Roomba 4100 (Red)

It takes about 45 minutes to do what I could accomplish with an upright vacuum in 15, but it does it every day, and it does it without my help. It dares to go where no vacuum has gone before (under the bed and other furniture). Plus, it's a robot and it's really cute.

Roomba won't replace your standard upright, and you'll probably still pull out the broom for a quick sweep now and then. But if you're used to spending an hour every weekend on your hardwood or tile floors and low-pile rugs only to find them filthy again by mid-week, Roomba will make those in-between touchups a lot more managable and therefore a lot more likely to get done. Get it started in one room and you're free to go dust, do dishes, use the computer, or even leave the house while Roomba whirrs around and picks up debris not just in the centers of rooms but along wall edges and in places you can't (or, let's be honest, don't really try very hard to) reach. A short time later, return to find the floor clean and all you have to do is empty the dust bin. Roomba even sings cheerily to let you know the job is done!

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is... so here are the "down and dirty" facts as I've discovered so far.

Prep work: Using Roomba requires a reasonable amount of advance preperation, but this in itself encourages you to keep the house clutter free "so Roomba can reach." Obviously, pick up anything small that you wouldn't normally run a vacuum over. Cords should be up off the floor or pressed flat against a wall so that Roomba isn't crossing over them or in danger of getting snagged. It's helpful to collect stray furniture into more condensed configurations, such as pushing a coffee table against the couch to create larger open spaces surrounded by walls rather than an area dotted with smaller obstacles, however this is recommended for most efficient performance and is not necessary for Roomba to operate. Especially not if you're running Roomba every day. You might for example want to pull out dining chairs so that Roomba can clean under the table without too much bumping around, but this could be done maybe every second or third day when a mess becomes noticable.

Area rugs should be tested on an individual basis. Small rugs with fringe are best set aside for the duration of Roomba's venture. Other rugs seem fine as long as they lay flat. Roomba tends to roll over the corners of the rug and a lightweight material might bunch beneth the wheels, causing Roomba to turn away or become trapped.

Obstacles: Roomba employs deliberate obstacle-avoidance manuevers when it encounters a barrier which involve either turning 180 degrees and heading back the way it came, attempting to swing around a corner and continue onward, or moving forward a bit and searching for an exit further ahead. Using a combination of these methods, Roomba will circle completely around chair legs or standing lamps and even sweep under desks or nightstands as part of it's standard cleaning cycle. Roomba's cliff-sensing feature has worked flawlessly in my home so far and the little guy has has yet to take a tumble down the stairs.

Roomba really can go just about anywhere, and thus gets itself into some pretty interesting spots. My recommendation is it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to defining obstacles or potential hazards (or just things you'd prefer to avoid sucking up). This goes back to room preperation. Assume that Roomba can and WILL travel everywhere, and clear the path accordingly. Should anything prove problematic, Roomba is amazingly adept at freeing itself via a variety of methods that it employs one after another until it has knocked itself loose. Failing this, Roomba will eventually shut off to avoid burning out the motor and emit a sad cry for help that will tug at your heartstrings and have you running to the rescue. So far I have seen Roomba get partially on top of various items, wedge itself under the TV stand, and take a mad dash across a minefield of tangled wires and Roomba rarely needed my intervention to free itself. Ironically, the worst episode was when Roomba ran over the cord from its own charger, which I'd carelessly left sitting out after I'd unplugged the unit earlier. It did indeed manage to try to eat the ONE THING I hadn't removed from it's path...

Roomba does not deal well with rug fringe. The instruction manual says that fringe may be tucked under, however this does not prove useful in all circumstances. Better to pick up small rugs if this is an option, and perhaps block access to rooms with larger fringed rugs if you plan to run Roomba while you're away.

