dealguy

Empellon is overrated

2011-09-27T09:21:00.006-04:00

Wanted to go, heard it was good. Great NYTimes review. So I booked a table for 2 a week in advance via OpenTable.

I should have known something was wrong when Empellon called me the day of my reservation and said that we were having a 6-course tasting that night, with wine pairings, and that was our only option. Our reservation was held hostage unless I forked over a credit card number. I found this to be poor customer service, but I wanted to believe that Empellon was worth it, so I acquiesced.

Of 6 courses, 5 were average or below. 1 was brilliant:
1. Periwinkle (snail) Ceviche. Tasty but not exceptional.
2. Tamales. Good, but not better than good homemade tamales.
3. Huevos Motulenos. Brilliant dish: an over-easy egg over fried corn tortillas, beans, cheese. It's traditionally a breakfast dish, but I'd have that any time. Interesting textures, complex mix of flavors.
4. Venison Sausages with Succotash: Good sausages.
5. Sorbet. It's sorbet.
6. Almond Cake. Dry and flavorless. It was paired with La Gitana Manzanilla, a Spanish sherry that was so disgusting, both my dinnermate and I sent it back immediately. It smelled and tasted like feet.

Portions were small. I left feeling like I'd had lunch. Oh, I also had a margarita before dinner, which was billed as one of the most exceptional margaritas in the city. It's just a Skinny Girl minus the orange liquor. Not very special.

The service was attentive. Our main server was friendly and knowledgable but we didn't see her much. Our alternate server (who mostly served water and wines) was very attentive and friendly but didn't know much about the food or the wine.

Conclusions? Three pieces of advice. 1) Don't go. 2) If you do go, avoid their tastings. 3) Don't believe the Times.

Walmart makes good on Iron Man 2 Blu-ray price mistake

2010-09-15T08:43:00.002-04:00

Kudos to Walmart! If only Amazon and Dell were this gracious:

Dear Daniel Degrandpre,

You recently received an email from us that your order of Iron Man 2 (Blu-ray + Standard DVD + Digital Copy) (Widescreen) had been cancelled due to a limited supply issue. The cancellation was due to a pricing error on this item, not a supply issue. We're sorry for the confusion and the inconvenience.

To thank you for your understanding, we will honor the $15 price that was displayed at the time of your purchase. We will email you a $10.84 eGift Card to cover the difference from the current price of $24.96 plus tax. Your eGift card will be emailed within the next 24 hours and can be applied towards the purchase of this item or a different item. We’ll issue one eGift Card per affected customer; this card can be used online at Walmart.com only.

If you would still like to preorder the Iron Man 2 Blu-ray, please wait for your eGift card and then follow the link below to place your order:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/14894256

If you have any questions, please reply to this email and let us know how we can help.

Sincerely,

Your Walmart.com Customer Service Team

http://www.walmart.com

Public's Gilt City "Deal" Was Anything But

2010-06-21T10:30:00.004-04:00

(Public. It looks much better inside)

I bought Gilt City's $150 deal on a 5-course tasting menu for two with wine at Public. A Michelin Star winner, Public is normally a fantastic restaurant, and $150 is a helluva deal to include wine pairings. Or so you'd think.

The tasting menu was only 3 for 5, with flavorless venison and a terrible dessert. Wines were only 2 for 5. (None were bad, but only 2 were actually good.) The server never bothered to ask us how anything tasted, and the incredibly fast pace got us out in just over 70 minutes. (For 5 courses! Is this an Applebee's?)

Overall, we felt treated like we had used a gift certificate. I did like Public, a lot. Now I'll probably never go back. My wife certainly won't. And I definitely won't trust Gilt City just because the restaurant is top-notch.

Public NYC

Gilt City (free membership required)

Update: I sent this feedback to Gilt, and Gilt gave me $25 for use on a future Gilt purchase. But far more valuable was the apology, sent directly from the president of Gilt City. Nice touch.

HBO FAIL

2010-06-18T18:32:00.003-04:00

HBO.com told me today to "upgrade" from Chrome to Firefox or Safari. That's so incredibly ignorant of them, I'm considering an upgrade from HBO to "no HBO" (otherwise known as "NOBO").

Reader email: "Sears seriously sucks"

2010-04-03T09:48:00.001-04:00

First email I read this morning:

Hi

I just wanted to make you aware that every single time I have tried to buy an item that you list from Sears, none of them EVER work out.
Tonight, I tried to buy one of those boys jackets. First it said that they had problems with Paypal. Then, after they took my credit card number, and got my email address in their database, they tell me, they are out of stock.
Every single time I have tried to buy an item from Sears that you list, I never end up able to get it,
I know it's not your fault, but I do want to complain about Sears

Thanks
Sarah

Top 10 Deals for August 2009

2009-09-01T09:40:00.002-04:00

The 10 Most Popular Deals on dealnews in August, based on clicks.

