If you are not familiar with the jawhorse you can see a video of it here.

My Jawhorse Review article is below and can be seen here.

Jawhorse Reviews – Is the Rockwell Jawhorse Right For Your Home Workshop?

By John Lunt

Have you seen the infomercial on the Rockwell Jawhorse? Are you considering purchasing one for your home work shop? We look at some Jawhorse reviews from Amazon and other sources we find out what people really think of this piece of shop equipment. Is it really a great deal as the infomercials say? Or is it another infomercial product that would never get used? This equipment is billed as a combination sawhorse replacement, workbench, clamp, and vise. It is shown as portable and easy to transport? But is it true?

Amazon has a large number of reviews for this product. Most reviewers, 138 out of 183 total reviews gave it their highest rating: Five Stars! So what did they like about this piece of equipment. We looked at some of the most common praises we found for it.

1. Many reviewers say that the Jawhorse is sturdy and well built.

2. It does a great job clamping down and holding items.

3. The lock release allows quick release of items rather than having to unscrew a clamp.

4. It is an extremely versatile device. It can be used as a workbench, clamp,  saw horse, and base for a variety of tools.

5. It comes assembled and ready to use out of the box.

6. Pads on the clamps prevent damaging or marring.

7. The tripod does lend itself to some stability even on uneven surfaces.

There were also some areas that customers believed could use some improvement. Most of these were isolated and scattered complaints.

1. Several reviewers indicate that the Jawhorse is too heavy for some people like those who are older.

2. There are some complaints about the wheel, the lock down button and a couple of other parts that are made of plastic instead of metal

3. There are complaints that the owner’s manual is not very helpful.

4. Some people point out that tripod leg arrangement is not the most stable arrangement because it is easier to tip than most four legged structures.

5. The wheel does not work well on rough surfaces.

While the Jawhorse is not perfect, it does seem to be well like by people who have purchased it. It is a sturdy piece of equipment that can be used in the home work shop or in some construction settings. It actually allows one person to do what would often take two people with most other equipment.

If you are considering purchasing the this equipment please check out Jawhorse Reviews for additional information. You can also watch some short Jawhorse video reviews about this product as well as a demonstration video.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Lunt

According to an article in Computerworld,  your gps enabled phone could be used against you if the police have an interest in where you are going.  It looks like big brother could be watching you.

Computerworld – Sprint Nextel is downplaying a controversial blog report that it provided customer GPS location data to law enforcement authorities more than eight million times between September 2008 and October 2009.

In a statement Tuesday, the company called the figure a gross misrepresentation and said it doesn’t represent the actual number of customers whose location information was provided — nor does it represent the number of times law enforcement contacted Sprint directly seeking data. Instead, the number represents automated individual requests, or “pings,” by authorities for specific location information needed for investigations over the 13-month period. Typically, a single investigation could generate thousands of individual requests to the network by law enforcement officials trying to track or locate a person over several days or weeks. That means the eight million automated requests were probably generated by thousands of customer searches — not millions, Sprint said.

Sprint’s comments followed a blog report published earlier this week by Christopher Soghoian, a security researcher who attended a recent closed-door conference on electronic surveillance technologies and practices.

During a panel discussion at the conference, Paul Taylor, Sprint’s manager of electronic surveillance, talked about the sizable number of requests for customer GPS data after Sprint rolled-out a new Web portal for automating such requests.

I am conservative and generally favorable toward law enforcement.  However, I also believe that people have a right to have their information secure against unwarranted intrusion by the state and at this time their appears to be no standard of what level of reasonble cause if any has to be reached for law enforcement agencies to request information from your gps enabled phone.

In an audio clip of Taylor’s comments posted on Soghoian’s blog and now mirrored elsewhere, the Sprint executive is heard expressing concern about the volume of requests that came in after the Web interface went live. “There is no way on earth my team could have handled eight million requests from law enforcement, just for GPS alone” without the portal, Taylor said. “So the tool has just really caught on fire with law enforcement.

“When it comes to law enforcement access to location information, it really is the Wild West,” said Gregory Nojeim, senior counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technolgy (CDT) a Washington-based think tank. “There are no statutory standards that tell authorities how much evidence they need to have before they can track a cell phone user’s location,” Nojeim said.

That has put carriers in a tough spot because they are not sure what to require from law enforcement authorities seeking such information, he said.

“In our view, there has to be a court order. The issue is under what standard should the order be issued?” Nojeim said. “You could have a court order based on a very low reasonable cause standard or a court order based on probable cause which is a very high standard,” Nojeim said, adding that the CDT supports the latter for location-based tracking.

John Verdi, senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington said the number of law enforcement requests made to Sprint — and almost certainly to other carriers — is a reminder of the need for good accountability procedures for electronic surveillance.

If you carry a GPS enabled phone, you can be tracked  and that information can be turned over to law enforcement.    This issue needs to be addressed.  I can see it leading to real infringement on the rights of private citizens.  In addition, information like this could lead to court legal challenges that could lead to overturning convictions because of the way the information was acquired.

The United Nations called Switzerland’s ban on new minarets “clearly discriminatory” and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged Tuesday the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country’s image.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Sunday’s referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland was the product of “anti-foreigner scare-mongering.”

So let me get this right.  Thousands of Christians have been murdered, burned alive, had their houses destroyed as well as their places of worship throughout majority Muslim countries and Ms. Pillay doesn’t make a big deal of  it.  But when Switzerland chooses to ban minarets, not mosques, just the minarets, they are accused of being discriminatory.

Of course this isn’t Ms. Pillay’s first foray into one-sided statements.  She wanted Israel held accountable for war crimes, but didn’t even give the real aggressors in the last conflict a slap on the wrist.  Don’t worry about the fact that Israel was continually challenged for weeks leading up to open hostilities with rockets coming down on their cities and towns.

