Reviews by zwep

zwep says "Big unwieldy program, but helps you do taxes (until gov't does)" about Intuit TurboTax Deluxe NS 2008

zwep — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:47:46 GMT

My review is actually for Turbo Tax Deluxe 2009 rather than the 2008 version listed, but besides being for different years I think they're fairly similar (new tax laws for 2009 would be main reason you'd want to get the appropriate version for whatever tax year you're dealing with.

I've previously used different versions of Turbo Tax, but last year used H&R Block Tax Cut software. I need to itemize and don't think I'm eligible for the free online tax preparation services (though I understand both Intuit and H&R Block have online versions of tax software which are probably similar to the "download and run on your own OS" tax software which I'm reviewing...but since I've not used those versions I can't comment first hand on how they actually are).

Both Turbo Tax and Tax Cut take you through interviews which try to determine which forms you need to fill out, though they let you go directly to the forms themselves. This sounds like a good way to do your taxes, but for me (though I may be...

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zwep says "Very good for the price" about SBCGlobal (AT&T Yahoo!)

zwep — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:11:17 GMT

I've had SBCGLOBAL (now AT&T) ADSL service for about 5 years now, and am happy with the value it gives me in a basice broadband connection. I've also got my local phone service through AT&T (guess I'm a dying breed of person who still has a land line), and I'm not sure but I think I get a lower price on the ADSL because I have a land line.

Note that the service I have is the slowest broadband they offer (384kbps up/ 768kbps down), but at $14.99/month, it is a good deal, especially compared to cable modem. Unfortunately, the rate gets readjusted every year (this year I had a hard time getting them to honor the price they agreed to give me for the year, they kept billing me for $19.99/mo instead of $14.99 as they originally agreed)...but it's been OK for past couple months. I don't have the UVERSE service, which can go as high as 7Mb/s, but also costs up to $40/month for internet (Phone and TV is extra). I don't need the tv nor long distance phone, so the DSL is good choice for me....

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zwep says "I grew up using one, wouldn't do without it" about Black & Decker Toaster Oven - Classic Toast-R-Oven

zwep — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:23:35 GMT

Though not always been a Black and Decker (I think the previous one I've bought was made by GE, maybe they sold the line?), one of the first appliances I bought when I went out on my own was a toaster oven...great for singles as well as families. That GE one lasted quite awhile, I replaced several heating elements and did other small repairs before it finally got replaces with this Black and Decker Toaster Oven. The GE one was chrome and black, with "woodgrain" control panel, this one still has the chrome, but is white, and grey replaced the woodgrain control panel, but otherwise works similarly. I'll be the first to admit that the appliance is a compromise; for toast, a regular toaster is made for that purpose and does a better job and undoubtedly uses less energy (since the heating elements are closer to the bread your are toasting). However, you can also use the toaster oven to bake and brown moderately sized portions of food, which saves you from having to use a regular oven..probably...

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zwep says "If you need a room sized Electronic Air Cleaner, this is good " about Friedrich air purifier

zwep — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:15:33 GMT

I have a Friedrich C90 electronic air cleaner, electric plates fit in my dishwasher (after removing top rack, and carefully moving lower rack tines to avoid the elements of the unit). There is regularly a collection of dust on the plates and on the pre-filter, so I believe it does a good job of cleaning the air in my room. The Friedrich C90 has 3 fan speeds (I keep it on lowest setting to keep noise low) but it is fairly quiet, except when dust strikes the plates, when you hear a "crack" sound as the dust is drawn onto one of the plates. One consideration you may want to make is that if you still receive your television signal from the air (via antenna) the dust striking the plates cause some interference to your picture (which might be important if you are picky about having a consistantly good signal, such as when recording an important program).

My father has a built-in air cleaner inside his central heat/air conditioning unit, and other than this one being room oriented vs whole-hose...

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zwep says "Lots of features in an economy car" about Ford Focus - 2009

zwep — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:15:22 GMT

My mother recently bought a 2009 Ford Focus, replacing an aging 1988 Tempo that served her amazingly well (she also bought that one new and owned it 21 years). The Ford Focus is undoubtedly an economy car, it is the entry level of Ford's passenger cars, but can be equipped with many of the options available in higher-line Ford models, not only power locks/windows/mirrors security system and remote locking/unlocking, but also the sync interface, which was developed by Microsoft for Ford, which allows you to integrate cellphone and audio media through a voice-operated system (assuming you have a bluetooth-enabled cellular phone). You can also play audio from USB key, but there is no local storage for the files (i.e. you have to keep the USB key plugged in when playing the recordings, cannot copy them to disk within Sync system. Also, not all commands can be issued by voice, and although the menus for choosing what you want to do can be involved (please don't drive when you first try...

