May 1st, 2010 — Articles
Just because a product is extremely popular does not always mean that it works well. Today we take a look at k9 Advantix Flea and Tick repellent which is one of the hottest (and pricier) brands of flea and tick meds out there today.
What is K9 Advantix?
K9 Advantix uses imidacloprid and permethrin (scary sounding, I know) medication in order to repel fleas, ticks, and other insects away from your dog. The difficulty with making insect repellents for dogs has always been striking a balance between your animal's safety and the effectiiveness of the medicine. The two ingredients above do an excellent job and being completely harmless to dogs and being completely intolerable to fleas, tick, and other pests. The ingredients affect the pests on contact and effectiveely destroys their nervous system cells which paralysis the insects, which eventually die from starvation. What a bummer!
For anyone familiar with ticks, the key is preventing these little insects from attaching to your dog. Once attached, they will cause your pet much discomfort (and even disease). K9 Advantix has been shown to be very successful at killing the ticks before they attach, as the ingredients work before the insects usually ever bite. They has secondary benefits for you and your family, as it reduces the overall chances of tick related transmissions of diseases for anyone in contact with your dog.
In a similar way, K9 Advantix has been shown successful at preventing painful flea bites as the two ingredients similarly kill these bugs before they get a chance to bite your precious animal. This will prevent overall itching related infestations which can do harm to your dog physically and psychologically as well. Since K9 Advantix works so quickly on fleas, it typically kills them before they get a chance to lay their grimy eggs.
Tip- NEVER use K9 Advantix on a cat! Cats have different metobolic systems and the ingredients in K9 Advantix may harm a cat.
What is a tick?
Ticks are from the Ixodoidea family of insects that live entirely off of the blood of other animals. Ticks can carry a number horrible diseases such as Lyme, Q Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, and jaundice. Ticks are often times found hiding in tall grass, bushes, and shrubs waiting for others to walk by and attach themselves at that point to the "host". Contrary to urban legends, ticks cannot run, jump, or fly. Ticks can drop from a perch, however. Typically ticks are found in most wooded and forested areas throughout North America. Ticks tend to lurk around wet areas and near the water as well as near dear areas and trails.
April 1st, 2010 — Articles
Most office workers in America don't actually have their own offices...we are cramped in shared spaces so tightly that it makes farting while working very difficult.
Below are some juicy tips which should help anyone secretly fart while working. Let's face it, holding in the farts is not an option!
1.) Risky Silent Fart:
Depending on your confidence level, one of the oldest farting techniques requires nothing more than some good butt control- the silent but deadly fart method. Basically, throttle your ass muscles in order to moderate how much flatulence is being released to avoid the dreaded fart sound. This technique is risky for two reasons: first, your fart could smell horrible and alert your coworkers that you just released ass vapors. Next, sometimes it is impossible to predict how much gas will be released from your butt and high pitched squeaks could result. Be careful!
2) Water Cooler Crop Dusting:
Rule of thumb- A moving target makes it much harder for others to figure out where the farts have come from. As you start to feel a beefy fart "locked and loaded" pretend you next some paper, folder, or anything from the supply room at your office. As you pass an area of few people, release your fart bomb (hopefully silently) and continue walking. The goal here is to stink up a part of your office which is nowhere near your desk, that way your immediate coworkers will hardly smell your crop dusts as you return confidently to your seat.
3.) Urinal Break Farting:
There is nothing more manly than ripping serious ass either right before you start urinating, during the stream, or immediately after. If you decide to take your fart to the office bathroom, congratulations! The goal now is to fart as loudly and violently as possible. If any other male is in the bathroom with you he will immediately respect you for farting so proudly and will think you are an outgoing and carefree fellow. Promotions are often made in the bathroom people!
4.) Sound Distraction Method-
If you overuse any of the above methods too much your coworkers may start to catch on that something is not normal and your productivity and concentration levels will drop. It is often necessary to fart secretly while seated right at your desk. When the gas pressure becomes too intense, use a distraction sound to hide your fart. Good examples are printing 10 or more pages, stapling papers loudly, or cutting paper with scissors. The goal is to cover your fart sound with these louder noises. Tip- immediately leave the room if the stench becomes too strong!
5.) Create a Fart Pact:
An extremely risky, yet sometimes funny, technique to solving the work-fart dilemma is to quite literally break the silence by loudly farting while at your desk in order for others to hear. They will most likely laugh until they smell how bad your rotten shit smells. If you can find or "buddy up" with another worker who also suffers from extreme work-gas, you may be able to make farting at work the "norm"
Whatever your work setting, we hope these tips help you secretly fart at work. It is estimated that 4000 to 5000 workers per year die from holding in farts too long. This internal damage is no joking matter. After farting you will be able to concentrate so much better on your work and will grow, over time, to cherish each magical explosion! Happy trails!
