Gutter Cleaning Robot, iRobot Looj
The iRobot Looj
If there were one job that pretty much any homeowner hates doing, it would be cleaning the guttering out. Climbing a shaky ladder; trying to balance with one hand whilst using your other to scoop all the gunk and goo that’s slowly accrued over the months; then having to manoeuvre around corners and other obstacles as you clean the gutter out. It’s conclusive – there can’t be many worse jobs. Thanks to the new iRobot Looj, though, this kind of chore can be consigned to your history list, and all from as little as $100 for the entry model.
Part of the iRobot family to make everyday living easier, the Looj is a new, automated device that makes cleaning the gutters as easy as using a vacuum cleaner in your home. Not only does it make cleaning your gutters a far safer job, it also ensures that the gutter is cleaned to a professional standard. It’s fast, too – a 60-foot section of guttering will only take around 10 minutes to clean. Compare that to manual cleaning, and you can see why the Looj is taking the market by storm.
Because it works with all of the more common guttering materials, such as aluminium, K-style and plastic, as well as metal and copper, the iRobot Looj should be able to be used in the majority of homes, regardless of the age of the property. The only thing that will make a difference is the height and width of your gutter – for the Looj to work, your gutter will need to be 3-1/4” wide, and with straps that are a minimum 2-1/4” from the bottom.
The way that the iRobot Looj works is extremely straightforward, yet highly effective – all the more surprising when you see how compact the unit is. Using the remote control/handle that’s supplied with the unit, you simply put the Looj into the gutter and control its movement with the remote control. Broken down into three stages, the process entails:
· Driving the Looj back and forth using the remote, the sludge in the gutter is broken up by a special 3-stage auger, which spins at 500rpm.
· Once the sludge is broken up, the next stage involves the plastic blades, or disruptors, as well as rubber ejectors. The disruptors break up any clogged materials or gunk, and the ejectors do exactly what they imply, and eject the rubbish from the gutter.
· The last part sees the attached brushes clean your gutter out, by brushing away any remaining debris.
Since the iRobot Looj is waterproof, not only will it not be susceptible to rust and corrosion from the gunk in your gutter, but you can also quickly clean it after each use, by simply hosing it down.
When you add in the fact that the rechargeable battery is fully charged after 15 hours, and it has an average operating time of between 30-45 minutes dependent on how clogged your gutter is, and the iRobot Looj is a definite purchase for any homeowner faced with cleaning any size of guttering.
Recordable DVD Format
Recordable DVD
As the DVD format eclipsed the VHS standard for both sales and rentals, it was only a matter of time before the same happened when it came to recording on DVD players. After all, if you could have the length of recording time that a blank DVD offered with the higher picture quality that comes with it, why stick to VHS tapes?
However, unlike VHS, there are a few more choices available when it comes to recordable DVD discs. Whereas with VHS it was pretty straightforward – insert tape and press record, and then once you’d watched your movie or TV show, use the tape again for something else to record onto. DVD’s are slightly different, so depending on your needs, it’s worth knowing what formats there are and which is best for you:
· DVD-R is one of the first of the recordable DVD’s available and can only be recorded onto once, and as such has been usurped by newer software. However, if you’re burning something just for viewing, with no need to re-use again, DVD-R is perfect for your needs.
· DVD-RW is exactly the same as the standard DVD-R disc, with the exception that it can be used to record time and time again without damaging the disc, or losing too much quality.
· DVD+R is one of the newer formats on the market, and is the natural step up from DVD-R. The main difference here is that there is slightly longer recording time on the disc (though not much) and it supports more home theatre sound options. However, it can still only be used the once.
· DVD+RW is a more suitable option for people who don’t want to keep whatever they’ve recorded on the disc. Allowing multiple recordings and excellent sound and picture quality, the DVD+RW is one of the most popular versions of all the recordable DVD’s on the market.
· DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL are similar to their standard versions, with the exception that they are dual-layered discs. This means that there is twice the amount of space on the disc to record onto, offering far greater length and space. Whereas a standard blank DVD will have around 4.2GB of space, the dual-layered versions offer 7.95GB, and if you go with the double-sided option, that increases to 15.9GB.
The Future Of Recordable DVD
Although these formats are popular at the moment, much like any technology they will be superseded, and perhaps faster than you think. With the new Blu-ray and HD-DVD technology becoming more popular with consumers, it won’t be too long before you can buy recordable discs in this format too.
Whatever system and format you decide to use, be sure that you have permission to record the film or show in question, since failure to do so could see you landed with a hefty fine, or even a jail sentence.
Amazon Kindle Wireless eBook Reader
Let’s see if Amazon can change the habits of average readers with their cool, wireless book reader.
The Amazon Kindle uses the same revolutionary electronic ink display as the Sony eBook reader I’ve owned for several months. The e-ink electronic displays on these devices does not have a backlight. Instead, you read it with ambient room light which makes reading on an e-ink reader much like reading a paper book. Not having a backlight also helps explain the long battery lives of both the Amazon Kindle and the Sony eBook Reader.
The Amazon Kindle’s display is about the same size as my Sony reader’s display, which I’ve found to be adequate. The Amazon Kindle allows wireless delivery of books and periodicals through the same phone network as cell phones, but you pay only for the books you buy, you won’t pay any monthly fees with the Amazon Kindle. Here are more details:
Click here to read more about Amazon’s Kindle Wireless Book
Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD
Remember the big VHS vs. Betamax war when video recorders first came out in the early 80’s? The stakes were high, with control of the burgeoning home video market the prize, and billions of dollars in revenue up for grabs. Despite being the superior technology, the Sony-backed Betamax format lost, and VHS became the standard for years to come.
Skip forward to this generation, and a new war is brewing, with just as much importance laid on the outcome as there was the first time around. Once again, Sony is in one corner with its Blu-ray format, while the likes of Toshiba and Microsoft are in the other with their HD-DVD
So What Is Blu-Ray And HD-DVD
The next evolution in DVD’s, both Blu-ray and HD-DV (High Definition DVD) offer excellent quality and sound, due to increased capacity on the discs. However, much like Betamax and VHS before them all these years ago, they both use different software, making them incompatible with each other.
They will still both play the “old” DVD discs, but if you really want to benefit from the explosion in high-definition viewing, then Blu-ray or HD-DVD is the way forward. So what are the differences, and which format should you go for?
· Blu-ray offers storage space of up to 25GB on a single-sided disc, with twice that amount for a double-sided disc. With high-definition movies running at around 15GB for an average length movie, you can see the benefits that the extra space Blu-ray offers will have. It could feature multi-language editions, special features such as the making of documentaries, even games tied in to the film.
· HD-DVD offers slightly less storage space, with 15GB on a single-sided disc and 30GB on the double-sided version. However, although this is certainly less than Sony’s Blu-ray, it’s still enough for an HD movie, while the second side can host any extras.
The cost is another factor – at the moment, Blu-ray players are on average around twice the price of an equivalent HD-DVD player. Whilst you can pick up an HD-DVD player for around $400, you can expect to pay at least $700 – $800 for a Blu-ray DVD player.
Not Just For Movies
However, another point to keep in mind is that, unlike the Betamax/VHS war of a couple of decades ago, this time there’s a lot more involved. Microsoft has released an HD-DVD add-on for its Xbox 360 games console, while Sony’s PlayStation 3 uses the Blu-ray technology for its games. Although games might not seem important to someone who has no interest in them, the success of one format there will have a direct effect on what wins in the DVD battle too. With no clear winner in sight, perhaps it’s a case of wait and see before choosing. One thing is for sure – this Christmas promises to be one of the hardest fought yet.