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zwep says "Good basic phone- some features dictated by carrier" about Motorola - W370 Cell Phone

zwep — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:03:55 GMT

I recently upgraded from a Motorola V170 cellphone to the Motorola W370 cellphone. I know that both are pretty basic phones, but I'll admit I'm not a constant cellphone user....I use it as part of the Tracfone service, I pay for service for the year...but this isn't a review of Tracfone, but it does relate to my use of the phone, which I mostly keep for occasional use when I'm not near a land line (which I still maintain). I don't have 3G service, so the Motorola W370 suits my needs very well.

The Motorola W370 phone is similar in some ways to the V170 but has some features that the
V170 lacks..some of which are useful...for instance it does have a rudimentary web browser...the tracfone implementation does limit which sites one can visit, but the V170 didn't have this feature...The W370 also allows you to download ringtones and wallpaper (which I don't care about) but the V170 lacked these features (which I guess people like to use to personalize their phone so could be important...

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zwep says "Gets heavy use - pretty durable considering" about Admiral Model rswa228aae side-by-side

zwep — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:43:57 GMT

My parents' have had an Admiral rswa228aae side-by-side refrigerator for some 13 years now, and even though it is hardly new, thought I'd write a review of it, since I also use it just about daily.

The refrigerator is old enough that things have gone wrong with it, fortunately, nothing major has gone wrong so far. The most common category of problems has been that of plastic parts that have either broken or deformed such that they no longer work correctly, such as the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, which no longer locks into the fingers of the liner, so it was necessary to tape the shelf into place if one wants to use it. Likewise, I've had to buy a replacement for the clear door on the butter shelf, which broke at some point. We do use the refrigerator hard, as there are quite a few people using it in the houshold (in fact, another repair we had to make was to redo the hinge for the refrigerator, it actually wore out, we drilled another hole in the hinge and made our own pin for...

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zwep says "Eats batteries, not very user-oriented controls" about Coby - Compact AM/FM Radio With Digital Display

zwep — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:31:19 GMT

I needed an FM radio to listen to the television sets at the YMCA where I work out, they retransmit the TV audio kind of like the drive-in movies used to do (or still do if you can find a drive in movie that is still open, none around where I live). I bought the Coby CX-50 radio for this purpose, though it also receives AM stations, I don't use it for that purpose.

The Coby CX-50 looks attractive at first glance, and besides the earphone jack, it has a built-in speaker so you can hear the sound even without use of the earphones. It also has an external antenna which no doubt helps it pick up the stations better than those radios with a built-in antenna, which is important to me since the transmitters on the TVs at the YMCA are so weak and feeble with their signal that I have a hard time receiving them even within about 10 feet from the transmitter.

However, the Coby CX-50 has some big flaws which limit its usefulness. Chief among them is that it seemingly turns itself on and drains...

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zwep says "basic place to stay in Brinkley" about Econo Lodge Brinkley AR - Brinkley, AR

zwep — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:12:20 GMT

We recently stayed at the Econo Lodge in Brinkley, AR. Though we've stayed in Brinkley before (many years ago) we've never stayed in the Econo Lodge in Brinkley. This is an older facility, kind of in a courtyard, all rooms on 1st floor. Parking is within this courtyard, which can be kind of tight to pull in/out (if the place is fully occupied, which it was during our stay). Despite the almost full house, it seemed pretty quiet, though we did hear some late-arriving people, they quieted down pretty quickly. The room had a roomy in-room refrigerator and a good air-conditioner (needed for our stay).

Though it appears outside to be an older facility, it seems to have been recently remodeled and inside looked fairly up to date. It did have Wifi, so I got my wireless fix. Breakfast was simple, cereal, bagels/doughnuts/toast with coffee and orange juice.

Though this hotel was pretty basic, we'd probably stay here again, as it met all of our needs.

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zwep says "Good location but no WIFI and broken ice machine sour stay" about Econo Lodge Effingham - Effingham, IL

zwep — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:58:20 GMT

Though we've stayed in Effingham, Il. previously, we hadn't previously stayed at the Econo Lodge in Effingham, Il. It was located near I70/I55 before the two roads split.

Our room was a downstairs room with a great view of the BP sign from the gas station adjacent. The weather was cool, dry, and very nice, and for some reason I spent some time staring up at the BP sign against the blue sky with big puffy clouds.

Two things bothered me about this motel. The first was that though the hotel advertises having WIFI (wireless Internet) they apparently don't have it...at least the gentleman at the desk told me there was no WIFI at this location...which was dissapointing to me since if I don't get my daily connection I seem to feel isolated. The second thing was that their icemakers were both coincidentally broken. The guy at the desk was nice, he mentioned they had previously had problems with Ice, but though it had been fixed...apparently not while we were there (they have 2 icemachines,...

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zwep says "Kind of seedy...being remodeled" about Econolodge - Washington, PA

zwep — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:32:55 GMT

We got a good deal at the Econolodge in Washington, PA. so we decided to drive on past Pittsburgh and onto Washington for a stay here. Our first impression wasn't great, they didn't have anyone in the office and it took awhile to get someone to check us in. It turns out the rooms are being remodeled, and the office staff was doing something to help out back in some of the rooms. Likewise, when I asked for extra towels on another visit to the office, it took some time for them to know I was in the office and to get me the towels (fortunately they gave me lots of towels).

The whole section of the hotel near the office was under construction, there were pieces of faux marble, sinks, and other construction materials in the parking lot, so we were directed to a room in another section of the hotel. The room was OK, but a bit seedy, with lots of construction going on even nearby our room. It was quiet at night, though, so we slept OK. The breakfast was basic but good (they opened...

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zwep says "Just right for a stay in Reynoldsburg" about America's Best Value Inn - Reynoldsburg, OH

zwep — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:16:33 GMT

We stayed at the America's Best Value Inn in Reynoldsburg, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus). We were visiting Granville, about 24 miles away, and had previously stayed at hotels nearer to Granville than Reynoldsburg, but didn't quite care for them...the America's Best Value Inn in Reynoldsburg, Ohio wasn't fancy, but suited our needs well. First, it is located near exit 210 off of I 70 near the 270 loop, and there were lots of businesses nearby and it was easy to get started the next day into Columbus. Second, it did have wireless internet, which might be pretty common these days, but the 2 preceeding hotels we stayed at didn't have it, so I was missing it pretty badly by the time we stayed here (what can I say...I like to get online often, and miss even a day or two without it). We had to look up key information about our stay, so the wireless connection was even more essential. The room was comfortable and quiet, and the breakfast, though not fancy was tasty (they had very nice doughnuts,...

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zwep says "Good food, but service can be sketchy" about Majestic Family Restaurant - Mayfield, KY

zwep — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:53:30 GMT

This was our second visit to Majestic Family Restaurant in Mayfield KY., having visited the same place from a tip from our hotel clerk while on the road. The Majestic Family Restaurant is a popular place in Mayfield, I would guess that most locals would know of this place (we don't know anyone in Mayfield ourselves, we were just on overnight stay while passing through). Both times we've been here, we've had to wait for service, which seems to be a weak point (though this time the place was crowded, even on a Sunday afternoon). But the food is very good...they have some greek specialties, like shish-kabab, but also steaks, chicken, pizza, and a salad/food bar. The food bar looked pretty picked-through on our last visit so we ordered off the menu, but we did go through the food bar on our first visit and I remember it being pretty good. Prices are moderate, the environment is casual, a comfortable place to eat (though the tables are close together, so you might have to move your...

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zwep says "Good choice for overnight stay in Mayfield " about Super 8 - Mayfield, KY

zwep — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:09:38 GMT

I forgot to write this review before, but last year I had also stayed at the Super 8 in Mayfield Ky.S last year, though I do recall that it was also a nice stay. We enjoy stopping in this area of Kentucky, and the Super 8 is a nice place to stay. It has interior-door rooms which many people like (in the Southern states, it seems that inexpensive motels mostly have exterior entrances, I guess because of the good weather?). We were able to get a downstairs room, which is great because my father is handicapped, and the Super 8 doesn't have an elevator. The innkeeper was nice, and recommended a nearby restaurant which we enjoyed very much. Breakfast was pretty basic, but was a good start to the day. The hotel is located just off exit 24 off the Kentucky Parkway in Mayfield, a good location. Mayfield is an older town, but nice to visit, and near the "Land between the Lakes" TVA location between Kentucky and Tennesee. We'll likely stay here again during another trip in this vicinity.

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zwep says "Didn't know I needed it until my 9 month old car battery died" about Black & Decker Start It 300 Amp Jump Starter

zwep — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:46:11 GMT

Well, I didn't think I would need to buy anything like the Black & Decker Start It 300 Amp Jump Starter since my car battery was less than a year old (9 months actually) until it failed outside a Walmart at about 4:45AM (I was filling up at an adjacent Murphy Gas station when my car died).

I actually went into Walmart to buy a replacement car battery, but they were all out of my size (Type 47), but the clerk suggested I try this Jump starter...since there was no car nearby to use to jump start my car...tried it out and it worked like a charm.

You only need to (carefully) attach the 2 clamps from the Start It 300 Amp Jump Starter, one to the positive battery terminal and the other to ground (to keep any spark away from the battery so as not to ignite any hydrogen that may be produced when it is charging), You turn the switch to the "start" position then go into your car and try to turn the key to get it to start...it started on first try for me (guess my battery didn't need much help). ...

