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TOCC is a Tool for Obsessive Compulsive Classifiers. It implements a file system that uses tags instead of folders, allowing you to classify files however you want. For example, you could tag photos by location, people, and technique (e.g. black & white, HDR). Finding files is as simple as running a query like "give me all files tagged photo and my-love".
The Epoch Init System is an init system for Linux designed with ease of configuration and non-intrusiveness in mind. It has no external dependencies besides libc and pthreads on a Linux 2.6+ system. It's suitable for large and small Linux distributions, but was designed with a focus on smaller Linux systems. It's features include a log system capable of recording boot events before the filesystem is made writable, ASCII runlevels, a convenient, single configuration file setup, automatic hostname setting at boot, automatic virtual filesystem mounting (think /proc), PID file support, stuck job killing during bootup and shutdown, integrated color greeting banner support, and automatic service restart support, to keep vital services running at all times.
Diladele Web Safety is an ICAP server that integrates with an existing Squid proxy server and provides rich content and Web filtering functionality to sanitize Internet traffic passing into an internal home/enterprise network. It blocks pornography and explicit (adult) content by deep inspecting HTML content and URLs, blocks file downloads, performs filtering based on groups, controls Web usage by categories, removes annoying Web ads, and protects online privacy by disallowing access to Web trackers. It runs on any FreeBSD derived platform, RedHat, CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu Linux, Raspberry PI, and Apple OS X, providing a comprehensive Web filtering solution easily manageable via a Web UI.
rpmorphan finds "orphaned" RPM packages on your system (packages which have no other packages depending on their installation). Console and graphical interfaces are provided. It is clone of the deborphan Debian program, but for RPM packages. It provides also some others RPM tools: rpmusage, rpmdep, and rpmduplicates.
SBuild is a Scala-based build system. It features platform independence, multi project support, automatic detection of needed actions, automatic up-to-date detection, a flexible scheme handler mechanism, Maven repository support, Ant task integration, automatic cross-project resolving of dependencies, high speed, a simple "syntax" that requires almost no Scala knowledge, behind-the-sceens compilation of build script to bytecode for fast execution time, and built-in scheme handlers for HTTP and Maven.
Gpart is a small tool which tries to guess which partitions are on a PC harddisk in case the primary partition table was damaged. It works by scanning through the device (or file) given on the commandline on a sector basis. Each guessing module is asked if it thinks a filesystem it knows about could start at a given sector. Several filesystem guessing modules are built in, and others can be added dynamically.
Armadillo is a C++ linear algebra library (matrix maths) aiming towards a good balance between speed and ease of use. Integer, floating point, and complex numbers are supported, as well as a subset of trigonometric and statistics functions. Various matrix decompositions are provided through optional integration with LAPACK and ATLAS libraries. A delayed evaluation approach, based on template meta-programming, is used (during compile time) to combine several operations into one and reduce or eliminate the need for temporaries.
CWIS (Collection Workflow Integration System) is a software package designed to help assemble, organize, and share information about resources online. The software conforms to international and academic standards for metadata while providing turnkey setup and a user-friendly interface, allowing resource collection developers (and end users) to focus on what they want to share (or find) without worrying about the technical details. It provides extensive support for cataloging resources with standardized metadata, which can then be automatically shared via an array of channels out to the larger Internet community, helping others find your work.


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By now I'm sure almost everyone has seen the new talents that were datamined from the WotLK Friends and Family alpha client. I will start off by listing these talents in their current state since there will certainly be a great deal of confusion should these talents undergo future changes.
The talents:
Vampiric Touch - "Causes $o2 Shadow damage over $d to your target and causes all party members to gain mana equal to 2% of any Shadow spell damage you deal."
Growing Pains - "Converts 4/8/12/16/20% of your bonus healing into bonus spell damage. In addition, your Mind Flay has a 20/40/60/80/100% chance to refresh the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target."
Shadow Focus - "Increases your chance to hit with your Shadow spells by 1/2/3%, and reduces the mana cost of your Shadow spells by -2/4/6%"
Shadow Power - "Increases the critical strike chance of your Mind Blast and Shadow Word: Death spells by 2/4/6/810%, and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Mind Blast and Shadow Word: Death spells by 10/20/30/40/50%."
Improved Shadow Word: Pain - "Increases the damage of your Shadow Word: Pain spell by 5/10%."
Dark Spirit - "Increases your Shadow damage by up to 10/20/30% of your total Spirit."
Improved Spirit Tap - "Gives you a $h% chance to gain a $49694s1% bonus to your Spirit after gaining a critical effect chance from your Mind Blast or Shadow Word: Death spells. For the duration, your mana will regenerate at a $49694s2% rate while casting. Lasts $49694d."
Shadowform - "Assume a Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 15%, reducing Physical damage done to you by -15% and threat generated by $49868s1%. However, you may not cast Holy spells while in this form."
Improved Shadowform - "Your Fade ability now has a 50/100% chance to remove all movement impairing effects when used while in Shadowform, and gives you a 25/50% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage when casting any Shadow spell while in Shadow form."
Dispersion - 5m cooldown - "You disperse into pure shadow energy, reducing all damage taken by -90%. You are unable to attack or cast spells, but you regenerate 6% health and mana every 1 sec for 6 sec."
Psychic Horror - "Causes your Psychic Scream spell to have a 100% chance to Fear the target in horror for 4 sec."
Shadow Resilience - "Reduces physical damage taken by -2/4%."
The new spells:
Mind Sear - Level 75, Instant Cast, 545 Mana - "Causes an explosion of shadow magic around the enemy target, causing 481-519 Shadow damage every 1 sec for 5 sec to all targets within 10 yards."
Nightmare - Level 68, 1665 Mana, Instant Cast - "Assault the target's mind, causing a powerful nightmare that deals 306 Shadow damage to all enemies within 10 yards of the target. Lasts 8 sec."
Upon announcement of these new/revamped talents I immediately started work on hacking together an updated version of the Shadow Priest Gear Spreadsheet. Here's what I came up with:
DPS Spreadsheet with Current 2.4.2 Talents
DPS Spreadsheet with WotLK Talents
Please note that for the spreadsheet edited to include WotLK talents I did not evaluate if there were any changes to the best-in-game gear set, though I believe any item changes would have a minor (if any) impact on the comparison between talents. Also at this point the WotLK spreadsheet is inflexible and only intended to show a comparison between talents, don't expect accurate values if you start switching things around, there are a couple things that could bug it out due to the haste at which I put it together.
WotLK 2253 dps
2.4.2 2000 dps
With WotLK talents we see a DPS increase of about 12.6%.
Net Mana Out (both using Destruction Potions)
WotLK -25 MP5
At the high end gear level we still have infinite mana without using Super Mana Potions, note that I did not include the WotLK talent Improved Spirit Tap as the proc rate, % spirit increase, and % regen while casting are all unknown to my knowledge.
Vampiric Touch Regen
WotLK 225 MP5
VT regen has reached a much more reasonable level, perhaps it may be too low at the low end gear level however.
My preliminary thoughts were that the new changes would provide just the DPS increase the class needed and balance out the insane VT regen. Upon closer inspection it appears we may run into problems with mana regeneration for both ourselves (dependent on the Improved Spirit Tap mechanics) and our party, with not enough of a DPS increase to balance this out. On the other side of the argument with regard to mana regen, the fact that in the transition from 60 to 70 dps more than doubled for every single class, while mana costs increased by a comparatively smaller amount, if this trend continues in with the transition to TBC to WotLK our mana regen may be nearly as imbalanced as it is now. It is necessary to know the mana cost and dps scaling that occurs during the transition to level 80 before we can see the whole picture. At this point one thing seems certain however, Blizzard seems to have missed the mark with the new Shadow Priest spells, while there are certainly no problems with Shadow Priests gaining an AoE spell, two AoE spells that appear to have nearly the same mechanics seems to be wholly unnecessary.