Pickup: I'd rate Roomba's pickup to be fairly high on hardwood and tile, slightly diminished (but still certainly acceptable) on medium- and low-pile rugs or carpet. The main issue isn't Roomba's capacity to suck, but whether certain areas are covered at all. Though it does not do quite so thorough a job as I might with a standard vacuum, again I point out that Rooma is meant to maintain the house between regular cleanings. If it misses a spot one day, chances are it will be back the next. I'm pleased to find that it picks up well enough to keep the place looking like it's been freshly swept and vacuumed for the whole week instead of looking that way for only a day or so otherwise. I do still plan to perform "normal" cleaning on the weekends to keep things from piling up where Roomba can't reach (such as in corners), but at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to find that I really don't need to do that more than every other week or even less often now.

Roomba is especially suited for cleaning the miniscule daily amounts of dust and pet hair that, left to their own devices, accumulate into little "tumbleweeds" that float EVERYWHERE over hardwood and tile floors. I honestly never realized that a thin coating of filth was responsible for making our floors look dull even after surface dirt had been removed. Well, they DID look dull--now they shine all the time! I didn't know they had it in them! That in itself would make Roomba valuable to me even if that all it did. But it's not: your typical crumb-type dirt, litter, and little bits of whatever-that-is are in the bag, er, the bagless bin, too. Roomba does a GREAT job of cleaning around the baseboards under the kitchen cabinets, where food particulates inevitably end up after being brushed off the countertop. The dust bin has been completely full every time I room Roomba, even when the floor looked clean to begin with. It even vacuumed under the bench in the coat closet and went under the bed...

Provided Roomba runs it over, it'll probably be sucked up. Thus, the worst pickup is near the transition areas, such as a move from hardwood to area rug. Roomba tends to miss debris around the edge of a rug because it's little rollers are half-on and half-off rather than level. Unlike someone running a vacuum or sweeping manually, Roomba can't pick up the rug to get that little line of debris caught along the edge (not yet, anyway!). Also, on occasion Roomba gets momentarily caught while trying to make a surface-type transition and leaves a short trail of Roomba excrete (dust bunnies) behind it when it does manage to wiggle itself free. Most of the time it sucks this up again on the return pass.

Maintenance: I've emptied Roomba's dirt bin after every use and so far it has always been full, but not grossly overflowing to the point of eminent disaster. Some reviewers on Amazon mentioned that they had to empty the cup several times per room, but they must be expecting Roomba to pick up after their "special needs" preschooler's class birthday party because my floor is certainly far from spotless and the capacity has worked fine for me. But emptying the bin can be messy. I haven't yet managed to remove and dump the contents without creating another little pile of dust on the floor. Which I then sic Roomba on afterwards, so that's no big deal.

The instruction manual recommends a detail cleaning of Roomba's innards after every 3-5 uses. I did this after three and was amazed at how well Roomba had continued to function despite it's poor underside being absolutely bound up with hair around every roller, and packed with fur and dust in every crevice. The filter was caked with filth. I will remember to check the state of the filter and rollers more often now that I realize how quickly mess can accumulate there. The actual cleaning process went smoothly. Roomba comes apart easily and snaps back together the same. I didn't even have to refer to the instructions to do this. The tool iRobot provides to clean the rollers also worked well.

Accessories: Roomba Red is the bare bones model, which includes the unit itself, standard wall charger, one virtual wall, and a cleaning tool. Any and all additional accessories can be ordered separetely. Perhaps the two most useful--the remote, which allows you to steer Roomba, and the self-docking charger, which allows Roomba to plug itself in when it's done cleaning--can be purchased for $20 and $60 respectively and will still save you money over the step-up package. The next cheapest bundle includes the remote, self-docking charger, and another vitual wall. IMO, the virtual wall is moot. You can accomplish the same thing with a REAL barrier, even if it's just a paper bag you stand up in the doorway (it doesn't take much of a bump for Roomba to turn around).

Observations: Left unattended, Roomba will spend a disproportianate amount of time in alcoves, entryways, and narrow passages as it ricochets between the walls. It's really good at finding it's way INTO these areas, not so good at getting out. When it actually does find the exit after randomly bouncing around for five minutes, it often pivots and heads right back into the same space on the next pass only to spend another five minutes cleaning this "new" area. As indicated in the manual, it may be a good idea to confine Roomba to larger spaces through use of the virual wall (or a real blockade of some kind) or place it in the specific areas you want cleaned most heavily before setting it free.

