Epinions Recent Reviews for zero_

Timeless. Flawless.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:05:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - It takes, I think, a particular kind of weirdo to get truly excited about writing implements. Pens and pencils, markers, brushes, and inks; These sorts of things don't even register on the radar of most people. But it's with a bit of pride I present that...

Potential Squandered: The Wireless Tangle

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:10:42 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - This will, I think, be a bit of a retrospective review rather than the sort of affair we're used to. Sandisk is, at the time of writing, in the process of phasing out the Sansa Connect in favor of their newer models (Fuze, View, and Clip) and as such the...

Eye Spy

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:27:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - I've been watching the steady march of digital night vision technology for a couple of years now. The premise is simple enough, and these days is nearly 100% the same as today's now-ubiquitous night vision capable security cameras. Just smaller, and...

A Bargain at Twice The Price

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 22:50:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - I decided not long ago that I wanted a rollerball pen. Normally I'm a fountain pen kind of guy but there are a few situations where my favorite bit of anacrhonism simply won't do. Triplicate write-through forms, for instance, and those stupid thermal...

Ambitous, But Rubbish

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 20:33:12 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - It's sort of a bad time to be an American and fancy fountain pens. This presents a bit of a problem to those of us for whom "ballpoint" is a dirty word; Fountain pens retain considerable popularity in Europe and Japan but are increasingly becoming relics...

Surprisingly Cheap, Surprisingly Good

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:30:30 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - It Is Written, traditionally, that there are two types of headphones: Those that are expensive and bulky, and those that suck.Until a couple of years ago, these two extremes were mutually exclusive. Headphones that sounded good were invariably...

How I Learned to Quit Worrying and Love the Upgrade Cycle

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:39:04 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Longtime readers of mine will know that I've forever been an ardent detractor of Apple's iPod line, and just about everything related to it. I've long asserted that iPods are and always have been the Mercedes CL65 of portable electronics: Expensive, and...

Surging Forward

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 01:35:51 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Some background. Six years ago, back in 2002, I made a threat: I promised in this review that if I ever broke my trusty and beloved Gerber Legend I'd give Gerber's warranty a run...

Welcome to the World of Tomorrow

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:14:17 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - You're not a true nerd if you haven't been waiting the last decade for Fallout 3 to come along. Like so many other cult classics, the first two Fallout games didn't sell very well at their time(s) of release, and dated as their graphics and interfaces...

Maybe A Little TOO Minimalist

Sun, 9 Nov 2008 21:33:30 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - The Skeletool (and its brother, the Skeletool CX) is the latest offering from Leatherman at the time of writing. It's been on the horizon for quite a while now, but only fairly...

There Can Be Only One

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:52:30 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Some Background This is really hard to believe, but I haven't upgraded my laptop in about six years. Remember way back when I wrote that...

Cheap, comfortable, effective. Pick any three.

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 01:14:55 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - There's not a whole lot to say about a Bluetooth headset anymore. After clearing the initial hurdles (Does it work? Is the battery life okay?) there's really nothing left to talk about other than the pose value and price point.Buy one for a...

World's Slickest Utility Knife

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:00:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - I've managed a hardware store going on six years now, and throughout this experience two utility knife related thoughts have struck me:1. Utility knives are danged handy to have around, and nothing short of essential in many lines of work like,...

Go Go Gadget Sneakers!

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 13:59:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Somewhere, somebody is getting very rich over the fact that they've figured out how to make something your kids will actually want to go shoe shopping for. On the surface, Heelys are one of those smack-your-forehead, why-didn't-I-think-of-that...

Victim of the Two Toed Fairy

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 18:56:05 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - There's a lot to say about the SmartStor, but a lot of it's going to have to go unsaid on my part. Most of it involves one or more of George Carlin's seven dirty words. The SmartStor is a Network Attached Storage device that stands alone as a...

Plug in, Listen, and Love

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:11:59 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - So, Sandisk seem to be developing a pretty good record of doing things right with their latest series of MP3 players, especially given their competition in the things-that-aren't-iPods department. The Express is the newest member of their Sansa family,...

Dig, Scoop, Shovel...

Mon, 2 Apr 2007 12:47:18 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - I've yammered on about flash drives b
efore,
and make it a general policy not to yammer about flash drives at all unless there's something particularly special about the item in question. USB flash drives...

Don't Drop it in your Glass: Now With 50% More Mitigation

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:45:02 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - You know you're entering the Era of the iPod when people start treating the "iPod" brand name like we do with "Kleenex." If you don't want an iPod, though, there aren't a whole heck of a lot of ultraportable MP3 players that really stand apart...

At Last, the First Real Kirby Game In, Um...

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:35:24 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Poor King Dedede. He's been the bad guy exactly once in Popstar's history and the hero at least twice, but no matter what it seems that Kirby's first recourse for any problem is to beat the stuffing out the unfortunate penguin no matter what. Our pink...

Whip, Crack, Away!

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:54:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Do you retro? It's easier to name the systems that a Castlevania title hasn't appeared on than all the others that have been graced with a visit from the Belmont clan. From humble beginnings as a clumsy action platformers to Zelda 2 style...

Clean Out Your Ears

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:48:54 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - (Update.) Snap! My headphones finally displayed the same propensity for flimsiness as the rest of the reviewers' examples. They broke exactly where I predicted they would, at the grey ratchety thing that adjusts the size of the headband. I...

Faster than a doughnut! Stronger than cardboard!

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 23:50:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - The question of WarioWare Touched has been lingering in my mind for a while. I've forayed onto the realm of reviewing video games before and found it far from my liking. Trying to pull an honest review of any console or video game all too often treads...

Samsung SPH-A900 Cellular Phone: Is that a Razr? No!

Wed, 17 May 2006 16:29:58 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Cellular telephones are the work of the devil. It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the things. I have better things to do with my time than jabber while I should be watching the road or, you know, interacting with the people actually here, in front...

Geek Your Ride - Updated

Wed, 17 May 2006 13:12:53 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - There's More. Specifically, more that changes my overall rating of the product in question. Read to the end to hear about it. So not that it matters, but recently I wound up buying a 2002 Saturn SL2. It's a fine vehicle that I'll likely...

The Idiot Box

Wed, 17 May 2006 12:18:12 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author zero_ - Gather ye round the campfire, folks, and I'll play you a little tune, and tell you a story about a quartet of routers. Because there is a story here, and you're going to have to sit through it. The world is turning into a wireless place, and much as...