subset: commoncrawl


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This place is clean and very functional. The staff is friendly, it has a cute inner courtyard and is a block walk from the beach. Next door is a coffee and pastry shop. What more could anyone want. It is not dripping in luxury so if that is what you want, look elsewhere, but it is a perfect bungalow for... More
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- Lovely, quaint, great rooms, inexpensive, a great location, and the people are friendly ... that's how our guests describe Spindrift Inn. This cozy 14 room cottage-style rural inn is just a block from a 7 mile beach in Manzanita, on Oregon's gorgeous North Coast. Mountains meet the sea, surrounded by two State Parks, forests and the Pacific Ocean. In our inn you will find no smoking, pillowtop beds, some suites, some kitchenettes, and some pet-friendly rooms (call ahead to be sure). Off the highway, Manzanita's small commercial district is nestled among cabins and cottages - perfect to park and walkabout. There are shops with trendy clothing, natural food, and several restaurants serving fish en papillote to authentic Mexican. And the connection with Nature is superb ... you can re-fresh, rejuvenate and be re-inspired when you return home. Or stay forever (we did). Come visit us ... then you may say: "Spindrift Inn might not have a lot of street appeal, but thankfully the rooms, cleanliness, staff, location and price were all wonderful. We'll definitely be back again." Owned and operated by local families since 1946. ... more less
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A portion of social networking site users say the sites are important for some of their political activities and the way they decide how to engage with campaigns and issues. At the same time, most users of the sites say they do not use the sites for political purposes or debates.
A nationally representative phone survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project finds that:
In each activity, Democrats who use social networking sites are more likely than Republicans or independents to say the sites are important.
These are the findings from a survey conducted from January 20-February 19, 2012 among 2,253 adults ages 18 and older, including 901 cell phone interviews. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. And the margin of error of the sample dealing with social network site users (n=1,407) is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
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text: GOLD, TYPOGRAPHY AND A PEACOCK FEATHER Leave a reply I've been dying to share this invitation for a long time. I did the Save the Date, invitation and then some other pieces that I hope to show at a later time. We used some unique wording, typography, and glitter! Share and Enjoy


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What is Nalfon?
Fenoprofen is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Fenoprofen works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.
Fenoprofen is used to treat pain or inflammation caused by arthritis.
Fenoprofen may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
In This Section:
What is the most important information I should know about Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
This medicine can increase your risk of life-threatening heart or circulation problems, including heart attack or stroke. Do not use this medicine just before or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).
Seek emergency medical help if you have symptoms of heart or circulation problems, such as chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance.
This medicine can also increase your risk of serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and gastrointestinal effects can occur without warning at any time while you are taking fenoprofen. Older adults may have an even greater risk of these serious gastrointestinal side effects.
Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of bleeding in your stomach or intestines. This includes black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Taking an NSAID can increase your risk of life-threatening heart or circulation problems, including heart attack or stroke. This risk will increase the longer you use an NSAID. Do not use this medicine just before or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).
NSAIDs can also increase your risk of serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and gastrointestinal effects can occur without warning at any time while you are taking an NSAID. Older adults may have an even greater risk of these serious gastrointestinal side effects.
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to fenoprofen, or if you have:
- severe kidney disease
- a stomach ulcer or inflammatory bowel disease; or
- a history of allergic reaction to aspirin or other NSAIDs
If you have any of these other conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take fenoprofen:
- a history of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot
- heart disease, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure
- a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding, bowel problems, diverticulosis
- liver or kidney disease
- asthma
- polyps in your nose; or
- if you smoke
FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether fenoprofen is harmful to an unborn baby. Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. Taking fenoprofen during the last 3 months of pregnancy may result in birth defects. Do not take fenoprofen during pregnancy unless your doctor has told you to.
Fenoprofen can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Do not give this medicine to a child younger than 14 years old without the advice of a doctor.
How much does Nalfon (Fenoprofen) cost?
What conditions might Nalfon (Fenoprofen) treat?
Condition | Ratings and Reviews |
Osteoarthritis |
Photos of Nalfon
Nalfon Side Effects
What are the possible side effects of Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop taking fenoprofen and seek medical attention or call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
- chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance
- black, bloody, or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
- confusion, tremors or shaking
- urinating less than usual or not at all
- pain, burning, or bleeding when you urinate
- nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
- fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash; or
- bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness
Less serious side effects may include:
- upset stomach, mild heartburn or stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation; bloating, gas
- dizziness, headache, nervousness
- skin itching or rash
- dry mouth
- increased sweating, runny nose
- blurred vision; or
- ringing in your ears
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Back to TopNalfon Interactions
In This Section:
What other drugs affect Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Tell your doctor if you are taking an antidepressant such as citalopram (Celexa), duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine (Effexor). Taking any of these drugs with fenoprofen may cause you to bruise or bleed easily.
Before taking fenoprofen, tell your doctor if you are taking:
- cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune)
- lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
- diuretics (water pills) such as furosemide (Lasix)
- aspirin or salicylates such as Doan's Pills, Dolobid, and others
- a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin)
- steroids (prednisone and others)
- seizure medication such as phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton) or phenytoin (Dilantin)
- a sulfa drug such as Bactrim or Septra
- oral diabetes medications such as glipizide (Glucotrol), glimepiride (Amaryl, Duetact, Avandaryl), and others; or
- aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), indomethacin (Indocin), nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), meloxicam (Mobic), piroxicam (Feldene), and others
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with fenoprofen. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
Back to TopWhat should I avoid while taking Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Do not use any other over-the-counter cold, allergy, or pain medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Many medicines available over the counter contain medicines similar to fenoprofen (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen). If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of this type of medication. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen.
Do not drink alcohol while taking fenoprofen. Alcohol can increase the risk of stomach bleeding.
Fenoprofen can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.
Back to TopNalfon Dosage
In This Section:
How should I take Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. The maximum amount of fenoprofen for adults is 3 grams (3000 mg) per day. Know the amount of fenoprofen in the specific product you are taking.
If you take fenoprofen for a long period of time, your doctor may want to check you on a regular basis to make sure this medication is not causing harmful effects. Do not miss any scheduled visits to your doctor.
This medication can cause you to have unusual results with certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using fenoprofen.
Store fenoprofen at room temperature, away from moisture, heat, and light.
Back to TopWhat happens if I overdose on Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, black or bloody stools, coughing up blood, fever, urinating less than usual or not at all, shallow breathing, fainting, or coma.
Back to TopWhat happens if I miss a dose of Nalfon (Fenoprofen)?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Back to TopNalfon Reviews
Copyright 1996-2013 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 9.02. Revision date: 2010-12-15.
Photos of Nalfon
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The original deal pioneer keeps on pinching pennies and cracking wise. No, that price isn't a typo. Go to Woot
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indiechixor wrote: Anything that gets below the carpet's surface is forever out of reach from the roomba's grasp. See, the roomba has no sucking ability. It works 100% on the brushes flicking stuff into the trap door, or in the case of hair, rolling it up into the brushes.
It does have a vacuum. It's not powerful enough to pick up something as fine and heavy as sand, but it's not just a sweeper, either. I love our Roomba. It's great for keeping the carpets and floors looking clean. For deep cleaning the Woot refurb Dyson comes out of the closet. But it spends a lot more time in there than it would if it weren't for our robot friend.
leaponover wrote: Big question, can i use this on a hardwood floor in the bathroom for cat litter?
Yes, but be absolutely sure that there is nothing wet on the floor that it will pick up along with it, or you will have a nasty gummy mess on your hands.
imadonut wrote:I love my ROOMBA/Jeeves. I do not give him the tending, loving care I need to. I dump the bin full of dust and dog hair in the trash, sort of scrape off the filter, that is it. Occasionally when something gets wound around the brush, I deal with it then. I found the key to the battery life is to always keep it charged, Don't just let it finish cleaning and not hooked to the charger. Come home, grab dog, set Jeeves lose, go for a walk, come back, floor is clean. Oh, did you see Jesse, on Breaking Bad has a Roomba? No, I do no work for irobot, I just love the thing. Donut
OMGOMGOMGPONIESOMG, THATS what started me on the search for a Roomba. His worked well until one of the tweekers pulled it apart! I ♥ that show!!
This part of the description incorrectly implies it's a scheduler Roomba: "Cleans routinely…so you don't have to" Caveat Emptor - this particular Roomba will not clean "routinely" unless you push the button routinely. Having both, I highly suggest holding out for the scheduler version. It's nice to come home to cleanly swept floors or a game of "where's the Roomba this time?!!?"
scottjkus wrote:These things are cute, and yes, they do pick stuff up from your floors. But they require quite a bit of prep. moving furniture, carpets with fringes, etc. And still, they're always getting caught up, or stuck on something; plus they require quite a bit of cleaning after each use, and the batteries, which don't last long, are expensive. Bottom line: once the novelty wears off, they're more trouble than they're worth.
