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Antec Solo II Review: Sonata Evolvedby Dustin Sklavos on 9/6/2011 12:00 AM EST
- Posted in
- Antec
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- Sonata
59 Comments
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gevorg - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - link"I also think Antec is having the same problem with the Solo II they had with the Sonata IV: it's priced right out of competition. At $129 it just doesn't make sense."
It makes sense to people who value silent computing. With the right part selection you can have a powerful computer that is also very quiet and that what makes Solo superb even at $200 price point. Comparing Solo to Sonata is like comparing apple to an orange. Key word: part selection. A proper review with anechoic chamber measurements would show a clearer picture. Reply
zero2dash - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - link@ $120 the Solo II is (IMHO) grossly overpriced.
@ $200 it's highway robbery and anyone who would buy a Solo at that price point deserves to get ripped off.
If I have $200 and it HAS to be spent on an Antec case, I'd get one of the 18x variants. Otherwise, I'd go with another brand name. Reply
knedle - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI agree, I have Antec NSK2480 for years and I didn't buy it because it was fancy, featured some neat mounting system or whatever else.
I bought it because it looked simple, and was made of thick steel, that helps to make my computer quiet.
Nothing else counts for me, and that enclosure is doing great job for me... Oh wait, I had to turn off all the blue LEDs on it, because I hate them. ;) Reply
pvdw - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkAnandtech just doesn't have the facilities for a proper sound related review of hardware. For that SPCR is a better place to go. If quietness is a priority then that's the place to go for reviews. I've found that their case reviews are better than those here. I'm sure they'll review this case and I look forward to hearing their input.
BTW, I have the Solo, and it's a great case! It has it's little foibles, but it's significantly cut down on noise in my office.
As far as tool-less design is concerned, remember that a case like the Solo is geared towards noise reduction. It's possible that some of the tool-less designs lead to extra vibration. Or maybe Antec were just cutting corners.The suspension straps are just the best at reducing HDD vibration transfer. Reply
gevorg - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - link"Anandtech just doesn't have the facilities for a proper sound related review of hardware. For that SPCR is a better place to go."
If Anandtech can't do a proper review, they shouldn't jump to silly conclusions that Solo "at $129 it just doesn't make sense". Not everything is made for overclockers, storage servers and HTPC. Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI stand by my conclusions.
Just because we can't invest in a custom built anechoic chamber that produces noise level results which border on academic for 90% of end users, I'm somehow not qualified to be doing these? Reply
davegravy - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkAcoustic Engineer here.
Results can be significantly skewed by not measuring in an anechoic environment due to room modes. We're talking on the order of several dB.
Your measurements may still be useful for comparison purposes, provided your transducer location and the location of equipment under test is EXACTLY the same for each measurement. In this case, one should not compare Anantech's results with other published results. Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkThat's basically it. I'm confident that my results are comparable within their own ranks. Reply
dhanson8652 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI think this is a fair review. I have no major problem with this review and I've been a SPCR regular for almost a decade.
Suspension was a big deal with traditional 7200 RPM drives back in the day. With SSDs taking over it becomes less and less of an issue. I'd be fine with suspension taken out of the Solo if it dropped the cost and that was reflected in a lower price for the consumer.
The biggest negative you didn't mention is the power button / reset switch is pretty cheaply made. See the picture in page two of this thread http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php... I've seen ham-fisted users bust the power button on a Solo and I've had to fix them so it's not an issue I'll quickly forget.
The one thing that I didn't know before reading this review is that the support bar is removable. There have been some on SPCR that have cut the bar away in the original Solo so having it easily removed/replaced without damaging the cases resale value is a plus.
On the topic of intake the lack of intake fan, considering Yate Loon 120mm fans are only $3 retail (less for someone like Antec to buy in bulk) It'd be very easy to up the included fan count by one if they are going to keep the price that high. As is die hard SPCR types don't use front fans. Reply
leoc - Saturday, December 28, 2013 - linkThe really important difference between this review and the SPCR one isn't the precision of the noise recordings. It's that when SPCR found the stock Solo II struggling under load with a mid-range GPU they went ahead, put in a 120mm intake fan and retested. Apparently the Solo II was not only much cooler but quieter with the second fan while under load. Now it would be very fair to slate the expense of what's arguably a $15 hidden extra on the price of a $130 case, but it's faintly absurd not to confirm that the case works well in a two-fan configuration. I understand the desire to review the item as delivered and not to consider esoteric modifications, but throwing in a 120mm Nexus is not exactly drilling holes: it's a ridiculously straightforward and obvious option when self-building a desktop PC for superior noise *or* cooling performance. Reply
lwatcdr - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - linkWhich is funny because from SPCR "Our biggest concern is not physical, but fiscal — the Solo II's MSRP price of US$129 is substantially more than its competitors which offer more drive support, fans, and features."
In other words that sight that you feel does a better job found the same thing.
CloudFire - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI can't really seem to get excited over any of Antec's cases lately, I've had a 900 years ago before they had much competition on the market. I don't see how this can compete with the Corsair Carbide 500R at the same MSRP, or even the 400R at the 99$ mark. Not to mention the NZXT Phantom w/same MSRP which provides much more room, fan controller, aesthetics (personal preference of course), and impeccable cable management options. 129$ seems way too expensive for a case like this imo. Reply
earthrace57 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI kind of think Antec is eating its own lunch with this case. The P183 or even P193 are similarly priced, but you get much better performance with similar acoustics. Reply
zero2dash - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkTry to get an R3 for review so people can see what a real $100 case can give you; silence AND cooling with better internal cable management and better general configuration. I'd put my Arctic White R3 up there with the higher end Lian Li's I've owned (including the V1000 BW Plus II) as the nicest case out there.
I love my Three Hundred but I can't even consider or recommend anything Antec does for $100+ when there are Lian Li's and several Fractal Designs (including the R3) at the same price point. Antec is the case to beat at sub-$100 (the Three Hundred), but as for $100+, no thanks. Reply
int9 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkCan't be repeated enough. Define Mini would be another interesting choice... mid-tower cases are feeling quite boring these days IMO. Reply
Samus - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkwow, this is a complete copy of the Silverstone FT02. damn Antec, three years late, and you didn't even consider a larger, single intake fan?
i don't get it, at $129, its priced between something equivilent in quietness and cooling, and something that is exceptionally higher quality. i think most people are going to pick a sub-$100 case that is basically an equal to this, or a $200 case that is everything this isn't. Reply
Exodite - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkDoes the USB 3.0 front panel connector use the standardized motherboard header or rely on external connectors, like Lian-Li uses?
The first would be much preferable.
Anwyay, some points off the top of my head.
* The top vent means that I could actually use this case with my fanless PSU, since it has to be mounted with vents upward for convection to work.
* Space for longer graphics cards is appreciated.
* While I enjoy the suspension mount system in theory the reality is that the bands dry up and wear out very quickly and the noise suppression characteristic is negligible beyond what the silicone grommet mount already allows.
* I'd rather see just the two USB 3.0 ports on the front panel and replace the two 2.0 ones with powered eSATA and/or a card reader.
* Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the use of the same power and reset key as the original invalidates every improvement made to the chassis. You'd be using a pen to rummage around inside the front panel to start and reset your computer in a couple of months anyway. Reply
Malih - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkit's a bit frustrating that from the latest case reviews there's not a single Coolermaster case, I'm curious whether they send any case for review.
Anyways, thank you for this review, After reading the review I finally figured the type of case that I'm going to buy for my upcoming build: something silent, although not necessarily the Sonata.
I'm gonna have to look through other reviews for best silent cases. Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkUnfortunately they don't. I've been trying to get one of the HAF enclosures in, but no luck. I'll keep pressing them, but I have to wonder if they were unhappy about my review of the Storm Enforcer. Reply
FH123 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkAs the happy owner of an Antec Solo, I'm dubious about this update, mainly because they've shrunk the drive cage. I understand the need to accomodate longer graphics cards, but you pay a lot for that. I run a Core 2 Quad Q9650 and stock Radeon 5850 as a gaming and multimedia rig in my living room. Neither cooling nor the length of that graphics card is an issue with the original case. As someone else said, parts selection is probably important. I am able to run my system with a single Noctua fan at 900RPM (slower than the original), which is connected to a tower CPU heatsink via a rubber fan duct. There is no separate CPU fan, yet the CPU will run at stock speed, undervolted, and merely hit 55C under StressPrime. Alternatively stock voltage allows a moderate overclock from 3.0 to 3.6GHz and a top temperature of 68C under StressPrime, with the fan ramped to 1300RPM. The stock Radeon 5850 mostly vents out the back. Admittedly this is probably the limit of what the case will do with such limited airflow.
I strongly disagree about the suspension mounting. Among the drives I've had were some Seagates that had a loud seek noise and Samsungs with a quieter seek noise, but a much higher rumble. The suspension mounting completely eliminates the rumble of the Samsungs and transforms them into the quietest drives I've had. The rubber grommets, while no doubt better than nothing, are unable to do this. The downside of the suspension mounting is that you shouldn't tilt the case while carrying. By the way, the suspension mounts in my case are made from elasticated fabric. I've owned it for 4 years. These do not dry up. I believe there were problems only with early Antec Solos, which had rubber bands instead. Reply
Exodite - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkSeems my previous attempt at a reply got eaten so I'll try again.
Re: Samsung HDDs.
I've used both a 400GB T133 and a 2TB F4 Ecogreen in the original SOLO, both on suspension and using the silicone grommet mounts.
When using Samsungs tools to set AAM to 'Quiet' or whatever the lowest setting is, and avoiding tightening the screws through the silicone grommets too much, I can hear no audible difference between the two mounting systems.
This from a guy who find his Noctua C-14 intolerable on everything past 750 RPM. Reply
ya_bewb - Sunday, January 08, 2012 - linkI have two Solo cases, like Exodite, I can''t hear any difference between the silicon and the bands. I've since settled on just using the silicon mounts, which prevent any metal on metal contact. I agree with the reviewer, the bands are unnecessary, and in version 2 they should have dropped them and added another 2.5" drive bay with the space savings.
I have one of my current drive bays empty because the video card power connector juts into the space in front of it, so I have to agree with that change in the version 2. If you want to build a quiet mid-range gaming PC it is difficult with the original solo, just too crowded for the video card.
People have complained about the power switch and neither is broken in either of my cases, maybe I'm just lucky.
Lastly, the Fractal Define R3 is a comparable case but after seeing one in person the build quality doesn't seem as good as the Solo...and I'm not a huge fan of the drive bay door on the front. Even so I'm considering it for my next rig, as well as the solo 2 and a couple of other cases. The Solo may be more expensive due to the paint job, it is a good looking case. Reply
alandpost - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - link(from a happy multiple Solo I builder)
The reviewer has rather missed the point.
The HD suspension really does make a difference, particularly in reducing vibration from 3.5" drives. If you've got whining blowers on big graphics cards, you might not notice.
The lack of noise is the partially the result of the indirect air intake, not just the sound dampening panels. Also, if the build quality of the Solo II is similar to the Solo I, it's a solid brick of steel that doesn't rattle or hum as much as many other cases.
Thermals would improve with slow, good-quality intake fans, without becoming noisy. In fact, the lower temperature might slow down the fan on the graphics card.
The moaning about HD installation just sounds childish to me. We're talking about an operation that takes thirty seconds.
Also, it seems that the reviewer is unaware of the original Solo case, which has been out since 2006 or 2007, and has been a standard choice for quiet builds ever since.
I agree that the Solo II is not the best choice for a 500W system -- something like the InWin BUC will move way more air -- but how many such builds actually exist? For the build tested, the "load" numbers are also not typical of any load you'd actually use, running both prime95 and furmark.
For a modestly powered build, the only drawbacks I can see in the Solo II are the small HD cage, and the price.
For reviews more in tune with the issues of quiet computing, head over to silentpcreview.com Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI don't think I've missed the point. I'm not personally a fan of the suspension system and have rarely had a situation that basic rubber grommets didn't solve the problem of. I don't care for it, and the half one, half other approach actually just winds up reducing the enclosure's overall usefulness.
And it's true, the Solo II is very solidly built. My Graphite 600T developed a rattle over time that drove me insane.
I believe I also said that for someone looking for pure silence at any cost, the Solo II was pretty much going to be the best choice.