Ann Taylor LOFT women's dresses for $5 + $9 s&h, more
Up to 70% off Suncloud sunglasses at REI.com: Deals from $15 + $6 s&h
Lands' End Men's Shoes from $10 + free shipping
75% off Garden Treasures patio furniture at Lowe's: Deals from $9 + pickup
EMS Semi-Annual Footwear Clearance: The North Face Sandals from $8 + $7 s&h, more
Up to 80% off footwear at Teva.com: Deals from $20 + $6 s&h
Men's athletic apparel roundup: Nike Performance Polo for $16 + $1, more
BuyCostumes.com coupon: 10% off $30 or more
Lands' End women's swimsuits (limited sizes) : 90% off or more + free shipping
App Store Freebies: Golf Etiquette, Evil Goniometer, Alarm Clock Plus, more

BuyCostumes of course had the Star Wars Sexy Princess Leia Adult Costume on sale.

Which laptop feature matters least?

2009-07-29T10:10:00.003-04:00

Interesting. I asked this question from Louis, Jeff Somogyi, and Jim:

I'm building an HP laptop to use for our Facebook giveaway, and I'm working within a budget. Which one of these features would you think matters least?

512MB ATI Radeon(TM) HD 4530 Graphics (compared to default graphics)
Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer (compared to DVD burner)
12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (compared to 6-cell)

Each person gave me very different answers:

Louis: "Hmm, if it's a 16" or bigger [it is], I'd say the battery is least important. Those machines are too clunky too lug around. Esp w/ a video card ... you're gonna want to plug into an AC outlet otherwise battery will wipe out fast."
Jeff S.: "Hmm ... looks to me like of each of those choices would benefit from the others, but I'd have to say graphics. Long battery life is a great feature, as is Blu-ray. And the graphics card shouldn't matter TOO much, unless someone wants to do video editing.
Jim: "For me, it would be Blu-ray. You can't ever replace the graphics, I give that a high priority. Everything else can be upgraded later."

Wow, three PC users (Jim and Louis also use Macs) who share a lot of interests, and three completely different answers.

I decided to take Jim's advice and dump Blu-ray. The fact of the matter is, I just don't think as many people care about having a laptop play Blu-ray movies compared to having faster graphics (especially for games) and having a longer battery life. But if I'm wrong, a Blu-ray drive can usually be added later.

Meh on Wine.Woot

2009-05-19T09:28:00.005-04:00

Over the past year, I've placed eight orders from Wine.Woot.com.

The first order was for a Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Trio. I must say, that wine was brilliant.

So, I figured I'd try it again. I ordered a Block 13 Cabernet Sauvignon 4-Pack, about $14/bottle. It was very good, and definitely worth $14/btl.

I concluded that Wine.Woot is a good way to try new wines at discount prices ... a way to learn wines. Wine.Woot had earned my trust. Over the next few months, I placed the following orders (given with my ratings):

Colores Del Sol Argentina Malbec Trio ($14/btl) = sux
Titus Vineyards 2-Pack ($32/btl) = particularly disappointing
Clos La Chance Trio ($18/btl) = 1 good, 1 meh, 1 sux
Roessler Winery Pinot Noir Trio ($22/btl) = sux
Vino Noceto Sangiovese Trio ($22/btl) = I don't even recall
Roessler Bluejay Pinot Noir Trio ($22/btl) = sux (think I'd have learned the 1st time)

Conclusions:

1) Don't use Wine.Woot as a way to learn about wine. It's too hit & miss. Recently, there have been few bargains, as they keep selling 3-for-$65 wines that don't save much over street price (fortunately, today has a Zin 4-pack for $55).

2) You're much better off going into any good local wine store and asking the staff for recommendations at $20 or less. I've switched to this, using a nice local wine store that's close by, and its hit rate (defined as "better than meh") is 75%.

3) I waste waaaaay too much money ordering crap online.

Now on Twitter

2009-04-28T12:36:00.001-04:00

I'm Twittering at http://twitter.com/dandealnews

iPhone v. Concrete? Winner: Concrete

2009-04-26T09:20:00.007-04:00

Friday night, my wife was coming home from work, and her iPhone 16GB slipped out of her fingers as she was taking it out of her purse. It hit the street, and voila:
What did I do when I saw it? Laughed! I mean, OMG it looks like it took a bullet! So of course I took a photo (with my iPhone, ironically) and emailed it to some friends.

A call to AT&T proved unhelpful, so I suggested she go to an Apple Store. They were helpful, but the replacement cost was $300. Ouch. And apparently, you can't insure an iPhone. I'm so buying her a silicone skin for this one.