I totally disagree. I'm pretty messy, have computer wires laying around, and while my Roomba gets stuck on the wires for a few minutes it finds its way off. I'd say about one out of 20 uses I find the Roomba no back to its dock (I know this woot sale one doesn't have a dock). It doesn't require heavy cleaning after each use, just dump the bin in the trash. After a few weeks of uses I do a detailed cleaning. The batteries are not expensive, you can find them on ebay pretty darn cheap (and a wide variety of types, Nihm, NiCad, etc). My stock Roomba battery lasted over a year and would have lasted longer had I not left it on the charger for 2 months. My replacement that I paid $30 for has lasted longer.
adnmail wrote:It "might". I've found that it depends on the "step up" between the two. Generally, it works fine, unless there is a large difference in the height. If there are "tassels" on the rug, it may also have trouble, but it usually goes around that, and "climbs" over one of the side edges without tassels. Most throw rugs are no problem (at least in my case). As mentioned in an earlier post, I've got several roombas, and use them on hardwood, carpet, and a Dirt Dog in the Garage. On all 3 surfaces, there are additional carpets over the base surface that the units work fine with.
Ok thanks...
Bought one now will have to police the house picking up all the dangling cords. With all my electronic gear that will take awhile. Hope this dont spook the old dog. I wonder if it can be programed to go out for pizza.
Any comments on its effectiveness cleaning near walls and in corners? FEATURES excerpt: "- Cleans the whole floor, under and around furniture, into corners and along wall edges" The features list makes it sound like it has them covered. In one of the images I can see what looks like a narrow air channel, for lack of a better term, opening on at least one side of the roomba. I'm assuming there is some suction there that can help out near the walls on a hard floor. Carpet not so much... After looking at the image I'm even concerned about cleaning in a fairly wide strip (maybe four inches) near walls. The brushes can never get anywhere near a wall. (With my normal vacuum the rollers are closer to the front edge and I can at least ram the flat front into the walls and get within a couple of inches. I still have to use a hand tool to get in the corners and in the wall/carpet crevice, though.)
KCFalcon59 wrote:How well does this work on pet hair? I've been wanting for one of these but just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
You might want to look at the specialized pet hair roomba on the irobot site. I have a neighbor with three small dogs and the pet hair roomba. He said it works really well except it does shove some hair into the corners. This is easy to capture with a broom and dustpan so he's happy with it. * Aaugh. I just went to the irobot site to see what features were different. I screeched to a halt after seeing the first difference -- It costs $500.
symphony wrote:You might want to look at the specialized pet hair roomba on the irobot site. I have a neighbor with three small dogs and the pet hair roomba. He said it works really well except it does shove some hair into the corners. This is easy to capture with a broom and dustpan so he's happy with it. * Aaugh. I just went to the irobot site to see what features were different. I screeched to a halt after seeing the first difference -- It costs $500.
You can buy the Easy Clean Brush directly from iRobot for only $12. It's the same brush that is used in the 400 'for pets' models, and it works very well. They also have an 'easy clean tool' which works great for removing pet hair from the bristle brush. Alternatively, you can mod the brush yourself fairly easily. Here is a post with more information about the mod: http://www.robotreviews.com/chat/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14224&p=89552 If you have any general questions about the Roomba that are unrelated to this deal, you should search the Roomba Message Board first. Your question has most likely already been asked and answered there.
aliensquirl wrote:They don't have to be changed. They don't wear diapers.
opsonse wrote:Compare it with Infinuvo CleanMate QQ-2 BASIC Vacuuming Robot before buying.
I have 3 Roombas and while I love them I do not love buying them. I think the main reason why I love them is because I am just lazy. I love the robot doing the work. I just wish they lasted longer. The batteries do not last long and they cost more than I wish they did. I am going to give the new kid on the block a try. This is even less expensive than the one offered by Woot! I like that and unless it comes to me broken it cannot last a shorter time than my Roombas do. Thank you for the suggestion!
Not anymore he doesn't....... :D
+1, 2 rombas and a scooba for me. Not reliable.
mlmjr wrote:I have now gone thru 3 roombas -- none have lasted more than a few months. As this is Woot.com and not a complaint forum I will spare the ugly details. But I will never buy one again. Just my .02 cents worth.
kd13 wrote:I have 3 Roombas and while I love them I do not love buying them. I think the main reason why I love them is because I am just lazy. I love the robot doing the work. I just wish they lasted longer. The batteries do not last long and they cost more than I wish they did. I am going to give the new kid on the block a try. This is even less expensive than the one offered by Woot! I like that and unless it comes to me broken it cannot last a shorter time than my Roombas do. Thank you for the suggestion!
The QQ2 is a cheap knockoff, and the battery most definitely lasts far less time than the Roomba. This Cleanmate qq-2 is a 4 year old model, and it I would never consider it compared to any 4xx model roomba or higher. Here is a thread that discusses the qq-2, from 2007: http://www.robotreviews.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=5561 The Neato XV-11 is a very compelling alternative to the Roomba, but at $399.95, it's a more high end model than this one, at a much higher price.
I have owned several roombas, and in general I am happy with them. BUT they are not "just set on the floor and forget about it" devices - they require a certain amount of supervision and babying. They get things stuck in the brushes frequently (strings, rug tassels, larger items), and the dust bin needs cleaning after every use. AND you may have to go on a 'Roomba Hunt' if your roomba gets stuck under a piece of furniture. If they can figure out how to get the Roomba to clean it's own brushes, dump it's own dust bin, and NEVER get stuck under furniture, then they will really have something. I've also found that this is not good for the elderly - it needs too much 'hands on' maintenance for my 88 year old mother, and if it gets stuck under furniture, that is likely where it will stay, and it can be a trip hazard if it decides to zoom across her path as she goes from one part of the house to another.
I've actually been waiting for a Roomba woot to replace my broken one, but $124? Really? I can buy this one on Newegg for $130 shipped. I guess I'll keep waiting; I was hoping for a nicer model anyway. I have a top-of-the-line one, as of a few years ago. It worked great for a year or so, then did the well-known circle dance. They gave me a new set of wheels which fixed that, then maybe a year later it's doing it again. I'm not impressed. It was barely used in the time I've had it, yet it has had two major malfunctions, and certain parts are just not designed well but they keep pounding them out like that (hence why I'm waiting for a *good* deal on one). I'm thinking about buying one of the newer LG or Samsung robots, or maybe the X1 robot (or whatever it's called), if I can get one in the states. The other brands seem to put more effort into them, some have radar and cameras and stuff.
Love my Roomba! I just picked up this one for my classroom. The price is half what I paid for my other Roomba. If you have ever thought about it... Now is the time! You do have to dump the bin and remove hair and such from the brushes after every vacuum session. But no complaints here since it just vacuuumed my house and I didn't!
I bought this model about a month ago and so far, I'm very pleased. I have all wood floors and as long as electrical cords are out of the way, along with anything else that would stand in the way of it doing its rotations properly, it has done a very nice job in cleaning up the debris! Very Happy with my purchase!
fast foward 1 year. your roomba is now broken no good thrown into a closet somewhere. in less than a year this is what happens: the battery will stop accepting a charge, you will loose the small moveable parts when you clean it, the brushes will start to break, roomba hits the molding all around the room to get its bearings this leaves markes on your molding after frequent uses, at the same time its navigation system becomes damaged and needs to be replaced, it does not do corners after time you will see dirty corners, it's loud. for the same price you can get a vacume that will do as good a job if not better, plus it will last 3-5 years if not longer. once the thrill is gone from the roomba,and its died you're still going to have to buy a real vacume. all in all it's a good $100 toy, that lasts about a year.
neurotony wrote:This part of the description incorrectly implies it's a scheduler Roomba: "Cleans routinely…so you don't have to" Caveat Emptor - this particular Roomba will not clean "routinely" unless you push the button routinely. Having both, I highly suggest holding out for the scheduler version. It's nice to come home to cleanly swept floors or a game of "where's the Roomba this time?!!?"
