May Deals

@sammydog01
TYVM for book links and also for the topic.

@PlacidPenguin meh. Keeps giving me an error, but doesn’t tell me what is wrong.

@RiotDemon Me too.

@PlacidPenguin Click on the red ‘VR’ goggles.

http://www.kia.com/us/en/build/niro/2017/trims?trim=115&model=608

@OldCatLady

The link I posted should work. It’s the direct page of what you posted.

@RiotDemon @sammydog01

I mean, I guess it’s possible that they’re out of them.

@OldCatLady Still not working on my phone. I’ll try it at home later.

@sammydog01

Did it work?

@PlacidPenguin Worked for me on my desktop computer and Android phone.

@PlacidPenguin No. There must be something wrong with me.

@sammydog01 Doesn’t work for me either.

@sammydog01 @medz

According to /r/freebies:

Add #1 to the end of your street address.

@medz Same here. I tried Chrome and Edge on Win 10, and Safari on iOS. No soap.

@PlacidPenguin That worked. Thanks, chumbo.

@PlacidPenguin that worked for me as well, thanks.

@PlacidPenguin I don’t get why but it worked. I hope the mail person doesn’t get confused.

@sammydog01

You don’t have to get why as long as you get the Cardboard headset.

Any of you received this headset in the mail?

@PlacidPenguin nothing yet. I got the email from Knox labs. I’ve actually ordered a headset from them before. I think it took over a week and that was me paying for shipping.

@PlacidPenguin got mine.

@RiotDemon Me too! Now I need to find something better to use it for than looking at Kias.

@sammydog01 @RiotDemon

Nothing here, but I really want more V2 Cardboard headsets…

@sammydog01 Google play has tons of fun stuff. A lot of it will be one viewing and then delete, but they’re pretty neat. YouTube also has a bunch of 360 videos now.

Google play things:
(Headphones recommended for the full immersion experience.)

Sisters
Chair in a Room
Titans of Space
11:36 (or something titled with the same numbers in a different order.)

@sammydog01 there’s also POV porn if you want to feel like a guy for a few minutes. (No idea if there’s any from a woman’s POV. Haven’t looked around enough)

No link, cuz against the forum rules.

@RiotDemon @sammydog01

Might I suggest ‘Cardboard Camera’ to shoot VR videos (with sound) ?

@PlacidPenguin ah yes. The actual cardboard app to configure and keep track of all your cardboard apps (if you don’t want to make a folder.)

@RiotDemon

Two different apps.

Cardboard Camera keeps track of media, whereas the regular app keeps track of apps.

By the way, with Cardboard Camera, you can record 360-degree panorama photos without the headset. You know, for when you get the headset later.

@RiotDemon Do these work also with Daydream? Is that what you call the headset that came with my Pixel? I used it for about an hour the day I got it and haven’t taken it out of the box since. I don’t like the isolation. But I have taken a bunch of Cardboard Camera 360’s of my dog I recently lost. I can’t bear to look at them but I’m glad I have them. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to take a few in the Bahamas.

@moondrake

Daydream:

@PlacidPenguin That’s it.

@RiotDemon too punny

@moondrake

Since you don’t use your Daydream, any interest in selling it?

@PlacidPenguin
What is this Daydream? Some VR thingie?

Just got an email about the Cardboard headset from Kia/ Know Labs.

Apparently I’m getting two of them because there was a typo when I submitted the first time and I redid it.

@PlacidPenguin I think I’ll hold onto it. I plan on taking shots of the new dogs if they are ever still enough.

@f00l Yes, it’s a vr headset. There are vr games and you tube videos that are pretty immersive. There’s also an app that allows you to take 360 degree panoramic photos with live sound on your phone.

@sammydog01 I got nephew the Ollie and Force Band bundle for Christmas. He loves the Ollie, but the Force Band, not so much. Difficult to use and typically Bluetooth buggy.

@ruouttaurmind The Ollie works with the force band? Cool! I can barely control mine with my phone so I could see it would be difficult.

@sammydog01 Well, “works with” is sort of a subjective phrase if I were to ask Jacob.

@ruouttaurmind I read up on the force band- it says you can use the app to play a light saber game using one of those light up cheapie ones. I don’t know if your kid is that much of a geek, but I would try it. They need to get down around $20 before I would consider it though.

@sammydog01 I hope you’d decapitating the sphero and not the dog.

@moondrake Yep, BB-8’s head. It pops back on much more easily than the dog’s. And it’s way less messy.

@moondrake Mine were like $18 after shipping. I started with a $15 frame, though.

@dashcloud Thanks for the tag. Nothing catching my attention, though.

@ruouttaurmind Good deal for a stocking stuffer. Select no-rush shipping and get a $1.00 credit for music or ebooks, too.

@ruouttaurmind

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was “dead” …

@ruouttaurmind thanks.

If you’re near a Micro Center they have them for 6.99 store pickup.

@RiotDemon No Micro Center near me, but others will certainly benefit.

@ruouttaurmind none near me either, oh well. Still ordered them.

@RiotDemon Me too.

@PocketBrain
/image May deals

/image day meals

/image bay seals

/image say teals

@sammydog01 OK it’s $8 for five pounds with subscribe and save with the coupon. I just hope I remember to cancel before July.

@PlacidPenguin Gone

I’ll assuming whoever ordered this also got the email that they ran out of stock and a lot of people won’t be getting this headset.

@PlacidPenguin damn. I haven’t gotten that email yet. I was really hoping to give these away to some people I know.

@cranky1950

I dunno why, but I really want that teddy bear.

This is making me laugh:

@cranky1950

They could still be ordered (possibly). I got to the confirmation page, though I didn’t submit the order.

@cranky1950 The small size is on backorder, but the Jumbo is still available in all 3 colors.

@ruouttaurmind Dang, both codes have expired. That would have been two Christmas gifts in the bag.

@moondrake Dang it. I just grabbed two yesterday.

@huja, thanks again for the tip on this. My order of two arrived yesterday. I used one on the way to work this morning to listen to my audio book. As with my others, it works perfectly!

@ACraigL I have that one. It works as well as a rental for two days’ cost.