Update: The Apple Store could have replaced just the screen for $200, but they didn't have any in stock, so we got the replacement phone (a refurb). A new one would have cost $500.

Update2: Courtesy Daniel H.: You can insure an iPhone, just not through Apple or AT&T. Some people use the floating policy on their home insurance, or you can use SquareTrade. I have 3 years of coverage (including full accidental damage) on mine for like $87 (via one of the hefty 30-40% off coupons they usually have). Better than the cost of replacement, and worth the extra lifetime if I decide to skip a generation before upgrading to the latest iPhone. Only caveat is it has to be within like 30 days or so of the purchase date to get it with SquareTrade.

Update3: Jim found that TechRestore fixes them overnight for $100 + $19 s&h.

BRILLIANT spam from LNT!

2008-10-24T19:02:00.005-04:00

If you cannot see the links or images in this email, click here. Our e-mail address is changing. Please add this address to your address book: Linens-N-Things@em.lnt.com. Find out how.

Dear Daniel,

Linens 'n Things is interested in your opinions. As an e-mail subscriber, we would like to get your feedback as to how well our e-mails meet your needs.

Please complete our online survey. It should only take about 3 minutes of your time. Just click on the take the survey link below to go to the survey:

Thank you in advance for your comments. We value your opinions.

Sincerely,

Linens 'n Things

Nice timing, as LNT is out of business and liquidating its inventory.

Brilliant spam from Crutchfield

2008-10-24T16:54:00.004-04:00

As a customer from several years ago, I received this email from Crutchfield just now. It's the smartest marketing I've seen yet related to the current economic woes.

Dear Valued Customer,
The international financial crisis is weighing heavily on all of us. As consumers, one factor that we all need to consider is the stability of the companies with whom we do business. In the current economic climate, many retailers will stumble and some will even fail. For that reason, I personally want to explain Crutchfield's unique situation.

For many years, I have been concerned about the growing credit bubble. It was obvious to me that it was unsustainable and that an inevitable day of reckoning would come. To protect our customers, our employees, and my family from the disastrous consequences of a financial meltdown, I positioned Crutchfield to withstand the worst. We became very frugal with how we spent money. We did not pay outlandish executive salaries and bonuses. We did not build fancy facilities. We did not expand our retail store operations. And we did not buy other companies. Instead, we worked extremely hard to improve how we serve our customers, while we managed every aspect of our business with excellence. Furthermore, we paid off all of our debt and accumulated cash reserves.

When shopping in times like these, you need to be certain that the retailer will be around to provide you with years of after-the-sale support. We know that you expect guarantees, warranties and promises of lifetime product support to be kept when you purchase with us - and I have positioned our company to deliver without compromise on all of these important elements. As retailers go, Crutchfield is a "Rock of Gibraltar." We have no debt, a perfect credit rating and a legacy of fiscal prudence. Therefore, we will be around to serve you as we have served millions of customers for the past 34 years and throughout the last four recessions.

Purchasing from Crutchfield today means you are choosing a company that will help you use and enjoy your purchase now and in the future. I hope that you'll give Crutchfield a chance to exceed your expectations. I thank you for your time and, most importantly, for doing business with Crutchfield.

Bill Crutchfield
Founder and CEO, Crutchfield Corporation

Crutchfield hit home on several points: We've got great customer service, we're financially sound, and we've weathered recessions before because we're smart businesspeople. Whether it's true or not is irrelevant. I get thousands of emails from stores a week, and I've seen no such reassurance from any other retailer. By being first, Crutchfield stands out.

Speedo Men's Warmup Jacket, Foot Locker Hoodie

2008-10-18T14:57:00.003-04:00

I pulled the trigger on the Speedo Men's Super Pro Warmup Jacket today too ($12 via Prime). I know that I don't have enough workout gear for when the temperature drops. I didn't opt for the matching pants tho. That would be too stylin' unless I start hanging out at Satriale's.

Speaking of such cheapies, my wife loves the Foot Locker Basic Men's Hoodie ($7 shipped, expired) I bought for myself last week. She asked me why I only bought one at the time. "Because they might suck!" is always a good reason, right?

Koskin 20-Disc CD Hanger

2008-10-18T14:52:00.002-04:00

I bought the Koskin 20-Disc CD Hanger from Meritline for $2 today. I've got a handful of wedding-related CDs and DVDs taking up room in the apartment, like our wedding video (thanks again Stuart & Brian) and wedding photo backups. Since I have a small file cabinet, this will minimize the room they'll take up.

I'd like it better if the CDs were protected from dust a bit more, though. But, $2!

