Archives for posts with tag: product review

How to stop cats from fouling in your garden

By winkypedia
March 11, 2011 //
323

My garden is frequently visited by my neighbour’s cats. (I like cats. My sister has 4 cats and my cousins like putting hers in cute fancy dresses!) Last year, one of them started to poo in my garden. I embarked on a battle to stop him from doing so. I have tried many techniques; some based on the principles of sound, smell, novelty and contact and failed most of the time. It was a bit like the movie Catch Me If You Can, except that I was no Leonardo DiCaprio (Frank). I was more like ‘Carl’, the FBI bank fraud agent (Tom Hanks), who kept trying to catch Frank, the Conman, but was always a step behind. Every morning, the first thing I did was to roll up the blind and check if the set up has worked. Sometimes, I was amused by how clever the little cat was! A year on, I am happy to declare that I have won the battle! Here is how I found the ultimate solution against cats fouling in my garden.

My neighbour's cat
General notes:
1. Always remove the cat faeces from the soil. It is not a good fertiliser.
2. Cats like going back to the same spot to make a poo. Clean the area with soapy water helps reducing the smell they are familiar with and makes it less ‘inviting’.

SOUND
The concept of this is to generate sound Continue reading about the tested methods to stop cats from fouling in your garden >>

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Categories Grow My Own, pest control, SOS

Good tool set for patio/ balcony gardening

By winkypedia
February 1, 2011 //
2

When I first started planting in small pots, I used dining table spoon and fork as my tools- Normal size gardening tools in the shops are all too big for the delicate tasks. My dad had the same problem too as he does small scale planting on his balcony.

It is ok to use the usual spoons and forks as they do the job. Or you can get patio tool sets from the shop but they are not that cheap (at least £20). I decided to find a cheaper alternative- children gardening tool set. It only cost a fraction of the price!

The trick is to pick the ones that are made of stainless steel, not pastic. They work just as well. Ok, you have to bear the colourful bag but the tools are just as good. The photo shows the set by SoGifted. It only costs £8.50.

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Categories crops, Grow My Own

A dream silicone mouse pad for men?

By winkypedia
January 30, 2011 //
0

silicone breasts mouse pad
This is a promotional mouse pad for the first 3D erotic movie in Hong Kong. It has become a popular ‘souvenir’ at the Chinese New Year Flower Market out there.

What a creative use of silicone!

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Categories Art & Design, what is out there?

Bizzare rideable toys- pony, tiger and lion…

By winkypedia
January 2, 2011 //
1

Fancy having a ride? You can also pick a tiger or a lion….

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Categories Art & Design, what is out there?

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 choose wellies (rain boots)?

By winkypedia
November 11, 2010 //
2

Everyone needs a pair of wellies.

On a depressing gloomy rainy day,  a nice pair of wellies that complement my outfit can certainly cheer me up.  Have a look at the recent addition to my collection- yellow boots! Instead of avoiding puddles like most ‘grown up’ do, I can jump into them! Instead of wearing any old pair of shoes, or rushing to A to B like most people, I can look good and enjoy my moments in the rain. I am surprised that not that many people do that!

I have a pair of Burberry black short wellies with 2 inche white  heels, white fold down details and side buckles. I love them! They are smart and formal. I even wear them to Client meetings! Who said wellies are only for festivals and in the countryside?!

Hunter, famous British wellymaker, paired up with glamourous shoe designer Jimmy Choo to create a collection of boots in black (photo below, left, taken from Hunter’s official site) and other striking colours like bright yellow and silver.

Wedgewelly created a similar look (photo above, right, photo taken from  Wedgewelly’s official site) at a fraction of the price, and you will look taller in wedges! Continue reading about Wellies >>

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Categories Buying Guide, fashion & beauty

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

Marco Pierre White’s sticky GreenPan

By winkypedia
October 18, 2010 //
0

Chef Marco Pierre White has worked in partnership with Russell Hobbs, a well-known cookware manufacturer, to develop a range of cookware called GreenPan.

“I have worked closely with Russell Hobbs and GreenPan to design and develop a range of professionally inspired cookware to help make life easier for you in the kitchen… when you try them I am confident you’ll notice the difference.” said Marco.

Russell Hobbs claims that this cookware is one of the FIRST in the world to use this UNIQUE, NEW, non-stick Technology: Thermolon™. It has no PTFE,  no use of PFOA and it has high heat resistance up to 450°C. It has exceptional non-stick capabilities. It is easy cleaning and it has life time guarantee.

I was very excited when I got hold of the 18cm GreenPan. With such a hype, you can imagine how disappointed I was when I found out how ‘sticky’ this non-stick pan actually was. I followed the instructions very carefully and made sure that whole pan was fully oiled before putting anything in. Result? I still cannot even fry an egg in it without getting egg stuck to the pan. I have to soak the pan each time after I use it before I can clean it. I cannot believe it!

I wrote to Russell Hobbs to raise my concern and inquired about the life time guarantee. I never got any reply back. Not only do they supply a product of poor quality, they have poor after sale service. Thumbs down!

In protest, I have also decided to boycott all Marco Pierre White’s restaurants. It is irresponsible for any chef to endorse a product like this!

I am going to stick to my Stellar hard anodised aluminium cookware for now.

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Categories My Bad Book