That in mind, I will tell you right now that builds like our testbed aren't as uncommon as you think they are. The load numbers are also more typical than you'd think: I found when encoding H.264 video using Adobe Media Encoder, my core temperatures were usually within a degree or two of my Prime95 temps.
For a more modest build the Solo II is going to be just fine. It'll run a little warmer than the other enclosures will, but it has a solid build and it's dead silent (a quieter HSF wouldn't hurt either.) Our stock test results support this.
But every time someone mentions SPCR here I die a little inside. SPCR is a niche site and extremely specialized, with expensive specialized equipment and very specific goals tailored to a very specific audience. I can only do the best with what I have and recount my personal experiences with the hardware sent to me to the best of my ability, and sometimes those results and experiences will contradict SPCR. So be it. Reply
HammerSandwich - Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - linkIMO, Anandtech is the best overall tech site out there, so I understand your frustration at the SPCR comparisons. But, as you point out, SPCR's a highly specialized site, and we should expect that allows it to do certain things a bit better.
Having said that, I generally do prefer SPCR's case reviews, for reasons that have little to do with more precise SPL measurements. Here are a few areas they nail which you could implement easily:
1) Report (at least the major) fan speeds.
2) Report the test PC's power draw in idle & load tests.
3) Run additional tests at a lower heat load. This test's non-OCed results occur at a pretty high power level (certainly compared to, say, a 2500K & 6870), and even hardcore gamers often have less extreme secondary rigs. There's room to evaluate cases in the 150-200W range, which *seems* like what Antec designed the Solo II to handle. But that's hard to determine from your review.
4) Report temperatures in both C and F. Right now, your ambient & test results are in different units.
5) Finally, and very much IMO, I saw some potential bias/frustration in this review. Your comments about disliking the drive suspension and "...I'm not personally a fan of design decisions that force those kinds of trade-offs..." make me wonder if you're evaluating this case on its own merits or simply for how well it suits your personal needs. ALL cases have design trade-offs, and a review needs to accomodate them to a certain extent.
So, while your conclusion appears solid, you essentially tested the case in an enthusiast/gamer context & extrapolated that "it'd probably be adequate" in less demanding use. I believe Anandtech can do better, and I hope these comments help it to do so. Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkAnd while I'm at it, you'd do well to note SPCR does load testing using the exact same software we do. Reply
a176 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkAs a Solo owner myself, I totally disagree with you. Over the years, what I've learnt to hate about the case:
Adding drives does not take 30 seconds, please. Unscrew the side panel, unlatch the front panel, unscrew and unhinge the front fan holder (which can't go very far unless you disconnect the fan wiring first) ... compared to just removing the side panel on most modern cases? Yea.
The suspension itself is a frilly extra as well; it does not make the drive any quieter than the rubber grommets.
Another thing is that damn support bar that goes across the case from just under the PSU. It might not effect you, but I have a Thermalright 120, and it barely fits in because of that damn bar (LGA775). By barely, I mean I have to pivot in the entire motherboard+cooler under the bar to do the installation.
If you can imagine, the 120 is pretty small by todays standards. You will never be able to get in one of those larger modern heatsinks.
Thanks to that bar alone, it makes working around inside an already small case extremely difficult. I can't believe that dumb thing is still in this "new" version. Why couldn't they just move the PSU to the bottom?
I love the Solo based on aesthetics, its small size, and fairly silent. But its terribly designed. And so is the new one. There are much better, cheaper, options on the market now. Reply
DrJ-10 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI agree with this 100%. One example: one computer I maintain lost its power supply a week ago. Everything -- *everything* -- has to be removed from the case to swap it out, and that includes the ungainly drive removal described above. Of course the computer has a Thermalright 120 on it, so getting the motherboard out is a PITA.
I'm pleased that there is more room for cables behind the motherboard. It is great that a full-sized video can now be used (though losing drive space is the wrong way to do it). But the blasted bar under the power supply still remains.
I love the results I get from the case. But I won't buy another one until they do a better job than they have done with this revision. Reply
JaBro999 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkOne more Antec Solo (P150 variant) owner who has suffered from the inability to remove the power supply without taking everything out of the case first. When my PSU fan developed a rattle, I had to dissasemble my system to get the damn PSU out, and my Zalman cooler is smaller than the TRUE 120.
An EASY fix for this design flaw would be to take a page from many Lian-Li's cases, and have the PSU attach to a removable mounting plate that itself is attached to the rear of the case. You would simply unscrew the PSU mounting plate and pull the PSU out of the back of the case.
However, this issue might be addressed with the Solo II, as Jared has replied to a comment lower down that the bar blocking the PSU might be removable:
RE: PSU support bar by Dustin Sklavos on Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Double-checked, this is my error. The case uses small phillips head
screws, not rivets. The crossbar can be removed! Reply
WaffleTech - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkYou forced me to register ;-)
I'm a SOLO owner and the system is a S775 build using a Noctua NH-U12P which is a bit bigger than the Thermalright 120 if I'm right. I had to swap out the PSU two times and there is in fact a nifty method that at least let's you keep the mainboard in the case and even the cooler may stay mounted.
Your clear out all four 5,25" drive bays which is pretty quickly done thanks to the quick mount rails. Next you remove the CPU fan from the cooler. Then you remove all PSU cables from their connectors and put them out through the big front hole provied by the empty drive bays. Now you unscrew the PSU and the space will be very tight but you can actually tilt it 90 degrees in the free room just between the CPU cooler and the drive bays. At last you can pull out the whole stuff to the front.
This still isn't nice but at least most of the system stays where it is. Reply
DrJ-10 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkFWIW, I tried this some time ago and it didn't work for me. I must not have been patient enough, or my hand are too large, or something.
I note that this sort of nonsense is not part of the Fong Kai cases that HP has used for a long time in their workstations. The bar simply is not necessary for a case to be solid or quiet. Reply
MrMaestro - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI owned a first-gen SOLO in my previous setup and I loved it, though admittedly I didn't truly appreciate its qualities until I got rid of it. It was soooooo quiet, I would leave it on all night in my bedroom and in the dead of night I could only just make out that it was on. I've stopped doing that since I got my P183 because it makes too much noise, and that's with the TriCools swapped out for Scythes.
This looks like a nice evolution of the old design, though there are a couple of things I'm disappointed about. Firstly, it looks good, but a bit boring. I had the Sonata Plus (which was a SOLO bundled with a PSU) which has a dash of orange on the front, and it looked great while being a tiny bit different. This plain black is a bit boring.
I also wish they would have moved the PSU to the bottom of the case, as the support bar is a bit of a pain, and out of place in a modern, name-brand case I think.
I will definitely look into this for my next build though. Thanks for the review AnandTech. Reply
Menty - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkNice review, thanks :).
Did notice you mentioned the PSU-installation difficulty. I saw it mentioned elsewhere that the bracing bar would be removable in the Solo II, and indeed it looks from the photos like it has screws instead of rivets on it. Could you check that? :) It might make a substantial difference to the build difficulty for some people. Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkThe PSU support bar has a screw in the back of the case, but unfortunately uses rivets to attach to the optical drive cage. :( Reply
Menty - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkWell that sucks :( thanks for replying though. Reply
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkDouble-checked, this is my error. The case uses small phillips head screws, not rivets. The crossbar can be removed! Reply
soydios - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkSo, how would it perform with both intake fan slots populated with low-speed fans, acoustically and thermally?
This case meets all of my requirements for a new case besides thermals, thus I'm curious to try it with two added intake fans.
- full ATX
- 3x HDD mounts w/ vibration isolation
- 1x 5.25" bay
- sound-deadening panels
- intake air filter(s)
- good selection of front ports Reply
nowayout99 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkThe noise is dependent on the fans you select. This case, like the original Solo, gives you just about every advantage you can have, but the part selection is up to you. Get quiet parts and you will have something you can barely tell is on.
This review does not include any front intake fans, so any front fans you add will only improve thermals. Unless you are doing SLI or Crossfire, the thermals will be well within operating spec for the components. Again it'll come down to part selection. Low-speed fans will be silent inside this case. Reply
jwaight - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkDustin, could you install 2 intake fans and redo the thermals again?
I know you test the shipping unit, but who wouldn't populate the intakes? Reply
flipmode - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkNice review. Nice to see Antec trying to recover from the follies of recent Sonata models.
I have a Sonata III and I really do like it. But there are some things Antec has not addressed that I don't understand.
1. Bottom mounted PSU. This is almost a necessity IMO. It helps with cable management since excess cables don't have to defy gravity with bottom mounted PSUs. This might make very long graphics cards incompatible with the case since a bottom mounted PSU would push the mobo upward and therefor the graphics card upward into the drive cage, but I'd be willing to accept that compromise. If you're a gamer then get a gamer case.
2. Side-facing drive sleds. This is a necessity. You can skip the cable management hooks if you have to in order to get the sleds to face sideways. The ease of use of side-facing sleds is a tremendous convenience over the front facing scheme. Also, Antec's designers should consider how the cables route to the drives. In the Sonata III the cables can be routed in a pretty clean manner but I think that it more from luck than any strenuous thought on the part of the case designers.
3. Tri-cool is better than dual cool. I have the Tri-cool fan and I love it. It's a terrific fan. And include the fans at the front of the case too - even if it means charging a little more.
4. The cross-bar must go. It's a coincidence, but just this past Sunday I spent 30 minutes with a drill removing the cross-bar from my Sonata III so that I might possibly be able to get a PSU in and out of the case without removing the CPU heatsink. And the case is plenty sturdy without it. The side panel goes on and off easier without the cross-bar.
Well, now for some compliments:
1. The sound attenuation is a wonderful thing to see and Antec should keep that up and in as many of their cases as possible.
2. The understated look of the case is quite nice and approaching beautiful. That is first and foremost what has always drawn me to the Sonata line and now Fractal's cases too.
3. The cable routing space behind the mobo and the cut-outs in the mobo tray are absolute must-have features these days and kudos to Antec for including those.
4. I also like that there is no handle on the side of the case like there is on the Sonata. And I love the fact that there is no side vent. Side vents are ugly, and cases should achieve adequate air flow without them. Good job there! Reply
casteve - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI'm also a long time Solo owner and have enjoyed the case's quiet build. I changed out the single Antec fan for a Scythe fan and added a single fan in front. With decent CPU/GPU cooling, the case is very quiet and runs cool for a moderate gaming build of yor (e8400/HD5770 based). I use the suspension system for my HDD - replacing the original rubber with $0.50 worth of elastic band from a sewing store.
I'm glad to see Antec updated the case for USB3. I'm sad they kept the damn PSU brace bar. I can't tell from the pictures...did they keep the lousy plastic assembly for the power/reset buttons? Those things have a short lifetime. Good news is Antec will send you a new front panel. Bad news is you have to deal with it.
Given the Zalman cooler and the Zotec GTX580 aren't particularly quiet, you could swap out the Antec fan/ add a low rpm intake fan to the Solo II and not impact the acoustic performance while significantly dropping the temps.
I guess there's a couple of possible viewpoints for reviews. One is "how well does this stock case work with these benchmark components?" Another might be "what <choose your focus> performance can I get by tweaking this case with these benchmark components?". Dustin does a great job with the former, SPCR does a great job focusing on acoustics for the latter. Different sites, different viewpoints. Both add to the knowledge base. Thanks for the review. Reply
Belard - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkMy computer case for the past 4 years is great looking P150 (before it was re-named the Solo) which is a lower cost and door less version of the P18x series.
The issues in this review is valid. I've never removed the Antec 430w modular PSU it came with... so I never experienced the pain as stated here. But have built systems with this case and have installed PSUs... and yes, the bar is in the way.
I still like the way this case looks (not so much with the black on black), its great looking for professionals and office settings. For which I use Antec 300 and other similar cases like the HAFs to gaming or performance systems. Some of these improvements on this new SOLO II are good, but not for the market this case is made for. The HAFs are a much better and cheaper than many ANTECs, especially for gaming. A friend bought the semi-ugly Antec 200, easy enough to work on... supposed to be for gaming with its style... but the top fan touches the motherboard and on a particular ASUS board - the fan blades ends up hitting parts of the motherboard once the case is standing up!! Took it back and bought a HAF 912 for $5 more and had far better cable routing and room to work with, drive installation, etc. (I bring this up, because I build systems with various styles)