@ACraigL, @sammydog01, They call it “SteamVac” but does it actually steam? The Rug Doctor rental I got at the local drugstore was called a steam cleaner, but it didn’t really seem to generate much heat. More like a “lukewarm soapy spray” cleaner would have been a more appropriate name I think.

With two dogs and a really, really messy roommate, I really need something, but don’t want to flush money on something that isn’t up to the task.

@ACraigL That link don’t work no more.

@medz Cheers! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009R66F/

@ruouttaurmind I have dog that pees a lot and it does wonders. No, it doesn’t steam, but it does a hella good job cleaning. I paired it with hoover concentrated pet stain (also got on amazon), and it works great.

@medz https://www.amazon.com/Hoover-Cleaner-SteamVac-Machine-F5914900/dp/B00009R66F

@ruouttaurmind It puts out water at the temperature you put into the tank- use hot water and hot water comes out.

Would this one be better than an older Bissell Proheat 2x? It was touted as having an on-board water heater, but the light doesn’t light-up anymore and the water doesn’t feel warmer when using it. Plus the brushes are getting nasty. Probably time to replace it.

@ruouttaurmind Q&A says does not steam

@Kidsandliz I started reading reviews, and Q&A for this one and eventually discovered it does not actually produce it’s own heat (I was intimidated by the “816 questions asked” bit).

@madflack

Unfortunately I can’t help you.

Although… Even though I don’t play the TCG, Pkmn Go, or any of the games anymore, I wouldn’t mind at all if someone got me a card or two…

@moondrake I’ve seen the GUD stuff but didn’t know it was BB. Okay, I ordered. At that price, it’s silly not to. Stocking stuffers, at least.

@moondrake Link works, but I only have two ears, and way too many gadgets already.

@sammydog01

Had to create a Steam amount to be able to get it.

Probably won’t use Steam though.

@PlacidPenguin
I’m not much of a gamer, but I do grab the freebies and cheapies when I can remember how to log in there.

Steam’s ok. A nice thing about it is that your games are all in an online library, you don’t have to keep track of them, they do.

Also I think they have some World Of Warcraft type game that’s free or nearly free to play, instead of being endlessly expensive as WOW is. Forget the name of this game, but just look up the most popular games in Steam (google it if need be) and it will be in the top 10 if not at #1.

Also they have insane game sales twice a year, I think one after Dec 25th and one in June or something?

I think a few people here play a lot on Steam. @jbartus, @sammydog01, @Eluno perhaps? I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of people who have mentioned Steam games.

@f00l Are you talking about Hearthstone? It’s a WOW based game that I’ve played quite a lot for about 3 years and never needed to spend a penny (I did spend $5 on a holiday special deal, but I didn’t have to.) It is true that it’s hard to beat players in open gaming who’ve spent lots more money and/or time at it, but from Wednesday through Sunday there’s a free feature called Tavern Brawl which often provides a deck, and when you do build for it there’s some kind of rules twist or special play environment that makes it more about building the perfect deck for the theme than about power cards. Tavern Brawl is great for new players as you get to play with a lot of cards you don’t own yet. There’s also the Arena, which you have to pay to get into but you can easily earn enough in-game resources in Tavern Brawl and daily quests to gain unpaid entry, and that’s a draft based game so other players can’t bring in their power decks. There’s also an array of solo adventures, which you can pay to access using money or in-game resources, completing them gives you some of the powerful cards for free. So you can play Hearthstone pretty much endlessly for free and almost never have to face opponents with expensive decks unless you want to.

This is a good week to start Hearthstone as it’s the 100th anniversary of Tavern Brawl and each of the 9 classes has a different brawl scenario so there’s huge diversity in the Tavern at the moment, but it will be over Sunday. Hearthstone’s available in the play store.

@moondrake
I don’t remember what game, I’ve never played it. Just, one time during one of the Steam sales I googled the most popular games on Steam. And there was this game at #1 I’d never heard of. A friend told me it was Steam’s freebie competitor to WOW, and that it was good.

But I don’t know personally - I’m not a gamer. I own some games in Steam, but I’ve never actually loaded one to play.

That will have to wait for some point in my life when my obsessions mutate.

@dashcloud Thanks. They have several other free games available too. Click the “STORE” link in the header, then the “FREE” radio button on the “PRICE” drop-down menu.

@f00l I bought more than half of them. Thanks. I think. Now I can dispose of the paper copies.

@OldCatLady
How’d you manage to stop yourself? The only reason I didn’t buy them all was that I already owned a bunch of them.

@OldCatLady

If you didn’t get rid of them, I’ll offer you a semi-shiny quarter for each of them.

@f00l It’s more like putting the ‘buy’ button on pause. I still have until midnight.

@OldCatLady
Midnight Pacific Time. : )

Temptation is sweet.

@f00l Temptation won.

@OldCatLady
This time, it should. ; )

@medz

Only if someone has Kindle Unlimited.

@PlacidPenguin $0.99 ebook!

@f00l
Dead

@ruouttaurmind
Thx.

@ruouttaurmind

Shame I can’t use it for what I want.

@PlacidPenguin Right? I’ve got a dozen items on my eBay shopping list, and so far none of them are covered by this coupon.

@ruouttaurmind
Generally, what is covered?

@f00l It’s a pretty healthy list of tech stuff (cameras, computers, drones, game consoles, tech accessories, etc) but only items sold by specific sellers. If you click here, it’s a complete listing of all the sale items. Over 23,000 items.

@ruouttaurmind

Oh well. I guess I’ll continue waiting for what I want to decrease in price.

Well, here’s a little wrench in the works: You can only use this coupon code once.

I just ordered a NVR wifi camera survellience system for Mom’s place (she’s feeling vulnerable since Dad died). I tried to order a second identical system for myself, but the coupon code was no longer valid. One use per customer.

@ruouttaurmind
Open a second account. You might gets second coupon.

@f00l The use of the coupon is tied to PayPal account, not eBay account. So I’d have to create a second PayPal. Not sure how long that takes, but last time I did it, took about four or five days before it was active.

