SharondaWoodfin.net

I Am Not Yet a VIP Member

And it looks like I won't be one, either:

Club VIP is something new at Club Bing, a sub-club which, apparently, offers higher-end prizes than the regular old Club does. Membership requires these three things: 1) use of Internet Explorer 7 or higher, 2) installation of the Club Bing toolbar, and 3) setting Bing as your default search engine. Current VIP-level prizes include a juice extractor, a hardcover Twilight set, a blender, a Harry Potter boxed set, a printer/scanner/copier, a Sony PRS 600 Reader, a camcorder, a Roomba, a mixer, and an Xbox 360 Pro.

Nice, huh? 'Cept for one itty-bitty, problem: You guys are not only encouraging the use of IE (OK, so that's to be expected), you're encouraging the installation of toolbars in IE! Bad Bing! No, no! Go clean the PCs of several folks who think that IE *is* the Internet, then get back to me about how encouraging that sort of behaviour is a good idea!

Much as that PRS 600 would help me in my quest to bring fan fic to the bathroom, there's a principle to be considered. I'd transcribe the fic I love by hand, into cheap-ass wide-ruled notebooks (oh, the pain!), with sub-standard pens (gah!) -- knowing full-well that by the time I'm finished copying that 3xx-page novel, I'll be so sick of fan fic that I can't stand myself, much less you, Bing -- before I could, in good conscience, encourage the installation of IE toolbars by folks whose standard answer to any PC-related question is "I don't know how that got there."

Now, about that external drive whose price rose 3000 tickets between offerings...

Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 from Club Bing

I can control my computer from the bathroom! This is easily one of the best things I've gotten from playing games online, right up there with the Canon PowerShot SD1000 I got when MicroSoft Shopping had it's own game thing going on!

I ordered the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 set from Club Bing on November 3rd, and received it yesterday via UPS. And, oh, did it feel like Christmas! First, I'd ordered it for a measly 5000 tickets, which is well below what this set is worth. Second, it came in a big, red, shiny box. Third, so many programmable buttons = plenty of playtime. And, most importantly, this set makes my life easier.

Included in the box were the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Keyboard 7000, the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000, four AA Energizer batteries for the keyboard, one rechargeable AA Energizer battery for the mouse, a charging station (with cord), one Bluetooth transceiver, software, and instructions. Installation wasn't completely painless -- I had to download an update from Microsoft, and then restart my PC -- but it went smoother than I expected. In the end, using the set would've been worth a much longer, much more intimidating installation process than what I actually had to deal with.

The mouse included in this set is OK. That may sound like an insult, given how much I like this set, as a whole; but it isn't. I tend to like simple mice that just work. This mouse does that. All five buttons are programmable, yada, yada, yada. My hand isn't on it enough to judge its comfort level. My only complaint is that the scroll wheel button is hard to press. 

That button is preset, by the way, for something called "Instant Viewer". I'm not certain, to be honest, if my computer had this functionality before installing this keyboard and mouse or not. It's not exactly something that I thought I'd need. All it does is take whatever windows you have open, make them small, and lay them out neatly on the screen, so that you can easily find what you're looking for. It's far more useful than I had expected it would be:

But the main reason I'm not talking much about the mouse is that the keyboard is fan-freaking-tastic! It has built-in media player buttons (pause, play, forward, back, mute, and something that certainly looks like a record button), channel up and down buttons, volume buttons, and a "call" button (which I've rerouted from Live Call to Google Voice). The "F" keys aren't keys, at all, but touch-sensitive ridges -- and they're seriously sensitive, too -- most of which are programmable when used in conjunction with the "Fn" key. (This may actually help to lessen my dependence on Launchy.) The first four of these ridges are preset for opening My Photos, My Music, one of Microsoft's messenger programs, and your default browser's "home" page, respectively. The next five come without presets, and are considered "favorites" buttons. The next one has a little star above it, and is programmed to open a list of the favorites you have programmed for the previous five. All of these buttons are programmable.

Before I go further about the keyboard's functions, let me just say that it's quite pretty. It has an aerodynamic look to it, reminding me a bit of a rear spoiler, and some part of me is curious to see just how it might pan out as a thrown weapon:

But back to actual, useful features: This keyboard allows me to work completely mouse-free, if need be. On the left-hand edge are two buttons that serve as left- and right-click buttons, respectively. On the right-hand edge is a navigation pad, which allows the cursor to be positioned through simple drags of a finger tip. I've never owned anything with a navigation pad -- I've never even touched a laptop -- so this is all new and fascinating stuff for me. Other buttons include a screen magnifier, a Start menu button, and a browser back button. There's more, too, but since this keyboard was designed for Vista, a couple of them are a bit useless to me, in XP.

