General Recommendations on Everything

Car seat office chair

2011-10-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

A very long time ago I had built a racing simulator chair that could also be used as an office chair.

Version 1.0 yr. 2001

When my Mom had visited us in 2005, she loved sitting in that chair because it supported her back so well. Last year when I was having lower back pain and the new Ergo chair (replacing the Herman Miller Aeron) at work didn't help, I thought of building my office chair from a racing seat. Car racing seats have countless hours of research go into them to make them comfortable for long drives/races, so they would be perfect for day-long office jobs.
And so, I bought the seat from O'Reilly Parts local store for $150. Went to the local hardware store and created a frame to adapt it to a regular office chair casters. Here are results.

Version 2.0 2011

A few tools used

I have been using this chair for 6 months, full time at work and my back thanks me and I look cool in front of a computer, typing all day.

Save money and the Earth by using Cloth diapers

2010-03-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Money and environment saving Diaper experience(if you have your own washer at home, you can do this too):
Advantages:

Low risk of diaper rash
Probably cotton feels better to babies, and its more breathable that paper/plastic diaper.
Saves ~$80/mo. If wash at home. If using diaper wash service, it costs the same as disposables.
Very good for environmental footprint. Each disposable diaper takes about 500 yrs. to decompose. And each baby uses about 300-400 diapers/mo. ~= 3000-4000 diapers/yr.

CAUTION: Do not get ambitious and move straight from disposables to cloth diapers washing yourself. Take it one step at a time. Learn to cloth diaper using a diaper service and see if you like it. Then try washing them yourself.

Watch this video, its very easy: http://tinytots.com/ds/learntodiaper_boyvideo.html

Here is what we did and do now:
We ordered 4 wks. Of diaper service from www.tinytots.com because we didn’t know anything about diapering, let alone cloth diapering and washing. It cost us $88 for 4 wks. Of 80 diapers/wk. service. We became experts in using cloth diapers, but one week we found ourselves short on supply, so we had to wash a few on our own. So I read up: http://www.zany-zebra.com/wash-cloth-diapers.shtml and tried once. I found that our 5 yo. Washer had an option where we could configure the entire cycle and let it run for 3 hrs. I use the following options: Sanitary wash, pre-wash, stain cycle, extra rinse and heavy soil. I add baking soda in the pre-wash compartment and use a small amount of seventh generation detergent and vinegar in the softener compartment. 3 hrs. later I put them in the dryer and bingo, fresh, clean stain-free diapers ready for re-use.
After this I did a few things:
Ordered 6 doz. factory-seconds Diaper-service-quality 4X8X4 from clothdiaper.com http://www.clothdiaper.com/PRODUCTS/Factory-Seconds_2 appx. $70
Cancelled the diaper service
Ordered snappi clips (you need about 2 to hold the diaper), diaper doublers (for nighttme extra absorbency) and fleece liners and flushable, disposable diaper liners. The flushable diaper liners will contain solid waste when he starts eating solids. The idea is to flush the soiled liner in the toilet and wash the diaper just like the non-solid-food only times.
Also ordered 6 doz. 4X8X4 bigger diapers for 15lb-35 lbs baby.

So now, I'm all set to save appx. $1000-2000 in the next 2 yrs. Hopefully, you can save too and maybe also tell your family and friends about your experience.

Special thanks to Kasturi, who gave us the courage to use Cloth diapers.

Should you install a Water Softener? If yes, which one?

2010-01-24T01:36:00.000-08:00

Recently, we installed a Water softener at our San Francisco Bay area home. The result: Lets just say, the wife is impressed.
Benefits of soft water:

Nice lather in shower with soap and shampoo.
No more white spots on dishes from the dishwasher
No more white spots in the bathroom faucets, shower walls and sinks.
Skin and hair feels soft after shower. Also, no need to shampoo every day.
Wife says, it has reduced her hair-loss.
Laundry comes out nice and soft. No more additional softener needed.

Once you use soft water you will be a fan of a water softener for life.

After researching a lot, I figured that Fleck brand is among the top softener makers in the business. They have the econominder line which has a programmable valve which runs the regen cycle based on usage. While looking at Fleck model, I found that Clack brand is new in business (8-10 yrs.) but equally reliable and also it seems that maintenance does not require any special tools like the Fleck does. Also, Clack has a water & salt saving model called the ProSoft1. So I bought the Clack ProSoft1 with 40,000 grain capacity from Quality Water Treatment. They seem to have the best package price and customer support. For us it serves a 4 adult + 1 baby household with no problem and needs to run a regen cycle about every 15 days.

Dont worry too much about the grain capacity as you can upgrade the grain capacity later by buying more resin. The hardware and unit is the same.
Cost: about 46 gallons/15days. 12-14lbs salt. We use Potassium salt which is about $15/40lb bag vs Sodium salt which is about $4/bag.

How Water Softener works

Solatube Skylights installation

2009-10-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Installing skylights can be one of the most face-lifting and energy saving modification you can do. Traditional skylight installation is very invasive, very labor intensive (hence expensive), sucks heat out in winter and brings heat in summer.
Tubular skylights solves all of these problems because:

It needs one hole in the ceiling drywall and one hole in the roof. No structural rafter cutting is necessary.
Each skylight can be installed start to finish within 1.5-2 hrs. if you are okay using a few power tools and can walk on the roof.
Energy star skylights bring in light without transferring heat from inside or outside.
Solatube skylights bring in about 30% more light because they use hard tubes with elbows instead of soft dryer vent like tubes.

I installed 5 Solatube skylights: 3 X 14" and 2X 10". 4 of them are fitted with the bulb option and 2 of them (TV room and bedroom) are fitted with the dimmer option.

Use the following instructions in conjunction with the supplied installation instructions that come with your solatube. I have purposely skipped steps that are very well described in the installation instructions. Use the following at your own risk.

Assemble the Light kit in the tube:

Find the rafters near the desired location in the ceiling

Cover the ceiling after drilling a hole through the center of the desired location and pushing an aluminum coat hanger wire.

Go to the attic and locate the coat hanger wire and cut out the circle based on the size suggestion in the installation manual.

Find the roof location that is vertically above the ceiling hole center and drive a nail through the ceiling. Mark a circle by placing the flashing centering the nail with carpenter's crayon.

This is how it looks with the top dome installed. This is a temporary install as my roof was planned to be replaced right after I did this.

I repeated the above steps 5 times throughout the house.

Roofers ripping out roof.

