Best products from r/grandrapids

I'm sleeping on a Casper currently. I used to sleep on a Sleep Number mattress but I honestly like this one a lot better.

When I worked at that mattress factory back in the day, I had to haul off a 1 month old $5000 Tempurpedic memory foam mattresses that this couple really didn't like. I was really surprised to find that people pay so much for a mattress that they end up hating. That memory foam absorbs body heat and doesn't breathe like latex does. You end up sinking into the mattress to the point where rolling over or moving in the middle of the night becomes frustrating.

Whatever mattress you end up with, buy a mattress cover to protect it. I got this highly rated one off of Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002AQNXR4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice pillows and pillow protectors are a good upgrade too. I ended up saving so much money from buying my mattress online that grabbing extras like new pillows and a really nice set of sheets didn't hurt my wallet so much. These pillows are super squishy and provide low-to-medium support: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SONR1W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1#

Sheets make a big difference to me and when I first saw the price on the sets at Parachute, I chuckled at how ridiculously high they seemed. I asked around online and bit the bullet. I have never been so satisfied day after day with any purchase. http://www.parachutehome.com (They talk about how they get softer after each wash and I thought that was total BS. It's actually true. The sheets get softer the longer you use them!)

Watch this video to learn more about what makes the Casper and Tuft and Needle mattresses different. It talks about what they're made of and who they're geared towards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sov1T1BJ-mc

Welcome to the area. Actually, I was just at the Pyramid Scheme a few days ago with a group of people for We Were Promised Jetpacks but it sounds like you had better opening bands for this show than we did. I know GR isn't as big, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on how GR compares to Seattle for beer and nightlife :)

Oh yeah, and if you enjoy live music then something like these are a good investment--as long as you remember to bring them!

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371074637&sr=8-1&keywords=etymotic+earplugs

For those interested in carving, I replied to another post with some recommendations for gettings started. Here's that reply:

Here's a list I put together on Amazon. You can do most everything you would want with these basic tools at right around $150. I listed some alternatives in the comments on each item on the Amazon list. You may have or can find a used saw and small axe or hatchet that would work fine.

Basic Greenwood Carving Tools
If you are just starting out with carving, these are the basic tools that I recommend:

• 1. The wet/dry sandpaper - fix any dings or knicks in your blade and bring it to a sharp edge.
     
• 2. Strop - sharpen blades to a razor edge.
     
• 3.Mora 106 - standard knife for carving
  
• 4. Mora 164 - hook knife for curved cuts like the bowl of a spoon.
     
• 5. Husqvarna Hatchet - a good choice for a first axe. Easy to obtain and solid.
     
     Other:
     Folding hand saw - break down wood into more manageable sizes. The folding saws are nice because the blade is kept safe (and so are your fingers!). Any saw will work, though.
     
     
• Spoon Carving On A Budget by Spoon Carving With Tom - Youtube. He's a good resource for getting started with spoon carving.
  
  
• Woodsman's Finest Recommendation for a starter set of knives. It also comes with a strop and tool roll to store your blades
  Here's the specific kit he recommends.. I've not used these, but this guy is a pretty accomplished carver.

I'd recommend adding a decent burr grinder to your collection and you'll have everything required for first-rate coffee at home. It's not intuitively obvious, but the grinder might be the single most influential bit of coffee gear you buy. You'll never get a solid, consistent brew if your grinder cannot produce a consistent grind.

I've purchased 2 of these Capresso burr grinders to give to family and they work great, super easy to use (helpful for my mother-in-law), and are generally quiet, reliable, and consistent.

I'm all for repairs over replacement, but the materials/equipment on this one is probably going to run you $30-40, and if this issue is persistent for that set, won't it spring up again? Feels a bit like throwing good money after bad.

Options: If you must have an in-line mic and you like your current set otherwise, just get a refurb set off Amazon. $19.

If you just need an affordable set of quality headphones, I can't recommend the Superlux HD-681 Evos highly enough. Magnificent sound, $45 pricetag. Great customer service too; I had a small issue on the audio in line, and they fixed it and sent my cans back to me within a week.

Don't be intimidated. There are people of all different fitness levels and experience at any given time. Just put together a day-to-day workout plan so you know exactly what exercises you will be doing, and how many reps and sets of each workout, for any given day. Make sure to research proper form, too. If putting together a workout plan is a bit confusing for you, you can consult a fitness coach at the gym (most gyms have experts on staff that will give you guidance and teach you form for free).

I've recommended this book to others. I used it when I began to take weight lifting more seriously and it was fantastic. It's a quick read and easy to understand since it is targeted for beginners. It will guide you through the process or creating a workout plan for yourself.

Good luck!

As an option, you may consider doing what I'm doing: Internet + Google Voice.

I have Comcast HSI only, and a nifty box, the OBi110 VoIP Telephone Adapter and Voice Service Bridge. Those two with a free Google Voice account get you, in my experience, solid telephone service.

Since I have a home run situation in my house, the cable modem, router and OBi110 are in the same place. I've hooked existing telephone cabling into the OBi, and have regular old phones plugged in all over the house.

One downside is that you will not have accurate 911 geo location service. I'm not even sure where my 911 call would be routed if I do need to make the call.

The big upside with Google Voice is that you can route your one telephone number to your cell, home, work based on rules you set up.... plus other nice features.

I hope that helps a bit.

Also - with your 1.5 connection, you may consider buying a newer cable modem that supports DOCIS v3.0. That should help your speed a bit too, unless you have some other issues on your connection.

That lock can be cut with scissors or a pair of wire cutters pretty easily. I recommend a quality u-lock.

