A Solution for Countertop Stains

This isn't exactly original, but I was very glad to have been given this tip, so I'm passing it along...

If you have a run-of-the-mill countertop and have had problems with staining, try baking soda and vinegar to clean the stains. Coffee stains in particular are a challenge to get rid of with standard cleaners. Just shake some baking soda onto the stain, then add some vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for a minute or two, then use a paper towel to scrub. This solution worked when others failed, and I no longer think I need to replace my countertop anytime soon.

Use discretion, of course. Certain countertops should probably not be cleaned with this mildly abrasive solution, and certain finishes may be dulled when using this method. I recommend using it only if a slightly dulled surface would look better than the stained surface that you currently have.

ClearPlay More Accessible Than Ever

In an earlier post, I wrote about a content-filtering solution for DVD movies, called ClearPlay. Target stores now carry the latest ClearPlay-capable DVD player, and the cost is reportedly $49.99. The catch? It sounds like it's this week only. Here's an email I received today from ClearPlay:

"This week you can get ClearPlay's new USB DVD Players at Target Stores for only $49.99! That's a lot cheaper even than ClearPlay's website. And even better, the Target deal comes with a FREE trial membership, FREE USB FilterStik, FREE 2200 Filters and a special price on a one-year ClearPlay membership. Plus, you get ClearPlay's legendary satisfaction guarantee and outstanding customer service.

And this is not just a run-of-the mill DVD Player. It's got Progressive Scan, multi-format playback, PAL and NTSC conversion, Component/Composite Video, S-Video, and both Optical and Digital Audio Outputs. This is the real deal."

This is a great deal. If you've considered buying ClearPlay before, it looks like now is the time to buy. And if you want to learn more about ClearPlay, watch this video which does a mediocre job of explaining how ClearPlay works.

Suck It Up

Whether you're clumsy, a pet lover, a parent, or a clumsy parent who loves pets, you'll have an occasional need to lean the carpet in your home. You have 4 options:

• Spray/foam carpet cleaners found with the other cleaners in your local store. Spray the cleaner on the carpet, wait a few minutes, then blot the spill.
• Bissel SpotBot. I haven't used one, but it looks like you fill the thing with cleaner and water, set it on the stain, and let the SpotBot do the work.
• Upright carpet cleaner. Similar in size and shape to a vacuum, but like the SpotBot, requires cleaner and water.
• Professional carpet cleaner. Hire somebody to come with heavy-duty equipment to clean your carpet, or rent the heavy-duty equipment.

You might think that the choice you make will depend on your need; are you cleaning a small spill, or cleaning an entire room? But I'm recommending that one solution - the personal vacuum-size carpet cleaner - is the safest and most economical solution for virtually any need.

I've tried the spray carpet cleaners. At best, they're moderately effective. At worst, they can bleach your carpet, leaving a permanent spot that cannot be easily or inexpensively repaired. Been there, done that. You might think you're saving money by buying a $3 cleaner instead of a machine, but how much will it cost to repair that bleached spot on your carpet?

The SpotBot is a good idea, but it delivers very little flexibility for the price. You can't use it to clean an entire room.

The upright, vacuum-size carpet cleaner doesn't bleach your carpet, is much more effective than the spray carpet cleaners, and is not limited to only cleaning small spots. The reason it's dramatically more effective than the spray cleaners is simple: the brushing and sucking of the machine is a much more effective method than pressing down on wet carpet (which is essentially what you're doing when blotting the spill after the spray cleaner has done its thing).

I've heard good things about professional carpet cleaners and rental equipment, but those both incur per-use costs. At $155 (the price I paid for the Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac), a personal carpet cleaner remains the best value long-term. Admittedly it's a pain to haul out the SteamVac for small spills, but it's worth it considering the alternatives.

It's About Time

If you're fastidious about your timepieces being in sync, this post is for you. If you're normal, it's not.

I love the concept of atomic clocks, atomic watches, and any other timekeeping device that keeps time accurate to the fraction of a second (such as my GPS receiver). At my workplace, we use a technique for keeping our servers and PCs in line with the official U.S. time, and I was delighted to find that I could do the same at home. I'm running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2; I'm not sure which Windows version started supporting this feature using the method described below.

• Double-click the clock in your system tray (or open Date and Time in your Control Panel).
• Click the "Internet Time" tab.
• Check the "Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server" checkbox.
• In the Server box, type time-a.nist.gov (time.nist.gov should work too, but as of tonight, it wasn't working; maybe one of NIST's servers is down).

Your computer will now synchronize with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a government agency that keeps the official U.S. time.

Freeware Feature: GridMove

Purpose: Quickly and optimally arranging windows on your screen
Web site: http://jgpaiva.donationcoders.com/gridmove.html
Skill level required: Beginner to Intermediate

Although the efficiency benefits of using multiple monitors are becoming well-known, and although multiple-monitor configurations are more tenable than ever, you might be stuck with a single monitor for one reason or another. I've only recently been able to convince my employer that multiple monitors is a solid investment for power users in particular, but I know it will be years or decades before they let me purchase dual monitors for the majority of the staff.

