Howlsthunder - ProductWiki

Howlsthunder updated Samsung PN42B430

Howlsthunder — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:23:24 -0500

November 3, 2009 at 5:23 pm

tapped as "have it"

Howlsthunder commented on Samsung PN42B430

Howlsthunder — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:23:18 -0500

November 3, 2009 at 5:23 pm

"We just received one of these in replacement for a TV a friend broke playing Wii. Its much nicer than the old set but I am no TV expert so I can't say if this is a fantastic TV or not - I can only comment on whether it meets my personal needs. . Its big! The resolution on high def is great and I cannot imagine anything more crisp. And true to its plasma nature, the blacks are nice and rich . The stand has a built-in swivel for ease of screen-rotation. This is very handy for us as we used to manhandle the old CRT TV into position for better kitchen or livingroom viewing, depending. . The screen itself is low-glare, as stated in the description. . The speaker system is far superior to old tv stereo speakers, giving sounds more depth. Kind of a step toward surround sound without the "surround". ;) . There's only one yellow-white-red AV input on this tv so if you have multiple gadgets that need that sort of input (I had three: the DVD player, the Wii, and the XBox) you'll have to swap them around or buy a switching hub. However, there are two sets of high def AV inputs (Red, Green, Blue, Red White) so both the Wii and the XBox can use those. . The menu for swapping around aspect ratios is a bit burried, which is obnoxious but its really easy to swap inputs, which is a plus since I do that more often. Overall I really like this television. Games look fantastic in HD on it and the sound, while not surround sound, is pretty deep for it all coming from 'one spot' in the room."

Howlsthunder updated 2 products

Howlsthunder — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:23:18 -0400

1. updated Keen Targhee II Mid Boots - October 29, 2009 at 6:23 pm

new pro/con: Available in a "low-top" version
new pro/con: Newer models are 2+ oz lighter
new pro/con: Very comfortable design available in very wide sizes
new pro/con: Lighter than many cheaper hiking boots
new pro/con: Waterproofing degrades after time
new pro/con: Webbing is reflective at night
new pro/con: Lace clips at top of boot prevent untied strings from loosening the boot - very handy
new pro/con: Wicking ability is limited; doesn't withstand the sweatiest feet
new pro/con: Extremely durable, doesn't fall apart after a few months like cheap brands
added the image: Keen Targhee II Mid Boots 2
added the image: Keen Targhee II Mid Boots 1
tapped as "have it"

2. updated Fallout 3 - October 29, 2009 at 5:24 pm

agreed: "Ability to switch from first and third person!"
agreed: "Level cap upped to 30"
agreed: "There is no end after buying the brotherhood of steel DLC"
agreed: "Game of the year"
agreed: "Cheap DLC, for extended game play"
agreed: "Very intresting and immersive"
agreed: "Open world enviornment"
agreed: "unavailable on Macintosh"
agreed: "very few constructible weapons or items"
agreed: "Short game if you just play the main missions; only takes about 6-8 hours"

Howlsthunder commented on 2 items

Howlsthunder — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:22:08 -0400

1. commented on Keen Targhee II Mid Boots - October 29, 2009 at 6:22 pm

"I've been a fan of Columbia hiking boots for some time, having gone through dozens of cheaper brands in my youth and finding them to all be shoddy excuses for footwear. I'd pretty much replaced most of my shoes with Vibram FiveFingers but this summer I had to have a pair of "real shoes" for work at a remote wilderness lodge. I figured if I was going to have to buy shoes, I would buy hiking boots/shoes. Having been introduced to Keens through several acquaintances I thought I would give them a try. While I am still not a fan of shoes in general, these Keens went above and beyond my expectations. They look a little odd on your foot, making your feet look shorter than they are but the width was really nice and they gave my foot space and support in all the right spots. More importantly, it didn't feel like I was tying a brick of leather and rubber to my foot - it felt like a shoe. I pretty much wore these for 4 months straight, alternating with a pair of FiveFinger KSOs, and wore them in a huge variety of terrain including gravel, dirt, grass, mud, brush, stone, beaches, mountains, and even volcanic ash and pumice, a notoriously bizarre footing. After the abuse I put them through, the leather isn't falling off, the laces are intact, the soles aren't worn flat, and the backs of the ankles are doing pretty well considering I am notoriously hard on my shoes since I'm often too lazy to tie/untie my shoes. I want to point out that these are very good at keeping fine particles out of your shoe - I hiked for 3 days across a volcanic valley filled with ash and though my shoes turned white in color and ash got into EVERYTHING else, it didn't get into my Keens. The waterproofing is pretty good and lasted longer than all of my Columbia boots though it did degrade after awhile like most waterproofing seems to. I can't really compare it wicking ability to other shoes because I'd never spent NEAR as much time wearing one pair of shoes as I did this pair of Keens, and I was in them a LOT, doing a lot of work in 80°F weather. I wouldn't reccommend these for hot weather where your feet will sweat to death but they are great for cooler weather. The laces seem to run a bit short on Keens - they are just long enough to tie normally or even "double knot" but not long enough to do a modified tie where you loop twice "around the tree". But the lace clips at the top of the shoe work so well that when my laces come undone I only notice when I hear them clicking against the sides of my boot; they're too short to drag on the ground and the clips keep the tension in the lacing so your shoe doesn't come loose. I did have problems standing for long periods of time with these shoes but I think that would of been a problem no matter what I was wearing due to the nature of my job. But for outdoors, these shoes did great. When this pair finally wears out and dies, I will definitely be replacing them with another pair of Keens."