@ruouttaurmind @f00l

You could have a second PayPal account running in less than 10 minutes (well, depending on several factors).

I’ve created them, used a prepaid debit card as payment source, and a little bit later was able to delete it since it fulfilled its purpose.

@ruouttaurmind

So… I could get a 32 GB Google Pixel in B+ condition for $474.95.

The listing is included in this 20% off promo, which would drop the price to $424.95.

Then, I would be getting $38 in eBay Bucks, and possibly 1.5% of the $424.95.

Unfortunately, the budget which I have for “stuff I don’t need” is at $360…

@PlacidPenguin Too much money for a “B+” condition phone anyway. (Does that help at all?)

@ruouttaurmind

Sure.

Although due to the issues I’m having with my Nexus 5X, even though they will send me a free replacement, I’m still going to be stalking the eBay listings from now on.

(Even while being sad, I already found cheaper listings with the phones in about the same condition and for cheaper (even without the 20% discount.)

@PlacidPenguin

I went through a similar process before buying my used iPad Pro on eBay. Prices for identical configurations ranged by about 40%. With some patience and dedication I was able to find the configuration I wanted (12.9", 128GB, GSM unlocked) at the low end of the price range. Only took about 2 mos.

@ruouttaurmind

Turns out, I dodged a bullet by not buying the phone.

Even though I can use it on any carrier, Verizon messed with it by locking the bootloader so that it can’t unlocked (and thus, rooted).

---

If I end up going through eBay, I may be able to get discounted eBay gift cards through a discount site, as well as possibly get cashback on the gift card.

It’s nice to find ways to save money on ridiculously priced products.

---

Of course though, the rationalist in me is trying to figure out why I would spend more money on a new phone while I have a phone which is rooted and running a ROM with (almost) the latest version of Android.

@ruouttaurmind

Well that was fast.

Found it for more than $100 less on eBay. Seller gives it an 8.5 out of 10.

I still haven’t bought it because I am trying to wait for the seller to get back to me with the IMEI.

@dashcloud Don’t forget to grab the Lego Star Wars complete saga for 360, but plays on the X-Bone. Now free with Games with Gold.

@ruouttaurmind I’m glad you found some stuff, I’m not having much luck. Their prices are insane. $94 for a pair of sandals? $80 for a throw pillow sham?
$79 for two copper mugs? For those diving in I suggest you set a search for 47goshop, which will cut the site down to 2,620 pages of items applicable to this sale. Note that apparently some items are only 25% off, which is unfortunately true of the one item I’ve found that I wanted, which I will not be buying, $67 for a small cooler with some grill tools, with 65% off I’d have gone for it, but not $50 after 25% off…

@moondrake I landed at JCP with the intention of looking for shirts, so in my case, it worked out well. Although I’ve never paid $30 to $40 for a pique polo, that’s not an unusual retail price for a better quality shirt. I wound up paying $10 each. About the same price as Walmart, but for much better quality. Similar deal on some $45 canvas cargo shorts. On clearance, plus 25% additional discount, about $6 out the door.

In your case, to go in and shop for something that makes the deal worth using… more of a challenge, to be sure.

@moondrake BTW, if you select a category you’re interested in shopping, there are filter options that include the 47GOSHOP offer. Choose a department, click that filter, and you’ll see only items that qualify.

@moondrake Looks cool- I ordered the last one. Bwahahaha.

@sammydog01 It says “more coming” but I don’t know if they’ll be at the same price.

@moondrake Wow! $190 now!

@moondrake They have a bunch of other schools for just over twenty bucks. It’s just one vendor. Mine was $19.68.

@ruouttaurmind That may just be a placeholder.

@moondrake I’m thinking @sammydog needs to list the $20 one for $95 and cut the competition’s price in half for a quick sale!

@ruouttaurmind I’m not at all sure it is really going to ship. We’ll see.

@sammydog01 Mine came yesterday. Much bigger and heavier than I expected for the price. Also in a nice box. I haven’t taken it out to look at it as I bought it as a gift.

@moondrake Mine is coming tomorrow. I have no idea what to do with it- I have a Coleman stove I usually use instead of charcoal. But it was cheap, right? I’m such an idiot.

@sammydog01 I was just wishing I had a small grill. I’m cooking a couple dozen hot dogs for the gaming group later and it would be nice to grill them, but I don’t want to have to uncover my big party charcoal grill and fire it up for so little food. I’m trying to decide if I want to pop into a store today and buy a small one or just fry them. Many moons ago I had a hibachi that I used a lot so it might be fun to have a really little one.

@moondrake I own one of these. It uses one of the small propane tanks and is perfect for a small family. We used to take it to beach vacations so we could grill fish. It also has a burner for Jiffy Pop. It’s also nice for power outages.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W4VD8C

@moondrake that entices me to join even though I don’t really need to buy in bulk.

@RiotDemon

You could buy stuff for me…

Lately I’ve been going through a blackberry obsession, so you could start with that.

@PlacidPenguin you can pay the shipping.

@RiotDemon

If I pay for shipping, you’d pay for the blackberries?

@RiotDemon I never buy in bulk. When I can get the Sam’s Membership at a discount, it just makes it convenient to get discounted gas around town. And they have a few things that I like to buy in the store, Naked Juice and pizza from their Deli.

@moondrake I usually like the pizza. Plus they often have stuff that’s not too “bulky” but still a decent price. Especially if you work their monthly coupon offers.

@PlacidPenguin if I found out that shipping was more expensive than the actual blackberries, or not allowed, then no.

If it was simple and cheap, maybe I’d buy you a small container.

@RiotDemon Sam’s doesn’t have small containers of blackberries. If I buy berries from there I have to freeze most of them.

@moondrake @RiotDemon

So no blackberries for @PlacidPenguin?
@PlacidPenguin finished off 2 containers of them over the last 2 days.

@moondrake You seriously are not serious about eating blackberries… I could polish off a big container in less than a day without trying very hard. When we could trample and still have an endless supply to eat them at my grandmother’s farm I don’t even want to think how many I (and the rest of us) ate (and of blueberries, raspberries and elderberries, oh yeah and crab apples - yeah we did eat those although we likely threw more of those at each other than ate them).

