Hmmmmm - my opinion of the Flip! Mino is immediately tainted.
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1. Panel gaps
The smaller the gap between panels, the better the design and manufacturing process. It is HARD to make bodies where the panels fit together tightly.
2. Driveline lash
Put your foot on the gas hard then take it off - if there is ANY “clunking” or mechanical noise, that’s poor design and quality of bushings and other mating components in the driveline
3. Mirror paint
Get close and look down the side of the car - is the paint still mirror smooth? If there are any ripples at all, this means they’re not spending money to smooth out the body panels adequately before applying the paint.
4. Switchgear
Is there a slight resistance and smooth clicking feel to the switchgear? It is easy to use cheap components here. The absolute master at this is BMW - go turn a light switch in a BMW and you’ll see what I mean.
5. Engine smoothness
Open the hood and stand a glass of water on top of the engine. Start the engine. Did the water spill? Now rev the engine hard - did the water churn in the glass much? This is a sign of how much work went into balancing the engine components. BMW, Lexus and Toyota do well in this test.
6. Transmission shifting
Can you feel the transmission shifting at all? It should only be a very slight change. Again - this is a test of the design, quality and fit of the transmission components.
7. Cabin noise at speed
Is the cabin really quiet at speed? If not, they’ve cut corners in damping and sound-deadening technology and materials.
8. How it negotiates road irregularities
When you go over a big bump or pothole in the highway, are there any noises or loud thumps or clunks? This test usually demonstrates how well designed the suspension is and the quality of damping componentry used in it.
9. Open the trunk and take a look inside
Look at the hinge mechanism and the thickness of the trunk flooring materials. Is the hinge made of thin strips with crummy springs and rivets, or is it a nice hydraulic strut setup? Does the trunk make a “tinny” sound when you close it? Does the trunk lid get completely out of your way when loading the trunk?
10. Open the hood and take a look inside
How thick is the sound-deadening materials attached to the firewall? (the thicker the better). Does the hood make a “tinny” sound when you close it? Are there wires and cables all over the place, or are they neatly routed and clipped out of the way?
Couldn’t they do better than this? Answers on a postcard please 
Alaskan Ice-Road Truckers? Tougher being gay in Alaska? Dirty Crappy Jobs? Houses for $300?
Puhleeze. What a waste of time. Can I get some of my Dish Network fee back?
Here at Crittix Castle we use both PC laptops and Mac laptops. Over the years, we’ve come to realize that Apple definitely makes the best laptop computers for regular Joes like us that don’t need to play high-end games, but use their computers for just about everything else, including video editing, web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.
Here’s a list of the reasons why we enjoy our MacBook and iBook G4 so much:
Fit and Finish
Apple makes all its’ hardware to the highest quality - they really fit together well, with no squeaks or rattles. Although you may pay a little more initially, you can rest assured that the computer you get is in it for the long haul.
Battery Life
Our batteries consistently last for 4 hours or more. Most of our consumer-grade PC laptops batteries last just over 2.5 hours or three if we’re lucky and the wind is blowing in the right direction!
Battery longevity
Even after many, many charges (and leaving the laptop on-charge after it is fully charged), batteries last much longer than normal PCs without any hysteresis effects. You do have to calibrate the battery every now and then, but that’s easy enough.
Instant wake from sleep
Even after months asleep, they wake as soon as you open the lid. EVERY TIME!
Our experience with Windows is that it works some of the time, but not guaranteed, and if you leave it asleep for a long time (weeks or months) then it almost always doesn’t wake quickly, if at all.
High-quality materials
MacBooks and MacBook Pros look and feel expensive - OK, so the MacBook Pro IS expensive ….but if you get the MacBook at just over $1,000, it feels like a much more expensive computer and you can tell it is going to take the knocks and bumps of regular life in its stride.
MagSafe
If you’ve ever pulled your laptop off your desk by tripping over the power cord, you know what we’re talking about!
OSX - The world’s most advanced operating system. More on this later.
iLife apps
When you buy an Apple laptop, you get a full suite of exceptionally good applications to store & edit photos, make music, record DVDs, manage and play your music, make movies and create websites. These are not just “thrown in”, but are carefully engineered applications in their own right. In fact, Apple charges $79 for them if you want to purchase the latest version to upgrade what you have (ALWAYS worth doing).
No “crapware” to de-install
This really ticks us off about regular PC laptops. You normally need to spend at least 2-3 hours after installation removing all the crapware and trial versions.
