My Tips on Buying a Couch

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Buying a Couch

Padding
When buying a couch, comfort, of course, should be your primary concern. I recommend going to furniture stores and trying out each one that catches your eye.

Head Support
This one is especially important to me, as I enjoy lounging on my sofa. You may find after sitting on the couch for a half hour your neck gets sore, so I personally recommend seeking one with cushioning for head support. If you’re like me, you’ll also be heading straight for the recliners!

Back Support
I recently purchased a loveseat with quite a bit of back support, and it’s my only complaint about it. There is so much cushioning that it actually pushes out my back, which gets uncomfortable after a while. From now on, odd as it sounds, I will avoid seating with back support.

Style
This is entirely personal preference. Leather is good because it is spill resistant and will last a long time (bonded and polyurethane will be less durable), but it can also be cold or even stick to your skin on hot days. It also requires cleaning to stop mold on other pathogens. Cloth, on the other hand, is susceptible to spills and is not smooth. Like I said, this is all personal preference.

Price
My strategy, when it comes to price, is to find the optimal piece of furniture first and then focus on finding the best price for that piece locally and online. If you in absolute need of a couch now, price is more of a concern, but, if you are simply upgrading, I would recommend the former strategy.

Why are Hard Drives Smaller Than Their Advertised Capacity?

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Many people have purchased a hard drive, only to return home and find that the computer says its actual capacity is lower than the advertised one. For example, if you buy a 1TB drive, a computer will tell you the drive is really only 931GB. Why is that? Where did those other 69 gigabytes go? Click “Continue reading” to find out why.
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Beware of Ethanol in Your Gasoline

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gaspumpEthanol is derived from alcohol, is cheaper to produce, and burns cleaner than pure gasoline, but it’s not all good news. Using gasoline with ethanol additives can reduce gas mileage. Ethanol contains 34% less energy per gallon than pure gas, which, according to the New York Times, translates into approximately 2 to 3 fewer miles to gallon. Many skeptics claim that ethanol can damage your engine, especially on older vehicles, which is true – many car manufacturers actually void warranties on cars where anything higher than 10% ethanol gasoline is used. Recently the EPA approved use of 15% ethanol, or E15, gas on cars newer 2007, but many car manufacturers are having none of it and recommending that consumers do not use this new blend of gas. If cost is your primary concern, I would also recommend finding pure gasoline to top off the tank with – a savings of a few cents per gallon can give your car disproportionately less efficiency, and you’ll find yourself actually filling up the tank more often. Most states in the U.S. require gas stations to inform buyers if their gas contains a certain amount of ethanol. If you live in one of the few states that doesn’t, like Maryland, I would suggest asking your regular stations to find out. Image by ponsulak of freedigitalphotos.net.

My Experience with Apple Customer Support

Two years ago, I finally ordered my iMac. I was excited, because this was a product I was saving up for for a long time. I had a decent PC, but I was growing tired of Windows and the small little annoyances associated with it. I much preferred the Mac OS for it’s superior Apps. In addition, I am a Youtube reviewer, so I used my need to create videos as an excuse to buy this expensive piece of machinery. As I clicked away, improving the specifications of the computer on the Apple Online Store order form, I grew apprehensive. Not because of the price, but because this would mark a big change in my life. This would be the first time I had bought a Mac. What if I didn’t like it? Okay, maybe the price had a little bit to do with it. Increase VRAM to 2GB? Check. Cha-ching; the sound rang in my head. The final price, even with the education discount I wholeheartedly took advantage of, came out to over $2700. Quite an investment.
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Don’t Worry About That Rechargeable Battery

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IMG_0285There have been many studies regarding the prolonging of lithium ion battery operating life – that is, the batteries included with most consumer electronics, such as cell phones, laptops, and tablets. Many people actually leave the device plugged in as much as possible, thinking that the more you use it, the more the battery degrades. As it turns out, this is not true. Most lithium ion batteries are only rated for three years of use, and, in fact, they will degrade just sitting there, not being used. Keeping them plugged in all the time is even worse, as the battery’s capacity to charge decreases the longer it is fully charged. It is even true that you can “rejuvenate” a dying battery by cycling the charge (charging it up and then discharging it several times). As with any battery, it degrades with use, but with rechargeable lithium ion batteries, it is even worse to not use them.