Product review: AT&T CL4940 Corded Standard Phone with Answering System

I purchased AT&T phone with answering machine over a year ago. Overall the answering machine is working fine, but it has two annoying behaviors.

We have more than one phone in the house.  When a call is answered on another phone the answering machine shows these calls as "missed calls".  The second annoyance that it seems not be able to handle day light savings time. Even when I correct the time manually it resets itself to the wrong time.  So for half of the year the phone calls are shown as 1 hour off.  I read the manual trying to find how to change this and could not find it.  If someone who is reading this review knows how make it responsive to Day Light Savings time I would really appreciate a tip on how to do it.

On the positive side, the display is large and clear.  The screen has a back light (note that the dial buttons do not have back light). The back light is turned on when a phone call is coming in or when you press any button. The voice that comes in on the phone is loud and sounds good. This is also true when you use the speaker phone.  I am told that I sound crisp and clear even when I am using the speaker phone.  When there is a message waiting there is a button that blinks to indicate a waiting message. The manual states that you can also configure a beep to indicate a waiting message, but we do not use this option.  The answering machine is easy to turn on and off (a button that glows when answering machine is turned on).  I have caller id, so when a new phone call comes in I can see the phone number and name displayed on the screen (it is not announced by voice, just displayed).

I am using this phone as a wall phone. I like how the attachment bracket is designed - it is easy to hang and the phone is lifted a little away from the wall.  The handset has a special catch to make it work well as a wall phone.

The messages and greeting announcements are digitally recorded in the internal media.  Recording my own greeting was easy.

This phone comes with AC adapter but it is actually possible to make calls during power failure. The power comes from the phone line itself, so it is limited to making and receiving calls. Other functionality is not available unless you have power.  After the power outage I have to reset time, but my pre-programmed quick dial numbers are NOT lost.

Other than the two negatives I mentioned at the start of the review the phone has many good features that I like.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Book review: Job Hunting Ninja Master 2017 by Frank McClain

This book is very detailed and specific.  It has two major section one for finding work in the government sector, one for jobs in the private sector.  I have worked for a number of private companies so while I could be impressed by the amount of information in the government jobs section, I could only truly evaluate the relevance and completeness of the private jobs sector information. The information is right on point, very specific, and very thorough.

The government section has information on both civilian and military jobs, a discussion of pros and cons of working overseas, and included web sites where to start your job search in these areas.  There is information about medical and physical exams that each applicant needs to complete, pay ranges for different grades, as well as experiences expected to achieve each grade level.

The private section includes all the information you need to prepare the resume, what to say and not to say during interview process, and how to work with recruiters.

I found a section on resumes extremely useful.  The author describes not only the organization and content, but explains how resumes are processed on line using keywords to find the right candidate. He gives some very specific examples for hi tech.  Just as important was information on what would disqualify your resume from being picked. Some of the information was surprising to me, for example, including your photo is going to cause 13% of recruiters to discard your resume, using decorative paper will cause 22% of recruiters to consider your resume inappropriate.

The author provides a list of key strengths that employers are looking for when hiring.  I have been involved in hiring process in the companies where I worked and the list provided in the books matches up with my experience. We always look not only for specific technical skills but also for people who work well in teams, have initiative and good communication skills.

Another section I found very educational is how to work with recruiters.  The author identifies signs that you are being taking advantage of and has suggestion on what to do when you notice this.  I have seen some of the bad behavior mentioned in the book first hand and if I had read this book before it happened I could have avoided wasting my time, energy and frustration.  The signs were there during the first meeting!  But sometimes politeness prevented me from being more assertive. The author gives the reader specific tips on how handle these situations and goes even further by providing a draft agreement that the applicant should request a recruiter to sign.  This agreement limits the amount of exclusive rights you are willing to give an individual recruiter. It is a reasonable amount of time and a good recruiter should have no problems with it.  If a bad recruiter refuses to sign the agreement this lets you know to avoid dealing with this individual.

A very valuable part of the book addresses the interview process.  The part I liked most is the discussion of the typical open ended questions whether it is about your weaknesses or asking you to describe how you worked with someone you did not like.  The author helps you understand what the employer is looking for when they are asking these questions and how best to handle them with honesty and in a way that will make you attractive as a potential employee.

I was impressed by the amount of specific details in this book. This is not a book with a lot of generalities.  Each section has actionable items. I thought I had a fair amount of experience in job seeking process, but I learned a lot of useful things in this book. I wish I had this information earlier.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: TelPal Call Blocker Display for Landline Phone with 1500 Number Capacity Block Robocalls , Telemarketing Calls, Junk Faxes and All Spam Calls

This call blocker works - i.e. once you block the number it is disconnected after one ring - but its user interface is difficult to use because it is not intuitive. Someone older or not computer savvy is not the right audience for this device. I tried showing my mother how to use this blocker as she complains about getting marketing calls every day and she got totally confused. The blocker's feedback on the display is numeric, not words. The manual is written in a broken English, not very detailed, so it does not provide clear instruction when someone is confused.

The second issue is that depending on how you hook up the blocker, you could lose caller id on your phone. There are two options for hook up - you can plug the call blocker into the wall, and hook up the phone to the blocker. Alternatively, you can put a splitter in the wall and have the phone and the blocker hooked up in parallel. I am using the parallel hook up because in this configuration I still get the caller id on the phone.