Anyways... my P150 is next to my display, its inches away from my keyboard, and with its single rear fan (on MED) cooling the quad core CPU, ATI 4670 and 2 Seagate Hard drives - my system is pretty much silent. I like how it looks... and my power button still works (used glue to fix it), I may use it on my next CPU/mobo upgrade. It has room for a single cooling fan on the front - but it already draws in enough air. The suspension system is stupid... but is something that Antec loves to continue using. Guess its a patent issue.
The SOLO II needs far better updating than what they did. Here is what *I* would have done with this case.
1 - PSU on bottom (also makes the case bottom heavy)
2 - Don't aim this case for a gaming-rig... the extra space for video cards is useless... so make the drive cage hold at least 4 drives.
3 - Make the case smaller for mATX boards (how many people really buy ATX boards?) Especially for office users? A smaller case is easier to cool.
4 - Have a 3rd 5.25 bay with a drop down door - to hide a card reader or floppy drive. Also, like the P150, include front plates with matching doors to cover Optical drives. Again, aimed at pro-settings and improves looks.
5 - toss out the suspension system. Saves costs, materials, weight.
6 - Sell it for $100, tops.
Otherwise, there are other cases that costs less and are easier to work with... nowadays. Reply
fishman - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI have a Antec P150, which is similar to the original Solo. I would not buy this case for two reasons - you can only fit 3 hard drives in it if you have two optical drives, and there is no place to put a memory card reader if you have two optical drives. The original Solo didn't have these problems. Reply
nowayout99 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkComparing this case to "cheese grater" cases that you can look through and see to the other side of is, well, kind of against the point of this case.
I am an original Solo owner, and this is the first case since the original that I would upgrade to. I like clean designs and quiet fans. I cannot stand fugly over-designed cheese grater cases with 50 fan mounts. If you are not an extreme enthusiast, this case and cases like it are perfectly good and enjoyably QUIET.
That being said, these are the points I would make:
- The space for larger GPUs and larger front fans is very welcome.
- The elastic suspension bands sound like a novel idea, but they become loose and sag over time, potentially letting drives come in contact with one another. I would stick to the rigid sleds with the silicone grommets.
- The power button on my Solo 1 broke under standard use. The plastic piece that holds the button in place had snapped. I was not happy about having to buy a new front face for $19 from Antec because of what I consider to be a defect. I don't know why I was unable to get a free replacement while others were. Unfortunately, this case uses the same mechanism. That's a downside. In fact, that would have been the first thing I updated to avoid the cost of replacements. That makes no sense.
- Cramped internals and not being toolless is mostly unnecessary noise. Unless you're afraid of screwdrivers and need to constantly tool around inside a case, it doesn't really matter.
- I would really, really like to be able to clean the front filters without having to disconnect everything, open the side of the case, unlatch the front, and then put everything back and reconnect it. They should really be able to be pulled out from the bottom of the case or something.
But I do agree with the reviewer about the price. $130. Really? Reply
antef - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkReading these case reviews I ALWAYS think back to my Kingwin KT-424. What an amazing case. Thumbscrews for everything, the SIMPLEST toolless 5.25" drive bay installation ever - slide the drive in, slide a rail back and push the lever down, done - installed and secure in two seconds, motherboard tray, HDD rubber grommets, quiet as can be, easy removal of fan filter directly from front. Why can't any new cases replicate all this? The only reason I got another case eventually was because I wanted 120mm fans, and today I want smaller, micro-ATX, but that case was near perfect. Reply
Belard - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkYep... I remember those. Actually pretty well made, I thought they did a better job than Lian Li, they sure looked a lot better.
Then Kingwin went to cheap generic crap... have been for many many years now. Reply
Robert in Calgary - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkI'm another P-150 owner and I love it.. I have replaced the front panel once because of the broken button issue.
I'm using Noctua fans and CPU cooler. I actually wrote Antec a letter 18 months ago asking for an updated Solo. This update is a bit disappointing.
I would have liked to have seen some test results with two fans added.
As mentioned - we still need...
1. Bottom mounted PSU
2. Side-facing drive sleds
3. White version is a must.
4. Easier way to clean front fan filters Reply
futurepastnow - Thursday, September 08, 2011 - linkAnother P150 owner here, a white version of this might get me to upgrade. Reply
JaBro999 - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkDustin,
Thanks for the detailed review.
As others have commented, I would never buy this case if the power/reset buttons have the same rotten design as the original P150/Solo (a frail plastic "spring"). At this price range (or any other) there is no excuse for such a poor design that is guaranteeded to fail within a few months of use. Can you tell if this problem exists in the Solo II.
If the PSU side rail is removable (yet to be confirmed, but it seems that it is screwed in, rather than bolted), I can overlook that design flaw.
It is a shame Antec did not design the Solo II with a two section removable drive cage like the Fractal Define. For those that don't needs a very long graphics card, the case would offer much more storage. Since the Fractal Define costs less than the Solo II, includes one front intake fan & more internal storage options, and also has sound dampening material, Solo II definitely needs a price adjustment. Reply
JaBro999 - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - linkIt seems that my two biggest complaints about the Solo have been addressed with the Solo II.
1) Per Dustin, the bracing bar that blocks in the PSU is removable.
2) The power button assembly has supposedly been strengthened.
See comments from Antec rep:
See comments on power button in review:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_c... Reply
ClagMaster - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkThis is a nice article about the Antec Solo II which I found informative.
Bottom line is this is not a enclosure for serious overclocking. This is a nice mainstream enclosure for running stock processors and graphics cards drawing no more than 450W thermal power. Add a couple of 120mm fans up front doing 800-1200 RPM and these thermals will be improved while maintaining its quietude.
A P67 motherboard running a i7-2500 and a mainstream video card such as an AMD 6850 will do just fine thermally speaking.
The enclosure looks elegant inside but its too bad the internals are hidden from view with solid side panels which sound-proof the system
The front end is revised for USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. It has filters which are a welcome addition. Cable routing with this case is extremely easy with this compared to ATX cases available 10 years ago.
There is one point of this article which I find cliquish and ridiculous: why does a case have to have tooless attachment for optical and harddrives? Why does people obscess about these features. Everyone in the Western world has tools to mount a motherboard so mounting optical drives is no big deal.
There is nothing wrong with using screws requiring a philps screwdrivers or a hex-driver. I consider such attachments to be more rugged and highly desirable if you wish to move the system Reply
JasonInofuentes - Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - linkLong time Solo user, just stepping in to say that in terms of thermal design, it's a lot better than you might think. If the buyer is interested in a quiet case, they will benefit at stock and at moderate overclocks from the design which is optimized for noise reduction. BUT, if the buyer wants to crank things up, they can add the same number of fans as comes in many other cases (including an intake fan) and discover that the case was designed with thermal headroom in spades.
There's a lot of harshness going around that is unnecessary (not necessarily from you ClagMaster), but what needs to be remembered is that this was a review of a shipping case, as delivered. The baseline that's presented shows it to be a case with excellent acoustics and excellent thermal design, when considering the limited airflow of a single exhaust fan. And users can see that in the data and in the text. Reply
TrackSmart - Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - linkSpot on. This case performs well considering the single fan. Things never get loud. And they don't get hot until you throw a high-powered, overclocked system into it. It seems well-suited to its mid-range, quiet computing aspirations. Still, I'd like it better at $100 than at its $130 MSRP. Reply
ClagMaster - Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - linkNo harshness intended in the above comment.
Quality of article is excellent. The Antec Solo II is an excellent mainstream enclosure for mainstream computing. It was optimized for good looks and acoustics in the office of a banking executive than on the workbench of an overclocker.
Only complaint I have against the case is its not made of aluminum to reduce its weight.
Again, running a Q6600/G965/7950GT or a i7-2500/P67/ATI6850 would operate just fine at stock setings.
I am frustrated with articles that bash otherwise excellent cases because they have tooless attachments which I consider frivolous and unnecessary. Reply
TrackSmart - Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - linkI didn't think you were too harsh, but I think probably were.
I generally agree regarding tool-less designs: Sometimes figuring out the crazy attachment system takes 4 times longer than just screwing the part on the old fashioned-way. Ease and convenience are more important metrics than whether I need to use a screwdriver. That being said, I don't want to bust out the tools just to clean the dust filter or open the side panel. I think we agree that there's some balance to be struck. Reply
nowayout99 - Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - linkThis case is great for the VAST majority of people -- It's perfectly fine for users with even the hottest CPUs and GPUs on the market today. And it will help keep your gear quiet.
Keep it in perspective. It's not like the system is going to implode on itself just because it's 5 degrees warmer than a case that looks like a cheese grater the size of a tire and has half a dozen fans.
Temperatures only need to come into consideration if they want more than 1 GPU... In which case they should get a proper "gaming" case. Reply
Zap - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - link<-- Have owned Antec Solos for years. Here are a few thoughts.
1) Tri Cool fans aren't really that quiet. The high speed setting is 100% useless for a quiet system, so this new fan with 600/1000RPM settings (or whatever they are) sounds really good to me. According to SPCR the fan is quieter in all ways than the Tri Cool, even at the same RPMs.
2) Drive suspension is probably not needed these days, unless you own a WD Caviar Black. BITD I had Raptors (not the quieter VelociRaptors) and the suspension actually muted the sounds it made. However, if you are not using a super noisy HDD to begin with, the excellent grommets are probably sufficient.
3) Love the looks. Not everyone wants their system to look as if it was owned by a 14 year old gamer. I've since "graduated" to Lian Li cases which have similar, clean elegance. About the only thing I'd change to the outside is the placement of the front ports/switches. My system sits on the floor, so top mounted ports/switches are easier to use.
4) I agree with some previous comments that the HDD cages could have been side mounted.
5) Some of the "complaints" of the previous Solo have been addressed, such as not being able to fit large graphics cards, "strange" contrasting silver front and using mere 92mm front fans. Also, love the huge cutout for the CPU backplate.
6) If you want to fill up your system with a zillion HDDs and ODDs, this case is probably not for you so stop complaining about having too few drive bays.
7) I like the compact size. Most tower computers are just big boxes that are mostly empty.
8) With all the comparisons to other cases, you can't ignore the fact (yes, FACT) that it is easier to build a QUIETER system in the Solo (and now Solo II) than most other cases. SPCR even reports this case to be quieter than some other cases marketed as "quiet/silent" and in fact almost equaling the Define R2 in acoustics while having lower temperatures.
Really though, it all comes down to quiet. There are plenty of decent cases in all price ranges but this case is made for quiet. If you haven't ever obsessed over every little bit of noise your computer makes, then you probably won't find value in the Solo II. If you have, then the Solo II should be on your short list.
<-- Recovering "silent" fanatic Reply
BlueReason - Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - linkI love your reviews, Dustin, honestly. I understand having to review the case with what it came with, but then you have to use a testbed that somewhat reflects the product's use, otherwise your test environment is a bit misrepresentative. Makes sense, don't you agree? Would you review a Rosewill Thor with a testbed consisting of an i3-540 running stock with onboard graphics, then slap a Zalman 9900 on there and marvel at the 20c idle temps.
The case provides built in options to mitigate performance setups; mid-range setups at least. To what degree it can accomplish this, we can only guess, because you stick fairly high end gear in there without making use of those options. No rig builder on the planet would put the gear you put into that case and leave the intake fan slots empty unless they had mental issues. Imagining someone who slapped a GTX 580 and an 875k in that rig would look at those two fan slots on the front and go "NAH! I'll be good with just that one in back!"...doubtful.
If you're gonna use those sort of components in a non-performance case, at least give us one round of tests that show the case's built-in potential. We're not talking cutting holes or installing a WC loop, we're talking putting fans where the case has places for fans. Even some cheap ones. Unreasonable? You point out how the top mounted, top vented psu allows for placement in line with those fans. Well?
But yeah its overpriced. Reply
jb238 - Monday, August 18, 2014 - linkI don't understand all the haggling over a few dollars of case price in the comments. I have 2 white Solo cases for 10 years now and a black Solo at the office. They had 2-4 different sets of electronics inside during that time, which easily cost 10 times the price of the case. Do I care about 10$/year case price difference?
People who buy a Solo do so because they want excellent build quality, elegant looks and a quiet PC. They may treat the case with car wax to preserve the bijou finish. They don't care about overclocking, 400W graphics cards and 1000W power supplies.
The Solo needs 2 front fans. So the case does not ship with 2 high quality front fans. This is fine by me, because I don't have to dispose of 2 cheap fans. Instead I invest a few $ in 2 quality fans.
There are different priorities for a computer case and there are lots of different cases. So everybody can find the perfect match. Reply


