It is extremely user-friendly.  Just click and type, drag stuff around, insert their images or your own and then order a small or large quantity.  I haven't tried all of their products, but I use their business cards a lot...not always just as business cards, though.  Sometimes I get a small amount that has my new address on them to send to friends who don't have email (yes, those people still exist) or if I have a temporary promo that I'm doing.  Their very inexpensive and I can create it in any way I want.

They want to get you hooked (like me) so they always seem to offer some small amount of stuff for free.  This gets you inside their site to play around with their user-friendly interface.  After you see how easy it is, you'll be certain to come back for more or...just maybe...blog about it

Click Here To Visit VistaPrint.com

This isn't geeky, but I couldn't resist.  This is the Hillshire Farm "Entree Salads" (sort of).

If you absolutely must have something geeky to take with you about this, then...um...i shot and posted in widescreen to see what it would look like compared to the other 4:3 ones.  made the button console much smaller after the flash video conversion (see right column about what i use to make this site).

]]> Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:53:22 -0400 http://groovyornot.com/archives/25-guid.html http://groovyornot.com/archives/23-NOT-Groovy!-HD-vs.-Blu-Ray-DVD-Players.html Entertainment http://groovyornot.com/archives/23-NOT-Groovy!-HD-vs.-Blu-Ray-DVD-Players.html#comments http://groovyornot.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=23 0 http://groovyornot.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=23 nospam@example.com (Admin) According to Electronic House magazine, at least 81% of tech-savvy consumers will not buy a proprietary dvd player for fear of one losing out over the other (rewind to BetaMax).

Do I buy the HD-DVD player or the Blu-Ray DVD player?  I've seen more ads lately for Blu-Ray but that doesn't mean it's winning (or going to).  Even the pc companies can't decide what to offer it's customers (for us custom-built consumers, that is).  I've been watching the quad core for a while and keep pricing on Alienware to watch the price drop and they are offering the Blu-Ray DVD drive as an upgrade option...for about $1000.00 (yikes!).  Not worth the risk yet (and of course the prices will drop quickly), but I'd rather drop that at the casino or slap on more memory

LG, however, has come out with a combo HD-BluRay dvd player that is getting decent reviews (read cnet.com's review here).  You can buy one at Best Buy Online, just type "BH100" in the search field.

If the above YouTube video doesn't work, then you can see it HERE.

I hate when companies release info about something that's totally awesome, only to find out that it's only available in Japan or isn't available at all to consumers (and no ETA on when it will). Regardless, I think the concept and implementation of the Philips Photonic Textiles is awesome. Of course, if it begins saturating the market we'll all grow to hate it fairly quickly as all of the additional advertising will be (even more) out of control.

These flash drives really gained momentum quickly. I put important files on my
Crucial Gizmo USB Flash Drive
and then put into my safety deposit box, in case there's ever a disaster at my home.

It works right out of the package without having to install anything (XP and Mac Mini tested only). Just put into your USB port and your computer reads it as a drive letter to copy files to or from. Works very well with both pc and mac and I use to to transfer files across the room without the nightmare of networking (I have a mac and pc in my office).

Click Here To View the Crucial Gizmo USB Flash Drive

I'm finding there are a few thing that I can't do on video (or it would simply be pointless). This is one of them. So, I'm not going to sweat future ones like this, as the crux of this site is definitely vlog over blog.

That said... WalMart today announced they are accepting pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii. I hope this aids in preventing the same holiday rush drama that the Xbox 360 experienced.

If you're a video gameaholic, Nintendo fan, or newbie wanting to get your start, this thing is going to be awesome!

Click Here To View and Pre-Order the Nintendo Wii.

A quality "all-in-one" (printer, copier, scanner, fax) machine is all you really need. Although my 2510 model isn't on the market anymore (nothing wrong with it, it's just what these people do....stop models from being produced to give them cooler sounding names and slight improvements I did find what appears to be its upgrade, called the HP Photosmart C4180 All-in-One Printer Scanner Copier. Notice, however that the fax has been removed.

It's probably safe to assume that there's no need for a fax now that people are learning how to scan, email, and print documents. I haven't used a fax in ages and it's usually only done now with companies who are still newbies to the ways of technology.

I've been happy with my all-in-one HP and have never had a second of trouble with it. Neither should you, since this is the area in which they excel. Yes, they've hit the computer market....but, like an eager 2nd grade boy, they cut in line. They merged with real computer companies (my first pc was a packard-bell) and then slapped their brand-name recognition on the emerging models and then learned from them. Not to take away from their brilliance, of course, as they truly do printers right (not to mention I use a tricked out HP desktop in my home office

But I digress. Get a quality (I repeat...quality) all-in-one to save space and get all your crap done effectively and efficiently.

Click Here To View the HP Photosmart C4180 All-in-One Printer Scanner Copier

Although I'm happy with all other Apple/Mac items I own (and this was simple to install), the Mac Bluetooth Mouse was an extreme dissapointment. It was so awful, I exchanged it under the assumption that the first one I received was faulty. Not the case. They both sucked.  As did their customer service (this was my first and only experience contacting their cust. svc. so I'm reserving further judment until the next time).

Back to the mouse.....It was as if nobody at Apple actually used it before putting it on the market. It has NO ease of movement across your monitor and getting it to any point on the screen was a very time-consuming task. It was so bad that I kept looking around thinking that I'd been "punked", only to find that I had...by Apple on this sucky item.

