Amazon Review: KT Tunstall's CDs

I realize that I am a bit late to the game on this one, but KT Tunstall is an artist that I learned about through Amazon's "recommendations" feature based on other music that I own. She has released three CDs so far, and all I've been listening to them for about a month and a half now. Her first CD Eye To The Telescope (review here) is folk with additional layers while her Acoustic Extravaganza (review here) is a more stripped down pure folk recording. I liked both of these a lot. Her most recent effort Drastic Fantastic (review here) takes a slightly different path. I still liked it, but people who like artists to be more consistent in their sound will probably not. A lot of her music is catchy, but she also has some lyrics that are more abstract and make you think. If you like female singer songwriters, her CDs are worth a listen.

Until next time...
PH

A step forward in car maintenance

Most of you know that I have been driving a Honda Civic for a few months now, and it continues to be a real performer on gas mileage (and that was the goal!). Even though the price of gas is half of what it was, that just means it is that much more economical.

However, Honda has done something that makes your overall cost of ownership even better. As long as car manufacturers have had computers in cars, I'm surprised that it is in 2008 that I've first seen this feature. Honda has what they call a "Maintenance Minder". In essence, the computer monitors the major components of the car, and it calculates when it is time for maintenance and what exactly needs to be done.

In contrast, every other car I've had came with a preset schedule of what to do when. While based on averages, how many cars are truly due for an oil change at exactly 3000 (or whatever magic number) miles? The Civic keeps track of oil life and tracks down from 100%. When it reaches 15%, the "Maintenance Minder" alerted me that it was time for an "A1" service - oil change and tire rotation. Based on my driving pattern (lots of highway commuting) this happened at about 7200 miles! Most other maintenance schedules would have called for two oil changes by this point.

It's just one of those things that just "makes sense". Why haven't cars been telling us when they need maintenance and what type sooner? Hopefully other car makers will follow suit because I see this as a way to save money and get optimal performance out of a car.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Vine Review: The Impulse Factor

Greetings one and all! Forgive the recent lack of posts, but between work and a backlog of reading I haven't had a lot of free time (although I do have three weeks off between now and the end of the year). However, I've completed one of my recent Vine books, The Impulse Factor, and my review is now up. October was a good month as I was able to pick up three books that will be helpful at work. Yesterday I started on Plugged In: The Generation Y Guide to Thriving at Work. I am scheduled to have a college grad start on my Team in January, and Y's are going to be joining the workforce in great numbers in the years to come. So far it seems like a good read.

Until next time...
PH

October Vine Leftovers

This month I opted for a couple of work related books when the leftovers came out about a week and a half ago. After finishing The Dracula Dossier, I have turned my attention to The Impulse Factor. It is a book about decision making and the benefits and drawbacks of impulsive tendencies. So far it has been pretty interesting.

My other selection was Plugged In: The Generation Y Guide to Thriving at Work. Though I am not in Generation Y, I do work with (and will soon manage) people in this age group. The book also makes comparisons to X-er's and Boomers so I thought it would be a good all around reference on generational differences in the work place.

Until next time...
PH

More Bicycle Strangeness

I mentioned earlier that I had begun seeing kids talking on cellphones while riding their bikes. Today I saw something completely different, but I still found myself shaking my head. While you may think of bikes and fitness going together, this couldn't have been more the opposite. As I was leaving Target this afternoon, her comes an older guy riding his bike. I wouldn't have thought anything of it except for the cigarette hanging from his mouth. This just seems like a recipe for falling over dead between the exertion of riding and the added strain of smoking. It brought back images of the Saturday Night Live skit from long ago where John Belushi was running while smoking and eating donuts. It just goes to show that you never know what you'll see when you step out your front door each day.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Vine Review: The Dracula Dossier

I have just finished reading The Dracula Dossier by James Reese, and my review is hot off the press. It is not for everyone, but if you like the thriller/horror genre it's worth a look. However, don't be misled by the title. There is no mention of Dracula or vampires in the novel at all. Reese's writing suggests in footnotes how Jack the Ripper might have influenced Bram Stoker's writing of Dracula, but that's the extent of the tie in.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Vine Review: Logitech Squeezebox Boom

In the year plus that I've been in Amazon Vine, I've come across so pretty cool stuff. However, the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is truly a WOW product. You have probably gathered that music is a pretty big deal to me based on all of the CD reviews that I've posted about, and both of the Squeezebox products that I've used have made it easier to enjoy. I would expect that many teens will have this on their Christmas list this year.

Until next time...
PH