It hardly seems fair to write a (mostly) glowing review after only having Roomba for less than a week. For now, I am enthusiastic and impressed. Rest assured that I will update as I see fit!

World of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar with Martin Taylor

World of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar is definitely NOT for beginners or even intermediate players. A solid understanding of chord spellings and a relatively good ear is necessary before checking out this DVD.

Martin Taylor basically introduces a singular approach to solo performance using the different chord tones as melody, bass, and accompaniment. The rest of the DVD simply reinforces this one concept. Mr. Taylor demonstrates his approach with five standards, and then shows a few variations of those standards. If you don’t have an understanding of chord spellings, (what’s the 3rd? 7th?!?) then you WILL be completely lost, and this video will be of little use.

If nothing else, this video serves as an excellent example of some very fine playing with an introduction to some basic solo jazz techniques. This DVD is great for some motivation, or just fast-forward through the repetitive instruction and check out the excellent PDF file for some more explicit information.

Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote

It's a remote control that you program with your computer. Does anything else really matter?

The Harmony 880, and it's sibling upgrade the Harmony 890, are the ultimate solution to the dozen-remotes-to-do-one-damn-thing dillema prevelant in so many of today's homes. That is, if you're tech-savvy enough to use it. It basically does nothing out of the box, so if you're the type who wants things to work without having to fiddle, you're probably not looking for the Harmony 880. Go buy one of those $15 "universal" remotes they sell at Walmart and suffer the consequences, bitch! Err, conversely, if you're the type who likes to be able to adjust the functionality of every single button, alter the timing of command sequences, and program your own macros... well, then! Welcome to paradise!

Via a relatively simple online interface, users can upload information to the remote at will. First you'll want to set up the remote to work with all of your components. No problem! The online database includes hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-programmed command sets you can browse. Tape deck is 15 years old, you say? Chances are, unless it's a Panasonix from Aldis, it'll be there. What about your brand new DVR box that was just released within the past year--more recently than the 880 itself? You haven't stumped the thing yet, since new products are continually added to the online database. As for the Kenwald you bought at the dollar store, you can use the IR panel on the base of the 880 to "learn" new commands off the original remote. Meaning the possibilities are endless.

And that's just the beginning! Assuming there are others in the household who are not as nerdy as the individual doing the programming, the 880 comes to the rescue by allowing macros. A macro to "Watch TV", one to "Play Xbox," or "Watch DVD"--anything you can imagine, really. Once the online application has been told which components make up your system, it's smart enough to know basically what will need to happen for any standard macro event. For the first time only, it will walk the user through a series of questions to find out which TV inputs to use, whether anything else needs to be turned on or off, which component should control the volume, etc. Thus, the "Watch DVD" button will perform a simple "Turn on TV, turn on DVD player, turn on stereo, get everything set to the proper inputs, start DVD" sequence with very little extra programming required. You do NOT need to be a rocket scientist to get the 880 to do what you need it to do! (Although you should probably at least have a high school diploma or GED, if not for figuring out your Harmony 880, then just for the self-satisfaction and sense of personal fulfillment an education will provide). However, the macro events are HIGHLY customizable: The touch of a single button can be made to switch channels, screen resolutions, adjust your volume, then wait 10 seconds and execute the "play" command on the DVD player so you don't even have to be bothered to navigate the opening menu if that's what you want. It can do everything but make the popcorn. On second thought, if you had a remote to control the microwave, you could teach the 880 to do that, too!

Customization goes far beyond macros to even allow the user to upload .jpgs for the screen saver, change how bright the backlit display shines, and more. Each device can have several "pages" (display screens) full of learned commands that are assigned customizable titles. No more struggling to remember which non-standard functions are mapped to which pre-fab buttons; you can use a word descriptive of the actual command! Plus, it's just fun to play with all the features via the online interface. It looks very technical. You can imagine that you're doing something productive and worthwhile with your life for a change.