Bare roof:

Roof shingles delivered

Roof almost done

Solatube domes on new roof installed

Assemble the Spectralight Infinity reflective tubes

Put on protective clothing and mask to prepare for attic work.

Install the connecting tubes according to instructions so that you connect the top dome with the ceiling opening.

Now the results:
BEFORE:

AFTER:

With dimmer

No more need for turning on lights during the day. And these tubes are Energy star qualified so the count towards Federal Tax credit of 30% upto $1500 if installed in 2009/2010.
Other Links:
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2008/08/16/daylighting-systems-a-solatube-installation-review/
http://news.cnet.com/Solatube-brings-daylight-indoors/2100-11392_3-6167223.html
http://www.ebuild.com/articles/961741.hwx

"I want to buy a beginner's SLR to take pictures of my kids. Which one should I buy?"

2008-12-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

This holiday season I am repeatedly getting this question from people around me. "I want to buy a digital SLR. I dont know much about taking pictures. I just want to take photos of my kids. Which camera should I buy?"

Let me start by saying that buying an SLR camera is quite different from buying a popular point'n'shoot to just click, click, click, upload, share, repeat. If you don't have time to learn the very very basic principles (f-stop + ISO + shutter speed = Exposure) of picture taking, then you would just be wasting your money by buying an SLR kit available on sale at your local retail store for an "awesome deal". This is based on personal experience. I used my Canon rebel XT Kit as a point'n'shoot for about a year before I woke up and took control of my pictures.

First things first. You need to answer 2 questions first. What will you use your camera for? What is your starting budget?

Most people use a camera to take people pictures. It is certainly the most popular kind of photography. So I'll assume that the most common answer for the first question is "Kids pictures, playing, partying etc..".

For budget, let me set 2 price points: $600-1000 and $1000+.
Initial disclaimer: I have reasonable first hand knowledge of Canon Lenses & bodies. I have extremely limited knowledge about Nikon or Pentax or other brands.

Now that we have set our budget and subject lets take a few moments to get familiar with a few basic concepts. I'll barely touch on these. You can get detailed info and lessons from the books that I have mentioned in my previous post.
When a camera clicks, it creates an exposure on digital sensor or film. An exposure comprises of 3 factors, we'd like to call the "Golden Triangle", Aperture (f-stop), Shutter speed and ISO (originally known as film speed, but now digital sensor sensitivity). Lets imagine an exposure to be a bucket that needs to be filled with water. In that case the size of the bucket is determined by the "light meter" (all new cameras have one built-in). The light meter determines how much light is available in a particular scene. Now in order to fill this bucket you can use different sizes of hose which will determine how long you will have to hold the hose to fill the bucket. So let say we have X amount of total light available in a scene. This X can be used to create an exposure in a variety of ways by varying the 3 factors, ISO, aperture & shutter speed.
e.g.
ISO 100, f/4, 1/500sec. = X
ISO 200, f/4, 1/1000 = X (notice double ISO, half the time)
ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/1000 sec. = X (notice double the aperture opening, half the time)

{f-stop go in this order(smaller the number, bigger the opening): f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32 and so on}
All the above setting will yield different kinds of photos though. If you can only remember a few things then here are the cram notes:

Higher the ISO, worse the noise and color saturation. So start with the lowest ISO setting first. Increase the ISO only when other options are not available.
Bigger the Aperture (smaller the f-number), smaller the depth-of-field i.e. more blur background.
Faster the sutter speed, less motion blur. Sometime motion blur is desirable other times not.

Now, coming to our favorite subject: Fast moving restless kids. Most of the times we find the kids indoors running around in low light. This means you need a lens with a BIG maximum aperture(a.k.a Fast Lens) like f/1.4, f/2.8 etc. Since I know about Canon lenses, I'd recommend a few lenses in this category:

Canon EF f/1.4 50mm USM (appx. $250 used)
Canon EF f/2.8 100mm USM MACRO (appx. $350-450 used)
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD ($250 used)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM L ($800-900 used)
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM ($800-900 used)

Some of my portrait pictures taken with a combination of the first 4 lenses above are here.

Canon lens and equipment reviews site.

note: Good quality Lenses in good scratch free condition do not loose their value, so if you buy used you can sell for the same price and not loose any money.

Read my experience with Canon lenses here.

Dont be scared of fixed focal length a.k.a prime lenses. For the money, fixed lenses are very fast, very sharp and very reliable. Use your feet to zoom in and out. Most people freeze when looking through the viewfinder. Please dont. Use your feet to move around, it will reward you immensely.

You can find similar spec lenses in Nikon, Pentax, Leica etc..
Once you have decided on your lens, check what brand of camera it fits on. Canon lenses fit on Canon camera bodies, Nikon on Nikon, Petax on Pentax and so forth.
Let me take the Canon path again, you know why.
For Canon bodies, I'd recommend getting a camera body with a self-cleaning sensor like a Rebel XTi (~$450 used), XSi or a 40D (~$650 used), 50D, if you intend to use more than one lens on the camera and switch lenses quite a lot. If you think you will be using one lens or will be changing lenses occasionally indoors, then you can get away with using a Rebel XT or 30D. Using an older model like Rebel XT(~$350 used) or 30D (~$450 used) can save you a few hundred $$ to invest in a better lens. Main difference between the Rebel line vs the x0D line is that the Rebel line is a consumer grade plastic body whereas the 30D, 40D, 50D have magnesium alloy body. Also, the higher the price/quality of the body, the better the high-ISo performance.

e.g. combinations
30D + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 ~= $750
40D + Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 ~= $1550
40D + Canon 100mm f/2.8 ~= $1100

I am personally biased towards the Menu and Button system of Canons. I have a Nikon Coolpix E5700 and found that I had to read the Manual in great detail to figure out some functionality. But that maybe just because I am much more familiar with Canon menus and have read many of those over the past few years.

For more detailed comparisons lookup DP Review.

A few things that I know about Pentax & Nikon.
Pentax K10D, k20D has Image Stabilizer built in the body, which makes every lens an image stabilized lens, regardless of its age. In contrast, Canon & Nikon make a whole bunch of money by selling Image Stabilization(IS)/Vibration Reduction(VR) with each lens.
Nikon D40 & D40x that sells in Costco these days for real cheap. In my opinion, these are missing one of the most important features Auto-Exposure bracketing (AEB). You will look for this feature when you will want to do some "insurance-shots" or High Dynamic Range(HDR). We'll explore these terms in a future article.
Also, Nikon just released the D90 which also takes HD video, but you pay for it dearly. With a good lens, you will probably end up around $2K.