One of the best things about this set, and the keyboard in particular, is that I now have freedom of movement. I can type with my legs curled up in my chair and the keyboard resting on my lap, which is frankly, how I prefer to not only type, but write and draw, too. In that sense, it's made working at the computer a more natural thing for me. I've played with controlling iTunes from several spots in the house -- including the sofa, my bed, and, yes, the bathroom -- and have found this system to be utterly and completely responsive. 

One of the reasons that this freedom of movement is so important to me is that my workspace is small. The "shelf" upon which my keyboard and mouse rest (which is also sometimes shared by pens, scratch paper, or whatever I happen to be drawing at the moment) is a simple TV tray. Add a tangle of wires to that, simultaneously restricting movement, and it becomes very cramped, indeed. Now, with freedom restored and the tangle removed, it's actually an OK -- if still not spacious -- workspace: 

Oh, and piece d' resistance: I'm a typo queen. I'm constantly accidentally hitting one key or another, with Caps Lock earning the title of "Favorite Unintended Target". With this new system installed, I spend much less time making corrections because of one simple feature: When the Caps Lock key is hit, it's indicated on the lower, right-hand corner of the screen:

That feature, alone, should be enough for any of you out there interacting with shouty people online to consider buying this set as a gift for your typo-prone friends.

For more information on the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000, see the product page from Microsoft.

Top 13 Reasons This is a List Post

1. I don't care what search engines think about placing posts into multiple categories.
2. I'm still streaming Xena.
3. I'm adapting my taiji routine to include my burglar beater (approximately 3' section of a young tree -- which had to be cut down because it was growing too close to the house -- complete with spikes where the tiny limbs were growing; too short to use as a bo staff, too long for a billy club, painful if you whack yourself with the spikes).
4. I'm a bit distracted by all of the Adam Lambert stuff. LOLed, literally, at the faux fellatio on the AMAs; put off a bit by the kiss, but only because it struck me as more aggressive than sexual. Noted that Adam was right about one thing: gender discrimination. CBS blurred the guy-on-guy kiss, this morning, but didn't blur the whole Madonna-Britney-Xtina thing. (PS, I muted Eminem, and played with the dog 'til he was off the stage.)
5. Sunday was my mom's 77th birthday.
6. Still have things to do regarding the recent death of a friend.
7. I've been having to cook for the dog for the past several days, while waiting for his dog food to ship. This isn't as simple as "Hey, Jerr? You want a burger?" Feeding your human kids shouldn't be that simple, either.
8. A bit put off with at least a couple of high-quality dog food companies. One because they rant about chicken meal, while replacing said meal with oatmeal, instead of adding more meat. The other because a commitment to "indie pet specialty retailers" is the reason they site for not selling in supermarkets. 'Cept PetCo ain't "indie", and that commitment does nothing for rural dogs, regardless.
9. Doing a bit of chart work, which is a bad thing, because I can easily get obsessed with that stuff.
10. I've been making a concerted effort to not blog while angry. If I manage to stick with that goal, hiatuses may become the norm around here.
11. Trying to get enough points for the portable hard drive at Club Bing, because I need a way to back up my files.
12. The scanner is pretty much done. Reworking old designs until I can get a way to draw again.
13. As my mention of taiji would suggest, I'm out of balance, and trying to find it, again.

Notebook and Pen from Club Bing

I'm a sucker for a decent notebook. If it has a nice cover, an extra feature or two, or even if it's just college ruled (with neatly-printed lines, please), I'm going to like it. I don't use notebooks as much as I used to, since I spend about 18 hours online every day, but I still thought it might be a good idea to order this one from Club Bing:

I ordered it on the 9th of this month, and received it via USPS, today. The notebook, itself, is nice. The covers are sturdy and attractive; it includes a built-in elastic pen holder and a matching bookmark; the last two pages are a contacts page and a two-year (2009 and 2010) calendar. The pen is bright orange. That's a good thing. But clicking the button on the pen made it feel structurally unsound. The pen was quickly donated to my mother -- the family collector of novelty pens -- who reports that it writes smoothly.