@Kidsandliz They upset my stomach if I eat more than 3-4oz of berries in a day. I was assuming that was common, perhaps not.

@moondrake @Kidsandliz

The two of you are invited to join me for blackberry eating.

@moondrake Not common with me and all my relatives (based on how we consumed them at the farm) : )

@PlacidPenguin I’m in. Where and when?

@PlacidPenguin
I want an invite pls.

@Kidsandliz

Either Thursday or Sunday.

I’ll let you know Monday.

@PlacidPenguin Blackberries run about $7.50lb around here on sale, and they are sad, picked too young, not much flavor ones at that. A friend brought me a gallon bag picked on his property in Louisiana last year and it ruined me for the storebought ones. It had been decades since I had fresh picked blackberries and my tongue immediately remembered.

@moondrake Yeah I have been spoiled the same way from all those years growing up.

@RiotDemon This would be a perfect set for keeping in the truck. Reasonable quality, and cheap enough not to fret over if it is stolen.

@RiotDemon My socket wrench keeps coming apart and this set probably isn’t much more than just the wrench. Thanks!

@RiotDemon Excellent! I found the last 2 in town. Imma have to drive a bit to get 'em, but I can combine with another errand and only be 10 minutes out of my way.

@ruouttaurmind I got the last one at my store. Yes!

@sammydog01 woohoo!

@ruouttaurmind is it bad that I’ll use the empty bottom drawer to store my other socket wrench? I totally forgot about that one. It was a father’s day clearance thing I found. You can actually rotate the handle to turn the socket. Even better than this one for tight spaces. D’oh!

@RiotDemon Lowes just called and said they didn’t have one after all.

@RiotDemon This is called the “Redundancy Equation”: Two is one, one is none. Everything I’ve ever engineered I’ve tried to impart with the Redundancy Equation.

@sammydog01 try a different store and use parcel shipping if available. There are different internet warehouses that ship directly to you from what I understand.

@sammydog01 Ya, my order was also cancelled this morning.

@ruouttaurmind oh no
I’m sorry.

@ruouttaurmind Liars. Boo. On the other hand my grill/cooler thing actually did ship.

@RiotDemon
Grabbed a set for store pickup. We’ll see if they cancel.

@f00l They called me within an hour of the order. That was pretty nice of them.

I ordered for shipping (there were none in my area) and got a confirmation that my order was in process yesterday. No shipping confirmation or cancellation yet, fingers crossed for the former.

@sammydog01 What brand is the broken ratchet? It could be under warranty.

(With that said, I’m actually not too fond of Home Depot and Lowes when it comes to warranting; the last times, HD needed me to call in and wait for the replacement in the (ground) mail and Lowes required the entire set be brought back. Sears has been mostly good, though a lot of Craftsman tools are not USA made anymore. Harbor Freight has been the most liberal when it comes to replacement, and I’ve even been upgraded before when there was no comparable available on the shelf. YMMV with each store, of course.)

@djslack I ordered this while on my honeymoon in Jamaica. I successfully navigated the gauntlet of Lowe’s ”your order has been delayed, you must contact us and tell us you will wait or we will cancel your order" emails (that come to an email address I don’t check regularly). I watched as the item page went from out of stock to 404 error. And today, my $20 tool set finally arrived. It’s back online at $120 now.

/giphy good things come to those who wait

@djslack Damn, you waited that long?

I forgot to come back to this… I hate the box it comes in. The drawers suck.

@RiotDemon actually, I wrote them back in like July and said I didn’t want to play their game repeatedly, and that if it will eventually come then do not cancel my order. That policy doesn’t seem to make sense, but maybe it does in that if I needed it on time then there would be a greater chance I’d be returning theirs when it showed up late, versus my case of just wanting to get my 85% off deal. I had forgotten about it until I saw a shipping notification this week.

The drawers do suck, I noticed immediately.

/giphy crappy drawers

@djslack the box is nice to hold everything as long as you put it back when you’re done. I needed one of the sockets all the way at the back, and when the drawer was pulled out, you physically couldn’t grab it. You have to pick up the top tray and reach down to pull it out.

/giphy terrible design

@f00l I enjoyed this book very much.

@RiotDemon

Yeah, everyone should read it at some point.

From The Tempest
MIRANDA
      Oh, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in ’t!

PROSPERO
     'Tis new to thee.

List of Shakespearean quotes in Brave New World:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_quotes_from_Shakespeare_in_Brave_New_World

@OldCatLady

You are just being purely horrible today, aren’t you. I don’t have 2 hours right now. Perhaps this evening or tomorrow.

Is this your revenge on me because I went nuts about maps and atlases?

OK, checked out my audible library. I actually own this one.

Most of Cumberbatch’s narrations listed are audio-plays with multiple cast members. He did a few books solo: this one, Ian Kelley’s Casanova, 3 Ngaio Marsh mysteries, and The Spire by William Golding.

I love the for the book pix, on some of these books, they don’t use a traditional book cover design or illustration, instead they use a Cumberbatch portrait sporting the full “come hither” gaze.

So do you have any <ahem> fav Benedict Cumberbatch photos?

Or should I not ask?

@OldCatLady

@f00l I will resist the impulse to bury the May deals thread under hot photos of Cumberbatch. There still a lot of May left. But it’s tempting, lol.

@moondrake
The point is that the entire book is available, I presume legally, for free via youtube.
So listen, no need to buy!

Here is a broken link, so the vid won’t embed.

https://youtu

.be/ksPjVb3ra0A

Or you can just search for this on youtube:

“Sherlock Holmes Audiobook by Benedict Cumberbatch”

Look for the result that’s 2 hours, 3 min long. And free.

@f00l I hadn’t thought about looking on youtube for audiobooks. Thanks!

@ruouttaurmind

Certain sellers only, right?

link:

http://www.ebay.com/rpp/memorial-day

@f00l It’s unclear to me if it’s certain sellers, or limited categories (any seller). The details of the offer aren’t as clear as previous coupon codes, which leads me to believe it’s all sellers in the categories mentioned.