At the end of the day, what matters the most is how familiar you are with your camera that you bought and how to use that knowledge in composing the best pictures. So remember, Creative Composition and Knowledge will give the biggest improvements to your photos. Also, I highly recommend you check out the pictures that can be taken with any camera on Flickr.

Also, I recommend you set aside some budget for a good camera bag like the Lowepro Slingshot, a good sturdy tripod for Landscape and low light still shots. You might also want to have spare batteries and at some point get a Battery grip which helps fps of continuous action shots, makes portrait shooting easier and of course gives huge numbers of shots before changing batteries.

Hope this helped without confusing the heck out of you. Until next time...

Dont forget to check my photos on flickr

My Canon Lens upgrade history and lessons learnt

2008-08-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

We all grew up with the knowledge that "Photography is an expensive hobby". In the film photography world, it is more true than in the digital world. The majority of the expense in Film photography came from the recurring cost of each frame shot. Somewhere I read that each frame cost about 22c. So if every time you'd want to click a shot, you'd have to think if it was worth the 22 cents. Now in the digital world most of the cost is up front with getting the Digital camera and the right lenses for it. You dont have to worry about paying for every worthless frame you shoot as an experiment or practice. That is a huge advantage for folks who want to learn to main skill in photography : "Art of Composition".
In 2005 I sold my Nikon N70 Film camera and started with a Canon Rebel XT body, 18-55mm Kit lens and a Canon f/4.5-5.6 75-300mm USM lens. Since I had no technical knowledge about photography, I kept taking mediocre pictures most of the time with a few accidental good ones.
At one point I got frustrated and decided to make good pictures happen by intention and not by accident. Since then I have done many things to improve my photos that I would love to share with everyone.
Let me start by equipment.
I will try to outline my journey from a Film SLR to a Digital SLR to a 20 lb Photo equipment bag.
I read a few guides on eBay (one here) about the right cheap lens upgrades. So I decided to test the waters and see what the lens upgrade from kit lens and cheap zoom lens would do for me. I sold my 18-55mm kit lens ($60 appx. net) and replaced with with a Canon EF 20-35mm USM and 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 USM MACRO. Then I replaced the 75-300mm (sold at appx. $150) with the 100-300mm 4.5-5.6 USM. At this point my Lens expense was at around $700 (-$210 sold lenses). I also wanted to experience the fun ofa prime fast lens. So I got the Canon Ef 50mm f/1.8. I decided to supplement the equipment upgrade with some reading too. i looked online and found 2 complete free books which gave me a headstart.
Digital Photography Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks
50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques
Then I made the trip to India with this knowledge and equipment. This resulted in quite a bit of visible improvement. Flickr Albums

Well, after this with a lot of compliments from friends and family, I got addicted to this. Next I started eyeing the "L" line of Canon lenses. So it was time to swap out the 100-300mm with the reasonably priced Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM. It can be had on Craigslist or ebay for around $450-500 in used/mint condition. I found one and took the plunge. The taste of an "L" lens is like tasting fine wine. It is super addictive and I was hooked. Next was to swap out the 20-35mm for the Canon EF 17-40mm USM f/4 L. It sells used for around $500-600. Now I needed to standard range 28-105mm upgrade, but the 28-105mm f/4 L is some $900+ used. So I looked for alternatives and found excellent reviews for the Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm Aspherical Di XR LD MACRO. It usually sells for around $250-300 used. So I was all set for the zooms but the Canon EF f/1.8 is such a thrill to shot with that I wanted to upgrade the 50mm to a fast USM lens. So I sold the f/1.8 and got the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM.
Then one fine day, I thought that the 100mm f/2.8 USM MACRO was pretty cool lens, so I bought that one too. Now I was carrying 5 lenses with me, so I thought of consolidating a few. So decided to part with 3 of my favorite lenses to finance the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. check out the images with this lens here.
Oh, while I was swapping in and out these lenses, I sold my Rebel XT for a 30D (saved money from 40D). Brand lenses like Canon and Nikon retain their value very well, but electronics like camera bodies dont. So be careful while keeping up with the latest camera bodies.

Thats one side of the story so far. I will post another story about the books that I have read so far. Until next time....

How to Quickly improve your Photos

2008-07-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

My other photos: Flickr: Photos & Video from StartingOut

Follow-up material:
1. I started with these. Fully accessible online. No need to buy these.
http://www.photoworkshop.com/photo101/fast50
http://www.photoworkshop.com/photo101/simplified

2. I recommend buying the following 3-4 books (used is fine)

http://www.amazon.com/Photography-Art-Seeing-Perception-Workshop/dp/1552636143/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216672645&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=pd_sim_b_3
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photography-Book-Scott-Kelby/dp/032147404X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216517920&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-See-Creatively-Composition-Photography/dp/0817441816/ref=pd_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216672645&sr=8-6

They are thin books with lots of pictures.

Best DVD player for your HDTV until the HD/BD war is over

2007-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Its been years I've been looking for a DVD player that would output the highest resolution that my trusty old Sony 36XBR450 (which does not have HDMI input) can take, which is 1080i. Comcast cable gave me 1080i why not DVDs? I am reluctant to buy Blu-ray/HD-DVD players because they do not output 1080i/720p through component video. The HDCP standard kind of pulled the rug from underneath the component video input standard, leaving us early HD adopters high and dry. Due to this HDCP standard, no copyrighted DVD can output HD upscaled resolution through Component, only HDMI.

Recently I discovered 2 DVD players that can potentially upconvert standard DVDs to 720p/1080i. One was Helios H4000 (out of the box, upconvert to 1080i through component video) and Oppo DV-970HD (needs a download very easy hack of firmware). The Helios H4000 does not play DVD-A or SACD so I picked the Oppo digital.

I am replacing my Sony DV-NS715P dvd player with this one. This one has everything I could want from a DVd player short of HD/Bluray. I am an AV enthusiast and have about 10K invested in my HT over the past 6 years.

This DVD player can be made to output 720p/1080i through component video and can be made region free using some hacks that you can use your favorite search engine for. And these dont even void the warranty :)

Support staff is very very knowledgeable and friendly and based right here in Mountain View.

The firmware is upgradeable using very simple process and they publish fixes and improvements very regularly.

I love it. I have compared the 480p output vs the 1080i on my Sony XBR 36" HD CRT and its has a very noticeable difference. The upscaling is done really really well.