Actually, any of the original Roombas can be scheduled, it just takes a tiny bit more work on your part. First, you would need to have the remote. (I see one on eBay right now for $10). You enter the schedule into the remote as usual. Then take the Roomba away from the charging base. Use the on/off button on the remote to turn the Roomba on. It will respond with a single beep, and light up. You then send the schedule, and the Roomba will play its little song indicating it has accepted the schedule. I wish these were being sold with a charging base. I just splurged and bought two Li-Ion batteries and one of my Roombas died two days later (circle dance).
stphnlee wrote:I have a beagle who sheds all the time, and after getting a Roomba, my floors have never been cleaner. It is great at picking up pet hair.
We have had one or two cats for a LONG time. I bought a roomba when they first came out (have replaced a couple of times), and even my DH, who thinks you need to beat a carpet into submission, agrees that it's great for pet hair. Even from our cat whose hair is the consistency of rabbit fur.
fzzzt wrote:I've actually been waiting for a Roomba woot to replace my broken one, but $124? Really? I can buy this one on Newegg for $130 shipped. I guess I'll keep waiting; I was hoping for a nicer model anyway.
Where? I can't find it at NewEgg. By the way, product links: For Parts, since they don't sell the 400 series now: http://store.irobot.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3358509&cp=3744764&s=A-ProductAge Support, including battery maintenance tips: http://homesupport.irobot.com/app/answers/list/p/5 including owners' manual: http://www.irobot.com/images/homesupport/Manuals/00179.0210.ALLRoomba400.Manual.EN2.pdf Amazon $199.99: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SSUJUI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dealswoot-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B002SSUJUI froogled from robotbetty9 last time, stuff on batteries: http://www.robots-and-androids.com/roomba-batteries.html and repairs: http://www.robots-and-androids.com/roomba-repair.html Finally, of course, YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAHWfDLPdIs
Well I'm in for two. I love my Discovery, it works great for the dog hair. Yes I have to pull the large vacuum out occasional for the stairs and edges, but it definitely saves time. And its a great thing when you get that last minute call about people coming over. You push the button and run to the shower, by the time your ready and they are here your house is vacuumed and looking good.
If I already have a docking station will this model dock to it or do I have to hunt it down all the time and plug it in by hand?
theguruguys wrote:I totally disagree. I'm pretty messy, have computer wires laying around, and while my Roomba gets stuck on the wires for a few minutes it finds its way off. I'd say about one out of 20 uses I find the Roomba no back to its dock (I know this woot sale one doesn't have a dock). It doesn't require heavy cleaning after each use, just dump the bin in the trash. After a few weeks of uses I do a detailed cleaning. The batteries are not expensive, you can find them on ebay pretty darn cheap (and a wide variety of types, Nihm, NiCad, etc). My stock Roomba battery lasted over a year and would have lasted longer had I not left it on the charger for 2 months. My replacement that I paid $30 for has lasted longer.
So if I run my roomba once a week, should I leave it on the charger in-between or not. Just want to increase the battery life.
I have a Hoover Wind Tunnel that sucks up a canister full of fiber and dust every time I use it. I think Roomba would choke and die in my house - even if only wandering in one room.
Ladypixel wrote:This is the second Roomba I've ordered from Woot. I got one some years back which had an automatic docking station... and the biggest problem which I had with it, at the time, was that it was on the docking station more often than it should have been, and thus killed the battery. (I still need to get a new battery for it.) The one they're offering today does NOT have the autodocking system, but requires you, yes you, to plug it in... which may actually extend your battery life. Sure, it isn't the most recent series with the hepa filters and fancy bells and whistles. But you know, the virtual walls work with all models of the Roomba (in my experience, anyhow), and I've got enough of those now from various Woot-Off purchases (usually Bundle of Crops#39;s) that I can set up a veritable maze for my new Roomba to traverse. Now, if I could just get around to getting a replacement battery for the old one, I could have Robot Cleaning Wars...
same deal with me! I have an old one with tons of walls that i love- but haven't wanted to spend so much on a new battery. i think i'll grab one of these and maybe someday get a new battery for the other.
It has been ages and ages since I have posted this! But its back, but super behind the times. Should still answer a lot of questions though. The Woot Roomba FAQ!(Written based on experience with 4xxx series, includes some info on 5xx series.) Whats Remanufactured mean? Isnt it just a refurb? As I understand it, and I could be wrong(It wouldnt be the first time), remanufactured is a complete replacement of all vital components. So they take an old shell and fill it up with a soul. While a refurb would just be a replacement of what ever part was broken. Does it really work!? Yes! It does. I own several, and given them as gifts to more, I love them, as do the people that received them! Will it work with hard wood/carpet/throw rugs/tile/the ceiling? It works on most surfaces, though, unless you have suction cup wheels for it, I dont think it will do much for the ceiling. In my experience it works the best on wood floors. I do not have any tile in my current house, but I would imagine it would work about the same as it does on wood. It works great on carpet, but isnt a 'deep' cleaner like a upright vacuum. I have some throw rugs and the only one I have problems with is one that has an under mat under it. If you have rugs with tassels, be sure to tuck them under or it will try to eat them causing damage to either the carpet, the roomba, or both. The new 500 series that IRobot has now released has a feature that is meant to prevent this. I have not been able to get a 500 series yet, so I can not say if it works or not. Dont run it on high pile carpet either, thats just something that isn't good for it. Will it go from hardwood to carpet by itself without getting stuck? As long as there isnt a huge difference in height it can cross over between the two just fine. A good way to see how it will handle is just set it next to the change, if it looks like the bumper is gonna hit, it may have some problems getting up on it. Can I just let it run forever and ever and never have to worry about emptying a bin, or cleaning filters? Its a robot right? It cleans its self? While this is a robot and we all like to envision robots with lasers that disintegrate things, this robot lacks that feature(You might be able to get one of the laser robots they make for industry and attach it to the roomba, but it might go terminator on you and take over your house). You will still need to empty the bin and clean the filter. At first I would do this after each time it runs until you notice its not picking up as much, then every other run. If the filter gets really dirty you can clean it with warm water(I havnt tried soap as I dont know what it might do to the filter) or a can of compressed air. You also need to make sure the brushes are cleaned on a regular basis. If you have pets, or someone with longer hair in the house check the brushes after each run, they will get alot on them. All that sounds like alot of work! It would take me just as long to just vacuum myself at that rate! Yes, you could, but this will vacuum for you, and when you need to clean it, sit down in front of the TV and watch a thirty minute show while you clean it! I bet you cant watch TV that easy while you vacuum! So is there anything else I should make sure is cleaned? Once a month or so you should take a can of compressed air to the entire thing and get any dust thats sitting in the little bits out. I suggest doing this outside so the dust isnt put back into your house. How long does it normally run for? The specs list 120 minutes max, but your mileage may vary. Different surfaces will change how long it runs as well as how dirty the floors are. I have mine running on my first floor which is about half wood half carpet and it runs for about an hour and a half. I have heard that running it only on wood it lasts the longest. It will also venture out into other rooms unless blocked off by an object or a virtual wall. The bigger an area that you run it in, the less rounds it can do. What if I want to run it on a upper floor, will it tumble down the stairs? Only when its ex-wife shows up and 'accidentally' pushes it over. Otherwise its cliff sensors can see there is a drop and it will jerk back. They fear heights you know. Do I have to pick up before it goes and vacuums? Do you have to pick up when you go and vacuum? Or do you vacuum over all the junk on the floor? Its still a vacuum and you will need to pick up large objects and make sure cords are out of the way. It will eat cords just like it eats rug tassels. Mine ate a cord not to long ago and limped back to its home base, didnt quite make it, but when I turned it back on it sounded sick. It still runs though. There are some items that you dont want to use the roomba to pick up as well. Glass and other small sharp objects are one thing you wouldnt want to pick up, as well as other larger objects. IRobot has another product called the Dirtdog that would do a much better job for these items. Does that include chairs and bigger things? You dont have to move chairs and other large items, but if the legs arnt wide enough for it to fit through it will not vacuum under them. Also be careful of chairs that are just big enough for it to get in. It can take them a long time to get back out if that happens. Will it mark up my walls when it finds a wall? While I have not had it mark anything myself, they like to ram into the wall as fast as possible. If you are really worried about it marking up your wall glue some foam on the bumper of it so the foam hits rather then the plastic. The newer 500 