Author Profile Page for: milletappe

Ideally, we would like no outbuildings in our yard. Foliage only, please. But that's just not realistic. We had already built a charming little shed out of scraps and old recovered windows and door, but it was constantly overfull, no matter how diligently we'd purge. Moreover, it had been a substantial project to build. Enter the compact, assemble-in-your-sleep-in-five-minutes Rubber Ma...

Bit by bit we are trying to make little changes in our lives to go easier on the planet. Last year we brought it into the garden, picking up the endearingly named Flymo reel mower from Lee Valley. We were expecting this to be a big sacrifice, entailing much more elbow grease and sweat. Not so. This European mower seems to glide over the lawn. It is almost surprising to see the steady stream of ...

In a nutshell: the Acer Aspire 4720 is a great-looking, great-sounding machine set up for maximum ease of use, selling at one of the lowest price points out there for laptops. The looks: the laptop sports Acer's slick Gemstone chassis, featuring black metallic lid with holographic logo, and the Ceramifinish interior which looks very modern and feels wonderful to the touch.The sound: this is...

I developed a bond with my Honda Element which I hadn't with any of my other vehicles. It's like my adventure buddy. I don't actually speak to the Element, for which the neighbours are grateful, but when I think of it, it is fondly, let's just put it that way. When my small pickup died, I discovered that small pickups were no more, and that, ironically, as large as pickups had b...

Outdoor Chef sell a different kind of barbecue. They call it a funnel cooking system. Basically, the inside of the kettle looks just like a funnel, with a hole at the bottom and a gap all around the circumference of the top between the funnel and the bowl. Nothing in the funnel. Naturally there is a grill sitting over top of the funnel. I'm not sure how this works exactly, and they don'...

Surely MOO MiniCards will be the end of conventional business card design and printing. The last time I had cards made, it cost hundreds of dollars and involved lengthy consultations with a graphic designer and then a printing press. Then I discovered MOO, through my use of internet photo sharing site Flickr. MOO offers a variety of printed products featuring photos you select from your own col...

You know, this bag should work, if you consider its features on paper. But dealing with the actual item is another story. I am on my second, a replacement thankfully provided by the retailer for the original bag. One of its two snaps which hold the mat onto the bag gave out in under a year. Between the first and the second bag, Gravis increased the size of the product. The new size is just too ...

Late last year I was offered the opportunity to take over a friend's very simple bookeeping requirements.  Although I had never done any bookeeping, I had this idea that it was something anyone could easily pick up, and I knew I'd be using Simply Accounting, which I'd always heard great things about. I said sure.What a wild ride! Let's not digress too much and just say that...

I'm a writer, and have always been, so I have a lifelong love of writing equipment. Stationary stores draw me in. New school supplies was always more exciting for me in September than new clothes. But life can dull you down a bit, and take away those simple joys. The "school supplies" no longer come from the stationary aisle, they are now a laptop and a pda, and they are cold life...

I'm not exactly a bike nut, but as the owner and regular rider of three of them, I think I could be safely described as an enthusiast. When the warm weather arrives, my mountain bike starts getting a lot less use, and my beloved Nirve cruiser starts to rack up the miles again. The weather is in the mix because this is a single speed bicycle and its top speed is not exactly high velocity. Pl...

A friend of mine just took a class in Ipod DJing. Don't laugh, this is the future. Heck, it's the present at most of the clubs I go to. And of course there is the ubiquitous amateur Ipod jockey phenomenon sweeping house parties across the nation. Well, I love my Ipod, that's certain. But I have to say, it's mainly because I love music and there just isn't a worthy competitor...

A couple of years ago we found this adorable scooter at a yard sale - the Yamahopper QT 50. The price was right, and away we went into the adventure that is motorized bikes. The bike came with a helmet, so we didn't actually shop this, but neither have we found a need to. This classic skid lid is very reassuring in its hard heaviness, yet it's a shorty so it's not so hot to wear. Bu...