I love it. I am now set with a DVD player until the HD-DVD/Blu-ray war is over and until the Plasma/LCD TVs are capable of matching the picture quality of a HD CRT set. That will be another 3-5 years maybe.

Home Audio Video System. The lowdown.

2007-05-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
Its been a very very long time since my last post. Been busy and relatively out of inquiries from you folks.
So recently I have been getting a lot of questions about which big screen TV and what audio gear to go with it. So here is a quick summary of tons and tons of online and expensive first hand research.

So you have saved up around $2k +/- for a big screen TV. Now you are looking at Ads and wonder why the heck is a LCD TV more expensive than the Plasma for the same size and how does one LCD brand differ from the other. I am not going to get into details but here are some quick true statements:

As of this time May 2007, no flat screen TV LCD or PLASMA can compete in picture quality (contrast, sharpness and smoothness) with a conventional hi-def CRT TV. e.g. Sony 36XBR400 etc. This is because of the technology. Downside of CRT, bulk and screen size limitation. So lets get the CRT out of the comparison here.

LCD pixels take too much time to refresh to display fast moving pictures. Plasma does not have refresh rate problems. So fast moving pictures like sports and action movies appear better. The faster the refresh rate, the more expensive it gets.
Black level of LCD are not that high. So black is not completely black. The blacker the black on the LCD TV the higher the price. Plasma TVs generally have much blacker blacks and bright pictures than LCDs.
Plasma TVs on the other hand are heavier than LCDs and consume more electricity and generate more heat. Its slowly improving as the technology is getting better.
Generally Plasma TVs start out big like 48-50" and start getting bigger. LCDs start at really small like Computer monitors and grow bigger as the price goes up. Just a very rough comparison, a 42" Samsung LCD probably costs the same as a 50" Panasonic plasma.
LCD TVs act as computer monitors very well. 1080p LCD Tvs can display 1980X1080 resolution computer. Currently 1080p Plasmas are way outside the $2k budget range. And frankly, LCD needs higher resolutions like 1080p because it does not display lower resolutions very well. e.g. ever tried stretching a low res online video to bigger size? You see all the big pixels, thats how LCD shows low res picture. Plasma TVs displays lower res much better.

Here is a quick comparison between TV resolution in terms of computer resolution:
480i/480p - 640X480
720p - 1280 X 720
1080i/1080p - 1920X1080

Layman's term: p for progressive is better and more expensive than i for interlaced. Easy way to remember, p is much later in the alphabet so its greater.

Some quick brand checks:
LCD: Sony Bravia, Sharp Aquos, Samsung, Bang for the buck - Westinghouse.
Plasma: Pioneer ($$Elite$$), Panasonic, bang for the buck-Vizio(getting good reviews).

Some concerns with Plasma:

Screen burn-in. Used to be a problem in early Plasma's when static picture was left on, but most TV's now come with screensavers and also technologies liek pixel shift to prevent burn-in.
Plasma's contrast life. Not so much of a problem. A plasma will get down to half its contrast in some 10-15 yrs. By then you will be ready for the next gen TVs.

Another great article comparing LCD to Plasma. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6463_7-5023901-3.html

Now that you got a Big TV what about Sound?

Do not skimp on sound when you spent a fortune on Video. Evenly divide your budget in sound and video. Preferably, stay away from Tv models that boast BIG speaker features and Tuner etc. Lets face it, you'll always have a separate sound system and you'll always have a Sat/Cable TV receiver. So look at professional models that are barebones also called "Monitor".

If you have spent $2k on TV spend at least $1500-2000 on sound system. It a whole new topic, but check out Magnolia Hi-Fi or even some other audio specialty local stores.
Quick definitions:
Receiver = Pre-Amp/pre-processor + Amplifier
A receiver receives al the signals from your components and outputs the amplified signals to your speakers and Monitor/TV. Pre-Amp/Pre-Processor does the electronic processing of the signals and amplifier only amplifies.

Subwoofer plays the low frequencies like Cello, Drums, explosions, earthquakes etc. It also gives depth to any stereo music you listen to.

Center channel speaker is for dialogues in movies and TV.

Surround speakers are for rare movie effects like door knocks, phone rings or bullets whizzing. Don't spend a fortune on these.

Some brands that you cant go wrong with (not listing very high-end brands):
Amplifiers/pre-Amps: Rotel, Sunfire
Receiver: Marantz, Sunfire, Rotel
Speakers: B&W, Martin Logan, Paradigm. Monitor Audio
Subwoofer: Sunfire, Velodyne, REL

You can save a Ton of money on audio equipment by buying used from sites like www.eBay.com and www.audiogon.com Audio equipment usually doesn't get old or wear out like TVs or cars so you can literally save 50% and up if you get the right equipment used. For example, You can get a Marantz 125WX7 channel Receiver SR8500 (Refurb from authorzied reseller www.accessories4less.com) for ~$700 or 105WX7 SR7500 for ~$550. And you can get a Pair of floorstanding speakers Used in very good condition for $1000-1300 (matching/blending surround and center channel can be added for $800-1000 total). There is a huge difference between a Home theatre in a Box receiver saying 100WX7 (some lies and number fudging) and a audiophile receiver saying 105WX7 so be careful. For almost all Music and most HT uses the good front channels are sufficient to fill the room.

And last but not the least, Speaker cables and audio video interconnects. Your setup is only as good as the weakest link. So don't skimp on cables. Rule of thumb: Spend at least 10% of audio equipment on audio cables and 10% of TV price on video cables. Good cables make a huge difference. So if your AV system cost $4000 spend at least $400 on cables. Look on eBay and audiogon for used cables at very low prices. They do not wear out so used is as good as new.

And hey, this final piece of equipment is not even optional. Its mandatory. A good quality surge protector/Power conditioner like Monster HTS800/950/1000/2600/3600/5100 or Belkin PF40/50/60 or Panamax 4300/5100/5300. These protect all the money you put in the AV setup and also cleans the AC power of noise for better audio and video performance and life. All of them come with $100000+ connected equipment warranty (if bought from authorized dealer). Good insurance.

Audio Video is a huge huge topic. This was just a primer and appetizer. Maybe I'll post more based on further inquiries by you folks.
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT GO OUT AND BUY SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE I MENTIONED IT HERE. READ REVIEWS CAREFULLY, WATCH/LISTEN, SHOP AND THEN BUY. AND DONT BLAME ME.

Protect America security system contract SCAM!

