Home Theater

Beware at Home Depot

2008-12-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

Be Careful - A 'heads up' for those men who may be regular Home Depot customers.

Over the last couple of months I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two very hot 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the trunk. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to another Home Depot. You agree and they get in the backseat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen June 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, & 24th 29th. Also July 1st, 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, three times last Saturday and very likely again this upcoming weekend..

So tell your friends to be careful.

P.S. Walmart has wallets on sale 2.99 each...

Links to my other blogs...

2008-07-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Enterprise Architecture

Stop the Bushitler

Insulting Observations

Home Theater

Investorati

Bringing jobs back to America

McGovern Family Blog

Attitude of Gratitude

Global Volunteers

Berkline 090 Recliners

2007-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

A friend of mines just purchased Four 090 Recliners from http://www.rtheaters.com/ in Leather/Viynl match in Black for $1899 delivered! Raymour and Flanigan sells this same set for $2099 locally...

Berkline 078 Recliners

2007-11-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Was able to secure four 078 Berkline 078 Recliners in Group Three Leather for $399 (7061-29) from http://www.rtheaters.com/ . I highly recommend this company as this price cannot be beat by other retailers such as http://www.leather-direct.com/

Links to my other blogs...

2007-06-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Backsourcing: Bringing IT Jobs back to America

Educated Investing from an educated enterprise architect

Impeach George Bush and the Republican Party

Enterprise Architecture: Thought Leadership

McGovern Family

Insulting Observations

Consumers who shop at DirectBuy

2007-03-26T03:00:00.001-07:00

Recently you may have seen an advertisement on local television or in the Homesteader and other newspapers for a members-only buying club that promises “over 750 quality brand-name manufacturers and their authorized suppliers.” At the top of the ad, big black block letters scream “Buy Direct. Save Big.”

The ad says you can purchase from these manufacturers “without having to pay hidden store markups and unnecessary middleman costs.” The company, billing itself as “The #1 way to buy direct for your home,” invites you to call a telephone number or go to a Website to retrieve “Your Complimentary Visitor’s Pass Now!”

Membership at DirectBuy lasts for ten years and costs $4425 which works out to four hundred plus bucks a year. The trick is the dues are front-loaded in the first three years. You pay $3200 now—in installments—and from years four through ten, you pay only $175 a year. That took us by surprise. Thirty two hundred bucks is a lot of money to part with—even in four installments of eight hundred dollars.

Be especially forewarned of sales tactics that require you to close that same day. If you decide not to join, we would not be asked back for another seven years. Of course they also won't let you look through the catalogs because you might see wholesale prices and want to shop them at another store. Based on the local store, there are still idiots in Connecticut (20 to 30 a month) that are stupid enough to pay large fees upfront. Ignoring the fact as to how long some entity has been in business, what happens if they decide to close? I wonder if these folks have ever considered what happens to their investment if they decide to go out of business next year or even tomorrow.

The biggest question on my mind is why should I trust anyone who wouldn't tell me everything I need to know upfront?

Are you an idiot for shopping at DirectBuy?

2007-03-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

Tips on Buying Leather Sofas

2006-12-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is Part Two on buying leather sofas...

I finished the construction aspects of my home theater over the summer, however never actually placed much furniture into it. I had my eye on a Lane Wakefield Sofa (pictured above) which I saw in a furniture store down south for $899. I figured that it should be easy to find the same sofa at a retailer near my home but I was sadly mistaken.

The first store I visited was Nassau's Furniture in Avon CT where the sales person told me that I couldn't order this sofa in Blackberry as the color is no longer available. She did indicate that I could order it in another color but for a retail price of $1499. Later, I learned that salespeople tend to tell lies whenever a consumer finds a price that happens to be lower than the store wants to sell it for or when it reduces the commission that the salesperson makes. Sadly, this experience has caused me to not only trust this retailer but to tell others about it.

Nassau's did indicate though that they had the same sofa in stock in another color for $1099 but I decided to pass and figured that there would be another retailer that would be willing to help me.

Yesterday, I visited Pilgrim Furniture in Southington CT as they are usually cheaper. They had the sofa on floor but I almost fell over after seeing the sticker price of $1299. They told me that the sofa has a list price of $1,999. I wanted to tell the salesperson to shove it somewhere but simply told him I will purchase it on clearance as part of your going out of business sale and walked away.

Down the road was Bob's Discount Furniture who sells lower quality made in China pieces. I figured I would compromise a little on quality in hopes of putting my frustration behind me. Imagine walking into the store and seeing over ten salespeople all idle. I thought to myself, that they must be getting paid 100% commission as no retailer could afford so many people sitting idly.

I learned that in the furniture profession, many folks are exploited by furniture store owners who may have folks work hard and not even earn a nickel for the day. Anyway, all of his sofas were of nebulous quality. One characteristic of a higher-quality sofa is that the cushions should be removable. If you ever run across a sofa with fixed cushions, you should avoid it like the plaque.

The very first thing to wear out in a sofa is usually the cushions. If you don't have the ability to replace them, then you will be buying another one in a couple of years (if you are lucky to have it last that long).

Another characteristic of a higher-quality sofa is to only order sofas that have equivalent models that convert into beds. They have to be made to higher standard and likewise will also have to be at least 89" wide, so manufacturers have less opportunity to shortcut on ingredients.

Anyway, if anyone knows where I can obtain my sofa (or one with similar characteristics)for a good price via the Internet, please do not hesitate to leave a comment...

It's all backwards...

2006-02-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

See It's all backwards...

Please help out a needy kid

2006-01-22T04:13:00.000-08:00

Charlie Eakman is a 14-year-old young man in Pittsburgh with muscular dystrophy. This past week, thieves broke into his home and stole, among other things, all of his videogame consoles, games and movies. Charlie bought most of these with his own money, earned over the years from the $10 per 'A' his Aunt rewarded him with for his grades.

Please consider sending Charlie $20 so his can replace his games. After putting the check in the mail, reach into your pocket again and donate another $20 to the Muscular Dystrophy Assocation.

May God Bless You...

Thoughts on Home Theater Construction

2006-01-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

I blog here on information technology related topics. I figured I am long overdue on blogging on other interests I have...

I have crossed the halfway point in my basement remodeling project that includes redoing my office and home theater. One of the things that I strived for in the reconstruction was to reduce sound. Here are several principles of achieving a quiet home:

Mass: I ended up hanging two sheets of drywall on both ceilings and walls based on the principle of mass. mass impedes the transmission of sound in a simple way - it's harder for the sound to shake a very heavy thing than a very light thing, no different than saying it's harder to push a shopping cart full of lead bricks than an empty cart.

Absortion: I went well beyond "code" and increased the amount of insulation in all my walls. I wish I could have afforded using RSIC Clips but the price more than turned me away. The basic principle here is by preventing vibration from moving through the mechanical parts of the wall to the other side of the wall, where it can/will produce sound. instead it has to pass through the air, where some of it will be lost, and through the insulation/absorbing material, where (at some frequencies) much of it will be lost.

Constrained Layer Damping: I used Green Glue between the layers of drywall. The principle is that a "sandwich" is formed by laminating the base layer to the damping layer and adding a third constraining layer. When the system flexes during vibration, shear strains develop in the damping layer. Energy is lost through shear deformation rather than extension of the material.

I hope to post photos one we finish painting in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned...