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A dehumidifier is a device I use everyday after we bath. Four people bathing one after the another and in the end the bathroom is flooded with water that comes from the ceiling and from the walls. With the use of the dehumidifier the bathroom becomes dry and less difficult to clean and keep molds away.

Here is a list of a few things you should take into consideration when buying a dehumidifier:

• Energy savings – remember: Go Green is the Key!
• Easy-to-read, easy-to-set controls.
• The right size
• Easy maintenance
• The right model for your climate

By following this list, you will have the perfect dehumidifier for your home.

A List to Look At Before Buying a Dehumidifier is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Have you made photo backups lately? Be aware that hard drives don’t last forever. I decided to buy several 8Gb USB flash drives to store my photos. Although there are higher capacity drivers, if it get damaged I will lose more information if the one I have on a 8GB one.

What kind of storage device do you use for your personal backups? A DVD, flash drive?

Personal Storage is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Finally I was able to buy an extra module of RAM memory for my laptop. I use two browsers at the same time as well as multiple tabs and things were starting to be a little tough. The laptop crashed a lot, the programs stopped working and were idled all the time.

I bought 2 GB more and now I have 3 GB of RAM system memory. Now the computer works faster, there are no “stop working” messages and I’m really glad I did it.

No I have to find a system to write my articles in a faster way.

I Bought Extra Speed for my Laptop is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Going Green is a major objective in my life and each time I buy something I think twice.

Our old VGA desktop screen collapsed. After months of having the screen changing color from yellow to green to blue, also the screen area started to shrink it finally stopped working and we had to decide: leave the desktop unused or spend money we don’t have on another screen.

After a few days deliberating we decided that it was better to buy a new screen and give some use to the computer. My first concern was to find a eco-friendly screen and we did. We gave €10 more to buy a 19″ LCD screen with a low energy consumption and excellent power settings. It was worth the €10.

We also bought an accessory set for the desktop. My son wanted a Bluetooth headset but instead we bought a Webcam and regular headphones. For my laptop, which doesn’t have a Webcam incorporated, I bought a Webcam and regular headphones with micro. Both Webcams have incorporated micro, so depending if we are alone or not we can decide if we use or not the headphones.

This shopping was not planned therefore we had to use the credit card. Not something we wanted to do but it was a shame to have a good desktop with no screen.
photo credit: Micky.!

Going Green: Eco-Friendly Desktop Screen is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Well, my husband has been talking about a Slingbox? I had no idea what it was until I read this:

A Slingbox is a high tech device that enables you to take your home television service with you anywhere and watch live TV on a PC Laptop or Desktop Computer. Several models are available including the Slingbox Pro which allows High Definition pictures to be broadcast as well. You can also watch your TV programming on a smartphone such as the Palm Treo, Palm Centro, Blackberry, Windows CE Phones, and soon the Apple iPhone.

The Slingbox works by taking the output of your cable box, satellite box, or DVD player and digitizing the content to be streamed over the internet. Besides owning the Slingbox, you will have to have a fairly good Internet connection with a upstream speed of 256k. The higher the upstream speed, the better the picture quality on the other end. A minimum of 1.5Mb upstream is required for High Definition streaming because of the extra data associated with High Definition picture quality. The SlingBox allows you to control your cable box or satellite receiver remotely, so you can change channels, bring up the guide or even access your DVR or TIVo.

Great if you forget to set up a timer to record an important event. with the growing presence of Wi-Fi is it possible to watch your home programing almost anywhere, even out of the country. Sitting in an airport with a long layover? Use your laptop or iPhone to watch that TV program you missed on your DVR. The Slingbox even provides Stereo Audio and sounds great through headphones or powered PC speakers. I have been using slingbox for 2 years now and I love it! You pay good money for your cable or satellite service, why not take it with you where ever you go!

Do you use a Slingbox? What do you think about it?

What is a Slingbox? Is it useful or not? is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Image by karindalziel via Flickr

Usually I blog about ways to have a better life but sometimes I face same problems I can’t resolve.

Why do desktop computers are so noisy, at least mine is. The desktop is in the dressing room next to my room and I can hear i working downstairs. I’ve changed the processor, the fan, the energy feeding, what can I do more? At night it’s impossible to have it turned on and watching TV…so annoying.

Anyone experiencing the same problem? A noisy desktop? What can I do more?

Noisy Desktop is a post from: Have a Better Life

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I bought it!! I bought a Massage Cushion.