2006-08-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Protect America's contract agreement states that you have to notify them in writing via USPS mail or certified mail at least 60 days before the end of 2/3 yr. contract term, OTHERWISE they will automatically renew it for one year at the same rate of $29.95/$34.95.
I know its a legal SCAM but its still a SCAM banking on people's 2/3 yr. long term memory.

SO IF YOU ARE THINKING OF SIGNING UP WITH PROTECT AMERICA OR ARE ALREADY A CUSTOMER, MAIL YOUR CANCELLATION NOTICE (with end of contract date) to:

Protect America Inc.
5100 N IH-35 Suite B,
Round Rock, TX 78681.

Also check: http://www.centraltx.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=44024&language=1

Monitoring only services are available at $8.95/mos. from websites like http://monitoring.homesecuritystore.com/

I found out the hard way, you shouldnt have to.

Good Honda/Acura/Toyota Mechanic

2005-07-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

My personal experience. the guy's name is John. The shop is Honda Acura of Campbell on hwy-17 exit of San Tomas. He recently opened his own shop after working at various dealers for 15 yrs.. Very honest and nice clean job.
I got my 4 struts replaced; I bought the parts from ebay and he put them in for his labor charge. He did not complain one bit.
Also, I got the rear brake job done at an extremely reasonable price. The price was so good that it made it not-worth for me to do it myself.

Very trustworthy guy. I found him through referral from the motorcycle forum.

Destinator GPS software Review..

2005-04-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

First of all, EVERYONE should have a GPS system, rather Every loving husband/boyfriend should buy their wife/girlfriend a GPS. If you have that PDA that you bought some time back and played with it for a few days and never used it again, put it to good use by turning it into a GPS system. (If you dont have a PDA, you can easily get a Dell Axim with Bluetooth and 80211b wireless for under $200 if you try some coupons etc. through www.deals2buy.com ) You can convert a PDA into GPS within $200 including receiver, software, car mounting kit and shipping. This low price is only if you don't mind some visible wires on the dash of your car. Here are some examples with some of the well known GPS softwares.
1. Destinator Bundle (software reviewed here) rating 90% since the roundabout problem is not relevant in version 3.0.75
2. TomTom bundle for PocketPC or Palm (software reviewed here) rating 86%
3. OnCourse Navigator bundle ( software reviewed here) rating 88%

Of course you can pay some $20-30 more to get rid of those dangling wires by going either CompactFlash or bluetooth route. HAiCOM has made some really cool modular receivers which can be used in wired, CF or bluetooth mode. Read about it here

So now let me write about my complaints for Destinator, since I am using it personally everyday. Don't get me wrong, it is a great software just like the reviews say and it has never got me lost or misdirected.

1. One of the first that comes to mind is U-turn. Although it knows about u-turns, if the divider of the road is too wide like for a lite-rail or just trees, it wants you to make "left turn followed by left turn".

2. Once is a while the voice and the map do not agree with each other. The map shows, I have to go straight and turn right, whereas the voice told me turn left. This has happened to me only once on John Daly Blvd. in Daly City.

3. One of my requirements was to be able to record a route traveled and then upload it to the PC and be able to view them, analyze them etc.. Although its not needed for everybody, its just a cool thing to have. The only software that does that is Garmin's MapSource City Select. But this software only works on PalmOS, and I'm not sure if they sell the software separately who do not have iQue.

4. Destinator Community. There is no Destinator Community in North America. There certainly is a website for them but no members. Its dry. There is a way to update the points of interest using POIEdit & POISync.

5. Destinator doesn't work too well with my receiver in the CF mode. Every time I turn it off, and turn it on again, Destinator finds the com port busy. So I have to disconnect the expansion pack and the receiver and plug them in one by one and keep trying to "Set GPS" in Destinator's GPS settings screen. Very annoying. This does not happen at all when using it in the serial mouse mode or the bluetooth mode.

6. It has a "avoid roads" feature but, it does not let you avoid a portion of the road. e.g. if you want to avoid a section of the Highway that has a traffic jam. To get around this, you should first take the detour away from traffic and then let Destinator keep re-routing to your destination.

7. It does not tell you ahead of time which side of the road your destination will be. Once you get there, it shows on the map e.g. #1155 of left side, #1156 on the right side. But you can be assured that if you needed to make a U-turn to get to your destination on the other side of the road, D3 would have made you do that before it would say "You have arrived at your destination.".

Finally, no overall complaints about getting me from point A to point B to point C. It wont get you lost unlike some other softwares out there.

I am just pointing out the annoyances of Destinator since that is the software I am using after scouring through pages and pages of software reviews. Another software I'd like to try would be CoPilot Live 5. It has raving reviews everywhere but it costs twice the price of all the above softwares mentioned.

I wanted 3 things from my GPS system.

Portability from one vehicle to next including my motorcycle. (Solved)
Ability to pick addresses from Outlook contacts. (Supported by D3)
Ability to record the traveled route and print it out as JPEGs. (Not supported by D3). They could easily add it, I guess. It already lets you record and playback on the PDA itself.

Home loan terms and meanings

2005-04-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

ARM, points, closing costs, negative points, zero closing costs, balloon payments, PMI etc.... As if life was not complicated enough before hearing all these terms. You can do google search on these terms and go through pages and pages of explanation. Let me just summarize the info for you.

ARM = Adjustable rate mortgage. e.g 3/1, 5/1, 7/1. The first number is the number of years the rate is going to be fixed for you. The second number represents the interval at which you rate will be revised. If your 5/1 ARM rate is 5.5% that means, you will pay 5.5% interest for 5 years. At the end of 5 years you rate will be revised based on the economic conditions and will keep getting revised at a yearly interval after that. i.e. if you do not sell or refinance before that.

Fixed rate: 15 yr, 20 yr. 30 yr. fixed. These rates are usually higher than the ARM because the lender is saying that "I will absorb the rise and fall of economy for the next 30 yrs. for you, in lieu of a small increase in the interest rate." So you have a fixed interest rate forever.

Typically, people in America live in the same house for an average of 5 years. People either sell, upgrade, move, downgrade etc. for various reasons. That is why paying higher interest rates for a virtual security does not make much sense. Whay pay high rates for 30 yr. fixed if you know that you are either gonna refi. or sell in the next 5-7 yrs.. Rule of thumb says, 5/1 ARM is a safe bet because, 3/1 is too aggressive or risky and 7/1 is too safe. Also, they say, plan to live in the same house for at least 5 years. This way you can usually ride out the lows in the market if any.

You can read further on various websites. www.bankrate.com is quite useful. Here is another nice link.