EDIT: Found the deets: Discount applies to the purchase price (excluding shipping, handling, and taxes) of an eligible item on eBay.com. Eligible items include items purchased from the Home & Garden, Baby, Pets, Crafts, Food, or Sporting Goods categories.

@ruouttaurmind
K thx.

@ruouttaurmind
Used, thx.

@f00l Didja get fun stuff? I used it to get a part to repair my ice maker. Functional, but not much fun.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@ruouttaurmind
Yeah, a fitness thingie. Can’t say which one without outing myself a little too much, but this fitness thingie has a good rep.

Hoping it’s fun!

@f00l

If you really wanted resistance bands and weighted jump ropes, I could have just sent you some.

@PlacidPenguin
It’s not resistance bands. It’s an actual Hot Item out in the world. (Prob not a Hot Item on EBay.)

@f00l

/image thighmaster

@ruouttaurmind
Sorry, Charlie.

/giphy adonis

(I’m not this fit, by a few light-years)

@ruouttaurmind

Yeah, you’ll want the '80s.

Although this article has pictures of workout clothing from each decade.

https://eparker6.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/evolution-of-workout-clothes/

@PlacidPenguin
No Richard Simmons, please.

Thanks in advance.

@f00l

Fine.

---

If I post an unembedded Youtube video telling you that it’s Rick Astley, you’ll (presumably think) that it’s Richard Simmons.

If I tell you that the video is that of Richard Simmons, you’ll know that I wouldn’t do that (to myself), and you’ll think that it’s Rick Astley.

HOWEVER, you’ll then start thinking that I know that you’ll think the above thoughts, and in an attempt, you’ll then think that I’m tricking you by making you think that it’s definitely not Rick Astley, and that instead it really is Richard Simmons.

But then you may think I am thinking both lines of though, and am confused by making this post.

---

So…

Here’s a video URL. Do with it what you will.

@PlacidPenguin OMG, it’s a Olivia Newton-John flashback.

@PlacidPenguin

Do with it what you will

TEN HOURS??

@ruouttaurmind

Not nearly enough though.

But anything longer may violate Article 8 of the 8th Amendment.

@ruouttaurmind
@PlacidPenguin

If it has been a rickroll, I prob woulda clicked thru.

But Olivia Newton-John? Gonna skip it.

@PlacidPenguin

It may be cruel, but you can’t claim it’s unusual.

@f00l

Considering that the 2 posts of @ruouttaurmind have a 2 minute gap between them, it’s safe to assume that the Olivia Newton-John comment was about the exercise post.

@f00l

True, but the upcoming box WILL be unusual.

(All I can say is, I hope you carry safety goggles with you…)

@f00l

Olivia Newton-John is unusual these days.

@f00l I bought Armada and The Fifth Wave. My kid liked Ready Player One so I hope he will read Armada- just don’t tell him that the reviews suck.

@sammydog01 What age is the kiddo? If RPO appealed to him, there’s a series by Scott Myer called Magic 2.0 you may want to consider introducing him to. Three books for now, possibly another coming soon (book 4 “Fight and Flight” is available on Audible now, but not Kindle yet). His “The Authorities” is fun as well.

@ruouttaurmind He’s 14- needs adult level books or young adult at least. Thanks- I’ll check it out.

@sammydog01 Ya, the Magic series should be a good fit then. I absolutely loved RPO. I’m looking forward to the movie (bumped again, now slated for release in March of 2018!?!?!).

If I may make another suggestion, The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. Another contemporary post-apocalyptic story, but this one without the computer angle. Definitely adult level though. Not because of “adult content” but because of the intricate plot and writing level.

@PlacidPenguin

To remember for next year:

the week prior to Mother’s Day, Amazon put the 3G Kindle Oasis models on sale.

These are the most expensive ines, I think way over $300 normally. I think they kicked about $80 off the price.

They went quick. By the time I found the sale, they were OOS.

Even better, Amazon actually had some Oasis models in the warehouse, and they knocked down the prices on those too.

I tooled around and grabbed a warehouse Merlot-covered one for a bit under $200, all the warehouse ones were knocked down. This one was wifi only.

Except that they sent me one that was wifi and 3G, so cool! Looked to be in perfect shape.

The Oasis isn’t worth the extra $ over the Voyage and the Paperwhite. particularly. But if you aren’t bothered by the cost, it is a sweet device.

Here is the Warehouse product page, if anyone wants to check the stock and pricing.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B011WESR1G/ref=olp_twister_all?ie=UTF8&m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&mv_color_name=all&mv_configuration=all&mv_connectivity_technology=all

@PlacidPenguin A mere $2 more than the refurb model. Though they both have a 90 day warranty, so maybe go for the refurb and grab a convenience store coffee on the way home.

@ruouttaurmind That is a GREAT deal!! If I didn’t have three Cameos I’d jump on it.

@lisaviolet Thanks for weighing in! Prolly not worth the extra $50 for one of these “mega bundles” though I’d guess. Prolly better off buying $50 worth of stuff directly relevant to whatever you want to do?

@ruouttaurmind

Sketch pens can be bought for $14.50 on Amazon. A tool kit that includes the hook AND scraper as well as other tools is $12.10 on Amazon. A 12" roll of transfer tape is $10.49.

There are plenty of places to get Oracal vinyl. Even Swing Designs (the seller of this bundle, they are an AWESOME company, I buy a lot of supplies from them) has Oracal bundles for $18 right now and if you do a little shopping around, you can get it cheaper and pick your own colors.

The beginners guide wouldn’t impress me, you can find many how-tos online.
The downloads come with the machine, I don’t think those are addons to the machine itself.

So, I guess I’d say this bundle doesn’t impress me. I would pass.

@lisaviolet Again, thanks for your opine!

@ruouttaurmind
Thanks for bringing this up!

@lisaviolet, thanks for the input.

@mikibell and other crafters, take a look at this offer.

@ruouttaurmind The one thing I would get is the Silhouette Designer Edition software. It’s an upgrade to the basic. It gives you the ability to use SVG files, as well as other things you can’t do with the basic edition.