How to tell if your small bank is in trouble

2008-10-16T11:05:00.000-04:00

A worthwhile read for those who are wondering:

Forbes: How to tell if your small bank is in trouble
http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/2008/10/10/fdic-call-report-ent-fin-cx_mf_1010bankfail.html

Have you seen the ad for Wario Land: Shake It?

2008-09-26T18:43:00.003-04:00

Have you seen the ad for Wario Land: Shake It? Best web ad I've seen in ages.

http://www.youtube.com/experiencewii

dealnews Redesign

2008-09-26T11:46:00.009-04:00

Hi folks! I have just a few quick comments about our redesign.

The main reason we implemented this redesign was to remove the right sidebar on dealnews so we could use that space for other purposes, now and in the future.

This redesign was shown to the heavy dealnews users that make up our User Advisory Board. It received extremely positive ratings, far more than any redesign we ever launched. Nice.

You can compare the old and new here:

The changes may seem dramatic since we changed the very top of the page. But scroll down and you'll find that the redesign changes very little.

Changes of note:

The category list on the right has moved to the top of the page.
"Today's Hottest" is now a gadgety widget, which allowed us to add product images, but we can only fit the top 4 now (we had up to 6 before).
The right sidebar has been eliminated. This gave us an area on the right to add more tools to each deal. The first is a new "Report an Error" link.
Links to the three most recent "Feature" articles have been added to the upper right.

We removed a couple of features that fewer than 5% of our visitors use: The Ability to "hide" the big area at the top of the page, and a few alternative views of our home page (like "Tile" view). For web site stability, it's important to every once in a while remove site features that haven't proven popular. (The less code, the better.)

As you browse around, you'll find that the sidebar is still on a few of our pages. We're upgrading those pages soon.

Special thanks to the designers and programmers who worked on these changes. Extra special thanks to our readers who've given us feedback, much of it used in this redesign.

Please leave us comments, either as a follow up to this blog post or via our email feedback form at http://dealnews.com/contact.html. (Update: If you're reporting a problem, please provide your browser version and platform. The more detail the better ... for example, Firefox 3.0.2, Mac OS X 10.5 would be great.) Thanks for reading!

Babysitting cooperatives

2008-09-25T13:11:00.002-04:00

I'm not a parent, but I am cheap, and what a great idea: Brooklyn Based found a babysitting cooperative for Brooklynites. That's FTW if you're already cash-strapped from the cost of living in NY.

In a handful of neighborhoods — Prospect Heights, Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, Carroll Gardens, Windsor Terrace, and Bay Ridge to name a few — you don’t need to pay qualified adults to care for your child when you need to go to the doctor’s, work at home alone, or want a date night out. You just need to be willing to return the favor, as a member of a babysitting cooperative.

http://brooklynbased.net/everything/babysitters-for-0-an-hour/

Bill Heard locations in U.S. shutting down

2008-09-25T08:05:00.003-04:00

Bill Heard, the largest chain of Chevy dealers in the U.S., is shutting down. Huntsville has a Bill Heard dealer (HAD! ... although it will apparently be bought out and reopened by another company). I certainly feel bad for the rank and file employees. But the sales staff and management? Everyone I've ever heard talk about Bill Heard has described it as an underhanded, downright slimy place to buy a vehicle. Here's how management handled the shutdown:

Shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, employees at the Huntsville dealership were asked to gather. They were told that the dealership was closing and that they should leave the premises.

Classy til the end.

Time Warner DVR v. TiVo

2008-09-22T11:09:00.001-04:00

This dude's complaints about the Time Warner DVR (versus TiVo) are spot-on:

ZDNet: How I dumped my DVR for a terabyte TiVo

Apple tax break! (not)

2008-07-30T12:58:00.005-04:00

I got an email blast from Apple this week regarding the sales tax break in the State of Alabama. A sales tax holiday is a big deal on a Mac, since the cheapest new Mac costs $1,099 (outside of the Mac mini).

However, the fine print from Apple's promo says:

The transaction does NOT qualify for the exemption if:
The CPU costs more than $750 before tax.

Tune in for Apple's next promotion, where they give away a free Porsche 911 with every new MacBook purchased from an Apple Store for under $1,098*.

* Offer excludes student and government discounts, theft, typos, and other loopholes we haven't thought of.

TripAdvisor's Golden Rule?

2008-07-21T19:31:00.010-04:00

I think I've discovered how to use TripAdvisor for hotels.

I'm at the Hilton Boston Dedham tonight. It's very close to my appointment for tomorrow morning. (I'll be talkin' deals on FOX25 Boston sometime around 7 am ET, woohoo!)

I must say, this Hilton is absolute crap. It's old. It smells funny. And there's more.