text:
Welcome to Up Gym Functional Training Center! The premier Functional Training Center in Denver. Our TEAM is Awesome and we work extremely hard to get our clients results. We put a special emphasis on the core musculature and the low back. We treat the body as a whole and our philosophy of wellness in strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility creates a system that operates properly.
Through our research and training we have found that improvements in the area have translated in to, more overall body fat loss, better athletic performance, and a better quality of life for our clients. Most fitness facilities have a variety of weight training machines which target and isolate specific muscles (i.e. tricep extension machine, preacher curl machine etc).
As a result the movements do not necessarily bear any relationship to the movements people make in their regular activities or sports.Our Functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform the activities of daily life more easily and without injuries

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations Program was
established in 2000 in cooperation with the Council on Foundations.
National Standards guide community foundations in establishing legal,
ethical and effective operational practices that serve as blueprints for
internal development and benchmarks for external assessment. National Standards requires DCF to document its policies in donor
services, investment management, grant-making and administration. To
receive confirmation of National Standards compliance, DCF submitted its
organizational and financial documents, policies and procedures to a
rigorous peer review.
The Dearborn Community Foundation belongs to the following
organizations to ensure that we use the best practices in the industry:
• Council on Foundations
• Indiana Philanthropy Alliance
• voluntarily engages a third-party, independent auditor (currently
Blue & Co., LLC) to conduct an annual audit of all of the Dearborn
Community Foundation, Inc.'s financial statements and operations;
• includes, as a part of its governance, a Finance & Investment
Committee that is comprised of unpaid, volunteers with strong
accounting, financial and business backgrounds. The annual audit report
is available to the full Board of Directors and Finance & Investment
Committee for review. The Foundation makes its full audit results and
audited financial statements available to the public; and
• enforces a Conflict of Interest Policy that demands board members (and
committee members) avoid any conflict, or appearance of conflict,
between their personal interests and the interests of the Foundation in
dealing with any organization or individual having, or seeking to have,
any relationship with the Foundation. Each board member must disclose
any possible conflict of interest and no member can vote on any matter
or participate in the discussion of any matter under consideration at a
Foundation meeting, in which the member has a possible conflict of
The Foundation adheres to an open door policy concerning the
following items:
Anyone who requests a copy of the above items will be provided a copy
at the first available opportunity not to exceed 48 hours during the
business week. If we receive a request by telephone or by mail, it is
the policy of this Foundation to reproduce the items and mail to the
requestor within 48 hours during the business week. We will expect
reproduction (50 cents per page) and postage reimbursement from the
requestor when these expenses are incurred. Information request forms
are available at the DCF office, 322 Walnut Street, Lawrenceburg,