Once it's been set up, the Harmony 880 makes a complicated A/V system simple for anyone--even guests--to operate. Wouldn't it be fun to have someone ask, "Hey, how do I work your TV?" and then you respond, "Duh, push the WATCH TV button!" (Note: not responsible for any physical violence that may ensue). The 880 is helpful, too! If something doesn't work like it was supposed to, there is a "HELP" button that will ask the user step-by-step what went wrong: Is the TV on? Is the TV set to VIDEO 1? Is the DVD player on? Etc. If the answer is "no" at any point along the way, it will correct that problem and ask if you still need help.

... which brings up the few negatives about the 880. The way the macros work, the remote needs to make assumptions about the state of various components in order to execute the proper sequence of commands. It bases the assumptions on it's memory of previous commands. Thus, if you use the 880 to turn on the TV, but use another remote turn it off, the 880 won't know about it. Later when you hit "Watch DVD" on the 880, it will assume the TV is already on and won't include that step in the macro. This issue, although annoying, is easily resolved either through the HELP feature or by using the 880 exclusively to control the system. Or, if things get out of whack, you can manually set the components to match whatever state the 880 believes is correct; for example, turn everything off manually or with other remotes and then point the 880 away (to avoid sending futher signals to the components) while you hit it's giant all-inclusive OFF switch. Now it "thinks" it's turned everything off, so all is well again. It's just a remote, quit confusing the poor thing! Jeez!

Another negative about the Harmony 880 is that it can only do IR signals, not UHF, so line-of-sight must be obtained to control your components. The 890 solved this issue, but unfortunately, was not available right away and thus users who spent mega-bucks to purchase the 880 are screwed. This is inconvenient but probably not a deal-breaker for most potential buyers.

With the highly luminous LCD screen and backlit buttons, you'd think the Harmony 880 would be a battery hog, but it comes with it's own recharagable battery and charging station. The remote actually lasts for quite some time between charges--at least a week, or long enough for this user to forget how long it's been since she last set it on the cradle. Also, the remote will "sleep" until it senses movement, conserving power. And prompting veteran users to shake it awake each time they pick it up, which is amusing from the perspective that "outsiders" would believe you are either threatening it or have some kind of magic powers that cause it to obey. Once the motion sensor is activated, the 880 comes to life and instills awe in anyone who looks upon it.

Overall, the Harmony 880 is awesome. A true replacement option for ALL of your remotes, even the ones with special functionality that other univerals, including other "learning" models, could only replicate poorly at best. Plus, it looks cool and is impressive as hell. Isn't that just as important? Admit it! Admit that you want to be the envy of all your friends!

Reinvigorating a Genre: Half-Life 2 (for Xbox)

The first person shooter genre hasn't thrilled me since the original Quake. Each "new" version was a slightly slicker substitute for the original Doom. That is, until Half-Life came along.

Half-Life was the most fun I had playing a computer game since the early days of DOS games migrating to Windows. It had such a unique premise, and rarely seemed repetitive or cumbersome, or overly frustrating, like virtually every other shooter on the market. After wiping the sweat off my brow and taking several minutes to calm down after my victory over the original Half-Life, I began a search for something else, something new, something equally as enthralling and invigorating as what I had just experienced.

Little came along to fill the capacious void until I spied Half-Life 2 on the shelf of one of the local mega marts.

(Fast forward a week or so while I bought the game on eBay and anxiously waited for the thing to arrive!)

Not since Wing Commander IV (Luke freaking Skywalker versus the Kilrathi!) or Tetris during my college years has a game gotten under my skin so deeply or so completely. I spent more time in front of the TV with a controller in my hand the next week or so than I have at any time in the previous fifteen years. I dreamed Half-Life 2. I positively JONESED for Half-Life 2.

The pro's are numerous. It is NOT repetitive. You get to do many different things besides the cliche "run and shoot". Nor is it necessary to spend frustrating hours sneaking around in the shadows, holding the control stick at the most acute angle possible to get past the bad guys. The weapons are fun. What you can do with one particular weapon is exceptionally fun. (Who doesn't dream about bisecting a room full of zombie critters with a single shot?)The game is challenging, but not daunting. It is clever, scary, immensely interesting, and just darn fun!

