© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc. This feed is subject to our terms of use: http://www.epinions.com/help/rss_terms http://www.epinions.com/user-scmrak Recent reviews written by member scmrak en-us 121 37 http://www.epinions.com/ http://img.epinions.com/images/epi_images/logos/epinions_121.gif http://www.epinions.com/content_502067793540?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Heat Wave - Richard Castle As NYC swelters in the hottest summer on record; suddenly it's raining men. Well, one man: Donald Trump wannabe Matthew Starr took the high-dive express fourteen floors from his midtown penthouse... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~502067793540 Sat, 6 Feb 2010 22:01:12 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_502067793540?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_501657276036?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - There must be a dozen small timers scattered around our house, some in drawers or closets and some in use. Most are, for lack of a better term, "default" timers. The Intermatic TN111C is an unobtrusive white box about three inches on a side and... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~501657276036 Wed, 3 Feb 2010 15:02:32 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_501657276036?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_501342441092?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - The owner's manual for most air tools¹ has lubrication instructions: "place five or six drops of ... oil into the air inlet every day" seems standard for nailers; a grinder may take just one or two drops. To drive home the point, most toolmakers... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~501342441092 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:51:29 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_501342441092?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_501231095428?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton According to the blurb on the inside back cover, Michael Crichton's posthumously-published Pirate Latitudes was "discovered as a complete manuscript in his files after his... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~501231095428 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:14:36 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_501231095428?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_501076561540?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Everybody in the office went over to a local English Pub for lunch on the last work day before Christmas to raise a glass or two to the previous year (fervently hoping it wouldn't be repeated in 2010). The on-tap beer special that day was an unfamiliar... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~501076561540 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:43:54 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_501076561540?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500971179652?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - There are some things that change the entire complexion of an otherwise pleasant bicycle ride: uncontrolled dogs, texting drivers, and sudden rainstorms come to mind. Oh, yeah; and flat tires. Flats may be the most irritating of all unscheduled... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500971179652 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:35:22 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500971179652?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500850593412?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - I've got an hour-long meeting at my Houston office in just a few minutes. I'm meeting with a couple of users from The Hague and the product manager from Calgary. We'll demonstrate features of the software, conduct a little one-on-one training, and follow... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500850593412 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:11:58 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500850593412?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500726009476?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - No serious cyclist puts foot to pedal without tire-repair materials tucked into a pocket or pack. It must be embarrassing as all get-out to find oneself trudging along, wheeling a wobbly bike (especially while wearing cleats). Even for ten-mile rides in... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500726009476 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:18:42 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500726009476?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500630130308?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - There's an old joke here in Houston that "The awl bidness has one heckuva drug problem: the dope comes in buckets and there's a pusher on every rig." Of course, that "dope" is pipe dope - a liquid swabbed on pipe threads to form an airtight seal - and a... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500630130308 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:31:19 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500630130308?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500477300356?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - The previous owners of our Houston house had what may well be the worst taste in décor I've ever witnessed. I should upload a picture of their ceiling light in the master bath some time... but I digress. The whole house was white when we moved in:... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500477300356 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:03:10 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500477300356?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500202114692?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Food Rules - Michael PollanThough not a nutritionist by trade, New York Times journalist and Cal-Berkeley journalism prof Michael Pollan has in recent years found himself thrust into the role of America's diet... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500202114692 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:36:40 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500202114692?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_500122029700?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - The process of growing plants from seed requires at least one transplanting step, and in my case, requires two. I start with 1½" cells in a... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~500122029700 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:55:38 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_500122029700?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_499957862020?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Many a black-thumbed gardener has remembered, much to his or her chagrin, a simple elementary-school science lesson: green plants cannot thrive without light. The question, "How much is enough?" is, however, slightly harder to learn... My first attempt... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~499957862020 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:38:27 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_499957862020?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_499582340740?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Most DIYers gradually accumulate tools in a regular progression:  simple tools for hanging pictures and assembling bikes come first, followed by more complex mechanics and woodworking tools. At some point, just about anyone who's ever put anything... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~499582340740 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:08:10 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_499582340740?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_499693620868?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - If you spend much time outside in the cold then you're familiar with those runny noses that, depending on where you live, may create "yellow icicles" if ignored. One can, to be sure, wipe the stuff on a sleeve (according to legend, the reason Napoleon... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~499693620868 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:56:29 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_499693620868?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_499565235844?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Alton Brown - Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen Here's my dirty little secret for the day: I like to cook (no, that's not the secret) and I consider myself a fairly good cook (not the secret, either), but I've never... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~499565235844 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:29:46 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_499565235844?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_499226021508?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - I bought an Insignia® - Portable MP3 Speaker with Bluetooth Technology (NS-BT400) as a Christmas gift. If I am to believe the folks at Best Buy, "Now [I] can enjoy audio from [my] MP3 player, cell phone or computer featuring Bluetooth... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~499226021508 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:00:03 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_499226021508?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_499119066756?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - The garden fence at the Great (Formerly) White Elephant on the Edge of the Prairie combined eclectic with whimsical. The dozen or so 4x4 posts sported half a dozen different toppers, among them a Great Blue Heron... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~499119066756 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:44:11 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_499119066756?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_498827562628?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Look, Houston, I grew up in places where people rejoice when a January overnight low hits 20° Fahrenheit, so that nasty cold snap last week meant nothing. Heck, I was two jackets from my warmest, and never pulled the good gloves out of... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~498827562628 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:08:21 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_498827562628?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_498264215172?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - A basic truth of socket sets: no matter how many pieces you own, there's always one more you need. Take, for instance, working a bolt in a confined space  - what if your regular ratchet won't fit in the space? If you're me, you rummage through the... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~498264215172 Thu, 7 Jan 2010 11:39:52 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_498264215172?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_498189504132?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - The house we bought last year must've been built by a race of giants (giants who didn't cook, but that's a different complaint). I refer to the showerheads in the full baths, all more than seven feet off the floor. That poses a problem for showering when... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~498189504132 Wed, 6 Jan 2010 12:51:26 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_498189504132?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_497914515076?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Under the Dome by Stephen King It's been years since I stayed awake into the wee, small hours of the morning, eyes propped open, to finish a book. My string ended this weekend at the hands of horror thriller master Stephen... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~497914515076 Mon, 4 Jan 2010 11:29:26 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_497914515076?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_497701850756?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Cable ties aren't just for cable any more: they're everywhere - we used (and trashed) fifty-plus decorating this Christmas - so it comes as no surprise that someone has improved their basic principles. In the case of Mega Clamps, this means larger... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~497701850756 Sat, 2 Jan 2010 13:43:16 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_497701850756?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_497633431172?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - Back in olden days geeks were guys who carried a slide rule and a bunch of pens tucked into a plastic pocket protector in a shirt of "a color not found in nature." I oughta know... In the age of smart phones, who could possibly need a slide rule? I'll... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~497633431172 Fri, 1 Jan 2010 22:43:20 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_497633431172?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_497336684164?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author scmrak - U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton Kinsey Milhone is back, for episode twenty-one in Sue Grafton's alphabet series. The irrepressible Milhone still lives in fictional Santa Teresa, owns but one all-purpose black dress, trims... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~497336684164 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:57:05 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_497336684164?linkin_id=8003929