text:
Kal-el Coppola Cage revealed
Canada.com has the first pictures of Kal-el Coppola Cage, Nicolas Cage's first baby with his wife Alice Kim. This is where I usually start making fun of Nicolas Cage for naming his son after Superman, but he actually managed to produce a cute baby so I'll let him off the hook. It's ironic that an imbecile who would name his child after a comic book character and looks like an ugly sack of potatoes could produce such a cute baby, while one of the world's biggest supermodels would give birth to an ugly mole creature. I'm becoming more and more convinced that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are going to give birth to the world's ugliest child, just because God is funny like that.


text:
Labour Calls For Solid Energy Auditor General Inquiry
SOE Spokesperson
21 March 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
Labour Calls For Solid Energy Auditor General Inquiry
Labour will formerly write to the Auditor-General to ask her to investigate the significant problems within Solid Energy, says Labour's SOEs spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.
"National's toadie MPs followed the will of John Key and turned down my request for a select committee inquiry into Solid Energy. This is a slap in the face to the public and the hundreds of people who have lost their jobs.
"This doesn't stop here. I am going to write to the Auditor General to ask her to investigate what went wrong with Solid Energy and who is responsible. New Zealanders deserve that.
"There's $389 million worth of questions and New Zealanders want answers. To try to keep Kiwis in the dark for political purposes is outrageous posturing from National MPs.
"So far we've had three hours of select committee testimony and New Zealanders are still in the dark about why the company almost collapsed. All Kiwi taxpayers, especially the hundreds of miners who have lost their jobs, have a right to a full investigation into what went wrong.
"The Government was asleep at the wheel and has ducked for cover. If National won't provide the answers I hope the Auditor General will," says Clayton Cosgrove.


text:
The Puzzle of Financial Leverage Clienteles
- Abstract
- Full Text PDF
- Author(s): ODED SARIG, JAMES SCOTT
- Published: Apr 30, 2012
- Pages: 1459-1467
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1985.tb02394.x
Empirically, it appears that common stock of publicly traded corporations with high‐debt ratios tends to be held by investors with relatively low marginal taxes while the stock in companies with little debt is held by investors in high‐tax brackets. A number of authors have argued that in an equilibrium similar to the one described by Miller [8], these clienteles should exist. We argue that standard portfolio theory does not imply financial leverage clienteles for publicly traded firms. We explain the empirical relationship between investor tax rates and leverage ratios by the existence of dividend clienteles and a positive relationship between dividend yield and leverage ratios.