Abus mini 14 is nice

I purchased a HipLok and I am liking that U-Lock so far

Than pair that with a cable to connect your front wheel to the lock. A cable like this would work

A key with the ulock is don't buy a long/really wide one if you don't need it. I prefer the Mini U Locks as once my wheel/frame is in there and I am locked to an object there is almost zero room to put a jack in there.

Also look up proper locking techniques, such as the Sheldon Brown method or the Modified Sheldon Brown method.

ALL locks can be defeated. Locks are nothing more than a deterrent. Just be smart when locking up. I usually do my best to lock in a spot where I can keep an eye on my bike, or I just park inside whenever I get a chance. When parking inside, still use a lock if possible, as i know some people that have had randoms walk in off the street into their office, grab a bike and leave.

You're looking for the AC Adapter or "power brick" as the geeks end up calling it. Sorry about that.

https://www.amazon.com/Retro-Bit-Universal-Adapter-SNES-GENESIS/dp/B001S2VT6I/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_63_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=96CE6YV12Z2ZN63D51AX

That would do it, but it'd be better if you tracked down a used Nintendo brand AC adapter. The name brand stuff just works and fits better than these new things.

The AC adapter is the first thing to check because it's cheap and easy. If that doesn't fix it, then it's internal. Good news is that if you absolutely can't get anyone to fix it, you could probably replace the NES for 40 to 60.

Do you have issues with WXMI (FOX) and/or WOOD (NBC)? Those two are fairly close to the WWMT tower so it would be odd if you are experiencing problems with one but not the others. Check with http://tvfool.com and see if your antenna is pointed in the right direction, or something.

Joining two antennas could cause issues as the "static" from one might combine with the perfectly good signal from the other. They do make filters for this, but they are now hard to find in stock. For example Channel Master CM 0578 JOIN-TENNA. These will pass a certain channel from one antenna, ch 8 (which is ch 3.x, WWMT; Slightly confusing), and everthing else from another antenna.

I use a small yagi in my attic, but I'm not in a wooded area and have a good line of sight.

There is a good chance the data is fine and the hard drive didn’t mechanically “fail”.

You could even try best buy. Likely plugging the hard drive into another computer would let someone copy any important files to a USB drive.

If you know anyone with a computer you can buy one of these and plug it into their computer, take the hard drive out of your computer and put it in the dock and see if the files can be read:

iDsonix Tool Free USB 3.0/2.0 to SATA 2.5/3.5 Inch Hard Drive Docking Station with 3.3 Feet USB 3.0 Cable for HDD/SSD - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FDLCTQO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fZowCbNJB4Z9P

And a thumb drive like this is probably enough for all of your files and pictures:

SanDisk Cruzer CZ36 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive, Frustration-Free Packaging- SDCZ36-064G-AFFP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JR5304/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_q0owCb37AK287

I would not recommend the Leaf. Not because it isn't a good product, but because Grand Rapids has a couple unique and, frankly, annoying traits when it comes to our local broadcasts.

First, the actual broadcast towers of most of our stations are quite a long distance away from the city. WOOD-TV's tower, for example, is down south by Gun Lake. By the time these signals reach the city, they are weaker than what you'd find in most other markets of this size.

Second, most antennae, including the Leaf, are optimized to pick up UHF signals. As luck would have it, most of the GR stations broadcast in the less-common VHF spectrum. The literature of the Leaf will SAY it works fine for VHF, but that hasn't been my experience.

I tried the Leaf at my house in NE GR and could only get WGVU and FOX. I returned it and got a larger unit that I mounted in my attic. I am able to get ABC, NBC, FOX, WGVU, and another half-dozen stations like Ion that I never watch. The only semi-local station that I'm not able to get is CBS out of Kalamazoo due to the longer distance.

This is the unit I bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RH5GZI/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are a number of options out there, but make sure you get one that specifically talks about its VHF capabilities. In general, mounting an antenna in your attic or an upper floor will give you much better results. If you can mount on the outside of the house, you'll get even more.

This calendar has worked well for me. We use a couple hundred square feet in our backyard for growing veggies, and tend to start most of them indoors like people in this thread have mentioned.

A [cheap set of LEDs] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HBT3BVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) (you can buy fancy full-spectrum plant LEDs if you really want, but these are just for getting them growing prior to putting them outside) and a [heat mat] (https://www.amazon.com/certified-Seedfactor-Waterproof-Germination-Hydroponic/dp/B074753J5V/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=seed+mat&qid=1557274811&s=gateway&sr=8-4) from Amazon or a local nursery will go a long way in making sure you're ready to go with plants year round.

If you get some plants going indoors, you can replace your tomatoes and peppers with some cold-weather crops (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.).

how am I wrong?

have you even been to the void?

its a blast. you walk thru different rooms grab items.. open doors

its what the entertainment vr section should be

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you have vr that you can buy online

and have for yourself at home. the same system they try to get you to use at the mall.

you're a glorified ball kiosk only because you have six stations in a room in a mini mall..

you have a laser tag room with a tether.

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you can your games at steam https://store.steampowered.com

you don't even have vive pro https://www.vive.com/us/product/vive-pro/ so you're behind on your

models you use oculus https://www.amazon.com/Oculus-Rift-PC-Powered-Gaming-Headset-pc/dp/B07PTMKYS7/ref=asc_df_B07PTMKYS7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343933741678&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1253456578456410860&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017489&hvtargid=pla-752655432415&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=71915334951&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343933741678&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1253456578456410860&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017489&hvtargid=pla-752655432415 you can buy that on the cheaaaaap...

gaming laptops are cheap https://www.bestbuy.com/site/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/pcmcat287600050003.c?id=pcmcat287600050003

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the void has its own hardware. its an experience of all senses. https://www.thevoid.com