Disqus - Latest Comments for rodaniel

Re: We Bought a Bunch of Used iPhones. Here’s What We Learned.

Rob O'Daniel — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 18:39:39 -0000

I've been using BackMarket for refurb iPhones for my family for several years and have no complaints. The refurb iPhones we've bought have been in very good condition. The trade-in offer is solid, which further lowers the cost of the purchase.

Gotta admit I'm envious of all the goodies that Plug includes tho!

Re: The Best Dog Toys, According to Our Pups

Rob O'Daniel — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 22:12:17 -0000

Our 2 rescue mutts are brutal killers and delight in pulling the fiberfill stuffing out of typical toys and then mangling the squeakers.The Hyper Pet Cozy Belly plush dog toys are amazing! I found a set of 3 at Sam's Club a couple of years ago and 2 of them are still intact. You can find these at Amazon too. I recommend the elephant, rhino, and tiger. They have a variety of textures and are a good size for chucking.

Also, the Ellen DeGeneres toys are PetSmart are pretty tough too. Each dog got one for Christmas and one of them only just sprang a leak about a week ago.

Re: Husbands Create 7 Extra Hours of Housework, Study Shows

Rob O'Daniel — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 12:19:39 -0000

This isn't the '50s and I'm no Ward Cleaver reading the paper while waiting for my supper to be served. These stogy stereotypes - and the knuckledragging minority that still attempt to adhere to them - need to go away. Real men mop floors, do dishes, and iron shirts.

Re: Canada Is Using Genetics to Make Cows Less Gassy

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 21:09:26 -0000

Unless I just missed it, the article - and perhaps not the farmer either - bypassed the whole question of whether improving cow feed means to eliminate corn. Or to flip that question around, I wonder if cows fed the kind of predominantly-grass diet they'd eat naturally would also naturally tend to be far less gassy? As ruminants, cows are not well-equipped biologically to eat corn, thus the sometimes massive doses of antibiotics they are often given to keep the gut havoc at bay.

It's generally accepted now that cows who forage for grass and other field growth end up being beef that's nutritionally-denser and of higher quality for humans. I suspect that in addition to producing superior meat, getting cows off of corn (and antibiotics) would also reduce the methane.

Re: U.S. Army Finally Chooses M9 Replacement

Rob O'Daniel — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 07:21:39 -0000

Thankfully, I now have a new word for my linguistics arsensal... Picatinny.
But what's the significance of a pistol being polymer-striker fired?

Re: Western Hero: The Parting Glass

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:11:12 -0000

Bogus allergies!

https://youtu.be/0-9_ssHJCOM

Re: Waterpik Water Flosser

Rob O'Daniel — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 09:14:14 -0000

Combined with thorough brushing, this is about as close as you can get to the way your teeth and gums feel after a professional cleaning. Blessed with crappy dental genetics, this little gem has stalled out from the ravages of aging and saved me from the torture (and incredible expense!) of the dentist's office. Sadly, it was only after 2 root canals and crowns that my dental hygienist thought to recommend a WaterPik.Surf the web 2 minutes less each day and do your mouth a favor!

Re: Questions Needing Answers

Rob O'Daniel — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 09:24:24 -0000

TiVo is still fantastic! It stands heads & shoulders above the typical cable company DVR in that the scheduling is more malleable. If you've told TiVo o grab every new episode of a show - a "Season Pass" - but the initial showing conflicts with an existing scheduled recording, it will find the next best time to grab the show. For shows on the 2nd tier cable networks like A&E, TNT, etc., this works incredibly well since they re-broadcast new episodes multiple times during the week.

The way that TiVo currently handles sharing programs across multiple DVRs is a little clunky, however. With others, like the AT&T U-verse offering, one DVR is essentially a server that the others pull from. With TiVo, no one box fills the role as the household server, so you have to transfer a recording from one box to another to, for example, pull a recording made in the Living Room to your Bedroom unit. It's not a difficult thing to do, but a little cumbersome and inelegant.

That said, I still love my TiVo and recommend it highly. It's a far smarter and much easier to use DVR than any other I've seen.

Re: Do You Still Miss Google Reader?

Rob O'Daniel — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 00:46:22 -0000

I still miss Reader, although I'm getting pretty comfy with Feedly now. I consider this a nasty gut shot to bloggers and frankly, this move dampens my enthusiasm about existing offerings and certainly taints my confidence in new Google products.

Re: Amazing demo runs with Atari VCS's 128 bytes of memory

Rob O'Daniel — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:07:52 -0000

I'd love to see more of the old Atari stuff ported to iOS! Some of those old titles would be a very good fit for the iOS UI.

Re: Puro Caff

Rob O'Daniel — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 21:37:04 -0000

I just use diluted plain bleach. I use the same solution for my coffee pot, travel mugs, tea pitcher, etc. After a quick scrub and thorough rinse with hot water, there's no residue, aftertaste, or leftover stains.

Re: A helpful reminder: Video game consumption is not correlated with gun violence

Rob O'Daniel — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:13:40 -0000

And while we’re at it, why is it that many parents allow (or even encourage) their little BOYS to play ultra-violent video games yet I suspect that few of those same parents would ever consider allowing their small GIRLS to do likewise?

Perhaps that should be a key metric for acceptable video games - would you let your little pink princess play it? If not, then perhaps your young prince shouldn't either.

(I'm not a complete Luddite. My almost-7 yr old son kicks some serious crocodile butt in Donkey Kong Country!!)

Re: A helpful reminder: Video game consumption is not correlated with gun violence

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:50:31 -0000

The argument is misleading or at least misstated.