text:
Book Reviews – The Travel Adventures of Lilly P Badilly: Costa Rica
Midwest Book Review, Children's Bookwatch – May, 2008
Reviewer's Choice
"The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica is a children's book with accompanying audio CD following the adventures of a tiny millipede with a talent for playing the piano. Along with her grandparents, the plucky millipede goes on a wondrous journey deep into the Costa Rican rainforest! The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly features a number of catchy songs sung by various creatures; these songs are played with music on the audio CD, making for a most enjoyable reading and listening experience. Simple yet colorful illustrations round out this surprisingly long and involved picturebook adventure. Highly recommended."
LA Parent – Good Reads with Ronna
Reviewed by: Ronna Mandel
If you know a family heading off to Costa Rica, or even just one that loves nature and exotic travel, The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica written and illustrated by Debbie Glade is certainly worth buying and bringing along.
Picture, if you will, a brightly colored mature millipede who has been bitten by the travel bug (pun intended) and you've got one of your main characters, Grandma Nellie O. Badilly. Nellie, along with her hubby 'windy' Grandpa Willie Z. (my 8 year old son Coleman's fave) and talented Granddaughter Lilly live in teeny, tiny hole in Concourse A at the Miami International Airport. Soon they are stowaways inside a business man's briefcase on a flight to Costa Rica despite Lilly's tremendous fear of 'millipede-chomping spiders."
Knowing very little about Central America and in particular Costa Rica, I was surprised to learn courtesy of Lilly's guidebook that there are over 800 different types of birds, hundreds of mammals and more than 35,000 different kinds of insects there. No wonder Costa Rica is experiencing a boom in eco-tourism. I had no doubt Lilly was going to encounter more than her share of scary spiders on their journey to the rain forest and Poas Volcanic National Park.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan until a storm and an injured beetle arrived on the scene. Glade weaves rhyme and humor along with fascinating facts seamlessly into this tale of an adventurous family getting themselves into a very sticky situation involving a cruel spider. Read how Lilly's inventiveness and musical talent save the day and the vacation. You'll laugh while you learn and will be looking forward to Glade's second installment in Lilly's series of travel expeditions.
Included with the book is an engaging audio CD filled with music (remember that Lilly plays the piano and loves music) and songs plus Costa Rican sound effects bringing Lilly's adventures alive and making this a great gift for the entire family.
Reviewed by: John L. Hoh, Jr.
"Lilly P. Badilly is a millipede. She lives in the Miami airport with her grandparents, Nellie O. Badilly and Willie Z. Badilly. Lilly likes to read and play her piano. She also likes to sing as she sings little ditties throughout the story.
The airport is a noisy place to live. So the Badillys decide to take a trip. They settle on going to Costa Rica after grandpa checks the flight schedules. They stowaway in a human passenger's briefcase. No snakes on this plane, just some silly millipedes.
The Badillys arrive in Costa Rica and eat a cast-off banana. Children will enjoy that it seems to make grandpa Badilly fart. Meanwhile, the reader shadows the Badillys and learns about the people and places of Costa Rica, such as the people speak Spanish, the weather, the spider that captured them and a beetle named Riddle in a web. Oh, will the Badillys be able to escape from the web? Or will they become meals for the spider? Well, no shortage of drumsticks I guess.
Along the way Lilly sings her ditties. The book comes with an audio CD so that children can hear the travels and travails of the Badillys.
No age range is given, but can be read to smaller children. The grade range for reading I would say starts at fourth grade (third grade for an accomplished reader). The paintings in the book are vibrant and reflect the story. And it helps children learn about geography in a new way."
WanderingEducators.com – February, 2009
Child's Review – By Lillie, Age 6
One of my very favorite books, EVER, is called The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica (and not only because we share the same name). This book made me laugh, and laugh. It has a cd that goes along with it, and it is full of funny, original music. The songs are so great.
Lilly P. Badilly is written by Debbie Glade, who is also our Geography Awareness Editor. She is very talented – as is her family! They all compose and play music on the accompanying cd (on which the story is read in all its glory!). Debbie also has a really great feature with Lilly Badilly, in which she answers kids's geography questions. She answered one of mine, about the hottest place on earth, and has great videos explaining to kids about geography and the world around us.
Lilly P Badilly is a colorful picture book, a funny singer, and has fun doing all sorts of things she loves to do. She has some moments where she is frightened, and there is scary music – but it isn't that scary. She faces her fears and saves the day. I love this book!
Parent's Review – By Jessie Voigts, PhD
We had such fun reading this book – our 6-year old daughter was laughing on each and every page (especially about the grampa's antics), and the music was so catchy that she got up to dance, as well.
This book really addresses a plethora of things that are important to children – being afraid to travel, conquering one's fears, being brave, having fun, making friends, helping out, and all sorts of intercultural issues. Add to that some geography and animal awareness, and you've got a REALLY great educational book that is very charming and eminently readable.
We loved the cd. Our daughter has listened to it three times today already. The original music is really fun – I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
Readerviewskids.com – March, 2008
By Matthew Feliciano Age 7
"I liked "The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica" a lot. It was educational and showed me new things about a new country…this book was really good."
Reesspace.blogspot.com – July, 2008
By Maria Gagliano
"I was fortunate enough to be sent a copy of the most amazing children's storybook by the author herself, Debbie Glade. Debbie saw a calling for smart, fun, creative children's books after having her daughter. She also wanted to get them interested in travel and geography. This book is all that and then some…
My children (3 & 5) have listened to the CD at least 5 times in 2 days. After the 2nd time listening to the CD, my kids knew the word "despise" (Lilly uses it) and that her Grandpa Joe farts. They laughed so loud the first 3 times that I had to stop the CD so they wouldn't miss anything. Now they quietly look at each other when their favorite parts come up and laugh.
As for myself, I love the book. It is a children's book you can get behind. The illustrations are colorful and very detailed, you can ask a lot of open ended questions when you just look at the pictures to build on the story. I love that. I also love each characters voice, the little songs and the music. I would give this book to my nieces and nephews as a gift and know for a fact they would love it.
More than this book being a great, funny, exciting, read for you and your kids is the fact that making of the book and CD was a family project. Debbie wrote and illustrated the story and then along with her daughter created the music. Debbie wrote the words for the songs while her daughter composed the music. Dad had a part in there too, he played the guitar and harmonica as well as sang for Grandpa Joe. Got to love a family that plays, urrr…I mean works together.
NOTE: Teachers – This is a great book for elementary classes. They will love the pictures and the story."
Accidentalmommies.com – August, 2008
By Kim Grabinski
"From first glance, the book is downright adorable with it's vibrant illustrations adorning every page. My son picked it up and began looking at it right away. I was a little concerned that although at 4 he can read very well (even read part of our mortgage contract out loud and astounded our realtor) that he would get bored with all the words. Just because he can read, he's still a 4 year old boy distracted by everything. My concerns disappeared after we put the CD in. Who can resisting a SINGING millipede with a farting grandfather and a wig wearing grandmother, especially when she sings about those people and plays the piano…There is music, sound effects and different voices for the different characters that makes the book jump right to life. Jake was hooked! When I asked my son what he liked about Lilly P. Badilly, he said "let me show you" and took the book and began leafing through it. He then looked up at me and said, "I liked everything about the book and the CD." Can't get much better than that!"
Dewginreview.blogspot.com – July, 2008
By Gina Mcleod
"The CD that comes with the book is absolutely hilarious! Author and Illustrator, Debbie Glade does the narration and voice overs for the CD and includes a different, funny voice for each character. My girls were cracking up at the voices and sound effects, especially Grandpa Willie Z. Badilly's…um…effervescence! LOL! It also includes some great music of all varieties, from classical to rock, which was written by Debbie's daughter, Rachel and husband, John. The whole family gets involved in this project!…As for us, we can't wait to find out what's in store for Lilly P. Badilly on her next travel adventure!"
Hotomom.wordpress.com – July, 2008
By Hollie Torbit
"We just finished our copy of The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica and I gotta say the kids were really into the whole books experience… Brilliantly written by Debbie Glade this book is entertaining with it's funny humor (Grandpa especially) nice and colorful illustrations and the wonderful music that accompanies this book via CD. J really enjoyed dancing to the music and the colorful pictures but the message was a little lost on him because of his age. L actually liked the book and the narration on the cd. The narration is done by Debbie herself (she has some very silly voices) and also by her husband John. The music is done by John on harmonica and Rachel on piano. Debbie, her husband John and their daughter Rachel have done a wonderful job on this book. We can't wait to read more adventures from Lilly…The book is recommended for kids ages 5-10 … and I think it would be perfect for those classroom reports that come later in their educational careers. We highly recommend this book."
Gseemoore.blogspot.com – July, 2008
By Stacy Moore
"Both my 4 and 9 year thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It is really different than other children's books we have read (and we have read A LOT!!). My curious little ones certainly enjoyed Lilly's Adventure. As a mom (and teacher) I love how Debbie was able create a story in which the character was able to use her intellect and creativity to get her family out of a scary situation. I like that the book does not focus on being pretty, athletic or popular instead it conveys a meaningful message to the reader. The message that Lilly teaches us about working through our fears and about the world around us is a powerful message that I think all children should be exposed to through literature. More importantly Lilly teaches us how to have the confidence to solve our biggest problems. Having the story recorded on CD with music really makes it unique and helps keep the attention of the younger readers. There aren't many fiction books for young readers recorded on CD availabe today so upon receiving this we were excited to read and listen to this great book. I am excited to share this adventure with the students (and other teachers) in my class when we go back to school in August!"
Alohamonkeys.blogspot.com – July, 2008
By Tracey K Smith
"… When you look at the cover you can't help but notice the wonderful, vivid colors that continue throughout the entire book. The CD included with the book is filled with music as well as a narration of the entire story. My two boys and I listened to the CD while looking at the illustrations in the book. Wow! Not only does Debbie Glade do a wonderful job writing and illustrating the book, but she does a great job bringing the characters to life with her talent of creating so many different voices… the accompaniment of a CD was a great tool to keep my 5 year old son's attention. In fact, I've been catching him listening to the CD over and over."
Valsviews.com – July, 2008
By Valerie Gray
"Having a child who's got numerous developmental delays means my son gets products that are often stated to be for children younger than him. It can make for challenging shopping. … The CD presents a narrated version of the entire story. This is what made us really enjoy the book. Instead of being the reader, I got to sit with my child and enjoy the experience of being read to while looking at the colorful pictures in the book. The book is full of rhymes, adventure and silly little things like farting. The CD brings all of them to live with different character voices, sound effects and songs. What a lot of fun! My son said "excuse me" and "I heard that" when Grandpa farted. The descriptive wording helps readers learn about Costa Rica without it seeming like a lesson. Ideals used in the book include family, culture, facing fears, thinking and cooperation.
We both enjoyed ourselves. I recommend this book, particularly for children who aren't able to read on their own but are ready for something more than regular toddler books."
Mytrendytykes.blogspot.com – July, 2008
By Linda Holland
"The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly is a remarkable children's book written and illustrated by Debbie Glade… The book is filled with colorful illustrations, geography, culture and tons of humor. I had a great time reading this to my children and they really enjoyed hearing how the story unfolded.
YOU MUST listen to the amazing CD that is included with the book. It is filled with great music and songs that will definitely have the whole family humming along.
My children loved the CD so much that they had to share it with their neighbor friends yesterday! The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly is a enjoyable read and I can not wait to read the next collection by author Debbie Glade."
Cowgirlcritiques.com – August, 2008
By Lori Falcon
"This book is packed with facts about Costa Rica, including the geography, animals, plants, and more. I really like that because a book that tells a story is great but a book that tells a story and teaches you something, is wonderful! Accompanying this book is a narrated version CD. Before we listened to this CD, we read the book together, not once, but twice.
The colors of the book were vibrant and fun, which by the way, Debbie drew herself. The pages were just long enough that the my little one was kept entertained. Inside the cover of the book is where the CD is kept. We put the CD in and enjoyed the story telling and sounds that the author, Debbie Glade told. The fun songs and the hilarious tooting sounds of grandpa were so much fun to listen to.
Overall, I give this book a thumbs up for creativity, education, and entertaintment. It was hoot to read and listen to and I recommend "The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly" to all."
Myfamilylovesit.com – July, 2008
By Heather Howell
"All three of our kids are currently VERY fascinated by bugs and since Lilly P. Badilly is a millipede this book came just at the right time! … Lilly P. Badilly is a very musical bug and the book is filled with songs. As an added bonus there is a CD inside the front cover that accompanies the book. Both Ben and Ethan (ages 4 & 5) said they liked it and I could tell they enjoyed listening to me read it to them… We had a nice long snuggle reading it on my bed while Jamie was napping. 2 year old Jamie loves to look at books on her own (more than she likes for anyone to read to her) and she spent some time turning pages and happily looking at the colorful pictures. The hardcover book is constructed well out of quality paper so it stood up to her page turning! I think any family that is planning a trip to Costa Rica (or any new place on a plane really) definitely needs to know about this book!"
Thedirtyshirt.typepad.com – July, 2008
By Jeniffer Leet
"This book has beautiful and colorful illustrations of Costa Rica and the life forms in the rain forest. It comes with a CD of sound effects, catchy tunes, and great music. I loved the story, very entertaining and it flows smoothly, so it keeps the kids focused…the story is a great one, keeps the kids entertained (especially the "gassy" grandpa, which my daughter loved) and has an all around lesson to get out in the world and experience new things."
Islandlife808.com/islandreview – August, 2008
By Kailani Okamoto
"This unique 64 full-colored paged book & CD was perfect for our girls . . . and for me. I'm so bad when it comes to geography! What we really liked was being able to play the CD along with reading the book so that even Baby Bug could enjoy it.
Lilly P. Badilly, written and illustrated by the talented Debbie Glade, is a very enjoyable and lovable character that you really feel for throughout her adventure and cheer for when she finally makes her way back home. Her determination and quick thinking are important traits that she portrays throughout the story. Very valuable lessons to learn."
Momstakeonthings.com – August, 2008
By Deb S.
"I found the character of Lilly P. Badilly to be very engaging and she was definitely someone that the girls could relate to as well. They especially liked the nickname of 'Silly Badilly' that is given to her, and laughed every time they heard it. We looked at the maps in the front of the book first, to see where Costa Rica is in comparison to America – it really helped to have the geographical placement fixed in their minds before we got into the story.
The book easily held our attention from the beginning – and the story was both fun and educational all at once. To me, the illustrations are definitely the focal point of the book – the bright colors and details are attractive and truly bring the story to life…
This is a good book for slightly older kids (it's recommended for ages 5 to 10 and I would agree). The story is both entertaining and educational – and the illustrations are gorgeous. Having the CD available with the narration and music is a wonderful bonus and a good way for everyone in the family to enjoy the book and music together. Both of my older girls have read it themselves many times now too and we've added the CD to our collection of music and stories that we listen to in the van. It's been quite a popular request lately. "
Lalagirl.org – August, 2008
By Laura Nieman
"…The CD includes authentic Costa Rican rainforest sound effects, lots of catchy music, and the goofiest cartoon voices you've ever heard.
A few weeks ago, my kids and I checked out this book and CD, and I'm going to include their commentary here in my review. Basically, we all thought this book was hysterical. The author's cartoon voices are the best part. As soon as I heard Lilly "speak" I started giggling. I giggled even more when I heard the voice of Grandpa Willy Badilly. It's actually become a big joke around our house – Kayley and I love to talk to and tease each other in the voices of Lilly and Grandpa. And my kids loved hearing Grandpa Willy, who has chronic gas, farting throughout the story. What can I say, we love potty humor in this house.
It's a fun story with a great message – the themes it touches on include being happy with yourself and celebrating your uniqueness, facing your fears, helping others in need, and even being compassionate with those folks who are less kind than they ought to be. All great things for kids to hear about! And the CD is 35 minutes long – it's great to pop in for a car trip across town.
t's a really fun book for the whole family. You can purchase this book directly from the author's website, at LillyBadilly.com. Florida residents! You can have Lilly Badilly's author, Debbie Glade, visit your school or library to speak about geography, culture, plants and animals, problem-solving, reading, writing, and all the other things she writes about in her book. I would be all over this, if I lived out there! I had a nice little conversation with the author, and found out that her husband is a twin, and that he and his twin sister were #6 and #7 for his folks. Can you imagine? I love that this book was a labor of love by the whole family – go buy it!"


