When You Need a Serious Flashlight for Safety or Convenience

A good friend that knows flashlights recommended this as his best ever. Fenix is the brand name.

http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-Upgraded-Lumens-Flashlight-Black/dp/B008UEU6ZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1415767755&sr=1-1&keywords=fenix+tk41+flashlight

It is $96, but read the reviews.  It is a “serious” flashlight with many advantages. One reviewer said that getting rechargeable AA batteries was a good idea.  He got a number of the Amazon basic NiMH 2000mAh batteries, and he charges them using a BC-700 Lacross Charger. Always a good idea to keep some good Alkline batteries around as backups.

With winter storms coming, this might be a good thing to have at night. Whether you are in an attic, or a crawl space, or outdoors at night, this is a wonderfully bright light that is still light and portable. Some reviewers said the batteries last a long time, 10 minutes a day for several weeks, with no problem.  Note, it takes 8 AA batteries.

As a less expensive but wonderful alternate, try these, they are favorites of mine for a long time.  Great light, beautiful design :

 http://www.amazon.com/Techlite-Master-High-Intensity-Tactical-Flashlight/dp/B0074D6PE6/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1415774516&sr=1-3&keywords=techlite+lumen+master

Techlite.  Sometimes available at Costco for $33, or less. 3 Pack.  Quite a good deal for this caliber product.Takes only 3 AAA batteries, which last quite awhile. 

Phone Is Still Half The Expression "Smart Phone"

Phone is still have the word in “Smart Phone”, so while there are many useful apps, and texting is taking over, don’t forget there are some nice ways to dial a phone number from a smart phone as well.  Here are some interesting links on that topic.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Dial-A-for-Android-the-best-dialer-apps-for-Googles-OS_id59886

http://www.fonewiki.com/blogwiki/2014/08/7-of-the-best-free-dialer-app-for-your-android-phone/

Esper Dialer in the list says it acts like the apple interface.

Thanks to Kerry Barlow for this great tip. 

GrubHub Food Delivered To Your Home, Fast

There is a good story on GrubHub in INC Magazine this week. I like the concept, and the IPO was so successful the company is now valued at $3 billion.  Very high, but they seem to own the high ground in a very hot area of smart phone technology  -- taking your hunger and turning it into a great meal, at your house, in 60 minutes or less.

Some fast facts:

1.     they have 28,000 restaurants signed up in 600 plus cities

2.     they monitor your order, so they call the restaurant if the order is not confirmed in 5 minutes or less

3.     they put tablet computers in all the restaurants, so they get the orders correctly (no longer sent to them by fax).  The restaurants must fix the meal in 20 minutes. 

4.     they store your PayPal or Credit Card, and so there is no payment hassles, also they can store your address for reorders from the same restaurant.

5.     far easier and fewer clicks than on the various restaurant’s own websites, which are not usually well designed, up to date, and or user friendly.

6.     by using your smart phone, the app knows where you are, and can show you all the restaurants in your immediate area that participate --- and you can choose by type, Chinese, Pizza, and so on.  It works so well, restaurants biggest problem it keeping up with the flood of orders coming in.

7.     coupons and discounts, they have ‘em too.

8.     it is a rare APP that gets 1,000 plus reviews in the iTunes store, and survives with 4.5 stars out of 5.  But this company has that, pretty amazing.

Concept is low advertising budget, mostly in big cities they use ads on subways and busses or outdoor ads, to get you in your car, or on the subway when you are “hungry”.  Order then, and by the time you get home and cleaned up, your food will be there.

“Innovation works best when there is a problem to solve” .. is the opening line of the story by Liz Welch.  That’s a good quote, and this company found a serious problem to solve since they had bad experiences ordering their on food on line in Chicago – too many clicks, too many phone calls, too many orders not correct. People eat, people don’t like hassles.  That’s a good combination to work on. 

Forward Progress -- With Battery Powered Lawn Equipment

I know this is not exactly high tech, but certainly it is “tech”.  Useful new products that are Green – that is, battery powered using Lithium Ion batteries.  Cordless, gas-free, maintenance free.

I ordered this B&D hedge trimmer from Amazon, tested it this morning and am amazed, impressed that such a tiny battery, only 20 V, Lithium Ion, can be so powerful. I gave out before the battery did.  It is very light, and very easy.  I highly recommend this if you need a trimmer.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00602J27E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also ordered a pole saw, to cut limbs, and bushes.  This time I chose GreenWorks, a new brand to me, but highly recommended on various websites.  It uses a much larger, heavier and more powerful battery.  40 Volt.  It is beautiful to look at, and I am sure will be very powerful based on many reviews on Amazon and other sites.  Take a look if you need a trimming tool, 10 inch chain saw at the end of an adjustable length stick, should be safe and easy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AW72WR0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BOTTOM LINE --  battery powered lawn equipment has come a long way, and I will probably never buy one with a cord or a gas engine again.

Identifying Photos in Emails

Have you ever gotten an email with some beautiful photos of places in the world, but no description to tell you where it was taken?  I have, many times.  A friend offers this tip today:

“A computer expert gave me a tip.  If you right click on the image then choose "Search Google for this image" it will get info on the picture."

Give it a try and comment if you find it works.

BPA Health Hazzard Chemical -- New Research

BPA has been banned in Canada (I think) at least in water bottles, and in 12 states here, but is still in wide use in other things, particularly in cash register receipts – a very obscure place to find it.  This was a topic of NPR “Science Friday” (see link below).  It is also in Forbes Magazine in the last 10 days (see link below)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/10/22/cash-register-receipts-may-be-a-source-of-bpa-study-suggests/   FORBES story

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/10/24/2014/hand-sanitizer-may-increase-bpa-absorption.html     Click on the “Listen Button”.

BPA causes, or makes worse, more than ? 50 diseases ?.  But the focus at the moment is a fairly new discovery.  Using hand sanitizer before touching a typical “thermal” printed cash register receipt (which are quite common) can release a major shot of BNP into your system.

Seems impossible, but listen to the audio above.  I could elaborate but the bottom line is

1.    There is No safe chemical for coating thermal type paper

2.    Stores and restaurants should quit using it and go to normal printing methods

3.    YOU can just say “no” to taking receipts that are thermal printed.  They fade anyway, and thus are not worth much.   

Recyle Clothes And Help The Environment

Consider these facts (partially taken from Sierra Magazine):

The average American throws away 68 lbs of textiles each year.

A single cotton T-shirt takes 700 gallons of water to produce.

And 80 % of items American's own get used less than once a month.

So, why not recycle?  Buy and sell second hand garments?  Recently a few online sources are promoting the sale of used clothing in new ways.  EBay has done that for years (and I have been a customer several times), but these new sites have new ideas to make it easier to sell, or rent.  They should have a bright future, not only to save or make money for normal folks, but also to help the environment. 

One of these is  www.thredup.com   You get a bag in the mail, fill it with your unused (nicer) clothing, and mail it to them.  They sell what they can on their website, and mail you a check. 

Also a big new trend is renting dresses for special occasions, on line, and returning them when your special event is over.  https://www.renttherunway.com/rtr_home  is booming, and does a great job, sizes and cleaning, you can wear a $700 dress for a few days, and return it for a rental that is a tiny fraction of owning it.  And better for the environment as well.   I believe Rent The Runway has well over a million dresses in stock, and they have many sizes and styles. They have perfected the art of fast cleaning and turn-around, it is a logistical nightmare, but they have solved it, and thus own the “first mover” position in the market.