len_mullen

if you know someone who just returned from Ireland (or wishes they had)... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250056594 beautiful photography.

No. A solution looking for a problem. http://i.imgur.com/wps7Ht4.gif

I guess I am always passively surfing for a great deal on a good laptop. It's really confusing these days because we have lots of CPU, screen, memory, and storage options. Then there is the keyboard layout, whether it is backlit, the camera, battery life, and the speakers. Finally there is build quality. Right now, I feel like Lenovo and Dell are building the best laptops. I have worked on a lot of laptops and most have some specific challenge you should be aware of (non-replaceable battery, hard to reach RAM or disk, or a case that is difficult to disassemble/reassemble either due to special tools or egress -- I hate to remove those zero insertion force ribbon cables. If you are willing to upgrade a laptop, find a video on disassembling any model you are considering. Search for upgrading the component you are interested in upgrading plus the model of the laptop you considering. If upgrading is overwhelming for you, just get enough memory and disk to get you to your next purchase and make sure you can replace the battery. Screen size and resolution are very subjective. For me, I want a big screen, but do not particularly care about resolution because my eyes are not as great as they used to be. If you are the kind of person who notices every detail or edits photos, visit local retailers to make sure your eyes are not going to be disappointed. As soon as you get your laptop, open paint, fill the screen with red then go full screen. Look for defective pixels. Most laptop warranties do not cover a few dead pixels, but most retailers let you return without a restocking fee for a certain period -- take advantage. I'm looking for a 17" screen that looks OK with two documents or web pages side by side. Some people love a touchscreen. If you put your finger on my screen, you may not get it back. To each his own, but no need spending for a touchscreen if fingerprints drive you nuts. When will Corning give us a beautiful screen that is print-proof? Most people think you should get an SSD. Not me. I've had two fail at work and cost per unit of storage is still too high. Frankly, I think they solve a problem that does not exist -- mechanical disks are fast enough for me. In fact, I prefer 5400 to 7200 just to keep the heat and noise down. I want 1t. More RAM is better. No less than 6GB, 8GB is fine, but 12GB is better. 4GB is not enough these days. They keyboard is something else you should try before you buy. Some games (and accountants) make use of a numeric keypad. Check the speakers out while you are in the store. Two things about the battery: 1) make sure it suits your use. If you plan to use a laptop on long commutes, get a battery rated at least 3x the duration. 2) If you rely on a battery, make sure your laptop includes one which is easily replaced. Nothing like a spare battery in the bag for long trips. Then there is the CPU -- the brains of the laptop. I used to get a current or last gen i5 and have ignored AMD chips in laptops due to heat. Looks like heat is no longer an issue with current gen AMD chips... https://www.digit.in/laptops/amd-ryzen-5-2500u-vs-intel-core-i5-8250u-intel-is-not-longer-the-only-option-40141.html Here is a chart that compares 60 current/recent chips. The fraction on the end is the relative performance. Some surprises for me... from https://laptopmedia.com/top-laptop-cpu-ranking/ 1. AMD Ryzen 7 2700 8 / 16 3.20 GHz 4.10 GHz 10.0/10 Check price2. AMD Ryzen 7 1700 8 / 16 3.00 GHz 3.70 GHz 9.5/10 $1449.003. Intel Core i9-8950HK 6 / 12 2.90 GHz 4.80 GHz 9.3/10 $3279.974. Intel Core i7-8750H 6 / 12 2.20 GHz 4.10 GHz 8.2/10 $699.995. Intel Core i7-8700 6 / 12 3.20 GHz 4.60 GHz 7.8/10 $2899.006. Intel Core i7-8850H 6 / 12 2.60 GHz 4.30 GHz 7.8/10 $2108.507. Intel Core i5-8300H 4 / 8 2.30 GHz 4.00 GHz 5.8/10 $699.008. Intel Core i7-7820HK (@ 3.8GHz) 4 / 8 2.90 GHz 3.90 GHz 5.6/10 $2201.129. Intel Core i7-7920HQ 4 / 8 3.10 GHz 4.10 GHz 5.4/10 $5989.0010. Intel Core i7-7820HK 4 / 8 2.90 GHz 3.90 GHz 5.4/10 $1400.0011. Intel Core i7-8550U 4 / 8 1.80 GHz 4.00 GHz 5.3/10 $589.0012. Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 4 / 8 3.00 GHz 4.00 GHz 5.3/10 $1899.1413. Intel Core i7-8705G 4 / 8 3.10 GHz 4.10 GHz 5.3/10 Check price14. Intel Core i7-7820HQ 4 / 8 2.90 GHz 3.90 GHz 5.1/10 $1140.0015. Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 / 8 2.80 GHz 3.80 GHz 5.0/10 $719.0016. Intel Core i5-7300HQ 4 / 4 2.50 GHz 3.50 GHz 5.0/10 $649.0017. Intel Core i7-8650U 4 / 8 1.90 GHz 4.20 GHz 4.9/10 $1099.0018. Intel Core i5-8250U 4 / 8 1.60 GHz 3.40 GHz 4.8/10 $431.2919. Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 4 / 8 3.10 GHz 4.20 GHz 4.6/10 $2199.0020. AMD Ryzen 7 2700U 4 / 8 2.20 GHz 3.80 GHz 4.6/10 $559.9921. AMD Ryzen 5 2500U 4 / 8 2.00 GHz 3.60 GHz 4.0/10 $431.2922. Intel Core i5-7440HQ 4 / 4 2.80 GHz 3.80 GHz 3.9/10 $719.9923. Intel Core i5-8265U 4 / 8 1.60 GHz 3.90 GHz 3.4/10 Check price24. Intel Core i7-7660U 2 / 4 2.50 GHz 4.00 GHz 2.8/10 $1199.9925. Intel Core i7-7560U 2 / 4 2.40 GHz 3.80 GHz 2.6/10 $1255.5626. Intel Core i7-7600U 2 / 4 2.80 GHz 3.90 GHz 2.6/10 $846.7727. Intel Core i5-7267U 2 / 4 3.10 GHz 3.50 GHz 2.5/10 $1529.0028. Intel Core i7-7500U 2 / 4 2.70 GHz 3.50 GHz 2.4/10 $346.9929. Intel Core i5-7360U 2 / 4 2.30 GHz 3.60 GHz 2.4/10 $1279.0030. Intel Core i7-4600M 2 / 4 2.90 GHz 3.60 GHz 2.3/10 $1299.9931. Intel Core i5-7300U 2 / 4 2.60 GHz 3.50 GHz 2.3/10 $469.9932. Intel Core i3-8130U 2 / 4 2.20 GHz 3.40 GHz 2.3/10 $319.0033. Intel Core i5-7200U 2 / 4 2.50 GHz 3.10 GHz 2.2/10 $391.9934. AMD FX-9830P 4 / 4 3.00 GHz 3.70 GHz 2.1/10 Check price35. Intel Core i3-7130U 2 / 4 2.70 GHz - 1.9/10 $384.9936. Intel Core i7-7Y75 2 / 4 1.30 GHz 3.60 GHz 1.8/10 $629.9937. Intel Core i3-7100U 2 / 4 2.40 GHz - 1.8/10 $349.8738. AMD FX-9800P 4 / 4 2.70 GHz 3.60 GHz 1.8/10 $469.9539. Intel Core m3-7Y30 2 / 4 1.00 GHz 2.60 GHz 1.7/10 $398.9240. Intel Pentium 4415U 2 / 4 2.30 GHz - 1.7/10 $549.0041. AMD PRO A12-9800B 4 / 4 2.70 GHz 3.60 GHz 1.6/10 $599.9942. AMD A12-9700P 4 / 4 2.50 GHz 3.40 GHz 1.6/10 $399.9943. AMD A10-9600P 4 / 4 2.40 GHz 3.30 GHz 1.6/10 $419.0044. Intel Core i3-6006U 2 / 4 2.00 GHz - 1.5/10 $335.0045. Intel Core i5-7Y54 2 / 4 1.20 GHz 3.20 GHz 1.4/10 $839.9946. Intel Celeron N3450 4 / 4 1.10 GHz 2.20 GHz 1.3/10 $229.6347. Intel Pentium N4200 4 / 4 1.10 GHz 2.50 GHz 1.3/10 $248.0048. Intel Pentium Silver N5000 4 / 4 1.10 GHz 2.70 GHz 1.1/10 Check price49. Intel Celeron N3160 4 / 4 1.60 GHz 2.24 GHz 1.0/10 $219.9950. AMD A9-9420 2 / 2 3.00 GHz 3.60 GHz 1.0/10 $262.0051. AMD A9-9410 2 / 2 2.90 GHz 3.50 GHz 1.0/10 $500.0052. Intel Celeron 3855U 2 / 2 1.60 GHz - 0.9/10 $290.0453. Intel Pentium N3710 4 / 4 1.60 GHz 2.56 GHz 0.9/10 $269.7954. AMD A6-9220 2 / 2 2.50 GHz 2.90 GHz 0.9/10 $176.7055. AMD A4-9120 2 / 4 2.20 GHz 2.50 GHz 0.8/10 Check price56. Intel Atom x5-Z8350 4 / 4 1.44 GHz 1.92 GHz 0.8/10 $249.0057. Intel Celeron N3350 2 / 2 1.10 GHz 2.40 GHz 0.7/10 $165.0058. AMD A6-9225 2 / 2 2.60 GHz 3.00 GHz 0.6/10 Check price59. Intel Celeron N3060 2 / 2 1.60 GHz 2.48 GHz 0.5/10 $152.0060. Intel Celeron N3050 2 / 2 1.60 GHz 2.48 GHz 0.5/10 $102.99 https://www.howtogeek.com/223020/what-are-the-meanings-of-intel-processor-suffixes/ What Do the Suffixes Mean? C – Desktop processor based on the LGA 1150 package with high performance graphicsH – High performance graphicsK – UnlockedM – MobileQ – Quad-coreR – Desktop processor based on BGA1364 (mobile) package with high performance graphicsS – Performance-optimized lifestyleT – Power-optimized lifestyleU – Ultra-low powerX – Extreme editionY – Extremely low powermore information on intel chips... https://www.trustedreviews.com/best/best-intel-processor-3517396 Let's talk about this!

