Eric’s Favorite Things: Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer

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brother HL-2170W Printer

Back in August 2008 I finally gave up on my Lexmark inkjet printer/scanner/copier that I had since I was a freshman.  It took up a lot of space, I rarely used the advanced functions, and most importantly it was constantly burning through ink.  Unless you changed the settings every time you printed it would use the color cartridges for black and white content!  With a recent windfall from the Coinstar machine (protip: there is no fee if you get the money as an Amazon gift certificate) burning a hole in my pocket, I decided it was time for a change.

During highschool my family relied on a laser printer for all our academic and recreational printing needs.  It was as monstrous as it was archaic, literally dimming the lights in the house when it was on.  But to its credit, it survived years of near daily use with very little maintenance or toner changes required.  This made an impression on me, and so when it came time to choose my new printer I decided to return to my laser roots.  In the end I went with the Brother HL-2170W laser printer, and it’s been a dream ever since.

Having both wired and wireless network connections, I can connect it anywhere in the apartment that has a power outlet, although it currently sits right next to my computer (usually with my pajamas on top).  Since the printer is network enabled I no longer need to print documents for Christine, as her computer can directly connect to it.  And on the rare occasions that I do need to scan or copy something the professional equipment at work does a far better job.

The printer is compact, reliable, and a workhorse.  It only prints in black and white of course, but I found I very rarely have the desire to print in color and almost never the need.  In the over three years that I’ve owned the printer I’ve had to change the toner cartridge exactly zero times.  The software started to complain about low ink levels recently, but a quick search online revealed that you could tape over the viewport in the cartridge to squeeze out some extra life.  Since then I’ve printed all our save-the-date and wedding invitation envelopes on the printer without any loss in quality.

Somehow the price of this printer has actually gone up over time, but the  newer HL2270DW model seems to be comparable at a similar price to what I payed back in ’08.  If you’re fed up with buying expensive ink for a crappy printer, I suggest you take a serious look at this line of printers.  You won’t regret it.

Eric’s Favorite Things: Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter

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Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter

After finishing the book In Defense of Food a couple of months ago I resolved to start eating more food and less “food”, aka food products and food science.  A sandwich using fresh meat and bread is certainly more appealing then a Lean Pocket, but not everything in my fridge is easily to swap out for its more natural counterpart.  After watching a video on the history of butter vs. margarine I knew it was time to switch, but I had a dark past with butter that I didn’t want to relive…

I take my morning bagel out of the toaster oven, perfectly crisped on the outside while remaining soft and chewy in the middle.  I cut a pat of butter off and place it upon the bagel with my knife.  I try to spread it across the bagel’s warm surface,  but instead of spreading it sinks further into the bread.  The more I try to spread it the further it sinks, until eventually I relent.  Since the butter pat is so thick it never fully melts, and the other half of the bagel is barren and dry.  Butter has ruined another breakfast.

It was for this reason that I switched to margarine long ago, and why I was unwilling to switch back.  That is until I came across Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter.  I was cautiously optimistic when I took it home from the grocery store, because I’ve been burned in the past with whipped butter which didn’t come close to the spreadability of margarine.  To my delight however it was super easy to spread and had a really great butter taste.  Plus the ingredients were dead simple compared to margarine:

Land O Lakes Spreadable ButterSweet Cream,
Canola Oil,
Salt		 Land O Lakes MargarineLiquid Soybean Oil,
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil,
Water,
Buttermilk,
Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt,
Soy Lecithin,
Sodium Benzoate (Preservative),
Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides,
Artificial Flavor,
Vitamin A Palmitate,
Colored with Beta Carotene (Provitamin A)

I’ve been buying the spreadable butter ever since, and I haven’t looked back.  If you value the integrity of your bagel I urge you to join me in smooth, buttery bliss.

My Thoughts on Diamond Buying

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In the months before proposing to Christine I did a great deal of research on diamonds and how to buy them.  There are a million websites out there that will tell you about the 4C’s of diamond buying, but very few that will tell you how to value those qualities or what ranges to aim for.  I scoured the internet and picked the brains of my friends and coworkers to get a sense of what was really important.  It felt like a shame to learn all this and then only use it once, so I thought I’d share my experiences in the hopes of helping other men out there.   I certainly don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but I do offer a data point that you can use when making your own decisions.

Carat

The size of the diamond is the most noticeable aspect, and one of the few qualities that you can spot without close inspection.  The cost of the diamond does not go up linearly with size however, as the price jumps drastically around each quarter a carat.  In my opinion the 3/4 carat size was plenty big, and at around half the cost of a 1 carat it left more room to ensure I was getting a high quality diamond that scored well in the other categories.

My recommendation: 0.6 – 0.8  carats

Cut

Over time the industry has determined the specific angles and depths for a cut that result in the most light reflecting back out of the top of the diamond, giving it more sparkle.  The cut rating is a measurement of how well the diamond conforms to the ideal proportions for that shape.  In order to maximize the carat weight of the rough diamond the cutter may fudge the numbers a bit, resulting in a larger but less magnificent diamond.