And here's where Bing gets ya -- their cleverly-devised advertising page:

Why is this clever? Because my first instinct was to rip it out, but if I do that, then all that will show through those holes in the front cover are the lines on the writing paper, instead of pretty pictures. There will be no glossy sheet to protect the writing pages from inevitable beverage spillage. And, hey, no block between prying eyes and whatever I choose to write on that first page!

Touché, Bing! Touché! You've successfully forced me to look at your ad every time I decide to write!

And I still like the notebook.

Coleman Camping Lantern from Club Bing

Ordered October 2nd from Club Bing. Received today via UPS. This is 4D lantern, meaning that it requires four "D" batteries, which are not included. Minus the batteries, this lantern is incredibly light, which is good if you plan to carry it, not so great if you plan to beat things with it. According to the packaging, it has a Silver Coleman Performance Rating, and a runtime of up to 16 hours, given that you're using fresh alkaline batteries.

For me, none of that matters, as long as it's functional when/if the next ice storm knocks out power in this area. Still, I was amused by this:

Yep. The back of the lantern proudly proclaims it a leftover. And that's OK, too; it'll give me a chance to wax nostalgic while we're waiting for the heat to come back on!

Coleman Classic Round Dog Bed from Club Bing

I ordered this one from Club Bing on September 29th and received it via UPS on November 2nd. It's 34" in diameter, but came in a much smaller box. The cover and the filling were separate within the box, with the filling folded and stuffed into an air-tight plastic wrap. In order to assemble the dog bed, the filling had to be removed from the plastic, shaken like crazy, then shoved into the cover. Then, the whole thing had to be shaken again, in order to evenly distribute the filling.

I have to say that, if I were out shopping for dog beds, and got a chance to look at (or more importantly, feel of) this one, I would probably buy a different bed. The poly-oxford bottom is nice, and I like the plaid fleece top, too; but, for my preferences, the bed is under-stuffed. When I stretched out on it, I could still feel the floor pressing against my rib cage.

But my preferences are negated by the reason why I haven't included a photo: I didn't have time to take a picture before the bed was covered in dog hair. Jerry loves this bed! He was on it the minute I threw it in the floor, and has chosen it over his well-stuffed, fluffy pillow ever since. 

(Alas, he still doesn't choose it over my bed.)

If I were going to offer a recommendation, I'd recommend using your cash for a different dog bed. I might not make the same recommendation regarding Club Bing tickets. But in the end, I've come to realize that my recommendation really doesn't matter.

Jerry wholeheartedly endorses this product.

Organic Cotton Messenger Bag from Club Bing

As I've gotten older, and begun making rather long weekly trips with a friend to pick up her truck-driving husband's payroll checks, pick up prescriptions, and buy dog food, I've come to realize the value that some women see in carrying a purse. It's nice to have your stuff with you, not everything will fit in my nine-pocket camo pants, and a backpack just gets awkward after a while. But I'm not carrying anything that looks like or might be legitimately referred to as a purse. Oh, no. So it was with that in mind that I ordered this "Organic Cotton Messenger Bag" from Club Bing on September 25th:

The UPS man brought it, today, right on schedule, despite the flooding and continued rain in this area. Those spots you see in the picture? Those aren't flaws in the fabric. Those are raindrops. I like to actually use a product before I review it, and, channeling the UPS man's sheer determination, this bag was to be no exception! In defiance of the continued pelting from the sky, the messenger bag accompanied me to the grocery store, the Dollar General, a quick shop, the pharmacy, and the post office.

The great things about carrying it included having my calculator along for the grocery shopping, and having a zippered pocket into which I could shove things like the mail, the drugs, and a couple packs of red-hot smokey treats.

The bad things included nearly ripping a mole off my neck while hastily adjusting the strap so the damned thing wouldn't look like a purse, and taking far too long to realize that the bag doesn't have to be removed when one gets into her car. I wasted more time taking the bag off and putting it back on than I did in some of the places where I was going to get things.

As far as the "organic" bit goes, I was under the impression that "organic" and "dyed" were sort of incongruous. I may be wrong about that. In any case the tag that was attached to the bag calls it "Natural color ORGANIC COTTON with fashionable color accents." 'Though not much information is given, you can check out the product page, yourself, at Sweda USA.

All in all, I think the messenger bag will be worth the points I redeemed for it, but it's definitely going to take some getting used to.

Pro-tip: Adjust the strap so that you can't see the bag, itself, when looking in the mirror, then pretend that it's attached to a scabbard. This is especially effective for fans of Xena or anyone well-practiced in channeling her inner Viking.

IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 from Club Bing

I redeemed tickets for this mouse on September 24th at Club Bing, and received it yesterday via UPS. I was a bit disappointed when I realized that "five programmable buttons" didn't mean "five extra buttons", but included the standard right-, left-, and middle-click buttons, along with just two extra buttons, all of which are indeed programmable.

On the up side, the USB mouse came with a PS/2 adapter, and installation was simple. I was also excited about the side-to-side capabilities of the scroll wheel, 'til I realized that, more often than not, I really don't need it. The mouse is attractive enough, and the scroll isn't lit up like neon on a dark street in the bad part of town, which is always a plus.

In the end, as much as I want to like this mouse -- particularly for its programmability -- I can't get comfortable with it. It's a man mouse. A man-with-big-hands mouse. I don't have small hands, by any stretch, but the scroll wheel is too wide for my fingers to comfortably rest on the right- and left-click buttons, and the thumb buttons are too far from the mouse's red-lit butt to be a comfortable reach for my thumb. The scroll wheel has a nice, smooth feel to it (much smoother than my old mouse), but the scroll wheel button is stiff and difficult to press.

Ultimately, I ordered this mouse so I would have a backup. Optical mice are the only sort I can purchase here in Advance, and it's been my experience that optical mice don't have near the longevity of an old fashioned ball mouse, so a back-up is a must. And that's exactly what purpose the IntelliMouse Explorer will serve, as soon as I can unpack my old, obnoxiously lit, $18 mouse from a company you've probably never heard of.

Garden Tool Set from Club Bing

My garden tools set from Club Bing arrived today! Of all the things I've gotten through the club, this is high on my list of favorites! Included in the set are pruners, a trowel, a rake, an unidentified garden tool, a fork, a pair of gloves, a spray bottle, a scrub brush, a stool, twine (with a cutter), and a handy bag to carry everything in.

I've already used the tools to clean out the grass around the central air unit and to prune the mixed growth near the porch and the front of the trailer. I've got a long week's worth of plans for cleaning out the rest of the grass in the lawn that my mower just won't get to.

More importantly, this prize from Club Bing gets me one step closer to next Spring's plans for planting with a purpose.

Clubbing at Club Bing

With all of the attention that Microsoft's Bing search engine has garnered over the past few months, it would seem that some of that attention would carry over to Club Bing. While the merits of the search engine, itself, are open to debate (much of which will inevitably be based not only on personal preferences, but also upon searchers' habitual behaviors), the club clearly deserves much more attention that it's being given.

For the unfamiliar, Club Bing is a gaming site from Microsoft. For the company, it serves one purpose: driving up search numbers. It accomplishes this by incorporating Bing searches into the games (mostly word- or trivia-based) that it provides for its members. It can reasonably be argued that this incorporation artificially inflates Bing's search numbers, but it also introduces members to the search engine, and maybe -- just maybe -- takes a step toward breaking the previously-mentioned habits. It's hard to play these games for hours on end and not get accustomed to the look of a Bing search results page.

For members, Club Bing serves a different purpose: free stuff. Tickets that are earned by playing the games can be redeemed for various prizes that the club offers, or even donated to charity. The prizes available change from time to time, but for most of the smaller offerings, there's a fair bit of consistency. For an example of how Club Bing can be beneficial to its users, I offer my own experience:

I've been a member of the club since June of 2007, back when Bing search was still Live Search and Club Bing was Live Search Club. In the past two years, prizes I've received from the club include digital headphones, two Memorex travel drives, a Microsoft Lifecam VX-6000 web cam, Microsoft LX-3000 headset, nine t-shirts, a Zune backpack, three Fusion tumblers, a journal and pen set, two games from Big Fish Games, a set of three triangular pens, Vista Home Premium, a Rhythm Soundbag, two sets of Titleist golf balls, a swivel drive, a Black & Decker cordless drill, a set of exercise bands, a book by Suze Orman, an Everlast wobble board, a net ball game set, a deck of Bing-branded playing cards, one bar of Bliss Mammoth Minty Scrub Soap, and a HoMedics neck massage pillow. I'm waiting on shipment of my garden tools set, planning to order yet another t-shirt, and saving up some points just in case the Hamilton Beach slow cooker wins the current prize vote-off. And it's a rare day when I max out on tickets. Serious clubbers have and are earning bigger and more prizes than I have.

I've heard arguments that Club Bing is a waste of time. For people who spend every waking hour working, I won't argue that it isn't. But for the rest of us slackers, I would put forth that Club Bing is the most productive way I've found to waste a few hours.