I don't even see those. Show me a price, or I'm not looking!

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MMEF2AM-AirPods-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B01MQWUXZS It kills me to pay so much for Apple products, but these are worth it.

Know someone who loves beef jerky? https://www.amazon.com/Excalibur-2900ECB-Dehydrator-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B001NZPP6U

Here's another awesome kitchen gadget... https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33969A-Programmable-Temperature/dp/B00EZI26GO Hamilton Beach (33969A) Slow Cooker, Programmable, 6 Quart With Temperature Probe, Sealing Lid and Transport Clips, Stainless Steel I used this yesterday to cook a four pound chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and a bunch of spices. The probe enters the chicken through a hole in the cover and plugs into the side of the cooker. You set the cook temperature and the done temperature. When the internal temperature reaches done, the cooker switches to warm mode. I walked in the door at 6:00pm and we were eating dinner by 6:25pm. Better, the cooker has clips on the cover so that you can lock it for transportation. This weekend, I will be bringing chili to a hallowe'en party inside this cooker in the trunk of my car. No worries, no bags, and no bungy cords. Highly recommended by a picky guy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDXWFY0 Dash Rapid Egg Cooker: 6 Egg Capacity Electric Egg Cooker for Hard Boiled Eggs, Poached Eggs, Scrambled Eggs, or Omelets with Auto Shut Off Feature - Black One of my favorite purchases of 2017 2018. Hard boil a half dozen eggs at a time without paying attention then lift the tray out and drop it into a bowl of iced water. Perfect eggs and easy clean up without taking up a heating element on your stove top.

Might as well get a couple of those TCL Roku TVs to go along with all those thumb drives... https://www.amazon.com/TCL-55S405-55-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B01MTGM5I9 CR likes them: https://www.consumerreports.org/lcd-led-oled-tvs/hisense-tcl-high-end-tvs-are-they-worth-it/Rtings.com likes them: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/s-series-4k-2017-s405Great for dorms: https://www.tclusa.com/blog/dorm-room-wifiTrickplay for OTA TVAnd they are cheap. Got one from Amazon last BF for $314.49 (plus 5% back on my Prime card). I have two of these and one crapped out this summer. No worries -- TCL sent a guy to my home to fix it.

