Monthly Archives: November 2010

Four Card Giveaway @ TestFreaks

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/news/four-card-giveaway/

Quote:
“Hey, it’s Cyber Monday and we’re gong to start the week off with a giveaway for you, actually for four of you. I’ve got four Sparkle video cards to give away. As a gift to our readers for the next few weeks we’re giving away several things, and we’re starting with these video cards. This contest will start today, Monday the 29th of November and will run until Sunday December 5th, then next Monday we’ll start a new contest. “

Panasonic DMP-BD655 Blu-ray Disc Player @ TestFreaks

Got me a new Blu-Ray player!!

bd7_thumb

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-panasonic-dmp-bd655-blu-ray-disc-player/
Quote:
"It’s about time I upgraded my Blu-Ray player I think, and Geeks.com has come through for me by sending a very nice Panasonic unit for review.  My current Blu-Ray DVD player is an older model from Sony with not many features at all, and with very slow load times. Today for review I’ve got the Panasonic model DMP-BD655 Blu-Ray player that features fast boot and load times along with Viera Cast online features like Twitter, Netflix and even Amazon Video to just name a few. The unit is small and lightweight and I’m happy with it overall, but there are a few tweaks I’d like to see done to it. "

Don’t forget to stop over Geeks for all you computer parts needs and for those gifts for that techie in your life!

Review of Joby Gorillatorch Blade and Giveaway @ DIY Guides

I just posted my review of the new Joby Gorillatorch Blade over at DIOY Guides. Joby was kind enough to send me another one to give away, so hop on over there and read the review and enter to win one for yourself..

==

blade1_thumb

Link: http://www.diy-guides.com/review-of-joby-gorillatorch-blade-and-giveaway/

Quote:

I do a lot of things myself and many times that means I find myself not having enough hands, I’m sure you know what I mean here. For example trying to hold a flashlight while doing something else with your hands, it just doesn’t quite work right most times, you end up finding creative ways to prop the light up and it usually never works out quite right. I’ve been reviewing products for many years, and a lot of the stuff I get ends up being given away or just packed in my attic for later use, that never seems to come. There are products that I get though that I use all of the time, ones that I find tremendously useful and have a permanent place in my DIY tool-kit. Two such products are actually flashlights, but not just any light though, these are from a company called Joby and they feature a bendable leg tripod with magnetic feet that can be utilized in any situation where extra light is needed but where you don’t have a spare hand to hold the light. The magnets let them stick to most any metallic surface. The tripod lets the light just stand where you need it. The bendable legs can be wrapped around things to position the light just so for your needs. These have become my go to product for any of my lighting needs, they are truly just amazing products.

Today for review I have the newest DIY helper flashlight from Joby called the Gorillatorch Blade, and it’s become another must have addition to my toolbox. Not only do I have the Blade for review, but Joby has been kind enough to send me two of them, one for review and one to giveaway to one of our readers.

Augen Gentouch78 Android Tablet Review

Over at TestFreaks I just posted my review of the Augen Gentouch78 Android Tablet, and I like it really! It’s not as bad as the initial reviews sad it was really. It could be considered a cheap media player, but it’s much more than that.

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-augen-gentouch78-7-android-tablet/

Quote:
” Today for review I’ve got a product that has gotten a bad rap in the early reviews for it. I like getting products like these for review because I want to see for myself. The product I have is the Augen Gentouch78 7” Android Tablet and it was provided by Geeks.com for my review. I did some research and found that the early reviews were slightly flawed, they reviewed a tablet that was different than the one I got and one that didn’t have everything working correctly on it. The Gentouch78 is what one would certainly call a budget tablet, coming in at under $200 so right from the start we’re not expecting much from it. Honestly I’ve enjoyed my time with the tablet, sure it’s not some blazingly fast amazing workhorse tablet but it works and it’s fun to use. It’s a product for those that enjoy tinkering surely, if you’re the type of person that likes to explore and get the most out of your Android based products then this is certainly one for you.”

And don’t forget you can get all kinds of computer parts at great prices at Geeks!

Six Tips for Making a Gingerbread House from TheChocolateBelles.com

Don’t know exactly why I’m posting this, other than because I thought it was cool I guess, and rather useful too.

==

The Chocolate Belles in New Jersey is teaching their popular gingerbread house classes for parents and children. One class already sold out so a new class has been added. Whether you take a class or make your own, follow these tips for making a gingerbread house like a pro.

The holidays are coming and The Chocolate Belles, a candy and cakes craft store in New Jersey, encourages family traditions. To help they have tips, classes and gingerbread house making supplies.

 

gI_0_extralargegingerbreadhouse300x270

Here are 6 tips to making the perfect gingerbread house:

1.    Make the gingerbread at least one week ahead.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when baking gingerbread is not letting it harden. If the gingerbread is too soft it won’t hold up. “Some of our customers bake the gingerbread for their gingerbread house in the summer. They want to be sure it’s all ready to decorate come December,” says The Chocolate Belles owner Ann Shortt. Need a good gingerbread house pattern or recipe? See our blog at http://blog.thechocolatebelles.com

2.    Let the icing dry completely.
If your icing is soft the walls and roof will slide around when you add candy and decorations. One woman explained how she used shredded wheat to make a thatched roof on her gingerbread house before letting the icing set completely. The extra weight made the house too heavy and it collapsed. Avoid this problem by letting the frosting set for a few hours.

3.    Make sure the house is square.
The pieces of gingerbread should be square to start with or your house will be crooked. To help, use a gingerbread house mold, taking care that all walls are an even thickness — about one fourth of an inch thick.

4.    Make a Chocolate House.
Don’t like the taste of gingerbread? Consider making a chocolate house instead. They take about half the time and are easier to assemble. Make decorations such as snowmen, or Santa with his sleigh and reindeer with our molds. You can make an entire chocolate village. Our molds come in various sizes up to 24 inches tall – a size that takes 80 lbs. of chocolate to make!

5.    Use an icing recipe with meringue powder.
Some recipes for icing call for egg white but they result in an icing that is not as firm or forgiving as one with meringue powder. Choose an icing recipe with meringue powder or buy a pre-made icing mix that just needs water. If you want to make your own, The Chocolate Belles icing recipe is also on our blog at http://blog.thechocolatebelles.com

6.    Sign up for a class.
Part of making a gingerbread house is making memories with your kids. Parents can skip the work and sign up for a class so all of the hard work is done and all you need to do is the fun part. The Chocolate Belles has a popular “Mommy and Me Class” that sells out quickly every year. For $35 and two hours you get all the supplies to make your own gingerbread house. The next class will be held on December 20th. Sign up at http://thechocolatebelles.com/decorating-classes/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=10