2. commented on Fallout 3 - October 29, 2009 at 5:33 pm

"I noticed a LOT of redundant pros and cons on this and a few other products. In the Fallout 3 report this mainly has to do with the DownLoad Content (DLC) being mentioned several times as well as some comments individually itemizing game elements into "pros" rather than using a blanket pro such as "Many in-game personalizations possible such as choices of NPC followers and themes to redecorate your house" or something like that. I think having "bobbleheads", "your own robot", etc. skews the overall rating of the product, even if regular reviewers don't click to agree with the redundancies. I am not sure if there's an easy way to fix this sort of thing other than to have a crazy amount of moderating going on. I'd volunteer to condense pros and cons like these if we could come up with a practical way to do it, though I can't promise I wouldn't drop off the face of the net for a few weeks at a time. >_>;"

Howlsthunder updated Fable 2

Howlsthunder — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:22:39 -0400

October 29, 2009 at 5:22 pm

tapped as "have it"
tapped as "love it"

Howlsthunder commented on Apple Macbook Pro

Howlsthunder — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:48:13 -0400

September 30, 2009 at 12:48 pm

"For clarification, I have the 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo model with 4 GB of RAM Though this is not the first laptop I have used, it is the first laptop I have owned and I am in love. It was my only computer for this past summer and it performed fantastically and now that I am home again and around other computers, I prefer to use it over my usual machines. I don't have any real 'cons' to list because, as I said, I don't have much to compare it to but I do want to emphasize that this machine is whisper quiet for me. I actually thought something was *wrong* with it because it was so quiet - I usually have to put my ear on it to hear anything! (Note that I am usually using my MBP in a cool-ish environment). Also I don't find it to be a very hot laptop. Past PC laptops I have used would scald your legs if you sat it in your lap but I can sit for a few hours with this on my lap and it only just gets slightly uncomfortable. So if this is what people mean by "Too hot" then I am impressed. ;) Other items of note: . I LOVE the 'chickle' style keyboard with the black keys set apart from one another. It makes touch-typing easier than on older models whose keys bled into one another, making it easy to drift away from proper home row position. And because the keys are pretty much identical to current Apple keyboards, there's none of that readjustment that used to happen when swapping between typing on a clunky external keyboard and a too-small laptop. Also, the backlighting works and looks great, especially with the black keys. . The multi-touch pad. I love this thing so much I wish I could buy an external one to use on my other computers. The gestures are useful, especially for browsing files (two-finger scrolling and a multi-finger swipe to go back and forward through nested folders, etc). Its smooth *and* you can set up the pad to 'click' with a touch-tap rather than depressing the entire pad (the entire pad is a button and there are no other click buttons). Tapping is much easier on the fingers and I find it frustrating that other laptops (like my sister's plain MacBook) do not have this feature. Those are just the highlights for me. I'm sure people with much more laptop experience can get into more technical pros and cons but I am satisfied with my purchase. :)"

Howlsthunder updated Apple Macbook Pro

Howlsthunder — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:33:20 -0400

September 30, 2009 at 12:33 pm

disagreed: "Very hot"
agreed: "Expensive"
agreed: "Very quite internal fans."
agreed: "LED Backlit screen."
tapped as "have it"
tapped as "love it"
untapped as "want it"

Howlsthunder updated Microsoft Xbox 360

Howlsthunder — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:53:00 -0400

September 30, 2009 at 2:53 am

untapped as "want it"
tapped as "have it"

Howlsthunder updated Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Howlsthunder — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:51:33 -0400

September 30, 2009 at 12:51 am

disagreed: "only usable on proprietary Apple hardware"
disagreed: "a long time in development for more evolutionary rather than revolutionary changes"
agreed: "Finally a release that tidies up the plumbing rather then just adding features and bloat"
agreed: "affordable to upgrade to compared to previous version of OSX"

Howlsthunder updated Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Howlsthunder — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:30:57 -0400

September 24, 2009 at 2:30 am

tapped as "want it"

Howlsthunder commented on 2 items

Howlsthunder — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:13:32 -0400

1. commented on Dyson DC14 All Floors Vacuum - April 29, 2009 at 5:13 pm

"We have one of these at our office and it is a joy to use. We've gone through dozens of Eureka and Dirt Devil vacuums at my house and none could of held a candle to this Dyson. Its lightweight build without sacrificing suction is the biggest wow factor for this machine, closely followed by how smoothly it performs. Most vacuums feel like I'm pushing a recliner around the room, the movement of vacuuming feeling clunky. But there is something in the way the joints in this Dyson make it highly flexible feeling so it glides easily across most surfaces. The hose & extension bits are hidden down inside the handle of the vacuum, making it a cinch to quickly pull out the hose, suck up what you need to, and put it back with little fuss, and the attachment ends (brush, wide-end) live secured to the top of the debris chamber. My only complaint is the price of this baby. If you can find one for cheaper, totally go for it."