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MELBOURNE Water's obligation to repay the $230 million it overcharged customers could further compound its serious debt problems, an Auditor-General's report has revealed.
The report, released on Wednesday, shows that Melbourne Water's debt has blown out by $2.2 billion or 135 per cent in the past five years. Melbourne Water says its total debt as of June 30 is $3.8 billion. The report says while Melbourne Water appears able to service the interest payments, ''the ability to repay the debt is low''.
The report says price freezes imposed from July 2012 to repay the overbilling for the operation of the unfinished desalination plant will ''impact its revenue and operating cash flows in the short term, and will further impact its ability to repay debt''.
The Age revealed in June that the water authority wrongly charged customers $230 million for operation of the Wonthaggi desalination plant even though it had not been completed.
It initially planned to return the money - which would have totalled $306 million - by using the wrongly collected funds to offset bill increases over five years from 2013 to 2018.
At the time it alluded to concerns about its financial viability when it said returning the money sooner would ''impact our financial stability in the face of ongoing annual desalination costs''.
The Baillieu government eventually ordered Melbourne Water to repay the money regardless, by way of price freezes for 2012-13, with any money still owed to be credited to bills from July 2013.
Despite the water authority's obvious debt problems, the audit report also reveals it was forced to borrow a further $118 million from Treasury to pay state government dividends in 2012.
In 2011-12, Melbourne's four water entities paid dividends of $270 million, an increase of $198 million or 278 per cent on the previous year. The increase was due in part to the deferral of dividends from the previous financial year, but also came on the back of increased revenue from the water businesses.
Opposition water spokesman John Lenders criticised the government's reliance on raising revenue through its water entities and ultimately consumers.
''Mr Baillieu has his hands so deep in the pockets of Melbourne water users, that the authorities have been left with little choice but to borrow to meet the government's demand,'' he said.
In a statement, Melbourne Water said: ''The 2011-2012 debt level has largely resulted from a period of unprecedented investment in major water and sewerage infrastructure projects in the previous five years.
''While the price freeze will have a short-term impact on our debt levels, by the end of the next (five-year) water plan we expect to be in a position to start to reduce our debt.''


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Luke Takes A Spill On Stage [VIDEO]
As someone who's performed on stage since six years-old, I have a constant fear of falling down while singing on stage. I'll never forget falling down the stairs during our Christmas program at church in high school… seriously, nightmares.
Turns out even mega-stars have a slip-up every now and then. My baby-daddy Luke Bryan took a pretty rough spill during a recent show in North Carolina. I'll say that his shins are probably black and blue, but, he handled it like a champ!


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BNY Mellon CEO Jumps to the Defense of Jefferies
BNY Mellon CEO Gerald Hassell is the latest Wall Street veteran to come to the defense of Jefferies.
In a Boston speech, Hassell says it's "disconcerting" that rumors are driving the market, mentioning recent events including MF Global's rapid downfall, concerns in September about Morgan Stanley's exposure to French banks, and Jefferies' sovereign debt positions.
He says Jefferies' stock has swung wildly "on the basis of a seemingly isolated opinion," referring to the recent controversial downgrade of Jefferies' credit rating by upstart rating agency Egan-Jones.
He credits Jefferies management for enhanced disclosures and minimizing the firm's European exposure as a "good faith measure."
Jefferies, an investment bank with which BNY recently entered a clearing partnership, was recently down 0.7% at $10.82.


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Get an overview of this hotelMotel in Quincy with free breakfast and fitness center
Popular property highlights
Situated in Quincy, this motel is 1.4 mi (2.2 km) from North Park and 1.4 mi (2.3 km) from Quincy Aquatic Center. Colockum Ridge Golf Course is 5.8 mi (9.4 km) away.
Property Features
Along with a fitness center, this smoke-free motel has a business center and laundry facilities. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a computer station, tour/ticket assistance, and multilingual staff are onsite.
Room Amenities
All 42 rooms provide conveniences like refrigerators and microwaves, plus free WiFi and TVs. Other amenities available to guests include coffee makers, free local calls, and hair dryers.
Guest Highlights
- Helpful staff
- Clean guestrooms
Knights Inn Quincy
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
A computer station is located on site and wireless Internet access is complimentary. This motel offers access to a business center. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. This Quincy motel also offers a fitness center, tour/ticket assistance, and multilingual staff. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
Knights Inn Quincy is a smoke-free property.
- Total number of rooms - 42
- Business center
- Free breakfast
- Fitness facilities
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Computer station
- Laundry facilities
- Multilingual staff
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Free self parking
- Free RV, bus, truck parking
- Smoke-free property
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry facilities
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking, Free RV, bus, truck parking
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Free local calls
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Television
- Desk
- Free WiFi
Where to Eat
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the motel include a fitness center.
- Golfing nearby
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
- Cribs (infant beds) are not available.
- Pets allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
No cribs (infant beds) available
Hotel Name
- Knights Inn Hotel Quincy
- Knights Inn Quincy
- Knights Inn Quincy Motel


text: You create a PowerPoint presentation for a meeting with a group of managers. At the presentation, you notice that the managers seem to be spending more time reading your slides than listening to your discussion. In fact, several times you've had to stop so they can catch up. Chances are, your slides(Points : 1)


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Medical Definition of Hair-on-end skull
Hair-on-end skull: Thin fine linear extensions radiating out from the skull that look on an X-ray like hair standing "on-end" from the skull, an appearance associated with hemolytic anemias such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
The "hair" represents the accentuated trabeculae extending between the inner and outer skull tables through the diploe in the expanded bone marrow space (because the bone marrow has expanded due to the excessive breakdown of red blood cells). The "hair" appears to be "on end" because the trabeculae are oriented perpendicular to the inner and outer tables of the skull.
Last Editorial Review: 5/13/2016
Back to MedTerms online medical dictionary A-Z List
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He is a very talented brunette actor.Click here to see Charlie Cox nude!
Charlie Cox has been (or will be) noticed in "Stone of Destiny" (2008) as Ian Hamilton, "Harry, Henry and the Prostitute" (2008) as Harry, "Stardust" (2007) as Tristan Thorn, "Tirante el Blanco" (2006) as Diafebus, "A for Andromeda" (2006) as Dennis Bridger, "Inspector Lewis" (2006) as Danny Griffon, "Casanova" (2005) as Giovanni Bruni, "The Merchant of Venice" (2004) as Lorenzo, "Things to Do Before Youre 30" (2004) as Danny, "Dot the I" (2003) as Theo, "Judge John Deed" (2002) as Young Vicar, ".twentyanniversary { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; } .twentyanniversary a:link, .twentyanniversary a:visited { color: #fff; text-decoration: none; } .twentyanniversary a:hover, .twentyanniversa" (20) as
Here they go. Some are less, some more naked. We have few more pictures, but becouse of limited server space, we could not place all of his photos. But we will do it in future! So be patient. And be careful! You never know when the most sexy photo will show up here.
Yes... we know. We wish there were more naked photos of Charlie Cox. All our hope in those paparazzi guys! Please visit us again in some time.


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Ridge Racer Accelerated HD
With a few notable exceptions, touch-screen racing has been about as much fun as shaving with a blunt disposable. Like the humble Bic, it does the job, just about, but with a fair amount of blood and cursing.
Unsurprisingly, Ridge Racer is just as inglorious. It does its best to entice fans of the classic series, with 22 tracks to master, Arcade, Duel, Survival and Time Attack modes, not to mention numerous car classes to experiment with, but the problem isn't the content, it's the execution.
The tactile element of Ridge Racer's drift-heavy steering is vital to the feel of the series, and it's something that's difficult to replicate via touch or tilt-based control systems. The fact Namco offers so many variations in an attempt to nail it just goes to show how hard it is.
Auto-acceleration, for example, theoretically makes it easier to focus on steering, but it's not enough. Becoming proficient is likely to take an absolute age, and is such an aggravating process that it feels more like work than thrilling, pedal-to-the-metal excess.
Even if you do manage to click with it, the murky environments and low-poly car models are a meagre incentive to persist. Then there's the premium price.
All round, it's a compendium of disappointment, and something to which only super-hardcore Ridge Racer fans need subject themselves.
Tiki Towers 2: Monkey Republic
- iPhone/iPad - Ł1.79
Are we bored of monkeys in videogames yet? Thought not. With that in mind, you won't object to their presence in the inevitable sequel to Gamehouse's bridge-building super-hit of a couple of years back.
The idea is to ensure five monkeys make it to an exit without plunging to their doom. Doing so involves careful planning on your part, as you figure out the best way to put together a precious structure without it breaking under the weight of monkey business.
At first it's all about slotting together coconut and bamboo, but as you delve deeper into the 30 levels it gradually becomes more complicated, with careful use of vines, magnets and bolts required – especially if you're concerned with picking up the bonus bananas scattered around.
As much as we like a challenge though, sometimes the level designers delight in raising your blood pressure rather too much, with scant resources often leading to an interminable amount of trial and error.
The other problem is that the game's playability really suffers on the smaller screen of the iPhone, with your big fat sausage fingers liable to make it damned near impossible to see where you're laying each component. On the iPad, such niggles don't apply, and fortunately publisher RealNetworks has seen fit to make this a unified binary.
On the other hand, with the original game offering 54 just-as-good levels for a fraction of the price, you're probably better off using that one to service your bridge-building, monkey-saving needs.