Buy a hundred of these and sprinkle them over the top of the stockings... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FYNSZA Put one on your laptop then use Microsoft's FREE SyncToy to back up your data... https://freetvforme.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/backupyourdata.pdf Plug one into one of those TCL Roku TVs we've been talking about and play your own media OR pause, rewind, and fast forward through 90 minutes of OTA television. Merry Christmas!

CR: Hisense vs TCL https://www.consumerreports.org/lcd-led-oled-tvs/hisense-tcl-high-end-tvs-are-they-worth-it/

Some dorms will not allow microwave, toaster, or coffee maker. Dorm size fridge is a good idea.

Got to start with a list. There are some things he will just need like supertwin bedding and toiletries, some kind of computer and clothes. Then there are the things he will want like a television, an iPad, a printer, and a netflix streamer. I like the TCL Roku TVs because they are made for a dorm and include the streaming functions... https://www.tclusa.com/blog/college-dorm-room-tv plus you do not have a lot of wires and devices to manage. For a printer, I have to say I love the Canon all-in-ones. Great text, pictures, double sided scans and prints, automatic document handler, and cheap third party ink. This is the one I use... https://www.bestbuy.com/site/canon-pixma-mx922-network-ready-wireless-all-in-one-printer-black/7919046.p If your student is not particularly technical, the Epson Workforce printers might not need ink replaced over four years... https://www.walmart.com/ip/Epson-Expression-ET-2650-EcoTank-Wireless-Color-All-in-One-Supertank-Printer-with-Scanner-and-Copier/115292538

I suggest you keep an eye out for a TCL Roku TV. These are particularly nice for a dorm since they integrate QAM tuners (for dorm cable television) with Prime/Netflix apps (binging) and 'to go' apps (so they can leverage your premium account features). https://www.tclusa.com/blog/college-dorm-room-tv Maybe you can win one! https://steamykitchen.com/47000-tcl-roku-smart-led-tv-giveaway.html Or just buy one at Walmart for $150... https://www.walmart.com/ip/TCL-32-Class-HD-720P-Roku-Smart-LED-TV-32S305/55577812

Wearing my new shirt. May be time to update my 'avatar'. Appreciate the loot and all the company over the winter.

Used to be Staples. Then I got excited about those Walmart deals that were guaranteed. Lately, maybe, Amazon, but I have spent the most at Best Buy.

Keurig Office Pro. If I cannot use one, I give it away. I have paid from $17 to $35 after discounts and promotions for these.

This would probably make a good topic. I keep track of my spending and it's not difficult to figure out where my money goes. Not really a Black Friday thing as those purchases tend to be of opportunity -- I chase good deals promoted on sites like this rather than following my usual processes. For 2018, the GE Appliance Store is my top retailer followed by Amazon, Kohls, Walmart (mostly because I had two $300 gift cards from last BF), and Lowes. Amazon and Walmart actually included significant grocery sales. Best Buy, Staples, Home Depot, any of the warehouse stores, Newegg, Bed Bath and Beyond, JCP, and Target have all but fallen off my charts. More recently, Walmart, Amazon, and Lowes are getting none of my money. My spending has changed so dramatically that I have refreshed my credit cards to maximize my cash back. For the last 30 years, most of my spending has been via Discover Card. Right now, that is down 75% as I shift purchases to Amazon, Kohls, Paypal, and Ally Bank cards.

I'm not going to be clever. I'm looking for a 17" laptop that can play games.

Last year we got $300 gift cards with each phone and no contract from ATT via Walmart. Best deal I have seen.

Happy birthday! Next time I go to Disney, it will be the first week of November so I can celebrate Halloween and Christmas!