2. commented on UGG Australia Fluff Momma Boot - April 29, 2009 at 4:46 pm

"Haha - I have *actually* tried a pair of these on once for laughs! Pink and fluffy! I saw them at a Nordstrom's Rack for much less than $299. They were like giant boot-shaped slippers, soft and fluffy - not something you'd wear in warm weather. They are very impractical, however, with no way to lace them securely to your feet, and I'd imagine they'd be high maintenance for keeping clean. Definitely for fashion only and for people who have money to throw away."

Howlsthunder updated 2 products

Howlsthunder — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:55:54 -0400

1. updated Dyson DC14 All Floors Vacuum - April 29, 2009 at 4:55 pm

new pro/con: Main pivot point design makes maneuvering vacuum easy and smooth
tapped as "love it"
new pro/con: Bag-less
new pro/con: Innovative, compact extension hose design
agreed: "Expensive"
agreed: "Powerful ssssuucction"
agreed: "Very effective picking up animal hair"
new pro/con: Lightweight

2. updated UGG Australia Fluff Momma Boot - April 29, 2009 at 4:22 pm

agreed: "expensive"
new pro/con: Comfortable - like boot-shaped slippers
new pro/con: Difficult to keep clean
agreed: "Unique!"

Howlsthunder updated 2 products

Howlsthunder — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:06:33 -0400

1. updated Corel Painter - April 21, 2009 at 5:06 pm

new pro/con: Ability to freely rotate canvas at any angle just like paper on a desk
new pro/con: Realistically mimicks traditional art media
new pro/con: Focuses on art creation rather than image manipulation
added a link Painter 11 - digital painting software: http://www.corel.com/servlet.../1166553885783#tabview=tab0 ...
edited the description
updated the features
changed the thumbnail

2. updated CorelDRAW - April 21, 2009 at 4:37 pm

new pro/con: Unix/Linux no longer directly supported as of 2001
added a related product: Corel Painter
added a link CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4: http://www.corel.com/servlet...onTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0 ...
new pro/con: Can import and export most relevant popular formats
new pro/con: Maximum page size is enormous (45mx45m), great for large scale signage
new pro/con: Macintosh versions no longer made as of 2001
new pro/con: Not as widely used and supported as Adobe Illustrator
new pro/con: Cheaper than Illustrator
new pro/con: Can be used to create TrueType, PostScript, and OpenType fonts

Howlsthunder commented on CorelDRAW

Howlsthunder — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:28:28 -0400

April 21, 2009 at 4:28 pm

"I've never used CorelDRAW, though now I know it is no longer available for Mac I know why. CorelDRAW was something everyone laughed at in college and is equally poo-pooed in the design circles I know but from what I've read this is not because DRAW isn't a capable application (it is) but because Corel doesn't do much to promote its own software the way Adobe does. Many of its capabilities interest me and are things I wish Illustrator did - anyone have any experience with CorelDRAW?"

Howlsthunder updated 2 products

Howlsthunder — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:03:05 -0400

1. updated CorelDRAW - April 21, 2009 at 4:03 pm

new pro/con: Direct link to Whatthefont type identification service
new pro/con: Can design items for output with sequential numbering/names (i.e. raffle tickets, membership cards, invitations)
new pro/con: Ability to flow text across multiple documents
new pro/con: Handles multi-page documents & master pages
new pro/con: Can "print" directly to a laser cutter
new pro/con: Is an entire graphics suite (vector & raster) in one package
edited the description
updated the features
changed the thumbnail

2. updated Vibram FiveFingers Sprint - April 21, 2009 at 3:37 pm

found Wolfmaan's review helpful
found Carlaton's review helpful
found runninggirl's review helpful
agreed: "The versatility in applications is limitless; from rock climbing to kayaking to hiking to a night out bar hoppin' after a long day at the beach. If you think of your body as a car wouldn't you want the best tires you could get?!"
agreed: "Toes that are separated instead of compressed are happy toes."

Howlsthunder updated Apple Mac OS X

Howlsthunder — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:11:35 -0400

April 20, 2009 at 3:11 pm

agreed: "Unlike MS Windows, application are mostly of extremely high quality, with very little proportion of junk."
agreed: "Rock solid open source BSD UNIX subsystem"
agreed: "Not much of a learning curve. "
agreed: "innovative "
agreed: "The "dock" make navigation easy. "
agreed: "affordable price"
agreed: "The "dashboard" is very useful and doesn't interfere with other programs. "
agreed: "no oppressive product validation"

Howlsthunder updated Mac OS X Leopard

Howlsthunder — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:10:07 -0400

April 17, 2009 at 8:10 pm

found Discordanian's review helpful
found dialupinternetuser's review unhelpful