obiwandog

I have an Inkjet printer that is rarely used. It also rarely works when I need it due to ink issues. My guess is the ink dries out or gets clogged due to lack of use as a new cartridge fixes all issues (when I have one available).

I have been considering printing a test page once or twice a week - will this do the trick?

If I buy a laser printer and leave it dormant for weeks on end will I have the same type of issue? I rarely print, but when I need a few pages not having to run to Staples / Kinko's to either buy cartridges or print there would be nice.

I am looking to get my daughter up and skiing this year. At age six I am realistic about equipment as she will grow out of it rapidly. I also know that renting each time we ski will kill us - time wasted, effort to find fit and to a lesser degree expense.

Does anyone know ski shops that will do a full season rental? I know where I grew up (NY) you could rent for the season and even go back in and trade boots or skis if you needed a different size after 3 months - this scenario tops buying and then dealing with the mid-season growth spurt.

Any ideas appreciated. Referrals to shops that actually do this in Illinois or Wisconsin will get you best answer and sincerest thanks.

My IBM T23 Laptop seems to forget the date when it has not been used for a while. It forces me to reset the date in the BIOS Config upon start-up. Battery is not dead. Windows starts fine after the date/time are set and I save and exit - but next start-up, it seem to have forgotten the date again.

Ideas? This is an old machine - is there an internal battery that may have died or something else?

Going to San Juan, PR in Nov. for 2 days before a cruise. We do not plan to rent a car and prefer to walk or cab to local sites, restaurants, etc. Pool is critical as we have 6 year old. Beach is nice to have. Being able to venture out of the hotel and find things - critical.

Thoughts based on personal experience appreciated - thanks in advance.

Also open to ideas on what to do while there.

My wife has older skis with decent bindings that she would like to move to new skis. She is looking at Volkl Oceanas - but I cannot figure out if these skis require special bindings or if they are just typically bundled with Volkl's bindings designed for women as this is a women's ski.

any facts would be appreciated.

Thanks

We have been on a few cruises and perhaps I am not thinking about this correctly, but it feels like excursions for kids under 8 years old are pretty limited in terms of both what they can do and what they'd like to do:

Beaches

Animal encounters (rays, dolphins, sea lions...)

What would you suggest? My extended family picked interesting sounding ports - but what do I do with my daughter once there? Dominica, Grenada, Aruba,...lots of logistics for me to go to different beaches each port day. If we are going to travel this much, I'd like to see and do different things, but dragging an unwilling child around can pretty much spoil anything. Oh yeah, she has a history of getting car sick so driving safari type stuff is not real high on my list.

Ideas? Thanks in advance

I have repeatedly found diamond jewelry online with a DII (Diamond Institute of India) Certification - not an organization I am familar with beyond their own claims on their website.

They seem to be the preferred certification for "just4diamonds".

Any thoughts on DII or just4diamonds?

I am building a small wine cellar and have four segments - today I am focusing on the "House Wines" segment. I want to have a decent supply of "house wine" - very drinkable, easily approachable wines that will not:

1. embarrass me when served to groups (think drinking wine party, not wine tasting),

2. bore me to death when consumed on a Tuesday night and

3. not break the bank or make me feel guilty for drinking it (on a Tuesday night) - <$15 a bottle is good, less than <$10 is great

Any real suggestions appreciated - looking for specific wines, not a list of varieties. Please avoid suggesting jug wines, Yellowtail-esque, wines, Boone farm, etc. - a few wines we like, just as reference:

Clos de Siete

Montgras Carmenere

Tomaresco Neprica

Drylands Sav. Blanc (Marlborough)

Avalon Cab

Nine Mile Shiraz

Pascual Toso Malbec

Crios Torrontes

Thanks to all

I have a bathroom light switch that presently turns on two lights in the room (one on either side of the mirror). I would like to replace these lights with a single fixture - a light bar that spans across the width of the mirror.

What is my best approach (minimal work yet safe) to deal with the remaining live wires (going from 2 to 1 fixture)? My hope is that I can disconnect the wires running to the second fixture, but if I cannot without going into the wall and causing a lot of drywall work – what do I do with these wires? Tape them and put them back into the wall?

Looking for safe approach without ripping my walls apart more than required.

Thanks in advance.

I have an original version of Windows XP (pre-service packs). I am starting over with a new hard drive and would like to understand the time / effort in getting my OS up to date. I know I can run Windows Update after reloading the OS, but for planning purposes is it going make me install all of the SP's and hotfixes in order or will it skip straight to the latest SP?

Thanks in advance

I am planning a trip with my wife and daughter (4yrs old). We typically enjoy hanging out at the beach and then going to casual seafood shacks, bars and grill, etc. to grab a few beers and something to eat. My wife favors grilled fish sandwiches while I am more adventurous.

Our criteria = good and fresh - I can get frozen seafood anywhere. My daughter is pretty well behaved (for a 4 yr old), but it helps if the place has some noise to it in case she decides to act up. Besides seafood we are pretty omnivorous, but I hate the chain restaurant look, feel, etc. - everything about Fridays, Bennigans, Chilis, Applebees, etc. just gives me a bad vibe - sorry to those who like them or work there - just not my thing. My typical method if exploring is to find a place, sit down at the bar and then ask the staff where they go to eat or where they'd send their older brother's friends (assuming they liked the guy)...

