These things are good.

Good: Citra-Solv Natural Cleaning Products

2007-06-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Every day our family thinks about ways that we can change our lifestyles to lessen our environmental impact. During one of our trips to the 'Real Canadian Superstore', we found a natural (and biodegradable) cleaning product from Citra-Solv, LLC. Among others, we purchased their multi-purpose cleaner.

So far, I have used this cleaner for general cleaning around the house (toilets, tables, counters, floors) and to clean out the interior of the car. I must say that I absolutely LOVE this product! It cleans very well, does not leave a lasting residue and has a nice [clean] aroma. In the car, I wiped down all leather, hard/soft plastic on door panels/kickplates, the dashboard, and even the spare tire carrier (yes, ironically it's an SUV - we ordered a Camry Hybrid, but are still waiting for it).

I am very impressed with the results of this product, and will be looking for more Citra-Solv products on the store shelves the next time we are out. Here are the ingredients listed on the back of the bottle:

Water
D-Limonene (clear liquid from the peel of the orange)
orange oil
biodegradable cleaning agents (derived from coconut)

Yep - it's ALL natural! :)

Citra-Solv, LLC: http://www.citra-solv.com

Good: HP Canada

2007-06-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone that has ever owned a PC knows you will run into problems [eventually]. Whether it's a Windows-related issue (inevitable), a hardware failure, or incompatibility - you can relate.

Aside from the purchase of a DELL desktop for our oldest son, and a DELL 24" LCD monitor for myself (graphic design necessitates the size - at least that was my excuse) the rest of our computer hardware is almost exclusively HP.Several years ago (probably 5 now) we purchased an HP multifunction printer. After a few months, it stopped working and seemed like the printer carriage was not functioning. I contacted HP support and they advised me to send the printer into their repair center. I packaged it up in the original box (I've learned it's a good idea to keep the original boxes around for a few years, just in case), and the courier showed up that afternoon. That same day the online status of the repair showed it had been delivered to the repair depot. Within 48 hours the printer had been repaired and was returned to our front door. Sure, we had a problem with the printer, but come on - 48 hours!? Very impressive!

Now last Friday, I started getting errors with one of the hard drives in my main computer. The Intel Matrix Storage Console program indicated one of the drives had failed, and the array was 'degraded'. Again, I got on the phone with HP support and after running some diagnostics to confirm the issue, they indicated they would be sending out a replacement drive. Yesterday morning (less than 36 hours after reporting the issue - and over the course of a weekend) the drive arrived via courier.

Say what you want about the products or services they provide (although I am impressed with the quality of the products as well), but the Customer Support provided by HP Canada is top-notch! This is one of the main reasons that I will continue to be a loyal customer.

HP Canada: http://www.hp.com/country/ca/en/welcome.html

Good: Easeus Software

2007-06-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

Can you put a price on data? Let's find out...

Do you run a home-based business? Do you manage your personal finances/taxes on your home computer? Do you keep digital photos on your PC? Do you have a collection of all your favourite music and videos stored digitally? Do you manage your busy schedule and keep all your contact information synchronized with your desktop/notebook?

If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, then the answer to my first question would be 'NO'!

MY answer to ALL questions is 'YES', and about 18 months ago I found out how valuable my data [on my collection of PCs] really is. While formatting my PC to reinstall Windows (unfortunately this has to be done once in a while to recover true system performance), I diligently backed up my entire system to an external hard-drive. Unfortunately, during the process of installing Windows, I deleted all partitions on my drives, including the partition on the external hard-drive that was the temporary safe-guard for my digital life. :( At this point I thought my career was over - but I didn't panic - I figured there must be a way to recover from this. And there was. A quick search from my notebook PC revealed data recovery utilities from EASEUS.

I quickly purchased and downloaded their Partition Table Doctor and Data Recovery Wizard programs - money was no object at this point, but thankfully it was only about $160 CAD for both.

I used the Partition Table Doctor program to recover the deleted partitions, and then used the Data Recovery Wizard program to recover the data on those partitions. I'm sure I spent a few days getting everything back to normal, but without utilities like those provided by EASEUS, I would probably still be recovering - although it would most likely be in the hospital from a coronary! :|

EASEUS: http://www.easeus.com

Good: VTech i5858 Cordless Phone

2007-06-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

A few months ago our cordless phone battery died, so instead of buying a new battery we felt it was time to upgrade to a new system. We did our research and decided on [probably] the most expensive option - an expandable (up to 8) set by VTech with every feature on the face of the earth.

The VTech i5858 system offers everything from speakerphone to video caller ID, 802.11 wireless compatibility to call transfer, picture caller ID to recordable ringers, downloadable images (from USB) to Outlook and Palm phonebook compatibility and more.

You can expect to pay about $250 for the base unit and about $120 for each accessory handset. The system works seamlessly, is very clear (for a digital cordless phone) and quite stylish (maybe you can't admit you want your phone to be stylish, but I can).

VTech Canada: http://vtechcanada.com/en/products/58/data/i5858.htm

Good: Home Depot Auction

2007-06-05T07:24:00.001-07:00

Every day starting at 10:00am EST, you will find a new product on the Home Depot auction block. Everything from furniture to electronics, building supplies to gardening accessories, tools to window coverings, and more. Why pay full price when you can bid the highest amount you're willing to pay for it!?

Here's how it works:
Starting at 10:00am EST, a new item will be posted on the auction block - shown is the time remaining in the auction, the lowest winning bid, the number of bids and the auction quantity. In most (if not all) cases there will be multiple quantities of the item available, so you will be bidding on one of those items. When you place a bid, you are committing to that amount, however if the lowest winning bid is lower than the amount you bid, you will only pay that amount.