The unit displays the wrong time and day. The manual said that it will be set automatically, but I have not seen this happen. However, this information is not relevant to the blocker operation so I did not bother setting it manually. Setting it manually is cumbersome, you need to put the blocker into setting mode and then use the phone's key pad to do the setting of values.

TelPal documentation states that the blocker can block 1000 numbers.

On the positive side, the blocking does work. I recruited a friend to help me test the blocker. I was able to block the number and the next call disconnected after 1 ring. The caller was not told anything, it was just a hang up. After blocking the number I was able to see it listed on the blocked phone numbers list. Then I was able to delete it from the list. I show these three operations in attached video.

There are two ways to block calls. One is to push Blacklist button as the marking call is coming in another one is to enter the phone number by hand and save it. The number displayed on the unit does not show the caller id, so it is not easy to identify a marking call without picking up the phone or looking at another phone which shows the caller id.

Blocking a marketing calls gives me a lot of satisfaction. Just the fact that I am not helpless and can take some action has a great mental benefit.

This call blocking device is provided by TelPal for testing and review. This is not the best call blocker out there because of the difficult to use interface, but it does block calls.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Movo Photo MicRig

This is a review of Movo MicRig "Sevenoak".

The first thing you need to know is that to take advantage of this microphone your video camera should have an audio jack for an external microphone.  The grip comes with cables for two options audio jack or micro USB with audio.   My Canon Rebel SLR, SONY NEX5 (a mid size digital camera), and a GoPro clone do not have a port for an external mike.  My smartphone has a audio jack and I am using it in the videos I am included in this review.

The microphone runs on one AA battery, which is not included in the package.  The grip has 1/4-20 male screw. It has a large easy to tighten knob at the bottom.  The phone holder is probably the best phone holder I own, it holds tightly, adjusts easiy, and has very nice rubbery texture on the inside that grabs well to the phone case shell.

The controls for the microphone are on the grip.  It also has a cold shoe if one wanted to mount lights or other accessories.

The microphone grip is made out of sturdy plastic. It feels sturdy but is quite light weight, it  weighs 19 oz.

I thought it did a fairly good job,  The only issue I see there is a tiny, very tiny shift in an audio.  It is not always obvious but sometimes it is - you can see the lips of the singer being slightly out of sync with the sound (the sound is behind).

I let you be the judge by listening to two videos I shot using it. One video features a street percussion instruments, the other one a singer with a guitar.

Ali Julia review

Product review: Solar Powered Light Motion Sensor 16 LEDs by WBESEV

This light is smaller than I pictured looking at stock photos on Amazon. The lamp area is just 3" across, the entire light is 4.5". It 260 lumens, so it is not very bright. It has three settings off, dim light when no one is around, and bright light when motion is detected.  The unit is sealed and the batteries cannot be replaced or recharged outside the unit. 

To turn the light on you need to use a pin (included) to push into a tiny hole in the rim. This needs to be just one when you want to activate the light.  It motion detection works very well and detection motion reliably.  Mounting hardware is included in the package. 

The light does not have my favorite mode of operation "On only when motion is detected" which uses less power and works better in New England climate as we don't always get long sunny days to fully recharge the battery.

Overall I thought the light was okay, but for my use it was too small and not bright enough too rate higher than okay (3 stars).

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Folding Cane, BeGrit Dependable Ajustable Height Lightweight Folding Walking Stick Cane

I got this stick for my mother. She likes quad canes as it gives her more stability. She does not use the cane all the time, for example in the store when she has a cart the cane gets in her way and the fact that this cane folds up made it sound appearing.

She likes this cane:

1. This cane is fairly light. It weighs 13.7 oz.
2. This cane is stable. It has wide rubberized base which has a good grip.
3. This cane can stand on is own if you need to use your hands to do something else. Even if you bump it a little it balances back to the center.
4. This handle has a neoprene sleeve so when her hands sweat the handle absorbs it.
5. It folds up so she can put it in the shopping cart when she shops. When folded it is 11" (34" when unfolded)
6. It has a leash on the handle which helps her not to forget the cane when she is out. The same leash holds the cane legs together when the cane is folded.

I asked her if there is anything about the cane that she would like to be different. She told me that she would like it to be a little shorter. The cane adjusts from 33" to 49". My mother is short, just under 5' tall. If a cane could be another inch shorter she would find the arm position more comfortable.

The feature that she likes most is that it can stand on its own while she uses her hands to reach for something.

I received this cane for evaluation a special discount as part of a new product introduction.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: iNee 6 Fat Quarter Bundles, Cotton Fabric for Quilting Sewing

This listing combines several options, I got the 6 pack of greens. I am a quilter and have purchased thousands of fat quarters in my life. This is a decent fabric - the cotton is not thin and flimsy, it has good thickness. In attached photos I show it with back lighting and my hand behind the fabric so you can use transparency as your own judgment of thickness.

These are not quilt shop top notch fat quarters, but they are decent. They are properly sized for a fat quarter (22" x 21.5"). They are 100% cotton.

This fat quarters are provided to me at a special discount for evaluation and review. Getting a discounted product for evaluation does not prevent me from leaving critical reviews in the past when the product warrants it. I leave critical reviews on regular basis, however, this quarters were exactly what I expected in size, thickness, and quality - good but not outstanding fabric.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