The only negative I can come up with is that the final quarter of the game is it's weakest. It starts strong, grows to be one of the best times I've had playing a game, but then just falls off at the end. The end of the game is not at all bad, it just pales in comparison to the rest of the game.

Half-Life 2 comes in at number 3 of my all time favorite non-Zelda non-Mario games. If you're into first-person shooters at all, or have ever considered trying one, I vehemently urge you to RUN not walk and find a copy today!

Liquid Paper DryLine Grip

This handy invention is a God send for all those impatient folk who can't wait 30 seconds for the actual LIQUID form of liquid paper to dry completely before trying to write over it. Simply press the tip of DryLine Grip to paper and draw; a thin, opaque white line obscures the humiliating mistakes you made on those important documents (you nitwit!) and allows for immediate correction.

The Grip fits comfortably in your hand and is embelleshed with finger-sized dents on the top and sides for ease of control. Each roll of DryLine has a surprisingly long life, assuming it isn't being used for the purpose of turning a pad of college-rule into typing paper. The rolls are also supposedly replacable though it might prove difficult to actually find the refills in a store. Just throw it away and swipe another one from the office supply closet, jeez!

Body for LIFE for Women

Clearly, this book is written for women, thus all information contained within is useful only to those lacking the Y-chromosome. Also, the capitalization and italics repeated each and every time the title is written demonstrate just how much purpose is behind each word. Body. for LIFE. for Women.

Written by Dr. Pamela Peeke, "Body for LIFE for Women" is a lifestyle plan that emphasizes regular strength training combined with cardiovascular exercise, relaxation or meditation, and a sensible diet to achieve and maintain a healthy body composition. It has a very no-nonsense approach to these topics; none of the fun and laughs most people have come to associate with books about diet and exercise.

The diet plan is similar to South Beach, minus the lunacy of the so-called "induction phase" of the SBD. You want a piece of fruit? Go for it! Thank goodness it's changed it's evil ways and will no longer gleefully launch buckets of insulin into your blood, which everyone knows can only result in stored fat. No calorie counting required, just simple portion control and regular meals (it is recommended to eat five to six time per day--no skipping breakfast!). Vegetables, fruits, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and "smart" carbs are the building blocks of your Body for LIFE. That's right--you will learn to distinguish "smart" carbs and fats from "junk" carbs and fats. Amazingly, one will kill you and the other won't... but you'll have to read the book to find out which is which!

Dr. Peeke stresses the importance of at least 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 days per week, and 30 minutes of strength training 1-2 times per week, then delves into illustrated examples of what to do with those heavy metal weight-thingys collecting dust in the corner. The front and back pages of the book are covered with before and after shots of women with body-builder physiques--your proof that it only takes as little as 1/2 hour of exercise each day to be on your way to looking like some scary Amazon chick who can strangle life's daily stressor with her bare hands. You won't even need the chapters on meditation and rejuvenation by the time you're through; you can just go rambo on everyone's asses!

One of the more practical diet and exercise books on the market, with the exception of the miracle results it claims to produce in just 12 short weeks. The fine print reveals that a person "may" need more than one 12-week cycle to achieve notable progress. Or to be able to look at any page in the book without being overwhelmed by the gratuitous use of italic font.

Caribou Coffee Vanilla Latte snack bar

It really does taste like coffee! STRONG coffee. Should contain recommended serving suggestion, "Do not consume while drinking coffee. Or whilest coffee in any form is otherwise present within 25 foot radius. You will be sorry."

The Vanilla Latte bar (not pictured) is dipped in vanilla rather than chocolate as shown above. Only slightly affects the overall flavor, which has enough java bean to ninja storm the Starbucks franchise.

At 140 calories and 13 grams of sugar, this bar is the equivalent of a vanilla latte in more ways than one. The convenient part is that it's in solid form. Mmmm, solid form...