March 21st, 2010 — Articles
Garmin has quietly become the leader in all things GPS, location, and communication based. Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao co-founders of Garmin in 1989, have surrounded themselves with currently over 1000 employees worldwide with a singular purpose- to create innovative and quality products.
When looking into GPS (Global Positioning Systems) units, you must first look at how you will be using the product. First, Garmin does not only make GPS units but positioning units for bikes, boats, airplanes, trains, runners, and for the trail.
By the year 2000, Garmin had reportedly sold over 3 million GPS units comprising over 50 different products. This is an amazing statistic. Literally, Garmin has and continues to dominate the market.
October 2005, Garmin released the StreetPilot i-Series, one of their most popular GPS models which was designed to bring enhanced features under an affordable price point. The StreetPilot i-Series used a compact flash card with preloaded maps and featured a compact size and color screen. However, while the StreetPilot Series succeeded, Garmin's next offering in 2006 has been even more successful. In October 2006, Garmin began shipping the nüvi 660, featuring an even smaller size with sharper screen revamped processor, and built in maps. It also included for the first time, support for Bluetooth and FM frequency transmitters.
One of the best things about a Garmin GPS unit is the fact that it can acquire (and keep) a GPS signal faster than many other GPS units (TomTom we are looking at you). It is important to have a clear signal processor due to the fact that you will always be traveling in different terrain, such as deep valleys, heavy tree canopy, and city buildings.
How Does GPS Work?
GPS, or Global Positioning System, was first a technology limited to military applications. President Ronald Regan signed an executive order in the 1980's which allowed for GPS signals to be used by consumer electronics, thus ushering in a whole new era of consumer electronics. GPS units triangulate your location using signals which are located in satellites orbiting the earth. A GPS chip is specially designed to acquire and search for these signals which transmit coordinates. Your location cannot be determined using only one satellite, but many. Essentially, by using the coordinates of many satellites, a GPS unit processes this data and can get your exact location within a few meters.
GPS Satellites only transmit their location signals every 30 seconds or so. Thus, if you are not using a GPS unit with a strong processor, it may take 3-4 minutes to acquire your signal because of problems finding the signals which are only transmitted every 30 seconds.
What Features are Necessary for a Good GPS Unit?
With technology getting cheaper and more affordable on a daily basis, it is important to figure out which features are necessary and which features are not needed. Basically, lots of GPS units these days have been touting live data information which can be pulled from your cell phone and breath additional information into your GPS unit, such as weather, traffic, and accident reports. These features rely on bluetooth technology in order to sync with your cell phone. If traffic information is important to you, you should look for a bluetooth feature on your GPS unit. All current Garmin Nuvi lines feature bluetooth connectivity.
Next, some higher end GPS units features MP3 capabilities. This may be the most useless feature of all. While it may seem cool that your GPS unit can play songs, it is highly unlikely that you will ever use this features. Again, as a rule of thumb, good features will be directly supportive of communication and navigation features, rather than doing things which are not at all related to navigation and other features.
Other popular features include fm trasmission, and multiple maps work.
Screen Size and Resolution:
While there are tons of different sizes and shapes to GPS units, the key question to ask is how large of a display you need. Basically, a smaller display may be harder to read while driving, but has positive advantages such as easier carrying and a larger battery life while disconnected, since the battery has less of a screen to render. A larger screen is ideal if you are not going to be taking the unit out of your car very often and will enjoy the larger screen real estate, just keep in mind the above suggestions.
Holders and Accessories:
Obviously, you will need an effective way to charge your GPS unit right out of the box. Unfortunately, not all GPS units include car chargers. Most, however, will include them but as a marketing scheme, other companies only offer a wall charger and thus require you to go ahead and purchase a separate GPS car charger.
Other accessories include handy cases, extra external battery chargers, and various types of car dashboard mounts. Essentially, some people refuse to stick anything to their windshield. In out COMPREHENSIVE TESTING, we found that most individuals have had slipping problems with their GPS windshield mounts. Other nonstick options have become very popular in recent years; these dashboard mounts use weights (sand or something heavy) to rest the unit upright on your dsahboard without having to be stuck to your windshield and without the risk of falling over.
March 17th, 2010 — Articles
There is a ton of content online and multiple reviews which give different opinions on whether or not the Nike + Sportband can accurately record distance, pace, and calories burned.
Keep in mind that the device costs under $60.00 and is made to do a few tasks relatively well. Having run with the Sportsband on a treadmill, I can actually say that the Nike Sportband is incredibly accurate when it comes down to recording your distance and pace. In fact, I often found the Sportband differed from my treadmill's distance calculator by, at most, 0.05 of a mile. And keep in mind, my treadmill might be the device which is off!
For that reason, after using the Nike + Sportband for many months, I would say that distance and pace calculations are the least of your concerns with this device: I have found that the display and build of the watch will deteriorate under wet, sweaty, and rainy conditions. In my opinion the display of the device is the weakest part-- it has no back light and is moderately difficult to switch between calories, speed, and distance while working out. Again, this watch costs $58 dollars and does much of what a Garmin Forerunner 405 does (which costs $300).
