Product review: Oregon Scientific BAR208HGA Advanced Weather Station with Atomic Time

I asked Santa for this weather station and he heard me. The weather station looks great, the numbers are big and easy to see, the unit has back lightening, it flashes an alert light when it detects icing conditions. I like the read out a lot better than the old weather station I have been using for 5 years. I had no problem setting up and making the two units talk to each other.

Everything was great until it began showing the temperature. The read out of the outdoor temperature was 12 degrees different (higher) from my alcohol outdoor thermometer and my old weather station. All three thermometers were located next to each other for testing purposes. I also checked the outdoor temperature provided by national weather forecast and it agreed with my mercury thermometer and my old weather station that the temperature was 32 degrees. The indoor temperature read-out was 2 degrees different from the two other thermometers I have an old fashioned alcohol thermometer and a digital temperature read out on one of the clocks I have (Oregan Scientific is showing 2 degrees higher).

I contacted support to see if there was any calibration procedure. I received the calibration instructions (included below) which reduced the difference in readings between Oregan weather station and the other thermometers to 2 degrees for outdoor thermometer and 1 degree for indoor thermometer.

CALLIBRATION:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1: Remove all batteries from the outdoor sensor (or all sensors if using multiple units) as well as the main unit.
2: Allow a minimum of 10 minutes for any/all capacitors to discharge.
3: Reinstall batteries into the remote (outdoor) sensor first. Press a paper clip or pin into Reset hole in the battery compartment.
4: Finally, reinstall the batteries into the main unit. Press a paper clip or pin into Reset hole in the battery compartment.

In addition to calibration the location of the outdoor unit is critical to the accuracy of the unit. The manufacturer recommends the following (note #3, which is was a new one for me)

FINDING A GOOD LOCATION:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1) The outdoor unit should be in the shade
(2) The outdoor unit should be somewhat protected from the rain
(3) It should not be higher than 5 feet from the ground
(4) Should be placed on the surface that does not get warm (for example glass or metal are bad choices, wood is a good choice)

I have been placing my weather station sensors under the deck. This is close enough to the main unit to provide strong signal and meets all of the recommendations listed above.

SETTING THE TIME ZONE:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Setting the time is not difficult but requires several steps

1. Turn off time synchronization by hitting down arrow on the front of the unit
2. Press mode button, then press up button. The weather station will cycle through the settings you can change. The first setting is the time zone. Time zone has a very small icon just above the seconds of the clock. Hit up arrow until this icon changes to your time zone and then press mode button to save your setting.

Despite the 2 degree inaccuracy of the reading I decided to keep the Oregan Weather station because the display is much easier to see than my old weather station.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Book review: Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny, Nick Nicholson M.D., B. A. Blackwood

What you want to know about any major surgery is the inside story: the good, the bad and the ugly.  This type of information typically does not come from your doctor but rather from someone who have gone through the experience first hand.  In this book Dr. Nicholson provides a compilation of experiences of his patients before and long after the surgery. He talks not only about the physical effects of the surgery but also the mental and social changes that a person considering this surgery might not anticipate. 

Dr. Nicholson describes the long term physical changes and how the body adjusts to the new smaller stomach.  For example, even though the surgery bypasses ghrelin, the hunger hormone, most patience begin feeling hungry again in 6 to 24 months after surgery.  I always wondered how some celebrities gain the weight back after the the surgery.  This books explains how this happens. The new stomach toughens up with time and is able to expand more.  In the early months after the surgery sugary foods make a person violently ill and thus help him or her to stay away from foods high in sugar, but after 6 months the violent reaction diminishes and people can tolerate sweets again.  He even describes how his patients found a way to cheat the surgery. For example, some of his lap band patients blend the high calorie foods they crave and ingest milk shakes in any quantity they desire.

The last part of the book is dedicated to realistic expectations and what made some of his patients happier and more successful than others.

