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| This is me as a robot. I made my outfit myself :P |
Thursday, 29 November 2012
FUN & FROLICS: I Am A Robot (YB)
We entered a competition last month that required us to do our best impression of a robot and here's what we did...
Sunday, 25 November 2012
COMPING: Twitaculous For Twitter Competitions (YB)
Have you heard of Twitaculous yet? If not, get yourself over to http://twitaculous.com and read on to find out more about it...
Well, even if you have heard of it, something you may not know is that it is made by my husband, Paul. I had not wanted to publicly let everyone know right away as both I and Paul wanted people to come to an unbiased opinion about it.
Paul does coding/programming, whatever you want to call it and I suggested a while back to him that he should make something like this. But it wasn't until a few months back that he actually decided to make it.
Twitaculous lists Twitter competitions and makes it easy for you to see all the competitions on Twitter and retweet them straight from the Twitaculous website. You can also enter competitions that require you to post an answer to enter and also competitions that also require you to 'like' their Facebook page to enter too. And, did I mention it is a FREE to use service?
It also tells you when you last retweeted the competition and how many times in total you have retweeted so you can keep track of how often you have retweeted. It also tells you which competitions are limited to one retweet only so that you do not get disqualified from the competition.
He has had some excellent feedback from companies regarding the site and service offered and companies are happy for him to be listing the competitions, meaning you can rest safely in the knowledge that companies won't get annoyed with you for entering the competitions through the Twitaculous website.
Other features include the ability to hide tweets that you don't want to see again (competitions that you don't want to enter or that only allow you to enter once for example), add competitions to your favourites (so that you don't forget to retweet regularly) and the you can see when a competition ends and sort them by time ending.
You will find UK competitions, you can rest safely in the knowledge that you won't be entering competitions from outside the UK and that way you know if you win, you will get your prize (other sites do not seem to check their listings and often post US competitions that aren't open to the UK).
Any of my friends will know that I am excellent at finding Twitter competitions and I share all of the ones I find with Paul to post on Twitaculous, so if you know how many I find and enter, you will know it is well worthwhile going on Twitaculous to enter them as there are a lot.
Paul updates the site several times daily with new competitions as well. You can find the Twitaculous Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Twitaculous and the Twitaculous Twitter account at http://twitter.com/Twitaculous.
Paul is working on new features too, such as the ability to see who you are following and when they last tweeted, enabling you to quickly unfollow those who are no longer active.
Whilst Paul isn't a comper like me (though he does enter some competitions irregularly), he is dedicated to this site and with my help I think it could be something very useful for all of us compers. If you haven't tried it out, please give it a go and do let us know what you think (comment on here and I will pass on the messages to Paul).
Paul does coding/programming, whatever you want to call it and I suggested a while back to him that he should make something like this. But it wasn't until a few months back that he actually decided to make it.
Twitaculous lists Twitter competitions and makes it easy for you to see all the competitions on Twitter and retweet them straight from the Twitaculous website. You can also enter competitions that require you to post an answer to enter and also competitions that also require you to 'like' their Facebook page to enter too. And, did I mention it is a FREE to use service?
It also tells you when you last retweeted the competition and how many times in total you have retweeted so you can keep track of how often you have retweeted. It also tells you which competitions are limited to one retweet only so that you do not get disqualified from the competition.
He has had some excellent feedback from companies regarding the site and service offered and companies are happy for him to be listing the competitions, meaning you can rest safely in the knowledge that companies won't get annoyed with you for entering the competitions through the Twitaculous website.
Other features include the ability to hide tweets that you don't want to see again (competitions that you don't want to enter or that only allow you to enter once for example), add competitions to your favourites (so that you don't forget to retweet regularly) and the you can see when a competition ends and sort them by time ending.
You will find UK competitions, you can rest safely in the knowledge that you won't be entering competitions from outside the UK and that way you know if you win, you will get your prize (other sites do not seem to check their listings and often post US competitions that aren't open to the UK).