I checked in to the hotel, entered the room, went to the bed, moved a pillow, and this is what I saw: buffalo wing sauce. Fresh buffalo wing sauce. Mmm ... except that it wasn't mine. I pulled the sheets, wondering if I'd find a welcome platter of steaming hot buffalo wings in the bed. Nope, but I did find dirt. Black dirt. At least, I hope it was dirt. It was certainly dirty.

So, I called the front desk and asked -- as nicely as I could -- for a new room. Why, he asked? The bed was dirty, I said. No apology, he gave.

But hey, maybe this new room will be a diamond in the rough, right? I get to the next room, I check the bed. I find a BIG FAT TOENAIL CLIPPING on the top of the bed. Yuck!

Now, why does all of this make me feel like I've unlocked a TripAdvisor secret level? After all, most of TripAdvisor's ratings were positive. TripAdvisor even gives this hotel 4 stars (of 5) for cleanliness.

I think that TripAdvisor's secret is, if the hotel's rating is lower than 4 stars (of 5), then the hotel sucks. I've stayed in dozens of the hotels rated on TripAdvisor, and this rule seems to be the golden rule. Reviewers gave this nasty Hilton a 3.5 rating out of five.

Of the other Dedham hotels, The Residence Inn, which was booked, rates 4 stars. It's booked solid, and I couldn't get in. Hmm, I wonder if they serve buffalo wings?

p.s. Darn you Paris Hilton, it's impossible to Google for anything containing "Hilton". Thank God for SafeSearch!

Update: Western Digital's My DVR Expander

2008-07-20T12:43:00.004-04:00

A quick update to my blog post, Western Digital's My DVR Expander. Within 24 hours after hooking it up to my Time Warner DVR, the DVR stopped recording shows. Nothing. Nada.

Unplugging the external hard drive (a.k.a. My DVR Expander) fixed it. That was almost a month ago, and I haven't yet had time to troubleshoot and experiment.

However, I followed the directions, it showed itself by all indications to be working (i.e., the capacity jumped and no error messages were given), and even so, it doesn't work. I suggest avoiding Western Digital's My DVR Expander product for now until I come up with more.

Using a Mac mini as an HTPC

2008-07-20T07:48:00.022-04:00

I'm well underway using my Mac mini as a home theater PC (HTPC).

Background: After finding myself connecting my MacBook Pro time after time to my 46" Samsung LCD TV to watch videos, I decided to dedicate a computer to the task. I looked hard into buying an Antec case like the FUSION or NSK2480 and building my own PC, but there's a problem. I'm lazy.

So I purchased Apple's cheapest refurb Mac mini a couple of months ago (then $479, currently $679). As always, Apple's refurbs are indistinguishable from new ones. I added a new Logitech MX Air Wireless Air Laser Mouse (I paid $100). I still need to buy a wireless keyboard, but since I use the keyboard rarely, I haven't done so yet.

A Mac mini has some real negatives as an HTPC. The main thing is, it has DVI out, not HDMI. Also, there's no internal expansion, so things like a built-in TV tuner have to be done via FireWire or USB. And the only reasonable way to increase storage is to add an external hard drive like the NewerTech miniStack, a problem I'll have soon enough. Last but not least, like all things Apple, a Mac mini (even a refurb) is generally more expensive than a comparably-equipped BYO HTPC, especially if built via deals on dealnews.

But it's also got some real positives. It's TINY. It's incredibly tiny compared to Antec's HTPC form factor, and yet it still fits in a built-in DVD reader. (That means that I can toss my upconverting DVD player.) It's completely silent, with no noticeable noise whatsoever. It has optical audio output, although I haven't set that up yet.

Also, from a software standpoint, it works really well out of the box with no setup required. Front Row, Apple's media navigator, is free and an extremely simple interface to access my videos and music, so anyone can use it. Just stick your content into the appropriate folders (e.g., "Movies" or "Music") and it's ready. And since it's a Mac, things like setup, file sharing, and so on are all quite easy for Kari or for guests to access. You can use the iTunes Store for video and music (although as I've mentioned before, iTunes is dead to me). It even came with an Apple Remote, which is the only remote you need when using Front Row. (The Logitech Air is needed for things like Hulu.) Lastly, if I really want to use Vista's media center features, I can install it, since this is an Intel-based Mac.

The negatives weren't a big deal to me, although setup without HDMI took longer (two cables instead of one) and I'm not happy with the DVI-to-HDMI conversion (explaining that begets a whole 'nother blog post). As for no TV tuner, I have hi-def cable from Time Warner, so I didn't plan on watching cable TV via this device (even if if there is a CableCARD solution out there). It's solely there to archive all of my DVDs (so they work as video-on-demand), watch Hulu and other online video, and playback MP3s. However, it should be said that no HDMI and no internal expansion make a Mac mini an inviable HTPC for most home theater enthusiasts.