I'm not showing you in the video because when I did a test video it actually appeared as though I was faking (yes, this thing sucked so much even me watching my own video of my own movements seemed unreal), so I disconnected it and will be burying it in the back yard with all of my other dead mice (not really but I couldn't find a decent closing on this the first official "NOT GROOVY" on the site

HOWEVER...its companion product, the Mac Bluetooth Keyboard, works brilliantly...as do all of my other Mac products...so I'm not sure what went wrong at Apple on this one.

DO NOT Buy the Mac Bluetooth Mouse

]]> Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:00:00 -0500 http://groovyornot.com/archives/16-guid.html http://groovyornot.com/archives/19-Groovy-Pentax-Optio-550-Digital-Camera.html Cameras http://groovyornot.com/archives/19-Groovy-Pentax-Optio-550-Digital-Camera.html#comments http://groovyornot.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=19 0 http://groovyornot.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=19 nospam@example.com (Admin)

As you can tell, I'm an electronics and gadgets nut, so it stands to reason that people often check in with me to get my opinion on geek items Which digital camera to get is probably the most common question I'm asked...so here's my logic:

I own the Pentax Optio 550 5MP Digital Camera and I chose it for several reasons. It's lightweight so I don't feel the burden of carrying it around. It's 5MP (five megapixels) so I can take extremely high quality pics or just basic ones. It's a name brand I equate to quality camera hardware. It has a rechargeable battery and easily connects to my PC.

There are many other reasons too, but that's what most people need to determine for themselves, generally speaking and assuming that you just want a camera to work and not have to deal with a huge learning curve. Regarding the 5MP: yes, they have cameras out with 6MP, 7MP, and so on, but here's the 411 on that....you don't need any higher unless you've got money to burn. The only thing a higher MP is good for is if you're shooting photos that you want to make into a wall mural or side of a building. In a nutshell, the MP is really only noticeable when it's blown up to something mega-huge. Even for a poster, 5MP is more than adequate. As higher MP's become dirt cheap, it certainly won't hurt to get higher...but not right now. If you just want to print out 4x6, 8x10, etc. photos, then a 4 or 5 megapixel is groovy.

I happen to do higher end and fast-action amateur photos, so I'll be reviewing my other cameras on here soon.

Click Here To View the Pentax Optio 550 5MP Digital Camera

It's great when a computer is your friend and not your enemy. Altough I use my PC for everything else, I would never trade my Mac Mini for editing my videos. It's brilliant and extremely user-friendly and, unlike my very powerful PC, never crashes trying to edit video footage.

It comes with iMovie, the editing software, pre-installed and requires just a little playing around to learn.

As you can see in the video, it's mega-small and takes up no space. The Apple Cinema Monitor is both PC and Mac compatible, but is a separate purchase. Definitely the best monitor I've had to date.

The Mac Mini offers a combo-drive, which means that you can both play and record DVD and CD discs. The pre-installed software makes recording DVD's very easy after you've edited your video.

Do NOT get the Mac Bluetooth Mouse, however, as it is NOT groovy. Their Bluetooth Keyboard is a must-have, though.

Click Here To View the Mac Mini

After reading a CNET.com review about the Denon S-301 DVD/iPod Home Theater, I decided it was time to finally pick a system for my new tv.

I've never really had any use for an iPod (or anything requiring ear buds) since I don't like to have music playing in my ears when I'm out walking, driving, or whatever. I enjoy the sounds of the world when I'm out n' about. When I'm at home, however, is a different story. I play my music loud and often and demand a setup that's very user-friendly and allows me to blast without causing too many neighborly issues.

This system was a great choice. It's compatible with about every DVD, CD, image, and sound format that's out there currently and I don't have to deal with a bunch of speakers and wires (comes with two satellite speakers and one subwoofer that beats any 5.1 I've ever had to date). I even sprung for an optical digital cable and noticed a difference on my DVD's (no difference on my iPod, strangely).

Click Here To View the Denon S-301 DVD/iPod Home Theater

The Honeywell Touch-Screen Digital Thermostat was suggested to me by my heating guy, while we were attempting to weatherproof this 1963 house I'm remodeling. The turn-knob style is just too inefficient and not at all accurate, so he suggested this item as a remedy.

The Borg-green light is pretty cool and the touch-screen is awesome. I chose the option of the light staying on constantly, so I don't have to turn on a light to adjust a setting. You can read the tech specs yourself, but it's one of the most adaptive thermostats out there to just about any heating/ac system a home might have...so compatibility shouldn't be an issue. The original thermostat was for a one-stage furnace, but my furnaces is a two-stage furnace, so I noticed a drastic help after replacing with this model (and a drastic lowering of my gas bill!).

The programming options are extensive and very easy to do...mostly yes or no questions and then it does the rest. It allows you to program it to turn on/off throughout the day/night, as needed, although I haven't had a use for that feature yet since my hours are extremely inconsistent. A person or family on a fairly regular schedule will love this feature though and should notice the drop in the heating/ac bill. I noticed a drop in my bill and a more consistent temperature throughout my home after replacing my antiquated thermostat.

Click Here To View The Touch-Screen Thermostat

The Lutron Smart Dimmer with Remote is great for a sleek light switch and to accomidate the lazy man, like me! I can sit on my couch and control the lights with my remote control. This, accompanied with my Automatic Blinds, puts me on the road to becoming the laziest man in America

It's worked flawlessly in the three locations I've installed them in, so nothing more to really say about it. It's a dimmer with a wall switch and a remote control. I guess the only caveat is that this can't be used with fluorescent lighting (although I strongly encourage everyone to switch all light bulbs in their homes to compact fluorescent or LED's. I'll remain a bit hypocritical until they make a similar item for fluorescents, even if I have to install a new ceiling light).

Click Here to View the Lutron Smart Dimmer with Remote