series have sensors in the bumper that sense when its getting close to a wall and slow down so it only taps it. Will it play nice with my pets/my kids/Godzilla? Some pets may be afraid of it and run for the hills when its doing its thing, others might find it fun and play with it. But it will play nice with the pets, playfully bumping into them if they wander into its path. And if your pet is big enough to flip it over it will play dead(Auto Shut down feature)! I dont have any kids of my own, but some of the other wooters here have mentioned that their kids love it and have learned to turn it on, and off, and on, and off...... Once again, it may playfully bump into your children if they find their way into its path. Godzilla eats roombas for snacks. If you have Godzilla in your home, roomba may not be for you. IS THIS THING LOUD?! You can take those ear plugs out. This wont damage your hearing. On a scale of 1-10 a ten being a shop vac, and a 1 being a dust devil. Its about a 3 or a 4. It does have some noise to it, but its nothing to scream over. Carpet does muffle the sound a bit, while hard floors will echo the sound a bit. Hey, it could be worse. You can hook a couple leakfrogs to the inside of your unbalanced washing machine? Ok, what if the floor is wet when it goes over it? Roombas are a type of creature that dont require water, in fact, like the aliens in that movie, and the wicked witch in the wizard of oz, they are severally allergic to water. But their distant relative the Scooba loves water! I wont go into detail about the scooba here, but it is the mopping version of the roomba. Well Im really thinking about buying one now, but some of em have some features the others dont. Whats spot and max? Spot mode is for quick cleanups of spills. Say you drop a bag of chips and it makes a mess of a small area, grab your roomba, set it in the middle of the mess and hit spot. It will slowly circle its way outward, then back in to clean up just that area. Max mode is just like clean, but it will run till the battery is completely empty(It will leave a little bit of juice so it can try to make it back to the charge base.) Does it automatically return to its charger? If you have the home base and it started out on the base it will make every attempt to return to the base when its time is up. If it didnt start on a base it will play a little song where ever it is when its done and stop. Sometimes it wont be able to make it back to the base for one reason or another. It stopped for donuts, ran out of battery, or its GPS broke down(It got lost). Many models dont come with a homebase. Though many times the ones here on woot do. What about this Scheduling feature thing? Some models will come with the special remote for it, others wont. But you will need it to set times and send them to the roomba. By its self the remote costs about 40 dollars, though you may be able to find em on ebay for cheaper. You can set up to seven(7) cleaning times, at one cleaning per day. As well as if you want it to be a weekly thing, or a one time clean. I have mine set so that its out and about while Im at work. Without this you would need to press the button on top of the unit to start it each time. Ok, woot is selling one as remanufactured. How is it packaged? Is it in just a brown box? Or is it in a box that has information on it? It comes in a IRobot box that will have this sticker(Not easily removed) on it: Appox size as well More info on IRobot on all of their products can be found on their homepage here. So this one is a 5XX, whats so awesome about these? The 500 series has alot of new upgrades. Such as anti tassle and cord eatting technology! Though that doesnt mean you can throw cords all over your floor, but you dont have to worry as much about it getting caught up on a cord, or ripping out your tassles. It also has soft bump tech, where when it sees that a wall is coming up, it will slow down and tap the wall lightly instead of slaming into it full force. This also uses IR to detect, so darker walls may not be recognized. Lighthouses! The new virtual wall can now allow you to set them up to keep the roomba in a certain room till that room is done! It will automaticly set a timer to keep the roomba in that room until cleaning is complete. You can still use them as plain vitural walls as well. It also claims to be better at cleaning, and storing debris. As well as having a larger filter to keep your air clean. Do you have a question that you think should be added to this list? Please send me a PM with it! I'll do my best to find an answer for you and add it to the list! I plan on posting this anytime I see a roomba for sale.
Quick summary about this Roomba: It's a Discovery series 400, not a 500. Still not a bad design, but not quite as smart as the 531 that comes up from time to time. It's a bit on the cheaper side: I don't know if you can program a schedule with the scheduler remote, but it can *not* use a 400 series charging dock. This is annoying since docking makes a huge difference. With docking, you don't have to plug it in to charge, this one cannot use a dock. I would put it's value at $99 if the Roomba 531 is at $130 or so. CZ
jenandlaw wrote:Has anybody ever dedicated one of these to the kitchen, and if so, how successful were you? Does it get gummy? Pick up food particles well?
It doesnt pick up anything that may even slightly stick to the floor
Have a roomba. It takes as much time to move chairs, and other floor type stuff out of the way as it would be to just sweep so it sits in the corner. If I had a place with no carpet and nothing on the floor it would be useful.
Not sure if the Roomba cuts it as a full time vacuum. Took a trip to my parents house who have two Roombas, one per floor, that they exclusively use. My 1 year old was crawling on the floor. After he was done crawling, he had black all over his arms and legs. The floor looked very clean looking at it (it was a off-white color originally), but I'm guessing their Roomba's don't get all the underlying dirt very well. My Mom said she even scrubbed the carpet before we came. I say bite the bullet and get a Dyson. I couldn't be happier with ours.
I have three cats and it works great. I couldn't live with out it. I run it every day. I run it in all rooms, carpets, hardwood, and vinyl, including the kitchen. Cannot be used on wet.
symphony wrote:Any comments on its effectiveness cleaning near walls and in corners? FEATURES excerpt: "- Cleans the whole floor, under and around furniture, into corners and along wall edges" The features list makes it sound like it has them covered. In one of the images I can see what looks like a narrow air channel, for lack of a better term, opening on at least one side of the roomba. I'm assuming there is some suction there that can help out near the walls on a hard floor. Carpet not so much... After looking at the image I'm even concerned about cleaning in a fairly wide strip (maybe four inches) near walls. The brushes can never get anywhere near a wall. (With my normal vacuum the rollers are closer to the front edge and I can at least ram the flat front into the walls and get within a couple of inches. I still have to use a hand tool to get in the corners and in the wall/carpet crevice, though.)
It has a spinning brush on one side that gets up to the walls, but cannot get into corners I find I still have to clean edges with a handheld vacuum, but its more like an inch, not four inches.
Grown son loves the Roomba I sent to keep tiled and carpeted house clean. Comments that works much better than the "stick" vacuum he'd been using. House is in coastal area so good for grit and also cat hair.
Utlkalot15 wrote:Anyone know how this model compares to one of the current models?
The 400 series doesn't handle rug tassels as well as 500 series (it will get stuck & you'll have to unstick). 700 series is latest, greatest with hepa filter, stronger vaccuum. I don't remember whether you can schedule these, but you can check for parts & accessories on irobot.com. The site doesn't show the robots anymore but does sell the accessories. I abandoned the 400 series only when the rug tassel issue was solved. Roombas are great.
add a mp3 player on top and dj roomba be tearin' it up!
aliensquirl wrote:It includes a tool with a little blade to cut long hair that wraps around the brushes so it can be easily removed.
I bought a refurbished 530 on woot a few months ago. Two things amazed me. How much hair it picked up and how much dust it picked up. And the hair wraps around the ends of the beater brush and comes off in neat little "hair rings". I clean mine after each use, not just because you're supposed to, but I like to see how much crap it has picked up. The next time Woot had the 530, I bought one for my parents and I am probably getting one of these as a gift for my aunt and uncle. Love these things.
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College nursing program in danger of closing if director, instructors not found
Monna Walters instructs students in Adult Nursing II in what could be the last class unless a director and instructors are found. Photos by Jordan Clary |
The nursing program is at full enrollment but it lacks staff. Lassen Community College is asking nurses in the community to help sustain the program. |
Feb. 26, 2013 — Lassen Community College's (LCC) nursing program has been a lifeline for many men and women, not just in Lassen County but elsewhere in California and northern Nevada as well.
The Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) 12-month program trains its graduates for an employable profession and is the only program of its kind in this region.
But the program, which began in the late 1970s, may be closing its doors due to lack of a director and the need for more instructors.
According to Sue Mouck, executive vice-president of academic services, a decision will be made March 15 to determine the future of the program.
"The existing staff have done everything they could to sustain this program," said Mouck, "and they need help. The two components of staff that we must have is, first, a qualified director to be in charge of the program. They have to meet the qualifications of the Board of Vocational Nursing. And we need to have qualified instructors — those who can do the lecture portion of the program, plus clinical."
Dr. Marlon Hall, LCC president concurs that staffing for the nursing program is at a crucial point.