No doors to break off
Hardware battery power level indicators on base - just press the little button and instantly see how much power you have left
No lid catch to wear out or jam - it’s magnetic. I see a lot of newer PC laptop models are using friction hinges now, but these are awkward to use and you normally need two hands. Mac is one-handed
Slot-loading optical drive - no tray to break off or jam
Very high-quality webcam built-in - great for YouTube or just recording your thoughts
High quality microphone built-in
Longevity - Apple designs their hardware and software to have a long, long life. When Apple releases future versions of its operating system, the hardware usually runs FASTER than it did with the previous version! We have an original Blueberry iMac (the one-piece one) from 1998 running OSX Tiger! All it needed was a little more RAM which cost peanuts. AMAZING STUFF. Try running Windows Vista on a PC from 1998 - NO CHANCE.
Large trackpads - Useful for precision work and great with the 2-finger scrolling feature.
Two-finger scroll using the trackpad - This is a huge benefit. Others will copy this for sure.
Runs Windows if you want to - Any recent Mac that is Intel-based will run Windows - you just boot up into either Windows or OSX and then it runs native on the hardware. This removes the last reason why some people might have chosen NOT to buy a Mac.
Bluetooth built-in - this is what the wireless Mac mice and keyboards use
Wireless Networking “just works” - Like the “wake from sleep” function - works first time, every time.
Light weight - much less than equivalent PC laptops
Great screens - There is a reason photographers and graphic artists like working with Macs - great color-calibrated screens.
Great keyboards - the new “chiclet” keyboards have a great feel with large keys for big fingers!
Illuminated keyboards - With ambient light sensors on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
Small size of the power adapter - not some huge brick to weigh down our luggage.
Cable holder on the power adapter - When you’re done, just flip out the holder “ears” and wrap the cable round them like a vacuum cleaner holder. There is even a small clip to keep it all together and stop it unwinding!
Eco-friendly construction materials - Air and Pro - Aluminum and no Mercury in the screens
Light-up Apple logo in the lid!! - O.K. - so it might look like we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel here….but hey - we LIKE that little touch!
The Toyota Yaris sedan - ain’t she the prettiest little thing you’ve seen? Powered by a peppy 1.5 liter VVT-i four cylinder engine with a choice of manual or four-speed automatic gearboxes. With the current proce of gas, a lot of us will be taking a long, hard look at cars in this segment over the next few years. Toyota cars are renowned for their build quality and longevity. Many Echos (the Yaris precursor) have well over 150,000 miles on them (go take a look in EBay Motors) and still going strong. HIGHLY recommended.
If you read most reviews or comments about the MacBook Air, they go on about “Oh, it doesn’t have an optical drive” or “Oh dear - it only has one USB port” and on and on, and on, Ad Infinitum.
These people do not understand the true purpose of the Air. This computer was designed to meet the needs of the highly mobile professional, not people looking for a regular laptop or desktop replacement.
Mobile professionals will pay good money for something that is extraordinarily light and that has an uncompromised keyboard and screen…and the Air excels here, as well as having a decent 5-hour battery life, which is about right for someone sitting in an airport for a couple of hours and traveling a thousand miles or so between charges. Documents they are working on will likely either already be on the computer or they will be creating new ones - absolutely no need for an optical drive. Music will already be in iTunes and there is a headphone ack on the Air. They might be using a USB ThumbDrive to transfer files or make a backup, and there is a USB port as well. Continue reading ‘MacBook Air - most people JUST DON’T GET IT, do they?’
In 1921 the Parker Pen Co. introduced the Parker Duofold fountain pen. It was an immediate success. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used one to write the exploits of Sherlock Holmes. General Douglas MacArthur signed the document ending World War II in the Pacific with his 20 year old Duofold.
The best cigarette lighter bar none is the BIC Maxi.
The BIC provides up to 3,000 lights, has a child-resistant action (the spring plate on the top has to be pressed down to activate the flint wheel), is exceptionally durable and reliable and provides a consistent height flame without any form of adjustment over its’ lifespan. Continue reading ‘The BIC Maxi Lighter’
For those of you that like the Pilot G2, but prefer a pen with a bit more “meat” on it, we suggest trying the G2 Pro. This uses the same refill as the G2, but with a slightly wider opaque barrel and a thicker rubberized grip and a metal clip, button and barrel end for a much more polished professional appearance.Available in several executive colors. Highly recommended.