Archives for category: home

Great tips in finding the best gas and electricity supplier

By winkypedia
January 14, 2011 //
2

Who does not want a good deal, especially for big items like gas and electricity? I recently discovered that UK’s popular price comparison site uSwitch is not that accurate when it comes to domestic gas and electricity. Here are my tips in finding the best deal:

1. ONLY use uSwitch for initial search as it compares prices based on general average consumption pattern. It is not accurate enough.

uSwitch ask you for your post code, current supplier names, current method of payment for the bills, current plan names, your usage in the form of the cost of your last bill for example, how you heat your home (by gas or electricity?) and what you cook with. They then give you a list of companies and tell you how much you will save if you switch. 

However, uSwitch do not analyse how big your property is and nor do they analyse your energy throughout the year. This makes a big difference, especially when your case is not the same as an average household in your area, which uSwitch has assumed you to be in its analysis. e.g In my case I live in a flat but my area is dominated by 4 bedroom family houses. Through calculation, I discovered that uSwitch recommended the wrong plan and provider for me.

Hence I recommend you Continue reading about my tips to find the best gas and electricity supplier>>

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Categories Buying Guide, home

Automatic Mah Jong 麻雀 shuffle table- more time to play!

By winkypedia
December 19, 2010 //
5

Shuffling of Mah Jong could be fun sometimes but it is also noisy and time consuming. Automatic Mah Jong shuffle table was invented a few years ago but the initial version was a little primitive and slow. This version is far quieter, smoother and faster. 2 sets of tiles are needed per table. The first set of tiles are shuffled while the players are using the second set. All the players need to do is to press 2 buttons at the same time (new security feature- just in case one button gets pressed accidentally and messes up the game) to trigger a little platform to move up, push the tiles into the hole and press the buttons again. A set of tiles will be lift ‘delivered’ from the bottom of the table, ready for the 4 players to use. If James Bond ever plays Mah Jong, no doubt that would be his gadget! The technology has evolved to include dice tossing as well.  This means busy bees can fit in even more rounds of games in one go. Fantastic invention!

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Categories Buying Guide, home

Ear plugs (foam, silicone and wax) review

By winkypedia
December 13, 2010 //
0

I had to share a room with a close relative (I dare not to say who as she might read this) while we were on holiday. She snores and I am a light sleeper so it was a recipe for disaster. I decided to get many different types of ear plugs to test which one actually worked on me. I know it sounds geeky. But I am sure someone out there might find this information useful as well. Here comes the ear plugs road test results!

There are 3 types of ear plugs currently in the market: foam, silicone (yes, like those used in breast implants, I think!) and wax

Foam
It is designed to be used inside the ear canal. They are generally specified according to the amount of dB it can reduce. It can be as efficient as 34dB. Users are supposed to ‘roll’ them first before putting it in. It took me a whole year to perfect the skill of ‘rolling’. Basically, this involves twisting the ear plug until it gets thinner and more elongated. Then put it straight into the ear canal. The foam expands inside the ear canal and stops the sound from going through.

If you do not complete this procedure properly, the ear plugs will fall out in your sleep as you move around. Some people, especially ladies, have small ear canals. Thus, it could be difficult for them to put the ear plugs in. There are websites like Snorestore which sell smaller ear plugs for ladies.


The pink pair above is called Dreamgirl Earplugs 30dB. The cross indentation in the middle helps the ear plug to reduce in size during the ‘rolling’ process. It fits into small ear canals. Continue reading >>

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Categories Buying Guide, home

Alessi Apostrophe Orange Peeler

By gchong2426
December 4, 2010 //
3

Hmmm. How can I review a designer orange peeler gadget? I can write I think it’s very clever, very simple and works brilliantly, or I can just show you in a video:

I peel an orange everyday, and after peeling around 100 with the Apostrophe I can certainly say I’d hate to go back to using a regular knife to do it. The only bad thing about it, is it shows up how messy your kitchen is, it’s so small it can hide anywhere!

The Alessi promotional material shows people carving intricate designs into their oranges, I’ve given it a go, and it didn’t really float my boat.

So in summary: good at peeling oranges, as way of decorating your oranges: why would you?!!

By Gerald

4 stars

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Categories Buying Guide, home

How to keep warm at home without breaking the bank?

By winkypedia
November 25, 2010 //
6

It is getting cold. Are you ready to keep warm?

Installing central heating, improving heat insulation and draft exclusion of your property of course will certainly help you to stay warm. However, it could be costly to start and to run. Instead of turning on the central heating on for the whole house, you can set to heat up the room you are in only. A quick economical solution is to use portable plug-in heaters. You heat up the room you are in that way.

There are so many heaters in the market. It could be hard to choose! To me, an ideal heater should Continue reading >>

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Categories Buying Guide, home

A sculptural exercise bike- Ciclotte

By winkypedia
November 13, 2010 //
0

This Italian exercise bike by Ciclotte is not one that just sits in the room and remains unnoticed. On the contrary, it is designed to be looked at! And this was exactly what I did when I first walked past it- I stopped and stared. What a curious object! It is a simple ring with 2 bunny ears (handle bars), saddle, pedals and 2 bunny feet (stablisers). It looks like it is going to hop around in any second.

How is it as an exercise bike? Continue reading >>

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Categories Art & Design, Buying Guide, home, what is out there?

A good all round fertilizer- natural seaweed extract

By winkypedia
November 6, 2010 //
0

Different plants need different nutrients. It is important to use the right fertilisers for the right plants so that they can grow healthily and produce good crops in return.

If you are growing different crops in small quantities, it can be quite costly and troublesome to buy special fertilisers for each crop. If you only want to invest in one good all round fertiliser, I recommend the natural seaweed extract. It is rich in nutrients and can build up a plants’ resistant to stress, pests, diseases and adverse weather conditions. Personally, I use it alternately with other specialised fertilisers but sometimes I just use it on its own when I do not have time.

Seaweed extract generally comes in 2 different forms: liquid and powder. They are used pretty much in the same way, ie. with added water. You add a certain portion of extract to a certain portion of water according to the instructions before pouring into the soil or spraying it onto the plant. Personally I prefer the powder version because it is neater to use.  Continue reading >>

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Categories Buying Guide, crops, Grow My Own, home

Great alternative to dental floss!

By winkypedia
October 31, 2010 //
0

I hate dental floss!!
My mouth is too small and it is a torture each time I try to navigate the dental floss through the gaps of the teeth. If I don’t use it, my dentist makes a bit deal of it.

Refused to compromise, I searched for a better alternative to dental floss. I discovered dental water jets by Waterpik. The model I would like to recommend is Ultra Dental Water Jet WP-100. I bought mine from Amazon for just under £50.

It is a device that ejects water to clean between the teeth and below the gumline. The set comes with a set jet tips for cleaning gum pockets, areas around braces or dental work and even tongue as well.

The jet tip can be turned to different angles to achieve the most efficient cleaning. The jet can be set to eject water at 10 different speeds. I started with 4 initially to get used to the pressure. But now I head straight to 10 for the full experience! Continue reading about water dental jets >>

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Categories Buying Guide, home