You may wonder, which did I buy? Neither. I still temporarily store my movies on a hard drive on a device called a “media server.” I believe Internet bandwidth will become fast enough that many people will receive HD movies digitally rather than buying them on either Blu-ray or HD-DVD.
iRobot Roomba Robotic Vacuum Sweeper
The iRobot Roomba
Amazon.com has a refurbished iRobot Roomba for only $99, which is one of the least expensive prices I’ve ever seen.
Click here to buy the iRobot Roomba Robotic Vacuum Sweeper for $80
Those of you who know me know I’ve tried a few robotic things. I have in my garage a robotic lawn mower and a robotic gutter cleaner. I’ll be writing about each of those in upcoming articles. We own Roomba robotic sweeper and only recently had to replace the battery after a few years of use.
We usually switch the Roomba sweeper on in our bedrooms, bathrooms or hallways and then close the door so it can do it’s sweeping work. You can use a Roomba in a larger area, but for us it’s faster to use a full sized vacuum in larger areas. As you’ll read elsewhere, it does a surprisingly good job sweeping things up from both carpets and hard floors. The Roomba takes much more time to sweep a floor than you could sweep it by hand, but the point is, you can set this robot loose as you’re on your way out to work or school, and when you return home, the work is done. I’ve constructed my office in such a way that my desks are attached to the walls and don’t have legs. I did this so that I can let the Roomba sweep more easily without getting tangled on furniture and cables.
In today’s ever-busy world, one of the things that tends to suffer is housework. Let’s face it, after a hard day at the office or factory, the last thing you want to do is come home and dust or vacuum. With the iRobot Roomba, at least one half of that equation is taken care of, with its unique approach to sweeping, and lets you sit back with your feet up and enjoy the show.
The iRobot Roomba is a small yet sturdy piece of engineering that has been designed to give your home the maximum sweep clean. With an innovative combination of sweeper brushes and angle control it can adapt to pretty much any room.
So how does it stand up to more traditional vacuum cleaners?
The first thing you’ll notice is the shape of the Roomba – circular in shape, it’s more like a smoke alarm than what you’d expect a vacuum cleaner to look like. However, like all the best deceptive designs, you should never judge a book by its cover, and this is the case with the iRobot Roomba.
Underneath the plastic casing is where the real design genius comes in, though. By using a unique motion sensor technology called AWARE Robot Intelligence System, the iRobot Roomba monitors the environment around the unit, continuously updating the information it’s receiving. It actually does this 67 times per second, ensuring that there is no room for error on the part of the Roomba when it comes to detecting obstacles or edge of stairs, etc. This includes using an “invisible wall” to detect areas that the unit is not to operate in.
(Update: some more recent Roomba Models having “Lighthouse” technology can automatically sense and avoids stairs and other drop-off, without using the “invisible wall’ device.)
Because of these sensors, the Roomba can automatically change its operating mode, so if you have a carpet and a wooden floor in your home – say dining room to kitchen, for example – the Roomba will detect this and change its settings accordingly. This in itself means that no matter what is on your floor or carpet, the Roomba will pick it up, whether it’s light dust or heavy-duty pet hair.
The special design doesn’t stop there, either. The iRobot Roomba is made to function as a start-and-forget tool, inasmuch that you simply need to hit the Start button and leave the machine to do its work. Because of this, there were fears that the unit would get stuck if it came across cords or rug tassels, etc. However, due to a specially designed chassis and suspension combination, the Roomba can actually disentangle itself from these types of obstacles.
Another plus point is that it should never run out of power, either – it’s intelligent I.Q. realizes when it’s about to run out of charge, and it will automatically return to its docking unit to be recharged.
At only $120 for the base unit, going up to $400 for the top-of-the-range model, the iRobot Roomba is easily comparable to the more standard vacuum cleaners on the market today. However, with its ability to get under sofas and hard to reach places, as well as the fact that you don’t actually need to do anything but switch it on, it’s not surprising to find that the Roomba is slowly but surely taking over as the new standard.
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