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len_mullen

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Everything posted by len_mullen

  1. I just got this i5 for the BF price using this coupon. This is a MUCH better desktop than I had guessed. The case is a little larger than the HPs you see these days and there are accomodations for two additional disks. Perfect for me. Also, there is HDMI out. If you were on the fence, this coupon, this price, on this day should seal the deal. - hardware replacement guide - Staples Full Details - Trinity vs iCore
  2. In 2008 we got the kids a PS3. When I plugged it into my 36" Sony TV, it disappointed. I decided to take the plunge and get an HDTV. I got a bundle from Best Buy. It was stunning. Still is. Even today, after four years, I sometimes stop to admire the quality of a movie or a commercial. Last year, I decided to indulge in a new TV for my bedroom. This one is also a Samsung plasma. It too is stunning. I do not doubt Samsung had made some bad televisions. I'm sure the people who have had problems are very unhappy. Generally, though, most people who buy Samsung sets are very happy. This interesting article captures this paradox -- showing people have had more severe problems with Samsung sets than other major brands but are more satisfied with their purchases than than buyers of other brands. Samsung had a major problem with power supplies a couple years back. The problem is well documented and the solution is not very expensive. DIYers discovered and remedied the problem before Samsung stepped up. After spending millions to settle a class action lawsuit, I suspect Samsung has exercised this demon. While I remain concerned that my older set may develop this problem, I am confident it can be repaired and count myself among the very satisfied customers. I suspect those of you who choose a Samsung plasma will be as satisfied as I have been. Understand the issue and make an informed purchase.
  3. First thing you should do is contact the college. They may have specific requirements for specific programs or offer discounts, support, and software bundles for students. My kid's collect offers preconfigured macs and windows laptops that include software bundles for each major and a support plan that includes a loaner laptop. They also publish software and hardware requirements and recommendations for each major.
  4. len_mullen

    Staples

    i wonder if i can get the 'mobile' offers accessing m.staples.com via chrome...
  5. len_mullen

    Staples

    did you notice that the pcmag article linked to gottadeal's staples list rather than staple's posted ad?
  6. With unions, dues paying members pay the bills and serve as muscle in politics and recruiting. A single union manipulating all walmart employees nationally would be intimidating.
  7. Walmart does not impress employees. They sign on of their own free will. No one comes to their home if they don't go to work.
  8. You explained it well. I don't agree. A lot of people think the government should not observe religious holidays. Others are insisting schools give kids time off for muslim and jewish holidays. I say let the businesses and their customers decide when they should be open. If people do not want to work holidays or weekends, it's up to them to find a job that does not require working holidays or weekends. If they think they have such a job, but the employer disagrees, then it's time to look for a new job. It's not up to the government, or a selectman, or even you to decide who can operate a business. That's what I think, anyway. I suspect that if Walmart advertised positions that were required to work Thanksgiving they would have no problem finding plenty of people to fill the jobs. Let those people work
  9. Nothing virtual about this list...Staples: HP 17.3" Laptop w/ AMD A8 Quad-Core, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD (G7-2243US) $399.99 Staples: Lenovo Desktop w/ Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HDD $449.99 Staples: Logitech M185 Wireless Mouse $9.99 Staples: Logitech M525 Wireless Laser Mice $14.99 Radio Shack: Garmin Nuvi 50LM 5" GPS w/ Lifetime Map Updates $99.99 Radio Shack: Gigaware Wireless 2.4GHz Optical Mouse $9.99 Radio Shack: SanDisk 32GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive $9.99 Walmart: Beautyrest Down Alternative Gel Pillow $4.88 = $999.81
  10. First, I see you are happy to see things YOU need staying open for YOU. I think you are being unfair to the employees of hospitals and gas stations -- not to mention police, fire, security, military, etc. Second, not everyone observes Thanksgiving or Christmas. Would you also support closing down services on Jewish or Muslim holidays? The stores are opening because people will patronize them. It should not affect you if someone runs a cash register or stands in line on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. Stay home and observe your holiday as you see fit. Let others do the same. If enough people stay home, the stores will not open. How do you feel about closing stores for the weekend? Saturday and Sunday are both sabath days for some. Shall we all rest for both? As for workers who prefer to be home on holidays, that's between employee and employer. The employee free to negotiate that on the way in and free to leave when if unhappy with working conditions. The only time employers can treat employees like crap is when the employer is paying more than another employer that treats employees well. Having worked a holiday or two in my youth, I always found the experience joyous. Employers were extremely generous with wages and perks and customers were very appreciative of the opportunity to shop at their convenience. I found plenty of time to celebrate with friends and family once my shift was over.
  11. Brian, laptops are vulnerable to every malady that can befall a computer -- even when cared for by an adult. Generally, I try to spend as little as possible on a machine that will get the job done. Another thing to consider is upgrades. These days, it's easy to upgrade a laptop's RAM or disk, but it is virtually impossible to upgrade the CPU, screen, and video controller. Two laptops at Staples interest me. The $300 HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 would be great for a kid. It's inexpensive enough that you won't feel bad when it breaks or is stolen and the specs are sufficient for the kind of activities most people are interested in... Item: 100374 Model: C6N76UA#ABA HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 is perfect for everyday everything! Meet the everyday notebook that’s anything but ordinary. Get exclusive innovations like HP CoolSense to keep you comfortable and HP ProtectSmart which helps keep your data safe from bumps. Enjoy long battery life or swap it out to keep playing without recharging. At less than an inch thin and under four pounds, the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 is perfect for life on the go. •Intel® Pentium® B987 1.5GHz 2MB L3 Cache Processor •4GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory, Expandable to 8GB •320GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection •14.0-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit display (1366 x 768) •Windows 8 I also like the $400 HP Pavilion g7-2243us. Here you have a good screen, good cpu, and good gpu with less disk and RAM than you'd like. Upgrade the RAM and install a SSD for cooler, faster operation. It would be helpful to know where you will likely shop on BF. PS Laptops are about to change dramatically. Touch screens, twist screens, docking stations (for tablets), and Windows 8 will dramatically change the way we compute on the run. Keep your powder dry for the laptop computer you've been waiting for all your life!
  12. The biggest problem with inexpensive LCDs is viewing angle. If I look up the set on my frig when I am at the frig, it is posterized. From across the room, it looks fine. You really want to go out this weekend and see if you can look at the sets you are interested in. As to what will be appropriate in the bedroom, that depends. I sit below and to the right of the set in my bedroom when I am working at the computer. The plasma that hangs on the wall looks great while the LCD it replaced looked horrible -- from that angle.
  13. Walmart doesn't need stores at all. Amazon gets along without them. Half of the time I go to Walmart, it's to pick up something I bought online. Were I king of Walmart, I'd set up tents at the far end of the parking lot and hand out 10x tickets as they were going to have merchandise then ship the merchandise directly to their customers. Then I'd replace the unhappy stores with small pickup and return operations.
  14. A couple BFs back, I wandered into a Blockbusters on my way out of Radio Shack. They were closing up and I bought a couple DVD racks. Great BF deal for me...not so much for them.
  15. len_mullen