This is an excellent book! It is a must read for anyone considering a weight loss surgery.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★


Table of Contents

Chapter 1        Weight Loss Surgery -    Punching The Reset Button
Chapter 2        How Did I End Up In This Mess and Why Can't I Get Out of It?
Chapter 3       Talking To Your Surgeon: No Time to Practice Lying
Chapter 4        5o What's Really Eating You - Get Ready to Find Out
Chapter S        What Have I Done to Myself?    The Immediate Aftermath
Chapter 6        You Enlisted But Your Spouse Was Drafted: The Impact of Weight Loss Surgery On Your Marriage
Chapter 7        Get in the Game - Dating After Bariatric Surgery
Chapter 8        Mv Weight Loss Is About Me. So Why Does Everyone Act Like It's About Them
Chapter 9    Breakinog the Three Food Commandments
Chapter 10    Breakinq Up with Your Ex For Good: The Maintenance Grind
Chapter 11    I'm Doing Everything Right, So Why Doesn't My Weight Show It?
Chapter 12    When to Declare Victory: Managing Expectations
Chapter 13    Revision Surgery -You Don't Want to Go There
Chapter 14    How to Choose Your Bariatric Surgeon
Chapter 15    Things Your Mama Should Have Told You

Product review: ARCTIC Power Bank 2200 Ultra-Compact Backup Battery/Charger Lipstick charger

I like "lipstick" size power banks, I always have one in my purse and on charging. It is nice to have a bit of emergency power if the phone runs out of power. My second favorite use to have them along with my MP3 player when I am excercising, they don't wait much but they are are great solution for MP3 player which have recharble batteries that you can't take out (like my Sansa Clip+ and Zen MP3 players). I don't have to stop listening when the battery is out.

Artic 2200mAh external pack is 3.5" long, 7/8" in diameter, and weights 2.7 oz. The charger comes with 2 eight inch cables: 1 micro USB and 1 mini USB. True to its name the battery pack remained very cool even when it was charging my tablet. There is a little light that indicates that the battery is charging (red) or has charge (green).

The only negative I can say that the charge indicator does not stay on all the time (and there is no other charge level indicator), so it is hard to tell when the charger is out of juice without pressing on the button to see if it turns green or not.

Even though its capacity is not huge, it charges very fast. I tested this pack with Nexus Galaxy Phone and Galaxy 7.7 tablet with both a current monitor and using a 10 minute charging test. I also tested iPad Mini with a current monitor. I always run these test so I can compare different chargers to each other based on the results of the same tests. This gives me an unbiased way of measuring how each external battery performs.

If you are interested in the details of the tests I am including them below. Summarizing the results I can say that it charged both my tablet and my phone quite fast, and measured up well against batteries of similar size and capacity.

➨ How I tested this battery pack:
======================

To test this battery pack I used a current monitor. In addition to the current monitor I also used a 10 minute charging test which is less abstract than the measurements of current and voltage.

I have been testing chargers and batteries for a long time and people often ask me why results on different ports of the same unit or similar units are different. The results are different because they are affected by a number of factors. To help with a numerical explanation of a differences I began using a USB current monitor which shows the voltage and the current flowing between the battery and the device.

Most of the batteries are 5V devices and most devices show the voltage very close to 5V. If the voltage is higher it can damage a device and I will report higher than expected voltage if I see it. The intersting number is the current as it varies from port to port and from unit to unit. The amount of energy transferred from the charger to the device is calculated by multiplying voltage and current.

The current varies based on what the device requires and what battery provides. This communication happens using different protocols depending on OS. Newer Android OS versions have adapted their protocols to get better performance from ports aimed at Apple devices. An addition variable that effects performance is whether a data cable or charging cable is used to charge the device. The charging cables short the two data connections together (rendering them useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see the cable as an AC power connection, and thus accept the higher current of the charging source.

The 10 minutes test consists of charging each mobile device on each port of the battery pack for 10 minutes and measure how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

➨ Test Results:
======================
✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charge at AC rate ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
Current monitor: ~~~ 1.17A, 5.05V

✔ Galaxy Nexus Phone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charge at AC rate ~~~~~~ 5% change in charge in 10 minutes
Current monitor: ~~~ 0.93A, 5.14V

✔ iPad Mini
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Current monitor: ~~~ 1.14A, 5.04V

I received this power pack from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. I found this charger to perform well and I like its size.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Leather Eyeglass Case - soft slim eyeglasses case

I purchased this case to replace the the big and bulky hard case that my optometrist switched to. This case is made out of genuine leather and is very soft and nice to touch. It exceeded my expectation given its inexpensive price tag. The inside is cushioned with foam and provide nice protection for the lenses. It closes with a zipper. The leather strap is removable. The strap has a snap so you can hook it to the belt or a purse strap.

The case is 7.25" long, 3" wide, and has 1/2 height, so it accommodates even larger frames nicely. The video includes the case with a couple of different glasses to give an idea of the fit. It fits my sunglasses without stretching. It even fits my wrap around biking glasses. I was not able to find a good soft case for them before this case.