As easy as setup was, it took me a while to get around to setting it up, then it took me a while longer to add content to it. But now that I'm using it, I'm quite happy being able to hit one button on my Onkyo receiver and having my HTPC and all of its content available instantly. Now, I want to start reading up on what other people are doing with their HTPC Macs to see what I'm missing out on.

More to come.

Folding Charcoal Grill

2008-07-01T20:36:00.002-04:00

If you have an apartment with a small patio, you'll understand. Once you're done with this Notebook Portable Grill, it folds flat for storage. At $70, it's not cheap. However, it's not a lot more than a 18.5" Weber Kettle Grill, although it is 20% smaller in cooking surface.

Of course, there's no Weber grill that folds into something 1.5" thick. Nice.

Why iTunes is dead to me

2008-06-26T16:21:00.003-04:00

Why is iTunes dead to me? Here's my "A-HA!" moment:

1) My wife and I watched Juno for the first time last night. (Loved it.)

2) Kari mentioned how much she loved the music and wants the soundtrack.

3) Today, I checked prices on Juno - Music From The Motion Picture from Amazon and from iTunes:
* Amazon: $8.99
* iTunes: $11.99

4) Amazon is DRM-free, meaning I'll never be given that annoying prompt about re-licensing this music when I upgrade machines.

Every time I check Amazon, it costs less than iTunes. When you see Amazon's daily specials, which we list regularly on dealnews, they're far less. In fact, they're so cheap that they make entire albums into impulse purchases. And they're DRM-free, they work perfectly on my iPhone, and Amazon's downloader even puts them in my iTunes app.

I have over $100 in credit at iTunes, since I usually stock up when iTunes Gift Cards go on sale. I'll take your best offer.

So long, iTunes. Pardon me if I don't wish you luck on maintaining your monopoly.

Hill Country BBQ = $$$

2008-06-26T15:53:00.004-04:00

I lunched at Hill Country Texas BBQ today (30 W 26th St). Quite decent barbeque, with excellent brisket, good jalepeno cheese sausages, good pork ribs (although a tad dry), good corn pudding, and a good red BBQ sauce. Their sweet tea was a little odd because it had a mint flavor (real mint, but still didn't seem right). It's the best BBQ I've had in NYC by far, but that's compared to Jake's in Brooklyn (which is very average).

The problem? $72 (before tip) for three people for lunch! HOLY FRICKING PAYOLA. I'm used to Big Bob Gibson's BBQ in Decatur, AL ... better food at about half the price.

Western Digital's My DVR Expander

2008-06-24T18:59:00.003-04:00

I purchased the Western Digital 500GB My DVR Expander eSATA External Hard Drive yesterday and connected it today to my Scientific Atlanta 8300-Series DVR (from Time Warner). Worked like a charm. Don't get me wrong, the Scientific Atlanta 8300 is a piece of garbage compared to a TiVo. But I went from 65% full to 15% full, a 4.3x increase if my math is right. Woohoo! I can finally let the DVR record niche shows I like to watch occasionally like Colbert Report and Deadliest Catch.

I paid 150 clams for this privilege, though, $50-$70 more than what a 500GB eSATA HDD should cost. Ouch. However, when I researched expanding my DVR, it seemed that there wasn't consensus on whether any ol' eSATA HDD works on my DVR model. I really didn't want to have to buy a HDD that I'd have to return, so I waited until dealnews stumbled on a deal for this model, which is intended for DVRs. I might have pissed away $70, but I might have saved myself lots of time and trouble. Any brave souls out there that have gotten any ol' eSATA to work?

And may I add ... OMG, I picked budget shipping from Buy.com, and I got this item next-day. WOW.

Why can't Amazon sort by price?

2008-06-23T17:42:00.002-04:00

Amazon, the world leader in e-commerce, can't sort by price. What's up with that? Surely the people who can provide customized recommendations can figure out how to ...

... oh, I just took a look at my personalized recommendations. Amazon apparently thinks I'm incontinent. Nevermind.

Setup my Onkyo receiver & Infinity Beta 10 speakers

2008-06-23T08:45:00.004-04:00

This weekend, I setup my new Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1-Channel Receiver (paid $385). Setup was a breeze. The only hitch was that I'm using a 2-channel setup, and it ships from the factory in 7.1-mode. So I had to configure it so it knew I only had two speakers. Cake.

The Onkyo TX-SR606 is overkill for my system, but it was one of the cheapest HTS receivers dealnews has listed with 4 HDMI inputs (that aren't sound-disabled like some older Onkyos). I've got the Time Warner box, HD DVD player (which I only use as an upconverting DVD player), Xbox 360, and Mac mini hooked up to it. Loving it so far.