I’d get it here fopr $24.99 and Leo (owner of 3dsvg.com) will include a $10 gift card to his store.

@lisaviolet I’ve been labouring over this purchase for a few months now. I like the features of the Cameo, but I also like what the Curio can do. Why can’t they make a single machine that combines all the features? LOL!

@ruouttaurmind every once in a while you can get a good price on a mint/curio bundle. I haven’t done much with the curio, but was surprised how Mich I:he come to like the mint. I think silhouette America will be having a sale on the bundle soon.

@ruouttaurmind i did a little reading and it looks like you can get third party tools for embossing and etching with the cameo… plus the cameo 3 seems to handle thicker material like the curio so you may be able to do it all with one machine.

@djslack Thank you Chris. Sounds like my best bet is the Cameo, and give the third party tools a try. If no success, adding a Curio later is a more affordable machine than Cameo, so easily accommodated into the budget.

@lisaviolet So… ya. Bugging you again about crafty machines. Humbly, I hope I’m not being an unbearable pest.

I sat down to order the Cameo this afternoon, but I dragged my feet too long and it’s OOS. There’s another seller priced at $176, so only a few dollars more, or a vinyl bundle from Overstock for $194. But…

One of the girls that works for me suggests I look at the Cricut Explore Air 2 before committing to the Cameo. She says her mother has both machines and recommends the Explore as a more sturdy, easier to use machine with out-of-the-box SVG support.

May I ask if you have any experience with the Cricut product?

(BTW, the Explore Air 2 is $188 on eBay after the discount offer listed at the top of this thread, or Overstock has a similar vinyl bundle for the same price as the Cameo bundle; $194)

@ruouttaurmind sorry, spent day in e.r. damned sciatica pain shot my bp through the roof. Crap feels better than me. Ambulance, woohoo!

@lisaviolet I’m sorry you’re feeling poorly.

Take care of yourself, and I hope this passes swiftly.

When I finally get a machine I’ll make you a get well card!

@lisaviolet, @mikibell, I wound up ordering this basic Cameo 3 kit from eBay ($176 after 20% off code P20MEMDAY).

I started to order the Overstock.com vinyl bundle on eBay for $18 more, but apparently Overstock charges sales tax in my state, increasing the price by an additional $15. I figured there would be at least $18 in value added by the vinyl bundle, but once the difference became $33, I wasn’t so sure.

Anyway, it should arrive next Monday or so.

@ruouttaurmind welcome to our addiction!

@mikibell Now I gotta learn how to scope out all the bargains on materials. Not much interested in heat transfer projects, mostly signs, decals and cards.

@ruouttaurmind the cricut/silhouette brands of vinyl can be, to put it mildly, challenging to use. I have better luck with Silhouette brand than Cricut. Each is available at my local joanns or michaels. They typically have sales on them once or twice a month. They are good in a pinch. Our Michaels just started carry siser, which I hear is a good brand – I bought htv because honey told me we have a heat press! I have amazon prime and buy the orcal vinyl. I bought a sample pack recently:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01NADR97B/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Which is 63 colors of orcal 651 (permanent vinyl) 12x12 for about $28…great product…

A few years ago I bought this vinyl and had very good luck, but more expensive…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034CHHV6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lisaviolet has much better info on deals… I bought a c0b9 blade off ebay and have yet to use it…this blog explains how and why to use:

http://www.silhouetteschoolblog.com/2015/10/how-and-why-to-use-graphtec-cb09-blade.html?m=1

Cant remember if you do fb, but this group is nice…but turn off notifications!!

https://m.facebook.com/groups/412183352280716?view=info&refid=18&ref=bookmarks

Last but not least… I use this site…they have a $5 grab bag on wednesdays of scrap vinyl…and I would say I got my money’s worth. I also use their reflective vinyl, which is good. I have two complaints about their reflective vinyl: 1. It was almost an inch shorter than advertised, 2. It is shards of glass and there is no warning to wear gloves or such when handling…that is kind of a duh, but…
https://expressionsvinyl.com

@mikibell Excellent information! Thank you! I ordered the Oracal sampler, and a few sheets of Oracal 951 just to compare the difference between “premium” and the mid-grade 651.

Do you have any wisdom regarding transfer tape? I see it’s available in a variety of options and I’m wondering if you have wisdom of experience to share?

@ruouttaurmind I buy the cricut brand because it is cheap on sale. I have been known to use masking tape and in a pinch scotch tape I am looking at the expressions vinyl paper tape, but haven’t pulled the trigger on that – I find it hard to commit to a 100 yards of anything!!! Other people use contact paper, but I believe it depends on how fine the detail is that you want to transfer. You don’t want the adhesive on the transfer medium to be stronger than your vinyl adhesive.

For glue, @lisaviolet recommended this:
https://www.amazon.com/Beacon-Advanced-Craft-Glue-4-Ounce/dp/B001683NAO

It works really nicely without warping paper.

I have used before and liked the scotch brand:
https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Quick-Drying-Tacky-Ounces/dp/B001A3Y0DY/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1496165556&sr=1-1&keywords=scotch+glue

So as to not clutter this thread, I will find one of the older crafting threads

@PlacidPenguin
Ty

@f00l

Just used it to get a Google Pixel (32 GB) for $314.99.

Unfortunately though, even once I get it, I have to wait a while since the mic and earpiece don’t work.

So…

I’ll get it the 27th, but I have to wait probably 2-3 to actually use it.

@PlacidPenguin Are you aware if there are category and/or seller restrictions?

@ruouttaurmind

Eligible items exclude items from the Coins & Paper Money, Gift Cards & Coupons, and Real Estate categories.

@PlacidPenguin
What would be a good price for a working one?

What so fab about the pixel? Compared to my Note 4 and Nexus 6?

@f00l

This should give you an idea.

https://swappa.com/buy/google-pixel-unlocked.

---

Of course though, there’s the one which is branded as “Verizon exclusive”, but even though it can be used on any carrier (http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/12/13/the-definitive-google-pixel-us-carrier-compatibility-guide/), it has a locked bootloader.