I got really fed up with all my back pain and I decided to give it a try. I tried to import it from Amazon.com but I couldn’t  because I’m in Europe, than I tried to buy it in England and again Portugal was not an authorized destination so I bought it in Portugal for almost the double of the price.

The model is almost the same of the Homedics QRM-400H Therapist Select Quad-Roller Massaging Cushion with Heat from Amazon.com. There aren’t many models available here so, there were not many choices.

My massage cushion has three functions, massage, kneading and heat. The massage is done on the base and has two intensities (normal and high) and two modes (normal and pulse). The kneading is done through 4 rollers that go up and down our spine, from the neck to the lower back.  The heats works on the sides of the back. All 3 functions work separately and can be all combined, I can have all three at the same time or only one if I wish. The only option not available is the Shiatsu function (circular kneading function).

The great feature of the Roller Massaging Cushion with Heat
is that I can use it in almost every chair and couch I have at home and I can take advantage of the massage no matter I am in my pajama, breeches or underwear. It works no matter what I dress.

I only started using it last Thursday so I don’t see much results yet but I really believe it will help me with my back pain, if not I have to return to physiotherapy.

I bought a Roller Massaging Cushion with Heat is a post from: Have a Better Life

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This week my car ran over my son’s mini laptop (or notebook), the whole story here. This makes me think if my son is giving the real value to the toys he has.

This computer was bought through a school project and contains educative games for his age. A lot of controversy was around this government project because some parents think their kids are too young to have a computer of their own. Also a lot of parents don’t have computer knowledge and can’t teach their kids to use the computer so for them the laptop is not a good toy and in fact it can turn into a dangerous toy if the kids connect to Internet without the parents knowing exactly what they are doing.

No one was forced to buy it so the parents were in change when deciding if they were buying the laptop or not. I bought it because my son already used my desktop at home and I know how to see the sites he visits, who is he talking to, etc.. Now, does my kid know the power of the toy he has on his hands? I think for him it is just another toy only that this one can connect him with his friends and the outside world.

Am I spoiling my 10 years kid by letting him have his own mini laptop? Is it too much for him? Well, it is a school project, he takes the computer to school to make his own researches, used the computer dictionary to find new words, he plays computer games that help him read and write so I think it is suitable for my son.

Is he aware of how much it cost and that if he loses it, it will be very expensive to have another one? No, I don’t think so. I guess for him if he has one he can have another. Money is not a priority, people give him money, and we buy things for him so I believe real money value will come with time, with the growing up process.

Does he have a better life by having a laptop? Well, he’s happy by having it but if the laptop didn’t exist for sure other play games would take place. I think the importance of a laptop is the same of the cell phone some years ago.

Should I repair the laptop right now or should I let him suffer a few more days? Well, I saw despair, I saw sadness, I saw guilt, I saw pain and I saw shock in his eyes, and that was terrible to see. Well the transport company (from a well known group of moving companies) dropped by this morning and took the laptop for repair. It will take 1 to 3 weeks to be ready so I think this is a good time to make my son aware of what can happen when we don’t take care of our things the proper way.

Are kids aware of the value of certain toys? is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Here I am writing from my Toshiba Satellite, my best buy from 2007. Although I work in an office my laptop continues to be one of my best acquisitions because it allows me to do my hobby and my second work…blogging. I can be in the living room, in the garden, in bed and still blog. If you don’t have you, you should get one for Christmas.

A Laptop is an essential tool to blog is a post from: Have a Better Life

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We can say this is a all in one gadget. At the first look we say it is a regular digital frame but in fact it is a lot more than that. This is a Axion AXN-9702 7-Inch Widescreen LCD Digital Picture Frame with Clock, Calendar and Alarm and promises to do more than just showing family pictures

This 7″ picture frame, besides showing pictures has other functions like calendar, MP3 music playback, clock, alarm. Depending on the size of each picture the storage can go up to 15 pictures.

Axion AXN-9702 Highlights:

• File Compatiblity: JPEG, MP3
• Clock function with snooze feature
• Calendar displays current date
• Power Source: DC: 9V
• Resolution: 480 x 234 pixels

This Axion AXN-9702 7-Inch Widescreen LCD Digital Picture Frame with Clock, Calendar and Alarm comes with a AC Adapter and a Remote control. No digital signage needed for this digital frame.

Take advantage of the 50% discount on this product and buy it for half the price.

All in One: Digital Frame, Clock, Alarm and Calendar is a post from: Have a Better Life

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