I connected it to two new Infinity Beta 10 Bookshelf Speakers. The dealpad is a rental, so I opted not to get a multi-channel home theater speaker setup for now since I didn't want to run wire through the walls. These speakers were top-rated by Consumer Reports (ya I know, but cheap bookshelf speakers are hard to get a rating on). Although far from fantastic compared to high-end bookshelf speakers, I'm very happy with their sound at $89 a pop. They'll make decent rear speakers down the road. Too bad Vanns sold out.

Walmart.com: Now with advertising

2008-06-20T12:13:00.007-04:00

Walmart.com is taking a risk by adding banner ads to its product pages, at the top. They aren't exactly engaging high-end advertisers either ... I was shown a "Free dinner at Olive Garden" ad (pictured). First off, the link sent you to a very scammy solicitation for "2 Silver offers, 1 Gold offer, and 1 Platinum offer". Second, Olive Garden wasn't mentioned anywhere. And third ... Olive Garden? Ick!

So, is Walmart saying that e-commerce doesn't work for them? Or are they simply maximizing revenue from the thousands of people who visit their site every day from dealnews to buy something and then go, "Wait, I'm not shopping here. It's Wal-Mart! I'd rather eat at an Olive Garden!"

I finally saw a Kindle

2008-06-19T10:18:00.007-04:00

While on a plane this past week, I actually saw someone using an Amazon Kindle. Maybe I'm just not observant, but I've never seen one used before, even on the NY Subway. Observations:

1) The screen is terrifically bright, quite amazing, even in that annoyingly bright sunlight you get from a plane's window.
2) The Kindle owner sat in First Class. The Kindle costs $359. Nuff said.

BabyCakes NYC

2008-06-07T09:17:00.002-04:00

Last night, Kari and I went to BabyCakes NYC, a much-hyped bakery (specializing in cupcakes) in the Lower East Side. It has friendly, helpful staff. $16 bagged us four cupcakes and a slice of banana bread. A unique twist at BabyCakes is that is uses no sugar, flour and butter cream in its cupcakes. They instead use "all natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs."

It turns out, sugar, flour and butter cream are essential for yummy cupcakes. The frosting tasted odd, the cake was dry and unforgiving, and the flavors don't quite come together. Verdict? Yuck!

The banana bread, however, was the best I ever had: Moist, flavorful, with gooey chucks of banana.

Pining for a very special utility knife

2008-04-01T16:06:00.003-04:00

Now that we have an office and home in NYC, I find that I miss one of those unique buying opportunities you'll see from time on dealnews: The Alltrade Auto-Loading Squeeze Utility Knife. I paid $6.94 for it way back in May of 2006 from Amazon (free shipping via Prime). That's one of the best purchases I've made in my life. I have one for my Huntsville office and one for my Huntsville home, both bought back then.

I open lots and lots of packages ... I get maybe three to four per week, even more when I order FreshDirect, tons more around Christmas. (Yes, I'm an addict.) I use this utility knife like a box cutter. It opens super-fast and retracts with an easy button press, keeping the blade safe. I've retracted it hundreds and hundreds of times, with no reduction in performance. Blade dull? Hit another button and it pulls out easily, replaced automatically.

It's got a comfort grip, it's pump action, auto-loading ... it feels almost like using a gun, but it's okay for liberals! When Jeff, our COO, comes in our office, he usually plays with it absentmindedly while talking. (Cha-chunk! Cha-chunk!) Yeah, that's a little scary.

FWIW, there are a few knives on Froogle that are identical, but not sold from stores I've heard of. I may try one of them, but I'll never get this again for $7 shipped.

Site silliness: LNT & OfficeMax

2008-04-01T07:38:00.008-04:00

Have you ever tried to add an item to your cart at Linens 'n Things (LNT.com) or OfficeMax.com, only to be told that you needed to enter a quantity first? We have to investigate a fair number of deals at these sites, and that particular eccentricity has always annoyed me. I mean, how many knife sets or all-in-one printers is a person likely to need? (Me? 6. But I mean normal people. ;)

No doubt there are things about dealnews that annoy people. But my (lame) excuse is, these are far larger enterprises than we are, and you'd think they'd have the resources to fix this quirk that shows up at virtually none of their competitors. Just sayin' is all.

Got a similar annoyance? Post a comment.

Update: The Company Store also has this annoyance, as Jeff Contray spotted, although in a different way.

Go Ducks!

2008-03-21T20:00:00.002-04:00

Oregon v. Mississippi State tonight in the NCAA Tourney. Update: Well, dang.