    Staples

    Sounds like no...
  16. I lost power again for a couple hours as I finished typing the last post. Ironic, no?
  17. Starting a portable is like starting a lawnmower. Once you have the switch installed, you drag the generator outside, plug it in, pull the cord, then flip the switch inside.
  18. That is a possibility. Keep in mind that the emergency that leaves you without power may result in the natural gas lines being shut off. If I were going natural gas, I'd probably go triple fuel. With triple fuel, you could switch to propane or even gasoline if you lost access to natural gas. That said, I'm pretty happy with my portable gasoline generator. It's inexpensive, self-installed, and reliable.
  19. Seaver, there are three approaches: 1) run a cord from the generator to an electric appliance, 2) run your whole house from the generator, or 3) run a subset of circuits from the generator. You can have a generator installed that switches on when you lose power and switches out when power returns. Consider propane for this kind of hands off approach because gas goes bad quickly while propane has no shelf life. If you just want to power those refrigerators, you can get a portable generator. Mine has five outlets that can deliver power to 110v appliances via heavy duty extensions. I use a portable generator with a transfer switch to power six circuits in my home -- my well pump (two circuits), my furnace, my kitchen (inc. frig), my bedroom, and a circuit of lights that run throughout the house. Two outlets on the generator power my TV dustribution and amplification hardware which is near the generator plus whatever I need to plug in via extension. It's an expensive compromose that keeps me warm, clean, fed, informed, and entertained during an outage. We do not wash or dry clothes or use out stove. We have a grill plus electric indoor appliances (induction surface, fryer, griddle, crock pot). Use this calculator to determine your power needs. Remember that you are warming your house to keep pipes from freezing. I recommend keeping your furnace powered if possible.
  20. We routinely lose power for a week of more. I grabbed a hu5000 generator and a 3006HDK from home depot on BF a couple years back. The whole mess was $718 and we are very happy. My six circuits are well pump (2), furnace, kitchen (frig), master bedroom, and a funky circuit that feeds lights throughout my house. Two outlets on the generator feed my TV amplifiers and whatever I need to plug in (a chainsaw last storm). We're clean, warm, fed, and entertained. When the power comes back, I close the fuel line and let it stall, unplug, and drag back into the garage.
  21. Cabela's Item Price Champion 3500 Watt Generator Weekender Package (earlybird) $279.99 Champion Weekender 3,500-Watt Generator Kit (with wheel kit and cover) $309.99 Gander Mountain Champion 3500/4000 Watt Generator w/ Free Wheel Kit $324.99 Home Depot Tools: Powermate 3000-Watt Portable Generator w/ Manual Start $199.00
  22. No doubt Dewalt makes good tools, but that doesn't make the rest junk. Lots of people who have used them disagree with you (including me). Then there's the cost. Why exactly didn't you get your kid a Dewalt tool? Home Depot Tools: DeWalt 12-Volt Max 1/4-in. Cordless Screwdriver Kit BUY NOW! $99.00 Tools: DeWalt 12-Volt Max Li-Ion 3-Tool Combo Kit BUY NOW! $199.00 Tools: DeWalt 17-pc. Rapid Load Carbide Drill Bit Set BUY NOW! $9.88 Tools: DeWalt 18-Volt 1/2-in. Compact Drill/Driver Kit $99.00 Tools: DeWalt 20-Volt Max (1.5Ah) Lithium-Ion Drill/Driver / Impact Driver 2-Tool Combo Kit $199.00 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-Volt 3-pc. Combo Kit $59.88 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-volt Drill Kit $29.88 Tools: Ryobi One+ 18-Volt Lithium-ion Drill & Impact Driver $99.00
  23. len_mullen

    Roku

    Just to be clear, you have to install Playon on a PC (can be the same one you have chrome installed on) and configure it before you can play.
  24. i like the i5 lenovo at staples, but it's not a great deal.
  25. len_mullen

    Roku

    That happens a lot this time of year ;-) I suggest you look at the channels available from Roku and Playon to see if these will keep your kid happy. You can test drive Playon if you have a supported device or if you have Chrome installed on your computer (just go to m.playon.tv). I also like that Playon lets you stream video files off your PC to a Roku. Use DVDSmith and Handbrake to rip all those kids DVDs you can get from Walmart on BF so your kids can watch without handling the media.
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