50 Ways to Improve Your Life
Your Home: Not Up For An Extreme Makeover? Try Some Smaller Fixes Instead: Just Remember Where You Put It
Are you fed up juggling half a dozen remote controls just so you can watch a DVD? Try Logitech's Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote ($250).
Some universal remote controls require hours of tedious programming in order to work. But for the Harmony 880, Logitech keeps a continually updated database online of remote control codes for over 100,000 devices, including items like air conditioners, old VCR s, and even laserdisk players. So all you have to do is plug the Harmony remote into a PC or Mac with a USB cable, enter the model numbers for the equipment, and the remote downloads all the commands for the device within minutes.
Your Home: Not Up For An Extreme Makeover? Try Some Smaller Fixes Instead: Seeing the Light on Fluorescents
Compact fluorescent bulbs, which use one third the energy of an incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer, are an environmentalist's dream. Your pocketbook also likes them. One bulb can save you $50 over its lifetime. Now your home can bask in a better glow, too. A new generation of bulbs is cheaper ($4 to $15), can be flicker free, and casts a warmer light--if you know how to shop.
To avoid that cold green glow, check the box for color temperature. For a warm yellow light, try a 2700K; a soft white light, around 3000K; while a crisp neutral white--for home office or kitchens, is about 3500K.
Also look for bulbs that carry the Energy Star logo--they're efficient and won't flicker or hum. High color temperature bulbs over 6500K can even slightly aid with seasonal affective disorder.
Your Home: Not Up For An Extreme Makeover? Try Some Smaller Fixes Instead: I'm Sorry, VCR. I'm Not That Into You
Nothing vanquishes the tyranny of network TV programming executives like a digital video recorder (DVR). With a DVR, viewers can easily record every episode of their favorite show no matter what station it's on, skip through commercials, and rearrange TV schedules to suit their needs. And because DVR s continually record video to a hard-disk drive, couch potatoes can pause a live program while they answer the phone or rewind a broadcast to replay an inaudible piece of dialogue.
DVR s are now built into several different types of devices, ranging from standalone boxes like TiVo to DVD recorders. However, the simplest models to operate are those built into the latest generation of cable and satellite TV boxes. Cable companies such as Time Warner typically add a fee of less than $10 a month to your regular bill for a DVR. The fee is well worth it.
Most of the cable boxes include two tuners, so that you can record two shows at once or let the kids watch Little Bear while you record the Chicago Bears. Moreover, the picture on the cable box DVR s is far superior to that offered by standalone recorders. There are even high-definition versions now available.
This story appears in the December 26, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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