Any of my friends will know that I am excellent at finding Twitter competitions and I share all of the ones I find with Paul to post on Twitaculous, so if you know how many I find and enter, you will know it is well worthwhile going on Twitaculous to enter them as there are a lot.
Paul updates the site several times daily with new competitions as well. You can find the Twitaculous Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Twitaculous and the Twitaculous Twitter account at http://twitter.com/Twitaculous.
Paul is working on new features too, such as the ability to see who you are following and when they last tweeted, enabling you to quickly unfollow those who are no longer active.
Whilst Paul isn't a comper like me (though he does enter some competitions irregularly), he is dedicated to this site and with my help I think it could be something very useful for all of us compers. If you haven't tried it out, please give it a go and do let us know what you think (comment on here and I will pass on the messages to Paul).
REVIEW: Go Ape! Course & Clothing (YB)
I was given the opportunity to do a review for Go Ape! of both their course and their new clothing range.
Now, I'm no good with heights, so instead, I got Paul (hubby) and David (son) to actually do the course and picked clothing for them to review as what better way to taste their durability than for them to wear them on the course, right? Paul got a t-shirt and David got a hoodie.
Their clothing is very good quality - you can visibly tell they are made well. They have a great range of clothing for men, women and kids and also a great range of accessories too. You can see the full range and order online at http://shop.goape.co.uk/.
Paul and David went along to the Delamere, Cheshire Go Ape! course on Saturday 17th November. I wasn't 100% sure if David would like it or not, but apparently after some initial reluctance, he got on with it and enjoyed it so much he wants to go back!
Here is Paul's review of the actual Go Ape! course:
“I took my 10 year old son, David, to the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure. After an almost disastrous cancelled train on the way. We eventually arrived at Go Ape in Delamere, one of their 28 locations in the UK. Children are allowed as long as they are 10 years old or over and at least 1.4m. There is a maximum weight limit of 20.5 stone. When you book a session you will be with up to 14 other participants.
After signing a short form about being responsible for David on the way around the course we were all given a harness. They were dead easy to put on and the staff helped everyone and checked they were all put on safely. The harness was relatively comfortable to wear. They were able to store my bag while we were going around the course as it would have been in the way.
The course is made up a several parts. Each part has a ladder to initally get up into the trees followed by a series of obstacles. The course is entirely safe as you are constantly connected to a safety line. Even the ladders have a safety system whereby if you were to slip you would not fall.
Clipping and unclipping between each obstacle was a little tedious but we soon got used to it and it became automatic. The obstacles themselves varied between things like wooden platforms to balance across, ropes to pull yourselve along with, a tunnel to climb through, a 'Tarzan' style rope swing. At the end of each section you attach your pulley to a zipline and let gravity get you to the ground!
I was worried that David may have 'chickened' out of certain things but I was very impressed that he gave everything a go. It would have been impossible to avoid one individual obstacle most of the time as when you get into the trees, the course is fairly linear and you have to get to the zipline at the end. There were a couple of times that you could choose one route or another.
Between each section of the course there is a short walk to the next bit. The sections are easy to find by following the arrows. As carrying stuff on the course would be impractical there is water available before each ladder.
I loved the whole experience, I am not too bothered by heights, I don't imagine that it'd be much fun if you are bothered by them. David is usually not so keen on heights but he did all the obstacles, he took a bit of encouragement on the first couple but after that he just got on and did it all and seemed to enjoy it very much. It was suprising how safe I felt half way up a tree. Mostly I didn't even feel the need to hold on to anything.
My favourite thing on the whole course was the really big zipline at the very end. It was a bit higher than the others and quite a bit longer. You built up loads of speed and it was great!
If we were going again I think I would wear a different coat, probably a 'hoodie' or similar as I found my coat got in the way of the the safety harness.
As well as the Tree Top Adventure they also do several other activities:
- Forest Segway is an hour of driving an all-terrain Segway through a forest.
- Forest Biking is exactly what it sounds like, cycling along trails through the forest.