This one is cheaper on Swappa.

https://swappa.com/buy/google-pixel-verizon

---

However, since the one I bought falls into the first group, I’m comparing it to that one. So… I saved over $200 compared to what people are asking for it on eBay and Swappa.

@f00l An entry level Pix 5" 32GB is $650 new from Google. Used… I have no idea.

@ruouttaurmind

The Verizon modified one could be bought for $424 from one person (I mentioned this one earlier this week).

The unlocked one would still cost over $500.

@ruouttaurmind

Plus, I’m selling my 5X, so that covers a nice chunk of the price.

@PlacidPenguin That’s gotta be worth a couple hundred innit?

@ruouttaurmind

Just about. Which honestly isn’t so bad, because I paid $138.95 for it (after using 4 eBay vouchers). It has almost all of the things which it came with (minus the Type-C to Type-C cable which it came with), but that will barely affect it.

Since I’m selling everything together though, I can’t use a small flat rate box, but I’m not complaining.

@ruouttaurmind

As it turns out, even though I can’t use a small flat rate box, it won’t cost that much more to choose Priority Mail WITHOUT using a flat rate box.

(Depending on where I need to ship to. At the worst, I have medium flat boxes.)

@PlacidPenguin Do you ever use flat rate padded envelopes? They are just a few cents more than small flat rate boxes, but I can manage to squeeze an astounding volume of stuff into them.

@PlacidPenguin
Can you plastic bubble it up heavily and put it in a Priority Mail flat rate envelope?

@ruouttaurmind @f00l

(Similar comments so I’ll combine the posts.)

1. Depends what I need to ship.
2. I would never ship a phone in an envelope. If it’s by itself, I’d rather use a small flat rate box and ship it in that.

@PlacidPenguin I put (heavier) boxed items inside the padded flat rate envelope. A little extra protection, but a better price than standard priority for items that won’t fit into a small flat rate box.

@ruouttaurmind

I mean, I guess I’ll order padded envelopes.

Unless… Can I get them at the Post Office?

@PlacidPenguin About half the local post offices in my area stock padded flat rate. I usually just order them and keep on hand, along with labels, PRIORITY stickers and assorted boxes. Saves me a trip to the PO.

@ruouttaurmind

I’m assuming this one would be good?

(I had a different link for envelopes in singles, but padded is more exciting.)

@PlacidPenguin That’s the one I use. $7.20 Priority postage.

@ruouttaurmind

Thanks.

@PlacidPenguin

If you put the phone & stuff in bubble wrap and into a smallish box then put the box into a flat rate envelope, and it will fit, that would work.

Depends on the fit.

@PlacidPenguin

The PO will ship you padded Priority mail envelopes, no charge, of the local PO doesn’t have them.

The best selection will be at the biggest local PO that is a distribution center or hub or similar.

@f00l

Ordered a pack of 10 yesterday. By the time it comes, hopefully the 5X will be here.

It’s still by LG in Fort Worth (then again, they only got it yesterday).

@ruouttaurmind

There’s a certain hub near me (about 30 miles away) which almost of my packages go through.

When they get there, I know that my packages are coming the next day.

It got there last night, so I figured there was a chance it would come today.

According to USPS (well, mostly through the app I use for tracking packages), it should be coming today.

I say should, because it doesn’t reflect my packages arriving locally, but has ETA of today (coupled with the fact that sometimes their tracking sometimes takes a while to update).

If it doesn’t come today, I may visit the Post Office before this evening if I’m bored. If not, then I guess I need to wait till tomorrow night. (Or Tuesday in the event a signature is required, though my mailman is friendly and useful, and helps us out with signatures over the weekend, legality and whatnot aside.)

@PlacidPenguin

It’s still by LG in Fort Worth (then again, they only got it yesterday).

???

No capisce. : (

@f00l

I sent it to the repair center in Fort Worth. They received it yesterday, and they expect me to get it in 6 business days.

@PlacidPenguin
Oh.

When you said “Fort Worth”, part of me started wanting some blackberries.

(this kind of blackberries)

@ruouttaurmind @f00l

Got the phone about an hour ago.

Got a different wall adapter and cable (USB Type-A to Type-C, which means significantly slower recharging speeds than Type-C to Type-C).

Contacted Google about the hardware issues.

Since it’s unlocked and was bought directly from the Google Store, they were able to transfer it fully to my email account and subsequently process a replacement.

So, it turns out waiting was a good idea.

@PlacidPenguin

@f00l When I was at the farm last month, hiking up to “Signal Butte” in my quest for data, I pretty much stripped clean every blackberry bush along the path.

Just because…

Google Store policy for replacements is that a person “orders” the replacement, Google ships it out, and then when the return is received, the charge for the replacement is reversed.

Me being me, I made sure that instead of doing it like this, I’d send back the replacement, and as soon as they process it, I get the replacement without any credit card info being needed at all.

(Unfortunately though, I got to the post office 13 minutes too late, and had to leave it in the dropoff box. Won’t fully be relieved until tomorrow night when I see that it was processed. I almost stopped several times along the way though to just hand it to a USPS carrier.)

@ruouttaurmind

The padded envelopes came.

@PlacidPenguin Xlnt. I hope you are able to make use of them. Even if only to pad items you’re stuffing into a flat rate box.

@ruouttaurmind

The Pixel is supposed to be coming Thursday (thankfully there’s somebody who I could get to sign for it if necessary), and the 5X is coming Friday.

By next week I hope to make use of one of the padded envelopes.

Since I usually don’t like selling my devices, the others will either end up as packaging, or will be sent in a future Mexchange.

@ruouttaurmind

Listed it for $218.

Assuming it sells, after PayPal and shipping fees, I’ll get around $194. I’m oddly fine with that, probably because after using gift cards, I only paid $138.95 for it anyways.

@PlacidPenguin BIN price? Do you ever use Best Offer?

I’ve had limited success with OBO. Often I just list in open auction and let the market decide fair value. Once I decide to sell I don’t want to fuss about, and just want the item sold.

@ruouttaurmind

I listed it on Swappa in the end.

@PlacidPenguin I’ve never tried Swappa or Let It Go. I’ll have to try that next time I have the motivation to sell.