Happy October! As we drift into another holiday season, I just want to remind everyone to be careful not to fall for a phishing scam. Your mailbox will soon be a rich target zone. BTW, for those who use Google, Gmail, and/or Chrome, be sure to review Google's latest ToS. You WILL be shocked to learn what Google can collect. Understand too that they are collecting this data for a reason. Consider using alternative products which at least promise to respect your privacy like the Brave web browser, the DuckDuckGo search engine, and GMX email. Use good passwords (Br@d1sAwes0me!) and do not leave PII in your online mailbox. Finally pay attention in your offline activities! We call this Operations Security (OPSEC) and it is as simple as figuring out what you are vulnerable and taking actions to minimize those vulnerabilities. 'Tis the Season for OPSEC With apologies to CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE 'Twas the Holiday Season, and all through the streets Every hacker and burglar, was looking for treats; Boxes were stacked by the trash without care, Alerting the thieves to the treasures in there; Vacationers tweeted their plans and photos; While bandits were stealing their speakers by Bose; And mamma with her iPhone, and I with a map, Went off to the mall to plunder the Gap, First to the automated teller machine, Where my PIN was stolen and my bank was wiped clean. We shopped with our credit cards having no cash, Until a POS bandit ended all that. With no money for gifts we headed for home, Where my PayPal and I would the internet roam, When what to my wondering eyes did appear, But a really good offer that seemed quite sincere, With an unpleasant popup as soon as I clicked, I knew in a moment my Mac would be sick. More rapid than FiOS the popups did come, My outdated defenses could only stop some, From the click of a link with a virus attached, All the files on my disk were quickly dispatched! To another computer, I went to shop, But accounts and email were already locked. No money, no credit, and no PC too, Tax returns, photographs were all gone from view; No fav'rites, no bookmarks, no cookies, no clue, Gone were my high scores and the Christmas list too -- And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the street The prancing and pawing of very big feet. As I looked to the street, and was turning around, I saw a man escape from my home with a bound. As he covered my spare key with the mat, The thief turned to me and said, "Thank you for that!" At that very moment came a knock at my door, "I'm from DSS and I'm here to brief you some more." His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry! "Let's do this thing right, I'm not in a hurry." "Keep boxes inside until trash day, you know," "Expensive debris tells the crooks where to go." "Get your cash at a bank and keep your profile low." "Only swipe credit cards with merchants you know." "When surfing the net, be alert to the deals" "Which promise you things too good to be real." "Hover over links that might your click redirect" "Your identity to steal, or credit to wreck." "When away from home, leave shades down and lights on," "That way the prowlers don't know that you're gone." Then he seemed to accuse with a knit of his brow, "The key under your mat - go get that, right now!" And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, from my table he rose; He walked to his car, which was locked and well lit, And looked twice in back seat before he did sit. With a wave of his hand, as he drove out of sight -- "Practice good OPSEC each day, and have a safe life!"

Interesting article. Kind of surprised CR provided that information outside their paywall. Not shopping for a new TV (no airsoft in the house!) but I downloaded the article for future reference.

I do not think there will be less deals. You may not be as excited by what you can pick up in a store (looking at you Staples) on Black Friday, but these days, the sales start earlier, run later, and offer more good deals. It's not as much fun, but, I believe, we are saving more. I just re-applianced my kitchen. I got 44% off retail in September. Nothing wrong with that. The last time I shopped K-mart of BF was a Thanksgiving day. Because Massachusetts did not allow stores to open on Thanksgiving and this store was just across the line in Salem, NH, the sale was made available Wednesday. Those of us in line Thursday found all items out of stock with no rain checks. I have not returned since. I have never been to T'R'U or Sears on BF. I do not think either has had an impact on BF in years. Not sure anyone would buy big ticket items from Sears given it's precarious situation. A lot of us have been saddened by the evolution of Black Friday. Expect this year to be more of the same, but it's not because of the stores which are leaving us. It is because of the relentless competition for our dollars which increasingly includes online behemoths and happens throughout the year. Also, online behemoths are, increasingly, brick and mortar stores. Kohls always has an amazing BF flyer but getting the same things online triggers cash back from some of the credit cards and ... well ... you know. Black Friday has changed every single year since I was a child but it has always saved me money and entertained me. This year will be no different.