I am very pleased with this case. It fits many glasses well, and the price is very reasonable for a genuine leather case.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Able Cases Cases - Slip-In Full-Eye - soft slip reading glasses case

I purchased both the brown and the burgundy version of this eyeglass case. Even though they have different measurements in Amazon description (the burgundy is 160mm x 90mm and the brown is 175mm x 90mm) they turned out to be exactly the same in size: 160mm by 82mm (6.25" by 3.25").

The video includes the case with a couple of different glasses to give you an idea of how they fit. The cases fit my reading glasses easily and my sunglasses with a bit of a stretch. They do NOT fit my wrap around biking glasses.

I purchased this case to replace the the big and bulky hard cases that my optometrist switched to. These Able cases are perfect: slim, with a little bit of foam for cushioning, they fit in my pockets and purse easily. I also can take out sunglasses with one hand while I drive.

These cases are made out of faux leather. The finish has a bit of texture. They look pretty good and the price can't be beat. I am very pleased with these cases.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Lepow - Moonstone 6000mAh Power Bank Backup Portable External Battery Charger

LEPOW - MOONSTONE 6000 Power Bank Pack is compact. It is similar in size to hockey pack 3.25" x 3.25" x 0.75".  I got the white one and even its light indicators are white in color, which makes it look very nice.

It weight 5.5oz that makes it small and light enough to carry around without feeling like you have a brick in your purse or pocket.

Charging starts and stops automatically.  If needed the back of the unit has on/off button.

The package contains a lot of extras:
➺ Felt pouch with two pockets to carry the battery in one and cables in another (4.5" x 4.5" when folded)
➺ A canvas draw bag for storing cables or whatever (7" x 4.5")
➺ 24" flat micro USB cable
➺ Double sided suction bad that lets you position your external battery anywhere you need it, useful for travel when space is at a premium (1.5" x 2.75")
➺ A 1.75" stylus
➺ Gold plated bow sticker (it is labeled as a electro magnetic waves filter, but given its tiny size I am not sure how it was intended to be used)
➺ 6 Apple home button stickers
➺ A fish cord wrapper, I like to use these to keep my earphones cords organized
➺ A key cord keeper
➺ A micro SD to USB 2.0 adapter

All in all this is a very nice package!

Of course, the key question is how did this battery perform. I tested this battery pack with iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7.  Its performance was average, not outstanding but not bad.  If you are interested in the details of the tests I am including the numbers below.

➨ How I tested this battery pack:
======================

To test this battery pack I used a current monitor. In addition to the current monitor I also used a 10 minute charging test which is less abstract than the measurements of current and voltage.

I have been testing chargers and batteries for a long time and people often ask me why results on different ports of the same unit or similar units are different. The results are different because they are affected by a number of factors. To help with a numerical explanation of a differences I began using a USB current monitor which shows the voltage and the current flowing between the battery and the device.

Most of the batteries are 5V devices and most devices show the voltage very close to 5V. If the voltage is higher it can damage a device and I will report higher than expected voltage if I see it. The interesting number is the current as it varies from port to port and from unit to unit. The amount of energy transferred from the charger to the device is calculated by multiplying voltage and current.

The current varies based on what the device requires and what battery provides. This communication happens using different protocols depending on OS. Newer Android OS versions have adapted their protocols to get better performance from ports aimed at Apple devices. An addition variable that effects performance is whether a data cable or charging cable is used to charge the device. The charging cables short the two data connections together (rendering them useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see the cable as an AC power connection, and thus accept the higher current of the charging source.

The 10 minutes test consists of charging each mobile device on each port of the battery pack for 10 minutes and measure how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

➨ Test Results:
======================
✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charge at AC rate ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
Current monitor: ~~~ 1.22A, 4.88V

✔ iPad Mini
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charge at AC rate ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
Current monitor: ~~~ 0.94A, 4.99V

I received this power pack from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. I found this external pack had respectable performance, I liked its compact size and sleek look.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Electric Pepper Grinder Stainless Steel Salt and Pepper Mill

This is a very attractive looking electric pepper grinder. It is made out sold stainless steel (8 inches tall, 2 inch diameter). It runs on six AAA batteries. The pepper chamber is made out of acrylic and there is a window which allows you to see how much pepper you have left in the grinder. The bottom of the mill is covered by a cover which needs to be removed when you grind the pepper. When the grounder is working there is a small LED light that comes on right next to grinder.

I received this pepper mill from AD Kitchenware for testing and honest review. It looks very stylish and works nicely. I hope the video will help you set your expectations.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★