@ruouttaurmind

Woke up with a notification that my phone was bought at 6:14 this morning.

After fees (including shipping),I got $194.22.

Better than I would have gotten had I gone through eBay (even WITH the promo they sent me of getting 30% of final value fees refunded to me).

@PlacidPenguin You did well! What’s the status on the Pixel?

@ruouttaurmind

Got the replacement from Google on Thursday.

Thursday night the service was transferred to it.

(I probably should have sold it, made a profit, and then bought another one.
Oh well; $120.78 out of pocket for the Pixel is a great deal.)

@PlacidPenguin Definitely.

@sammydog01 links!

edit: nm found it

http://shirt.woot.com/plus/birthday-blowout-now-with-sleeves

all gone but snowman mug

@thismyusername The tees are back in stock for two bucks. Link still works. AAs same price.

@sammydog01 cool… $15.95 for 5 random shirts!

@sammydog01 thanks in for 6 shirts(3 aa , 3 cheapo anvil ), $18 total after shipping

@sammydog01 In for another … uh, dozen.

@narfcake Didn’t Woot used to ship shirts at a lower rate than $5? I figured I’d grab 3 just for fun (because the last several random t’s worked out SO well? ) but five bucks to ship a $6 order just seems… dunno, like it steals the value from the bargain?

@ruouttaurmind Shipping used to be included in the pricing; back in the days, randoms were $6.66 each.

I bought 3 each from the shirtiversary + garage sales. Yes, the standard Anvil will still fit like shit, but $2 is cheaper than some thrift stores here.

@narfcake Thanks for the tip on the garage sale- weird that they let me order again. I tried on the regular page after the restock and they said no.

@narfcake Last randos I bought were Anvil 2 packs @$9 in Oct '14.

I prolly should pass anyway. I have maybe 20 Woot t’s I’ve never worn. A mixture of Anvil and AA, sized from M to XL and not one in the bunch fits comfortably.

@sammydog01 The garage sale is technically a different sale. Probably wasn’t intended, but it is what it is and I’ll use it to buy more.

@ruouttaurmind If you’re looking to get rid of any of those, PM me over at Woot what you’ve got.

@moondrake Yesterday there was a knock at the door. “Do you have a golden”? “I have a dog who looks like a golden.” “He is across the street at the stop sign.” Shit. He has gone through the invisible fence before. So I went to the kitchen, grabbed a leash, and ran quite a long way. I found a neighbor trying to get a lost lab into a car. My dog? Asleep in the kitchen where I walked by him. At least I got some excercise.

@sammydog01 Hilarious, but familiar. I have searched the house and yard for a dog that was laying by my feet before. It doesn’t help that one of the dogs is black as the heart of midnight and the other’s dressed in camo.

@moondrake

Nice wooden room.

@moondrake I love your puppies!

@PlacidPenguin I think I switched out the pic after you commented. You couldn’t see Zephyr’s camo as well in the indoor pic I posted first.

@moondrake

This pic also has wood, but not as much. (Sure, the deck could hypothetically have more wood, but in the 2 pictures, the first one showed more wood.)

@PaulAvila

?

@PlacidPenguin best i can tell, his laptop thinks it’s still April.

@ACraigL This deal has been on for about a week or so. For anyone interested, don’t dawdle, no idea how long it’s gonna last.

PS: I order Alexa deals using my first gen Fire Stick (no voice remote). Downloaded the Fire TV app to my iDevice, paired with Fire Stick, downloaded Alexa app, paired with Fire Stick, speak into iDevice to access (most) Alexa features.

@ruouttaurmind

If someone has an Amazon Fire tablet, they can dl the Alexa app if it’s not already installed, and get Alexa deals that way.

Considering that someone can pickup a Fire tablet from the Amazon Warehouse under $50 (for a 16g one), that’s not a bad thing.

@mikibell Linky linky.

@ruouttaurmind oh yeah… thank you, kindly…

@mikibell Kinda want. But I still haven’t tried the immersion cooker I got back in December, and I’m fixin’ ta buy a crafty machine if @lisaviolet can make up my mind. So I prolly should wait.

@ruouttaurmind it is a very good deal… get the cameo 3

I use the pressure cooker at least once a week… would use it more often if I had two of the pots…

FWIW, I haven’t taken my cricut air out of the box, and I only have a cameo 2 ( I think it is an air, I have to check when I get home)…

I like the silhouette software better, and their “free” images stay yours forever – cricut is a week of free. I have a lot of money tied up in cricut, and yet, I use the silhouette much more often. (I have a Cricut Cake also)… yes I have to many machines

@ruouttaurmind one more caution about the silhouettes for cheap – be wary, they are having a hard time filling the orders, Amazon had it for $158 a few weeks ago and the orders are being cancelled as “pricing errors”…

http://www.silhouetteschoolblog.com/2016/05/silhouette-cameo-vs-cricut-which-is.html

and the csc09 blade catches the silhouette up, imho…

@mikibell disclaimer… I guess the Cricut Air 2 may level the playing field… I still vote Silhouette ----- 10 feet of vinyl can be cut!

@mikibell Hmmm. I started researching comparisons between the two machines… and discovered Brother, Sizzix and Artistic Edge also offer a few different machines each.

Sometimes knowledge is NOT power.

@ruouttaurmind yes…and then you can get into professional machines…makes your head spin right round like a record baby!!

That is why I just bought what I have…woot had a good starter kit on the silhouette.

I bought the cricut air for like $90 on clearance…more because I have so much invested in cartridges…

@OldCatLady
Cool! Didn’t know.

Your link didn’t work for me.

If someone wants an alt link, try this one:
https://www.hoopladigital.com/

@f00l It didn’t work for me either, now. That’s the fault of @DrunkCat. I forgot to mention that Hoopla has music, comics, movies, and TV to borrow, also. If I remember correctly, the ‘clock’ turns over at midnight local time, so if a popular book has all your local library’s licenses/copies checked out, check again at 12:01, because things get automatically returned.

@OldCatLady Cool- thanks! I just made an account.

@mikibell Yay!