How Amazon tried to poison me

2008-03-20T22:00:00.001-04:00

Not long ago, I ordered a pack of four CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) light bulbs from Amazon.com. It was a wicked deal that sold out too fast for us to post on dealnews.

When I received my CFLs, I didn't know what they were, because Amazon shipped them in a padded manila envelope. Surely, I thought, Amazon wouldn't ship as fragile an item as light bulbs in a manila envelope. Right?

I opened the package, found that it was indeed my CFLs, and also found that two of the bulbs had broken, as seen here:

If you look at the two middle bulbs, you can see that they're indeed partially shattered. I had just read this Consumer Reports piece on how CFLs contain mercury, which is a neurotoxin, and to dispose of broken CFLs properly. OMG, Amazon is trying to KILL ME!

What's the actual risk of mercury exposure from two broken CFL bulbs? The answer is, INSTANT DEATH. No really ... the actual answer is, the risk is apparently low. It's not likely that this amount of mercury would be dangerous. However, the risk isn't zero. Mercury in CFLs is metallic, not liquid, mercury, but it can turn into mercury vapor easily, which can then be inhaled into your lungs. And that's a risk, since it can then damage your central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.

FWIW, Amazon refunded my money without question. But Amazon Customer Service didn't answer my question: Why in the world would Amazon ship a breakable item (that contains a poison no less) in a manila envelope and not in a box?

More info:

NPR: CFL Bulbs Have One Hitch: Toxic Mercury
The EPA: What to do if a fluorescent light bulb breaks
Ask TreeHugger: Is Mercury from a Broken CFL Dangerous?

Logitech refurb? A-OK

2008-03-20T14:54:00.004-04:00

I've always been a fan of factory-refurbished Apple products, but I've had mixed success with refurbished products that aren't from Apple. Witness my refurb Samsung LCD TV with its noticeable blemishes on the cabinet.

So, I'm happy to report that my new, refurbished Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse is flawless and indistinguishable from the new ones I already own. Chuck and Jim also inspected it and couldn't find a flaw. At $45 without rebate hassles, it's a bargain compared to the typical $80 or more you'll see for a new one.

This mouse joins my other two MX Revolution Mice (one for dealpad, one for NY office, one for Huntsville office) as the best mouse I've owned yet. It replaces a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer, which was much cheaper and suckier. The Logitech mouse better fits my hand, weighs more (which is especially good when doing detail work), and has a much smarter scroll wheel that lets you get from the top of dealnews to the bottom with one flick.

The W Bed review update: It kinda sucks

2008-03-19T12:02:00.003-04:00

We're throwing out the bed we bought for the dealpad. Read the original dealpad review. It's The W Bed Queen Plush Top Mattress.

This was a bargain at $627 shipped, but after being on it for 6 months (really more like 3 months, since I split time between NY and Huntsville), I've found that it's gotten softer and that it's slightly concave in the middle. Kari has always had a bad back, and this bed is waaaay too soft for her.

We're replacing it with the Sonno Mattress (in Medium Queen) from DWR. It costs $1,000 more ... ouch ... but the bed does wonders for Kari's back. I don't like it as much as Kari, but I don't hate it. And I've got to admit it's good for my back when I lie on my back. (However, it can make my shoulders sore when sleeping on my sides.) Despite that high cost, it's cheaper than the competing products from Tempur-Pedic. This is our second Sonno; the first is still in Huntsville and is just fine after a year of use. Kari had asked for one in NY, I looked at the deal on The W bed and said, C'mon, let's try it. Well, if I hadn't cheaped out on the bed the first time around, I'd have been better off. Kari 1, Dan 0.

Jeff Contray, dealnews' Managing Editor, has owned the same W bed for about the same amount of time. Said Jeff, "I don't know that I'm very happy with it." He and I agree that this bed doesn't have the same feel as the beds in actual W Hotels. Surely those beds don't start to suck in 6 months.

dealpad: Garlic roller

2008-03-15T11:36:00.000-04:00

Kari's favorite new kitchen gadget is our Zak Designs E-Z-Rol Garlic Peeler. Roll a garlic clove in this for a second, and its shell pops right off. We got ours at Amazon for $7.99 with free s&h via Prime. Lessee ... I love garlic, Kari loves preparing food with garlic because of this peeler. WIN.

Spitz-A-Lot

2008-03-14T23:08:00.000-04:00

Kari and I went to see Spam-A-Lot today. Bloody brilliant. The best spot was completely unexpected, when the Knights Who Say "Ni" gave their new name. They sang song lyrics referencing Cloud 9 -- I forget the song -- and at the end changed Cloud 9 to "Client 9."
A Spitzer joke in Spam-A-Lot! Brilliant.