"In order to have a quality program we have to have quality individuals to keep the program moving forward," he said. "We need a director and we need faculty."
The college is asking community members in the nursing profession, who may be qualified to teach, to come forward.
Monna Walters, current director of the nursing program, said they are hoping to form a core of 10 to 12 nurses willing to commit to two to three days a month.
"I'm not asking for someone to give up their job or even make a full-time commitment," said Walters. "If they can commit to the equivalent of two to three short shifts, we can work around them."
The commitment will, hopefully, begin late May and is primarily for clinical, which includes evaluations and a small amount of prep time.
The qualifications are he or she needs to be a licensed nurse in California; needs to be an RN or LVN; needs to have worked a minimum of five years as a nurse, at least two of them within the last five years; and he or she must have a minimum of an associates degree.
Applicants will also need to complete a course in teaching. If there is enough interest, LCC will offer ED1: Tools for Learning, which fulfills the teaching requirement and is also affordable at community college rates. Online courses are also available though various universities although the price is probably higher than LCC.
The director, for whom the college has launched a nationwide search, needs to have at least a bachelor's degree in nursing and has to have taught in an accredited nursing program for at least one year. They are also looking for someone who is licensed in both California and Nevada.
Hall, Mouck and Walters all stressed the importance of the program for the community. Walters said approximately 90 percent of nurses in Lassen County have been through the program.
She said, "For the health care of our community and all of Northeastern California, it (the nursing program) is vital."
The program is currently at full enrollment, and there's been a waiting list for every class for the past several years.
"We have great clinical sites," said Walters. "We have a very supportive administration. The college foundation has given us quite a bit of money to buy new equipment and we've updated almost all of it. We have state-of-the-art simulation mannequins. They get a good training."
But the question remains whether they will find enough staff to keep the program thriving.
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- Lassen High wrestling hosts Purple and Gold Scrimmage
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maybe the college needs to do agressive across the US advertising for this program...
After all they are part of the community.
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Sports Headlines
Lassen High wrestlers and girl's basketball players to scrimmage
Dec. 13 — The Lassen High School wrestling team and girl's basketball team will be going head-to-head on the basketball court Monday, Dec. 16. In a night intended to bring fun and entertainment to both basketball and wrestling fans, the JV wrestling team and JV girl's basketball team will kick...
Read More...Grizzlies look back on football season
Cole McCown, back left, Sam Joseph, Franky Shepherd, Quinn Thompson, Case Bennett, Jace Woginrich, front left, Tyler Clark, Colton Faure, Jake Thomas and Kyle Barnetche were all presented with awards during the Lassen High School varsity football awards ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 4. Photo by Maddie...
Read More...Lassen High wrestling hosts Purple and Gold Scrimmage
The Lassen High School wrestling team held its annual Purple and Gold Scrimmage on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the Lassen High gym. The wrestling team broke up into two teams, purple and gold, and faced off in a night of wrestling that gave fans a taste of what they can expect in the coming season. Lassen...
Read More...National News
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Perfect Trinket Box for Engagement
By JC
from Jeffersontown,Ky
About Me Budget Shopper
Comments about Snowman Trinket Box Ornament:
I hid my fiancee' ring inside, she had no clue
BEautiful snowman ornament
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from Oklahoma
Great ornament to hide little gifts in.
Snowman triket box ornaments
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from Potosi MO
Wonderful way to surprise my grand children. they will love finding them on the Christmas tree and then the surprise of whats inside! thank you
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About Me Midrange Shopper
Bought these for my grandchildren. They love things that open up.
Cute Gift!
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These are very cute. I plan to use them at Christmas for my grandsons who are too old for toys but certainly not to old for cash.
One was improperly assembled !
By Mardelle
from Harlingen, TX
We ordered 11 of these and one was improperly assembled at the glue joint between the cap and the hinged metal ring. It came apart and had to be mended before it could be used. Also, the catch on several of the units was so tight that they could not be opened without tools. Those had to be filed and adjusted so they could be opened by hand!MAF


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Had selected the hotel on account of proximity to the Capitol to enable easy touring and connection to DC landmarks, having just arrived from Atlanta. While I couldn't get a 3rd floor non-smoking room requested, had to make do with another on the 2nd floor. First thing that strikes one is the age of this hotel, well over 50years! The... More
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My stay for 3 weeks in Oct 2013 was very good. Clean and spacious room. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Grab & go breakfast. Daily travel to Queens & Manhattan for my work was easy from this location. Bus stops were at walking distance ( 2 mins). Flushing MainStreet is only 10 mins away (5 Stops). Straight trains to... More
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Air passenger tries to open emergency door
Herrera arrested in Portland, Ore., after incident
An airline passenger who made "unusual statements" and attempted to open an emergency door during a flight Monday morning has been charged with interfering with a flight crew, a federal official said.
Passengers and crews members restrained the man and the flight landed safely.
The incident occurred on Alaska Airlines Flight 132 to Portland, Oregon, from Anchorage, Alaska. Around 5:20 a.m. Pacific Time -- about 10 minutes before the flight was to land -- the passenger, seated in Row 17, allegedly tried to open the emergency door, airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said.
Emergency doors are locked and cannot be opened during flights.
"Once the passenger was restrained he sat calmly in the seat for the short duration of the flight," Egan said.
Upon arrival, he was detained by police, she said. No one was hurt in the incident.
The FBI identified the passenger as Alexander Michael Herrera, 23. FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele issued a statement saying passengers and crew members said the man "made unusual statements prior to the incident," but she declined to reveal the nature of the statements.
Herrera is being booked into the Multnomah County (Oregon) Detention Center, and will likely make his initial appearance on Tuesday before a federal magistrate in Portland, Steele said.
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I'm gonna try making a bunch of small statues for use as scenery and was wondering how easy it is to make a mold from something that can be used to casting in plaster of paris?
I remember when I was 7 or something have a He-Man that I cast from plaster and then painted, but how do I make the initial molds from a piece?
I think Latex to make the masters might be the way to go? PM GCT Gordon he makes moulds although i'm not sure of the specfics.
Master T is right, you would probably want to make latex molds to start with, liquid latex is fairly cheap, have a look on Ebay for a supplier (can't remember who I get mine from usually, but polycraft are a reliable maker and there are lots of sellers of it on there) It's not particularly hard but it is time consuming -http://www.ehow.com/how_6815489_make-rubber-latex-molds.html is probably the best simple tutorial I can find online.
hope this helps
I've always found latex to a lot of hassle, really.
If you just want to make a few items I recommend using Oyumaru. (It's also sold rebranded at inflated prices as Instant Mold.)
It's a reusable mold making material. You soften it in hot water (so you can't use it to cast anything hot). Holds detail wonderfully. (Much better than latex, in my experience.)
I haven't tried it with plaster, but it should work perfectly.
Here's a video showing how it works.
Hi- I tried it with plaster once and it was messy and the results were poor (it survived, the plaster didn't)for the effort involved, its better with materials that set really hard like resin.
I think it works rather fine, actually.
While we were talking I actually made a mold, and cast a figure in it in plaster, just to see how it would turn out.
It was all made very roughly, as I wasn't interested in the details, but just how the plaster would act. I also managed to bungle the plaster mixing, and use a bowl that wasn't entirely clean.
Still, it turned out ok, for twenty minutes work (and time for the plaster to set), I think.
But it would have been better to cast it in Milliput or somesuch.
Next time I make a mold for plaster I'll roll the oyumaru out thinly first, to get a more pliable mold. And not stick the thin parts (head spike and base corners) deep into the mold.
thats about the same result I got, though a bit neater:) , I found i got broken bits around the fine detail and not really fully realised on all angles, but if that's what you're going for it's certainly faster, cleaner and cheaper than latex:) the only advantage latex has is that you can do deeper undercuts and stretch the mold away from them when you're removing it. and by painting it on you can do it 360 degrees in a one piece mold (like the He-man kit Moosh mentioned, which I have to admit I also had:)) how do you manage 2/3 part molds in Oyamaru? I've been casting things of all shapes and sizes in loads of materials for about 15 years but I'm new to oyamaru and I'm finding the gumminess a little hard to overcome so I'd appreciate any advice:)
Latex is very good, and if you are doing a lot of castings it might be worth the while. But I've never really mastered it, to be honest.
I find oyumaru easy to work with, and I can always try out a mold, or make a couple at a time, and see what works.