There is also something called balloon payment. Which means they give you a lower rate based on the assumption that at the end of the period you will make a big payment to pay off the remaining balance. Thats a whole new story.

As for points, let me put it in simple words. You buy down your interest rates. One point is equal to 1% of the loan value. So if you pay point you are paying the lender that much money up front, so that they give you a lower rate overall. Its a math game. All you have to figure out is how long do you think you will keep the loan. Do you think you will be able to recover the cost of paying up front through the difference in monthly payments? One thing to note is, points are tax deductible, whereas most other closing costs are not.
Negative points or zero closing cost loans are the reverse concept. They will give you money back, either in the form of cash or credit towards closing costs, in lieu of higher interest rate. Its all about, who want to take more risk.

Pre-payment penalty. Some loans come with a PPP. This means, that the lender had expected a certain amount of income from you over a period of time. If you pay off the loan too early, the lender is offended and wants you to pay a penalty. Avoid it like the plague. Well.. maybe sometimes you just cant avoid it. The offer might be too lucrative to pass. Also beware, even no PPP loans have a hidden clause for 3/4 mos. PPP, which seams reasonable to me. Its basically saying that "Hey we did all this up front work in expectation of interest income from you and now you are ditching me within 3 mos. for another lender?"

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI): Lenders want you to insure the loan if the down-payment is less than 20%. But look theres a loophole as big as the Pacific ocean. Usually the second loan in the form of secured credit (credit card like HELOC or 2nd mortgage) takes care of that 20% clause, so you dont have to worry about the PMI. And after you close your loan dont forget to regularly trash those junk mail asking you to buy PMI.

This article is already too long... Let me wrap up quickly..
The biggest chunk of closing costs for a loan is the title insurance. In my personal opinion title insurance is one of the biggest legal scam that is going on right now. It is a way for the title company to gouge money from you. They say, its an insurance against any problems with the title of the house. Well, in that case it should really go with the house... But no it goes and stays with the lender, I think and this fee has to be paid fresh every time you finance/refinance the house.

Until next time....

Car maintenance again..

2005-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

I have received quite a few requests to talk about regular car maintenance. So here you go..

Part 1:
1. Do oil changes regularly. every 3000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first. Pick the cheapest option of oil and filter every time. Some places as low as $10. Frequent cheap oil changes are much healthier for your car than using premium synthetic oil once in 6000+ miles. Its like eating at an expensive restaurant every weekend and starving on weekdays. Eating healthy food everyday is better, right? And "all Oil filters are creted equal(inside)" with paper. They all have paper filters inside. What makes the difference in cost is the box, the color, the grip type and brand name. My auto teacher showed us the insides of 3 differently priced filters, all made up of the same paper filter inside.

2. Do not pay extra for the "Top off all fluids" service. That is simply throwing away money and buying headache in the long run. Topping off Fluids like windshield wiper fluid is fine, but brake fluid, coolant, oil? BAD. Why?

Low coolant means there is a leak in the cooling system. Coolant only circulated in a sealed circuit inside the engine. If it get low, you have aproblem. By topping it off you are hiding the symptom.
Low brake fluid means, some or all of your brake pads/rotors need to be checked for proper thickness and replaced if necessary. Topping it off means, hiding the symptom.
Low oil means, engine is burning or leaking oil somehow. Again, hiding symptom.

When would you keep topping off coolant & oil? When you know that your car leaks coolant and/or oil and you just want to run the car everyday and it is simply not worth it to fix the problem. Sometimes, oil/coolant leaks fixes can mean huge overhaul. At that point its simply not worth it. At that point, either keep gallon cans of coolant-water mix and/or oil in the trunk and fill as and when needed. When the car wont run anymore, just walk away... or donate it to get some tax break. Coolant cools and oil lubricates the engine. As long as you always have enough in the engine to go around, you will be fine... assuming they are leaks and not floods.

Part 2:
30K, 60K etc. maintenance. Highly recommended but be smart about it. Check your owner's manual or manufacturer website for the details of these services. e.g. I have signed up at the Honda Owner's link, where I get a ful list of things that need to done at each service. Most of these include:
1. Oil & Filter change
2. Air filter replacement if necessary
3. Spark plug replacement if necessary
4. Check this, check that..e.g. battery load test, brake wear, tire rotation, tire wear...

Air filter replacement is really easy. Most of the cars' air filters are easily accessed by undoing 4 clips. A filter costs less than $5.
Spark plug replacement is really easy and worth it. I bought Bosch split fire platinum +4 plugs for $6 each. And I noticed my engine starting crank reduced to 2 rotations. Layman's terms "eeehk eeekh vrooom.. thats it." To replace the spark plugs all you need is a spark plug socket, and extender and a ratchet. Ratchet is usually part of all basic toolkits. The spark plug socket & extender should not cost you more than $15 together.

The more you can get done separately, the more you can save in the full service. I always found itemizing to be cheaper, if you want to go through the time and effort. If you dont care, just take the car to dealer and let them do their crappy service for the premium price.

Major services like Timing belt (along with coolant pump) are extremely important. Get it done at a reliable shop.

Bye bye...Until next time.

Drive Safe. Drive Smart.

Buying double pane windows from Allbrand windows

2005-04-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: This is a true story. I have all the paperwork related to each incident described below. It is not meant to defame any business or entity, but it is meant to be an informative article for consumers.

This is how the story goes...

We all get the ad in the mail about Polybau double pane windows with 50% discount and all the frills. We needed double pane windows for our 43 yr. old house that we were about to move into. So we shopped around. We found the best price for Polybau windows with lifetime warranty on parts and service with Allbrand windows. This is a company that has more than 7 branches all over california. Everything seemed great. We signed a contract for 11 doors and windows. We made a deposit of 10% and the estimated time was set for about 4 weeks at around Sep' 14th 2004. Awesome.

