Show all posts by user

Re: Costco: SentrySafe Steel 1.23 cu. ft. Fireproof & Waterproof Home Safe w/ Biometric Lock $200 - 2 days ago

Mac, Fire and water, especially if you live in a multifamily dwelling like an apartment with limited space. Again, the durability of a model against magnets and crowbars is 100% dependent on the brand and model. I'm sure many fo the cheap no-name brand models sold at various places are utter garbage. Others are much better though not as good as a model from a reputable safe manufacturer as sol

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Elkay LZS8WSLP Bottle Filling Station, Drinking fountain, Light Gray Granite - $1098.88 - 2 days ago

pRICE, Brings to mind some the water fountains we had in school in the 70s and 80s. Still see similar ones in hospitals. The ones at school _looked_ clean but, as well all know, looks can be astonishingly deceiving. At least the water fountains looked that way when they didn't have wads of gum attached to the spout or lipstick marks on the spot. Yes. Lipstick. Guess what game some of the girls

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Costco: SentrySafe Steel 1.23 cu. ft. Fireproof & Waterproof Home Safe w/ Biometric Lock $200 - 2 days ago

Mac, I suspect whether or not a safe like the one in the link (or other models from Sentry) can be opened easily with a magnet is 100% dependent on the particular model. I remember seeing a video where all someone had to do to open a cheap safe was knock the top of it a couple of times. He did that and it popped right open. Other safes require some picking. The Lock Picking Lawyer has videos a

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: local stores checing receipts at exit - 2 days ago

Gadje, Nope. The practice is legal. <; Membership stores like Costco has fewer requirements than a regular retail establishment about what it can and can't do if you refuse the request. It all depends on what is in the membership agreement, which is at heart, a contract between you and the store. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: A bit of my childhood has died - RIP Marty Krofft - 3 days ago

Acer, Agreed. The so-called "Land of the Lost" film with Will Ferrell was utter garbage. It's an absolute insult to the original series as well as the remake of the series. The movie was so bad that if it was toilet paper I wouldn't even wipe a skunk's butthole with it and I'm being unbelievably kind when I say this. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Apple Air Pod deal wanted - 3 days ago

Micro, Should've asked the age of the granddaughter. That factors into the recommendation. That said, I have a set of Airpod Pros, Airpods series 3 and a couple of cheapy behind the neck bluetooth headphones. Airpod Pros constantly fall out of my airs. Doesn't matter which tips be it Apple OEM or 3rd party tips. The only compelling feature of transparency. Great for calls. Airpods series

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Apple Air Pod deal wanted - 3 days ago

Microman, Walmart had a deal on Airpods v2. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Looking for some home theater audio advice - 3 days ago

Sekker, I read through this thread and I kept saying to myself, you need a modern receiver. Connect the TV to the receiver via HDMI. Connect the built-in speakers to the receiver. Purchase a reasonably priced center speaker and subwoofer. Connect them to the receiver. Connect devices like a streaming media box to the receiver. Let the receiver handle everything from audio to controlling switch

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Received my new glasses today. - 3 days ago

Matt, The typical optical store won't put new lenses into existing frames for liability reasons. They don't want to be responsible for damaging the frames and/or lenses that don't fit properly. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: 1TB Lexar PLAY microSDXC UHS-I Card $64.95 - 3 days ago

rz, The SD card slot is one of the compelling reasons to choose an MBP 14" over an MBP 13". The ability to easily throw a high capacity SD card into it for extra storage is significant. It's one of the reasons I love my Early 2015 MBPr 13". I keep a SanDisk Ultra 1TB microSD card in it via a low-profile SD card adapter. It's been amazingly useful. Much better than having to carr

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: finances / retirement planning - 4 days ago

Matt, I use Moneydance for managing my personal finances. I also have Quicken. Both are solid programs. However, of the two, Quicken has far more support from financial institutions. I use both and can say I'm not concerned about people's dislike of Quicken in the past. The issue wasn't Quicken in itself. It was Intuit's horrible support for it on the Mac. Intuit is no longer a factor since it

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Hostage deal? - 5 days ago

Steve, In other words... Even with a hostage release arrangement, it's only a matter of time before Hamas breaks the cease-fire again. Note, why should Israel release a larger number of people than Hamas releases? If they are both going to release people be it hostages, prisoners, etc, isn't reasonable for _both__ sides to release the same number of individuals? Robert

by Robert M - 'Friendly' Political Ranting

Re: The Dividing Line: Pumpkin vs Sweet Potato - 5 days ago

mrbigstuff, Neither. To me they're both gross. 'course, neither are dessert. Like carrot cake, they're side dishes. 'course, the fact that I dislike pumpkin and sweet potato immensely means neither of them are welcome at any meals, let alone a holiday meal like Thanksgiving. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Moneydance on Two Computers? - 6 days ago

Graylocks, I should rephrase. I use one of their recommended methods of syncing across three different computers. It is their icloud method. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Moneydance on Two Computers? - 6 days ago

Graylocks, Infinite Kind actually recommends against putting the file into a cloud folder, i.e. icloud, Dropbox, etc. These are their recommended method of syncing: . . I use icloud syncing. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: (Open Box) Apple® USB SuperDrive CD/DVD External Drive - 6 days ago

Bernie, No deal even if it's a good price for an Apple model. Even discounted the Apple model is overpriced for its features and not definitely not as good as its competitors. Here's an example of a better unit for less money: Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: we have a go?!….tentative deal reached by Hamas on hostage release….. - 8 days ago