It is fairly pliable, not at all like latex, of course, if you don't make it too thick. Using that you can make fairly deep molds, in particular if you don't mind breaking it to get the casting out.
One trick is to make sure it is really hot when you make the mold - it takes detail better and you can make it thinner, and so much more pliable.
It isn't that good for making truly threedimensional objects. Making a two part mold to press greenstuff in is ok.
But now I wonder if it wouldn't actually be possible to make a two part mold for pouring plaster. I'll give it a try when I have more time..
Is this th kind of thing I'm after then - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Rubber-Mould-Making-Shore/dp/B004FPXDC8/ref=pd_cp_office_2?
Some loss of detail / bubbles is fine - its for old statues, so is prob cut ally desirable!
I did a similar thing once I swiped one of my wifes Buddhas she picked up in Singapore, I used a two part mix to make the mould and afterwards casting it in Hydrostone and it comes out pretty decent, except for the top of the sack that is stuck in the mould, air bubbles wise, its fine because the air bubbles are underneath the sack so you wont notice them without picking them up and scrutinizing.
Definitely a 2piece mould would be preferable but the one piece mould I made still works.
Silicone seems like overkill to me, Moosh, latex (or oyumaru) would suffice. But it is absolutely
You probably will get some bubbles in the plaster, in particular if you're not that experienced with it.
If you want your statues to looke nicely worn, hitting your plaster statue gently with a stiff brush can make it look nicely worn.
Just thinking about oyumaru (eg, http://www.ecrater.co.uk/p/10122362/clay-mold-making-oyumaru-single ) how do you get the original piece out to then pour the plaster in?
Seems like you can only do one half of it, as the bronze buddha in red stuff above shows.... Is that right or does it harden to be like a latex / silicon mold and so able to surround the piece?
masked-minstrel - is that latex or silicone you've used for the budda (and wall sections?)
@ Ret Moosh - Heyas, they are casted in plaster, Hydrostone - its real strong stuff not like plaster of paris.
http://www.kirkside.com.au/D84/rtv3428/ That is what I used to make the moulds (and the local shop I get my casting stuff from)
The stuff wasnt too cheap, something like $60AUD for the 1 kilo kit, but with it I made about 5 custom moulds including the buddha and still have probably enough left to make one more mould.
And the moulds made are pretty resilient
Now I have had time to try casting plaster in a two part oyumaru mold.
It hardens about the same as silicone, so it's easy to make a two part mold.
I just did an awfully simple one here, a real hack. It took me 10-15 min, during which time I also made coffee (I was already boiling water for the oyumaru).
I broke of both hands when I took it out of the mold. I seldom work with plaster, and was impatient, so it hadn't really set. (Ordinary plaster, by the way, not hydrostone.)
I didn't even bother to make the mold in a box, but just squeezed it together. And held it together with atwo rubber bands when casting. So there's quite an ugly bit on the left side there. Also a bump on the top of the head, stomach and lips where I have managed to fold some air bubbles into the oyumaru.
I think that for small series of plaster cast it works rather good. Silicone and latex can probably give better results, certainly, but this is cheaper, faster and simpler, particularily for someone who isn't used to casting and moldmaking.
And if the mold doesn't turn out well, or you don't want to cast more of the same, you can reuse it.
I bought mine from Fred Aldous. For this I used less than two packages (some of it is tied up in other stuff I'm not done with yet).
Now you have seen the first figures I've cast in plaster in the last decade or two. I'm fairly happy with how they turned out.
They look really good to me.
For such a quick job thats fantastic, going to have to play with my press moulds again:)


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Saturday 21 December 2013
Man last drove on the Moon 40 years ago, on December 14, 1972. To enable its astronauts to investigate the surface more extensively, NASA spent $38 million, the equivalent of more than $450 million today, to manufacture just three Lunar Roving Vehicles (LRVs), making it the world's most expensive car.
Apollo 15 commander David R Scott was the first man to drive on the Moon, on 30 July, 1971 - a more impressive accolade than being the seventh man to walk there following the late Neil Armstrong's first step on to the lunar surface two years earlier.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the final Lunar Rover drive, Haynes has launched a guide to the vehicle, including accounts from the Lunar Rover crews, original technical drawings and stunning images from the NASA archive.
The Rover doubled both the amount of time available for exploration and the weight of samples that could be collected. The three Lunar Roving Vehicles (LRVs) that went to the Moon would between them carry six men a total of almost 90km (56 miles) across the lunar surface.
In this image, Apollo 16 commander John Young stands in front of LRV-2 in the morning sunshine of the Descartes Highlands in April 1972
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9 Meetup Groups match "Single Volunteers" near Saint Paul, MN
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What is Single Volunteers? www.svtconline.org Single Volunteers is a national non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. (Visit the national website at http://singlevolunteers.org/). What is Single Volunteers of the Twin Cities (SVTC)? Single Volunteers of the Twin Cities (SVTC) is a group of busy and energetic Twin Cities' singles who enjoy making a difference for our communities and meeting new single friends. SVTC acts as a sort of volunteer clearing house, providing non-profit agencie …
Single Volunteers of Minneapolis Saint Paul is a group of busy and energetic Twin Cities' singles who enjoy making a difference for our communities and meeting new single friends.
This is a group where we can make a difference by doing something beneficial for various causes all while hanging our with great people. Events will range from happy hours, golf outings, a 5k fun run, and even a black tie formal gala. The proceeds will vary by event but include non-profits such as Prevent Child Abuse MN, Enviromental Improvement initiatives, People Serving People Homeless Shelter, etc.
Nightlife is not just about the nightlife but daylife as well. This is an opportunity to meet others who are interested in local Night Life. Meets at night clubs, dance spots, lounges, bars, comedy show, plays, activities and more....This is your Night Life and Daylifte too.... share with others what you are up to as well. But as we are progressing along in this 8th year of nightlife we are still realizing it is about the friendships we are making along the way...therefore.... anything goes day …
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Twin Cities H Social is a social meetup group for anyone who has Herpes HSV1/HSV2 to meet other people in the Twin Cities area with the same situation. We have a wide variety of events at our meetups. We encourage members to give suggestions of what YOU would like to do for a meetup. Twin Cities H Social has NO dues, NO officers, NO social directors and NO budget. Instead, we rely on ordinary members LIKE YOU to volunteer to organize events, such as Hikes, Dinners, Brunches, Beach Parties, Happ …
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This group was created for the Black Woman and Asian Man who have always wanted to meet each other but perhaps found it hard to do so. If you would like to have fun, meet new people, and develop genuine friendships--perhaps even a long-term relationship!--then this group is for you. This group isn't for people who join and never attend a meeting. And it's definitely NOT for people looking to just get hooked up! Please take a look at the Discussion Page about us, where the group rules are listed …
We are a diverse group of women aged 50 and above. We're single, married, divorced, or widowed. Some have children, grandchildren, or no children. Some of us work, some volunteer, and some are retired. We are interested in A LOT of different things but share a common interest in meeting other women of our age to share conversation, have fun, make friends, and expand our horizons.
I am starting this group for adults looking to get out, meet new people and have fun in a really casual environment. I love living in the suburbs and don't always want to drive to the cities to meet up with friends. Ideally this group will attract people from Burnsville, Apple Valley, Eagan, Savage, Lakeville, etc. Who should join? I really don't want to be exclusionary. I think my target demographic is 30 - 60, male, female, transgendered, transsexual, straight, gay, single, married, separated, …
Looking for outgoing career oriented gals who are 25-40 years old who love fashion and pop culture, who are independent and looking to create new bonds in their adult life with some intellectual conversation on the side. You don't need to be single but this group is interested in doing a multitude of things with fabulous gals: happy hour, movies, bar bingo, cooking night, book club, volunteering, movie night, art fairs etc. and who will incorporate fitness and fashion to have a great time... Thi …
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State by State
Chances are, you'll pick up this book of essays about all 50 fiefdoms in our great land, flip to the one canvassing your home state and vehemently disagree with the entry found there. Then you'll select another essay about a state you don't know much about, and you'll think, "How funny, insightful and true." This will say as much about you as it will the book, which is to say that all of the essays here blend the universal with the particular. And we all have particular feelings about where we grew up.