On around sep 6th, I received a call from "Window Service center" that they would like to schedule and installation appointment. We set it for sep. 17th, 9 a.m- 11 a.m. Wife took the day off work. 10:40 a.m no show. I call the "Window service center" and they said, "Its not 11 yet." Anyway, the installers showed up at around noon. Half way during the installation they told my wife that they did not have all the windows today, neither they have any wood to do the cut-downs, nor they have any caulking to seal the windows they had already installed. So they left with some incomplete installations and 2 windows in the garage.
That was the beginning of my long journey towards fulfilling our dream of having nice new windows and doors in our new old house.
So I began to make trips and phone calls to the Sunnyvale showroom. The salespeople there were extremely polite and started making calls to the installation center on my behalf. It seemed that the Polybau factory had moved from Hayward to Tracy to a bigger facility. So my remaining windows were delayed. But I asked them to get the installers to come back and install the ones that were lying in my garage. Fine. Another appointment was set for a saturday. Great. Saturday morning comes and goes. Another No show.
More phone calls and more visits. Now, I started to look into their license history (I know, I should have done my detail homework before signing) at California State License Board and found that their license was bound for suspension due to lack of qualifier on October 4th 2004. Now I confronted everyone at Allbrand all the way up to the CEO. Everyone assured me that the license was being taken care of at that moment. Apparently, all the paperwork for the replacement of qualifier was in and the CSLB had just not updated their database. During my research of their background, I found weird connections between "The Window Broker" window company which had really bad BBB report and Allbrand. The more I dug the more hairy it got. Suffice it to say that I didnt get a very good feeling and just wanted this ordeal to get over. Meanwhile we had put off unpacking all our stuff in anticipation of the window installation and the construction debris.
Their license got suspended. I talked to people at the CSLB, who gave me detailed info about the previous citations against them. Now, I got really scared. I filed complaints with the BBB and with CSLB. I took pictures of the installations and send a full report to CSLB. A very nice lady at the CSLB complaints department called me and assured me that she will issue warnings to the contractor (Allbrand) and asked me to get the job completed by someone else since their license was in suspension. So I started getting quotes from different contractors.
In the meantime, I get a call from the "Window Service Center" to schedule installation appointments. I said, "Fine." I specifically asked for a more sincere and proficient crew than the previous one. It was another saturday and this time the installation crew showed up. I checked the license for Allbrand windows in front of those installers and told them that I would not allow them to work on the house as the license of the contractor was under suspension. So they went back where they came from.
Next week I get another call from "Window Service Center" that they have the license and everything in order and they want to finish the installation. I checked and it was true. Their license was reinstated with a new qualifier. Great. So over the next 3 weekends, these new installer crew worked hard and finished all the installation to our satisfaction. The crew-members were Alfredo, Ricardo and Ricardo. Very nice guys. The date of the final installtion was Nov. 16 2004. I will not make the story any longer by detailing the "wrong grid designs" episode.
Now I started getting calls from their collection department for payment. I told them clearly that it was written on the contract that the balance would be paid in 3 equal monthly installments in a "90 days same as cash" plan. Another 10 phone calls later, they agreed and understood that they would get paid exactly the way it was on the contract.
I understood in a very very painful way that this whole organization was in a mess. The "Window service center" is a mysterious entity which (mis)handles coordination between orders, installers and payment. They also service "The Window Broker".
Finally everything was sorted out. It was a great learning experience for a new home-owner. I learnt:

Do your homework BEFORE signing contracts.
DO NOT pick the contract with the cheapest quote.
Polybau windows are great.
BBB's complaint resolution is crappy. They sent me a letter saying that they had received a response from the company that work was underway and if I wanted to pursue the matter further, I should complain to the CSLB. The case was assumed resolved. So much for the BBB ratings. Its all meaningless.
You need a lot of energy and time to sort things out with a contractor.

Now for the good things. Here are some pictures of the final installation.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Which refrigerator to buy for your new home?

2005-04-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I have NO idea. But here are a few pointers.
1. The wife likes it. This will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
2. It matches with the rest of the kitchen according to the wife. I asked a salesman, what features I should look for in a fridge and what makes the prices so different. He replied, "Its mainly the looks."
3. It should be Energy Star. Almost all new decent ones are. PG&E or your local utility company offers you a rebate sometimes.
4. Its one of the trusted brands in terms of quality. You know which these are. If you go to Sears, 95% chances are you will be sold a Kenmore. According to them Kenmore is always the best. I hated that sales pitch. So I got a GE from Fry's.
5. The size is the largest one that can fit nicely in your kitchen. Not much to worry about here. Fridge space is like clothes hangers, you can never have too much of it.

And remember, dont forget to haggle with the sales guy, even at the biggest chains like Sears, Fry's, Western Appliances, Meyer etc.. e.g. We got a price of $1260 on a $1900 gas range(new line, not the discontinued model), because Sears Sales guy wanted to match and beat Meyer's price quote of $1471.

This is the Upper Front Strut Bar I was talking about..

2005-04-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

The shiny aluminum alloy bar keep the front chassis stiff against G-forces.

Its just these 5 nuts. Dont worry, nothing will fall off when you remove these nuts during installation. The weight of the car is pushing the strut up. DO NOT JACK UP THE CAR FOR THIS INSTALLATION. Most Suspension nuts are tightened with all four wheels on the ground, i.e. loaded.

What to do when you car overheats while you are going somewhere..

2005-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

COMING SOON!!

Extremely simple and inexpensive mod for your car

2005-04-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

If you have a regular passenger car like Civic, Accord, Camry, Corolla, Altima etc., you can install a Upper Front Strut Bar and make a noticeable difference (even the wife noticed it) in the handling. This trick is one of the oldest for all those Rice-boy cars you see on the streets. But you dont have to look or sound like them to squeeze a little better handling from your car.

The cost of the mod: $24.02 from ebay.
Time to install: 30 mins.
Tools required: 2 wrenches
Skill level required: Novice
No Jack required.

A strut bar is a stiff metal bar that connects two fron or two rear struts on a car to prevent the chassis from twisting under G-forces in turns. I had asked my auto teacher if they really work like you read online and he confirmed. They are good things to have.

So I bid on this strut bar on ebay for 99 cents and got it shipped for $24. To install all I had to do was to remove 5 nuts from the top of each front strut and put in the bracket and tighten the nuts back in to the torque spec. These are accessible from under the hood. No need to get under the car or jack up the car. I will post pictures soon. There is absolutely no downside to this modification. Actually it is not a modification, its just addition. It strengthens the chassis of the car. More expensive cars come with the whole strut bars sets installed from the factory. This is one of the reasons you get that "tight" feeling on those expensive cars.

It is totally worth that $24.

Here are some pics & instructions for reference. Just read the 4 bulleted steps before "What is camber?".

Thank you to the readers who are using my links

2005-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who are using the links on my banners to go to vendors like ebay, overstock, amazon etc..

Feel free to email me topics that you want to know more about. I will make sure your needs are met here.

Why do you pay so much money to the Realtor?