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Lee Daniels May Direct Janis Joplin Biopic Starring Amy Adams
Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:52:49
Janis Joplin Photos
Janis Joplin Videos
Lee Daniels, director of Precious, is in talks to direct the Janis Joplin biopic featuring Amy Adams as the subject matter.
It's called Get It While You Can and is due to begin production early next year.
There is another biopic called Janis in the works. But given Adams' star power, it'll likely dwarf the other. We bet she courts Oscar gold with the performance.
Do you want to see Janis Joplin's life unfold on screen?
—Carly Costello


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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
Everything was great.Very clean
The location was convenient and the staff were helpful enough. The room AC was underperforming. The room got so warm and the beds were uncomfortable. The floors between must be very thin because your footsteps are loud and you can hear people above you. The lobby is old and worn and there's trash in the parking lot. Not an inviting place.
Had a confirmed reservation for a road trip I was taking with my granddaughter. We were on a sight seeing train ride in the mountains with no internet service. When we arrived for check-in we were told my credit card was declined the room was taken. I used my credit card through-out the trip & knew there was nothing wrong with the card. I was livid!!!!!
Clean. Not too loud. Getting old and outdated.
Clean room. Good price.
convenient, working ice machine, friendly staff, clean room, quiet, breakfast was ready at 5 AM! n/a
Location Room floor was dirty, entry/front desk area was dirty, breakfast was coffee/muffin/banana/waffle
Comfortable hotel overall with lots of rooms. Nice free breakfast. Attentive staff. A bit of a billing blip. Night agent entered in rare incorrectly. FD agent wasn't able to correct w/o manager. All agents should have abilities to make these changes. It was resolved quickly by the manager. When we were looking through the room to make sure not to leave anything behind, we found a can of chewing tobacco on the floor. It is fortunate that the children did not find this and try to get into it. The refrigerator was not working. We did not mention this to anyone during the stay.
Not clean
Staff friendliness Poorly maintained and run down for being a "newer" motel
Staff was friendly! Maybe a bit small but what do you expect?
The small, private places can be a gamble but Wapiti Lodge is a safe bet. It was clean and the king studio was very roomy and spacious. Convenient location with full kitchen. Even with the busy road out front, it was quiet so they've obviously stepped up the insulation and windows. It was a comfortable place that was an easy walk to town for dinner. Considering all of the amenities and the full size coffee pot (yeah!), there was no coffee nor coffee filters. Total bummer. We ended up making a 6am run into town for coffee. That alone took a 5 star experience down to 4 star. Had we at least been told that, we could have grabbed coffee and filters the night before. The bath towels were only slightly larger than hand towels.
Night staff seemed very friendly. Breakfast available in the morning was simple but pleasant. Loved how comfortable the beds and pillows were! That was probably one of my favorite parts of staying here. The TV, fridge and microwave all worked great, and room service was very nice and thorough in their cleaning. Aside from the bed being so awesome, the chairs weren't the most comfortable to sit in. Little hard to sit for a long time if you need to do any work in your room--would recommend sitting on the bed or up in the lounge instead. The shower was also one of the most bipolar showers I've ever used. It was as if it were fluctuating based on every other shower and/or bathroom in the building. Would switch from warm to freezing to scalding hot every 5-10 seconds. Ended up just taking baths instead.
We liked the convenience of this hotel. Candy was very helpful with printing boarding passes for us.
The beds and location. Nothing really
All in all the room was great. It was clean, modern enough, good wifi, and mostly comfortable (especially the bed mattress). The one exception was the square pillows! These where surprisingly difficult to sleep on.
Although she was busy, the girl at the front desk was kind, helpful, and professional when I checked in. The hall downstairs was well lit when I returned to my room after dark. The dirty windows and wrinkled pillow cases.
The night staff was awesome getting me into my room. He was courteous and well spoken. The spa and sauna are tucked away in a cool spot. The river is a 5 minute walk away. My overnight stay was tarnished by one particular failure. The overall cleanliness of the room seemed to be normal. However, upon entering the shower in the morning, a substance of very disgusting origin was found on the wall and water faucet. Now, all heinous acts aside, there may be many justifiable explanations for such a scene, but there is no excuse for it not being cleaned up. I was utterly disgusted. I cleaned the mess up and did not tell my wife or child of the disgrace for not wanting to sour the day. Had I found the mess the night before I surely would have demanded a new room. A terrible oversight indeed, on both the establishments part, and that if mine.
Location & friendly staff No heat just cool air until Oct. Front door of room 119 we could see light through door. Also door frame was broken & needs to be replaced.
Close to downtown, basic but good continental breakfast, very clean bathrooms advertised as having a minifridge, but none could be found. bed wasnt terribly comfy
Cheap,clean and very friendly!!
Large room, comfortable bed Old building, needs some work Lock on door not very secure
The price was great and the staff were very helpful. A little run down and not super clean.
Dirty. Broken lights. Waste baskets full. No telephone.
Good location near town, liquor store and grocery store but outdated and a little dirty. Ask for rooms in the 320s because they have the best views of the mountains. Outdated, dirty. Also they didn't provide soap or shampoo luckily the grocery store is across the street.
Older motel with clean rooms and pleasant staff. Great location that is walking distance to shopping and restaurants. Wifi wouldn't work in my room as my room was in the zone between the two antennas. I had to go outside to use it. They should add a 3rd antenna to cover the middle of the compound.
It was a clean room with a comfortable bed. It's not a high end resort, but this place wasn't dumpy at all. The staff was highly friendly- even when we arrived around midnight. Otherwise, I would highly recommend if you are looking for something cheap. The thing I disliked the most was the shower water pressure was really really low. I have been noticing this as a common practice at hotels of all sorts, but it simply sucked here.


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CommunityGiving hosts a number of Community Funds that vary based on the specific needs and interests of the local partner community.
They can be a single fund with a local advisory committee that recommends grants for the benefit of the partner community, or they can have a number of funds whose advisors have banded together to strengthen their community.
This highly flexible partnership keeps the decisions about grants in the hands of local community leaders and volunteers, while giving the community better access to the CommunityGiving's charitable giving, fund accounting, and investment management expertise.


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The Kama Sutra is known worldwide as a manual for how to have sex. Of course, many of us choose to opt for the classics when we bone. Some sex positions, however, are so strange and difficult that it's hard to believe anyone has ever attempted them at all. Well, we figured it was time. Below are reviews of eight of the Kama Sutra's strangest sex positions.
Number Eight: The Bridge. Look at that. Just look at it! Not only does this require the man to do some sort of reverse backbend, but it also involves the woman just, kind of, chilling on top of him. That's one way to really highlight who's in power. It's also quite possible this position was the origin of the phrase "bent over backward." Seriously, this position is physically impossible.
Number Seven: The Lustful Leg. This looks slightly easier – if you're a dude. However, it requires an exceptionally limber lover, so you will have to take that into account before trying it. Unfortunately, while this was easy for me, my sex partner derived no pleasure. Major fail.
Number Six: The Propeller. This one looks hilarious, but it's actually quite dangerous. The woman lays on her back, while the man gets on top of her, facing away. It might be reminiscent of the good ol' Reverse Cowgirl, but trust – it's much more complicated. Unfortunately, because the logistics required my member to bend in ways it physically cannot, there was no liftoff with The Propeller.
Number Five: The Rowboat. This one looks easier than it actually is. The male half of the sexy time lays down, and the woman inserts him inside her. The male then sits up and entwines his legs with his partner's. And that's just about where it stops. I found it extremely difficult to get any momentum going, and I even found the position kind of comical. It really wasn't sexy at all.
Number Four: The Suspended Scissors. Try this if you hate the person you're sexing! Lie your lady on her side (part of her will be dangling off of the bed). The guy should then get between her legs, straddling her "bottom" leg until he can enter. The sex involves him holding her top leg while she supports herself with her hand on the ground. It should be no surprise that this one was not physically possible for me.
Number Three: The Landslide. What the what?! I was so confused by this graphic image that I had to look further. To maneuver into this position, the woman should lie down on her stomach as the man walks, crab-like, behind her until his butt lines up with hers. The man can then enter her…if he is physically capable. Again, this position is nearly impossible to achieve if you aren't a member of Cirque du Soleil.
Number Two: The Supernova. This one looks simple. Finally! Something I can actually do. The man should lay down on the bed, leaving just the bottom half of his body supported. He should support himself on the ground or with a propped up pillow. The woman then sits on the man and goes for it. In theory, it seems vanilla compared to some of these other ones, but in practice, I almost passed out. There just wasn't enough blood flow to my legs, and my ears began to ring.
Number One: The Ape. Yeah, the name says it all. Though the image doesn't reveal anything necessarily ape-like, you'd be an ape to attempt this without considering the possibility that you will fail miserably. And that's exactly what happened.


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Postcards from Home (special issue)
Client: Roc Herms
Client: Roc Herms
This publication is a preview of Postcards from Home, a photodocumental journey through PlayStation Home. It was published on the occasion of the exibition "From Here On. Postphotography in the era of internet and cell phones".
A closer look:
Read it here: issuu.com/rocherms/docs/joannadark
More about this project: facebook.com/postcardsfromhomebook
More about us: facebook.com/benditagloria
Thank You!