
It's also possible that they chose this order to provide word-by-word French translation for Anglophone children. They might be thinking of an Anglophone child switching between the languages and learning that "green" = "vert" and "circle" = "cercle". However, this is exclusionary towards Francophone children, because they don't get to hear their language in its natural state (and, again, if this toy actually works as a language acquisition tool, it might be detrimental). French isn't an enrichment opportunity for Anglophones. It's a living language that millions of Canadians speak in the home, at work, and in everyday life, and Leapfrog is doing them a disservice by not representing it as such.
It's enormous fun and I had a great time sitting down and figuring out what all the things do. I can see it having significant longevity as a baby toy, and later on being reappropriated as the control panel of a cardboard box spaceship or something. However, there are two points that I think would be detrimental if this toy does work as a language acquisition tool like it's supposed to.
1. Use of vocal scat. When the toy is set to vocabulary (by turning the pages of the book in the middle), it says the word that corresponds with the action you're doing. For example, if you open the door it says "open". If you close the door it says "close". When you press the green button it says "green". When you press the red button it says "red". When the toy is set to music, each manipulable part of the table plays a little tune, with a reasonable electronic approximation of a different instrument for each one.
Unfortunately, one of the instruments they chose is vocal scat. You can see this at about 1:50 in the video linked above. When the door is opened, the toy sings "BOPbadoobadooba". The problem is that "BOPbadoobadooba" is a sequence of phonemes, just like words are. How is the baby supposed to conclude that "open" means "open" but "BOPbadoobadooba" doesn't mean "open" and is just nonsense? I'm sure the manufacturers of the toy will point out that the scat only happens on the music setting, not on the vocabulary setting, but I doubt a baby would understand that. (Can they even process they idea of music and language as two discrete entities?) After all, if babies acquired vocabulary only when we wanted them to, we wouldn't have to worry about swearing in front of them. If this toy does in fact help language acquisition like it's intended to, are we going to have a generation of children who think that "BOPbadoobadooba" is a synonym for "open"?
2. French word order. In the Canadian version of this toy (which is not the same version shown in the video), you can switch it between English and French. When it's set on French, the vocabulary function says the French equivalents of the English words used in the English vocabulary function. The problem is with the coloured shapes. When you press each coloured shape, the toy tells you both the colour and the shape (you can see this at about 1:06 in the video linked above). For example, when you press the green circle, it says "Green! Circle!"
The problem is that, in French, it says the French equivalents of the exact same words in the exact same order. In other words, when the English says "Green! Circle!", the French says "Vert! Cercle!" However, as we learned in our very first year of elementary school French class, French colour adjectives go after the noun, so the correct word order is "cercle vert".
The manufacturers would probably point out that the words aren't intended to form a phrase, and it is in fact clear from the intonation that it's saying "Vert! Cercle!", not "vert cercle". However, I question whether a baby could grasp this nuance, especially since adults tend to use funny intonation when talking to babies. Regardless, using correct word order would add value. (It's like if the English said "Circle! Green!" You'd probably be thinking "How hard would it have been to just switch the order?")
It's also possible that they chose this order to provide word-by-word French translation for Anglophone children. They might be thinking of an Anglophone child switching between the languages and learning that "green" = "vert" and "circle" = "cercle". However, this is exclusionary towards Francophone children, because they don't get to hear their language in its natural state (and, again, if this toy actually works as a language acquisition tool, it might be detrimental). French isn't an enrichment opportunity for Anglophones. It's a living language that millions of Canadians speak in the home, at work, and in everyday life, and Leapfrog is doing them a disservice by not representing it as such.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I do not recommend O.P.I. Nail Envy Sensitive & Peeling
A while back, I was given some O.P.I. Nail Envy Original nail strengthener. It totally worked and my nails got stronger and longer, but it didn't do anything about my peeling nails (which is not uncommon for products whose primary mandate is growth.) However, I discovered that they had another formula for Sensitive and Peeling nails, so I decided to give that a try.
Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. It didn't help them at all, and might even have made it worse. Most nail products, when I paint them on my nails, "glue" the peels down so they don't snag and get worse. This one didn't do that, and it also didn't strengthen my nails as well as the original Nail Envy.
Therefore, I do not recommend O.P.I. Nail Envy Sensitive & Peeling. Sally Hansen Miracle Cure continues to be the most effective product for my peeling nails, although it isn't a miracle. However, if you don't have peeling nails and just want strength and growth, I do recommend the original O.P.I. Nail Envy.
Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. It didn't help them at all, and might even have made it worse. Most nail products, when I paint them on my nails, "glue" the peels down so they don't snag and get worse. This one didn't do that, and it also didn't strengthen my nails as well as the original Nail Envy.
Therefore, I do not recommend O.P.I. Nail Envy Sensitive & Peeling. Sally Hansen Miracle Cure continues to be the most effective product for my peeling nails, although it isn't a miracle. However, if you don't have peeling nails and just want strength and growth, I do recommend the original O.P.I. Nail Envy.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Victoria's Secret has changed my underwear for the worse!
It was time for fresh new underwear, so, like I've been doing for the past 5 years or so, I ordered a few pairs of the Victoria's Secret high-leg cotton brief. I first learned about it on a Tomato Nation thread, and I was able to get some good discount codes so I decided to give it a try. It was the perfect underwear! Comfortable, breathable, the elastics stayed where they're supposed to without making me look like a sausage, the cut was modest enough that I felt attractive but not so full as to make me feel frumpy, with the waistband below my belly-button but above the sticky-outiest part of my belly. My preferred plain black looked sexy and classy and together, and got rave reviews from those who are entitled to express an opinion on my underwear.
Unfortunately, they've changed the design somewhat. The fabric is of lower quality (thinner and seems more likely to rip than my old five-year-old pairs with the seams resewn), the elastics don't stay in place and keep trying to give me a wedgie, the seams on the hips are itchy (whereas the previous design didn't even have seams on the hips!), and, rather than being plain black, they have a pink Victoria's Secret logo on the left hip, which isn't even reflected in the photo of the product on their website.
In short, they've taken a product that made me feel comfortable and sexy and confident, and, with a few subtle design changes, made it into a product that makes me feel uncomfortable and tacky and gross.
And, to add insult in injury, now I have to shop for new basic underwear, which is particularly annoying because you can't even return it! This is a completely unnecessary chore and expense and irritant! All they had to do was nothing. Just keep manufacturing and selling as usual, I'll just keep buying as usual, and everyone's happy. Now I'm pissed off and returning my purchases, so both I and Victoria's Secret are out some time and money and effort, plus I'm uncomfortable and pissed off. What does this achieve?
Dear Victoria's Secret: please return your cotton high-leg brief to the previous design, from before the plain black one had a pink logo on the left hip. If you do this, I'll stop complaining and keep mindlessly buying them forever.
Meanwhile, can anyone recommend a plain black cotton panty that isn't too skimpy, has a waistband that falls below the belly-button but above the sticky-outiest part of the belly, and has elastics that stay put without causing wedgies?
Unfortunately, they've changed the design somewhat. The fabric is of lower quality (thinner and seems more likely to rip than my old five-year-old pairs with the seams resewn), the elastics don't stay in place and keep trying to give me a wedgie, the seams on the hips are itchy (whereas the previous design didn't even have seams on the hips!), and, rather than being plain black, they have a pink Victoria's Secret logo on the left hip, which isn't even reflected in the photo of the product on their website.
In short, they've taken a product that made me feel comfortable and sexy and confident, and, with a few subtle design changes, made it into a product that makes me feel uncomfortable and tacky and gross.
And, to add insult in injury, now I have to shop for new basic underwear, which is particularly annoying because you can't even return it! This is a completely unnecessary chore and expense and irritant! All they had to do was nothing. Just keep manufacturing and selling as usual, I'll just keep buying as usual, and everyone's happy. Now I'm pissed off and returning my purchases, so both I and Victoria's Secret are out some time and money and effort, plus I'm uncomfortable and pissed off. What does this achieve?
Dear Victoria's Secret: please return your cotton high-leg brief to the previous design, from before the plain black one had a pink logo on the left hip. If you do this, I'll stop complaining and keep mindlessly buying them forever.
Meanwhile, can anyone recommend a plain black cotton panty that isn't too skimpy, has a waistband that falls below the belly-button but above the sticky-outiest part of the belly, and has elastics that stay put without causing wedgies?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
I do not recommend Folger's Simply Smooth coffee for cold brewing
Folger's Simply Smooth coffee claims to be easier on your stomach than regular coffee. I can't tell you whether it is or is not because my symptoms are silent. However, I can tell you that it doesn't work well if you're cold-brewing your coffee. The result is practically flavourless, with no redeeming qualities except that it's warm and caffeinated. It has even less flavour than a cold brew of store brand "mellow blend" coffee from the bottom of a big can that was opened over a month previous.
Of course, this is probably because this coffee wasn't intended for cold brewing. Like most coffees, the instructions on the can are for hot brewing. I haven't tried hot brewing it myself so I can't tell you how it tastes when prepared as recommended. (It would be an interesting experiment for someone who can feel their symptoms to see if hot-brewed Simply Smooth or cold-brewed regular coffee is easier on the digestive system.)