- Tree Top Junior is for children aged 6 to 12 years old. Adults can either join their children or let them get on with it by themselves. It has the added advantage that the younger kids don't have to attach and detach their safety lines between obstacles.
- Night Time Forest Segway is just like regular forest segway but, as if that isn't exciting enough, it's done in the dark!”
And this is David's review of the Go Ape! course:
“When me and my dad went to Go Ape I found it really fun, and most of the equipment was fairly easy to use.
I found Go Ape quite fun because I was just about the right height but maybe being taller had some advantages.
Here are my opinions on each of the activities:
Zip Line: At first on the bigger Zip Lines I was a bit afraid but when I finally gave it a go it was really fun.
Trapeze: I loved this because you had to stay on the beam line without falling off because it was hard to get back up, luckily I managed to not fall on any parts of the course.”
Visit the Go Ape! website for more details on their adventures and locations - http://goape.co.uk/.
Now, I'm no good with heights, so instead, I got Paul (hubby) and David (son) to actually do the course and picked clothing for them to review as what better way to taste their durability than for them to wear them on the course, right? Paul got a t-shirt and David got a hoodie.
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| Boys Go Ape Hoodie - costs just £20 |
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| Mens Plank Charcoal Tee - costs just £8 at the moment (normally £18) |
Paul and David went along to the Delamere, Cheshire Go Ape! course on Saturday 17th November. I wasn't 100% sure if David would like it or not, but apparently after some initial reluctance, he got on with it and enjoyed it so much he wants to go back!
Here is Paul's review of the actual Go Ape! course:
“I took my 10 year old son, David, to the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure. After an almost disastrous cancelled train on the way. We eventually arrived at Go Ape in Delamere, one of their 28 locations in the UK. Children are allowed as long as they are 10 years old or over and at least 1.4m. There is a maximum weight limit of 20.5 stone. When you book a session you will be with up to 14 other participants.
After signing a short form about being responsible for David on the way around the course we were all given a harness. They were dead easy to put on and the staff helped everyone and checked they were all put on safely. The harness was relatively comfortable to wear. They were able to store my bag while we were going around the course as it would have been in the way.
Before you get started on the main course there is a short opportunity to see how the parts of your harness work. Then there is a very scaled down version of the types of obstacles you will encounter. There are 3 things on the harness; 2 carabiners, which are clips which climbers use, and a zipline pulley. They were all easy to do and after doing it a couple of times you can easily do it one handed - which is good if you are up a tree and holding on tight!
The course is made up a several parts. Each part has a ladder to initally get up into the trees followed by a series of obstacles. The course is entirely safe as you are constantly connected to a safety line. Even the ladders have a safety system whereby if you were to slip you would not fall.
Clipping and unclipping between each obstacle was a little tedious but we soon got used to it and it became automatic. The obstacles themselves varied between things like wooden platforms to balance across, ropes to pull yourselve along with, a tunnel to climb through, a 'Tarzan' style rope swing. At the end of each section you attach your pulley to a zipline and let gravity get you to the ground!
Between each section of the course there is a short walk to the next bit. The sections are easy to find by following the arrows. As carrying stuff on the course would be impractical there is water available before each ladder.
I loved the whole experience, I am not too bothered by heights, I don't imagine that it'd be much fun if you are bothered by them. David is usually not so keen on heights but he did all the obstacles, he took a bit of encouragement on the first couple but after that he just got on and did it all and seemed to enjoy it very much. It was suprising how safe I felt half way up a tree. Mostly I didn't even feel the need to hold on to anything.
If we were going again I think I would wear a different coat, probably a 'hoodie' or similar as I found my coat got in the way of the the safety harness.
As well as the Tree Top Adventure they also do several other activities:
- Forest Segway is an hour of driving an all-terrain Segway through a forest.
- Forest Biking is exactly what it sounds like, cycling along trails through the forest.
- Tree Top Junior is for children aged 6 to 12 years old. Adults can either join their children or let them get on with it by themselves. It has the added advantage that the younger kids don't have to attach and detach their safety lines between obstacles.