The Nike Sportband also syncs quite well with your computer and has a great online community for uploading your workouts and keeping yourself motivated over the course of time.
So, is the Nike Sportband any good? Yes, but keep in mind the limitations and look to better products if you are looking for more features. It is not inaccurate in saving your critical data in the least.
I have not had a chance to demo the Nike + Sportband 2 but there are other good reviews out there of it and can give good instructions on the device.
There was some chatter that the Nike + Sportband had been recalled but this was limited to a few thousand items produced.
The Sportband is also incredibly easy to use so you most likely will not need lots of troubleshooting with it at all. It is like vanilla ice cream- simple, effective, and tasty!
March 16th, 2010 — Articles
Price: $58
Purpose: Glorious hydration will keep you exercising longer and pushing your body to the max. The CamelBak Rogue has a lightweight and aerodynamic design with a “big mouth” valve for easy drinking while hiking or biking.
Performance: The two strap design evenly distributes the 70 Oz water weight effectively. Good quality insulation prevents the water from getting warm. Easy to refill. Some people complain that the tube dangles too much while moving at a fast pace. Keep in mind that the water does not flow freely but works like a straw and gets more slightly more difficult as the water gets lower.
March 16th, 2010 — Articles
Price: $250
Purpose: Records HD videos from a helmet mounted camera with full auto focus and sound. Designed to minimize shakes and vibrations. Records in both 30 and even 60 frames per second! Has two laser pointers in the camera which lets you easily see which direction the camera is facing. Perfect for skiing, snowboarding, biking, and even sky diving. Uses Micro SD cards for up to 16GB of memory (8 hrs of video).
Performance: While most helmet cam users complain about sound quality, the VholdR does a better than average job recording audio. The camera's video quality is stellar with vibrant, almost broadcast quality footage.
March 16th, 2010 — Articles
Price: $250
Purpose: A fully functional 12 megapixel digital camera (with video capabilities) which is designed to be fully submerged, frozen, and is rugged enough to be dropped and scratched without missing a beat. All buttons and functions, including the LCD display, are larger and easier to use while being active.
Performance: Picture and video quality is completely on par with any other Canon Powershot model. Expect crisp color reproduction and even records audio underwater! Even if you are not planning your next scuba or snorkeling adventure, the Canon D10 makes a great rugged upgrade you will not fear lugging around the bottom of your bag. It is shockproof and can withstand years of heavy abuse.
March 14th, 2010 — Articles
It is a fact that children who are lost in the wild can oftentimes survive longer than adults. Why does this occur? How can a child (or sometimes even an infant) know what steps they need to take in order to increase their chances of survival?
First, we can all learn something from this. Basically, children operate under less clouded judgment under duress than adults for the following reasons. First, the most common goal a lost adult has in the wilderness is to get out of danger quickly. Thus, adults are much more likely to run wildly through the woods in search of a solution than a child. The adult will therefore neglect their basic needs while a child, on the other hand, will sleep when they are tired, drink something when thirsty, and seek shelter when necessary. Thus oftentimes outlasting and outliving a seemingly more capable adult.
I call this the paradox of child survival. What are your thoughts in this theory of mine?
March 10th, 2010 — Articles
If you are so serious about working out and running that you are willing to place a giant watch on your arm that looks like it was made in 1986, then the Garmin Forerunner 305 may just be for you.
The Forerunner 305 features some incredible features in a large and clunky package- retails for just under $200, the GPS technology calculaates your speed, pace, distance, and even heading in glorious accuracy which can be downloaded to your computer for calibrating.
Again, this item seems to be the ugly version of the Garmin wrist capable GPS unit. If you are looking for something a bit sleeker and more refined, the Garmin Forerunner 405 is your meal ticket- it is almost the same size as a regular watch and has all of the above features.
March 10th, 2010 — Articles
While not the prettiest looking device that has ever been produced by Garmin, the Rino 530HCx GPS/Two-Way Radio offers a powerful and military grade GPS unit with radio capabilities. The Rino 530HCCx retails for around $499 and is available today.
Basically, the Rino 530HCx GPS/Two-Way Radio features a very high sensitivity chipset which aquires, and keeps, powerful GPS signals without skipping a beat. Since you are walking with this device in deep valleys, trails, and dense forests, it is more important than ever that your GPS unit has powerful signal strength to cut through these unique and varying environments. The bright color display works well even in direct sunlight.
What is most powerful about the 530HCx GPS/Two-Way Radio is that you can store up to 500 waypoints in order for you to find your way back to any location. Features standard USb 2.0 connectivity for easy syncing to your computer for updating and adding new maps and points of interest (POI).
All of these functions are worthless if you don't have a decent battery to power all of them. The 530HCx GPS/Two-Way Radio has a high grade Lithium Ion battery pack which is rated to last an astounding 16 hours of continuous use.