However, if, like many people with stomach-related ailments, you are cold-brewing your coffee because that makes it less acidic, I do not recommend using Folger's Simply Smooth. And if, like the target audience for this product, you are using Folger's Simply Smooth because it's meant to be easier on your stomach, I do not recommend cold-brewing it.
Of course, this is probably because this coffee wasn't intended for cold brewing. Like most coffees, the instructions on the can are for hot brewing. I haven't tried hot brewing it myself so I can't tell you how it tastes when prepared as recommended. (It would be an interesting experiment for someone who can feel their symptoms to see if hot-brewed Simply Smooth or cold-brewed regular coffee is easier on the digestive system.)
However, if, like many people with stomach-related ailments, you are cold-brewing your coffee because that makes it less acidic, I do not recommend using Folger's Simply Smooth. And if, like the target audience for this product, you are using Folger's Simply Smooth because it's meant to be easier on your stomach, I do not recommend cold-brewing it.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Canada Post Comparison Shopper
A very useful tool that I've discovered recently is the Canada Post Comparison Shopper. If you're looking to buy a product online, it searches a large number of Canadian and US online stores to see who sells the product and ships to Canada. It's very useful for many reasons:
1. You get the results for all the stores on one page, so you don't have to google a bunch of different sellers to find who has the best price.
2. It gives you prices in Canadian dollars, with shipping, handling, and duty fees. No more having to make a cart to see what the actual cost is!
3. It can outdo Google! It often finds retailers who don't turn up on the first page or two of a cursory google, and undersell those who do.
4. All these sellers ship by Canada Post, which, as we all know, is far more convenient than private couriers.
I don't believe the Canada Post Comparison Shopper searches eBay, but it does sometimes have better deals than eBay. It also doesn't appear to search Overstock.com, and there may well be other common and credible retailers that it doesn't search either. But it's certainly worth taking 10 seconds to see if the Comparison Shopper can do better than your usual sources.
1. You get the results for all the stores on one page, so you don't have to google a bunch of different sellers to find who has the best price.
2. It gives you prices in Canadian dollars, with shipping, handling, and duty fees. No more having to make a cart to see what the actual cost is!
3. It can outdo Google! It often finds retailers who don't turn up on the first page or two of a cursory google, and undersell those who do.
4. All these sellers ship by Canada Post, which, as we all know, is far more convenient than private couriers.
I don't believe the Canada Post Comparison Shopper searches eBay, but it does sometimes have better deals than eBay. It also doesn't appear to search Overstock.com, and there may well be other common and credible retailers that it doesn't search either. But it's certainly worth taking 10 seconds to see if the Comparison Shopper can do better than your usual sources.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Mabel's Fables
A close friend of mine recently had a baby, and, as self-proclaimed fairy godmother, I wanted to do better than just getting something that I think is adorable, I also wanted it to be something the baby (and her parents!) would enjoy and appreciate. Unfortunately, I don't actually know stuff about babies or new parents or baby gifts, I just know what I think is cute.
Googling around for ideas, I learned that Mabel's Fables, a children's bookstore in my neighbourhood, has gift baskets of books especially for brand new babies. I've passed by their store many times and it's all colourful and fun-looking but I never had a reason to go inside, so I decided this was the perfect excuse to go check them out.
I had enormous fun looking at all the toys and books (I kept picking stuff up and going "OMG, I remember this!"). The employees were friendly and helpful, and when I told them I have no idea what I'm doing, they asked me some questions and used their expertise to come up with an appropriate variety of books for the gift basket. (I got the impression that you can also have a say in which books to choose if you feel you know what you're doing.) The books that go in the baby gift basket are absolutely gorgeous, and align with specific child development outcomes that I can't explain well because they're way over my head. Mabel's Fables had the gift basket shipped right to the new parents' house (I believe they ship by CanPar, but is isn't an issue because new parents tend to be home), and the parents and the new baby all loved it!
Best of all, I got a picture in my email of my favourite little person (not even three months old when the picture was taken) holding one of the books I got her, looking just like a regular person reading! While the setup, with the book open vertically in front of her, resting on the high chair tray, her itty bitty baby hands holding onto the cover, might have been the result of some parental intervention, the intent look on her face as she stares at the pages cannot be faked. I totally get fairy godmother points for that, and I could never have picked anything so suitable on my own. I look forward to going back to Mabel's Fables again and using their expertise to choose more books for my favourite little person as she and her reading needs grow and develop.