- Night Time Forest Segway is just like regular forest segway but, as if that isn't exciting enough, it's done in the dark!”
And this is David's review of the Go Ape! course:
“When me and my dad went to Go Ape I found it really fun, and most of the equipment was fairly easy to use.
I found Go Ape quite fun because I was just about the right height but maybe being taller had some advantages.
Here are my opinions on each of the activities:
Zip Line: At first on the bigger Zip Lines I was a bit afraid but when I finally gave it a go it was really fun.
Trapeze: I loved this because you had to stay on the beam line without falling off because it was hard to get back up, luckily I managed to not fall on any parts of the course.”
Monday, 19 November 2012
REVIEW: Fellowes Powershred DS-1 Shredder (YB)
In this day and age, protecting yourself and your family is as top a priority as ever, but now there are even more things to protect yourself against. One of those things is identity theft.
While it has never happened to me personally, it is a massive threat and there are simple things people can do to prevent it.
The main thing you can do, is shred important documents and letters and old credit/debit cards. The Fellowes Powershred DS-1 shredder if is perfect for just that.
The shredder cuts things in a cross cut pattern (security level 3) and can cut up to 11 sheets at a time. It has a patented SafeSense technology as well, that means the shredder will automatically stop shredding if it detects hands touching the paper entry. An electronic sensor surrounds the
shredder’s paper entry and shuts down the machine immediately when it comes in
contact with the energy field created by humans and larger pets.
Set up and operation are really straightforward. Whilst it does come with a manual, it's so easy to use, you probably won't need to look at it - I didn't! Setup took like 30 seconds. Out the box, plug it in and you're ready to go! All you've got to do is switch it on and put the paper in it and it's shredded! You really can't get much simpler than that. Then you can rest in the knowledge that no-one is going to be able to steal your details. There's a reverse switch in case something isn't feeding properly or you suddenly spot you're shredding something you need as well. It automatically stops when it has finished shredding, but if you start to feed paper, it senses it and starts up again. It has a long 4-5 minute continuous use before it shuts down allowing you to keep shredding for longer.
I must say, I think the shredder is very stylish - it's not an eye sore to have in your home - it's a nice black with a stylish 18L mesh pedal bin. The bin pops out easily to allow you to empty the contents too.
You can see a video of the Fellowes Powershred DS-1 Cross-Cut Shredder in action here.
All of my important documents and letters now get shredded without any thought.
While it has never happened to me personally, it is a massive threat and there are simple things people can do to prevent it.
The main thing you can do, is shred important documents and letters and old credit/debit cards. The Fellowes Powershred DS-1 shredder if is perfect for just that.
Set up and operation are really straightforward. Whilst it does come with a manual, it's so easy to use, you probably won't need to look at it - I didn't! Setup took like 30 seconds. Out the box, plug it in and you're ready to go! All you've got to do is switch it on and put the paper in it and it's shredded! You really can't get much simpler than that. Then you can rest in the knowledge that no-one is going to be able to steal your details. There's a reverse switch in case something isn't feeding properly or you suddenly spot you're shredding something you need as well. It automatically stops when it has finished shredding, but if you start to feed paper, it senses it and starts up again. It has a long 4-5 minute continuous use before it shuts down allowing you to keep shredding for longer.
I must say, I think the shredder is very stylish - it's not an eye sore to have in your home - it's a nice black with a stylish 18L mesh pedal bin. The bin pops out easily to allow you to empty the contents too.
You can see a video of the Fellowes Powershred DS-1 Cross-Cut Shredder in action here.
All of my important documents and letters now get shredded without any thought.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
WIN: Goodie Bag 15/11/2012
I won a goodie bag from Activinstinct on Facebook on 15th November 2012. I received it on 16th November 2012.
I'm really pleased with my goodie bag win, it's got some fab keyrings in and a couple of torches too :)
I'm really pleased with my goodie bag win, it's got some fab keyrings in and a couple of torches too :)
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