So if you're stuck with a single monitor, how can you work efficiently? For that matter, perhaps you have dual monitors but still want to make the most of the space you have (after all, even two monitors isn't enough, right power users?). Well, you could resize your windows and arrange them perfectly to maximize the utilization of your screen space. That's time-consuming though, which kinda defeats the purpose of your efficiency attempts.

The solution is a simple program called GridMove. This program is difficult to explain, but this visual helps. GridMove "splits" your monitor into multiple rectangles. Drop a window onto one of these rectangles, and GridMove takes care of the resizing for you. Basically, GridMove lets you predefine a workspace layout, and then it takes away the work of the window resizing. You get the benefits of fastidious window management, without the time-consuming labor that is typically required. I now use this program daily at work, and it became particularly useful once a friend pointed out the keyboard shortcuts.

Here's a bonus for you: whether or not GridMove floats your boat, you may want to try GroupBar from Microsoft. GroupBar is in the same basic category as GridMove; it helps you manage your open windows so you can be more efficient.

Flashlight Insight

Flashlights are one of the hobbies of nearly all men, just like guns, trucks, and tools. Our fascination with these items is difficult to explain, as is my desire to test my flashlights to see how each of them performs.

Note that this test does not take into account the high-end flashlights used by hunters, police officers, etc. So if you're the kind of person who wants or needs the $60-400 flashlights made by SureFire or similar brands, this post may not be for you. This is simply a brief evaluation of the kinds of everyday flashlights you can purchase at your local store.

Tip: Not all LEDs are the same. LEDs come in different color temperatures and wattages. Two basic types of LEDs were tested here.

Test details:

• All flashlights had new Rayovac batteries, except for the Bushnell 1-watt Luxeon LED, which takes a lithium ion battery. That flashlight's battery was barely used prior to this test.
• A Canon SD400 was mounted to a tripod and used to take pictures of the same location under different lighting conditions. The picture on the right was taken during the day under a mixture of natural and artificial light. Compare it with the results table below.
• The descriptions of the flashlights are as follows:

1: Traditional flashlight with traditional bulb. Takes 4 AA batteries. Bulb was old. Approximate value: $10.

2: Mini Maglight with traditional (pre-LED) bulb. Takes 2 AA batteries. Bulb was old. During test, beam was focused as narrowly as possible. Approximate value: $10.

3: LED flashlight with 1-watt Luxeon LED. Takes 3 AAA batteries. Approximate value: $25.

4: Bushnell LED flashlight with 1-watt Luxeon LED. Takes CR123A, 3-volt battery. Approximate value: $40.

5: Low-end 9-LED flashlight. Takes 3 AAA batteries. Approximate value: $7.

Images:
Click on a thumbnail to see a larger version of the image.

#	Flashlight	Straight on view	Room test
1
2
3
4
5

Observations:

1. The traditional flashlight is best for long-distance use. It has a dominant hotspot as well as a decent amount of surrounding light. The color of the light is very warm, as with most incandescents.
2. The Mini Maglight was disappointing. I don't see much use for it.
3. The Luxeon 1-watt LEDs performed well. They have a much whiter light than the incandescents, and they do not suffer from the same degree of blue tint that the low-end LED light does. This type of flashlight is an excellent compromise, and would be great for a variety of applications.
4. Overall, the Bushnell lithium-powered flashlight was my favorite in this test, producing an adequately strong hotspot with plenty of surrounding light. Its performance is impressive given its size. However, if I had to take just one flashlight with me when going on a trip, a walk in the woods, etc, it would be the other Luxeon LED flashlight. The reason? 3 AAA batteries are cheaper and easier to find than a lithium battery.
5. The small 9-LED flashlight produced no discernible hotspot, and had an unmistakable bluish tint. It would be ideal for reading (book, map, etc.), given its small size, lack of a hotspot, and low power consumption.

The Diet Ice Cream That Beats Regular

A few posts ago, I asked which generic products you've encountered that are actually better than name brand products. Not just acceptable, mind you; but good enough that you'd prefer to buy the generic.

We'll do one better on this post. Have you found any diet products that are actually better than their "regular" counterparts? I know of only one example: Edy's Slow Churned ice cream. I don't think that Edy's claim of "One Day, All Ice Cream Will Be Made This Way™" is an overstatement.

Not only does this ice cream have 1/2 the fat and 2/3 the calories of regular ice cream, its texture actually surpasses that of any other ice cream I've had. There's one caveat though; I'd only say that about the vanilla-based flavors. The chocolate-based flavors are still great, but I'm not sure I'd say they're better than their regular counterparts. The flavor that I'm frankly basing most of this claim on is Cookie Dough.

Edy's can be expensive (not insanely expensive like Ben & Jerry's or similar products), so I feel compelled to defend my reputation of frugality by saying that I try to buy when it's on sale for $2.50 - $3.00.