Newton, There is a hostage exchange. More fighting. Another hostage exchange. More fighting. Repeat until all hostages are released. Negotiate a cease-fire. Hamas will break the cease-fire at some point, just like they broke the already existing one on 10/7. War starts again. Yadda yadda yadda. Eventually, due to one small pissant, it'll turn into a huge war that may draw in countries far and

by Robert M - 'Friendly' Political Ranting

Re: Trump cases tossed - 9 days ago

Hi everyone, Interesting. The Constitution provides: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States . . . .” U.S. Const. art. I, § 2, cl. 1. Yet, the President is also a civilian since he/she isn't necessarily in the military. My take? I'm inclined t

by Robert M - 'Friendly' Political Ranting

Re: LaCie External HD question - 12 days ago

Lizabeth, Speaking as the owner of a company, if an employee asked me to refund him/her for the purchase of a drive he/she bought many years ago, my initial answer would be no. The reason is that it is on the employee to provide proof of purchase and ask for reimbursement in a timely manner. I say initial answer because part of the response depends on the relationship I have with the employ

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Credit card for your kid (to build good credit) - 12 days ago

MrBigStore, "as long as she pays off her student loans in a timely way (if any), and lands a job after school, she will not need to build up a credit score now." Nope. It's worth starting to build a credit history even at 18 years (and, to a degree, earlier). These sites sum it up well: <; Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Looking for thunderbolt dock for M2 Mini - 13 days ago

Mac, I've connected flash drives and self-powered devices to the Thunderbolt Hub. However, for an SSD, regardless of type, I'd stick to connecting them directly to the Mac. Although the docs provide powered ports, the old school computer user in me doesn't trust them to power devices of that nature. A flash drive, sure. Self-powered devices? Absolutely. bus-powered SSD? I can't do it. That it

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Looking for thunderbolt dock for M2 Mini - 13 days ago

Mac, I use this model from our sponsor with my 2019 iMAC 27": Rock solid. Note, it only provides Thunderbolt/USB-C ports and some USB A ports. No HDMI. No Ethernet. Nothing extra. Just some Thunderbolt/USB-C and USB A ports. You must be running Big Sur or newer to use it. Crazy as it sounds, I moved from Mojave to Monterey Just to be able to use this hub because it offered ex

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: ISO: Gillette Sensor Excel 3/Vector 3 'Sensitive' Blades..... - 13 days ago

Buzz, I understand. Just keep in mind, at some point, you might not have the option of the Sensor3 Excel blades, even from disposable models rather than containers of just cartridges. It's worth experimenting a little so you have a contingency plan in place. FWIW, I used the Sensor system for decades. It was my primary razor from the day Gillette introduced it until I made the switch to a D

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: ISO: Gillette Sensor Excel 3/Vector 3 'Sensitive' Blades..... - 14 days ago

Buzz, In my experience, there is no such thing as a decent quality gel. The closest to decent is Harry's gel. Others? Awful to mediocre. I'd definitely try a quality shaving cream. Some of my faves: Real shaving Co Shave Cream Proraso C.O. Bigelow Premium Shave Cream (available at Bath & Bodyworks or C.O. Bigelow itself, made by Proraso) Art of Shaving Unscented Kiss My Face Mois

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: ISO: Gillette Sensor Excel 3/Vector 3 'Sensitive' Blades..... - 14 days ago

Buzz, If lube on or adjacent to the blade is a concern then you need to reevaluate/reconsider the tools you're using when shaving. Lube/slickness is provided by a quality shaving cream, not what is on the strip of Sensor blades of any kind. I've found over the years quality shaving cream makes all the difference when shaving. What cream/soap/gel are you using when shaving? Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: Any experience with allergy drops? - 14 days ago

Matt, One thing to do before considering drops. Get retested to determine your level of reaction to allergens. My reasoning... The reaction to a given allergen might improve, stay about the same or get worse over time. In some cases, exposure to an allergen can result in a reaction that is so bad that an allergist will not test for it again or just refuse to test for it at all because of the d

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: ISO: Gillette Sensor Excel 3/Vector 3 'Sensitive' Blades..... - 14 days ago

Buzz, I hear you on the difficulty. It's one of the reasons I switched to a DE razor as my primary. Big variety of quality blades that are readily available. Dirt cheap, too. Maybe these will do the trick: FWIW, don't be afraid try Personna Tri-Flexx cartridges. I used them at one point and they were viable alternatives to varieties of the Sensor system. Personna (currently aka The R

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: SDHD card as back up? - 15 days ago

Hi everyone, I've never lost data on a SD Card or microSD. Not in a regular digital camera, dashcam or a surveillance cam. Can't say I'd use use one for primary backup but definitely nothing wrong in my experience using one as throw-away temporary storage or as a tertiary backup device. I keep a 1TB microSD chip in the SD card slot of my Early 2015 MBPr 13". It's used as throw-away sto

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: 30% Zenni lenses and coatings - 16 days ago

rgC, I wouldn't go near Zenni for glasses even if it was a discount of 80% or more. In addition to the major issues I had with them, with very few exceptions, every other person I know who ordered glasses from Zenni has problems with them. It ranges from lenses made incorrectly, i.e. not to the prescription or have a skewed optical center, lens features that don't work properly, i.e. photochro

by Robert M - Tips and Deals

Re: MyQ burning the bridge - 16 days ago

Mac, No need to hope. They exist: We've been using a GoGoGate2 for a very long time. Rock solid, despite some initial installation and configuration quirks. We used it at my office before we moved and brought it with us for the garage at our new location. Robert

by Robert M - Tips and Deals