Product review: Joway JP51 6000mah Ultra-slim External Battery Portable Charger Pack with builit-on cable

We own a number of mobile devices from different manufactures, we have Android devices, Apple devices, Samsung devices. I prefer external batteries that work well with all of our devices. Unfortunately this external battery is not one of them. It works well with my Android phone charging it to close to optimal rate from both of its ports, but it could not charge my iPad Mini. The battery supposed to turn on automatically when the device is plugged in but iPad Mini never showed it was charging and my current monitor did not show any current. I am able to charge iPad Mini from other batteries, so it is something very specific to this battery. I double checked with the manufacturer if the battery should turn on automatically and he confirmed that it should. He also said that only one port at a time can be used, two devices cannot be charged at the same time. iPad Mini was the only devices I was trying to charge.

I tested this battery with a current monitor, and I am including the readings for those who are interested in the details. I always use the same two devices and I do my tests with the devices charged to the same level and running the same applications. These test show me the amount of current the battery is delivering to the device and also allow me to do a relative comparison of different batteries to each other. This helps me identify the batteries that do not perform well. Note that these tests are not testing for the maximum current each device can draw on each port as neither of my devices can max out the port.

iPad Mini
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Port 1 (built in cable with adapter) - did not charge
Port 2 (my own cable) - did not charge

Nexus phone
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Port 1 - (built in cable) - 5% up charge in 10 minutes (average)
Port 2 - (included charging cable) 1.04A / 5.05V (AC rate, excellent, for comparison other ex batteries produce 1.00A/5.05V)

Overall,  disappointing external battery.  With so many choices of external batteries out there I cannot recommend this one.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Tim & Tina 100% Pure Mulberry Luxury Silk Satin Pillowcase

This pillowcase is made out very nice quality silk, it feels smooth and well... silky! My favorite feature of this pillowcase is the zipper closure. It keeps the pillow inside the pillow case and always has a perfect fit and a neat look. It works better than the open end or even an envelope closure!
The zipper is neatly hidden so you can't see it, you can see just the pull.

I hand washed the pillow cases. They are color fast. Most of the time I don't iron, it looks fine to me right out of laundry with a small amount of wrinkles, however if you prefer the ironed looked it is best to turn the pillow inside out and iron from reverse side on the silk setting of the iron.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Bosmere L565 6-Feet by 4-Feet Expanding Bamboo Trellis for Vining Plants

I used to buy wood trellises for my garden in Home Depot but this year they did not have any other than decorative metal trellises, which are heavy and expensive.  I decided to give this bamboo trellis a try and was pleasantly surprised.

1) The bamboo sticks are pretty thick and hard, I am including a photo that shows the trellis next to my hand for size reference

2) Even though it described as 6 feet by 4 feet, I was able to make it 7 feet (and it could have been a bit taller). The width remained to be 4 feet, it did not get much more narrow as it expanded.

3) It could be mounted vertically or horizontally. I needed a tall trellis for cucumber plants. The plants are growing next to the deck (not a solid wall) so I was able to mount the trellis on the deck slats using plant hangers and plastic ties to secure the trellis to the hanger so wind does not dislodge it. Bevause the trellis expands and contracts it cannot stand on its own. It has to be mounted in some way to keep it expanded.

4) The bamboo is very light weight (the entire trellis is under 4 pounds) so it is easy to move around and install.

5) The rivets are metal and are somewhat loose.  At first I thought it was a defect, but then I realized this is by design so the trellis can expand and collapse.

6) The finish is natural - i.e. uneven in places and discolored in other places, this how the natural bamboo dried.  I would not describe this trellis as beautiful, but it feels very functional.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Oakridge Garden Tools Hori Hori Gardening Knife and Hand Weeder

This tool marries a garden trowel and a knife. It looks like narrow trowel with a serrated edge on one side and a sharp blade on the other side. This design makes this tool very versatile - I can dig, I can cut, I can saw. I use it for planting, weeding, moving small amounts of dirt, cutting roots. It also works very well for splitting perennials. This tools is a real workhorse.

The blade is 6.75" long, overall length of the knife is 12 inches. The blade has marking in inches and millimeters, so if you are using it to plant you can tell how deep you digging. The blade is made out of stainless steel and is pretty thick. It does not bend. It comes with a heavy duty nylon sheath with a belt loop and a hole for hanging.

The handle is made out wood. It is not ergonomically shaped and could be more comfortable.  I typically wear a glove when using the knife for a long time.  Note that this tool is totally symmetric so it will work well whether you are a right handed or a left handed, or just like to switch hands to give the other side some rest.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Liby Original Scent HE Turbo Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent

Liby detergent does a nice job removing stains and smells. I use it both on whites and colors, it works well on both. I do all my washes in cold water to save on energy. 

The bottle's spout has a nice design and catches the drips so everything drips back into the bottle. I keep the bottle's cap clean by using an old cup from a previous bottle to measure the dispensed liquid.

The detergent has a light floral fragrance - pleasant but not strong. 

The only minor negative is that measurement are given in kilograms and liters, but it is a minor thing since I rarely look at recommended measurements for detergents but rather use my own experience to determine the right measurement. 

The bottle is labeled as 3 liters, which is equivalent to 101.5 oz (not 107 oz stated in Amazon title).  Price comparison shows Liby's per oz price is on par or slightly cheaper compared with brand name detergents.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Fantime Bluetooth Smart Watch Sports Sleep Tracker Smartwatch

There are a few things I like about this watch, but as it has one huge problem. The app for this watch is not available from Google Play (or Amazon store). I also believe it is not available in iTunes, because the documentation says to down the app from a Chinese web site for all operating systems. This is not secure! In order for the app to be accepted in GooglePlay it undergoes security scans and must pass some basic set of rules. If the app is not available in Google it maybe because it failed those checks. I am software engineer with a lot of experience in security: do not load apps from random manufacture sites, it is not safe. I notified the manufacture of the problem and they said they will work on correcting it.

The watch is usable without the app if you are willing to give up some major functionality. The time can be set manually. The smartwatch has a number of apps that work find without communication. Pedometer shows the step count, sedentary reminder alerts you if you sit for too long, calculator works well with a touch screen, you also have a calendar and a voice memo recorder.

This watch has a nice display. It is bright and easy to see. The watch has a responsive touch screen. The size of the watch is not too large (1 5/8" wide) to be worn on a woman's hand. The leather band is comfortable and looks nice.  The charging port has a proprietary connector. If you lose it you will not be able to recharge the watch.

The pedometer appears to be reasonably accurate. It has an issue that it uses metric units (it shows the distance in meters) and I have not found any way to change the units. However, I mostly care about the step count so this is not a huge problem for me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

How to: How to grow potatoes in a grow bag

• Plant potatoes when the soil is 43 F or higher
• Use seed potatoes (not supermarket potatoes) cut into chunks with at least two spuds on each chunk. Plant chucks with the spud up in 6 inches of soil.
• Do not water for the first 2-3 weeks until leaves emerge. After leaves emerge water when it is dry.
• When the plant is 12" tall add 6" more soil (it is okay to cover the bottom leaves)
• Let the plan grow another 12" and then add 6" more soil.
• New potatoes can be harvested in 7-8 weeks after planting.
• You can harvest full size potatoes when the foliage dies