Any help would be great. We'll be exploring Delray and surrounding areas with a car so a bit of driving is cool.

My wife and I bring our lunches to work daily. Which is better for the environment?

1. Using recycled paper bags and small plastic throw-away sandwich bags (sandwich, carrots, crackers, etc.) - obviously the little baggies get thrown out when covered in food debris

2. Using reusable containers that need to be washed adding pollution using dishwasher, detergent, electricity, etc.

Extra Credit:

I am not in a position to compost and debate which is better environmentally - throwing food waste in the bin to be carted off to fill-up a landfill or using the insinkerator to pollute the water (no idea if our water treatment plant composts but I doubt it)

When to Cruise Alaska?

When is the best time to do an Alaskan cruise i.e. May, June, July, Etc.?

We have a 5 year old – will this be a good trip for her as well as us? We have cruised together before and it works well – but we have only done sun and beach trips.

What type of excursions, etc. would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

I have a single Internet connection that I want to share. I want to add wireless Internet access for a set of computers and devices without giving them access to any of my shared folders, NAS, devices, etc. Think of this like have a SSID for guests to use (I do want it secure).

I would like to do this at a single point rather than having to put security on each device or on the workgroup as a friend suggested - some of the devices are a real pain to reconfigure.

My existing setup is pretty mundane as my router is the stock 2Wire provided by AT&T. I am open to running a seperate router, but do not understand subnets, masking, etc. - not even sure I am on the right track here.

Any help would be appreciated

I have Comcast cable and they have agreed to extend my cable from my main house to my coach house so I only have to pay extra outlet fees instead of separate cable install.

However, they do not have a way (or claim not to) to get Internet service in both locations – it is way too far and through too many walls, etc. to go wireless.

I asked if they could put a cable modem in both locations. I offered to pay for multiple IP’s, etc. They did not have a good suggestion to solve this issue.

In theory, I can run CAT 5E from the front of my house (where my Cable Router will be), through my basement and back yard, into my garage and up into the coach house – but what a pain in the tail (125+ ft).

I am not on the same wiring so Powerline is not an option.

Any ideas? Are there Comcast options that I do not know about well enough to ask – guessing you fine folks know more than they do.

Any help would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Hi. I want to buy the right tools for the job. I have a bad habit of buying cheap and regretting it or buying part and then having to go back to the store 12 times. I could really use some help and recommendations on the features I needs in these tools.

I want to purchase an air compressor and some nailers. I ruled out the cordless due to cost and some future automotive ideas that will require a compressor (but I digress). The jobs I have in mind include:

Building wine racks

Re-attaching millwork – removed to run wires behind it, etc.

Adding trim or nailing weather strips to door frames

Basically, I need it for handyman and minor carpentry projects not major construction. I want decent speed, but mainly the ability to do things right – nice clean work as opposed to hammer divets, screw heads to be covered, etc.

Can you help by telling me what features I should look for and recommend a minimum set of requirements? Brands to avoid would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance

I used to buy dried ancho chile peppers as the grocery store - Jewel, Dominick's, Cub, Etc. - I cannot find them anywhere. the entire display that used to have dried chilies seem to be gone from all of the stores I have gone to. I am guessing a distributor went out of business or something, but this is very frustrating.

Does anyone know where I can find dried ancho chile peppers (whole not powder) on the N. Side of Chicago? I live near Wrigley Field.

Thanks

I have done one cruise with my daughter and it was a Disney Cruise, so I am not sure that it is representative of what I will find on Carnival.

Can someone fill me in on how the kids program works on Carnival? I am looking for information regarding both at sea days and days in port.

Here are some of my questions:

Does the ship run programs for kids when at port i.e. can my wife and I go on an excursion and leave our 4 year old daughter in the Carnival kids program?

Do the kid programs run at night i.e. can my wife and I go enjoy a sit down dinner while our daughter is entertained in the kids program?

When are the kids programs not available or shutdown? – I know Disney had a window when you could not drop-off or pick-up unless there was an issue – I think it was when the kids were eating dinner

Any tips for having a great family cruise? We intend to spend lots of time together, but not all activities are suited for a 4 year old – we want her to have fun too.

Thanks to all

Can you help runaway and homeless children?

Yes. The National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) is advocating a non-profit I have worked with is recommending a project that has been submitted for the American Express Members Project.

If you have an AMEX, please vote to support this worthwhile endeavor. The NRS helps runaways through its excellent programs, switchboard and network of shelters, but sometimes that is not enough. Please vote for this project to support children is crisis.

http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/FAHYBD

Sorry for the non-traditional question – did you vote?

Looking for opinions and ideas not coming from the industry folk who have a reason to push based on their inventories. We enjoy reds of varying complexity and are looking for ideas and suggestions you are willing to share.

Here is what I am looking for recommendations and thoughts on:

1. Everyday reds - a few bottles drinkable now ranging in cost from $10-$25, no guilt in drinking on a Wednesday night, yet not embarrassing if the neighbors stop in and you pour them a glass. We have been experimenting with the Luzon region and dabbling in Malbecs - we tend not to like Merlot as a 100%

2. Mid-grade reds still drinkable now but not for everday, $25-$50 - more complexity, serving with entrees or as dinner is winding down and conversation is getting more interesting

3. A few to put away. We have decent storage and would like to put away some not irrationally priced bottles we can buy a few of and enjoy over time.

Thanks in advance.