Which is what makes this book such a great read. I'll cop to first reading the Massachusetts essay by comedian, author and TV-commercial-personality John Hodgman and appreciating it for its history and recognizing in it a truth about what it's like to be an expat Masshole. Dave Eggers's Illinois essay, though, left me wanting more. Concerned largely with Illinois's preoccupation with firsts, Eggers joshingly attributes virtually any and all of America's greatness to Illinoisans.
So many great authors contribute to the book—Ha Jin (Georgia), Barry Hannah (Mississippi), Jhumpa Lahiri (Rhode Island)—it's hard to imagine how such a project couldn't succeed. Of course, there are obstacles: Everyone thinks chain stores and condo developers are laying waste to their late, great homeland. But aside from some mournful repetition of that old saw, the premise of the book triumphs over its drawbacks, largely because so many gifted writers are discussing what's nearest to them—home.
Hannah's entry on Mississippi and Heidi Julavits's on Maine stand out as exemplary salvos, tossing their personal experiences at the received wisdom about both states, finding that some of it holds up while much of it falls apart. And of course, what emerges is a much richer portrait.
Click here to check out more book reviews.


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Commissioner Gene Jaleski wants the costs of consultants to the town of Longboat Key to be cut in the 2009-10 fiscal year budget.
Jaleski sent an e-mail to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis last week, urging him to reduce consultant costs that rose from $1.7 million last year to $2.5 million in the current fiscal year.
The request isn't a surprise to anyone following Town Hall politics.
In March, Jaleski's commission campaign ran on a platform that included what he perceives as wasteful town spending.
"I have said the commission spends too much on consultants for years," Jaleski said. "I would like to see the commission take a more proactive approach in monitoring how the town spends taxpayer money, especially in this area."
Although the rest of the commission polled by The Longboat Observer agrees that consultant costs should be monitored, none of the other six commissioners believes the town has spent an exorbitant amount on consultant fees.
Mayor Lee Rothenberg said the town "is extremely careful" about hiring consultants.
And Commissioner George Spoll said he would rather hire a consultant for specific purposes rather than add an additional employee to the town's payroll.
Commissioner Jim Brown agrees.
"We spend the most of our consultant fees for our beach consultant, but for that we gain knowledge and experience we don't have on staff, Brown said.
St. Denis responded to Jaleski's concerns in an e-mail that same day, Aug. 28, explaining that the recent increase in consultant activity "is related to additional work within the beach fund for the sand search, permitting for the upcoming beach project and a spike in utility work."
Below is a look at what the town has spent in the last
three years on consultant fees to date. To see the chart, click on the link below.
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Commission savors the sunshine
The weather on Longboat Key was cloudy on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 11, but the Longboat Key Town Commission stayed in the sunshine, as far as the Longboat Observer could tell. -
Resident keeps eye on the pie
Inspired by her mother's homemade banana cream pie, Bird Key resident Kim Manning had a sweet idea: key lime with a twist. -
Show us your spirit this season
This week, our reporters will make our final decisions on our favorite displays of holiday cheer for our "Spirit of the Season" contest. This year's competition isn't limited to lights.


text: Ken Sutton is the husband to Lynn and the father to Grace, Noah, and Emily. He is also the Men's Ministry pastor at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Throughout the last 20 years of ministry the Suttons have planted churches in Romania, England, and Everett, Washington. You can read more from Ken at his blog, pluckedfromthefire.com.


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November 30, 2012
Why Peanut Butter is the Perfect Home for Salmonella
It's not peanut butter jelly time. In fact, put down the peanut butter and walk away slowly. If the spread you are putting on your morning toast is from a jar of Organic Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia peanut butter, you may just want to stick with jelly. The reason? The Food and Drug Administration issued a summons to shut down the country's largest organic peanut butter processor earlier this week, per the Associated Press.
Salmonella in peanut butter is no new discovery—in 2007, contaminated Peter Pan products resulted in 329 reported cases in 41 states—and this past September, Trader Joe's voluntarily recalled its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter due to contamination with salmonella thought to be from Sunland, Inc., located in Portales, New Mexico. The outbreak of salmonella poisoning—41 people infected in 20 states—has since been traced to the New Mexico plant, which distributes to major food retailers including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Target. FDA inspections found samples of salmonella in 28 places in the plant—unclean equipment and uncovered trailers of peanuts outside of the factory, too. Not to worry, though, Sunland Inc. hasn't manufactured peanut butter since the initial voluntary recall in September.
But how does salmonella get into peanut butter in the first place? Dr. Mike Doyle, who has assisted in helping Sunland getting their plants back up and running again and serves as director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, explains that peanuts grow in the ground and can be contaminated from a variety of sources: manure, water, wild animals—even the soil. Studies have shown that once present, salmonella can survive for many months—even years—in peanut butter, according to Scientific American. Before treatment, in fact, about two percent of all peanuts are contaminated with salmonella.
"When harvested, we assume there can be some salmonella present and we have to use a treatment to kill it," Doyle says. A roaster with air temperatures set to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit destroys salmonella in peanuts. For this reason, this moment in the process is often referred to as the "kill step" by manufacturers. The biggest challenge, then, is to prevent contamination in processing plant after the roasting.
"Water is one of the biggest problems in dry food processing for salmonella proliferation," Doyle says. "If water is available to salmonella, it will grow."
Dry food manufacturers like a peanut plants or breakfast cereal producers, for example, must minimize the use of water in the plant. Everything from leaks in the roof to the water used to clean up a mess needs to be controlled.
So what can be done to prevent future contamination? There are a variety of things that can be done to upgrade systems and facilities, Doyle says. But all food processors are different in how they control harmful microbes in their plants. As for the Sunland plant, Doyle says they've traced the root cause of the contamination to the roaster room.
"The company is in the process of making changes to prevent future contamination," he says. "They're gutting the room—new walls, new floors—and fixing other things that need to be addressed."
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While I'm not an apologist for the salmonella contamination I sure hope the rebuilding is happening fast, real fast because this is harvest time not to mention all the people in that remote Southeast New Mexico community that totally depend on the plant, farmers etc. I think while we all want to eradicate the salmonella we don't want the same for the people living in Portales. NM. It may be that a total shutdown was required, but I wonder about the inspection process itself and the inspector for that area. Why wasn't this seen in the off season by and inspector when the work could have been done in a slow time? If the whole Roaster room has to be rebuilt including the floor and walls, it's common sense that no samples were ever taken of the room where it mattered. They must have found it everywhere in there. I would be interested in a little more in-depth story on the inspection process itself. How did this happen, if the plant was indeed ever inspected. I would like to know where they found it. How they do the tests and results. Want were the sample results for this shutdown.
41 people got sick out of how many exposed?My guess you could go to any peanut butter plant anywhere and find salmonella. It is normal for it to be there. It is a part of the process of growing. The hope is to reduce the infected, but there are always going to be people coming down with salmonella. As long as the sun rises and sets. They say it got tracked back to New Mexico, how does that work? When they tested other plants, what did they find? Or did they not test other plants? This is South New Mexico, clear skies and sun, and some trucks had uncovered loads?
I learned about a few other Salmonella outbreaks in peanut butter while researching my book "Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food," published this week by Columbia University Press. The most notorious is the Peanut Corporation of America case of 2008-09, which killed nine people (that we know of) and sickened more than 700.
Smuckers recalled Smuckers Natural in the fall of 2011 out of concern about possible Salmonella contamination, but there were no reported injuries. And there was a little-known case of Salmonella contamination of Swift's Peter Pan plant in Chicago in the early 1970′s, for which no injury statistics are available.
Although food safety lagged under the industry-friendly George W. Bush administration, the Peanut Corporation of America case finally stirred legislators to action ("What's more sacred than peanut butter?" Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa thundered). In early 2011, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act. It has not been fully implemented, however, and the Obama administration needs to be pushed on this.
I gave Sunland raw Valencia peanuts for Christmas last year and they were later included as part of the recall. Nobody had a problem. From the tenor of this article the sale of raw peanuts may be restricted. I hope not. I enjoy the raw, un-roasted, and unsalted nuts and will buy them at next opportunity.


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With the new redistricting, your polling location may have changed in recent months.
Here's a website that will help: myvote.wi.gov
Select a voter category, then type in your name and birthday, or your address. The site will tell you which ward to vote at and where it is. You can also look at a sample ballot from your district and view your voting history.