2005-04-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

From a home buyer's perspective, 3% of the sale price is quite a bit of money to be paying the buying agent (all commissions come from Buyer's pocket anyways, read earlier post). So why should you have a very good buying agent, rather than doing the job yourself or getting a discount agent?

Nowadays every Tom, Dick and Harry holds a Realtor license and they all know how to process the paperwork. What you pay for is the experience, contacts and trust. A realtor is like a lawyer (in some states they are real lawyers) who defends you in a court case. In a home buying case you are entrusting them with hundreds of thousands of $$$ purchase. Here you need someone whom you can trust with your eyes closed.

Finding a house you like is extremely easy these days with the internet search tools and virtual tours and GPS systems. You do not need a realtor for that. You need an agent for the countdown that starts form placing the bid to getting accepted to the closing of the house till you get your keys. Or if your bid does not get accepted, tells you, "Dont worry. There will be another." and not, "You should really raise your bid some more if you want this house."

The day you put down that 3% deposit with the bid and it gets accepted is when the sleepless nights start. You think, "What if ... what if ...what if ....". Then you think, "Hey I have this really good and experienced Realtor working for me. She/He will take care of everything." So you start getting your sleep back. Imagine what would go through your mind if you picked a discount fee agent. You'd think."Is he/she doing something funky behind my back to make up for the lost commission?" A little mistrust can lead to a lot of stress.

We went around with 2 discount/inexperienced agents (one from Century 21 and the other from REMAX. Nothing against the companies.) before we found a really good one (actually she's the best) through a friend's referral. Actually, going around with the previous agents gave us a reference point and we realized what we were missing. During this process I also read a lot about why's and how's of real-estate agents. One article said, that you should really shop for the best realtor before shopping for a house. Interview the agent thoroughly because you will be hiring that agent. You should really feel very very comfortable with him/her. You should be able to ask any question regardingthe house or the home buying process or home improvement or fixing and find satisfactory answers. You should feel confident that he/she will be able to protect you from greedy sellers/selling agents.

And then once you own the house you should be able to answer 2 questions honestly.

Who can I call without thinking twice if I have any house-related question or problem?
Who would you use for a Realtor if you have to sell the house in the future or buy another?

Right answer to both the questions should be "your realtor's name".

I call my realtor anytime I have any random question about my house or someone else's house. Or when I need some landscape ideas or lighting suggestions or some brand or contractor reference. I used to call her during my 3 month ordeal with the window replacement contractor (I will talk about this another day). And it is good to know/feel that if I have to sell my house in a hurry, she will be there to help us out.

Good luck in your home search. Hope this article will help some of you.
In case you want to know who my Realtor is, send me an email.

A very good article here

Collision vs Comprehensive Insurance

2005-04-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Comprehensive e.g. theft, Vandalism, baseball falling on the car, rock through a windshield, landslide, fire, etc..

Collision e.g. You hit something or somebody, Some idiot hits you in the parking lot and runs away, shopping card dings, door to car dings.

So moral of the story: Hit'n'run is under "Collision" but no-fault. So collision deductible kicks in but insurance premium doesnt go up, since it was not your fault. If you discover a big dent on your car after you come back from a restaurant, tell the truth to the insurance claim agent, that you "dont know who made that dent and how." The insurance adjuster will figure that out after the analysis.

Home security System that I have. For your shopping reference.

2005-04-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have the PeaceKeeper System from ProtectAmerica. When I signed the 2yr. contract with them last year, I got the Gold Package with 15 sensors, 1 Master control station (of course), 1 Additional wireless voice keypad, and all sensors upgraded to micro-contacts.

One of the reasons I picked this option is that I prefer to stop intruders outside the house with door/window sensors rather than detect them once they are inside with a motion sensor. If you buy a $200-250 system from Home Security Store then you usually get 2-3 sensors and one motion sensor with the kit. Each additional sensor is around $35 unless you find a deal on ebay. So if you want to buy 15 sensors separately, it would cost an additional $525 up front. So I just chose to pay it over time through the contract. Motion sensors are good to have as an addition when you are away from the house.

If I had gotten the equivalent from the Home Security Store, over 2 years I'd pay:

$225 (2 sensors + motion detector + master console) + $455 (13 sensors) - $79 (motion sensor) + $99 (keypad) + 214.8 (2 yr. of $8.95 service) = $914.8

With ProtectAmerica Gold package with 2 yr. contract: $149 + $838.8(2 yr. service) = $987.8 (-$100 if you split the referral bonus with me or any of your friends who is already a customer) = $887.8

Not much difference.

The best part about the PA system is they are open ended. They DO NOT fuss about you going and buying additional components on ebay (use the link on my site to search ebay) or something and adding to the system. I bought two additional GE keyfobs and added them to my system. You just have to call them and program them in. Very simple. You can also buy motion sensor, fire and CO detectors, Glass break sensors separately and augment your system. Just ask ebay.

In case you are looking for the cheapest possible option thats available and still protects your house, this is it.

Where do you buy Car insurance?

2005-04-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

If you are a Costco member try the Costco American Express Insurance service. I have them for past 2 yrs. and no one has been able to beat that since then(I shopped after every 6-month term for 3 terms) . Even while getting my Home Insurance from Farmers, they couldnt beat my Car insurance price even after combining it with my Home ins..

Also, raise your Collision deductible to $1000 and reduce your Comp. deductible to $250. This means that you pay higher deduc., for incidents under your control (at-fault accidents) and you pay less for out-of-your-control incidents(tree faling, vandalism, hit-n-run, etc.). Also, the extra $500 (compared with a $500 ded.) you pay in case of an unfortunate at-fault incident, you probably already saved up on the premiums over a period of one year(assuming 2 cars, full coverage). Trust me, raising the collision deductibel makes a big difference on the premium.

Change your thermostat. Recover cost in 2 months.

2005-03-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

Do you live in an old house that has a 20+ yr. old thermostat? I used to have one of those old round thermostats.
My monthly gas heating bill used to run to around $100. It was mainly because the heater would be running all day when we were not even home.
Then I installed a programmable RiteTemp thermostat from Home Depot for $41. It is extremely easy to install. Just 2 screws and 3 wires. It has 4 time-slots for each of the 7 days plus a special day. It comes pre-programmed with defualt settings. I just adjusted the timings and temps. to our schedule and liking.
First half month, it was in action, it dropped my bill by about $30.
Then last month, my gas heating bill was some $30. It was partly because of the weather but a lot of it was also due to the thermostat. It does not let the heater run unnecessarily.

Good investment.