In additional to an overall cut rating, there are also sub-ratings for polish and symmetry.  A diamond that has an Excellent rating on all three categories is known as a Triple-X.  There are varying theories as to how important the cut rating is, but for me a good sparkle was very important.

My recommendation: Excellent

Clarity

Diamonds with a clarity of SI2 or better won’t have any inclusions that are visible with the naked eye, and at the end of the day this what really matters.  Diamonds with a higher clarity rating are more rare and more valuable for sure, but it’s important to remember that this is primarily a piece of jewelry, and no one but you and your fiancée will know or care about blemishes that are only visible under magnification.  Even with the help of the jeweler I had trouble seeing inclusions under magnification, so I was comfortable with go lower in the spectrum.

My recommendation: SI1-SI2

Color

Jewelers often demonstrate or compare color by showing the diamond against a white piece of paper, but in the real world the rock will never be looked at in that way.  Like clarity, color affects the value of the diamond but in most cases not the wearability or enjoyment.  A gold ring, even white gold, will have a yellow hue to it, obscuring the color of the diamond and allowing you to go lower on this scale.

My recommendation: G-H

Certification

The GIA certification is the most well established in the United States, but the AGS has also become pretty respected.  I would strongly recommend buying a diamond with one of these two types of certification, since it gives you confidence about what you are buying and allows you to compare prices.

Buying Tips

I would avoid jewelry stores, as they are more interested in selling you a complete ring then a diamond.  They wanted to sell me the ring they had in the store, cutting it to fit the size I needed.  Also at one store I went to they showed me some diamonds without even giving me a magnification loupe, which to me is a clear sign that they don’t respect the product or me as a consumer.

Instead go to a jeweler that sells the diamonds loose, even if you intend to buy a ring there as well.  Ensure that they show you every imperfection in the diamonds you look at, and that they treat you with respect.  A purchase of this size deserves some attention, and a good jeweler will recognize you as a long term investment.

Diamonds are precisely measured and rated, and the industry has charts that they use to determine their value.  These charts aren’t available to the public, so it can be tough to determine if you are getting a good price.  For me the best resource was BlueNile.com, an online diamond seller that has a powerful search tool.  I would expect to pay a little more at a brick and mortar store, but the prices listed there will give you a good baseline on what’s a fair price.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!

R.I.P. Penny

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Penny

After two weeks of deteriorating health our hamster Penny finally passed away this morning.  Two years ago I brought her home from the Park Slope Petland Discounts, holding the handlebars of my bike in one hand and her cardboard box in the other.  Her distinctive black/brown and white coloring caught my eye in the store, and her name was inspired by the penguin-like appearance.

What separated Penny from the other hamsters I’ve owned was that she was keenly aware of her surroundings.  She knew when you were talking to her and when you were outside her cage.  She woke up every morning while I was putting on my deodorant, peeking her little head out from under her paper towel sheets.

Christine and I always referred to her as our third roommate, and would always admonish her for not chipping in to the rent or doing her share of the chores.  We would greet her every time we came home from work, and say goodnight to her every night before bed.  She was a part of our household and she will be missed.

Eric’s Favorite Things: Glad ForceFlex Trash Bags

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Glad ForceFlex

As a child one of my assigned household chores was taking out the trash, from the house to the backyard, and from the backyard to the curb.  My poor memory and disposition towards procrastination lead to more than a few barefoot, early morning, winter sprints to haul the all three full cans to the street before the garbage trucks left the block and my mom blew her lid.  Overall though it was a decent chore to get stuck with and earned me the $5 a week allowance that kept me living the high life.

There is a dark side to domestic waste removal though, one that I know all too well.  Let me set the scene.  You’re in the kitchen and you go to throw away your blue raspberry ice pop wrapper before resuming your race in ESPN Extreme Games on the PS1.  You place it on top of the overflowing pile and then attempt to cram the surface down far enough to avoid having to empty the can.  When this fails you struggle for a moment to find an excuse for why you can’t take out the trash at that moment, but eventually succumb to the inevitability and roll up your sleeves.  You grab the flimsy, store brand plastic bag by the thin rim that still remains visible and start raising the bag from the depths.  After what seems like an eternity of slow motion free fall for the can, you finally free the bag and proceed to move it aside.  It is at this very moment that the bottom of the bag, struggling with the weight of leftovers and art projects, bursts open and spills the contents all over the kitchen floor, which of course your mother just washed.

When you put something in the trash can you expect to never see it, touch it, or smell it ever again.  A broken garbage bag however ruins this beautiful illusion and you are forced to confront, one by one, everything that you deemed too worthless or disgusting to deserve further existence.  It’s a horrible experience and I strive to never go through it again.

That is why I swear by Glad ForceFlex trash bags.  They are made of this super strong mesh that is incredibly resistant to breakage and even does a decent job of resisting punctures from sharp edges.  Although I’ve had some close calls with tears near the top, knock on wood I’ve never had the bottom break out with these bags yet.  Every time I successfully remove a heavy bag of garbage I am thankful for this modern garbage bag technology.

This blog post is not sponsored by Glad in any way, but is instead the first of a series where I share some of my favorite everyday items that make my life better in small but measurable ways.