I really don’t give a damn about what this so-called “human rights” chief wants.  She should stay out of the Swiss’ business – and Israel’s as well for that matter.  The UN continues to prove itself to be a meaningless organization that should be scrapped at the earliest convenience.

Photo by Wendy - Picassa - cc - non-commercial-attribution

I guess Wal-Mart is working on losing a customer.  I went to Wal-Marth this morning to take advantage on the deals on a couple of smaller items.  No, I did not get in line at 4am or anything.  I guess I made it there about 8am.

I noticed they had a lot of extra security,  police officers stationed throughout the store.  At first, I thought they were there to help prevent the kinds of tragedies that took place last year where crowds rushing caused death.  I’m now pretty sure, they weren’t there to protect people, but Wal-Mart’s merchandise.

Anyway, I picked up the things I wanted, checked  out, tossed my receipt into one of the bags and headed to the door.  They asked me for my receipt.  I had to dig through until I found the little piece of paper.  Now no one at check-out told me I would need to present the receipt.  They’ve never done that before.  Frankly,  I was annoyed and ticked off.  All they needed was some razor wire and the guard tower to complete the irritation.

I won’t be doing any more shopping at Wal-Mart Maximum Security for the rest of the Christmas Season, and I’m seriously considering returning what I bought just because I’m  ticked off at them

• I am thankful that I was born in the United States.  While I do not want to downplay the plight of the poor, even our poorest generally have it better than the poor in other parts of the world.  For instance there is food available.  It may not be the greatest, but very few Americans ever starve.  Most Americans also have access to clean water.  In most cases in emergencies, there is also access to medical care.
• I am thankful that I have everything I need.  I don’t have all of my “wants” but I do have my needs.
• I am thankful that I live in a nation with a high regard for the rule of law.  While we have crime, I don’t have to fear roaming militias.
• I am thankful for our political system.  I disagree with the current administration, but there is a process to challenge them and to try to get them replaced in an election that is never more than four years away.
• I am thankful for a system where I have the opportunity to pursue my own goals, ideas, and dreams.
• I am thankful for a loving family
• I am thankful I have the freedom to Worship God and to proclaim my allegiance and faith In Jesus Christ.

There are many more things I could add, but I thought this was a good start.  So if the economy has you down…count your blessings today.

So Father I want to express my thankfulness for your many blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving

1.  Even if we have a lot of untapped oil and natural gas reserves, the truth is that eventually they will run out.  So it is better for us to begin moving toward renewable resources now.

2.  Renewable resources will get more efficient and cost effective as we increase demand for these resources.  The market will respond with increasingly better mouse traps.

3.  I am not fully convinced about the issues of Global warming, but if is true, we should be taking steps to reduce carbon emissions and renewable energy sources is one way to to that.

4.  This is an area of technology that we can dominate and create new markets and new wealth in.

5.  We cannot allow our policies and our economy held hostage by threats to supplies of foreign oil whether it is Iran, Venezuela or Saudi Arabia.

6.  Replacing fossil fuel imports with renewable sources will have a positive impact on our balance of trade.

7.  Allowing a small group of oil companies to maintain control over our sources of energy is not to our nation’s benefit.  It is not free enterprise – it is an oligopoly  (–noun the market condition that exists when there are few sellers, as a result of which they can greatly influence price and other market factors) In addition these oligopolies use their enormous wealth to lobby and influence our political leaders.

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Here is an economic fact:  Deficit Spending of 1.5 trillion in one year will have negative economic consequences.  You are either producing a level of debt that no one wants to buy or you are printing  money.

Unemployment continues to climb with over 10 percent of the population unemployed.  Those figures do not include the number of people unemployed or underemployed.  If that is taken into account I’ve heard the figure is likely closer to 15-16 percent.

Banks are still failing which means the government is still having to spend more money to take care of the FDIC deposit guarantees.

General Motors, even after a massive government bailout is still in trouble losing 1.2 billion dollar sin the last quarter alone.

The dollar is tanking which is making those who own US debt very nervous.

The President and the Congress never seem to see a spending bill that they don’t like.  Pork barrel politics is alive and well and Obama who has promised to slash the deficit is instead spending like no other President in recent history.  By the way – at the levels he’s spending money he cannot continue blaming President Bush.  Obama’s administration has been the poster boy for fiscal irresponsibility.

Are we in recovery?  I don’t think so.

My Solar Christmas Light Decorations

Solar Christmas lights have several advantages over more traditional incandescent holiday lights.  For several years I have wanted to decorate my fence down near the main road.  Unfortunately, the closest available electric outlet is nearly 150 yards away.  It was out of the question to string extension chords from the house down the hill to the fence.

I first heard about solar powered Christmas lights last year.  They were the perfect solution to my problem.  However, they were difficult to find.  I ended up trying several retailers like Target and Wal-Mart with no luck.  I finally found one Home Depot that had three sets.  I grabbed them and also purchased a set of solar spotlights.

I strung the lights along with garland along the fence, and put a wreath on the fence post which I illuminated with the solar powered spotlights.   While I was limited because of the limited number of sets available,  I was pleased with the results.

I didn’t know that they were readily available online and come in varieties of types and shapes.  There is a lot more information on solar Christmas lights available here.

Solar powered lights unfortunately cannot be connected into one string.  So I strung one set, then set the solar panel for the next set starting where the first ended.  Then I set the final one.

We had a number of cloudy days and I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough sunlight to charge the batteries.  Even in cloudy conditions, the lights ran several hours.

So one of the big advantages of solar Christmas lights is that you can use them anywhere that you have decent exposure to the sun.