I'd say if you want a smart phone for its computer-like functions, get the best you can afford and are willing to deal with size-wise. Since you don't currently have a data plan, you may not care about 4G at all. What you will care about is wifi. You'll want to be sure the phone has good wifi function, as that will…

That's a tip I'll definitely remember. I rarely use the tool I have like that, preferring a knife to strip insulation and regular wire cutters or lineman's pliers to cut (other than coax anyway), so it's good to have another valuable use for it.

You're killin' me with that Pembroke Corgi cuteness—best small dogs on the planet, maybe in the universe.

Love it to death!

Turn on, tune in, drop out of lay-a-way.

I've never had a problem with Alarm Clock Plus, but I occasionally do wish for a count-down timer, so may switch to get that feature. If one is having reliability issues with an app like AC+, might try locking it in memory, if your rom permits. At one time, I had AC+ locked in memory, along with GoSMS, b/c I was…

He can "guide" himself right out of the educational system and into a dirt digging job where his stupidity can percolate well away from most of civilization. Moreover, if he f's with that kind of co-worker, he can get a shovel upside the head, as necessary for "counseling."

Or just put loose tea in the filter and pour near-boiling water through, just like you would for coffee. We have an ice tea maker that works like that. You get much better extraction, if the tea leaves are able to float and swirl freely in the hot water. My purely anecdotal experience is that loose tea requires…

Very well put.

So true—I'm normally not a fan of small, skinny, fragile looking dogs, but whippets and italian greyhounds (indeed, full-sized rescued racing greyhounds, too) are the exception. Great dogs, with larger characters and pleasant demeanors than it would seem their little bodies could hold. And now bed warmers, too!

While proximity shouldn't be the sole factor, it is an important one. You need storage close enough to get to your stuff and in an area relatively safe from natural disasters and within your tolerance for potential criminality. You may also want to be sure that access hours are not limited. It's a PITA when you…

I think it's really sad what SHIELD has come to. If you've ever seen the Jim Steranko issues of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD from back in the 60's—wow, just wow. They were not only better, they were more advanced in every way. Get 'em if you can.

Wow, the pc revisionism and general misinformation is really strong in this thread. Know what? All vanity plates are stupid and should be banned. They interfere with clear idenfication of vehicles for law enforcement purposes, which is the only valid purpose for the abomination that is license plates. If all…

Since this subject has come up, I'll give a shout out to AutohausAZ dot com. Good prices, good range, mostly for foreign/euro cars, good, inexpensive, fairly quick shipping. Have ordered from PartsGeeks, Pelican Parts, and IPD and FCP Groton (latter two for Volvo). All are decent, but AutohausAZ consistently wins…

Ouch on the deferred maintenance—empathy here on that. Promoted the comment re: VW. Much as I love some of their tech, 'specially diesels, they've really become over-engineered black boxes—even to their own dealer techs (my bro-in-law was one and regularly had to wait weeks just to get a manual for something that…

Agreed on all points. As the week has worn on I have become a crotchety old man. Though after work, today, I will become a happy old man on a formerly abused but now partially restored '02 cbr600f4i.

Shut up about the 5 series BMWs—I want that market to stay really depressed, so I can get cheap ones for myself and family. My son and I just did a "brake job" on his project 8 series, including the extras of adding stainless steel brake lines, rebuilding and painting calipers, all for less than $500. Your beliefs…

do you want a new car every few years? Grow up.

A family member just got a Droid Bionic and really loves it. I'm still rocking my OG Droid from a couple of years ago and after rooting/roming it and finding a good, smooth, efficiently running kernel, love it even more than the day I took it home. Basically, if a phone has a form factor and screen quality that you…

My first thought would be to increase error tolerance vs. speed on the slider in the Swype settings. If you go to your main settings, then "Language & Keyboard Settings," then "Swype Settings" all the stuff you're looking for, like dictionary management, a toggle for word suggestion, etc. should be there. I'm a…