Video games may not *cause* violent behavior, but they (and other media forms) do numb players to violence and make ever-more intense experiences increasingly tame.

We're a society of people who are desensitized to horrific acts. Consider that the very kinds of traumatic, violent experiences that until recently only a combat soldier would endure - and suffer with PTSD as a result of - are now considered entertainment.

And you can argue that it shouldn't happen, but young - very young - children are exposed to brutally-violent video (and movies) games either due to negligence or naivety on the part of their parents.

Funny that we recoil in sheer horror at the very thought of a child seeing a naked body, yet we backslap and chuckle over that same child's "headshot" skills in a first-person shooter. It's inappropriate for a child to see a breast, but ok to see a spleen being blown out of a person's body by massive artillery?

Re: Western Hero: A Brave New World

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:09:35 -0000

And they should have cell phones when they're old enough to earn their own money for them - just like a car.

Re: Western Hero: A Brave New World

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:42:11 -0000

Y'know Kurt, if the political arena has you weary beyond repair, you could simply reinvent (or redirect) this blog to cover more personal and/or more varied fare. We've all thoroughly enjoyed your non-political posts - especially when they involve food!!

I sure appreciate a good rant and vibrant discussion, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the topics cannot veer towards the lighter end of the spectrum.

I suspect we're all equipped (if not predisposed) to argue passionately about the sweetness of barbecue and subpar children's literacy almost as well as we debate idiotic leaders and corrupt lawmakers. You only have to briefly glance at the automotive industry to find plenty of grist for the mill! And of course there's the Dallas Cowboys...

Re: Junior Seau had brain disease caused by "two decades of hits to the head"

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:48:42 -0000

Flag football may be, as you say, just a game (and I'm all in favor of switching to it) but professional football is anything but a game. It becomes ever-more distant from that rootstock each year.

Pro football is BIG business, pure and simple. As long as GMC, Geiko, GoDaddy, and General Mills keep reaping massive revenue, pro football will continue as is, tragic and utterly-preventable player deaths be damned.

Re: Amanda Palmer on internet bullying

Rob O'Daniel — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:40:04 -0000

"Mind you, the false equivalency argument of comparing a powerful utilitarian device like a smartphone against a recreational drug is a weak sauce argument and I think you know that. I understand your greater point, but it's kind of absurdio ad reducto, don't you think?"

Truly. I was working in extremes to exaggerate (slightly) a point.

But... I believe you give cell phones far too much benefit of the doubt by calling them a "powerful utilitarian device." C'mon, I work after-hours on-call at a healthcare facility and I can barely justify having the always-on, immediate communication capability of a cell phone.

Cell phones are an toy and media consumption device, first and foremost. That they happen to also allow the rare spot of verbal communications is incidental any more.

I don't have rainbow-colored blinders on - I'm well aware that I'm facing an unwinnable fight when it comes to reducing the exposure to technology and its ills to my son. But it's my responsibility as a parent to fight that good fight.

Re: Website lists all the free ebooks available on Amazon

Rob O'Daniel — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:14:20 -0000

Altho they're not yours to keep, OverDrive.com is a great resource for checking out e-books via your local library:

http://www.overdrive.com/

Re: Amanda Palmer on internet bullying

Rob O'Daniel — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:01:10 -0000

To a degree, you could certainly reduce the likelihood of Internet bullying by simply limiting access. That is, with children in particular, don't give 'em smartphones. They don't need them and the devices are a Pandora's box of issues for them, not the least of which is the very real, very forever potential legal ramifications of sexting.

Cut the apron strings and turn off the helicopter engines - children do not NEED cell phones. We've been snookered by an overblown, ever-present sense of danger for our children and the perception that if they have instant communications capabilities, all can be right in the world again.

Re: Amazing Lesser-Known Books of 2012 that You Should Read

Rob O'Daniel — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:16:01 -0000

Dark Lord: The Early Years is a clever, fun and quick read that's probably intended for young adults, but this fortysomething enjoyed it too!

And I recommend Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health for an eye-opening look at the unexpected effects that modern wheat has on us.

Re: 11 Hidden Best iPhone Apps of 2012

Rob O'Daniel — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:15:40 -0000

Tho it isn't new for 2012, it has been updated several times during the year and I can't sing enough praises for ZipList. No, it's not glamorous, but it's an utterly useful tool for managing shopping lists. Especially useful for multi-phone families!

www.ziplist.com

Re: Western Hero: Little Black Boxes

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 07:57:37 -0000

Oh hells yeah. This will give the insurance companies ample opportunity to point the blame elsewhere and not hafta pony up a buck or two.

Re: Western Hero: Little Black Boxes

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 07:56:00 -0000

Nice.

They can jam this needless crap down our throats, yet we still don't have standard power outlets in our cars, which would cost a coupla dozen bucks at worst...

Now, when are they gonna do something about all of the uninsured jackwagons tooling around out there?

Re: Western Hero: The End of the Drone?

Rob O'Daniel — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:30:52 -0000

I suspect that the technological innovations (like drones) that allow armchair warfare are one of the chief reasons that we so casually wage war. When you can do battle with a joystick, it's gotten far too easy...

War -should- be messy and personal and costly on every level.

Maybe if it were a prerequisite that to be a member of Congress or the President's cabinet that you must have an immediate family member in the military, the policy-makers wouldn't be so quick to place servicemen into harm's way.

Re: Nightmare: belly ring snags on pool drain

Rob O'Daniel — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:29:30 -0000

Apparently, there was not quite enough chlorine in that (gene) pool...