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zwep says "Intermittant after 9 months" about Duralast (Autozone) Duralast Type 47 Automotive Battery

zwep — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:03:05 GMT

About 9 months ago I had to replace the battery on my Volkswagen Golf; my brother-in-law took me over to Autozone to buy a Duralast type 47 car battery to replace the one that died suddenly in my car. It was the correct type (47) for my car (physical dimensions, mounting, and terminal orientation) so I put it in with little difficulty.

I live in a mild climate, in fact we have more problems with heat than with cold, but heat can also be demanding on a car battery; I'm careful to make sure the electolyte level is maintained (add distilled water to cells of battery when needed). However, last weekend my battery decided to become intermittant; it would sometimes not even display the clock on the dash (even with key out of ignition). I checked the cables for tightness and corrosion (had a bit of a problem with the positive terminal with fluffy white corrosion, but cleaned it with baking soda and wirebrushed the terminal..but still had same problem. I ended up buying a Black & Decker...

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zwep says "Good replacement for OEM " about Autolite Platinum Spark Plugs

zwep — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:02:02 GMT

The last time I had my plugs changed for me (around 40,000 miles) at the dealer, and though they used the original OEM parts, they charged quite a bit for this service....now my car has a bit more than 80,000 miles on it (actually 81075) and I wanted to replace them myself this time and save some money.

The original plugs were NGK BKUR6ET-10, and this is also what they put in a the dealer at 40,000 miles. I found an equivalent platinum plug in the Autolite Platinum model 3923 and I picked up 2 packages (they come in packages of qty-2 each, I needed qty-4). The main difference appears to be that the NGK plug has 4 electrodes whereas the Autolite plug has a single electrode.

Getting at spark plugs has gotten harder over the years...though my car has an inline engine which is normally easier than on a "V" to get at the plugs, in my case the plugs are behind a large intake manifold which makes accessing and changing the plugs more of a hassle...so people probably don't change their plugs...

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zwep says "Dries clothes quickly but creates wrinkles in the process" about Frigidaire GLGQ332

zwep — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:41:23 GMT

At the same time I bought the Frigidaire GLTF1040SA front-loading washer, I bought this Frigidaire GLGQ332 "matching" gas dryer (please see my separate review for the washer if you're interested). The Frigidaire GLGQ332 dryer is the same form-factor as the Frigidaire GLTF1040SA washing machine, namely it can be stacked or used side-by-side, and the controls are located on the front of the machine, rather than on a panel mounted on the top of the machine towards the back edge as is more common with most laundry appliances.

The main reason I bought this dryer was that it matched the form-factor of the washing machine I wanted to buy, and also that it ran on gas. Electric dryers are more flexable if you move and cannot get gas where your new home is, since you certainly are likely to have a 230V connection for an electric dryer in your laundry area even if you have a home plumbed for gas...without going into the merits of natural gas to heat rather than electricity, I will just say that...

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zwep says "Uses less water, though specific detergent required" about Frigidaire GLTF1040SA

zwep — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:12:29 GMT

A few years ago my 11 year old washing machine started leaking (I had bought it used when I bought my home) and I was thus in the market for a new washing machine. I live in a fairly arid state where water use is an issue (cost of water goes up based on amount used, especially in summer) as well as energy...so I was interested in going with a front-loading washing machine, since they are known to use less water than a typical top-loading machine...I shopped around, and ended up going with the Frigidaire Model GLTF1040SA front loading washing machine, after I found a good deal on it at a retailer (I also bought at the same time the "matching" Frigidaire Model GLGQ332A51 gas fired dryer which I'll review separately).

The Frigidaire Model GLTF1040SA has controls only on the front, which allows you to stack the matching dryer if you want, using a kit to mechanically hold them together...if you don't want to stack them you can still use them side-by-side and have a nice top to fold clothes...

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zwep says "If you can't FTP a file...flash drives in place of old floppy" about SanDisk CruzerÂ® Micro (512 MB) USB 2.0 Flash Drive (sdcz4512a10)

zwep — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:18:40 GMT

Well, guess I have to put this in perspective...my SANDISK Cruzer® Micro (512 MB) USB 2.0 Flash Drive is a convenient "sneakernet" tool (i.e. something you can physically copy files to from one computer and handcarry it to another computer (or give it to another person) to affect a file transfer) when I can't otherwise electronically copy a file by network copy (FTP, etc.). Of course, the old "standby" used to be the 3.5" floppy disk, and I'm dating myself by saying I used 5.25" and 8" floppies, before that digital cassette tape, and even paper (or mylar) tape and card stacks. ...of course compared to this, the SANDISK Cruzer® Micro (512 MB) USB 2.0 Flash Drive is a pleasure to use and like other flash drives almost de reguir when giving someone a file that they need on a system that you can't otherwise send to them or have them "pull" from an ftp server.

Yes, of course there are physically larger flash drives, but compared to the one I'm replacing this with (an original...

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