Here's an example of bidding on an item with 4 available:
Bid 1: $125
Bid 2: $126
Bid 3: $160 (your bid)
Bid 4: $165

Even though you bid $160, if the auction ends like this, you (along with all other winning bidders) will only pay $125, plus taxes and shipping (which is actually quite reasonable).

In most cases the items seem to go for about 50% (or less) of the regular price, and I have already won 2 auctions (a $25 chip/dip set for $4, and a $500 patio set for $244).

Home Depot.ca: https://www.homedepot.ca/auction/

Good: The Stacee-Free Team of Mincom New Choice Realty Ltd

2007-06-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

March 2007:
After 14 months, we finally moved into our newly built home. Ah, life is good. But during that time our patience (not to mention our anger management ability) was tested thoroughly.

1 Year Earlier:
Thinking our new home would be finished by the original closing date (Fall 2007), we decided to get ahead of the game and contact some real estate agents to discuss a listing price, home preparation strategies, etc. Just 1 year prior, our neighbor sold their home in 24 hrs for very close to asking price, so we decided to contact the agent they used. After speaking with this agent on the phone several times, we decided this was the right agent for us. Things went downhill from that point - they suggested we list exclusively right away to take advantage of the [hot] spring market, and then list on MLS should it not sell in a few months. Not only did it not sell, but there was absolutely NO activity at all for 2 months - no showings, no open houses, nothing. There was even a 4 week period where our agent was not responding to our emails. Then we found out our new home was to be delayed for 4 months. So we contacted our agent to cancel the listing - we were not happy with their performance and wanted out. To make a long story short, the agent refused, the Broker Manager refused (and treated us like dirt) and the Owner of the brokerage was rude and patronizing. We spoke with the Real Estate Council of Ontario and the head office of the agency's company (one of the largest real estate companies' in the world) - nothing could be done.

I won't say the name of the company/agency/agent (pssst - it's the one with the red, white and blue hot air balloon), but I will say that the office is located at the corner of Rossland Rd and Garden St in Whitby (you figure it out).

8 Months Later:
Our contract with the agent noted above was about to expire, and it was time for us to get a new agent. We took a different approach this time - we contacted about 5 different agents (those we figured to be the top selling in the area) and requested interviews from them all. We thought we had our agent picked out, until we were contacted by Garry Free of The Stacee-Free Team from Mincom New Choice Realty Ltd. I explained that we had already chosen an agent (hadn't signed a contract yet though), but Garry was very convincing and I couldn't say no to an interview. Garry showed their VERY complex marketing strategy and thorough list of services offered. In the end we changed our minds - The Stacee-Free Team it was!

A professional photographer came through our home in a few days to prepare photos for the brochure, MLS and the virtual tours. Within a few days the sign was up on our lawn and we had private showings every day for about 5 days until an offered was received. The offer was accepted that night, and a week later it was finalized when the buyer's financing was approved and the inspection was favourable. All-in-all, it took 7 days to get the offer and 14 days to finalize - all because of the hard work and dedication of Garry Free and his team.

We are EXTREMELY pleased with the professionalism and courtesy that Garry showed us, and of course with the performance of his team. We would DEFINITELY use their services again in the future, and hightly recommend them to anyone looking for an agent.

The Stacee-Free Team: http://www.callthetopteam.com.

Good: Bowflex Blaze™

2007-06-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was a regular patron of a local gym for about 5 months, when I decided I was too lazy (I know, ironic) to keep going several times (4-5) a week. I wanted to get in better shape and stay healthy - I was committed - but I didn't like the idea of losing 90 minutes of my day. So, I bought a Bowflex Blaze™ home gym (why not) from The Shopping Channel. I couldn't find any reviews on this product in particular, but they offered a package deal that included the machine itself, a power rod upgrade, machine mat, digital scale, the iTrainer software and a t-shirt (yee haw) - not too mention I felt the Bowflex seemed to have a good reputation for being a quality product.

The package arrived at my door in just over 2 weeks, and I was excited to put it together. By this time I had already cancelled my gym membership. I have to admit it was not that easy to assemble, but after I was done, I was stoked to start using it.

I've now had it for about 6 weeks, and have been using it regularly (about 3 times/week). I honestly feel better, I think I look better, and I am overall pleased with my purchase. This is definitely a quality product, and although one of the power rods snapped on me, Bowflex sent a replacement within a few days, no questions asked (they explained that they recently had a bad 'batch'). I've since purchased the power-rod upgrade to 410lbs (you really need it for the leg press), and although I realize it may not be the equipment of choice for body-builders, it should do very well for toning, conditioning (and anyone looking to lose weight).

So far I am very pleased with the results, and would highly recommend any of the Bowflex products.

Bowflex Canada: http://www.bowflex.ca

Good: YOLO Colorhouse®

2007-05-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

In our recent quest to decrease (edit: eliminate) our environmental footprint, we stumbled across a company in Portland, Oregon that manufactures environmentally responsible paint products. YOLO Colorhouse® has developed a zero-voc (volatile organic compound) paint which is not only made primarily from natural materials such as clay, but also non-toxic - which means non of those smelly (and harmful) fumes.

Additionally, the company itself has shown their committment to environmental responsibilty in other aspects of business, including the use of soy-based inks printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, for business correspondence.

We've just purchased a few gallons and received them in about a week - delivered from a dealer in Vancouver, BC to our home just East of Toronto. When you factor in the cost of shipping, we paid twice as much as you would pay for a premium paint at your local hardware store, but we feel it's worth it.

We're most likely going to paint our kids rooms this weekend, so I will provide an update in the future with feedback on application, durability, etc.

YOLO Colorhouse®: http://www.yolocolorhouse.com