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CAT | Gadgets
The Worlds Fastest Lego Mindstorms RCX Speedcubing Robot. Built entirely from lego elements now scanning and solving any 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube combination in under 12 seconds.
There was a coffee thread on the message board and fluxus mentioned the aeropress. It is a unique little thing and we wanted to heck it out. Ordered from amazon.
It is a much sturdier piece of equip than I thought it would be. Seems like a fancy graduated cylinder than a chunk of plastic. We still learning how to use it. Kind of strange how little comes out of it. Tried two cups and maybe got an ounce out of it. One cup makes a very strong shot which I love. It looks like oil when it comes out.
- no sludge. Seems French Press is cloudy and has leavings. This filters it out completely
- quick and cleans up really easy. You twist off the bottom, grab the filter if you want to reuse it, plop the puck of spent coffee,rinse the end, and pull the plunger out to dry.
- makes a severely strong shot of espresso like coffee. Add water or milk to taste.
I really do not drink much burnt bean water, but have started enjoying recently. I do not like mine hot or weak. You brew with 175 degree water with this thinger and it is cool enough to shoot right away. i had a bit of trouble sleeping last night 
Thanks for sending this link in Susan. That is a good pic and a cool site.
I think Stephen had an iphone before others too
So a while back we got a re manufactured roomba from a woot bag of crap. I purchased a charger online and a docking station. The roomba would not dock. Being it was under warranty I contacted support and after some parts and communications they sent out a replacement robot and told me to discard the improperly functioning one. We had ordered replacement batteries and got the old one working again.
So with little investment we have two functioning 500 series roombas . We love them.
quick review: When run a couple times a day it keeps your areas spotless. I figured I would have to do some catch up with an upright once a week, but it is not needed. They do an amazing job. But, there are draw backs. We have livestock so we have to empty the dual bin often. In the middle of a cycle helps. It takes time and is noisy. When it comes down to effort it is a wash compared to using an upright once a week, but our carpet looks great every day.
Then there is the more technical part of it. It seems you need to be able to dabble in taking things apart to keep them functioning every now and then. Tonight I had to rip a gearbox apart to clear some obstructions.
That photo was when I took a break 1/2 way through. It was pretty bad. A normal user should not have to do this after less than 20 uses like I did. Normally you would call in, but this one is out of warranty and I was able to get in there and fix it myself.
We still think they are the coolest robots we have and are very happy with them.
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I am in battery heaven $24 for 8 AA batteries (eneloop content)
Posted by beerorkid in Gadgets
Picked up some eneloop batteries.
Back when I posted about my neato battery charger, Marlin mentioned I get some eneloop batteries. I read up on them and there are tons of sites that go into detail of how cool they are, but it all comes down to one thing. They have a very low discharge rate when stored. You can use them a year after they have been charged.
We use the heck out of rechargable batteries. Wiimotes, remotes, flashlights, makeup mirrors, and lots more. Biggest problem is when our batteries run out we put in some we had charged earlier and they hardly last. Also with flashlights once you go to use it, it is near death. I am hoping these change that a bit. Yeah I could buy a lot of batteries for $24, but if these work good it is totally worth it.
So they come charged just to prove how well they hold their charge. I did not use anything fancier than our wii to see, and that looks charged to me.
Got my second roomba replacement battery in the mail today as well. Both of our 500 series roombas now have new battery packs and wow do they run for a long time. I will post about the whole roomba army I have amassed here soon. It sorta crazy.
The roomba we got from woot had a decent battery, but we used the hell out of it and instead of 30 minutes of action we were lucky to get 10. With the new batteries a full hour is normal. Sometimes the roomba will dock when it is still green because it is done cleaning the room. Pretty cool. I tried to force the old battery into a deep cycle recharge and used something I built years ago to drain RC car battery packs. Worked like a charm, but a little too good. 10 auto bulbs suck a helluva lot of power. I thought the batteries were going to melt. Woops
The aerogarden has 4 types of basil going right now. Figure we should be able to pick some fresh next week. Theresa is loving our new 6 quart kitchenaid mixer.
I wanted a stick mixer and Theresa picked up a kitchenaid one. Made some hummus, and plan on using it for soups.
Some new bowls and plates
And an electric kettle to ease the making of French press coffee
Solved it a few times. I messed up in the vid and do it a diff way now, but still shows how it works.