Googling around for ideas, I learned that Mabel's Fables, a children's bookstore in my neighbourhood, has gift baskets of books especially for brand new babies. I've passed by their store many times and it's all colourful and fun-looking but I never had a reason to go inside, so I decided this was the perfect excuse to go check them out.
I had enormous fun looking at all the toys and books (I kept picking stuff up and going "OMG, I remember this!"). The employees were friendly and helpful, and when I told them I have no idea what I'm doing, they asked me some questions and used their expertise to come up with an appropriate variety of books for the gift basket. (I got the impression that you can also have a say in which books to choose if you feel you know what you're doing.) The books that go in the baby gift basket are absolutely gorgeous, and align with specific child development outcomes that I can't explain well because they're way over my head. Mabel's Fables had the gift basket shipped right to the new parents' house (I believe they ship by CanPar, but is isn't an issue because new parents tend to be home), and the parents and the new baby all loved it!
Best of all, I got a picture in my email of my favourite little person (not even three months old when the picture was taken) holding one of the books I got her, looking just like a regular person reading! While the setup, with the book open vertically in front of her, resting on the high chair tray, her itty bitty baby hands holding onto the cover, might have been the result of some parental intervention, the intent look on her face as she stares at the pages cannot be faked. I totally get fairy godmother points for that, and I could never have picked anything so suitable on my own. I look forward to going back to Mabel's Fables again and using their expertise to choose more books for my favourite little person as she and her reading needs grow and develop.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Nivea Soothing Care lip balm is not dishwasher-friendly
Nivea Soothing Care lip balm (the one in the light green tube) is no better or worse than any other drug store lip balm. However, the lip prints it leaves on drinking glasses don't come out in the dishwasher nearly as well as other lip balms. Therefore, I don't recommend it for dishwasher users who don't like having to touch up their dishwashing by hand. A very similar product that comes out easily in the dishwasher is Nivea Hydro Care (the one in the light blue tube).
Sunday, January 15, 2012
I am now happy with UPS
For years and years I've been complaining about UPS and begging businesses I deal with not to use them for shipping.
That has changed. I am now happy with them.
Why? Because now, when a package is delivered by UPS when I'm not home, it's left at the local UPS store, just a couple of blocks away, rather than at the depot an hour's bus ride away. This makes them just as convenient as Canada Post, so I now have no reason to asks the businesses I deal with to please NOT use UPS.
(As an added bonus, it saves UPS time as well, since they now seem to make only one delivery attempt and then leave it at the UPS store, rather than three delivery attempts and then leave it at the depot.)
It's too bad it took them at least eight years to make this change (the first time I had the depot problem was eight years ago), but I'm very glad it's been made.
That has changed. I am now happy with them.
Why? Because now, when a package is delivered by UPS when I'm not home, it's left at the local UPS store, just a couple of blocks away, rather than at the depot an hour's bus ride away. This makes them just as convenient as Canada Post, so I now have no reason to asks the businesses I deal with to please NOT use UPS.
(As an added bonus, it saves UPS time as well, since they now seem to make only one delivery attempt and then leave it at the UPS store, rather than three delivery attempts and then leave it at the depot.)
It's too bad it took them at least eight years to make this change (the first time I had the depot problem was eight years ago), but I'm very glad it's been made.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Excellent customer service from Office Depot and Raynor Group
The armrest on my desk chair broke. I didn't particularly want to shop for a new chair, so I decided to contact Office Depot (where it was bought) to see what would be involved in replacing just the armrest.
Office Depot referred me to the chair's manufacturer (which is called Raynor Group), and instructed me to send them a copy of the receipt and they would send me a replacement part. I emailed them a scan of the receipt, and just a few days received a new armrest by courier at no cost to me!
This is particularly impressive because a) the chair is eight years old, and b) Office Depot is out of business in Canada! I wouldn't have been terribly surprised (disappointed, but not surprised) if they'd told me there was nothing they could do for me. But instead they exceeded my expectations, stood by their products, and solved my problem at zero cost or inconvenience to me! Well done!
Office Depot referred me to the chair's manufacturer (which is called Raynor Group), and instructed me to send them a copy of the receipt and they would send me a replacement part. I emailed them a scan of the receipt, and just a few days received a new armrest by courier at no cost to me!
This is particularly impressive because a) the chair is eight years old, and b) Office Depot is out of business in Canada! I wouldn't have been terribly surprised (disappointed, but not surprised) if they'd told me there was nothing they could do for me. But instead they exceeded my expectations, stood by their products, and solved my problem at zero cost or inconvenience to me! Well done!
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